Jordan Christianson - piano
Hanna Stevens - vocals
Recorded in 2011 by Brian Eyler and Steve Struwve at Minnesota State University Moorhead

Written by Johnny Mercer and Hoagy Carmichael


Skylark - 2011

GarageBand. Vocals, keys, all the thangz.

On Friday I got to interview and photograph one of my favorite artists, Karen Marie Ørsted of MØ, so I decided to make a little demo of one of her songs, "Dust Is Gone."

http://seattlemusicinsider.com/2014/06/02/mo-talks-youth-embracing-imperfection/

Dust Is Gone [MØ cover] - June 1 2014

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY! 
... I mean... Valentine's Day!

My Funny Valentine

Ableton experiment number 2, at the request of my roommate on the occasion of his birthday! And an outrageous, overdramatic, flammable image to go with it. Also I have a cold.

Bad Romance [Lady Gaga]

This is for my mama and papa. It was also one of my Grandma Pat's favorite Christmas songs. Merry Christmas!

Silent Night

Only [BOOTS]

@M83 audition, made from scratch. 

I got shortlisted, but didn't make the cut. At least they have my passport info! Honored to be considered. 

Ridiculous video audition here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFMqYd8-ixw.

M83 - Kim & Jessie

I listened to the new Beyoncé record last night and haven't made any practice recordings in awhile, so here's this. Photo by Eric Tra.

Beyoncé - Sandcastles (hypersparks Cover)

[Photo by Eric Tra]

Tide turns over fickle earth.
Heavy sand in the crease of your hand.
Suddenly loss is relived. 

Quicksand pulls you underneath,
suffocating slowly through gritted teeth,
and I reach out for your hand.

Reticent words form a lie that you’re always fine.
Bearing the weight of a timeless ache you hide behind.

Ocean-flooded eyes of salty, bitter lies. 
It’s okay to say you’re not alright 
and wish for just a bit more time.

Shore line, hiding in the dunes. 
Quiet, now. I whisper a warning to you:
undertow slowly controls.  

High tide, push and pull again.
It’s high time to confess that 
I cannot swim the same distance again. 

Reticent words form a lie that I’m always fine.
Bearing the weight of a timeless ache I hide behind.

Ocean-flooded eyes of salty, bitter lies. 
It’s okay to say I’m not alright and wish for just a bit more time.

We live it every day. 
Absence consumes empty space.

Tide turns. 
Suddenly, quicksand pulls you underneath.
High tide. Now I’m out of reach.

Practice 4 live set

Quicksand - demo

Love In High Places [Kimbra cover]

[Photo by Gordon Sandvoss]

You understand my soul. 
I’m learning to embrace this undeserved support, 
though you know I’m falling short. 

Beneath my own ritual resistance, saturate my soul, 
though you know that I’m falling.

Back to back with you, I've never been closer. 
Though I’m falling short, I promise to support your heart 
as you pursue a mantra of love to deconstruct my pride, 
‘cause you know that I’m falling.

Memorize:
decide if you’ll let me mesmerize the words you’ll eventually memorize.
Decide if you’ll let me give and take, re-create.

Ritual Resistance - demo

cover of Majid Jordan's "A Place Like This"
produced by hypersparks
covers ep out now hypersparks.bandcamp.com/album/covers-ep

Covers

Download

A Place Like This

cover of Björk's "Unravel"
produced by hypersparks
covers ep out now https://hypersparks.bandcamp.com/album/covers-ep

Unravel

cover of James Blake's "Retrograde"
produced by hypersparks
covers ep out now hypersparks.bandcamp.com/album/covers-ep

covers ep

Retrograde

cover of Sampha's "(No One Knows Me) Like the Piano"
produced by hypersparks
covers ep out now hypersparks.bandcamp.com/album/covers-ep

Like The Piano

Stay [Sara Bareilles] - July 2012

I want to share some thoughts that have been heavy on my heart for the past year. Miss Amy Winehouse passed away on July 23, 2011, and this was strangely difficult for me. This was also the same time as the shootings and bombing in Norway, and I noticed anger toward people who were mourning Amy in light of the quantitatively worse circumstances in Norway. (Since when is it effective to judge a person for being upset about a tragic human loss, whether it's one person or 100? Emotions are boundless; I guarantee, there is enough sadness to go around.) But I digress… 

Amy Winehouse was and continues to be one my most significant musical influences. Not only have I learned a great deal from her as the vocalist, composer, arranger, and lyricist she was, but also, she was an example to me of an individual creating their own identity regardless of genre. I have struggled to find my place in the world of music because I realized that I don't fit in the jazz world in standard way. When I realized that Amy came from a jazz background, and also crossed into R&B, pop, and other genres, I stopped trying to compartmentalize myself as a musician. Music is about freedom! Amy's album "Frank" specifically helped me come to terms with that realization and to run with it. Beyond that, the notable progress between "Frank" as more of a compilation and "Back to Black" as a complete work also helped me to understand the concept of an album as a holistic artwork. 

But there was more to Amy's passing that affected me than just the loss of an incredible artist. I'm currently reading "Amy, My Daughter," written by Amy's father Mitch. This is another strangely moving experience for me because, on my 12th birthday, my own father played a critical role in my development as a musician (and has ever since). Music and family are the two reasons that I am not only still alive, but also living. What I gather from this book (without truly knowing, since I of course never knew Amy or her family) is that music and family were also what kept Amy going as long as she could. 

Heshima Thompson, a backup singer for Amy, wrote and released a tribute to her two days after her passing. (http://www.amywinehousetrouble.com/1/post/2011/07/amy-winehouse-tribute-heshima-tears-wont-dry.html) One line that especially speaks is, "You opened up the door, showed the world your flaws. You were our truth; that's what we loved you for." I believe that artists have an opportunity and responsibility to present their dark side through their art as a way to create connections among humans, and to incite catharsis. As much criticism as Amy received, she lived loudly and honestly. I am thankful for her influence and wish her a peace that is impossible here. 

<3 H
July 23, 2012

Love Is A Losing Game [Amy Winehouse]

I wrote and recorded this demo/sketch on my last night in Rwanda with Pastor P (Patrick Ndanga) in Kimihurura, Kigali, Rwanda. Guitar by Dicken Marshall, sax by Solo K, other music and production by Pastor P. March 5, 2012.

Gonna Miss You (My Beliefs)- Rwanda w/Pastor P

Piano improvisation layered with my vocal pads and saxophone chops, as well as digital instrumentation.

discard

Hanna Stevens: vocals
Kyle Flack: acoustic guitar

Written by Brett Dennen
Recorded by Brian Eyler and Stephen Struwve

Desert Sunrise [Brett Dennen]- 2010

Recorded live at Egan's Ballard Jam House, Seattle WA, with my trusty Zoom H1.
Piano: Steve Rice
Bass: Dan O'Brien
Drums: Ed Littlefield
Percussion: Cheetah/Jeffrey
Vocals and saxophone: Hanna Stevens
January 9, 2013

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