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Mapache consists of Clay Finch and Sam Blasucci. Born and raised in Glendale,
California, the duo’s breathtaking harmonies and heartfelt sound verges on cosmic
West Coast Pop Americana. Just months after releasing their critically acclaimed
self-titled debut, the duo is back touring with a beguiling new EP titled ‘Lonesome
LA Cowboy.ʼ
Consisting of three charismatic covers, ‘Lonesome LA Cowboyʼ encompasses
decades, genres, and even international borders. Tapping faithfully into an era that
ended well before their births, Mapacheʼs performances here conjure up dry
desert breezes and lush coastal canyons with a distinctly southwestern brand of
harmony-driven folk and country thatʼs at once vintage and contemporary. The
pair relies on nothing more than acoustic guitars and enchanting vocals to work
their magic, pulling influence from the architects of American roots music as well
as formative years spent living in Mexico and filtering it all through modern,
youthful sensibilities. Itʼs music with little regard for boundaries or barriers,
reverent of the past but fully immersed in the present.
“We make music thatʼs reflective of the landscape we grew up with in southern
California,” says Finch. “Itʼs a big sweep of all the really rich influences you
encounter around here: folk and psychedelic and country and Latin and rock and
cowboy and Hawaiian. Weʼre drawing from a really deep well.”
Recorded in a similarly stripped-down fashion with producer Dan Horne (Cass
McCombs, Allah-Las), Mapacheʼs self-titled debut introduced the duoʼs timeless
songwriting and airtight harmonies, earning obvious comparisons to The Louvin
Brothers in addition to more cosmic keepers of the flame like Graham Parsons and
the Grateful Dead. Aquarium Drunkard hailed the duo as “a blazed up Everly
Brothers” and raved that “the LP faithfully radiates the intimate warmth of their
live shows,” while No Depression said the album “weds lilting melodies to lyrics
that often extol the beauties of nature,” and Saving Country Music declared that
the duo “can fill up a room with more soul soaring harmony than most symphonic
assemblies.” The music helped earn the band festival appearances from Pickathon
to Mountain Jam as well as tour dates with Chris Robinson, Nikki Bluhm,
Beachwood Sparks, and more.
Though Mapache (Spanish for “raccoon”) only recently began recording, the duoʼs
roots stretch all the way back to high school, where Finch and Blasucci struck up a
friendship over a shared love of skateboarding and classic songwriters. After
graduation, Finch headed north to study music at Chico State (birthplace of The
Mother Hips, who recently invited Mapache to perform at their beloved Hipnic
festival in Big Sur), while Blasucci headed South to Mexico, where he served as a
missionary for two years.
Their sound is not an exercise in pop nostalgia, but rather a distinctly independent
link in a chain that stretches far behind and ahead of them.