Jefferson Pitcher is a musician, and video artist from Northern California. He plays primarily electric guitar, making sounds like birds, boats, engines and whales gliding in and out of a dense fog. Although much of his work explores feedback and prepared guitar, he also draws heavily from his love for melody, the simplicity of minimalist composers, and a long history of performing and recording in the west coast indie-rock scene as a singer-songwriter, where he fronted the band Above the Orange Trees. During his teens, Pitcher was immersed in the San Francisco Bay Area punk scene, playing in bands and attending volunteer meetings at the now legendary 924 Gilman Street in Berkeley. He was deeply influenced by the DIY philosophy, and the clean, simple melodies of the music, both of which extend into his work today.

He has released music with Camera Obscura (Australia), Moonpalace (Spain), Dutch East India(USA), Words on Music (USA), and Tract Records (USA). He has toured as a soloist, in numerous ensembles, and has recorded and performed with Pauline Oliveros, Fred Frith, Ikue Mori, Okkyung Lee, Christian Kiefer, Mike Bullock, Tim Keiper, David Gibson, Kristina Forester, Ron Guensche, Sarah Jo Zaharako, and others. His most recent release, a collaborative project with Kiefer about Dead Sailors on Camera Obscura Records, explores the themes of loss and longing through songs, field recordings, and sonic textures based on the writings of Pablo Neruda, Jose Saramago, Jane Urquhart and sea faring legends. He recently completed a thematic song cycle featuring jazz/experimental drummer Scott Amendola, about the concept of "home," titled The residue. He is currently finishing a largely improvised, electro-acoustic project, based on Latin American folk songs, inspired by years of studying guitar with Jorge Strunz.

Pitcher is also working on a new collaborative project about American Presidential History with Christian Kiefer and Matthew Gerken. Due out in 2008 on Standard Recording Co. (USA), the project will include collaborations with Califone, Rosie Thomas, Jamie Stewart (Xiu Xiu), Wooden Wand, Alan Sparhawk (Low), Bill Callahan (Smog), Mark Kozelek, Marla Hansen (Sufjan Stevens Band), and more.

His last video (The Winter of the Dance) played numerous festivals including: The Ann Arbor International Film Festival, Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films, The Nashville International Film Festival, and Sonoma Valley International Film Festival. He is currently editing a feature length documentary he co-directed about men who cease shaving for six months, which details the minutiae of their lives, to be completed summer, 2008. 

His work in music and video has focused on the connection that we have to landscape and literature, how that effects our perception, and the relevance of our daily lives as art. He rides his bicycle as much as he possibly can, including a trip from San Francisco to Maine a few years back, which he plans to repeat many times. He is married to visual artist and author Keri Smith, and they spend an arguably inordinate amount of time walking their fuzzy, deaf, dog, and playing with their new son Tilden.

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