“Twenty Thousand Miles” / Quick Catch-Up
I’m recording a new EP.
We’re in the studio this morning. Jeremy is tuning his drums while Aaron sets up microphones and runs wires. Ben Jones is also on his laptop. I can’t see what he’s doing, but I’m guessing it’s something cool. We still miss Lindsey (in London) and Ben A. (Raleigh), but 4 out of 6 isn’t bad and later, the new guy Ross will drop in to play piano.
As for me, I’m sitting here at my (t)rusty old laptop, drinking coffee, reminiscing on the last three weeks in the UK and uploading the rest of the tracks for the live album. England was good. It felt like when you find an old shirt you haven’t worn in half-a-decade, but it still fits. You forgot about the hole under the sleeve and the stain near the collar, so those are new again, but it still fits. It was great to spend time with people I dearly love, and Heather got to come with me (!!) so it was even better. I miss England almost every day, but it’s nice to know it’s still there any time I can get back.
“Twenty Thousand Miles”.
By the time you read this, the new album will be available (here!). It’s weird to listen back to these – they were from the very first of last fall’s tour dates, in August and September. It’s interesting to hear how the songs have changed since then; flourishes added or dropped… I think things like asphalt and exhaustion are the proverbial water and sunlight for songs, you can practice as much as you want at home, but until they live on the road, they never bloom.
That said, I’m still really happy with this live album. You can hear the absolute silence of the living rooms, the unfazed chatter of a bar, the crickets of a backyard. I think it captures the experience, for better and worse. LIstening back to these, I am instantly exhausted, which I think is the mark of a good live recording – if it takes you back to that moment (in this case, exhaustion, or the frustration at the loss of my voice) then it’s a good live recording.
Bringing the conversation full-circle, the purpose of releasing this album is to raise money to pay for the studio time I’m using right now. I would just give it away otherwise. I thought about doing a kickstarter, but it just didn’t seem like the right time for that. Maybe later this year when I start work on the next album. For now, I’m hoping to sell enough of these that I can pay for the EP, then sell enough of the EP while I’m on the road to… well, you get it.
I hope this finds you well, wherever you are. I’m really behind on e-mails, but if you want me to come to your place for a house show, drop me a line. I’ll be back to working on booking all week next week. (booking(at)leviweaver(dot)com)
See you soon!
-Levi
P.S. I asked Ben what he was checking on his computer and it was painfully boring, so instead I’m telling you that he was inventing a new note – it’s halfway between the quarter-tone between C and C#, and it’s called C-Black-Icy. the sign is C^. it’s not discernibly different (from C) to most human ears, so we’re going to be making an album for dogs soon.
