The River Strumming

The River StrummingThe American singer songwriter tradition has always been tethered to a rustic austerity, the sort of front porch authenticity that suggests an age where home electronics are still considered luxury items. But theres also the ongoing influence of Bob Dylan and The Bands Basement Tapesthat strange and beloved document of the magic that happens when private experiments with the folk template flourish into layered and lush songsand its genesis through

And we started there

Nothing in the Dark9

mad illustration skills and a whole pile of home-brew junk electronics

The single was among the last sessions at the famed Tiny Telephone

and made just the opposite

+ 12" CUT AT 45 RPM

The songs began reflecting conversations about fatherhood and partnership

Additional recording by Tim Gerak and Jacob Trombetta at The Ice House in Akron

The notion of rejecting the status quo and creating your own destiny is evident on the lead single “Girlfriend Degree

+ FEATURING DAVID BAZAN OF PEDRO THE LION

all while staying true to the tape hiss and rough takes of analog recording

“That dichotomy between dark imagery and danceable