The Hollywood Hills-born daughter of a horror filmmaker and sister of a cult comedian, Foxtails front-girl Laura Weinbach grew up in a household that embraced eccentricity. Her next-door neighbors were circus contortionists with emus and fang-toothed monkeys as pets and her childhood activities included snail hunting and spying on celebrity neighbors like Slash, Ice-T, and Larry from Perfect Strangers. Laura’s upbringing is present everywhere in Foxtails Brigade, from the lyrical imagery to the hand-drawn artwork and sophomoric Instagram cartoons.
The band’s live show is a clockwork of junkyard beats, warped orchestral sonics, and Laura’s trademark voice and classical guitar intricacies with an A-List ensemble featuring performing members of Bright Eyes, Van Dyke Parks, and John Kale. The songs tackle subjects of substitute teaching in the Oakland and LA public school scenes, steak appreciation, and general unfairness awareness with a warped pop sensibility akin to influences like St. Vincent, Depeche Mode, Joanna Newsom, Elliot Smith and Spoon.
The band has been a staple of the Bay Area music scene for years and has toured the US, Europe and beyond. They have released records on Third Culture, Antenna Farm and OIM. They are also noted for their eye-catching music videos several of which were directed by drummer / film maker Dominic Mercurio and feature colorful, detail oriented art direction by Laura Weinbach. The videos have been compared to the aesthetic styles of Wes Anderson, Jean Pierre Jeunet and Jan Swankmeyer. Their most recent video release was a dark cover of “My Favorite Things” directed by Anton Patzner and was well received by audiences. Throughout the pandemic the band self-released a series of singles. They are currently un-signed and have plans for more releases and live shows in 2023. Stay tuned.
Press quotes:
“If Rube Goldberg designed a cuckoo clock, the music it would play each hour would be Foxtails Brigade… They played like a well-orchestrated storm and its thunderhead is the unassuming Laura Weinbach who stands about 5’1”, leading the digital-effects-soaked cacophony with an acoustic guitar.” -Nick Brunner / Capital Public Radio
“…A modern day Grimms' fairytale…orchestral pop peppered with flashes of yelping and chaos.” -Billboard
“Laura Weinbach of Foxtails Brigade has a voice like the sirens of Homer’s Odyssey. It draws you in with its sheer beauty and takes you places where you teeter on the edge of bliss and terror. …dreamy chamber-pop with a sharp edge.”
– Best New Bands
“as soon as Laura Weinbach starts to play, everyone within earshot immediately revises their previous opinions of her, from tiny cutie to big roaring genius.”
– SF Weekly
“music that doesn’t sound like very much else out there these days." -Popmatters
“Foxtails Brigade is what would happen if Wolfgang Mozart were alive and writing pop music today. Refreshingly beautiful.” -Audio Fuzz