Since the release of their eco-conscious 2008 album Everything In Nature, NYC bred, Phoenix based indie pop/rockers Broken Poets have stripped down to a duo for both live performances and recording. Founder and singer/songwriter and guitarist Tim McDonald plays his guitar with delays to cover the bass and drum parts, and classically trained Russian pianist, keyboardist and vocalist Lana Antropova has added 'kick drum' to her repertoire.

Carrying on the seamless vibe and philosophy rich themes that once earned them critical raves as "soulful poetry turned into song, rock & roll and introspection all in one," Broken Poets is set to release a compelling four song self titled EP as a prelude to a wildly ambitious multi-media project that employs Lana's skills as a visual artist and Tim's as a writer of prose. Its unique title is also the name of the fourth song on the EP, "For The Death of Dustin Essary." The other songs, "Singularity," "The Clairvoyant" and "My Selfish Altruism," develop themes and characters first introduced to Tim as a child by his friend Dustin Essary, who had dreams relating to each theme as he battled cancer from the ages of ten to thirteen. Tim began writing songs shortly after Dustin's passing and now, decades later, expresses his emotions and the lessons learned from this unique friendship in powerful musical ways. Tim and Lana's vision is enhanced by project co-producer and mixer Joe Myers, a long time artist friend of the two.

"These songs came out of the blue over the past few years," says Tim. "Dustin had these dreams before he died and I created fiction around the images he once told me, writing songs as part of larger chapters. One song is about a scientist, another about a clairvoyant and the third about a spiritual leader. The overriding theme ties in the idea that often when creative people come up with incredible ideas, we think they're crazy - only to realize later that they're not. Philisophically, Broken Poets is working on the idea that science, metaphysics and religion are linked somehow by an underlying universal energy. In our story, those three fields tap into that energy and there is a lot of crossover."

The EP's infectious, hypnotic opening track "Singularity" explores the debate of science vs. religion. As Tim sees it, "If the scientist was more mystical and had more faith, he'd be farther along as a scientist. If the religious person were more openminded towards science, he would see God in a whole new way." "The Clairvoyant" is about a metaphysically gifted person coming to terms with his/her responsibility as an artist in that unique and often misunderstood field. The oxymoronic title "My Selfish Altriusm" tackles the notion of hypocrisy in religion and in our everyday lives, where both spiritual leaders, and people in general, preach about love and honesty while living very differently away from the pulpit. It taps into the potential for good and bad in all of us. The Dustin song finds Tim coming to terms with life and death - an extension of Broken Poets' philosophy of everything in nature happening without interference and the way we can so easily get in its way. While scientific people look at life through a magnifying glass, Broken Poets' approach is that it's better to pull back and see things a little bit blurry.

Broken Poets' 2006 release Optimism in E Minor enjoyed a successful college radio campaign, with medium to heavy rotation at over 140 stations nationwide and peaking at #13 on the Most Stations Added chart. The band's previous album, Reincarnation, was released by Haden's Ferry Records via City Hall distribution, and earned solid airplay and critical acclaim. Several years after building a large East Coast following via gigs at Big Apple hotspots like the Gaslight, The Bitter End and Arlene's Grocery - with early band members, well known sidemen Keith Lentin and Jonathan Mover (Fuel, Alice Cooper, Aretha Franklin) Broken Poets currently enjoys a devoted following out West. They have performed at the legendary Whisky-A-Go-Go, Molly Malone's and the Key Club, have opened shows for Seven Mary Three, James McMurtry, Ian Moore and The Court & Spark and continue to tour regionally from their home base of Phoenix.

Continually expanding their creative universe, Broken Poets have recently made free verse and musical contributions regarding the block where they live in Phoenix on a unique multi-media website called www.26blocks.com. The photos and essays have been part of a touring art exhibit and have inspired a new app on iTunes.