Royal Oakie – Summer 2024
Exclusive premiere of Royal Oakie – Summer 2024 compilation, out today.
The compilation features tracks from recent & upcoming releases by Donald Beaman, Iain Mann, Half Stack, Well Well Well, Michael James Tapscott and more, as well as previously unreleased tracks by Jeff Moller, Holy Matter, and Natural Bridges.
Curling – ‘Shamble’
“Everything about this song was pretty shambolic. It was one of the first songs that we recorded for this album. Jojo’s guitar part is in a different tuning for the second half of the song, so the song was recorded in two parts and then later sewn together. From the sonic collage at the beginning of the song to the celebratory horns ornamenting the end (and accompanying lyric simply stating “breathe out/nothing”), everything in this song is full of accidents, mistakes, and pure chaos that somehow came together in the studio. It’s kind of emblematic of the entire album, in that way!” – Bernie Gelman
Sea Dramas – ‘Running Thoughts’
“Sometimes thoughts are enough to make them real.” – S. Pettersen
Jeff Moller – ‘During Retrograde’
“’During Retrograde’ is my “post break-up blues” song written while spending a lot of time commuting through downtown San Francisco to La Mediterranee, an award-winning Mediterranean & Middle Eastern Restaurant who’s been serving their family’s delicious recipes for 45 years. Getting lost in the monotony of commuting and delivering meze sampler platters all while processing heartbreak created the effect of life going in reverse. One of my roommates at the time was Jason Cirimele who helped me arrange the song and kept me moving forward. Thank you Jason and thanks to La Med!” – Jeff Moller
Well Well Well – ‘Summertime Heat’
“Inspired by those early morning school drop offs in LA in my mom’s minivan bumping the local smooth Jazz station 94.7 The Wave. Getting dropped off at high school in Encino, where gridlock traffic happens around the clock and the sun beats down with merciless heat. The only escape being the ocean breeze and the windows down cruising the 101. It’s an homage to my Los Angeles experience.” – Seton Edgerton
Holy Matter – ‘Wishing Well’
“This was a rare instance of knowing exactly how I wanted a song to sound as I was writing it, and it actually turning out identically to how I heard it in my head. I kept thinking about this restaurant I went to as a kid called The Wishing Well, which had a faux stone well in the middle of its wood-paneled dining room. I imagined this song playing in that dingy room over some crappy 70s restaurant speakers. I knew I wanted a sort of burnt orange tropicalia vibe, and Andy had gotten a 1960s Maestro Rhythm Jester drum machine that I immediately knew would be perfect for the song. I love finger-picked classical guitar and drum machines together. I paired those with on-the-edge-of-dissonant Shangri-Las harmonies…bursting with energy and then saying “oh well”. It was really important to me to have a strong Motown-esque bassline that was a super groover, and Andy did a great job…it’s my favorite element of the whole song. I recorded most of the track at my apartment, had him send me a few parts, and then on a trip to St. Louis we laid down the live percussion and the Farfisa with Matt Stuttler at the Sinkhole. It was my first time recording there, and one of my first times recording in a studio period, and it was such a great experience. The lyrics are about the dissolution of a crush on a too cool person; when you can see so many reasons that someone is right for you, but you also know they’re on another planet so you just have to walk away with a sigh.” – Leanna Kaiser
Donald Beaman – ‘Old Universe’
“’Old Universe’ is propelled by the brushwork of drummer Michael Nalin and the jaunty bass playing of Kirt Lind. A metaphysical ode to (among other things) eye contact, with repeated references to the collapse of space and time.” – Donald Beaman
Iain Mann featuring Sandy’s – ‘Minor Meditation’
Iain recorded a guitar idea in his kitchen in Scotland, and sent it to Alexi in California. Alexi recorded a vocal line and sent it back. Iain added harmonies.
Iain Mann featuring Sandy’s – ‘Magic Tracks’
Written in Scotland, and based on the chords to piece for harpsichord by F Couperin, a psychedelic attempt to unlock the secrets of the secrets of the giant trees of California, home. Alexi’s layered guitar in the outro is beautiful, but the true hero of the story is the organ, recorded in Seattle, played by Iain’s childhood friend Lorenzo. Inspired by an experience with psilocybin that defies words which brought me out of one of the bad depressions that have plagued me since my early thirties. I was visited by crazy, dancing sages, teaching joy – the Buddha was there, and so was Professor Calculus from Tintin – and the ancient roots of California’s sequoias revealed secrets that I can’t begin to express in language. As the geometry on the walls dissolved, and I came back from the trip, I was free from depression for the first time in years.
Go By Ocean – ‘Peace In Your Garden (remix)’
“This is a song for and about introverts. the dichotomy of pursuing something you’re extremely passionate about in your life but it causes you to be in a lot of uncomfortable situations. It’s a song about the bittersweet and a longing for quiet solitude.” – Ryan McCaffrey
Michael James Tapscott featuring Aux Meadows – ‘Cheap Hotel Reprise’
“From the moment I saw the name Aux Meadows, I knew I would love these guys. A more earnest and eager triumvirate cannot be found in our little Bay Area music community. They are a breath of fresh air, and, thus, bring the perfect sound to revitalize and recontextualize what has become a setlist standard for the MJT band. Aux Meadows may not have invented ambient country, but they are some of its better angels.” – Michael James Tapscott
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