The core of the neo-psychedelic folk outfit Gowns consists of singers and songwriters Erika Anderson and Ezra Buchla. Buchla (the son of pioneering synthesizer developer Don Buchla, whose first-generation electronic music devices were used by Morton Subotnick and others) had been a founding member of the Los Angeles noise punk outfit the Mae Shi, while Anderson had played guitar with Henry Barnes' eclectic experimental project Amps for Christ. Along with drummer Corey Fogel, one of Buchla's former Mae Shi bandmates, Buchla and Anderson relocated to San Francisco and formed the dark and moodier Gowns in 2006. Red State, recorded in Anderson's home state of South Dakota, was released in late 2007. After the album's release, Fogel was replaced by new drummer Jacob Felix Heule and bassist Aaron Davis was added to the lineup. The group's third album, Broken Bones, arrived in 2009. Gowns disbanded in early 2010, with Anderson moving on to a solo career as EMA. ~ Stewart Mason