A. The short version: It's the title of an album by a 1960's British folk/psychedelic band, The Incredible String Band. Our producer suggested the name while we were recording if I should stumble. Since many of the themes we write and sing about have to do with innocence and guilt, beauty and death, and so on, The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter seemed to summarize the feel of what our music sounds and looks like.
The long version: About the time we were experimenting with band names, (Steve & Meredith - too bland; Thread - hippy, but already taken; Murder & Thread - too "Suge Knight hip hop"), we were playing a writer's night in New York in an area that dates back to the post Revolutionary War era. While we sang, a gradual, incredibly beautiful tone filled the room. It was the most ethereal, hauntingly rich reverb we'd ever heard. There was no one at the soundboard so we just figured the dynamics of physics, (the amount of people in the room, the trajectory of our voices and instruments at the rafters, barometric pressure, etc.), and luck played in our favor for a really electric performance that night.
After we got off stage one of the patrons approached us and asked, "Did you hear her playing with you? It was amazing!" From what we were told, the coffeehouse is occasionally haunted. On very rare occasions a young local girl, who died in the 1800's, visits. If she likes the music she plays along, adding her other-worldly textures and ambiance. Not to say we buy into stories of paranormal activity as such, but we believe music is very spiritual, ("I heard there was a secret chord that David played and it pleased the Lord..." Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen). We couldn't deny the electricity we felt while we played that night and that others experienced it too.
At that point we thought of going by the name, Daughter. We told our producer which brings us back to the short version of this answer. Since then, we've had numerous occasions playing live that we've felt - and have been told - we sound like a full band and not just a two-piece. And we're fine with it if there is a ghost who is a third member. She doesn't take up room in the van and hasn't asked for any money. We love band mates like that.
The long version: About the time we were experimenting with band names, (Steve & Meredith - too bland; Thread - hippy, but already taken; Murder & Thread - too "Suge Knight hip hop"), we were playing a writer's night in New York in an area that dates back to the post Revolutionary War era. While we sang, a gradual, incredibly beautiful tone filled the room. It was the most ethereal, hauntingly rich reverb we'd ever heard. There was no one at the soundboard so we just figured the dynamics of physics, (the amount of people in the room, the trajectory of our voices and instruments at the rafters, barometric pressure, etc.), and luck played in our favor for a really electric performance that night.
After we got off stage one of the patrons approached us and asked, "Did you hear her playing with you? It was amazing!" From what we were told, the coffeehouse is occasionally haunted. On very rare occasions a young local girl, who died in the 1800's, visits. If she likes the music she plays along, adding her other-worldly textures and ambiance. Not to say we buy into stories of paranormal activity as such, but we believe music is very spiritual, ("I heard there was a secret chord that David played and it pleased the Lord..." Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen). We couldn't deny the electricity we felt while we played that night and that others experienced it too.
At that point we thought of going by the name, Daughter. We told our producer which brings us back to the short version of this answer. Since then, we've had numerous occasions playing live that we've felt - and have been told - we sound like a full band and not just a two-piece. And we're fine with it if there is a ghost who is a third member. She doesn't take up room in the van and hasn't asked for any money. We love band mates like that.
