Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe

A staple in the art and music community of Chicago, singer and multi-instrumentalist Robert A.A. Lowe (no relation to actor Rob Lowe) splits his time among a variety of art rock, freak folk, and quirky indie rock projects. He joined up with the 90 Day Men in 1997, formed Dreamweapon with members of Town and Country, and started creating solo work under the moniker Lichens. Here, he performed as a one-man show, Lowe utilizing effects boxes to the fullest by looping guitars, percussion, and vocals into a reverberated drone on-stage. In 2005, Lichens released The Psychic Nature of Being, and in 2007 OMNS followed, along with a few split LPs with Lexie Mountain, Cloud Canyon, and White. Around this time, Lowe joined the unconventional rock group Singer with members of U.S. Maple, Bird Show, and his old pal Ben Vida from Town and Country. The band made plans to release Unhistories in March of 2008 on Drag City just as another Chicago indie favorite, Thrill Jockey Records, took notice of Lowe, and added him to their roster as a solo artist. The first Robert A.A. Lowe album, Gyromancy, was released in April of 2008 as a contribution to Thrill Jockey’s creative series of limited-edition CD/book packages, which included Daniel Higgs’ Atomic Yggdrasil Tarot and Aki Tsuyuko’s Hokane. ~ Jason Lymangrover