Windy & Carl


Windy & Carl is an American space rock duo based in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. Cited as "a leading light of the Michigan space-rock scene" by AllMusic, the minimalist group was formed in 1993 by the husband-and-wife duo of guitarist Carl Hultgren and bassist and singer Windy Weber. According to Third Man Records, " was a modern movement of a more traditional 'space-rock' sound, influenced less by The Stooges and MC5 and more by Spacemen 3, Loop, My Bloody Valentine and krautrock bands like Can and Neu!"
Unlike noteworthy prior drone/ambient artists, Windy & Carl's drones are primarily derived from guitar, particularly via usage of delay effects, reverb effects, and E-Bow, rather than synthesizers. Another noteworthy aspect of W&C's sound is the absence of drums.
Windy & Carl have recorded 15 albums and many singles and EPs and continue to perform live. Their latest full-length album, Heavy Early & The Creation of Venus, was released by their own Blue Flea label in 2024.
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History

"Hultgren first began recording instrumental guitar drone pieces in 1992, when he self-released a cassette tape named Portal before teaming up with Weber". It was later reissued on CD by BaDaBing owner Ben Goldberg.
Windy & Carl then participated in Darla Records' Bliss Out Series in 1997, contributing the maxi-EP Antarctica. That year, they also issued the limited-edition album/maxi-EP A Dream of Blue on U.K. label Ochre Records, with individually painted cover art by Weber. Depths was released by Kranky in early 1998.
In 1997, the duo embarked on a European tour with Silver Apples, visiting England, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands.
In 1999, the couple teamed up with synthesist Greg Gasiorowski to record under the name Five Way Mirror. They released a few singles under that moniker, in addition to Transcendence, a 1999 full-length album. Consciousness came out on Kranky in 2001. The band then went on hiatus, returning with Dream House/ Dedications to Flea in 2005. There was a singles compilation released in 2001, Introspection, which is 3 CDs of singles, live tracks and previously unreleased recordings.
In 2006, they released Akimatsuri, a one track limited album under their label Blue Flea. It was recorded at their home between March and October 2006. The unique track is made up of 5 subtracks.
Windy & Carl have been a mainstay of the various Terrastock music festivals. In the fall of 2000 they released a CD with The Lothars, titled & Windy & Carl & The Lothars that featured live performances by each band from the San Francisco Terrastock festival as well as a 28-minute collaborative piece recorded at the London Terrastock festival.
The group has issued several other split recordings as well as a 3-CD box set, Introspection: Singles & Rarities 1993-2000. They embarked on a national tour in the summer of 2001 with Landing; the bands released a split tour-only EP to commemorate it. A highlight of this tour was being able to perform a private audience show for Sonic Youth.
In 2007, Windy & Carl joined Mono, Masakatsu Takagi, and Yellow 6 to compose music for the film August Evening, written and directed by Chris Eska.
October 2008 saw the release of Songs for the Broken Hearted – their 4th album in 11 years for Kranky. In December 2008, American webzine Somewhere Cold ranked Songs for the Broken Hearted No. 5 on their 2008 Somewhere Cold Awards Hall of Fame.
Windy & Carl's influence can be heard in bands such as Landing, The Sight Below, Kranky labelmates White Rainbow, Growing, and Yume Bitsu.
After a long hiatus from live performance, they began performing live again in October 2024.

Stormy Records

In 1999, Hultgren and Weber started a record store in Dearborn called Stormy Records. It shut down in 2021 after 22 years in business.

Discography

Albums

Portal Drawing of Sound Antarctica Depths Dream of Blue Consciousness Dedications to Flea The Dream House Songs for the Broken Hearted Instrumentals for the Broken Hearted We Will Always Be Windy & Carl Blues for a UFO Allegiance and Conviction
  • ''Heavy Early & The Creation of Venus''

EPs and singles

Watersong/Dragonfly Instrumentals EP Left Without Air Green Emeralds/Fragments Of Time And Space Christmas Song Crazy in the Sun Dream of Blue/Kate EP Near and Far Noises from the Darkroom Untitled Akimatsuri Intelligence in Evolution You Can't Hide Your Love Forever vol. 7 Calliope/Carnivale I Walked Alone/At Night Christmas Song/Snowing Godzilla Of Snow/Witch & A Cauldron Water Song/Dragonfly - 1993 Instrumental Demos
  • ''Forest Trails''

Compilations

Introspection

Live albums

Live In Tucson, AZ Live At Community School Of Music And Arts * Ithaca, NY April 24th 2009

Various-artist compilation appearances

Solo albums

  • Windy Weber - I Hate People
  • Carl Hultgren - ''Tomorrow''