“Grave blankets” are defined as decorative covers for gravesites. For nearly a decade, it seemed as though Chris Arduser — best known for his work with psychodots, The Bears, Adrian Belew and a variety of related bands and artists — had relegated his popular Americana side project of the same name to his own personal musical cemetery.
Between his ongoing responsibilities with the Blue Bird Trio, his burgeoning session work and officially launching his solo career, there seemed little room for additional output from The Graveblankets, who had released a trio of excellent albums in the 1990s. In 2000, Arduser and the band (bassist Bob Nyswonger, guitarist George Cunningham, violinist Karen Addie, vocalist Bridget Otto and a host of guests) released Where It Hurts, the last album of new Graveblankets material, followed by the 2001 release of Orphan Recordings, a collection of demos and unreleased tracks.
In 2003, Arduser released his debut solo album Hostage, followed by The Celebrity Motorcade in 2005 and Hapless in 2007. The ’Blankets were all but folded and packed away.
