In the year 2007, I met Nate Simms at a Kamikaze Hearts show. Some of our friends are friends and we got to talking about this documentary project he had been working on. The story of Sanford Bonesteel, farmer, was unfolding in Brunswick, N.Y. and Nate was attempting to capture all of it.
I’d always dreamed of writing music for a movie and this project seemed to fit like a perfect glove.
Nate envisioned the music of Iron & Wine, Gillian Welch, Sufjan Stevens and Horse Feathers as the backdrop to the beautiful scenes of Brunswick’s rolling hills. Each of the aforementioned artists have influenced me at different times throughout my life, so it felt only appropriate to give a shot at writing the soundtrack.
The process took much longer than either Nate or I expected. He would be wrestling with editing the story while I would be trying to find the right mood for the “public meeting scene”. I would work on the music in-between projects and album releases, adding-to and subtracting-from tracks I might have worked on months, even years earlier. Sometimes that dobro part would work, sometimes it needed to be rewrote!
Then I’d hear from Nate a few weeks later, who’d say – “I need a song for this _____ scene”, so I’d go back to that “Brunswick” folder on my hard-drive and start a new file.
After four years of working like this, I found myself having gone completely in another musical direction on my own, utilizing all kinds of electronics, loops, tape delay and half-learned wizardry in my work, so I found it refreshing to have to pick up the banjo to write and finish songs I started in a completely different place.
Finally, I’m proud to say that the movie and the soundtrack are completely finished and ready to be shared with the public! I’ve already shared “Walks With Purpose“, now hear “McChesney Avenue Extension“, the second song on the soundtrack album.
I’m pleased to announce that the soundtrack is now available for pre-order!
There are two versions:
The “Digital Album” version which contains 10 tracks – 6 instrumental acoustic pieces (like “McChesney Avenue Extension”) and 4 acoustic songs with words (like “Walks With Purpose”).
-or-
The “Deluxe CD” version which contains 15 tracks – 11 instrumental acoustic pieces and 4 acoustic songs with words! That’s right, FIVE bonus tracks. Just for buying a CD!
( Click on over to the Discography page to check out the tracklistings! )
Both are available at my Bandcamp page, which will automatically deliver the two songs listed above and will notify you when the rest of the soundtrack is available for download (on or before its “official” release date of December 6, 2011).
I am very proud of how this recording turned out. I liked the music, but what really caught me off guard was hearing Troy Pohl‘s final mixes and mastering. He was able to take four years of work recorded in three very different locations and make it all sound cohesive. Fantastic.
Without trying to, I created an album that is perfect for road-trips in the car or headphone listening. Two of my favorite kinds of albums! This is a recording that is a perfect gift for the upcoming holidays – listenable and memorable without being overbearing. That’s my pitch to you!
Details on the CD release show (12/4 at Caffé Lena – advance tickets recommended!) are coming very soon. I have a special small acoustic group who will be joining me that evening to perform the music from the soundtrack as well as sharing the stage with Bailiwick. This will be great.
