It’s been a time, hasn’t it? Things pick up, then things slow down. The whole world goes through something it’s never been through before. How has our appreciation of music changed? Are we more respectful of it? Did music help people get through the pandemic in such a way that they have newfound understanding of it’s value? Does art play an uplifting role in our lives? Will audiences be more appreciative, enthusiastic, engaged listeners? Will society change such that musicians can make a living wage?
My personal experience has been a deepening gratitude for all the things I have as a musician: a supporting community of people who respect what I do, encourage it, and facilitate the creation and presentation of new artistic work. It’s become clear for myself, and perhaps for other musicians, that our role is important, that there is value in what we do, regardless of the challenges involved in developing a music career.
The extra time I’ve had to develop new material has been a huge gift. I’ve had opportunities to make music with others - after over a year playing completely alone - that have changed the way I approach collaborative music. I’ve broken down some internal belief systems that prevented creativity from flourishing.
I released a short tape cassette in February called Every Day Life. It’s comprised of spontaneous improvisations I made at Port William Sound studio. Two of the tracks feature duets with Jonas Bonnetta, who also engineered the recordings. It also has some field recording contributions from longtime collaborator J. Sinibaldi.
In September - and February - I was able to get together with longtime collaborator Del Stephen for a day and an evening of developing new material. We have plans this fall to release that together.
I discovered that a double tape cassette deck a friend gave me is capable of making reliable recordings, so I have expanded my tape dubbing projects at home. The first result is called The Emerald Sea and it’s scheduled to release in August. A few copies are already in circulation.
Work continues on two longer timeline projects. One is a series of four works I created, each 10 minutes long, of layered guitars, synths, upright bass, voice and digital instruments. I asked some friends to create remixes of the songs. All of that is getting prepared for a bigger release with a regional tour, some videos, and other surprises.
The other longterm project is a 9 or 10 track album of lyrical songs. I began writing them in 2020, recorded them in the studio in 2021, and have yet to finish the base tracking. So far a few friends have lent their talents to the songs, with bass, backing vocals, synth arrangements. There’s lots more to do on this one, I am anticipating a 2024 release? Who knows.
Lately I’ve had the chance to do two separate concerts performing my new material. It’s so refreshing to do this, to show people what I’ve been up to. Personally I feel it’s so different from what I used to do, but can anyone else tell? I guess more road-testing of these songs is required, and I look forward to that.
Until next time, please enjoy some recent music of mine, and consider supporting it by purchasing copies (either digital downloads or physical cassettes and CDs) via my bandcamp page. Your support is highly valued.