The Desert Kind is the brainchild of Portland-based songwriter Chris Bigley. Beginning as a mostly unplugged Americana outfit, Bigley shifted gears in 2015, stripping the live presentation to a duo–himself and bassist J Elwood Johncox, and emboldening their material with pulsing kick drums and crackling electric guitars. Anchored by Bigley’s writing, the band marches onward, creating a rollicking, poetry-fueled roots-minimalism ala Shovels and Rope, Possessed by Paul James and Shakey Graves.