There's Nothing New Under the Sun

"I want horns on this album" "I'm in" That's how it started. Chris didn't need to sell me on anything. His demos were solid and I knew I wanted to be a part of this album. I also knew the end result was going to be solid. I wasn't concerned about the time line. I was only interested in seeing those demos become 3-dimentional songs. Our excitement caused us to be a little overzealous: "We'll have it done this spring and playing festivals by the summer!" That wouldn't happen because we cared about the product. We wanted to release an album that we were proud of. No amount of plug-ins or overnight shipping was going to replace the quality of telling a musical story. Those ten songs tell a story and they tell the true story of how we got to now. They tackle a variety of familiar topics: love, heartbreak, self-doubt, determination, and acceptance all with a Midwestern twist. What is the Midwest? What does it mean to be from the Heartland? It's a little slower than one coast and a little faster than the other. It's a sweetness with the comfort of savory. It's the familiar digital with the unexpected analog. I dodge the question: "What does the album sound like?" I avoid saying: "A little of everything." Too pretentious, too nondescript; a sure-fire way of getting someone to not listen to it. Instead, I say something honest: "Chris' voice ties everything together while the instruments play different styles. Dance, Americana, Memphis-soul, Alt-Pop, Country-Rock, Spaghetti-Western: it's all there and it works. It really does." "What do the horns do during all of that?" "We play...and yes, it works." From the opening track, Carnivore, asking: "If true love is blind, then please tell me why?" to the closing track, Honestly, stating "Everything is going to be alright." The album enlists four vocalists, five instrumentalists, with Chris English singing and playing guitar. The project turned into a family. The rehearsals aren't much different than the live performances: a whole lot of seriousness with the music and a whole lot of silliness with each other. That's our Midwestern twist.

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Hans Decker - trumpet Tommy Doggett - saxophone Christopher English - vocals/guitar Matthew Miller - bass Alex Moore - guitar Gavin Moore - drums/percussion

Luke Fox - vocals

Patresa Hartman - vocals

Courtney Krause - vocals

Diana Weishaar - vocals

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