Bishop Allen & Mates of State
A defining band of the early-aughts blog era, Bishop Allen released the beloved indie albums Charm School and The Broken String, as well as two other records and a collection of 12 EPs, before going on hiatus in 2014. They’ve reformed for a limited series of shows featuring their favorite songs from across their catalog.
The band’s hooks, energy, and clever lyrics first drew attention in 2003 when an effusive feature on NPR’s “Weekend Edition” won them a national fanbase. Their self-recorded, self-released debut, Charm School, shot to #2 on Amazon’s charts, and Bishop Allen spent the next several years touring behind it. In 2006, the band released a 4-song EP each month of the year, to the acclaim of the indie blogosphere at its peak, and they became the first-ever signing of now-seminal indie label, Dead Oceans. The Broken String was released on Dead Oceans in 2007, followed by Grrr in 2009 and Lights Out in 2014.
Bishop Allen’s founding members, Christian Rudder and Justin Rice, are back together, making music again, and they’ve assembled a band of favorite collaborators for a brief run of shows in early 2026.