The Former + Janie Cowan

By design, THE FORMER is less a band, more an unidentifiable mass of raw nerve, exposed muscle, and severed subconscious found beneath layers of our cultural rubble. Overturning the grails of Lynchian jazz-damage, post-punk, film noir soundtracks, and urban/rural abyss altercations, THE FORMER capture/release the forlorn desert atmosphere from which they’ve been found: where the sand meets the dark alley.

Their debut recording “Live From Super X Gallery” (Dharma Sound Records) is an exclusive document of their in-person sound installation in December of 2022 in Pioneertown, CA.

THE FORMER features members of This Lonesome Paradise, Jail Weddings, Mother, Mojave Ghost, and Radiojed.

"To Fall In Love With Death is an album that radiates authenticity. The soundscapes she creates are filled with both intimacy and grandeur, parts folk, jazz, and world music all blended into a seamless whole”

-Joshua Tree Voice

Janie Cowan is a sought after double bassist who's wide ranging career has taken her on world travels engaging deeply with cultural musical legacies, songwriters, desert rockers as well as performing alongside Bob Dylan in Shadow Kingdom. This year she released her debut solo record To Fall In Love With Death, utilizing sampling and foot pedals in a genre bending improvisatory experience and psychedelic soundscape like no other.