Anya M. Wassenberg's Blog: Art & Culture Maven, page 14

Witty & Dramatic | Aaron Jay Myers: Late Night Banter (May 19, 2023 / Neuma Records)

Witty & Dramatic
Aaron Jay Myers: Late Night Banter
(May 19, 2023 / Neuma Records)

Buy It/Stream It Here

Melodic, dramatic, and if it can be said in today's world, offering a good-natured sonic palette, Late Night Banter is a showcase for American composer Aaron Jay Myers. Much of the album came together as a COVID project, for which he wrote new works as well as recording others that had already been performed live for years. 

The pieces are united by a pulse that's strongly rhythmic, informed by an idiosyncratic sensibility, and embellished by his personal quirks - such as the love of lichens that inspired the appropriately named Lichens III (2018). Here, soprano Stephanie Lamprea takes standard vocal techniques to extremes for a beguiling performance that stretches over a series of short movements. Her gift is to sound equally compelling in the upper squeaks as in the resonant lower range.

Adrienne Baker (flute) and Seychelle D. Corbin (baritone saxophone) make up the Northstar Duo, who perform the amusingly animated Save One Life, You Save The World Entire (2017). It requires a nice edge of precision and technique to pull off.

Late Night Banter, the title track, (2011, rev. 2015) adds layers of instrumentation to his vivacious approach to composition. Each instrument makes a melodic contribution, as well as adding their distinctive colours to the soundscape. That includes Sarah Brady on flute, Amy Advocat on clarinet, Philipp A. Stäudlin on tenor saxophone, Andrew Kozar on trumpet, Alexis Smith on trombone, Lev Mamuya on cello, Will Yager on contrabass, Sarah Bob on piano, Greg Simonds on percussion, and Aaron Trant on drum set, with Matt Sharrock conducting. 

You Get On My Nerves And I Don’t Like Your Hat (2020) is a work for four voices, with soprano Helen Hassinger, mezzo-soprano Emily Harmon performing the alto part, tenor Wes Hunter, and baritone Brian Church. There are both church-like harmonies and vocal pyrotechnics in the expressive piece. The voices rise and fall against each other, occasionally coming together in harmony, in words and sounds that convey a rising dramatic curve. 

Myers plays electric guitar on Perception Stains Reality (2022), joined by Aaron Trant on drums for a ride through a fusion of prog rock and contemporary neoclassical.

A composer, guitarist and educator, Myers has performed and had work commissioned across the US. As a musician, he's performed genres ranging from punk to classical.

You Get On My Nerves, and I Don't Like Your Hat, with its nod to Star Trek for four solo voices:

Pre-Post-Minimalist | William Duckworth: The Time Curve Preludes (March 17, 2023 / Neuma Records)

Pre-Post-Minimalist
William Duckworth: The Time Curve Preludes
(March 17, 2023 / Neuma Records)

Buy It/Stream It Here

William Duckworth's The Time Curve Preludes is already 44 years old, having been first published in 1979. This recording with pianist Emanuele Arciuli adds Duckworth’s Simple Songs About Sex and War, written in collaboration with poet Hayden Carruth, and never released before. 

Italian pianist Emanuele Arciuli's interpretation of the Preludes is sparkling and lyrical, with an unobtrusive precision. It draws the beauty out of each miniature, from the virtuosity of I to the languid mood of III. 

The work of Duckworth (1943-2012) came as a contrast to the psychedelic and electronic-obsessed 1970s, and presaged the later Postminimalists such as John Adams and Julius Eastman. His work is both melodic and avant garde, incorporating musical fragments drawn from a wide range of sources. 

As it explains in the liner notes:

"In turn, these musical fragments and jaunty tunes are subjected to calculated speeding-up and slowing-down (the time-curves) according to proportional number games (our old friend, Fibonacci, again)." 

(My note: the Fibonacci sequence is a series of numbers, where the next number is the sum of the two preceding figures.)

The result is mesmerizing, and never repeats itself.

Simple Songs About Sex and War, with vocalist Costanza Savarese, is part art song, part musical theatre in tone. Savarese is a talented and expressive artist who can wring the emotion from a song with a range of techniques. It's a worthy addition to the recording of Duckworth's seminal work.

From America To Greece | Galan Trio: Kinesis (January 20, 2023 / Neuma Records)

From America To Greece
Galan Trio: Kinesis
(January 20, 2023 / Neuma Records)

Buy It/Stream It Here

During the long COVID pandemic, Athens-based Galan Trio gave themselves a musical challenge: to commission work from US-based composers, and then assemble a recording from the other side of the Atlantic. 

The Galan Trio consists of Petros Bouras on piano, Babis Karasavvidison violin, and Marina Kolovou on the cello. Kinesis comes from the Greek word κίνησις - movement - expressing their desire to break free of the pandemic's constraints. 

The first disc of the double-CD release consists of works from the US Southeast: Hairpin Turn by Paul Richards; Ictus by Martin Gendelman; Prelude of What Follows the Death of Tomorrow by Nickitas Demos; Look of Sky by Scott Robbins; Cyanic Outbursts by Yiorgos Vassilandonakis.

Is there a defining mood to the music? If anything, the works on the first disc showcase the depth and breadth of contemporary classical music, from the brightly rhythmic Richards through the dramatic turns of Gendelman, moody Demos and back again.

The second disc features composers from the Northeast: Attempting to Conjure Joy by Ken Steen; Ghost Town Sounds by John Levey; Dance Music for a Frenetic Mind by Todd Groves; Chaconne from a Distance by Matthew Greenbaum, and Piano Trio #1 - Kinematic Contraption by David Martynuik.

The pieces reflect personal responses to isolation. Steen plays with the spaces and silences as well as the evocative music, leaning on the piano's voice. Levey's three-movements evoke big western skies and open spaces. American movie music comes to mind in the melodies of Groves' piece, while there is an unsettling edge to Greenbaum's Chaconne. Martynuik's Piano Trio ends the disc on a brighter note of melodic modernism.

Through them all, the Galan Trio play with sensitivity and passion, looking to illuminate the core of each composition through expression. You won't have to reminisce about the dark days of the pandemic lockdowns to enjoy this release. 

Tuttle Publishing: All Things Asian | Focus on Filipino Manga

Tuttle Publishing: All Things Asian
Focus on Filipino Manga

When you think of books about Asia and Asian culture, the town of Rutland, Vermont, in the heart of New England, wouldn't necessarily come to mind. Yet, Tuttle Publishing, founded in 1832, has grown to become the world's largest publisher of English-language books on Asia. 

Tuttle created an outpost in Japan in 1948, at a time when anti-Asian sentiment was high in North America. Much has changed in the world since the post-WWII period, but as their website points out, "the need for meaningful dialogue and information about this diverse region has never been greater."

Charles E. Tuttle, who founded the modern day version of his family's company, enlisted in the army. In 1945, he was sent to Tokyo to work under General MacArthur's staff, specifically to help revive Japan's publishing industry after the devastation of the war.

He began his own business ventures after leaving the military in 1948, and marrying singer Reiko Chiba. The company publishes books on a wide variety of topics, including, of course, manga and graphic novels from a number of Asian countries.

Filipino Manga

I sampled three of the recently published manga from their collection from the Philippines.

The World of Andong Agimat: The Mystery of the Talisman

a graphic novel by Arnold Arre

Buy it here

Arre takes the American superhero ethos and transplants it to the streets of Manila. Agimat means "amulet" in Filipino, and that's where our hero draws his power. The agimat is a common feature in heroic tales, dating back to ancient Filipino myths and legends.

The story takes place in a world divided, where guardians of justice are busy helping the oppressed, and the servants of darkness spread a deadly plague. 

Andong Agimat is a former gang leader who, armed with his amulet, has become a vigilante. The story takes readers into Manila's supernatural underground and he takes on the violent cult looking to destroy the world.

The drawing style is one I'd describe as stylized realism, with a lovely sense of line detail. The story opens with a city scene in the rain, and he draws it falling on various surfaces and textures beautifully. The streets are gritty, and some of the characters appropriately gruesome and even frightening.

Our hero goes through the ringer, and there's even a kind of love interest in the mix.

The original Filipino version was published in 2006, and is now out of print. It's considered a classic of the genre. In 2011, Arre created a short animated film from the same universe, featuring Andong Agimat called The Streets Are His.

 
Muros: Within Magical Walls - The Case of the Cemetery Girl by Paulo Chikiamco & Borg Sinaban Buy it here This story combines urban fantasy with a classic detective story.  Carlos "Caloy" Loyzaga is a "Taga-Sagot", translated literally as "person who answers". He answers the call to find the runaway daughter of a mayor. 
Naturally, the story isn't as simple as it seems, and he searches for her in the walled city of Manila - home to humans along with creatures such as one-eyed Yomaws (hybrid human-canines), Asu-Gamis (half Aswang, a shapeshifting evil creature, half Inugami, or possessed by the spirit of a dog - both common characters in Filipino folklore) and slinky and deadly Silat immortals (Silat referring to a type of martial art).
The familiar trappings of modern urban life combine with the elements of magic and folklore in a twisted story of his search. It's an action packed tale to its conclusion.
The art has a nice sense of action and motion. It uses a kind of greyscale, with varied levels of detail to achieve depth, variety and focus. The human figures are somewhat stylized, with a realistic backdrop of architecture.The Children of Bathala, A Mythology Class Reunion by Arnold Arre Buy it here The Mythology Class was released in 1999 to wide acclaim, and won the inaugural Philippine National Book Award in 2000 for it. It is considered a seminal work in the history of Filipino graphic novels, a compilation of four shorter stories into a comprehensive work about wizards, heroes and time travel.
This sequel to the original story picks it up two decades later. The friends - Kubin, Lane, Rey and Misha - have drifted apart, their unusual powers weakening. Misha and Rey are AWOL, and Nicole and her daughter (Kubin being the father) are deal with a dark spell. When new arrivals come from a magical world, what will they bring?
The scenes are beautifully rendered with a cinematic eye that frames the action for dramatic effect. Once again, Arre excels in rainy scenes of action, and scary characters and environments. 
An animated music video based on Arre's graphic novel "The Mythology Class" with music is "Milenyo" composed and performed by Peryodiko.
 

Jazzy Nonconformity | The Holy Gasp: ...And the Lord Hath Taken Away (Roar Records Inc. / April 7th, 2023)

Jazzy Nonconformity
The Holy Gasp: ...And the Lord Hath Taken Away
(Roar Records Inc. / April 7th, 2023)

Buy/Stream From The Service Of Your Choice Preorder the limited edition vinyl HERE 

Imaginative music, spoken narration, and vocals in a theatrical vein blend in an experience that defies description, let alone categorization. The Holy Gasp is a fluid ensemble that was founded by Benjamin Hackman in 2011.

The Holy Gasp, from the album, "...And the Lord Hath Taken Away,"

Musically, there are elements of classic musical theatre, Jewish music and Klezmer, cinematic scores, orchestral music and other threads (even classic roots country) woven into the mix. Instrumentation is lush, including strings, brass, and orchestral percussion. In total, it involves an orchestra of 45 musicians and vocalists.

As a vocalist, Hackman has the emotional and musical range of someone trained in musical theatre. There are solo vocalists along with a chorus that underscores the message. 

I'd like to wait until I die...
(He'd like to wait until he dies...)

- from A Boy & His Kite

The Holy Gasp

Holy Gasp, aka Benjamin Hackman, writes lyrics in a kind of stream of consciousness fed by Gestalt and an off-centre sensibility that combines sincerity and wry wit. He's not afraid to tackle the big topics, let's say, and the album takes its source material from The Book of Job, with its inherent questions about the nature of suffering.

What does it all mean? 

What will you do when your father is dead? is both the title and chorus of the song. It's like a circus ride through life with a definite flavour of Jewish culture and a dramatical flair - and a running theme about the death of your father. 

Some of the tracks are pure theatre. Archie & His Gang in: The Day of Atonement is a trippy spoken word + chorus ride. A Confession of Murder tells a story of patricide with high drama and a mood reminiscent of medieval melodies. Who Framed Moishe Hackman is a cinematic score from several decades ago.

The ensemble is musically chameleon-like. The mood switches to bluegrass gospel for The Ascending Ladder, then to cool jazz for Everything Where It Should Be. 

The project is begging for some kind of staging. Not surprisingly, multi-hyphenate Benjamin has also collaborated on film projects. The Algonquin Bridge, illustrated by Mayte Sanchez and Txesco Montal, with music by Hackman, was awarded the Audience Choice Award for Best Short Animation at the Cannes Short Film Festival.

Devil Oh Devil" by The Holy Gasp, from the album, "...And the Lord Hath Taken Away," released by Roar Records Inc. on April 7th, 2023, and distributed worldwide by Believe Music via Slammin Media. Animated by Alla Kinda.

Country Classic | Caroline Brennan: The Journey (Zephyr Sound / 29 May 2023)

Country Classic
Caroline Brennan: The Journey
(Zephyr Sound / 29 May 2023)

Check Out The Single Breathe Happy In On SpotifyCheck Out A Preview Of Break All The Rules - the single releasing May 2023

The band and the bartender know what to do
They play and they pour until you're no longer blue

Classic country licks with twangy guitars and melodic vocals, with a message of hope underneath the usual country blues - that's the appeal of Caroline Brennan's release The Journey. It's a compilation of a series of singles she's released over the last couple of years.

The Cape Cod based singer and songwriter's music is steeped in golden age Americana. Her lyrics are direct and relate to personal experience.  

"For me, these 5 songs symbolize a journey…the bad relationship or situation you are trying to break free of (“Going Back”), the realization that you need to move on (“Swim to Shore), the vacation or escape you need to get away and clear your head (“Breathe Happy In”), the special place where you find a sense of community and enjoy a memorable night enjoying life (“No Longer Blue”), and the new chapter with someone new where you bravely jump in and take a chance on love (“Break All the Rules”).

These 5 songs are about the human life experience…the recognition that we all yearn to be with each other, that we will have heartache through that journey, that we will need to lean on each other through difficult times, but if we maintain hope, there is also beauty, love, and friendship, and those things help us to enjoy life to the fullest.”

Growing up in a musical family, her father was well-known Irish musician Noel Henry. She began her career playing in his band before making her way as a solo artist. Caroline and her husband perform frequently around Cape Cod and the south coast.

Personnel: Caroline Brennan (vocals / guilele), Jon Evans (bass player / lap steel guitar), Mark Usher (acoustic guitar / electric guitar), Matthias Bossi (drums / percussion)

Tracklist: Break All the Rules (length), Going Back (length), Breathe Happy In (length), Swim to Shore (length), No Longer Blue (length)

Websites: 

Official: https://www.carolinebrennanmusic.com/Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/carolinebrennanmusicTwitter: @CHenryBrennanInstagram: cahenry7

Polished Pop | Judd Harris: Take Me Down (Independent / 15 May 2023)

Polished Pop
Judd Harris: Take Me Down
(Independent / 15 May 2023)

From the EP The Beach...coming in the fall of 2023

Take Me Down is the lead single from the upcoming EP The Beach by Judd Harris. Harris is a pop singer-songwriter and former American Idol contestant. 

As the name implies, The Beach is meant to be summer-ready pop with a fresh vision. Take Me Down is bright, breezy, and crafted with a sense of perfection.

His expressive vocals are accompanied by a bouncy arrangement with Caribbean-inspired rhythms. The lyrics draw on realistic themes listeners can relate to. 

Borrowed your future for a degree
Because everyone said that's what you need...

In the end, though, the message is about taking a vacation from those everyday woes. It's a style and message that's echoed on the other three tracks of the upcoming EP. Musically, it's heavy on acoustic guitar with subtler accompaniment that leaves the spotlight on the melodic vocal/guitar mix.

Judd has partnered with producer David Schoenwetter (Norah Jones, Rufus Wainwright, Death Cab for Cutie), Grammy award-winning mastering engineer Randy Merrill (Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, Adele) and session musician Leo Abrahams (Brian Eno, Harry Styles, Regina Spektor) to record the music he’s been writing on his Caribbean adventure.

He explains in a media release.

“After a friend died suddenly in his 30s, my wife and I decided to change our life. We had always talked about living in the Caribbean and within a year, we landed in Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic. When lockdown arrived in the D.R., I stopped playing live music and started writing new songs. The Beach EP came out of that time. And much like our friend’s passing jolted us into action, I think the pandemic caused a lot of people to reevaluate their lives in different ways, and especially to question the traditional notions of achievement in America, what’s worth the sacrifice, and what isn’t. It’s like we’d all been sleepwalking and the pandemic shook us awake, wondering how and why we ended up here. The theme of wanting something more runs through The Beach EP, whether that’s a big life change, a childhood dream, a special someone, or just a beach vacation.” 

The native of New Orleans was a finalist on American Idol Season 4, and was featured in major media such as Rolling Stone and People Magazine. His voice has been heard in many TV shows and commercials, and his TikTok duo with Billy Joel garnered more than a half million hits.

Personnel: Judd Harris (vocals/guitar), Leo Abrahams (guitar), David Schoenwetter (bass/keyboards/programming), Paul Amorese (drums), Rick Nossa (guitar)

Track List: Take Me Down; Simple Life; Let You Know; Endless Days

Websites:

Official Website: https://juddharris.comTikTok: https://tiktok.com/@juddharrismusicFacebook:  https://facebook.com/juddharrismusicInstagram: https://instagram.com/juddharrismusic

Musical Theatre Soundtrack | Ken Howard : “On the Boulevard” Original Cast Concept Album

Musical Theatre Soundtrack
Ken Howard : “On the Boulevard” Original Cast Concept Album
(Independent / 1 March 2023)

Stream it on Spotify

With On the Boulevard, Ken Howard has come up with a new LGBT-themed musical that honours the classics, albeit with a distinctly modern tone. It's romantic and sweeping in scope.

He comes by his musical theatre roots honestly via his great-aunt, Esther Howard, who lit up Broadway stages in the 1920s. He's also the great-grandson of music director J. William Howard II (“My Marilyn,” “Blossom Time,” “The Student Prince”).

Howard came up with the original concept, adapted from George Bernard Shaw’s “Pygmalion”, along with the music and lyrics. Libretto is by Ken Howard and Malcolm Heenman. He's assembled a team of collaborators and performers that bring the concept to life. 

Dishes to Diamonds is a standout, a track with roots in vaudeville era jazz, and a great sense of theatricality in its rags to riches ethos. Naturally, there's a rousing ballad - My Own Song. There is pathos, uplifting messages, and flashes of humour - like the song Everybody Hates Leg Day.  Musically, he's influenced by the sounds of classic Broadway shows, a la Wicked or Pippin. It's melodic, and leaves the vocals out front to showcase the story.

“On the Boulevard” (formerly titled, “PygMALEon”) has been a labor of love since its inception in about 2015, when the proliferation of Hollywood superhero movies, combined with the pervasive notion that gay men in West Hollywood are too-often judged for their social status by way of the esthetics of their physique, reminded me of George Bernard Shaw’s social commentary and critique about social classes and the status of women in Edwardian London being judged by the manner of their speech in “Pygmalion” in 1914,” Howard says in a statement.

A graduate of the UCLA School of Theatre, Film, and Television, and the University of Southern California, Ken is a California Licensed Clinical Social Worker and AASECT Certified Sex Therapist.

The “On The Boulevard” Concept Album was recorded at Temple Base Studios, Hollywood and Mix Recording Studios, Mid-Wilshire/LA, from July, 2015 to September, 2022. It awaits production of its first commercial theatrical staging.

Tracklist: 1. On The Boulevard (Michael D’Elia); 2. What Makes A Superhero? (Ryland Shelton); 3. Dishes To Diamonds (DeLandis McClam); 4. My Own Song (Michael D’Elia); 5. My Own Song (Reprise) (Company); 6. Everybody Hates Leg Day (Company); 7. Just Right (Joesy DePalo); 8.When I Becomes We (Michael D’Elia, Giancarlo Garritano); 9. I’ve Got You (Ryland Shelton, Michael D’Elia); 10. Step by Step (DeLandis McClam); 11.Gringo Work Day (Gina Torrecilla); 12.A Time We Learned What Love Was (Ryland Shelton); 13.Once More With Feeling (Carol Barbee); 14.Butterfly (Michael D’Elia); 15. All That Glitters (Company); 16. My Own Song – Fanfare (Michael Van Bodegom-Smith); 17. Just One Glimpse (Giancarlo Garritano); 18. A Night That Never Ends (Michael D’Elia, Company); 19. What Made A Superhero? (Carol Barbee, Ryland Shelton); 20. Just Right (Reprise) (Michael D’Elia); 21. Just One Glimpse (Reprise) (Giancarlo Garritano); 22. Youth Is Wasted On The Young (Ryland Shelton); 23. Now (Michael D’Elia); 24. Yours For The Taking (Company); 25. My Own Song/Butterfly (Reprise) (Michael D’Elia); 26. Just As I Am (Michael D’Elia, Ryland Shelton); 27. I Don’t Love You (Ryland Shelton); 28. A Night That Never Ends (Reprise) (Michael D’Elia, Company); 29. On The Boulevard (Reprise) (Company) 

Websites:

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/OnTheBoulevardTheMusical 

Cast: 

Michael D’Elia (“Eli Dillingham”); Ryland Shelton (“Robert Riggins”); Carol Barbee (“Christine Pickard”); Giancarlo Garritano (“Teddy Montoya”); Gina Torrecilla (“Concha”); Delandis (“Elphaba”); Ken Howard (music, lyrics, libretto, producer) 

Folk Rock | Wayne Merdinger: Hidden Gems (Independent / 1 April 2023)

Folk Rock
Wayne Merdinger: Hidden Gems
(Independent / 1 April 2023)

Stream it on Spotify

Singer-songwriter Wayne Merdinger has a knack for radio-friendly ballads tinged with classic folk rock roots. From the rollicking folk waltz of Hidden Gems, country swing of Don't Even Think It'd Be Alright to the jazzy vibe of Lose To Gain or Stranger, and interesting chord changes in Missing You... it's clear he can mine the genre for a variety of moods. 

The album is made up of six new tracks, along with six remixed singles from previously released work. 

It's not surprising to find one of the tracks was inspired by a trip to Abbey Road studios - the influence of that time when pop was infused with orchestral sounds and a grand kind of sensibility is clear throughout the tracks.

"I wrote Abbey Road following a 2014 private tour I took of the studio, at which time I never imagined that I would have the chance to record there myself. But low and behold, I did record there, and it was only right to honour that experience with the remastered version of my 2017 tribute," he says in a statement.

As a singer, his fluid and expressive tenor sometimes reminds of Cat Stevens (back when he was known as such). His lyrics are poetic and sweeping in scope, much like the music and arrangements.  

The album features, among other established studio musicians, long-time Simply Red guitarist and solo artist, Mark Jaimes, and includes multiple songs written by, or co-written with, Danny Saxon, British producer (Simply Red, Paul Young, Luciano Pavarotti, Jeff Beck, to name a few). 

"Several of the songs on this album are truly "hidden gems," having been written decades ago but never seeing the light of day until now," he says. "It was an immense privilege, and a dream come true to work with a group of esteemed producers, musicians, and engineers, at Abbey Road Studios in London, MaD Studios in London, and Brick Road Studio in Scottsdale, AZ to bring this collaborative effort to fruition."

Personnel: Wayne Merdinger – Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Piano, Keyboards / Danny Saxon – Piano, Keyboards, Percussion / Mark Jaimes – Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Bass Guitar / Joe Costello – Drums, Scott Leader – Acoustic Guitar, Keyboards, Adam Armijo – Electric Guitar, John Hayden – Bass Guitar / Mark DeCozio – Piano, Keyboards, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Bass Guitar / Dan Tomlinson – Drums / Todd Chuba – Drums /  Charity Lockhart – Backing Vocals / Ali Welbourn – Backing Vocals

Tracklist: Hidden Gems, Lose To Gain, One More Memory, Missing You, All My Life, American Dream, Abbey Road (Remastered), It's Raining Somewhere (Remastered), Times Are Changing (Remastered), Don't Even Think It'd Be Alright (Remastered), Stranger (Remastered), One Day At a Time (Remastered), Time of Our Lives (Remastered)

Websites:

Official Website: www.waynemerdinger.comFacebook: Wayne Merdinger Music

Alt Country Single | Geoff Gibbons: Feet Out the Window (Independent / 30 March 2023)

Alt Country Single
Geoff Gibbons: Feet Out the Window
(Independent / 30 March 2023)

Vancouver Alt Country singer-songwriter Geoff Gibbons' new single Feet Out The Window is steeped in retro vibes. It has an easy country swing to acoustic guitar picking, and it's easy to identify with the message: making peace with the past and remembering only the best of it.

The lyrics tell a story of love gone wrong, but it's a loss that's looked on with the wisdom that comes over time.

When I think of you I don't hold no bitter taste... 

It's a sound that's familiar, but he does it well, with swelling slide guitar and soft, melodic vocals. Gibbons has touched on the theme of 'dreaming about the freedom of the open road' in previous work.

"The song was born after a conversation with a friend who had recently gone through a tough marriage break up...wishing to remember his former partner in the best of their time together."

Geoff has been performing since his teens., and along with his solo work, he plays with indie folk duo KasēoGems and Southern Rock band New Yank Yorkies.

Geoff is also known as a producer and engineer in the Vancouver music community. His songs have been used in TV shows, including Higher Ground, Just Cause and Robson Arms, along with the animated Mook and the adult comedy series The Mr. Dink Show - winner of the jury prize for Best Animation at the New York International Film Festival.

His influences include the country-rock made famous by several Southern California bands of the 1970s. "I couldn't get enough of long-haired guys playing country-influenced music," he says in a statement.

Stay Connected:

Official Website: www.geoffgibbons.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/geoffgibbonsmusic/Twitter: https://twitter.com/GeoffGibbonsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/geoffgibbonsmusic/