New Music For The Fall
Good day, or evening.
I had a day off today and wanted to write. I think the weather finally turned to a proper fall temperature yesterday here in Penn’s woods. The sound of the wind felt like it finally was able to shake the leaves from the trees.
It’s a good day for some PG Tips, university grading, and music. Before I get into the latter two, I wanted to say hello.
Hello. I hope you are ok. I really do. Take a deep breath and just be still for a minute. I’m doing it now as I write this letter. Yes I call this a letter ;-) Music, writing, reading, riding a mower on a golf course fairway on a cool morning, a good conversation, digging a hole, listening sounds outside my window… those things allow a sense of present-ness. I hope you find yours. Give someone a hug for goodness sake – then punch them in the face, just kidding! Ha!
Last week Katie Barbato’s Long Night Moon album came out. She and I recorded it at Chateau Fornance in the late spring and early summer this year. She’d come by my home-studio and play piano or guitar then track her vocal. She’s a very musical person. Her feel is great and it was a very easy process to put her songs together. We’d work for a couple hours, have a beer or two, maybe some food and always great conversations. I’d then do “my thing” at some point after she left during the week –before she’d come back to track a new song. “My thing” consisted of simply amplifying the emotional intent of her songs with sonic depth and supporting harmony & melodies to draw attention to hers. We didn’t have any criteria except that we did not want drums on this album. I mixed the entire album in a day at Catapult Sound. It was easy to do this because of the care I put into the recording and production. Listen to the album for goodness sake; it’s warm, inviting, and deep –a collection of songs that I am so glad to be intimately part of. Kim Rosen (my new favorite mastering engineer) put the final sonic stamp on the album. Available on iTunes, CD Baby and various streaming services.
If anyone out there wants to work with me on their project(s), this fall and winter are a perfect time. We get to be in a studio and create music without worring about missing spring and summer! I love making a song come to life no matter what stage, i.e., arranging, recording, producing, and mixing. People that I work with ALWAYS have a great time for the simple reason that I care your music and am good at what I do. Reach out if you want to track a song and all that THAT entails. I don’t care how famous you are or if you can play Stairway to
Heaven perfectly. I just like to make music and allow for you to do the same. Now is a perfect time to create that perfect song for someone as a holiday gift or check off that bucket-list endeavor before the end of the year. It seems everyone has a studio these days. I think that’s amazing! BUT, most people don’t put the time into gaining the experience I have to elevate their amateur interests to a professional level. I can do this for you. I’m a natural teacher and have a darn good memory of what it was like to be in your shoes as someone that loves music yet doesn’t know how to properly capture that song. Even if you think you've got it figured out it's valuable to work with new people (me). Give me a shout, reach out. Ive done lots of long distance work as well, i.e., people not in my area send me work to do. I’m well worth the money and time. Love to get to know you through music.
My Rise Twain project is officially underway. JD and I have a received merchandise to sell at gigs and are starting to gain our sea legs for live performance. Just played a gig in Philly, we learned a lot. Another one coming up on October 24th at The Burren in Sommerville MA, then another on November 15th at 1984 in Wilmington DE. Both of these are as a four piece, no drums. Our first (so far) performance with drums will be on December 20th at the Kennett Flash in Kennett Square PA.
More on all of these as details come in. Just wanted to give you a heads-up. JD and I are building this beast for “reals” man! No messing around. If you have not heard our album you seriously need to pick it up. It a great album and one in which I am still trying to understand what I did, hehe!
Lastly, my other group project, echolyn, is in the thick of finishing writing and beginning to properly track material. Jordan Perlson has recorded 6.2 songs thus far. I say “6.2” because one of the tracks is still in writing mode and is less than 0.5% done, yet we are taking advantage of his presence whenever he is on break from touring to chip away at everything. The whole process has been very healing for me. Ray, Chris and I, amidst all we have been though, still find joy and lightness in our work together. There is an ease that only love, friendship, and time spent together grants. Im sure you know what I mean and have examples of this in your own life.
I think we have between 50 and 60 minutes of new echolyn music at various stages right now. In a couple weeks Ray and I will make the trip to Chris’s place to laugh, write, drink beer, and write some more. It will be our 11th time meeting for this album at our metaphorical island where the sky meets the sea, where we spend both the rainy and sunny days digging for diamonds in the garden of our machine. Jordan is meeting us two weeks later in November, before Thanksgiving, to add his energy and intuition to what we discover.
Must get to work now to grade student assignments then record some echolyn guitar parts! It’s going to be a great day!
Much love
Brett William Kull ~ 18th October, 2019
