Happy 5th Birthday, Loose Ends!
I released my album Loose Ends on February 29, 2020 (Leap Day!), and it's hard to believe that was five years ago. To celebrate the milestone, I thought I'd do a little write-up about it. It's also my first Ampwall blog post!
I grew up listening to a lot of George Winston, a solo pianist from Windham Hill Records; my mom would play his "December" album frequently (despite ostensibly being a holiday album, it was a year-round staple in the house), and the music really carved out a special emotional place in my heart. I later discovered similar artists like Ludovico Einaudi, Dustin O'Halloran, and Angus McRae, who further cemented my love of piano music. I'm a sucker for instrumental music that channels emotions and 'tells a story' without words, and I feel like these artists are masters in that regard. Loose Ends is an album of my own solo piano compositions that aims to channel the moods and styles of these artists. Whether or not I achieved that goal is up to the listener, but I was really pleased with how the project ultimately turned out.
How It Was Recorded
I recorded everything in my basement on our Wurlitzer spinet upright piano. I'm no sound engineer, nor do I have high-end recording gear, so I had to get...creative...to record everything. I don't have a mic stand, so I improvised a recording rig by stacking two TV trays on one another, using hand weights as counter balance, and attaching a clip-on mic boom to the trays that leaned way out over the open top of the piano. Here's a pic of the setup to really show how "professional" of a setup we're talking.
Song-Specific Trivia
The song "First Place" is a piano rendition of one of the first pieces of electronic music I ever wrote. I started making chiptune music in 2006, and one of these pieces was a really energetic song that was supposed to feel like a soundtrack for a racing game. That song has never been released, but the arrangement here is pretty faithful to the original (just imagine a beat and lo-fi square tones instead of piano).
The song "Opposite Ends of Parallel Streets" came together sort of accidentally. While messing around one afternoon, I improvised this really lovely chord progression. I didn't think to record myself playing it, so when I revisited it later, I ended up playing it back with a different rhythm. When I realized I'd come up with two different ways of playing the same chord progression, I thought it made a cute little musical story--like two people living similar lives "on the opposite ends of parallel streets."
"Snowdrifts" is a blend of two completely different musical ideas. The opening arpeggio was based on a loop sample that came with some sample pack I found in 2006-2007. I always liked the way it sounded, but was never sure how to use it in a song--it felt sort of empty by itself. The arpeggios in the middle of the song were part of an electronic music project I never finished. When plotting out the tracks for Loose Ends, I was revisiting lots of these types of projects (the 'loose ends' of music I'd half-written -- now you see where the album title comes from!), and was pleased that I found a way to take these elements with different origins and put them together.
"The Spider's Web" and "The Space Between Us" are songs that I composed somewhere between 2006-2008. I know there's a cassette tape floating around with the earliest demo of The Space Between Us...I really should track that down. And I have old recordings of both of these from around that time. It was fun to take those sketches that had been with me for so long and finally bring them to life.
Conclusion
Thanks for taking the time to read this, and for letting me reflect/ramble on about this album. Loose Ends was an exercise in patience, discipline, and repetition; many hours were poured into perfecting the performances, and although some of it might sound a little rough around the edges, I am proud of it! I hope you like it too.
Loose Ends (and the rest of my catalog) is "name your price," so if you want to pick up a copy of the album for your collection, pick one up and celebrate its fifth birthday with me!