Bio
Quickly making a name for himself in the St. Louis singer/songwriter scene, Caleb Travers has become a regional favorite, sharing bills with Alt. Country heavy Bobby Bare Jr., Ha Ha Tonka and the Everybodyfields. He and his band earned the title Best Alt. Country Band of 2007 by the River Front Times before Blue Weathered Dreams, his debut self-release was even completed. The 26-year-old singer continues to create a buzz regionally, receiving heavy air-play and support from St. Louis’ KDHX, accolades from the Columbia Tribune and the St. Louis Beacon. Travers made the River Front Times “Best Of” list again this year as Best Songwriter.
The songs of Blue Weathered Dreams go back to the singer’s origins. The tune “Annie”, which grounds the album, is based on his parents’ travels across the Southwest & Midwest as Pentacostal musicians. Sonically, the album walks a tight-rope between pristine, layered guitar work, genteel steel guitar played by Scott Swartz, Travers’ rising and falling vocal theatrics and pure rock ‘n’ roll revelry. With imaginative song-craft, Travers writes himself into the prayers, stories and dying wishes of lovers, killers and strangers, sometimes as a walk-on cameo or a sympathetic observer, and other times as the protagonist, singing with a grave and penitent delivery.
Praise for Caleb Travers -
2008 Best of St. Louis
Best Songwriter
With heart-on-his-sleeve, real-world honesty, a slightly gritty baritone and the ability to paint believable portraits of love gone wrong, Caleb Travers’ brand of twang-tinged Americana calls to mind Beck’s breakup masterpiece Sea Change — but with a fervor and style all his own. Travers’ songs tell stories of everyday life in a way that seems romantic but not over-idealized or -dramatized. The rootsy laments on Caleb Travers & Big City Lights’ 2007 debut Blue Weathered Dreams are fueled by staggering acoustic strums and solitary harmonica, but Travers’ vivid storytelling style and eminently relatable subject matter are what make these songs hit home hard.
– River Front Times, “Best of 2008″
“A talent to watch, for sure.”
-St. Louis Beacon
“…one of the genre’s rising stars…”
-Columbia Tribune
2007 Best of St. Louis
Best Country Band (Alternative)
“His Ryan Adams jones shows, but so do his good nature, ambition and talent. Travers is pushing all of 25 and his band, including veteran pedal-steel whiz Scott Swartz of the Linemen, is pushing this son of south city toward more than just Telecaster strumming and dirt-road divining. His band can play it Stonesy, Byrdsy and Whiskeytowny without ever sounding dated or in denial over how much room they have for growth. Travers sings with wiry strength, with an inviting slur and unfaked Midwestern drawl, and his songs get their hooks in, indirectly echoing pure country-rock, whether from the Eagles or Buffalo Springfield. Travers and band are currently finishing up their first EP. It promises to be the twang fix a flagging alt-country scene needs.”
-River Front Times “Best Of 2007″
“…straight-shooting, tear-stained rock & roll [that] rests on the lachrymose depths of Travers’ flickering tenor voice.”
-Christian Schaeffer; River Front Times
Praise for Blue Weathered Dreams -
“With a slow, lonesome strum and slight baritone rasp reminiscent of Beck’s work on the breakup masterpiece Sea Change, Caleb Travers brings perspective to heartbreak and paints spot-on images of a relationship’s forlorn demise. But the stories told on 2007’s Blue Weathered Dreams aren’t the foggy, beer-soaked laments of an idealized, wayward wanderer. Instead Travers’ songs capture the emotion of everyday life without melodrama or pretense — whether it be through vivid descriptions of family dealings, romantic entanglements or personal struggles.”
–Shae Moseley; River Front Times
“These songs ache with the seriousness of a singer who sees darkness on every horizon, from the unbreakable bonds of family to the search for redemption… they are worth a listen if only to hear Travers beautiful tenor voice; it’s a standout among local singers in any genre.”
-Christian Schaeffer; River Front Times
“…a well-produced, genuine alt-country effort that evokes rural travels, family hardships and perseverance.”
-Matt Fernandes; Rock Candy
“The music Caleb makes is richly woven and carefully considered—timeless, really… At first listen, you’re likely to stop whatever it is that you’re doing and listen—you know, really listen. This is a guy who’s got something to say; Caleb & Co. are well worth your four or seven or 52 minutes. But be warned: Once you’ve given your time, you’ll want to give it again, and again.”
-Laura Hamlet; STL Sound
