Breathe Owl Breathe

Breathe Owl Breathe is a Michigan-based trio that plays atmospheric, evocative acoustic-based music, fusing folk traditions with the adventurous approach of indie rock. Breathe Owl Breathe was formed in Ann Arbor, MI by songwriter, vocalist, guitarist, and banjo picker Micah Middaugh and Andrea Moreno-Beals, a cellist who also contributes banjo and vocals. Middaugh was born and raised in a small town in Northern Michigan, and he inherited his love of music from his father, who played a home-made banjo as well as the concertina. Moreno-Beals was born in Colombia but spent most of her childhood in Ann Arbor, where she displayed a talent for the cello at an early age. Moreno-Beals was offered scholarships to a number of music schools after graduating from high school, but grew tired of the strictures of classical music. In 2001, she was introduced to Middaugh by a mutual friend during a visit to an ice-cream stand, and the two became fast friends and musical collaborators. (They also helped a friend with a VHS video camera make a home-made zombie movie the same evening.) With the addition of Lansing-based percussionist Trevor Hobbes, Breathe Owl Breathe became a three-piece, and they began performing around the Midwest. In 2004, they released their first album, The Fall Album, through Earthwork Music, a collective of socially and environmentally conscious musicians. Climb In followed in 2005, and Canadian Shield in 2008, as the group continued to spread the word about their music though steady touring. Ghost Glacier was issued on CD, LP, and download formats in the fall of 2009, and another album was scheduled for release in 2010. Middaugh and Moreno-Beals also collaborated with guitarist and singer Sari Brown in a side project, Three Spoons Make Three. The group returned in 2013 with another album, Passage of Pegasus, that featured guest appearances from Michael Hurley, Victoria Williams, Kyle Field of Little Wings and Eric D. Johnson (Fruit Bats, the Shins).