"MICE" Album Cover Revealed

 

Beyond excited to finally reveal the cover of our new record Mice, designed by artist/musician David Palatsi.

David had this to say about his artwork for Mice:

"Steven and I were able to put together a cohesive package with some of my favorite photographs that -- to me --  sum up the depth of mood on Mice...at least the way I hear the songs matching the emotion of my photos.

It's a dark album, but not one without hope, romance, light, and emotional variation. Similarly my photos are usually dark, romantic, surreal, and emotional, music always going hand in hand with the images I envision in my mind. Mice is a journey -- a rarity these days -- and one that I am more than proud to have played a small part in."

Click the cover to pre-order. The first single drops on Sep. 24.

Hope you enjoyed the silence...

A quick Depeche Mode cover... new *original* single available 9/24. Sign up for our mailing list and stay tuned to chc.com for updates/exclusives. [youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKfVPx7pu6Y]

[footage by David Palatsi]

Friend of the devil.

I spent last weekend in San Francisco with my father, getting a feel for the west coast, letting the breeze from the bay blow away some of the excess baggage. Aside from an hour or so each day spent in my hotel room reviewing mixes for MICE, I spent my time in Califor-ni-ay exploring the many corners of a remarkable city, all the while bonding with my pops. It was a much-needed realignment of context. Long talks with my father about his struggles and successes amidst the unmistakable streets and colorful houses of Haight-Ashbury, strolling through the beautiful remnants of hope from a failed experiment in everlasting peace, weighing my own musical debts to the Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane, aligning my perspective among the tall trees of Golden Gate Park.

     

You know, the usual hippie shit.

But it was a great trip and there is a part of me, too long a prisoner of the east coast, that is very much descended from my flowerchild father. Though my new record is only slightly reminiscent of the San Francisco sound, I feel that much of what I've attempted to communicate through these songs is at least partially married to the same vulnerable but optimistic nerve that Jerry Garcia and Grace Slick were trying to touch in their heyday.

We need to be better to one another. We need to love deeply. We are flawed but beautiful. Let's make the most of it. Love, peace, and hair grease.

-S

Drum Tracking with Rob Van Saders @ Avatar Recording, NYC

In the studio at Avatar Recording with drummer Rob Van Saders and engineer Bob Mallory, working on "Redheads" and "Someone Without" for the MICE album. [youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GV5O_aUaMA]

(footage by David Palatsi]

Mousy Mixing / Stormy Singing

Hello TV Land!

An exciting week here in my little sphere as the first batch of mixes start rolling back from the ineffable Bob Mallory for the Mice album. I'm so thrilled to finally hear these songs come fully to life, and I can't wait to slingshot them out into y'all's world.

Meanwhile, I confess to spending many hours this past week tracking some last minute guest vocalists for the last song to be mixed. (Almost as many hours as I spent watching the spelling bee kid lose his shit.)

Thanks to some brilliant vocal performances by Elijah Miller of Hawk & Dove, Ashley Bird of The Purslaines, and David Palatsi (unaffiliated), I can finally say FINITO  DEFINITIVO for recording this album. Couldn't have done it without Elijah, Ashley, David, and all my other great helpers along the way.

Music soon. Stay tooned.