Monday, September 30, 2019
Saturday, September 28, 2019
Happy 10th Birthday to The Harding Street Assembly Lab Record Label
[Repost from The News & Advance; by Emma Schkloven]
[Lynchburg, Virginia] label Harding Street Assembly Lab celebrating 10 years with birthday bash
Nathan McGlothlin can tell a story about every recording his label Harding Street Assembly Lab has ever released.
He’ll happily divulge a misstep in the guitar part on the first single released by his band, or talk about the demos that were recorded before Richmond group the White Laces actually became a band.
There’s the album that led to a show on the roundabout at Fifth and Federal streets in Lynchburg, and the series of delays that caused #30 to be released at the same time as #39.
Founded by McGlothlin and his wife, Joanna, Harding Street Assembly Lab (HSAL) — which celebrates its 10th anniversary and 50th catalog entry with a festival this Saturday — has been giving a voice to Virginia music for an entire decade.
“He’s trying to help support a creative ecosystem that rewards experimentation and that rewards a kind of independent thinking and a kind of independent expression,” says California-based producer Chris Schlarb, who has worked with HSAL on several records.
“It’s a total labor of love. We need things like Harding Street, just like we need people like Nathan out there who are supporting the fringes of the creative world.”
Like most labels, Harding Street doesn’t produce a band’s music or design its album cover. Instead, it connects artists with the right people to help in every step of the record-making process, from crafting the songs to mixing the tracks to making the vinyl it will be cut on.
“We know somebody that does all of the parts to putting a record out,” McGlothlin says. “We can connect you, who don’t know those people, with those people. I think the magical part of what Harding Street does is we do all those things in the name of support.”
Visions of the Lynchburg label began in 2009 when McGlothlin received a call from a fellow musician in Richmond asking if he wanted to help produce a record.
While the other investors eventually backed away from the project, McGlothlin and Joanna decided to move forward. But they decided to do it their own way.
It wasn’t about making money for the couple but about helping artists share their music.
“Harding Street offered me this blank canvas to make whatever I wanted to make,” says former Lynchburg artist Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon, who saw his popularity spread beyond the Hill City music scene after competing on “American Idol” last season.
“... They just support you as an artist, and let you do whatever you feel led to do creatively. That is incredibly affirming, and liberating, as an artist. I totally feel like I was able to utilize that opportunity to find my own voice musically. And that process continued after I moved.”
Harding Street’s philosophy wasn’t the only thing that set it apart.
Often, labels focus either on a specific style of sound or genre, or they focus on a geographic area, McGlothlin says. But HSAL doesn’t quite fall into either category.
Yes, there is a Virginia component — after all, the label’s slogan is “doing right by Virginia since 2009” — but there’s just as much focus on highlighting the sounds of the region.
“The way we’ve kind of pitched it is what are the sounds that are either coming out of South Central Virginia or what are the sounds that come through South Central Virginia?” McGlothlin says.
While catalog entry #34 is from Raleigh’s Band & The Beat, the act has played in Virginia several times, so they fit the bill.
Steve Scott (HSAL #38), a British poet McGlothlin adores, lives in Northern California, but he records in an ambient style, and Lynchburg has a big ambient music scene.
“You don’t necessarily always know what you’re going to get when you go into Harding Street[’s catalog],” says Richmond musician Landis Wine, whose bands White Laces and Opin have released music through the label. “There’s always new stuff to explore.”
In the early days of the the label, McGlothlin worked with bands he knew from touring with his band, TLVS, and interesting acts he’d found on Bandcamp.
McGlothlin wasn’t just taking a group’s music and putting it out there, Landis says. He was nurturing these fledgling bands, helping them find their voice and sound in a vast, sometimes intimidating, musical landscape.
“Harding Street has helped us grow in so many ways,” says Melody Ouellette, of the Lynchburg indie rock band L.A. Dies. “We have learned how powerful and useful collaboration can be when making music. They’ve pushed us to do things outside of our comfort zone, leading us to try new things musically we probably wouldn’t have thought of.”
Every HSAL release has been fronted with the McGlothins’ own money, something that can be very validating for a young band.
“Quite often, those little acts — those small decisions to help press up some CDs and help get a little bit of extra attention— those are the things that encourage artists to keep going,” says Schlarb, the California producer.
To cut down on expenses, early releases often involved some DIY aspect. McGothlin played as a studio musician on some of the albums. He and his wife would screen-print album jackets, print inserts at Kinko’s and assemble the components themselves.
One time, McGlothlin got a good deal on a large batch of vinyl, so a record ended up being printed in various colors.
Things changed at the end of 2017 with the release of Harmon’s self-titled EP.
“At that point, it had all been about Virginia,” McGlothlin says. “We really wanted to buy back into Lynchburg. Like, there’s a lot of cool stuff that’s starting to happen in Lynchburg, and we want to document that.”
Schlarb flew in to Lynchburg and recorded the album with Harmon over two weeks. He then returned to the West Coast, where he brought in studio musicians to fill out the sound.
“The album sounded so professional we didn’t want to DIY it,” says McGlothlin. “We wanted to do it as legit as we could.”
Harmon’s EP became HSAL’s first release without any DIY components. From there, they never looked back.
Removing themselves from the physical making of the album not only reduced stress for the McGlothlins, it also changed the perception of the label.
“Suddenly, there was a lot more interest in somebody being on Harding Street,” McGlothlin says. “Like we started getting demos, we started getting emails.”
Bands would show up with fully-recorded albums or ideas for artwork. All HSAL had to do was manufacture the product.
“Now, when people come to Harding Street, there’s a certain expectation,” he says. “You’ve got to come with some of those things already dreamed up.”
HSAL’s lineup of Lynchburg-connected artists has continued expanding and now includes current local acts Good Dog Nigel and L.A. Dies.
There’s also artists like Harmon and Nathaniel Roots, known by his stage name KillGXXD, who no longer live in the Hill City but still work with the label, and Wine’s current band Opin, which is based in Richmond.
“We did a really cool compilation — it’s #44,” McGlothlin says. “What we did is we took five Lynchburg bands, like current Lynchburg bands, and we said ‘We will pay for your studio time if you go to the studio and live track a new song and a cover song that we pick.’ They all did, and the cover songs were all old Lynchburg bands, like the old Lynchburg guard.”
Even when bands leave Harding Street for larger labels, McGlothlin continues to support them, says Wine.
“Appreciation isn’t attached to what you are necessarily going to do for them; it’s not transaction-based,” he says. “... When you’re hopping around between labels, sometimes things get a little bit weird, but Nathan’s always been very supportive, very consistent. He’s always wanted to see whatever the artist wants, whatever their vision is, to come to fruition.”
While bands now reach out to them, McGlothlin says he still likes to search on Bandcamp — or, as he calls it, window shop — for exciting talent.
“You know [how] most old guys sit on their back porch with their cup of coffee and they do the New York Times crossword?” he asks. “I’m searching the internet for bands.”
Harding Street, which McGlothlin estimates has put up tens of thousands of dollars, has in no way broken even, but that isn’t the marker of success in his mind.
The ultimate achievement, he says, is that he’s helped create a brand new piece of art that can now be shared and enjoyed.
“To date, we’ve made over 50 things happen, that weren’t there before. We’ve helped almost two dozen artists release things,” McGlothlin says. “It’s not world-changing, but it does change their world.”
Sunday, September 22, 2019
Friday, September 20, 2019
Tracy Shedd new album 'The Carolinas' is now available everywhere
Buy Tracy Shedd The Carolinas now on vinyl record at https://scienceprojectrecords.net, or listen on all digital platforms such as Amazon Music, Apple Music, Bandcamp, Deezer, Google Play Music, iHeart Radio, Pandora, Spotify, or YouTube Music!
Thursday, September 19, 2019
This may very well be our favorite Tracy Shedd album review ever
[Repost from The Vinyl District; by Joseph Neff]
Tracy Shedd, The Carolinas (Science Project) I first heard Shedd as one of the later offerings from Mark Robinson’s Teen-Beat label; starting in ’01, she’s on four consecutive annual Teen-Beat samplers. While her entries always sounded fine to me, I never grabbed one of her full-length works, of which she now has six, and based on the sustained quality of The Carolinas, I feel like a total fucking dunce for the procrastination. Shedd’s bedrock is guitar-based indie pop, but she infuses it with elements of electronica that succeeds partly because the tech is applied to varying degrees (a sorta “as needed” scenario) and because her stuff never settles into standard synth-pop. If you dig Bridget Cross’ work and/ or would’ve liked to have heard Mark Robinson produce an LP for Lois Maffeo, check this out. A-
2001 Teen-Beat Sampler - Tracy Shedd "Circles"
2002 Teen-Beat Sampler - Tracy Shedd "Faint Pale Smiles"
2003 Teen-Beat Sampler - Tracy Shedd "Rise"
2004 Teen-Beat Sampler - Tracy Shedd "Living in an Abandoned Firehouse With You" (by The Magnetic Fields)
Tracy Shedd The Carolinas (September 20, 2019 - Science Project Records)
Tracy Shedd, The Carolinas (Science Project) I first heard Shedd as one of the later offerings from Mark Robinson’s Teen-Beat label; starting in ’01, she’s on four consecutive annual Teen-Beat samplers. While her entries always sounded fine to me, I never grabbed one of her full-length works, of which she now has six, and based on the sustained quality of The Carolinas, I feel like a total fucking dunce for the procrastination. Shedd’s bedrock is guitar-based indie pop, but she infuses it with elements of electronica that succeeds partly because the tech is applied to varying degrees (a sorta “as needed” scenario) and because her stuff never settles into standard synth-pop. If you dig Bridget Cross’ work and/ or would’ve liked to have heard Mark Robinson produce an LP for Lois Maffeo, check this out. A-
2001 Teen-Beat Sampler - Tracy Shedd "Circles"
2002 Teen-Beat Sampler - Tracy Shedd "Faint Pale Smiles"
2003 Teen-Beat Sampler - Tracy Shedd "Rise"
2004 Teen-Beat Sampler - Tracy Shedd "Living in an Abandoned Firehouse With You" (by The Magnetic Fields)
Tracy Shedd The Carolinas (September 20, 2019 - Science Project Records)
Wednesday, September 18, 2019
Tuesday, September 17, 2019
Tracy Shedd talks with Wilmington, North Carolina's StarNews about her new album
[Repost from StarNews; by Brian Tucker]
Moving to Wilmington helped indie rocker Tracy Shedd finish sunny new album
‘The Carolinas’ comes out on Friday, Sept. 20, the same day Shedd plays a downtown gig at Bourgie Nights with De La Noche.
Moving to Wilmington helped indie rocker Tracy Shedd finish sunny new album
‘The Carolinas’ comes out on Friday, Sept. 20, the same day Shedd plays a downtown gig at Bourgie Nights with De La Noche.
For her new album “The Carolinas,” Tracy Shedd wanted to make an upbeat record.
The Wilmington indie rocker’s latest effort — it comes out Sept. 20 on Fort Lowell Records (digital) and Science Project Records (vinyl) — certainly qualifies, its sound far removed from the stripped down, acoustic material of 2013 record “Arizona.” On Friday, Shedd plays an album release show at Bourgie Nights in downtown Wilmington with electronic soul and rock band De La Noche.
“The Carolinas” was written when Shedd and husband/bandmate James Tritten lived in Raleigh, where they moved after eight years in Tucson, Arizona. A few months before Hurricane Florence they moved to Wilmington. The storm mattered little, endearing Shedd to the area even more and helping her finish a record that had lain dormant for two years.
“It’s a long time to sit on a record. It’s not normal for me. Unfortunately, we had deaths in our family and needed time to heal,” Shedd said. “I wanted to make sure the album was still what I envisioned. I wasn’t there yet. I think Wilmington helped me with that. It cheered us up, and we made great friends. I felt like I could finish.”
Shedd’s sunny vocals were recorded in Wilmington, and Tritten mixed the synth-heavy album. “Santa Fe” echoes Tucson with a Western feel that meets dance-floor energy. Building like daybreak, “Free Love” is like a song in a Sofia Coppola movie. “Kissing and Romancing” is Beach Boys as gnarly garage rock. (“The washed out, distorted sound was on purpose,” Shedd said. “We wanted a loud, noisy song.”) “Letters” is spare, a song Shedd said is “about having people you love in your life. They’re important to you, and you should share it with them.”
One reviewer smartly described “Arizona” as a candle flame of a record, an intimate, bright light in a dark room. “The Carolinas” is very different, a candy-colored daydream that reflects her move East.
As a child, Shedd wanted to be a classical pianist. After her parent’s divorce, Shedd lived with her father and the grand piano stayed with Mom.
“I think by default I picked up the guitar because that was easier to transport and play,” she said. “I (had) keyboards but it was easier for me to write on guitar. I think that’s changing the older I get. It’s easier to write on the piano. I’m more open minded to play around a bit. That was ‘The Carolinas.’ I was open to no guitar on (songs). Let’s play all synth on this.”
Everybody's talking about Tracy Shedd's new album 'The Carolinas'
Tracy Shedd's latest full length record The Carolinas is coming out this week - Friday, September 20 - on Science Project Records (vinyl) and Fort Lowell Records (digital). Here are the latest record reviews, from Here Comes the Flood and Power of Pop:
[Repost from Here Comes the Flood; by Hans Werksman]
Tracy Shedd returns to electric, eclectic indie rock with her new album The Carolinas. The first lines is of the opening track pretty much sums about what's top come on this concept album of moving to North Carolina with her husband James Tritten: If there's an easy way, no we won't take it. If there's an easy day, no we won't waste it".
The influence of the music of the couple's side-project Band & The Beat comes to the fore in the Free Love, with it's Eighties-inspired synth rhythm. Her love for garage rock gets a nod with songs like Kissing and Romancing and Good Times. Shedd is obviously quite happy in her new abode and her relationship is doing great as well (Letters). Few albums can earn the badge "all killer, no filler", but The Carolinas has every right to wear it proudly.
The Carolinas will be released on September 20 via Science Project Records (vinyl) and Fort Lowell Records (digital).
Tracks:
1) Catching the Breeze
2) Holding On
3) Free Love
4) Tinder Heart
5) Letters
6) Kissing and Romancing
7) The Rest Will Follow
8) Santa Fe
9) Good Times
10) 4:00 AM
---
[Repost from Power of Pop; by Kevin Mathews]
The rest will follow...
There’s a calm assurance in Tracy Shedd‘s music making – a succinct understanding of where (and when) the foundation comes from with enough building blocks taken from personal experience and idiosyncratic nuances.
On her latest album (#6), The Carolinas, Shedd borrows liberally from 80s pop sources – specifically indie pop and synth pop – certainly a fecund period of pop-rock history, for sure.
A song like “Holding On” evokes New Order very strongly but features enough of Shedd’s own alternative rock sensibility to escape being labeled as simply derivative.
“Kissing and Romancing” is a straight-forward lo-fi indie popper with enough alt-rock energy to keep things this side of intriguing, whereas “Good Times” comes across with crystal clear melodies and chord changes that verges on power pop, but not quite, if you know what I mean.
Overall, there is a suitable minimalist approach that serves the dynamic songs very well. This allows Shedd’s personality to shine through without too much complication in terms of arrangements/instrumentation.
Opening track, “Catching the Breeze” is the current single and it is aptly titled, with a casual simplicity and tuneful engagement that begs repeated listens. The track is a fair encapsulation of what The Carolinas is all about. Shedd is content to make her music count for herself, without too much decoration but with enough conviction in the details to reward the dedicated listener.
Check out the video for “Catching the Breeze” below.
The Carolinas will be released on Friday, September 20th, 2019 on Science Project Records (vinyl) and Fort Lowell Records (digital)
… still there’s more …
[Repost from Here Comes the Flood; by Hans Werksman]
Tracy Shedd returns to electric, eclectic indie rock with her new album The Carolinas. The first lines is of the opening track pretty much sums about what's top come on this concept album of moving to North Carolina with her husband James Tritten: If there's an easy way, no we won't take it. If there's an easy day, no we won't waste it".
The influence of the music of the couple's side-project Band & The Beat comes to the fore in the Free Love, with it's Eighties-inspired synth rhythm. Her love for garage rock gets a nod with songs like Kissing and Romancing and Good Times. Shedd is obviously quite happy in her new abode and her relationship is doing great as well (Letters). Few albums can earn the badge "all killer, no filler", but The Carolinas has every right to wear it proudly.
The Carolinas will be released on September 20 via Science Project Records (vinyl) and Fort Lowell Records (digital).
Tracks:
1) Catching the Breeze
2) Holding On
3) Free Love
4) Tinder Heart
5) Letters
6) Kissing and Romancing
7) The Rest Will Follow
8) Santa Fe
9) Good Times
10) 4:00 AM
---
[Repost from Power of Pop; by Kevin Mathews]
The rest will follow...
There’s a calm assurance in Tracy Shedd‘s music making – a succinct understanding of where (and when) the foundation comes from with enough building blocks taken from personal experience and idiosyncratic nuances.
On her latest album (#6), The Carolinas, Shedd borrows liberally from 80s pop sources – specifically indie pop and synth pop – certainly a fecund period of pop-rock history, for sure.
A song like “Holding On” evokes New Order very strongly but features enough of Shedd’s own alternative rock sensibility to escape being labeled as simply derivative.
“Kissing and Romancing” is a straight-forward lo-fi indie popper with enough alt-rock energy to keep things this side of intriguing, whereas “Good Times” comes across with crystal clear melodies and chord changes that verges on power pop, but not quite, if you know what I mean.
Overall, there is a suitable minimalist approach that serves the dynamic songs very well. This allows Shedd’s personality to shine through without too much complication in terms of arrangements/instrumentation.
Opening track, “Catching the Breeze” is the current single and it is aptly titled, with a casual simplicity and tuneful engagement that begs repeated listens. The track is a fair encapsulation of what The Carolinas is all about. Shedd is content to make her music count for herself, without too much decoration but with enough conviction in the details to reward the dedicated listener.
Check out the video for “Catching the Breeze” below.
The Carolinas will be released on Friday, September 20th, 2019 on Science Project Records (vinyl) and Fort Lowell Records (digital)
… still there’s more …
Sunday, September 15, 2019
New music video for "Catching the Breeze" by Tracy Shedd
Tracy Shedd is about to release her sixth studio album, titled The Carolinas, this coming Friday, September 20th with yours truly (Fort Lowell Records), as well as Science Project Records. To help celebrate, Shedd just dropped a brand new music video on us this weekend for the opening track from the record, "Catching the Breeze." This makes the third music video that Shedd has teased us with for The Carolinas in the past month! Be sure to order The Carolinas today!
WATCH NOW:
WATCH NOW:
Wednesday, September 11, 2019
Monday, September 2, 2019
Happy Labor Day
Making albums, let alone music in general, is truly a labor of love. To celebrate this Labor Day, we've got the latest album on vinyl from one of our favorite songwriters in Tucson, Arizona - Andrew Gardner - and his band - La Cerca - on deck, whose 2018 record - Night Bloom - was release by Xemu Records. Check it out here for yourself here! 'Next up' on the playlist is definitely going to be La Cerca's 2014 Fort Lowell Records release - Sunrise For Everyone.
Friday, August 30, 2019
Saturday, August 24, 2019
Pre-Order Tracy Shedd 'The Carolinas' Vinyl NOW from Science Project Records
Fort Lowell Records has teamed up with Athens, Georgia's own Science Project Records for the release of Tracy Shedd's sixth studio album The Carolinas. Science Project Records is providing you with the vinyl release, while yours truly is managing things on the ol' world wide web with the digital release.
Fun fact, especially for all your vinyl freaks and geeks out there: Science Project Records is actually owned and operated by the fine folks at Kindercore Vinyl Pressing. Yup, that's right. You may remember when Kindercore Vinyl Pressing came on the scene back in early 2017, they were boasting (as they should) about their partnership with Canada's Viryl Technologies and The WarmTone™ product: a fully automatic, modernized vinyl record pressing system. Fast forward two-plus years later: those boys in Athens gotta' hankerin' to start putting out rekkerds themselves, beginning with The Cadets and now Tracy Shedd's latest album.
CLICK HERE NOW TO PRE-ORDER - Tracy Shedd - The Carolinas
The Test Pressing has already arrived and has been approved, so things are ready to roll and records will ship out in the early fall. You can also stop by Bourgie Nights in Wilmington, North Carolinas on Friday, September 20, 2019, when Tracy Shedd hosts her Record Release Party with De La Noche (featuring Ivan Howard of The Rosebuds, Merge Records), and you will be able to buy a vinyl record at the show.
For now, enjoy the first two singles from The Carolinas: "Holding On" and "Kissing and Romancing", plus the album's opening track "Catching the Breeze"!
Fun fact, especially for all your vinyl freaks and geeks out there: Science Project Records is actually owned and operated by the fine folks at Kindercore Vinyl Pressing. Yup, that's right. You may remember when Kindercore Vinyl Pressing came on the scene back in early 2017, they were boasting (as they should) about their partnership with Canada's Viryl Technologies and The WarmTone™ product: a fully automatic, modernized vinyl record pressing system. Fast forward two-plus years later: those boys in Athens gotta' hankerin' to start putting out rekkerds themselves, beginning with The Cadets and now Tracy Shedd's latest album.
CLICK HERE NOW TO PRE-ORDER - Tracy Shedd - The Carolinas
For now, enjoy the first two singles from The Carolinas: "Holding On" and "Kissing and Romancing", plus the album's opening track "Catching the Breeze"!
Friday, August 23, 2019
INTERVIEW: Indie Folk Outfit The Good Graces
[REPOST from Vents Magazine; interview by RJ Frometa]
Hi there, welcome to VENTS! How have you been?
Pretty good, and thanks!
Can you talk to us more about your song “Crickets”?
I wrote “Crickets” late last summer. I had been dealing with some conflict with someone really close to me, and it was really wearing on me. I had had problems articulating how I really felt about it; what I felt like it had done to me. I was sort of stewing over it, and the song just kinda came out; once I started it, it was pretty quick. And I did feel like it did a pretty good job of capturing those conflicting feelings and emotions.
Did any event in particular inspire you to write this song?
You want details, I like it! LOL. Yes.
Can you tell me about the inspiration behind the track “Snow Angels”?
“Snow Angels” was written by my good friend Wyatt Espalin, and I loved the song from the moment I first heard it. I was asked to perform a song for his annual birthday show at Crimson Moon in Dahlonega (north of Atlanta) and I decided to do that one, but make it sound more like a Good Graces song. I slowed it down, finger picked it, made it a lot sadder. When it came time to pick the songs for the album, I wanted it to reflect my headspace and experiences from the past year, and the song just made sense. I’m so glad I got to include it.
How was the recording and writing process?
I tried to stay true to the feel of that live performance; it felt really good to strip it back but wanted it to also have a rootsy instrumentation, so we added things like mandolin and banjo. We recorded the rhythm section live (we did for the entire record) and then went back in and added those additional instruments. In the end, we focused a lot on the vocals. Wyatt’s song is so sad and nostalgic, and I wanted to make sure I preserved that. We especially had a good time layering the harmony vocals at the very end … that’s one of my favorite parts of the record!
How did the process of putting together your new album Prose & Consciousness differ from your previous releases?
It was very different. For “Set Your Sights,” my last record, I think we recorded a total of 24 songs. So we went in with way more than we could fit on the album, and then picked the songs we thought were the best to finish and mix. It kept it really organic — I didn’t really know what the record was going to be until I was like a year into it. But it also made it a bit more stressful (and a lot more time consuming) than it probably needed to be. With this one, I knew I wanted to work quicker and more efficiently. And I knew I wanted to record the majority of the tracks in one place, and then mix the album there too (which was also different from the last record, which I’m super proud of, but did end up being pretty hodge-podge). So really, I approached it in an almost opposite way compared to the last album, and all my previous albums, really. I settled on about 14 songs to start with and gave a few the boot along the way. But I was a lot more cognizant, from the very beginning, of what the end product would be. I remember coming up with the title really early on, and not changing it — for my last album I must have gone through 20 titles! I also made a concerted effort to not include a single breakup song, which was also really different for me, because I’ve written a lot of them! But that helped inform the “aboutness” of the album, and I think it kept it a little more focused than some of the previous ones.
What role does Atlanta play in your music?
Aww, I love this question, as I really love Atlanta! I would probably have never started the Good Graces had I not moved to Atlanta. I was a drummer for a couple of Atlanta-based singer-songwriters, Jeff Evans and Mary O. Harrison, and I just loved their songs. So I think that, in combination with going through a divorce just prior to the move, and finally seeing an old acoustic guitar for sale (really cheap) at a flea market all sort of collided in a way that the universe said “YOU NEED TO WRITE SONGS.” But the Atlanta influence was huge. I wrote an Atlanta ditty a few years ago (“State of Atlanta,”) sort of as a joke, but also because I love it so much it just felt like I needed to express that love in song.
What aspect of your life/lives did you get to explore on your LP Prose & Consciousness?
Ha – I’m a Gemini, so “lives” is very accurate. And wow, such a big question. I think I definitely explored the idea of being conflicted, feeling pulled in different directions. Balancing art and things I “want” to do with things I “need” to do comes out for sure. I’m smack dab in mid-life, and I’m childless, by choice, but that choice hasn’t necessarily been easy. There’s a song about that. So it’s pretty personal stuff, all around. I also finally took a serious look at my own mental health issues — anxiety, specifically — around the time of Anthony Bourdain’s death. That comes out in the record, too. I want to think I look at things about myself through a pretty critical lens but that in the end I give myself a break and say “this is me, flaws and all.”
Where else did you find the inspiration for the songs and lyrics?
I was pretty focused on family over the past year or so — watching my Dad’s declining health made me want to capture parts of him through the record (“His Name Was the Color That I Loved” is partly about him, and I also used a little snippet of his voice after the song “Wants + Needs” which was inspired by a real situation of cancelling a show to go back home and help take care of him). So there’s a good bit of family stuff on the album … I also like to think about our place in the universe, well maybe “like to” isn’t the right way to put it, but I sometimes find myself thinking about it, and feeling really small, but at the same time really connected to others. That comes out in the “Blood Orange Moon Shot” tune. I think the easy answer is I find inspiration everywhere. But particularly in nature and the people close to me.
Any plans to hit the road?
Yes! I’m doing a small tour through NC after the album release, in November. But really want to hit it hard next year. Plans are in the works for a tour with my friend Annette Wasilik, a really great songwriter and guitar player from around the DC area. I also want to get back to the southwest in the fall of next year. And plan to do as much regional stuff as possible.
What else is happening next in The Good Graces’ world?
Our album release show is at Eddie’s Attic on Nov 14, so I’ll soon be super focused on the full-band practices for that. We haven’t had a full band tGG show since last August, and it’s also our first time headlining Eddie’s so I’m super excited. I’ve also recently started a monthly(ish) women’s in-the-round that I do here in Atlanta at Red Light Cafe. Each show features 3-4 women songwriters and we give a portion of the proceeds to a non-profit that works for or benefits women.
Listen here
Hi there, welcome to VENTS! How have you been?Pretty good, and thanks!
Can you talk to us more about your song “Crickets”?
I wrote “Crickets” late last summer. I had been dealing with some conflict with someone really close to me, and it was really wearing on me. I had had problems articulating how I really felt about it; what I felt like it had done to me. I was sort of stewing over it, and the song just kinda came out; once I started it, it was pretty quick. And I did feel like it did a pretty good job of capturing those conflicting feelings and emotions.
Did any event in particular inspire you to write this song?
You want details, I like it! LOL. Yes.
Can you tell me about the inspiration behind the track “Snow Angels”?
“Snow Angels” was written by my good friend Wyatt Espalin, and I loved the song from the moment I first heard it. I was asked to perform a song for his annual birthday show at Crimson Moon in Dahlonega (north of Atlanta) and I decided to do that one, but make it sound more like a Good Graces song. I slowed it down, finger picked it, made it a lot sadder. When it came time to pick the songs for the album, I wanted it to reflect my headspace and experiences from the past year, and the song just made sense. I’m so glad I got to include it.
How was the recording and writing process?
I tried to stay true to the feel of that live performance; it felt really good to strip it back but wanted it to also have a rootsy instrumentation, so we added things like mandolin and banjo. We recorded the rhythm section live (we did for the entire record) and then went back in and added those additional instruments. In the end, we focused a lot on the vocals. Wyatt’s song is so sad and nostalgic, and I wanted to make sure I preserved that. We especially had a good time layering the harmony vocals at the very end … that’s one of my favorite parts of the record!
How did the process of putting together your new album Prose & Consciousness differ from your previous releases?
It was very different. For “Set Your Sights,” my last record, I think we recorded a total of 24 songs. So we went in with way more than we could fit on the album, and then picked the songs we thought were the best to finish and mix. It kept it really organic — I didn’t really know what the record was going to be until I was like a year into it. But it also made it a bit more stressful (and a lot more time consuming) than it probably needed to be. With this one, I knew I wanted to work quicker and more efficiently. And I knew I wanted to record the majority of the tracks in one place, and then mix the album there too (which was also different from the last record, which I’m super proud of, but did end up being pretty hodge-podge). So really, I approached it in an almost opposite way compared to the last album, and all my previous albums, really. I settled on about 14 songs to start with and gave a few the boot along the way. But I was a lot more cognizant, from the very beginning, of what the end product would be. I remember coming up with the title really early on, and not changing it — for my last album I must have gone through 20 titles! I also made a concerted effort to not include a single breakup song, which was also really different for me, because I’ve written a lot of them! But that helped inform the “aboutness” of the album, and I think it kept it a little more focused than some of the previous ones.
What role does Atlanta play in your music?
Aww, I love this question, as I really love Atlanta! I would probably have never started the Good Graces had I not moved to Atlanta. I was a drummer for a couple of Atlanta-based singer-songwriters, Jeff Evans and Mary O. Harrison, and I just loved their songs. So I think that, in combination with going through a divorce just prior to the move, and finally seeing an old acoustic guitar for sale (really cheap) at a flea market all sort of collided in a way that the universe said “YOU NEED TO WRITE SONGS.” But the Atlanta influence was huge. I wrote an Atlanta ditty a few years ago (“State of Atlanta,”) sort of as a joke, but also because I love it so much it just felt like I needed to express that love in song.
What aspect of your life/lives did you get to explore on your LP Prose & Consciousness?
Ha – I’m a Gemini, so “lives” is very accurate. And wow, such a big question. I think I definitely explored the idea of being conflicted, feeling pulled in different directions. Balancing art and things I “want” to do with things I “need” to do comes out for sure. I’m smack dab in mid-life, and I’m childless, by choice, but that choice hasn’t necessarily been easy. There’s a song about that. So it’s pretty personal stuff, all around. I also finally took a serious look at my own mental health issues — anxiety, specifically — around the time of Anthony Bourdain’s death. That comes out in the record, too. I want to think I look at things about myself through a pretty critical lens but that in the end I give myself a break and say “this is me, flaws and all.”
Where else did you find the inspiration for the songs and lyrics?
I was pretty focused on family over the past year or so — watching my Dad’s declining health made me want to capture parts of him through the record (“His Name Was the Color That I Loved” is partly about him, and I also used a little snippet of his voice after the song “Wants + Needs” which was inspired by a real situation of cancelling a show to go back home and help take care of him). So there’s a good bit of family stuff on the album … I also like to think about our place in the universe, well maybe “like to” isn’t the right way to put it, but I sometimes find myself thinking about it, and feeling really small, but at the same time really connected to others. That comes out in the “Blood Orange Moon Shot” tune. I think the easy answer is I find inspiration everywhere. But particularly in nature and the people close to me.
Any plans to hit the road?
Yes! I’m doing a small tour through NC after the album release, in November. But really want to hit it hard next year. Plans are in the works for a tour with my friend Annette Wasilik, a really great songwriter and guitar player from around the DC area. I also want to get back to the southwest in the fall of next year. And plan to do as much regional stuff as possible.
What else is happening next in The Good Graces’ world?
Our album release show is at Eddie’s Attic on Nov 14, so I’ll soon be super focused on the full-band practices for that. We haven’t had a full band tGG show since last August, and it’s also our first time headlining Eddie’s so I’m super excited. I’ve also recently started a monthly(ish) women’s in-the-round that I do here in Atlanta at Red Light Cafe. Each show features 3-4 women songwriters and we give a portion of the proceeds to a non-profit that works for or benefits women.
Listen here
Thursday, August 22, 2019
Friends De La Noche celebrate their debut album 'Blue Days, Black Nights'
Wilmington, North Carolina's own De La Noche spent the evening (Thursday, August 22, 2019) at Mon Âme Chocolate & Wine Bar sharing their debut album Blue Days, Black Nights (Get Loud Recordings) with family and friends at their Album Listening Party. De La Noche will share the stage with Fort Lowell Records' Tracy Shedd on Friday, September 20, 2019 at Bourgie Nights in Wilmington, as both artists commemorate their album releases with live performances, which will include De La Noche's singer, Ivan Howard (not pictured below) of The Rosebuds (Merge Records), who will be traveling from his home of Portland, Oregon to take part in the showcase. Purchase tickets here before the show sells out, and be sure to RSVP on the Facebook Event Page.
Listen to De La Noche here:
De La Noche pictured below (L-R: Chuck Spry, Robert Rogan, and Brian Weeks)
Listen to De La Noche here:
De La Noche pictured below (L-R: Chuck Spry, Robert Rogan, and Brian Weeks)
Wednesday, August 21, 2019
FILE UNDER: "WOMEN WHO KICK ASS"
[REPOST from The Joy of Violent Movement]
With the release of her five previous albums through labels like Teen Beat, New Granada Records and Devil In The Woods and stints in Band & The Beat, the Jacksonville, FL-born, Wilmington, NC-based singer/songwriter and guitarist Tracy Shedd has developed a reputation for being a musician’s musician, whose sound and approach has been compared to the likes of Alvvays, Belle & Sebastian, Liz Phair, My Bloody Valentine, Snail Mail, Sonic Youth and countless others.
After Sonic Youth’s Steve Shelley [sat] in on drums during her last US tour, Shedd began writing the material, which would comprise her forthcoming album The Carolinas in her new home of North Carolina. The album reportedly finds Shedd drawing upon her indie rock roots with some of her electro pop experiences with Band & The Beat — and is arguably some of the most playful material she’s written and recorded to date. The album’s first single is the coquettish fuzz pop anthem “Kissing and Romancing.” Centered around fuzzy power chords, a big infectious hook and a decidedly lo-fi production, the song manages to recall 90s grunge and fuzz pop — Liz Phair’s “Supernova” immediately comes to mind; but with a playful, coquettish air.
The recently released video features stop-motion animation of a wooden robot dancing and courting a blue alien. And while drawing some influence from The White Stripes“Fell in Love with a Girl,” the video, much like the song has a playful air.
Shedd’s latest album, The Carolinas is slated for a September 20, 2019 digitally through Fort Lowell Records and on vinyl through Science Project Records.
With the release of her five previous albums through labels like Teen Beat, New Granada Records and Devil In The Woods and stints in Band & The Beat, the Jacksonville, FL-born, Wilmington, NC-based singer/songwriter and guitarist Tracy Shedd has developed a reputation for being a musician’s musician, whose sound and approach has been compared to the likes of Alvvays, Belle & Sebastian, Liz Phair, My Bloody Valentine, Snail Mail, Sonic Youth and countless others.
After Sonic Youth’s Steve Shelley [sat] in on drums during her last US tour, Shedd began writing the material, which would comprise her forthcoming album The Carolinas in her new home of North Carolina. The album reportedly finds Shedd drawing upon her indie rock roots with some of her electro pop experiences with Band & The Beat — and is arguably some of the most playful material she’s written and recorded to date. The album’s first single is the coquettish fuzz pop anthem “Kissing and Romancing.” Centered around fuzzy power chords, a big infectious hook and a decidedly lo-fi production, the song manages to recall 90s grunge and fuzz pop — Liz Phair’s “Supernova” immediately comes to mind; but with a playful, coquettish air.
The recently released video features stop-motion animation of a wooden robot dancing and courting a blue alien. And while drawing some influence from The White Stripes“Fell in Love with a Girl,” the video, much like the song has a playful air.
Shedd’s latest album, The Carolinas is slated for a September 20, 2019 digitally through Fort Lowell Records and on vinyl through Science Project Records.
Sunday, August 18, 2019
Meet Emily Wilder of Wet & Reckless in Echo Park
[REPOST from VoyageLA.com]
Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Wilder.
Emily, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Wet & Reckless started with bassist Jessica Gelt (The Movies) and me (Emily Wilder) as two-piece outfit in Echo Park after a late night discussion about how California ridiculously decided to legally name a DUI “Wet & Reckless”. We decided to embrace that ridiculousness later as a three-piece all-girl band about nine years ago, after all coming from different bands with bossy boys. This was when there weren’t as many girl bands. We’d go to our rehearsal space at Bedrock when it first opened and would laugh and cry and just do music the way we wanted. In the beginning, we were put on bills with more “pretty players”. Now we know so many girls in bands that play more rock than Starbucks stylings. We toured across the states over the years. We all lived in the same building and at the end of the hall was Jalise Woodward, who joined our band on the drum kit. Now we’ve mixed up players a couple of times. We recorded many albums but felt really happy with producer, Kristofer Sampson (Atlanta), Tom Biller who mastered it and released our first album in 2015 on cassette with Lollipop Records. Right now we are recording our second album with Dylan Ely of Portia Street Studios and really excited about this next release.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Ha! You are talking about the music industry right? Yes, many struggles, but it’s all been worth it. I grew up in a music family and always make the joke, “music will ruin your life”, but I couldn’t live without it. I am a sucker for good lyrics and what better way to break, heal and survive in this human condition than writing music.
Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Wilder.
Emily, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Wet & Reckless started with bassist Jessica Gelt (The Movies) and me (Emily Wilder) as two-piece outfit in Echo Park after a late night discussion about how California ridiculously decided to legally name a DUI “Wet & Reckless”. We decided to embrace that ridiculousness later as a three-piece all-girl band about nine years ago, after all coming from different bands with bossy boys. This was when there weren’t as many girl bands. We’d go to our rehearsal space at Bedrock when it first opened and would laugh and cry and just do music the way we wanted. In the beginning, we were put on bills with more “pretty players”. Now we know so many girls in bands that play more rock than Starbucks stylings. We toured across the states over the years. We all lived in the same building and at the end of the hall was Jalise Woodward, who joined our band on the drum kit. Now we’ve mixed up players a couple of times. We recorded many albums but felt really happy with producer, Kristofer Sampson (Atlanta), Tom Biller who mastered it and released our first album in 2015 on cassette with Lollipop Records. Right now we are recording our second album with Dylan Ely of Portia Street Studios and really excited about this next release.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Ha! You are talking about the music industry right? Yes, many struggles, but it’s all been worth it. I grew up in a music family and always make the joke, “music will ruin your life”, but I couldn’t live without it. I am a sucker for good lyrics and what better way to break, heal and survive in this human condition than writing music.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
Jessica is a writer, Jalise is an artist and I (Emily) direct stop motion animation films. Our band is a sisterhood and cuts through the thick of the daily grit. I like the storytelling aspect of songs. I guess that’s what drives me. Hmm, what makes us different? Well, I know all of our moms think we are special. But in all seriousness, we are not hired guns or perfect. We are a family; a truly special bond that has been building for years.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I think we are an unruly bunch with an honest perspective, even if it is self-deprecating. Music is so subjective and there is something out there for everyone. The most important thing we can do is make someone laugh, cry, not feel so alone, or just feel anything at all.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://emilywilder.wixsite.com/wetandreckless
- Email: wetandrecklessmusic@gmail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/wetandrecklessla/
- Facebook: facebook.com/wetandreckless
Monday, August 12, 2019
The Good Graces Keep Their Loved Ones Close on "Snow Angels"
[REPOST from Popmatters.com]
The story goes that the Good Graces started on an impulse, when Kim Ware bought her acoustic guitar, Buzzy, from Lakewood Antiques Market in 2006. The artist was well regarded as a drummer in the Atlanta scene, but she and Buzzy proved to be a perfect duo as songs began to flow out from them. Now, the Good Graces are a revered indie-folk collective known for delivering evocative songwriting, and in those regards, "Snow Angels" is no different. The song strikes a chord of spiritual beauty about keeping ties with your loved ones even after they've gone. It hits a poignant blend of emotions in the subtle buildup towards its crescendo, where Ware's reflective vocals are met by a broad stroke of folk instrumentation that, together, evoke their full sentiment.
"Snow Angels" is from the Good Graces' new album, Prose and Consciousness, releasing on 11 October. On the song, Ware recalls, "This is the only song on the new album that I didn't write. I did take some artistic liberties (which the writer was open to, thankfully!), but it was originally written by my dear friend Wyatt Espalin. The first time I heard him play it, several years ago around a campfire at his old campground, I instantly loved it. I was first drawn to the chord progression in the chorus because it was similar to a song I was working on at the time. I remember thinking, 'Hey, that sounds like something I might do.' That might have been what initially got my attention, but I'm a big lyrics person, and once I paid attention, the lyrics just killed me. They were so sad and nostalgic.
[Click here to listen to the Good Graces' new track, "Snow Angels"]
"About a year or so later I was asked to pick a song of Wyatt's to play at his annual birthday show at Crimson Moon. It didn't take me long at all to choose that one. The problem was learning how to play it, and learning it in time. So I decided to make it easier on myself and just play it like I'd play it if I had written it. I stripped it back and slowed it down (the original was a bit more rockin'), and simplified the bridge a little. People at the show really responded to it, and it just felt so great to play. When it came time to choose the songs to record for the new album, I wanted songs that captured the past year or so for me. This song really does that -- family has been a big thing for me lately, and this song has some of that; to me, it looks back at the past with a little bit of sadness and longing that I unfortunately think is pretty accurate. As we get older, relationships change and evolve, and sometimes you just miss when things were simpler. There's some of that in "Snow Angels", and also a good bit about identity, and coming to terms with who you are and what you really want, which is also a common theme of the album.
"I knew I wanted Wyatt involved in the recording and was fortunate to have him play fiddle on it. It's rather funny, the first 3/4 of it is so stripped down, but a lot of folks played on this one! Tim Anderson added cello -- and while he and Wyatt weren't aware of each other's parts at all (I don't think either of them had the other's part to track with), they magically worked together really well. There's also a bit of banjo (Rick Taylor) and mandolin (Andrew Vickery). We had a lot of fun mixing it; it's such a pretty song, and the vocals are really important, but I also was just loving how the band sounded near the end. So we ended up - quite last minute - bringing the vocals down to showcase the band a little more, and then back up at the very end. I'm happy we made that choice with it, it's one of my favorite parts of the album."
Written by Jonathan Frahm
The story goes that the Good Graces started on an impulse, when Kim Ware bought her acoustic guitar, Buzzy, from Lakewood Antiques Market in 2006. The artist was well regarded as a drummer in the Atlanta scene, but she and Buzzy proved to be a perfect duo as songs began to flow out from them. Now, the Good Graces are a revered indie-folk collective known for delivering evocative songwriting, and in those regards, "Snow Angels" is no different. The song strikes a chord of spiritual beauty about keeping ties with your loved ones even after they've gone. It hits a poignant blend of emotions in the subtle buildup towards its crescendo, where Ware's reflective vocals are met by a broad stroke of folk instrumentation that, together, evoke their full sentiment.
"Snow Angels" is from the Good Graces' new album, Prose and Consciousness, releasing on 11 October. On the song, Ware recalls, "This is the only song on the new album that I didn't write. I did take some artistic liberties (which the writer was open to, thankfully!), but it was originally written by my dear friend Wyatt Espalin. The first time I heard him play it, several years ago around a campfire at his old campground, I instantly loved it. I was first drawn to the chord progression in the chorus because it was similar to a song I was working on at the time. I remember thinking, 'Hey, that sounds like something I might do.' That might have been what initially got my attention, but I'm a big lyrics person, and once I paid attention, the lyrics just killed me. They were so sad and nostalgic.
[Click here to listen to the Good Graces' new track, "Snow Angels"]
"About a year or so later I was asked to pick a song of Wyatt's to play at his annual birthday show at Crimson Moon. It didn't take me long at all to choose that one. The problem was learning how to play it, and learning it in time. So I decided to make it easier on myself and just play it like I'd play it if I had written it. I stripped it back and slowed it down (the original was a bit more rockin'), and simplified the bridge a little. People at the show really responded to it, and it just felt so great to play. When it came time to choose the songs to record for the new album, I wanted songs that captured the past year or so for me. This song really does that -- family has been a big thing for me lately, and this song has some of that; to me, it looks back at the past with a little bit of sadness and longing that I unfortunately think is pretty accurate. As we get older, relationships change and evolve, and sometimes you just miss when things were simpler. There's some of that in "Snow Angels", and also a good bit about identity, and coming to terms with who you are and what you really want, which is also a common theme of the album.
"I knew I wanted Wyatt involved in the recording and was fortunate to have him play fiddle on it. It's rather funny, the first 3/4 of it is so stripped down, but a lot of folks played on this one! Tim Anderson added cello -- and while he and Wyatt weren't aware of each other's parts at all (I don't think either of them had the other's part to track with), they magically worked together really well. There's also a bit of banjo (Rick Taylor) and mandolin (Andrew Vickery). We had a lot of fun mixing it; it's such a pretty song, and the vocals are really important, but I also was just loving how the band sounded near the end. So we ended up - quite last minute - bringing the vocals down to showcase the band a little more, and then back up at the very end. I'm happy we made that choice with it, it's one of my favorite parts of the album."
Written by Jonathan Frahm
Thursday, August 1, 2019
Tracy Shedd - Record Release Party for 'The Carolinas' - Fri 9/20/19
Please join us on Friday, September 20, 2019 at Bourgie Nights in downtown Wilmington, North Carolina, to celebrate Tracy Shedd's release of her new full length studio recording The Carolinas - an evening hosted by Modern Legend - as she shares the stage (and record release celebrations) with good friends, De La Noche (Get Loud Recordings) - featuring Ivan Howard of The Rosebuds. This will be Tracy Shedd's first live show in two years, so don't miss it!
Click here now to purchase tickets: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/4309694
Listen to De La Noche + Tracy Shedd here:
Tuesday, July 30, 2019
Happy 45th Birthday, Tracy Shedd!
Celebrate Tracy Shedd's 45th birthday today by listening to her new "45"(rpm), "single," that is. CLICK HERE now to play "Kissing and Romancing" on Spotify:
Monday, July 29, 2019
Tracy Shedd - "Kissing and Romancing" - New Music Video
Tracy Shedd - of Teen-Beat, New Granada Records, and Devil In The Woods record labels - has a new album coming out soon called The Carolinas, and there is a brand new music video for the first single released (and available everywhere like Spotify, Pandora, etc.) - "Kissing and Romancing." Watch the video now:
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