This track is from the album HEYOKA and is available for purchase on CD Baby here: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/salinger2

HEYOKA

Awoken

ADONAI

Out Here

Alicyn Packard_Demo -Animation

KOTARO SAITO/Cello,music
YUYA YOSHINO/Piano
Gig at Doppo in JAPAN.
Feb.20/2025

雨脚 20250220 (live ver.)

6strings Electric Cello Free style Solo song.

KOTARO SAITO/E.Cello,music

NS Design CR-6

0225/2025 No.1

6strings Electric Cello Free style Solo song

KOTARO SAITO / E.Cello

0225/2025 No.2

6strings Electric Cello Free style Solo song

KOTARO SAITO / E.cello

0225/2025 No.3

6 strings Electric Cello Free style Solo song

KOTARO SAITO / E.Cello

0225/2025 No.4

My set from a good friend's pool party this past Sunday!

CK Live @ Ben Barnacles

Citizenn - BE (20:20 Vision remix)
Mr. G - Transient
Who's Afraid of Detroit? (Visionquest remix)
BLOND:ISH - Wizard of Love
Benoit  & Sergio - Boy Trouble (Visionquest remix)
Kal Ace - Power Thru feat. Azulu Phantom
BLOND:ISH - Eeeyaaa
Maceo Plex - Your Style (Maya Jane Coles remix)
James What - In the Dark
Dan Berkson, James What - Mescaline Circus
D'Julz - Runny (Berkson & What remix)
D'Julz - Baka Gaijin
TEED - The Echo (Dusky remix)

The Halfway Throwback

“If you’re anything like me then you probably think there aren’t enough cats carrying on the Paul Westerberg torch. If that be the case, then look no further than my man Jim Salinger.” - Captains Dead


Pennsylvania native Jim Salinger has been rocking his L.A. home base for years, with a growing list of TV & Film song placements. But we haven’t heard much from him in the last decade since 2008’s HEYOKA. Love, marriage, births, deaths, near-death experiences and awakenings in Laurel Canyon. And now, finally a new release, Starry Verse.

To boil it down for the blogosphere, this collection is like the union of Joseph Campbell’s ecstatic soul with Wilco’s eclectic sound, mastered in a crystal city vortex underneath Mt. Shasta. In plain speak, it's righteous cosmic folk rock you’ll be Spotify-ing during your very real commute.

Yes, Starry Verse has a cosmic perspective that will resonate with listeners who have an affinity for the infinite. For those more pragmatic when it comes to their pop songs, the melodic songcraft here is remarkably crisp. And there's a pair of break-up tunes in the sequence (See Your Dreams, Let Me Know) that would not sound out of place on Salinger's 2004 Americana debut, Down By Fire.

Jim partnered with Echo Park producer John Would (Fiona Apple, Graham Parker) to thoughtfully mix cello,12-string, steel guitar and female harmonies. This adds a fresh dimension to Salinger's catalog, elevating his core vocals and guitar. An essential part of the chemistry here is the return of HEYOKA’s ace studio drummer Amy Wood.

Starry Verse’s centerpiece is “Midwest Heart, Space Age Mind”. It’s a cinematic dreamscape written during a Peter Case songwriting workshop. Jim recalls "I wrote this one to be intentionally mysterious as a counterpoint to Peter’s instruction for the class to be clear in their narratives.” Jim laughs, ”When I finished playing it, he nodded and admitted that sometimes songs work even if you don’t know what they really mean.” 

What does it really mean? Fundamentally, there’s a philosophical inquiry into the relationship between heaven, earth and everyone of us. When Jim sings “All the stars in the sky are burning but they never really die. They’ll be the sparkle in your eye when you see why we need darkness” on “Why We Need Darkness” it’s both a starry verse, and a knowing declaration. A friendly reminder that you are alive, connected, and everything is going to be alright forever. Thanks, Jim.

Album cover art “Postcard from New Iceland” was created by modern vintage collage artist, Eugenia Loli: http://eugenialoli.tumblr.com/