Indeed, on the one hand they combine the nightmarish or jazzy accentuated scenes of a David Lynch with Nick Cave-like raging and the philosophical poetry of a Leonard Cohen, but on the other hand creating pictorial synaesthesias they raise nightly panoramas from imaginatively enraptured roadmovies. Saline Grace’s intentionally antiquated arrangements, mainly consisting of guitar,bass, piano, organ and drums, give not uncommonly a premonition of those mystical moments of the American band The Doors marvellously drawing attention to singer and songwriter Ricardo Hoffmann’s emotional baritone.

Ricardo Hoffmann, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist of Saline Grace, was born in the eastern border town of Frankfurt (Oder), Germany, in 1975. In 1994 he founded his first band project, becoming two years later, in 1996, the avantgarde band Nobility Of Salt. In 1997 the band released a first demo tape,‘The Evening Prayer’, and moved to London, playing numerous UK gigs which left appropriate traces on a further demo-tape, ‘Through Clouds And Thoughtful Years’, in 1998. At the beginning of 2000 and after three years’ residence in Britain, the band worked on their first album in Berlin, Germany, releasing ‘The Tremulous Sea’ a few months later. After releasing the EP ‘The Silent Ship’ in 2002, followed a further album release, called ‘Those Narrow Streets’, in 2004. Due to organisational reasons, this should be the last Nobility OfSalt album for the time being.

In 2005 Ricardo Hoffmann began to work on material for the first Saline Grace album. On this occasion, he was supported by his wife and long-term bass player, Ines Hoffmann (née Pollok), who was born in 1976 in Frankfurt (Oder) as well. Joining the former band Nobility Of Salt in 1996, she has shared the musical trail, her fate as well as the inspirations with Ricardo Hoffmann until nowadays. Saline Grace released their gorgeous and critically acclaimed debut album, ‘Border Town Shades’, in September 2007.

In 2011 Ricardo Hoffmann made time for a short guest appearance, joining Hamburg-based band Dark Orange on their album ‘Horizont’. Along with Steven Burrows (And Also The Trees) on bass, Ricardo Hoffmann contributed on additional guitars and piano. Whilst involved in the final work for a further Saline Grace album in 2012, he furthermore created his ‘Rising Stream Mix’ of Dark Orange’s song ‘Traumwandler’ for ‘Interpretations’, the bonus CD of the same release;other remixes were made by artists like Robin Guthrie (Cocteau Twins), members of And Also The Trees and many more.

On 21stJanuary 2013, more than five years after their debut, the long-awaited second Saline Grace album ‘Fog Mountain was released. Critically acclaimed by music journalists and chosen as one of the best ten albums of 2013 by German music magazine Amboss, this musically very sophisticated album was their most important work so far.

Now, four years after their fulminant ‘Fog Mountain’, Saline Grace are back with their latest and already third album ‘Blacksmith’s Fire’. Distributed by cdbaby,‘Blacksmith’s Fire’ has been released by Deeper Waters Records on 4th September 2017.

DISCOGRAPHY

Saline Grace - Border Town Shades (CD 2007/DWRCD03

Saline Grace - Fog Mountain (CD 2013/DWRCD04)

Saline Grace - Blacksmith's Fire (CD 2017/DWRCD05)

APPEARANCES

Dark Spy Compilation Vol. 17 (CD 2008/Dark Spy Magazine – Issue No. 23)

Mick Mercer - Music To Die For (Cherry Red Books 2009)

Dark Orange – Horizont (2CD 2012/KAL41)

Orkus! Compilation 87 (CD2013/Orkus! Magazine – Issue No. 03 – March 2013)

Cold Hands Seduction – Vol. 191 (CD 2017/Sonic Seducer – September 2017)

RELATED PROJECTS

Nobility Of Salt - The Evening Prayer (Demo 1997)

Nobility Of Salt - Through Clouds And Thoughtful Years (Demo 1998)

Nobility Of Salt - The Tremulous Sea (first album 2000/DWRCD01)

Nobility Of Salt - The Silent Ship Ep (CDM 2002/DWRCDM01)

Nobility Of Salt - Those Narrow Streets (CD 2004/DWRCD02)