Rocky Votolato
Seattle musician Rocky Votolato is a soft-spoken, very kind, very hard-working man, born in rural Texas and raised in the Pacific Northwest indie scene (where he fronted the acclaimed rock band Waxwing). In his life as a songwriter and musician he has sought to articulate something essential about life, writing songs that seem to have been scratched into a boxcar wall by a worn-out and lonesome ghost. His gravelly, sandpaper smooth voice and introspective lyrics mark him as that most rare of punk-rocker-turned-acoustic-troubadours: Votolato writes graceful, understated, human, unpretentious songs, demonstrating that simplicity is still a viable option for accomplished songwriters.
Rocky Votolato Makers (Expanded Edition) + limited color vinyl out January 23
Barsuk is beyond excited to announce the January 23 digital release of Makers (Expanded Edition), assembling the original indie-folk/alt-country masterpiece with the follow-up 2007 End Like This EP plus eight previously-unreleased tracks — four never-before-heard outttakes and four demos — including a heartbreaking cover of Jeff Buckley's "Lover, You Should've Come Over."
Along with "White Daisy Passing," "Portland Is Leaving," "Tinfoil Hats," "She Was Only In It For The Rain" and 8 more indie classics from the original release, the expanded digital album will be available as a download included with a new Makers LP reissue — also in stores (and via the Barsuk shop) on January 23 — packaged in a gatefold jacket with updated artwork, a lyrics insert and a multicolored (black & blue with white splatter) vinyl pressing. 08 Jan 2026
