pigeon club
by Wayne Whittaker
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Pigeon Club” is the self-titled debut album from Wayne Whittaker, a musician and songwriter in Los Angeles. An accomplished multi-instrumentalist, Whittaker primarily considers himself to be a bass player; fitting as he’s held that role both as a gun-for-hire and collaborator for artists like Haerts in studios and on stages around the world.
What began as a de facto solo album morphed into a creative collaboration between Whittaker and Grammy nominated co-producer and multi-instrumentalist John Would (Fiona Apple, Warren Zevon). A record steeped in warm and subtle textures, “Pigeon Club” matches well-crafted songwriting with restrained and deliberate arrangements. Amy Wood (Fiona Apple, The Donnys The Amys) provides much of the album’s steady backbeat, while the legendary Pete Thomas (Elvis Costello, Elliot Smith) sits in on the sneering rocker “Not So Sure.”
Honest and conversational lyrics cut through the album’s indie-folk soundscapes, inviting an intimate dialogue of self-reflection, doubt, and begrudging optimism. Just look to the album’s lead single “Worry About It”: “Okay so things feel kind of strange, and you think you feel an earthquake every day / it’s alright to cling to your door frame, but if I were you, I wouldn’t worry about it.” Thematically the album moves between emotional transparency and self-effacing gallows humor.
With the release of “Pigeon Club,” Whittaker hopes his audience will feel as though they’re among friends. Whittaker says, “I’ve spent quite some time in my own head this year, which is where I think a lot of folks tend to reside. I hope the anxieties presented in these songs feel familiar, so at the very least we can compare notes."
to pre-order album/VINYL[yup!] on bandcamp, click here.
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photo by Jeni Magana
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crystal mirror
by Wallace Field
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Western-Massachusetts-based folk artist Wallace Field is making her starry debut with “Crystal Mirror,” a five-song digital EP out January 15th, 2021 on Hand Over Foot Records. Recorded entirely at home by Field herself and producer Nate Mondschein of Echo Base Production, “Crystal Mirror” offers, at first glance, an escape from the chaos of life on earth. It becomes apparent, however, that the chains of attachment, longing, regret, and nostalgia are seemingly universal across space and time.
"When I realized I had a small collection of songs that had seemingly other-worldly narrators, I thought it would be interesting to try and run with that,” Field says of the motivation behind the release. Drawing inspiration from artists such as Weyes Blood, Joan Baez, Kate Bush, and FKA twigs, Field creates an intimate soundscape fit for this galaxy and beyond.
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to pre-order on bandcamp, click here.
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photo by Cara Totman
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barnblue
by Nathan Hobbs
Nathan Hobbs (aka Nathan Blehar) first recorded the songs on his EP "barnblue" direct to tape in 2008. With warm guitars, intricate lyrics, and lilting melodies, Hobbs is able to blend complexity and sincerity effortlessly with his skillful writing. We are proud to re-release this collection to digital and streaming platforms, and to be a part of sharing Nathan's work with the community. We hope you enjoy this album (our first release!) as much as we do.
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"I remember how the barn was booked for a dance recital of some folks from NYC. One of them got sick, so they cancelled the show, but they let me use the space. It wasn’t exactly clear whether that was ok with the venue tho, so I had to sort of sneak in and set up, get sounds, and then do as many takes as I could until it was late enough that I had to clear out. I brought two chairs, a lamp, a little rug, the microphone and the four-track and some bottles of beer. It was kind of neat packing everything up and sneaking out of the grounds when I was done, and then seeing if I got anything good when I got home and listened to it. I had forgotten about that."
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album art by Chelsea Iris Granger
cold river
by Rabib Rafiq
Rabib Rafiq wrote and recorded his first-ever single in his Amherst, Massachusetts home, during the winter of 2020. A piece that speaks to the cyclical nature of time, and the end within every beginning, "cold river" brings to mind a sentiment once expressed by Albert Camus: "in the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me, there lay, an invincible summer."- play, pause, repeat.
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As an artist, entrepreneur, and strategist, Rafiq has spent his time professionally divided between many trades and crafts, seamlessly switching and integrating his curiosity for life with the pursuit of building structures that support people and the communities they live in. The listener experiences this spirit of collaboration play out through the arrangement, with contributions to the recording from across the continent - with additional instrumentals from Jeni Magana and Wayne Whittaker (LA), mixing by Grant Wicks, and mastering by John Would.
"If you want to know more about the inspiration for this song, watch Dark on Netflix."
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album art by Anja Schutz
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participation trophy wife
by Dana Osterling (CIVIC)
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In her first departure from the full band production of earlier CIVIC releases (Face Blindness, Things With Feathers), Osterling's new single captures a simple peacefulness in its sparse resignation. Written and recorded at a home in Western Massachusetts, "Participation Trophy Wife" is nothing more than a song for a feeling.
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Rounded out by Wayne Whittaker's bass playing, Grant Wicks' mixing, and John Would's mastering, the song climbs to a gentle climax before it fizzles out (which things have a tendency to do).
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"Thanks for listening."
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