***Sometimes the sweetest flowers have the sharpest thorns. Such is the case with FOXTAILS BRIGADE’s debut The Bread and the Bait: everything about the album is delicate, from the neo-Victorian storybook illustration on the cover to the intricate lyrics and pristine musical arrangements. Yet underneath the lace and finery lies a cunning darker edge. Killer bees, hungry flies, and porcelain dolls that come to life populate a lyrical landscape rife with hints of rot, aging, and death. Live audiences are similarly jolted when tiny, doll-like front-woman LAURA WEINBACH switches from her pitch-perfect vocals to turbulent rants and complex classical guitar ri s on chaotic songs like “Steak and Cookies.” Sharp thorns indeed. Laura started Foxtails Brigade in 2006 with her friend, violinist SIVAN SADEH. She quit her day job as a substitute teacher in 2009 and has been a full-time performer ever since, sharing stages with Faun Fables, Chris Garneau, and Bart Davenport among others. She has collaborated with a number of talented musicians in Foxtails Brigade, including cellists JEN GRADY (Emily Jane White, Adam Stevens), ROBIN REYNOLDS and LEWIS PATZNER (Mates of State, Tim Kasher); and multi-instrumentalist JOSHUA POLLOCK (Citay, Bob Saggeth). Her most recent musical partner is violinist and arranger ANTON PATZNER of Bright Eyes and Judgement Day.