Marah in the Mainsail “Bone Crown” 2017. Last Triumph Records. Now known as Coyote Kid (they very recently changed the band’s name). Coyote Kid was one of our favorite new-to-us artists at last weekend’s Mile of Music festival in Appleton, WI. From Minneapolis, they have a unique mixture of goth, calliope-fun-house, spaghetti westerns, soaring harmonies, gristled melodies and a touch of punk sensibilities. Coyote Kid put on an amazing performance at Houdini Plaza under the scorching sun, ironic as the band’s look and vibe is much better suited to a dark deep forest, or at least a late-night dance floor. I got a chance to chat with a few band members after their set while picking up this LP (their second, another one is due soon under their new name): singer/keyboardist Cassandra Valentine, singer/guitarist Austin Durry and bassist/crazed-hype-man Austin Wilder. Their excellent trombonist John Baumgartner, who adds a soaring excitement to their music, had likely fled the heat by that point – the poor guy was wearing black jeans and a long-sleeved black sweatshirt which probably raised his internal temp to 110 degrees.

Bone Crown is a concept album that tells the story of “The Rise and Fall of the Great Fox King,” and a download of the story’s narration is available from their website. It’s a dark fairy tale – all of the good ones are – with the tracks melding perfectly to one another, cohesive without being repetitive or boring. My favorite tracks after this first listen are “Fox Hole,” “Fisticuffs,” “Everybody Knows,” “The Great Beyond,” and the title track “Bone Crown,”  Because Coyote Kid was new to me, I’m not sure of how many of these songs they played at their Mile of Music set but I’m looking forward to seeing them again after getting more familiar with their music – they put on quite a show.