Shameless Self Promotion: New full-length "Drops of Dew & Mourning" releases tomorrow!

Well friends, after 2+ years of sequester, self-doubt, and a vicious cycle of creation-destruction-reassembly, I am proud to say that tomorrow, March 30, I will be releasing my first-ever full-length album, Drops of Dew & Mourning. And if I'm being honest, I'm both terrified and excited. 

The road of creating this record, of getting it out of me and into the world, was both long and arduous. The road of believing that the music I've been making is worth hearing has been far longer, and I'm not yet at the end of that path--I'm not sure I ever will be. 

But between all the cracks I can see in this album, I believe that other wills find both beauty and honesty. It's not perfect, but it is mine. And now I am giving it to the world, to you, in hopes that you find some aspect that speaks to you the way that writing this record did for me.

So come have some of this music with me. I will be performing some of these songs for the first time tomorrow night at Watertown's premier dessert bar, CBBG, along with an esteemed list of incredibly talented artists. There will even be physical CDs you can take home for a couple bucks, as well as piles of free hugs. 

Thanks again for being part of this journey with me. I hope to see you tomorrow night!

Love,

Woody

Release show FB event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1607343876017821/ 

Drops of Dew & Mourning on Bandcamp, out 3/30/18: https://thejudasobscure.bandcamp.com/album/drops-of-dew-mourning 

Frankly Lost - We Can Do It Tour-Gether

For many artists (or at least the ones that mean it), art is a visceral expression of being, a translation of amorphous feeling into tangible experience. Art lets others into the artist’s world, peeling back the curtain to attempt to reveal the truth of their lives—a task much easier said than done. Yet still, so many musicians today are fearlessly stripping away their armor to share their experiences and connect with others through song. And for me, no artist puts so much of his soul on the line in this endeavor as Frankly Lost on his full-length We Can Do It Tour-Gether. 

Without question, this record sounds as ruthlessly raw as freshly scraped knee, as if Frank is five feet in front of me, strumming his guitar in my living room. His vocals are simultaneously soft and  strong, each note laden with honesty as he drives out his demons via insanely catchy choruses. There is a fantastic range of emotion and energy built into the tunes, from the slow sway of “Mr. Exposed Entrepreneur” to the folk-punk thumper “Sun Exists, Guns Out,” so that not a single second feels rehashed or contrived. 

The album's instrumentation is driven largely by Frank's unadorned acoustic guitar, chords ringing loud and proud from twangy strings that are often strummed at marathon speeds. Yet he is not wholly alone in this endeavor: "Liar" features a pounding bass drum and quick-footed basslines, "Death Metal Band" interposes ringing bells and gang vocals into the mix, and “Door into Summer” lapses into a ska feel with its delicious trumpet melodies. This mix of genres and instruments only serves to enhance Frank’s already-powerful songs, giving We Can Do It Tour-Gether a varied palate that can appeal to even the most rigid of music fans. 

For me, the most inspiring aspect of We Can Do It Tour-Gether is its lyrical honesty. Frank is a storyteller, a modern-day bard spinning his storied world into vivid song. But there are no clumsy metaphors to trip the mind or obscure the truth; he tells it exactly like it is, putting his pain plainly out before us. Lines like “I know that I'm dejected, aimless, / Hungry, self-obsessed and useless” from “Dehydrated” give us harsh glimpses into his struggles with depression and self-defeat. But Frank doesn't wallow in the despair of his music: even one listen to this record makes it obvious that these songs serve to purge that sadness from his heart by sharing it with the world. Frankly Lost's lyrics are so viciously real, veritable snapshots of the world he lives in, which I can't help but relate to with each and every spin of this album.

Frankly Lost’s collection of tunes on We Can Do It Tour-Gether is one of the most truthful pieces of music I’ve ever listened to. Every song is painfully sincere, a little slice of his soul woven between his guitar strings. Frank’s music draws me into his world—one of hardship, but also one of beauty—and lets me know that it’s okay to hurt, because there is always beauty beyond the pain. Even in its title, We Can Do It Tour-Gether asserts no one has to go it alone in this strange and oft-tiresome life, a  message that I hope to keep with me as long as I own this record. 

My Top Track: “Mr. Exposed Entrepreneur”

You can find more from Frankly Lost, including upcoming shows and news, on Facebook. Then head over to his Bandcamp page and get your own copy of We Can Do It Tour-Gether. 

stop.drop.rewind - Element & Aftermath

In a lot of ways, punk rock and math rock are the antitheses of each other; the visceral speed and energy of punk make precision playing near impossible, while math rock’s focus on intellect and instrumentation can all but negate the chaotic emotional content necessary in punk. Although they may seem incompatible at first glance, plenty of artists are paving a road between the two genres, keeping the energy high as they roll through jazzy chords and complicated time signatures. With Element & Aftermath, stop.drop.rewind walk this line between prog and punk with confidence, creating a harmonious balance between their captivating melodies and methodical performances.

The music on Element & Aftermath is something of an anomaly—shaped by four musicians who clearly understand their instruments, and yet know that a kickin’ hook is worth as much as a nasty time-signature-hopping breakdown. The guitars work overtime as they run up and down the neck, splashing their color chords between speedy melodic riffs. The bass dominates the low end with punchy tones and vicious lines of notes, while the drums spread syncopated fills that only serve to complement the string section. Above this landscape of sound, the vocals mix extremely catchy choruses with finely-tuned harmonies (an oft-overlooked avenue) that blast their compositions into the atmosphere.

Stop.drop.rewind presents an excellent blend of tones and emotions on Element & Aftermath, creating a record that is diverse as their approach to writing it. Tunes like “I Was a Portrait” and “Main & Lincoln” wield pop-punk choruses that demand singing along, while the opener “The Entire Orchestra” or the jazzfest “Eraser” choose as their weapons precise musicianship and sharp amelodic chord changes. Yet through it all, there is not a single song on Element & Aftermath that feels inaccessible; each uses the perfect ratio of technical precision and delicious hooks to attract every kind of listener and keep them entangled in stop.drop.rewind’s sonic web.

The lyrics of Element & Aftermath are as intricate as the composition. Each song is laden with images that carry as much literary weight as they do emotional depth. Lines like “Over the trees, the changing leaves, late summer breeze / Will carry me until it sets me down” in “Yellow Roses” use focused imagery to create a vivid scene for the listener, chaining each piece of the picture together to form a cohesive portrait. In addition, stop.drop.rewind avoid relying on clichés or dead-horse phrases, instead opting to put their own spin on those concepts; for instance, “The Dissonance” takes an old adage and brings it into mythic proportions with the lines “Carry every failure on your shoulders / Chips turn to bricks turn into boulders.” It’s exceedingly rare that a record is a fun to read as it is to listen to, but with Element & Aftermath, stop.drop.rewind keep their pens working as hard as their instruments.

So whether intense riffs and time signature changes are your cup of tea, or if you prefer thrashing chords and hyped vocal melodies, stop.drop.rewind has your back. Each of the ten tracks on Element & Aftermath keeps the energy maxed out while spinning mathy syncopations and chord changes. There’s as much for the head as there is for the heart on this record, and I’d bet that a single listen through will leave you as hooked as I am. 

My Top Track: "The Dissonance"

You can find more from stop.drop.rewind, including show updates and news, on Facebook. Then head over to their Bandcamp page to grab your own copy of Element & Aftermath.

Shameless Self Promotion: New Single "Tallest Trees, Highest Branches" Drops Today!

"Tallest Trees, Highest Branches"

Hey friends! Brace yourself for some more shameless grandstanding....

In a few weeks, I will be dropping my very first full-length effort, Drops of Dew & Mourning. It's a record I've been working on for years at this point, and I'm excited to get it out in the world finally. So excited that I thought I'd share a song with you now. 

"Tallest Trees, Highest Branches" is probably the best example of what Drops sounds like--bombastic, scattered, DIY, and (hopefully) honest. It features a full arrangement, including programmed drums, vocal harmonies, and two 4-string bass parts. It's also fast becoming one of my favorite songs to play live. 

You can stream "Tallest Trees, Highest Branches" right off the Bandcamp page, and/or download it for free if you so choose. Don't be afraid to leave a review either--I'd love to hear what you think!

Drops of Dew & Mourning "drops" on Saturday March 30th on Bandcamp. Come join me and some great local acts at CBBG in Watertown that night to celebrate the record release and to grab your own physical copy, featuring artwork by the incredibly talented Deanna Burke. 

Thanks for giving this a shot. 

• Drops of Dew & Mourning Record Release Show: https://www.facebook.com/events/1607343876017821/

• "Tallest Trees, Highest Branches" on Bandcamp:https://thejudasobscure.bandcamp.com/album/tallest-trees-highest-branches-single 

• Deanna Burke's Website: http://www.deannaburkeart.com/