New Album Release from The Margots
The Margots
Photography by Mo Alfonso
Lucky and the Cowboy Casino
Inspired by dusty roads, cowboy casinos, and haunted chateaus, The Margots fuse psychedelic vocals with blues guitars, indie-rock bass riffs, and tape driven drums.
Album Artwork by Spencer Riley Alfonso and Mo Alfonso
Track Listing
Willow Springs
Roll On
Fuzzy
Reno
Blurry
I’ve Been Wrong
Coastal
For Fans of: Cage the Elephant, Beck, Fontaines D.C., SHAME, Purling Hiss, IDLES
Track Highlights
San Pedro based multi-instrumentalist Brandon Burr and Spencer Riley Alfonso formed The Margots in Boyle Heights Los Angeles in 2019.
Having co-produced songs for Thomas Rent and Riley and the Roxies, Alfonso and Burr began sharing ideas for an art-rock/psychedelic project. After trading demos back and forth, 2020 saw two single releases for The Margots, ‘Roll On’ featured in Mix It All Up, ALTANGELES, Roadie Metal and ‘Willow Springs’ - a desert inspired romp’.
The Margots’ third single, “Fuzzy” - a driving, aptly named display of tube driven guitars and bass, released that following year. Featuring performances by bass player Zach Esposito (Del Water Gap) and Dan Bailey (Father John Misty), the track’s minimalist production highlights each musician’s contribution in the raw recording. The Margots’ debut album: Lucky and the Cowboy Casino features their three previously released singles, including four new tracks.
Brandon Burr Recording Lucky and the Cowboy Casino
The folk-rock, psychedelic track “Blurry” was inspired by the Wes Anderson film,The Darjeeling Limited. The track began as a demo created by Burr’s acoustic guitar and bass riff. Spencer added electric guitar, mellotron keyboard and live drums. The recording process occurred remotely between the two members.
The arrangement of “Blurry” is inspired by Laurel Canyon-LA based troubadours like Neil Young and Tom Waits who create impact with organic instruments. Alfonso states, “And so when I'm chopping stuff kind of like in the studio, I'm usually trying to figure out like, what's the bare minimum we can do for this song to where it conveys what we want to convey.”
The Making of Lucky and the Cowboy Casino
Brandon Burr and Spencer Riley Alfonso on how real stories inspired the songwriting process of Lucky and the Cowboy Casino.
“...I had a friend who was moving.
He was either getting ready to retire or getting ready to go into the craziest stage of his life
“‘Yeah, you know, we’re selling all our furniture. It’s getting too expensive in California.
We’re gonna go out to Reno. We’re gonna do our thing out there. And plus, I’m gonna be closer to the horses.’”
And, I was like, “‘What? What does that mean you’re gonna be closer to the horses?
He said, “‘Well, you know, I bet on horses. So it’ll be easier to get to the race track every day. And, I’m just there, I’ll just be closer to Reno.’”
And, I’m like, “‘Oh so you’re not taking it easier, you’re gonna go all in on the horses in Reno.”’ So that’s how a lot of our songwriting conversations start.”
Brandon Burr (Vocalist/Musician) and Spencer Riley Alfonso (Musician/Producer) discuss the making of The Margots debut album: Lucky and the Cowboy Casino. The album releases on March 24, 2023 and features 7 tracks including the singles: Roll On, Willow Springs, and Fuzzy.