Experimental guitar duo Elkhorn explore traditional folk structures with a decidedly psychedelic approach, pushing the boundaries of their rural instrumentals with sun-dazzled fuzz and wandering improvisation. The group was formed by two longtime friends and slowly gelled on albums like 2020's graceful but simmering The Storm Sessions. Elkhorn was formed by 12-string acoustic guitarist Jesse Sheppard and electric guitarist Drew Gardner. The two friends grew up together in New Jersey and had played in noisy punk bands as teenagers. After many years apart, they found themselves once again living close to one another and began performing as Elkhorn in 2013. It would be three years before they released their self-titled full-length with the Beyond Beyond Is Beyond label, and from there, the duo developed further with each subsequent release. Over the next few years, the two toured both the East and the West coasts, releasing second album The Black River in 2017 and third album Lionfish in 2018. 2019 was an especially fruitful year, with Elkhorn releasing Elk Jam and Sun Cycle, two albums of material recorded during a single-day session with their lineup expanded to include third guitarist Willie Lane and percussionist Ryan Jewell. The next year, Elkhorn released the full-length album The Snow Sessions. Recorded while snowed in at Gardner's home studio in Manhattan, the duo improvised with Turner Williams sitting in on electric bouzouki and shahi baaja, ultimately creating two side-long jams that carried tension and surrender as they moved away from rural folk and closer to cosmic jazz territory. ~ Fred Thomas