Leopold and his Fiction
San Francisco, CA
The Raconteurs, The Black Keys, Dr. Dog
With a knack for vintage sound and vintage gear, San Francisco’s Leopold and His Fiction provide expansive lo-fi rock and roll with varying shades of country and blues.
The story of Leopold and His Fiction begins as the story of singer and songwriter Daniel James. Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, it wasn’t until James moved to California that he began to toy with the idea of writing music of his own. Named after the reoccurring character James created in his college writing class, Leopold and his Fiction began as a project between James and drummer Ben Cook as a stripped down ode to ’70s rock and roll. Rather than continue with the sound carved by their gritty 2006 self-titled debut, James took Cook’s 2008 departure as an opportunity to refocus and reorganize the band with the addition of multi-instrumentalists Micayla Grace and Jon Sortland.
As a newly formed trio, Leopold and His Fiction returned to the studio and released Ain’t No Surprise in 2009, followed by their most recent, Golden Friends, which dropped just this past March. Although maintaining the energy and frankness of their previous albums, the progress into more cohesive and dynamic territory in Golden Friends is undeniable. Songs like “Miss Manipulation” serve as a subtle narrative full of slide guitar and a distinct folk country feel, while the album’s titular track stands out as a soulful blend of sultry vocals and pulsating rhythms. Where Leopold and His Fiction’s intricacies take a prominent hold on recordings, the trio’s sound merges into an energetic fury when played on the dark stages of the venues they frequent–earning them the status as of one of San Francisco’s most coveted new bands.
