sonic ranch 17

The music of A Not So Distant Pass is what it is for a reason. The free-lance musicians are the backbone of most local music scenes. They are the skilled “players’ who make the performing artists look and sound good. They perform commercially because that’s what pays. But deep down, they are genuine artists in hiding.

There’s no point in recording a “local hero” series if I am going to ask them to do what they always do already every day. Thus, the objective of the CD is to give the musicians a platform to express themselves artistically. For that reason, the focus is on genuineness.

All of the tunes on A Not So Distant Pass are what we call “complete live takes.” We have gone out of the way to not employ the devices typically used in commercial recordings. There are no overdubs, no layering, no splicing (cut and paste), no auto-tune. The music is honest and genuine. I even told the sound engineers that I specifically want all “ambient noises” to remain in the recording. Thumps on the bass, pedal sounds on the piano, breath noises on the trumpet, all of these were to remain in the final product.

The same applies to musical errors as well. Cracked notes, pitch problems, and loose rhythms were to remain in the final mix. And yes, I know some people feel this is sacrilege. But I also know from my personal experiences that striving for commercial perfection squashes artistic creativity. And I believe these local heroes deserve to have an opportunity to express themselves this way.

That was the theory going into the project, and the beauty of the music on this CD is evidence that the theory held true.