Good news from the Happy Valley of western Massachusetts, as Gold Dust announces the release of their new album and introduces a new collaboration with Dinosaur Jr.’s J Mascis. The upcoming album, In the Shade of the Living Light, sees Gold Dust founder Stephen Pierce expand the project, as the band becomes a band proper with Ally Einbinder (guitar, formerly of Potty Mouth), Adam Reid (drums, of Nanny), and Sean Greene (bass, of The Van Pelt).
With the move from what was essentially a Stephen Pierce solo project to a full on band effort, comes new musical perspectives and directions, as well as an infectious energy. Stephen has had a tough road the past couple years, and this album is a testament to his courage, creativity, and ability to create community. All of this is apparent on the lead release for the album, “An Early Translation of a Later Work,” a track that features a wonderfully frizzled sitar solo from J Mascis.
Centripetal Force is handling the CD duties this time around, and the album is also available on vinyl straight from the band. Both editions come with a 28 page booklet. It’s up for pre-order now over on the Bandcamp. In the Shade of the Living Light releases May 2.
Announcing The Royal Arctic Institute
Centripetal Force is excited to announce the release of the new album from The Royal Arctic Institute. The album will be made available on vinyl, as well as on CD and digitally. The preorder goes live on March 18. Its release date is May 2.
When I sent this album to a close friend a few weeks back, he asked, "What's this?" I said, "My inability to move away from the pedal steel guitar." He got back to me a while later and claimed the album to be "The most Centripetal Force thing I have ever heard." I assure you this was not by design.
Mike Horn (Seawind of Battery) put The Royal Arctic Institute on my radar a couple years back. I was intrigued. At the time their material did not feature the pedal steel guitar. They gave off a sort of West Coast post-rock kind of vibe that reminded me of bands like Tarentel, Tristeza, and other similar groups that dominated the Bay Area scene in the late 90s and early 2000s. As the demos of the new album came my way and I learned of RAI's plan to work pedal steel guitar into the mix, I was not disappointed. It was marrying two worlds of music that I enjoy very much. And now, a few months down the road, this album has come to fruition.
All of the members of The Royal Arctic Institute carry impressive resumes of past work, ranging from Das Damen to Townes Van Zandt to Arthur Lee to Roky Erickson. They've been creating sound for a long time, and as these guys will tell you, this is their most accomplished work to date.
"Twigs of Cries, Feathers of Sobs" will be the lead "single" and will debut March 18. The album will go up for preorder on the same day. Release day is May 2, 2025.
Preorder the album from Centripetal Force,
LUKE SCHNEIDER TO PLAY THREE DATES IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
A trio of Luke Schneider shows will be happening across Northern California, with each one promising to deliver something a little different.
The three show run will begin on Thursday, February 27 at Little Saint in Healdsburg. Well noted for their plant-based menu and extensive wine selection, Little Saint dedicates their Thursday evenings for rising creative artists and their music, making Luke an ideal fit for their program. Attendees can expect two sets of highly improvised pedal steel ambience. Admission is free, with music starting at 7pm.
On Friday, February 28 Luke makes his way down to Oakland to perform at The Crown: Royal Coffee Lab & Tasting Room. Aux Meadows will be celebrating the release of their new album on Eiderdown Records and asked Luke to come out and join the festivities. Some unique collaborations are sure to occur in the infamous Green Room. The Crown is located at 2523 Broadway in downtown Oakland.
Luke’s weekend will wrap up on Saturday, March 1 at Brian Faulkner’s spot out in Sacramento. Well, it’s actually Orangevale. Faulkner’s long running series of house shows provide a unique and intimate setting for taking in music, and this show is certainly no exception, especially with the Danny Paul Grody Duo joining the bill. Email bcfaulner67@yahoo.com for more show details (location, directions, etc.).
Be sure to check out the Across the Horizon series and listen in to what Luke has been up to lately.
Announcing Mohammad Mostafa Heydarian's Noor-e Vojood
Centripetal Force (North America), Cardinal Fuzz (UK), and Radio Khiyaban (Europe) are excited to announce Mohammad Mostafa Heydarian's second album Noor-e Vojood. The album is being presented digtial;y, as well as a 500 copy vinyl pressing. The album will be made available for preorder on January 24. Its release date is March 7.
Heydarian is a young Kurdish tanbur player from Kermanshah, a city in the mountainous western Iranian region of Horaman. The son of a local instrument builder, he grew up surrounded by the local traditional music styles, studying with a number of well-known master musicians before recently entering university to study Persian classical music.
Noor-e Vojood is much more focused than the first album, Songs of Horaman, The spirit of improvisation is still there, but this time the compositions are more intentional and possess a more poetic flow, a hallmark of Iranian sacred and classical music. And while the music is not explicitly psychedelic, it certainly is a heady affair and lends itself to mediation and associated practices.
"Bàyeh Bàyeh" is currently streaming and available to listen to on Bandcamp. The song is performed in an ancient tradition of tanbur playing, a modal scale meant to channel feelings of joy and exhilaration. Songs performed in this style are played in ceremonies celebrating victory. In the framework of the entire album, "Bàyeh Bàyeh" helps build the epic nature of Heydarian's musical storytelling. The song also provides a sort of much needed respite for these trying times.
Preorder the vinyl edition of the album from Centripetal Force, Cardinal Fuzz, and Radio Khiyaban.
Ben Felton and John Harrison of Tacoma Park / Photo by Brett Villena
Wrapping Up 2024 With Releases From Tacoma Park and OCH
The year may be coming to a close, but that doesn’t mean that business is closed at Centripetal Force HQ. Two more albums on the 2024 release schedule are set to go on sale today, a reissue of Tacoma Park’s 2023 self titled album and a special edition of OCH’s Live at Riksgränsen.
One of the most enjoyable experiences I have with music is being immersed into one of those mind blowing “a-ha!” moments when hearing an album for the first time. Well, in 2023 that moment came when I first listened to Tacoma Park’s self titled album. It popped up one day in my inbox as a submission for my radio program at WXNA in Nashville. I was captivated from the jump and was absolutely hooked by the time I reached the middle of the second track.
If you’re at all familiar with Centripetal Force, you likely know the reason why I was so captivated. Tacoma Park’s mix of acoustic americana adjacent instrumentation and kosmische inspired improvisations are not only one of the label’s hallmarks, it’s a blending of musical worlds that I have enjoyed for years. The drones and the pulsing combined with the shimmering drifts place me in the most serene and magical natural settings, even if my physical location is miles from such a physical space. And after learning John and Ben were from North Carolina, it made perfect sense. After all, North Carolina is the home of Bob Moog and the birthplace of John Coltrane. The land of The Great Smoky Mountains and the expansive Outer Banks. A state rich in the history of traditional American music styles and Appalachian traditions. A place where music and nature seem to always commune.
Tacoma Park is nothing short of monumental, and in my opinion, was criminally overlooked. The album was initially self released as a 2LP set, with only 50 copies pressed. In hopes of garnering more attention and getting more ears on these compositions, Centripetal Force is releasing a CD edition of the album. It is an edition of 75 copies, packaged in a high quality four panel LP gatefold style cardboard sleeve. It also includes a bonus selection not included on the original release, a song titled “Lizard Brain.”
When OCH’s Live at Riksgränsen was initially released last year as part of the Altered States series with Dave at Cardinal Fuzz, we ended up with an overrun of vinyl. The Altered States series is supposed to be limited to 100, but we had to pay for the overrun and figure out what to do.
It took a while to decide what to do with the extra copies, and we ultimately decided that offering them up with some handmade covers would be the way to go. So, today we are offering the album once again, both here at Centripetal Force and at Cardinal Fuzz. Dave and I will have slightly different variations in our handmade covers. I have 25. He has 25 as well.
Visit the Centripetal Force Bandcamp for both releases. If you’re in the UK and looking to get the OCH record, visit Cardinal Fuzz.
Announcing New Albums From Yaryu And Jeffrey Alexander + The Heavy Lidders
The autumn release schedule at Centripetal Force received a boost this week with the announcement of two new releases, Yaryu’s For Damage and Spacious Minds: Volumes I & II from Jeffrey Alexander + The Heavy Lidders.
Yaryu’s For Damage is a groundbreaking work blends the meditative qualities of New Age music with the soulful, improvisational ethos of jazz, creating a listening experience that is both spiritually uplifting and sonically captivating. It is an album that continues the rich legacy of Japanese psychedelic music. And with members who have been involved with projects like De Lorians, Sundays & Cybele, Dhidalah, and Acid Mothers Temple, they are certainly no strangers to pushing boundaries and moving their sound in new directions.
For Damage is available for preorder from Centripetal Force, Ramble Records (AUS), and Cardinal Fuzz (UK). It’s available digitally and on vinyl, with a CD option available from Centripetal Force.
Initially released on cassette on Arrowhawk Records, Jeffrey Alexanders + The Heavy Lidders’ Spacious Minds: Volumes I & II fgets the vinyl treatment as a two LP set from Centripetal Force and Cardinal Fuzz. The two volumes were pressed as two separate stand alone album, allowing for Jake Blanchard’s artwork to really shine and take center stage. And honestly, with the pair limited to 250 copies each, the production cost was much less than doing a gatefold cover.
Spacious Minds is made up of live cuts recorded primarily at Record Crates United’s backyard garden party back in 2022. Volume I kicks off with a massive 36+ minute “Dark Star” before winding its way into a heavy host of Lidders gems on Volume II, with the title track being a wonderfully fried highlight. Copies of the records, bundled and sold separately, can be found at both the Centripetal Force and Cardinal Fuzz bandcamp pages.
Spacious Minds, both volumes side-by-side
ANNOUNCING NUMÜN'S 'OPENING'
News has come down that numün is releasing its third and latest album on Centripetal Force and the UK’s Where It’s At Is Where You Are (WIAIWYA). Titled Opening, the new release contains 8 songs of ambience and psychedelic pastoral soundscapes that draw as much on the krautrock of Popol Vuh and Harmonia as they do on the desert soundscapes of Bruce Langhorne. As reviewed in Complex Distractions, “Imagine if Ry Cooder, Brian Eno, and William Tyler all came together under East Coast stars and pressed upon the universe to give them a cosmic splash of inspiration."
Formed in 2019 by Joel Mellin, Christopher Romero (Gamelan Dharma Swara) and ambient country pioneer Bob Holmes (SUSS, Rubber Rodeo) numün meld and juxtapose an array of instrumentation: cumbuz (fretless Turkish 12-string banjo), gamelan (Balinese metallophones & gongs), piano, bass flute, violin, guitar, electronics, and synths. This release also sees numün expanding their trio line-up to include Victoria Lo Mellin (Dharma Swara) on flute and bass flute, as well as Willa Roberts (Black Sea Hotel) on violin and vocals.
The album is currently available for pre-order on vinyl and cassette, as well as digitally. In North and South America, please visit the Centripetal Force Bandcamp. For those in the UK and EU, visit the WIAIWYA Bandcamp.
Opening will be released in January of 2025
numün
Coming Back to Nashville!
Centripetal Force is making its first trip back to Nashville since returning to California and will be hosting a show at Vinyl Tap on September, 21st. The evening is lined up to include the wonderfully dark and wistful sounds of Marissa Nadler, the incredible guitar work of Michael Hix (Nashville Ambient Ensemble), and the eccentric creativity of Kevin Coleman, who will be playing with guitarist Scott Mattingly and keyboardist Gray Worry.
The night is modeled after last year’s successful run of Centripetal Sundays, a series of showcases in which the invited artists were encouraged to collaborate, improvise, invent, and introduce new ideas and sounds. This year’s show is happening in the middle of the much lauded AmericanaFest and offers a glimpse of the type of creativity that is happening on the fringes of the Americana world in Nashville.
Music will start at 7PM sharp and wrap up by 10. There's no cover but attendees are asked to tip generously, as is the Nashville way.
Michael Hix
Marissa Nadler
Kevin Coleman
ANNOUNCING PRAIRIEWOLF'S 'DEEP TIME'
Today comes news about the much anticipated second album from Prairiewolf. It's titled Deep Time, and it is set for release on September 20th. Joining Centripetal Force and Prairiewolf for this album is the UK label Worried Songs. Collaboration is part of the Centripetal Force ethos and recruiting Chaz and his label helps ensure that listeners across the pond have an easier and more affordable option when it comes to buying records. Deep Time will be available digitally, as well as on vinyl and 2xCD. And yes, you read that correctly. This is a two CD set. However, we are currently not at liberty to discuss the contents of the second CD.
Deep Time is both a departure from and continuation of what Prairiewolf accomplished on their first album. The spacey desert lounge sound remains and is now surrounded by an expanded palette of instrumentation (even some clarinet) and takes on an added sense of rhythm and percussive touches. “Revisionist Mystery” is now streaming on all platforms, and preorders are live at both the Centripetal Force and Worried Songs Bandcamp pages.
Music has always played a major role in our lives, and in what’s shaping up to be a tumultuous last half of 2024, Deep Time is going to something that helps ground us. As Brent Sirota of Aquarium Drunkard points out,
I’m thankful for the way Prairiewolf make each of their tunes a little oasis or sanctuary, each subsisting according to its own crystalline little logic for a few minutes. It is no simple task to filter out the omnipresent anger and anxiety of everyday life these days. But Prairiewolf are out here making it seem easy.
We hope you enjoy the latest Prairiewolf has to offer and also encourage you to check out a live recording from just a couple of weeks ago at the Trident Booksellers & Cafe in Boulder, CO. You’ll find it in the player below.
Prairiewolf Live at Trident Booksellers & Cafe on 2024-08-08
A view of the setting sun at La Selva Beach
Marking One Year In La Selva Beach
It was one year ago that Centripetal Force and family pulled into the driveway of our new home in La Selva Beach, CA. It was no small feat to extract myself from a community where I had forged strong friendships and established strong roots, but deep down I knew this move was meant to be, perhaps even destined by the workings of some unknown force. I’m a stubborn man though (as my partner knows all too well), and my dug heels remained deep for months after our arrival, resisting the ever growing belief that I was in La Selva for a particular reason.
If you’re unfamiliar, La Selva Beach is a magical place, about 75 miles south of San Francisco and nestled comfortably against the Monterey Bay. The neighborhood is adorned with massive redwoods and towering palms. Great horned owls call throughout the night. Winter brings an impressive array of mushrooms to life, and coyotes run freely down the center of the street after dark. La Selva was also the one time home of Sid Padrick, a former Air Force pilot and radio and television repairman who claimed to have had an alien encounter on the beach during the early morning hours of January 30th, 1965. For reference, his willing abduction occurred somewhere at the bottom of the bluff from where the above sunset photo was taken. I first learned of Padrick’s story long before I had any idea that I would one day end up settling in the same central coast neighborhood. In reality, with a population of just over 2000, the odds would seem to be quite long.
I initially learned of Sid Padrick through an album released in 1966 titled File #733 U.F.O., a curious documentary record that includes interviews with UFO witnesses and abductees, including Sid Padrick. As a record collector, as well as one with general interests in the supernatural and all things cosmic, this album was tops on my want list.
Album cover for the original File #733 U.F.O
The album was recorded and arranged by Jack Jenkins, and in 2017 had captured the attention of my friends Bob Irwin and Jay Millar at Sundazed/ Modern Harmonic Records. We knew each other from WXNA-FM in Nashville, where we all had radio programs. Bob hosted “Big Planet Noise” (now on WFMU) on Wednesday nights, the same evening I was hosting “Psych Out!” Our mutual love for all things psychedelic quickly drew us together. Jay hosted “The Plural of Vinyl” and specialized in all sorts of audio oddities and obscurities, including Jenkins’ UFO record.
Bob and Jay asked if I would be interested in being part reissuing File #733 U.F.O. My role was to interview Jack Jenkins, who was living in Oregon and company manufacturing grain mills, and write up some new liner notes. I was also asked to curate a soundtrack for Jenkins’ documentary, an album of music that could be simultaneously played with the Jenkins record for the purpose of enhancing the listening experience. Well, I certainly said “yes” and pulled together folks like Jeffrey Alexander, Kikagaku Moyo, Heron Oblivion, Mugstar, and others to create the audio mix. The tougher task was coming up with a focus for the liner notes.
Just like Fox Mulder and his infamous deskside poster, “I Want To Believe.” However, upon my first few listens to Jenkins’ record, I wasn’t really convinced there was much substance to his interviews or his speculative explanations (audio included below). Sure, the narrated accounts were engaging and entertaining, Padrick’s in particular, but I just couldn’t take them very seriously, that is until I interviewed Jack Jenkins himself. I’m not sure how, but at some point during my pre-interview research, I had learned that Jenkins was a devout Mormon. I thought this was an intriguing point and wondered if there was any connection between Mormonism and UFOs or aliens or the like.
I Want To Believe
My interview with Jenkins was almost an hour long and was an adventurous romp through a variety of topics, including faith, religion, absolute truths, and, of course, UFOs and aliens. Jenkins told me that he had no doubt that what Padrick had told him about his alien encounter at La Selva Beach was an absolute truth. He was entirely convinced that Padrick’s tale was authentic, particularly when it came to Padrick recalling being told by his humanoid alien captors that they were “from a planet in back of a planet.” Well, it just so happens that in Mormonism there is the belief that the Earth is simply one of many planets with life. Mormon scripture does not present the Earth’s creation as a singular event, but as part of a much larger celestial division containing any number of heavenly bodies, a potential multiverse of countless moons, stars, and planets, including one called Kolob, the heavenly body nearest God’s throne. Padrick’s planet comment struck a serious chord with Jenkins because Mormon theology not only asserts that human-type life inhabits other planets, but that Kolob, a sort of Mormon master planet, is hidden from the view of Earth. I can’t say I’m as firm a believer in Padrick’s story as Jenkins, but learning that certainly piqued my curiosity and opened the door to belief.
Soon after deciding to make the move from Nashville to La Selva Beach I revisited the Sid Padrick story and started digging around online. I think I wanted to definitively reject Padrick’s narrative and shut down my desire to believe. However, I learned that on the evening of January 29th, the night before Padrick’s sighting, Mayor George Clemens of nearby Monterey had seen mysterious lights flashing above the bay. That same week park rangers in Santa Clara County had also sighted strange activity in the mountains above La Selva. I found an excellent post from 2021 on the Saucers That Time Forgot website that includes local newspaper articles about his sightings, as well as advertisements for Padrick’s radio and television repair service. Padrick spent five or so years on the lecture circuit, speaking to UFO enthusiasts and curiosity seekers around California before dropping off the scene. Apparently, his family was less than thrilled with the attention they received from the story and dismissed the entire episode as false, a claim supported by the Air Force investigator who visited Padrick at La Selva and interviewed him at length about his experience.
From the Santa Cruz Sentinel
Strangely though, there is something about Padrick’s story that pricks at my brain every time I stand on the La Selva cliff. I want the intersection of my life path and the Padrick story to be more than mere coincidence. I’d love for there to be some deeper meaning or purpose. I chat up some of the old timers in the neighborhood to see if they know anything about the tale or the family. I’d love to know where he lived. Perhaps my struggle to figure out if Padrick’s story is authentic or not is just a grand metaphor for my own stubbornness, my proclivity to pull when I’m supposed to push and push when I’m supposed to pull. Perhaps it means something more. I’ve never told anyone until now, but sometimes when I return home late at night I go out to the cliff and peer into the vast darkness looking for a glimpse of what Padrick may have seen, hoping that I will see something that I cannot explain. After all, “I Want To Believe.”
- Mike Mannix
Want to read up more on Padrick’s story? Check out his account in Above Top Secret: The Worldwide UFO Cover-Up, starting on page 303.
Listen to Sid Padrick’s account below:
Album cover for the reissue of File #733 U.F.O
A COINCIDENCE IN OAKLAND
On September 17, 2023 the mysterious ways of the universe brought together Agnes Martian (from Oakland), Music for Connection (Arizona), Hair and Space Museum (also from Oakland) and New Age innovator and mentor Laraaji. This meeting of cosmically connected musicians and artists resulted in a massive jam session of sorts, which fortunately was recorded and documented and is now being released to the world- over an hour's worth of spellbinding musical journeys. All improvised. And like the forces that brought them together, all coincidence.
For those unfamiliar with the artists, Agnes Martian soundtracks an imaginary planetarium that charts undiscovered constellations of inner/outer space. The project was founded in 2019 by Benjamin Rodgers (guitar, synths) and Zekarias Thompson (saxophone). The duo collaborates with artists from various musical backgrounds, most recently with Philip Laurent. Their first album The Future Light Cone was released as a part of the Altered States series by Centripetal Force and Cardinal Fuzz.
Music for Connection is a free-improvisation collective organized by Gus Tomizuka exploring experimental and ambient sound collages. Collaboration is at the heart of their mission, and the group is often on the road creating connective musical narratives with different artists at each stop. Other members include multi-instrumentalist Grant Beyschau, who has worked with Centripetal Force as a member of both The Myrrors and Tambourinen.
New Age pioneer Laraaji is a musician, mystic, and laughter meditation practitioner based in New York City. His career has spanned more than 40 years and includes over 50 releases, several of which are collaborative in nature. His music and spirit serves as an inspiration and mentor for many in the ambient and sacred music circles.
Hair and Space Museum is the duo of Emily Pothast and David Golightly, who are also the co-founders of the band Midday Veil and the record label Translinguistic Other. HaSM projects are multimedia meditations on the generative, cosmic properties of sound.
Along with the cassette, there is a companion Risograph zine that is focused on reflections written by Agnes Martian members Benjamin Rodgers, Phillip Laurent, and Zekarias Thompson, and Gus and Patricio of Music for Connection in the months following the impromptu recording session. The zine examines individual memories of this evening of spontaneous music making and discusses approaches to collective improvisation.
The album is being presented by Transitory Tapes, Working Name Studios, and (a very humbled) Centripetal Force in a 150 copy cassette pressing and is available now for preorder at the Bandcamp.
Agnes Martian and Music for Connection will celebrate the release of Coincidence on May 31 at The Green Room at Royal Coffee, located at 2523 Broadway Avenue in downtown Oakland.
ANNOUNCING DREW GARDNER'S 'CYGNUS A'
A busy 2024 at Centripetal Force rolls on with the announcement of Drew Gardner’s Cygnus A. The album is available for preorder starting today. The release date is June 7th. It will be available on vinyl, as well as digitally.
A majority of the music Drew Gardner has made over the years has been deeply collaborative, in contexts where his skills with improvisation can shine: with Elkhorn, Jeffrey Alexander + The Heavy Lidders, and his own Flowers in Space band. Cygnus A, where Gardner is playing and multitracking all the instruments, marks a shift in his approach as well as his intention, drawing the audience closer for an inward listening experience.
Cygnus A is Drew's first proper solo album. Guitar playing takes a back seat on this release, allowing Gardner to showcase his talents on the zither (of the dulcimer/ autoharp family) and mriba (a kalimba type instrument). The results are as heady and cosmic as the other projects that he is known for, with Cygnus A being a more intimate listening experience. With an earthy yet cosmic vibe, this multi-instrumentalist solo foray explores themes of distance and nearness. The album title Cygnus A refers to a distant galaxy that is one of the brightest radio sources in the sky. Its broadcast from space comes from a supermassive black hole generating energy as it consumes material, causing electrons to emit radio waves as they spiral outward in magnetic fields. “Pollux,” the album’s lead track, is named for the star of the constellation Gemini, the star closest to our own sun. Its reddish hue long helping travelers navigate the glove before the advent of modern technology.
Cygnus A is being presented in a 200 copy vinyl pressing. Preorders are now live on the Bandcamp.
Drew Gardner will perform with his Flowers in Space Band at the Knitting Factory NYC on May 5. Emergency Group and Vague Plot are also on the bill. The band will then perform at this year’s Milwaukee Psych Fest on May 11.
Announcing ‘MORNING MEDITATIONS / EVENING ABSTRACTIONS’ FROM ELIJAH MCLAUGHLIN & CALEB WILLITZ
Today, Centripetal Force announces the release of Morning Meditations / Evening Abstractions from the duo of Elijah McLaughlin and Caleb Willitz. Along with this announcement is the release of “Vesper” and Vesper Pt. 2,” the first tracks taken from the album.
McLaughlin, a Chicago-based guitarist who has released three well-regarded albums as bandleader of the Elijah McLaughlin Ensemble (Astral Spirits, Tompkins Square), and his long time friend and collaborator, Caleb Willitz, a recording engineer, producer, and sound artist, are in their element on Morning Meditations / Evening Abstractions, as each musician is constantly feeding off the other’s creativity.
Willitz, who also worked with the likes of Jeff Parker and Bill MacKay, and McLaughlin set up the ideal conditions to invoke the best of their abilities, allowing for even the recording process itself to take on a more spontaneous spirit. The duo set up camp in Willitz’s studio to work without the restraints of time, a move that allowed total freedom to create adventurously. Utilizing a refurbished 8-track tape machine, the pair was only restricted by the 25-minute limit of their analogue reels of tape. With McLaughlin playing an electric guitar routed through stereo amplifiers and various effects and Willitz playing piano while simultaneously controlling a tape delay with a foot pedal, the two developed
ethereal and transcendental soundscapes that exist somewhere between free jazz, post-rock, and ambient music.
For those familiar with Elijah's guitar work, there is the welcome expansion of his sound palette. Sonically the textures have expanded, thanks to the integration of analog synths, tape loops, acoustic piano, and horns. His partnering up with Caleb has this album exploring the worlds of minimalism, jazz, improvisation, and creative composition. Fittingly, these are the musical elements that have put Chicago on the map over the past decade or so, something reflected by the list of guest contributors on the album, including Charles Rumback, Edward Wilkerson Jr, Jason Stein, and Josh Johannpeter.
Morning Meditations / Evening Abstractions is being presented in a 300 copy vinyl pressing. The album will also be available digitally. The release date for Morning Meditations / Evening Abstractions is June 7. Preorders are now live on the Bandcamp.
McLaughlin and Willitz will perform with drummer Tommaso Moretti at this year’s Milwaukee Psych Fest on May 11. The duo’s record release show will be May 17 at Hungry Brain in Chicago, IL.
KEVIN COLEMAN TOUR STARTS THIS WEEK
Guitarist Kevin Coleman takes to the road later this week to celebrate and promote the release of Imaginary Conversations, an album whose merits have been spreading quickly. Coleman’s tour will start off in the South and work its way up into New England before concluding in the Midwest. Notable stops include a radio station appearance on April 27th at WTJU (91.1 FM) in Charlottesville, VA and an appearance at Rhizome DC on April 29th with guitarist Jordan Perry. Kevin will have copies of his new album available, as well as a limited number of Blind Willie McTell t-shirts he designed and had prinited up. Check out the dates below and follow Kevin on Instagram for more information.
A magical album that seamlessly moves from guitar soli to country fried fiddle stomps to the extended kosmische/motorik outing of the last song. If the Autobahn took you through a portal to Tennessee, this would be the soundtrack. Favorite track: Imaginary Conversations on Fish Hatchery Rd. - Stefan Beck (Golden Brown, Prairiewolf)
Amazing that Kevin has been able to craft an album that is firmly rooted in a variety of acoustic guitar playing traditions, yet manages to sound so utterly unique. An absolute feast of finger-picking glory, and the most beautiful album I've heard in 2024! - Duncan Park
Pat Sansone on The Ambient Country Podcast
Check out the latest episode of the Ambient Country podcast, as Patrick Sansone joins Bob Suss for an engaging discussion of instrumental music, including his new album Infinity Mirrors. Pat also discusses his choices for this episode’s guest playlist (which includes some great surprises), as well as the various other projects that he’s involved with.
The episode just dropped today, and you can find it wherever you typically listen to your podcasts.
Gold Dust is Gearing up to Come Back
Stephen Pierce, leader of the Western Mass band Gold Dust, has been on a self-imposed social media exile for the past 10 months or so, but he popped up on Bandcamp today to give a couple of updates. One of the updates has to do with a wonderfully wild t-shirt design the band has unveiled (see below), as well as news of new material being written and recorded. Gold Dust may have been quiet since the middle of 2023, but folks who enjoyed The Late Great will soon be treated to a large dose of new sounds and musical directions. They have been feeding me a number of demos, and I can confidently say that folks will be excitedly awed. 2023 was a tough year for Stephen. I’m glad to have him back. Here’s what Stephen had to say:
Hey all. Been a while. I hope you’re well - it’s been a strange and interesting year for me, to say the least, and I’ve mostly disengaged with the digital world. I guess as good a return as any is to show up with a ludicrous new shirt design. It’s an improvement on a similar theme I used for my old band, Kindling, and we’ve done it on tie dye, as well as white on black.
Things have been rolling along excitingly over here. A lot of change. Been writing, recording… you know, all those things bands do.
Here are the shirts:
If you’ve been trying to get ahold of me via socials, I’m sorry to have missed you. Someone will start posting there again at some point, but it won’t be me. You can find me at stephen.e.pierce at gmail dot com. Thank you so much for your patience and kindness through this difficult journey this past year has taken me on.
SOMA To Tour With Grails in July
SOMA has announced that they will be opening for Grails this summer on a string of dates that will take them through the Northeast and into Canada. Silkscreened copies of the Robert Ryan designed tour poster (seen above) will be available at the shows, as will be copies of SOMA’s Burning is Leaning, which is expected to be in its second pressing. Follow SOMA on Instagram for updates.
Jun 29 Baltimore MD @ Ottobar
Jun 30 Philadelphia PA @ PhilaMOCA
Jul 01 New York NY @ Le Poisson Rouge
Jul 03 Boston MA @ Crystal Ballroom
Jul 05 Montreal QC @ Bar Le Ritz
Jul 06 Toronto ON @ The Monarch
Luke Schneider California Dates
Luke Schneider will be visiting California’s Bay Area later this month and playing a string of shows throughout the area.
The first will be in San Francisco on March 20 with Oakland’s Aux Meadows, whose Dust Kingdom on Perpetual Doom was a highlight of 2023. The show will be at Et al Gallery, located at 2831 Mission Street. Showtime is 7-9PM.
On Thursday March 21 Luke will celebrate the Spring Equinox in Santa Cruz with an extended sound bath composition. This will take place at Indexical and is being presented by Centripetal Force. Information and tickets for the Santa Cruz sound bath can be found here.
Luke will travel to Oakland for a show with the Danny Paul Grody Duo on Friday, March 22. The event will take place at The Green Room at Royal Coffee, located at 2523 Broadway in downtown Oakland. The Green Room have established themselves as a premiere venue for instrumental and experimental music.
On Saturday there will be an afternoon house show in San Anselmo. Details for this show are forthcoming.
Luke will be playing with William Tyler and The Impossible Truth on the West Coast between April 17 & 27. He will also have dates in the upper Midwest around the time of the Milwaukee Psych Fest.
Bandcamp Friday Recommendations for March
Bandcamp Friday is upon us once again. And while no one really knows what kind of changes are in store for the indie artist and labels who rely heavily upon the platform for exposure and sales, I ask that you support where you can on March 1st.
I put together a playlist of artists and releases that I feel deserve some of that support. It’s on the BNDCMPR platform, which I’m quite grateful is still around. You’ll find the links you need right there in the playlist. You can find it here. Enjoy!
Centripetal Force to Host First Santa Cruz Event
Centripetal Force is hosting their first event in Santa Cruz, CA in March. It’s going to be a sound bath, a celebration of the Spring Equinox with an evening of rejuvenation, community, and music. The event will take place Thursday, March 21 from 6-8 PM at Indexical, a non-profit arts and community space located in Santa Cruz’s Tannery Arts Center.
The evening will begin with some springtime signature mocktails and esoteric tarot card readings from Gatisa Noble. There will be the opportunity to connect with your intentions for this coming spring season with a meditation circle led by Eve Mannix.
The evening’s main event will be the ambient pedal steel guitar sounds of Nashville’s Luke Schneider. Luke will take take listeners on a meditative sonic journey.
Space is limited for this intimate event. Please bring a yoga mat, blanket, and eye mask (if desired). The goal is for you to be comfortable while lying down and taking in the sounds, so bring what you need. Centripetal Force Records is committed to making our events accessible to everyone. If you require an accommodation or service to fully participate, please contact centripetalforcerecords@gmail.com or 615 933 1955, at least 24 hours before the event. A limited amount of floor chairs will also be available. The space is wheelchair accessible.
Tickets can be purchased here.
Indexical is located at 1050 River St. #119
Santa Cruz, CA 95060