A WOLF IN MAN’S CLOTHING? hitide.lotide – the stage name of Milwaukee native and current Eau Claire resident Nate Gruber – recently released Cross-Legged, an EP originally intended as a holiday gift for friends.

It may not resemble a koala wandering through an imaginary forest of talking critters, but the new release from hitide.lotide – stage name of Milwaukee native and current Eau Claire resident Nate Gruber – offers a look into yet another deep world. Originally intended as holiday gifts for friends and family, Cross-Legged includes four tracks written in one night and recorded and mixed in two days – mostly in Gruber’s parents’ bathroom. This is a far cry from the three years of brainstorming, recording, pot-lucking, and creating it took to record the concept EP The Forest (2008), based around the tale of a young koala wandering through the woods.

“It was so much fun, but it kind of consumed my life,” said Gruber. “It’s really a relief to have a finished product.”


On Cross-Legged, even without critters frolicking at his feet, Gruber has the ability to take you to a more tangible realm than The Forest. Somber tones and a forlorn guitar give hitide.lotide a sound close to that of Sufjan Stevens or Iron and Wine but, in the same breath, have a more external presence as far as story and dialogue go.

While hitide.lotide was noted for the visuals in their live performances for The Forest, including costumes and overhead animation, upcoming shows will be a bit more laid back. “It’s mostly just me and every song I’ve ever written in my head. I don’t have too much of a plan,” says Gruber. “It’s a little different from the big production – no costumes or anything.”

The solidness of both recordings – one made to slowly engulf the listener in a beautiful world visually and acoustically, the other slightly hastier, but equally enthralling – should be enough to get anyone pumped for hitide.lotide’s next release which Gruber claims to be about 90 percent finished.

“It’s not as involved conceptually (as The Forest), but it is mostly based around one song, Track 11, which is already up and available on our MySpace page.”

Cross-Legged is only available as a free download on MySpace and at Last.fm/music/hitide.lotide/Cross-Legged.

“I plan on having this as a life-long thing,” says Gruber. “I’m not overly concerned with making money so I really have no need for fame and success.”

hitide.lotide + Mike Rambo Project • April 16 • Infinitea Teahouse, 112 E Grand Ave., Eau Claire • FREE • all ages