Over the years, Drew Gardner has been one of the more understated voices in the world of experimental guitar. Gardner’s style, perceptive and far-reaching, as he’s often had a foot in each camp of both folk and doom; the link between the two: psychedelia.
One half of the vastly underrated Elkhorn as well as a constant in The Heavy Lidders alongside Jeffrey Alexander, the New York-based guitarist is also responsible for a bourgeoning solo canon. Rabbit Ears being the latest and Gardner’s second long-player of 2026. The first being Wave Field, which dropped earlier this year; both releases, finding Gardner in a rich vein of form.
Joined by regulars, Andy Cush (bass) and Ryan Jewell (drums) with the new addition of guitarist and Cush’s Garcia Peoples bandmate, Tom Malach, Rabbit Ears sees Gardner pivoting slightly from Wave Field. Where Wave Field was more kraut-rock through the campfire flames, Rabbit Ears moves beyond in what is an all-encompassing outlook into Gardner’s sound world.
That panoramic view, beginning with the eponymous opening track. Something reminiscent of Cass McCombs and Dylan Carlson trading barbs in some discarded outhouse. Sounds laced with bourbon and nicotine, projecting widescreen imagery of rustic vast lands.
And from those vast lands, following is Holmdel Horn Antenna, as Gardner heads east, exposing colourful inflections. Stirring psychedelia where the band is completely locked in the groove, which is where they remain on Garden Eels. A quintessential psych jam, as Cush and Malach add some of Garcia Peoples DNA to the mix.
Gardner swiftly steers his band into more new directions on closing cut, Conch Shell. A slow-burning, post-jazz number full of the right kind of noodling. A hypnotic jam that guides you to peaceful places. The four compositions that make up Rabbit Ears, brimming with their own personalities culminating in one of Gardner’s most complete releases so far. In its own way, it emits a best-of vibe, and for those unfamiliar with Gardner’s work, Rabbit Ears is an intriguing place to start.
Shortly after the release of Rabbit Ears and following Gardner’s recent U.K. tour with The Heavy Lidders, the guitarist answered some questions about his year so far. Naturally, we backtracked, where he also shared his musical journey so far, his influences, and more.
Drew Gardner (photo: Chris Bruno)S13: Do you remember the first moment you fell in love with music?
Drew Gardner: “There were two moments. As a child in grammar school in New Jersey, I heard live music for the first time. It was a band playing traditional bluegrass music in the school auditorium. I was completely electrified by it. The second moment was as a kid in my house. My older sister was playing Jimi Hendrix’s Are You Experienced on her record player. and I remember walking into the room with Purple Haze blasting and having an overwhelmingly intensity emotion.”
S13: Have you carried your influences from your formative years, or have they changed over the years?
DG: “I’ve certainly carried them and layered them up like an onion.”
S13: Rabbit Ears is the second album you’ve released this year. Do you feel like it’s been your best run of form creating music in a solo capacity?
DG: “I think so, yes.”
S13: There’s a lovely contrast between this record and Wave Field. Was the writing and recording processes different for each record?
DG: “Both records come from the same set of recording sessions at Deep Dive Studio in Brooklyn with Mitch Rackin engineering. I recorded it all, then set aside the more rock material for Wave Field and the groovier and jazzier stuff for Rabbit Ears.”
S13: Tom Malach is a new addition to your band. How did that collaboration come about?
DG: “My bass player, Andy Cush, has been playing with Tom in Garcia Peoples for years. Garcia Peoples and I have been playing in a related scene in New York City for a long time, so I’d seen Tom play live many times and I already knew his sound well and had a good sense of his improvisational approach and how he made musical decisions in the moment. I wanted a dual guitar sound for this record, so I roped him in. I knew it would work because I had an extensive listening file on him and got along with him well.”
S13: What was the most important aspect you wanted to capture with this record?
DG: “The same aspects I tend to shoot for in general – a broad, open sound, improvisation where the band melds together in the melodies and grooves.”
Drew Gardner - Rabbit EarsS13: There’s a real rustic aesthetic to your work, and it’s something that I wouldn’t immediately associate with New York. Do you think the city is an influence, or are you more drawn to places outside of the city?
DG: “Both. The city is a big influence. I need the stimulation of it. Beyond that, it’s an immense resonating chamber and is a continual source of unpredictable, beautiful and challenging shifting sound events. I also like a rustic vibe and getting into nature. I’m a hiker and a scuba diver. The hiking is connected to my interest in a pastoral music feel, and the scuba diving is more connected to my interested in a psychedelic feel.”
S13: With regards to your approach, does it change from your solo work in comparison with your other projects?
DG: “With my own band it’s everything related to being a bandleader – deciding on material and personnel, communicating clearly, making sure people are taken care of, and giving the players freedom but also clear guidance. It’s like being the director of a film. With the other bands I play with I focus on being as valuable a teammate as I possibly can be and asking the right questions. How to suggest ideas? How to come up with the right part? [And] how to I elevate the music as much as possible?”
Drew Gardner (photo: Megan Menzer)S13: Do you work on music every day?
DG: “Yes. I practice every day in some way. My philosophy has always been to I wake up every morning and say, ‘Today’s the day I learn how to play the guitar.’”
S13: Do you think your music is an accurate reflection your personality, or do you see art as a form of escapism?
DG: “I see those two things as being on a continuum. My music is certainly an expression of me. Personality isn’t something you can get away from exactly. But it’s not just self-expression. Music can take on a life of its own if you let it, especially in improvisational music with other people. You can get to musical places you hadn’t planned for. Escapism is an interesting concept here. We live in a culture that is often pressuring us to feel status anxiety 24/7. That’s a good thing to escape from, and music can be a wonderful escape. – you enter the music, feel transported or transformed, and return refreshed. At the same time, music can really ground you in the present moment, which is the opposite of escape in a way.”
S13: You’ve been around for a while now. With so much change and unrest around the world, how does it feel in 2026 being an artist and trying to get by in this current economic plight?
DG: “It’s a challenge. The motto I’ve stuck with is. ‘Keep going.’”
Rabbit Ears is out now via Eiderdown Records & Feeding Tube Records. Purchase from Bandcamp.
