September 21, 2018
in the attic
friends,
as mentioned in recent weeks, i'm in the midst of working out a process to record drums with my current batch of 2018 songs. i've yet to iron it all out, but episode 621 is a small glimpse into the progress i've made so far.
it's a short one - just me just checking in, sharing a few songs from the long-lost past, along with a new drum recording experiment.
i'm thankful you're here,
+ hope you'll join me.
the songs:
- sometimes (songs for when you think you made a mistake, 2002)
- cold fusion (h-nd t- g-d, 2016, + sloppy scratch drums)
- parable of the talents (songs for when you think you made a mistake, 2002)
love,
russell
September 14, 2018
heartbreaking
friends,
episode 620 is here, and finds me humbled (yet again) by the power that personal songwriting can have in our lives. perhaps more, by the stories we tell ourselves, how they change with time, how it's hard to know the whys or hows of any of it.
i wonder if any of us truly grasp how time changes us?
how experiences shape us,
what was inevitable v. our fault?
guilt, shame, insight, which is which?
the lines between them are usually hard to see.
the songs:
- yellow leaf (deep, deeper, deepest, 2014)
- he's gonna be a heartbreaker (deep, deeper, deepest, 2014)
- steps (deep, deeper, deepest, 2014)
i hope you'll listen.
love,
russell
p.s. - if you haven't already, yr still invited to episode 618 and episode 619 where i explore the new album dragon and sheep from the band wykobe enz.
September 07, 2018
listen by listen
friends,
this week's podcast is a continued appreciation of the new album dragon and sheep from the band wykobe enz. it's a true honor to share these songs, and my heartfelt thanks go out, again, to patrick kobernus + the band for their generosity.
in posting, i'm particuarly struck by the strange feeling that experiences of meaning and connection can (at times, or often?) carry a kind of opposition within them.
to my mind, the best songs allow for layers of interpretation, complements, contradictions, fusions of feelings and ideas we wouldn't consider otherwise. i find a bit of all of this within this project, and it's helpful and exciting to discover it slowly. listen by listen.
it's episode 619.
i hope you'll join me.
links:
wykobe enz - @ facebook
dragon and sheep - @ amazon
definitions:
certainty - fixed, settled, dependable, reliable, indisputable.
surreality - irrational, unbelieveable, fanstastic.
the songs:
- never give up (by wykobe enz)
- this love is surreal (by wykobe enz)
- in the stillness (by wykobe enz)
love,
russell
August 31, 2018
optimism
friends,
episode 618 is inspired by (and features) songs from the new album dragon and sheep from the band wykobe enz. i've been enjoying these songs over the past few weeks, and find the mixture of intimate lyrics with clean folk-rock instrumentation + arrangement quite beautiful and effective.
most striking of all, for me, is the strong thread of optimism and hope that's woven thoughout the project. this may seem like a small thing to some? maybe so. nonetheless, it feels quite brave and helpful and true.
my sincere thanks to patrick kobernus and the band for sharing their music.
you can befriend wykobe enz - here
and find their album - here
the songs:
- you and me (by wykobe enz)
- it'll be alright (by wykobe enz)
- make things new (by wykobe enz)
i hope you'll listen.
love,
russell
August 24, 2018
falling out
friends,
this week's podcast revolves around two versions of a song i've been struggling to capture for some time. i spent most of a day working through it, and i'm still not sure it's there yet. alas, my attempts (demos #8 and #9) are here.
on the confident side of things, i'm very happy to present a closing song from the band wykobe enz. they just released a beautiful album called dragon and sheep.
it's episode 617.
i hope you'll take a listen,
find the band - wykobe enz,
and support their new album - dragon and sheep.
the songs:
- she understood (demo #8, 2018)
- she understood (demo #9, 2018)
- starting all over again (by wykobe enz)
love,
russell