This is my debut release as a solo artist, on Composers Concordance Records with distribution by Naxos.

the title track for the EP takes its name from a quote by Flannery OConnor, playfully referring to her struggle with grammar.  The idea of a brilliant artist referring to a basic skill set required to function as "innocent" seemed to make a lot of sense to me,  She didn't cite a weakness, but an innocence - a frame of mind too distracted by imagination and curiosity to focus on a very common expectation.

01 - Innocent Speller

Siblings always have a special bond; it’s a kind of sixth sense, something that provides something that nothing else can. For five Norwegian guys in their late teens, born and raised in the buzzing city of Bergen and oscillating around one familial spine, a labour of passion and instinct has formed something very special.

Norway is evocative. Musically, culturally, there is a sense of difference. The Well are without a doubt special. Influenced by everything from Arcade Fire and HAIM to The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, their bond formed early, leading them to start a band in 2006. Fast forward a couple of years and they are playing gigs in London, Bergen and Oslo, opening for the Irish band The Script among others.

The Well are now ready to release their second single «Sierra» on September 4th, a big, electronic pop-tune filling both the biggest arenas and the most intimate of club spaces.

Sierra

JS. Bach 
Fugue from WTC I BWV 864
Arrangement for 3 melodicas.

Sergio Valenzuela, melodica, recording.

Bach Fugue 864

lonesome would mean nothing to you at all

In 1830, Peter Cooper designed Tom Thumb, the first steam locomotive, to convince the B&O Railroad to use steam engines. Although it was beat out by a horse-drawn car in an impromptu race, Tom Thumb was the beginning of steam powered travel in the United States. 

This brief duet was originally inspired by Steve Reich's "Different Trains" and was written as part of a sketch assignment while studying at NYU under Julia Wolfe. 

Enjoy! 

Tom Thumb

For my Mom, for the life she gave me and the grace that filled the room around her.  Special thank you to Charlie Rauh for his listening ear and great interpretive sounds.

"Rita"  - Robin & Charlie Rauh

MIDDLEGROUND: the space grounded, the between, the center. The Heartland. The prairie, the grasslands, Konza, Flint Hills, Manhattan, Emporia, Salina. Where we gathered.

Home of the heart, heart of the home.

The years spent in cars, daydreaming, scooping handfuls of wheat, racing out into amber fields, cycling together, water wheel ice cream, fireworks and apples. The stories shared, books read sprawled in the yard, family prayers over anything, late evening walks, quiet nights. Open arms, open hearts, humble and extraordinary. 

Together, with our wonder, our joy, we created an incredible painting with abounding colors. The kinds of colors that linger in the minds eye long after they are out of sight and cradle you long after goodbyes are spoken and car doors closed. The kinds that find you counting the days until the next birthday, the next holiday, the next bike ride, the next Camp, the next anything just so you can see them again. When you close your eyes you feel their warmth. They stay.

The middle ground: my refuge born from the land living in my heart. Where my home is, living and breathing outside of my body, thousands of miles apart. This hallowed ground.




World premiere by the JACK Quartet in New York City, 2016.  

MIDDLEGROUND

Sunken

Nina

Original Song written by Christine Cherry. Co Produced/Arrangemed with the amazing Ali Ochoa.

Jenga

NYC based guitarist, composer, studio musician, touring soloist. Recording artist for Naxos of America, Destiny Records, Composers Concordance Records.

01 - Innocent Speller

Charlie Rauh

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