Published at 3:38 PM on September 3, 2008

By Mary Kate Varnau

Gillian Welch's Acony debuts The Whispertown 2000

Acony Records, label-child of Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, has announced its first signing. The Whispertown 2000 is an indie-folk amalgamation from Los Angeles whose members include singer-songwriter Morgan Nagler, guitarist Tod Adrian Wisenbaker, little brother and bassist Casey Holden Wisenbaker and vocalist Vanesa Corbala. The group's first album, Swim, will be released Oct. 21.

Nagler, the leading woman and lyricist of the band, got her start as a solo artist, backed by close friend Blake Sennett of Rilo Kiley. Accompanied by Tod Wisenbaker, Nagler opened for Sennett's The Elected as Vagtown 2000. The duet picked up Corbala and Casey Wisenbaker in 2005 and updated the name to its current moniker. They’ve since opened for Bright Eyes, She & Him, Rilo Kiley and Jenny Lewis—who calls Nagler her “favorite songwriter. Period.”

The band members’ backgrounds include folk, punk, hardcore, avant-blues, pop and traditional Mexican music, and their Acony Records debut album will feature guest performances by both Welch and Lewis. The Whispertown 2000 tours from Albuquerque through Chicago with Lewis throughout September.

Related links:
The Whispertown 2000 on YouTube

Feature: Gillian Welch - The Orphan Girl Opens Up
Tod Adrian Wisenbaker on MySpace

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