| The only member of Storyville who doesn't have years of world-class experience is Malford, but one listen to his voice and you'll understand just what has impressed his bandmates so much. Perhaps more than anything, Malford brings a deep seated understanding of soul to his music, a quality that comes out most dramatically in songs like "Don't Make Me Cry" and the ballad "Cynical." |
Photo by Lisa Davis |
Malford's family "be-bopped" between Lubbock and Elgin (about 25 miles east of Austin), Texas when he was growing up - but a black albino child will not have an easy time anywhere. "Well, yeah, if you're a child and you look different, you're subject to take a lot of abuse - that's just the bottom line. But all of that shaped me into who I am now, and my albinism has actually become the ultimate plus in what I do - in an industry where everybody's trying to look different and be noticed, I don't have to try! It's actually turned into a real blessing." |
| Malford didn't start singing until about 8 years ago, with a band called the Stick People. ("It was like alternative before alternative was cool," he says). He also sang on Austin legend Alejandro Escovedo's last 2 albums. Yet like the rest of Storyville, Malford's days of looking for the perfect band are over. "I'm just grateful to be hanging out with these guys and making music that I'm proud of," he says. "This band is really my dream team. When we first started, I would sit back, and I just couldn't believe it. I really feel that we can be something special, and I'm more proud of this album than anything I've ever done." |