Drummer Aly, guitarist Withrow, and percussionist Bush went to the same high school as singer Brickell in Dallas, Texas but didn't really know her then. According to Houser, Edie was there for art. (Spin magazine, March 1989 (Vol 4, Number 12). Houser attended Hillcrest High School (Dallas) and lived in the same neighborhood as the others. He played in various neighborhood bands like The Knobs which included Kenny, and was also a Munch Puppy.
The New Bohemians started as a three-piece ska-style band in the early eighties, cutting their teeth in the new Deep Ellum neighborhood in downtown Dallas. The original line-up featured Brad Houser on bass, Eric Presswood on guitar, and Brandon Aly on drums.
The future core members joined in 1985. Edie became the singer after being encouraged to join the band onstage during a show (the famous Jack Daniels story). It was soon after that first show that local agent Deanna Mercer, who was at the time booking bands at Rick's Casablanca, was brought to hear the band. The band actually signed a 6 month management contract with Mercer which brought with it better paying gigs at Rick's. When the 6 months ended, the band wanted something more and hired Lon Bixby as the manager. They started regular gigging in Deep Ellum at this time (D Magazine Jan, 1989). Presswood left and Kenny Withrow took up the guitar duties, playing his first show in July, 1985 at the Starck Club in Dallas. John Bush joined on percussion in September of that year. His first show with the band was September 12, 1985 at Poor David's Pub in Dallas, when the band was backing Bo Diddley.
The New Bos were always a local favorite, packing in the fans at now infamous Deep Ellum venues such as Theater Gallery, 500 Cafe, and Club Dada. The Bohemians were also regular performers at the annual Fry Street Fair on the University of North Texas campus in Denton, Texas. During this period of the band's history, Edie's name was not used in the band's name. This was a strategy used by Geffen Records in the event the band didn't remain the same. They would always have Edie.
The New Bohemians have released compilations and a live album, and have recorded some new material in recent years, notably as a short-lived band named The Slip that included Brickell, but most former members have moved on to other projects. Drummer Matt Chamberlain has been an in-demand tour drummer with bands ranging from Pearl Jam and Garbage to Tori Amos and Fiona Apple, as well as a stint on the Saturday Night Live house band.
In 1991, Edie is married to Paul Simon, and the couple has three children.
Carter Albrecht was killed in Dallas, on September 3, 2007.
The band played live at the North Oak Cliff Music Festival in October 2014 with the current lineup as well as keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist Matt Hubbard.
The band reunited again in April 2017 with three concerts at the Kessler Theater in Oak Cliff.
On February 19, 2021, the band released its second album since reuniting, entitled Hunter and the Dog Star.
NOW
Edie Brickell and New Bohemians Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm picturing you smile at me
I want you to be with me now
Your hair is brown I'm picturing it hanging down
I'm picturing it falling 'round those big brown eyes
I wanna be with you now
You're much more that this a spiritual bliss
No matter who I'm with I miss you
It's in the quiet breeze that's circling me NOW
Your face is bright I'm picturing it every night
I'm picturing you when I sleep
I can keep you with me that way
And your heart is mine I think about you all the time
I can hear you say to me that you wanna be with me
Now
You're much more that this a spiritual bliss
No matter who I'm with I miss you
Your magnetism breathes through the moonlit trees
It's in the quiet breeze that's circlin' me
Now
The lyrics to Edie Brickell and New Bohemians' song "Now" paint a vivid picture of someone the singer is deeply enamored with. The first stanza mentions the person's red mouth and brown hair, which the singer is picturing in their head. The singer expresses their desire to be with the person "now," indicating a sense of urgency and longing.
The second stanza describes the person as "much more than this," suggesting that they hold a deep spiritual connection with the singer. The singer admits to missing them even when they're with someone else. The person's "magnetism" is illustrated as something that "breathes through the moonlit trees" and is in the "quiet breeze that's circling" the singer now.
The final stanza is the most intimate, with the singer saying that the person's heart belongs to them and that they think about them all the time. The person is portrayed as wanting to be with the singer too. The repetition of "now" throughout the song underscores a sense of intense desire and immediacy.
Line by Line Meaning
Your mouth is red I'm picturing it in my head
I can't get you out of my mind and I'm imagining your beautiful red lips.
I'm picturing you smile at me
I'm pretending that you are happy to see me and that you love me.
I want you to be with me now
I crave your presence and I need you in my life right this moment.
Your hair is brown I'm picturing it hanging down
I'm imagining how your long and luscious brown hair falls around your beautiful face.
I'm picturing it falling 'round those big brown eyes
I can't help but imagine how your gorgeous brown eyes are framed by your beautiful hair.
I wanna be with you now
I can't wait any longer to be with you, and I want to be yours right now.
You're much more that this a spiritual bliss
You are not just a physical attraction to me, but a spiritual connection that fulfills my being.
No matter who I'm with I miss you
Even when I'm with someone else, I still long for your love and your company.
Your magnetism breathes through the moonlit trees
Your presence and energy can be felt all around me, even in the stillness of nature.
It's in the quiet breeze that's circling me NOW
Your essence is a part of everything around me, and I feel it very strongly in this moment.
Your face is bright I'm picturing it every night
I'm dreaming of your radiant face every night, and it fills me with warmth and happiness.
I'm picturing you when I sleep
You are always on my mind, even when I'm asleep and dreaming.
I can keep you with me that way
Even though we're not together physically, I can still hold you close in my thoughts and dreams.
And your heart is mine I think about you all the time
I know that you love me and I cherish that, even when we're apart.
I can hear you say to me that you wanna be with me
In my mind and in my heart, I can hear you telling me that you want to be with me.
Now
I can't wait any longer to have you by my side. I need you now.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BRANDON ALY, EDIE ARLISA BRICKELL, JOHN BRADLEY HOUSER, JOHN WALTER BUSH, KENNETH NEIL WITHROW
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind