Havalina Rail Co.

    Havalina Rail Co.

    Also credited as Havalina

    Long Beach, California19 reviews across 5 releases

    experimentalfolkindie rockpower pop
    Discogs

    Havalina Rail Co., later shortened to Havalina, was a Long Beach, California, band formed in 1992 and led by songwriter Matt Wignall. Its 1994 debut moved through folk rock, zydeco, bluegrass, country and big-band arrangements across nineteen tracks, often favoring instrumental color over stylistic consistency. Russian Lullabies (1997) turned toward colder, more melancholy material shaped by Russian imagery, with sparse acoustic songs set beside jazz, swing and unusual percussion. America (1999) shifted again, using a road-trip concept to recast older American forms through quirky arrangements and Wignall's dry, unhurried vocals. The band treated each record as a new musical setting rather than a fixed genre. By the early 2000s, the writing had become somewhat more direct, while organs and other unusual instruments gave the songs a more pronounced theatrical and Latin-influenced character.

    Jeff Suri left before the sessions for Space, Love & Bullfighting, and Erick Diego moved from violin to drums while Mercedes Stevens and David Maust joined the working lineup. Released in 2002 after Havalina returned to Tooth & Nail Records, the album retained the band's abrupt shifts between styles while adding Spanish and Mexican coloration, organ and hurdy-gurdy. Orlando Greenhill later left, and Havalina ended in 2005 after a final show at the Gypsy Lounge on March 17. Former members subsequently played in projects including Matt Death and the New Intellectuals and Wargirl. Wignall continued working as a producer and engineer, including early work with Long Beach's Cold War Kids.

    5 releases reviewed