Cornelius Eady Trio Holds the Quicksand

Poetry Walks into a Groove

I’ve been blessed to find out that on May 1st, 2025, the Cornelius Eady Trio released Quicksand. A track built on restraint, built on truth. It’s the first single from their upcoming EP, The Misery Tree, due this Memorial Day. The song lands quietly, but it stays grounded. It presses down, steady like a pulse. Recorded, mixed, and mastered remotely, it carries the DNA of a group that has worked side by side for over ten years.

National Book Award winner and Pulitzer prize nominated poet Cornelius Eady brings the words. Lisa Liu weaves intricate layers on guitar and keys. Charlie Rauh holds the rhythm down with cool basslines and carefully placed percussion. This trio moves with intent – they’re exact. And they know when to leave space.

A Nation, Knee-Deep in the Muck

“I don’t know but I’ve / Been told / American streets / Are paved with Gold / But my toes keep sinking in the Quicksand.” As you can see, there’s no mysticism here – Quicksand deals in plain speech and brutal images. The promises fed to generations crumble underfoot, each verse pulls another thread. Vigilantes knocking at the door, playgrounds turning into crime scenes, silence following tragedy.

“Thoughts and Prayers raise to the sky / Why did those babies have to die? / But the silence falls into the Quicksand.” I feel this as a song about a country losing balance, slipping into something dark and familiar. It’s not loud, not angry. It’s weary. Still, it moves forward. Liu’s syncopation adds a quiet tension. Rauh’s bass hums like something circling beneath the surface. The groove never breaks – but it never lets you rest.

Ten Years, No Noise – Just Craft

The trio has refined their process across records like Don’t get dead, Withstand, and Painting. All of it done remotely. And yes, we deal in that kind of discipline – and it shows. They record from different rooms, maybe even different cities, yet the sound comes through as if cut from one reel.

Their collaboration feels grounded, deliberate. Nothing bursts, nothing collapses. Quicksand follows the same path – linear, calm, but soaked with tension. It’s not built for chaos. It’s built for reflection. Eady’s voice walks with the lyrics. No leaps. No theatrics. He says what needs to be said and leaves the rest hanging. Just like this: “Can’t touch bottom, scared to know / Just how deep this hatred goes.”

A tune like a heartbeat – steady, deep, and filled with weight

Eady has spent decades shaping poetry in the U.S. – books like Kartunes and Victims of the Latest Dance Craze paved his way early. He directs Poets House in Lower Manhattan, a space torn apart by flooding in 2021 and rebuilt through grit. That story mirrors the Trio’s ethos: no shortcuts, no glitter, just building back until the sound feels solid again.

Now, with The Misery Tree on the horizon, Quicksand marks the first seed. It doesn’t shout to be heard. It lets the weight do the work. I told Eady I liked it. He was glad to hear that – even though we’ve never met. But here’s the thing: he writes like he has met us all. Every line feels personal because it is. That’s the kind of truth you don’t fake, there’s no fork in the road here, my friends. Go dig into Eady’s work. Hit play on Quicksand. Pass it on. And scroll down – the Cornelius Eady Trio’s socials are waiting. Peace.

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