Thomas Feurer, Neal Pawley and 11 Acorn Lane are known for their “accomplished musical wimsy” (LA Times). This inspires critics with a variety of wildly imaginative descriptions. MSN Music describes their jazzy tunes as “a groovy combination of lounge music, contemporary electronics spiked with top note of surf rock, Cha-cha, and brass.” They have five buoyantly Esquivelian albums together on Wooden Hat: ‘Happy As Can Be’, ‘Painting Coconuts’, ‘Everybody’s Here’ and ‘Swing Thing’. Each album was meticulously arranged, recorded and produced by the Armory in New York City. They are the smallest large band, playing dozens of instruments. They keep learning new things: Thomas recently added piccolo, while Neal has his first French Horn and knows how to use it. 11 Acorn Lane’s distinctive sound, which combines painstaking craftsmanship and tongue-in-cheek quirkiness with a unique sound, is why their music has been featured on many shows, including HBO’s “Bored to Death,” Showtime’s “Weeds,” ABC’s “Ugly Betty,” ABC’s ‘Weeds,” ABC’s ‘Weeds,” ABC’s „Ugly Betty,” NPR’s “Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me” and PBS’s“ Roadtrip Nation” among other prominent placements. Pawley and Feurer have a diverse list of credits, including playing, producing and writing with a wide range of musical luminaries like Quincy Jones and Billy Eckstine and Bon Jovi. They learned their composition and performance skills at renowned music schools, including London’s Guildhall School of Music, New York’s Manhattan School of Music, Pawley (from Sheffield, England), and Boston’s Berklee School of Music, Boston for Feurer, a native of Effretikon in Switzerland. 11 Acorn Lane is a unique fusion of jazz, Latin and exotica musics with elements from Mad Men-era lounge music. It was born out of a chance encounter in New York. That’s why 11 Acorn Lane is a place where, Thomas says, “Henry Mancini meets Fatboy Slim over a glass of wine, and Serge Gainsbourg pops in.” It’s also “an imaginary address where our music lives,” Neal explains, “in an imaginary lounge where all kinds of instruments get together and do unexpected things.” That may be why 11 Acorn Lane’s ‘Happy Holy Days’ topped the Village Voice’s 2010 list of Best Christmas Albums with a flood of adjectives: “Sexy and drunken horns, swinging accordion, cooing choruses, and a cha-cha beat are all milked for maximum merriment.” from http://11acornlane.com
