Bothwell's father spent his life on the rails and his mother was an ambitious photographer that fled her Kentucky home at age 17. They were well at home in an extended family that included hitchhikers, sailors and pilots. Astronautalis has continued the family business by bringing the tour-driven lifestyle to the world of hip-hop, spending nearly every day on the road for over seven years. Now based out of the Twin Cities -- home to one of the most vibrant independent hip-hop communities in the nation -- he's continued to tour extensively with an arsenal of four full-length albums, including 2011's highly respected "This Is Our Science."
"The River, the Woods" serves as an excellent introduction to Astronautalis's sound and style, leading with the energy of live drumming, adding strong, ambient tones from the synthesizer and then traveling through many levels of rock-flavored intensity, all permeated by the flow of rapped lyrics. While this style alone provides an enormity of potential songs, Bothwell continues to expand his range, with each track diving further into each of the elements and influences found within his music. Astronautalis embodies the transient style with every track on every album and every live performance, taking the listener on a tour of his truly unique music.
All photos by Corey Woodruff.
