dove&crow
ODDIO Records - ORTKW101 rel. DEC 16 03
track listing
1. scabs
2. another golden one
3. grey cat
4. where autumn goes
5. lonely man
6. i know this
7. just a shame
credits
all songs by Michael Hughes
produced, recorded, and mixed by John Wagoner
mastered by David Torrey, DRT Mastering
recorded in a beautifully dilapidated ex-factory, Philipsburg PA
additional recording and mixing at CAB Studios, Ephrata PA
art design by Michael Hughes
musicians
Michael Hughes - acoustic guitars, drums, piano, voice
John Wagoner - electric guitar, keyboards, bass (3)
John Cimino - bass
Ryan McFarland - additional guitar (4, 7)
Brett Albert - piano (6)
Chris Reese - harmonica
The Worry Knot's second release shows a marked progression in the development of MH's aesthetic. The album thematically explores the passing of time--the hurried pace, the opportunity missed, the blackened anvil of brevity. Though often as conversational as Under Trees, the lyrics here display an increased use of metaphor and symbol which results in a collection rich in character and depth. Sonically, the album is warm and open. Unlike the layered tracking of Under Trees, on this outing MH pulled together a group of friends and tracked the bulk of the album live in the cavernous second story of a vacated factory. The outcome is loose and earthy. The Worry Knot thinks this is a good thing. Perhaps you will too. The packaging for dove&crow is a handprinted (woodcut) recycled kraftboard cd folder. Every album is unique, each having been painstakingly pressed by MH himself at his kitchen table in the wee hours. Such is an exemplar of a twisted, masochistic DIY ethic.
Under Trees
ODDIO Records - ORTKW100 rel. SEP 10 01
track listing
1. int
2. that place
3. to dreams
4. need to get back
5. rain keeps falling
6. lazy
7. lullaby
8. autumn
9. pt II
10. gone
11. requiescat
12. the end
credits
all songs by Michael Hughes except
11 and 12, music by Emma Fredsdotter Petersson with
lyrics from poems by Oscar Wilde and D.H.Lawrence, respectively
produced, recorded, and mixed by John Wagoner
mastered by David Torrey, DRT Mastering
recorded and mixed at The Joint, Philipsburg PA
art design Michael Hughes
photography by H.J.Seeley and Michael Hughes
musicians
Michael Hughes - acoustic guitars, drums, piano, voice
John Wagoner - electric guitar, bass
Chris Reese - harmonica
Johnny Cash, Tom Waits, and Nick Cave were playing cards in the back room. Buk came in drunk and shooting off his mouth. Mike was in the kitchen playing guitar for the appliances. Eventually, he had some songs. The fridge buzzed.
Is the sky too blue?
Sometimes it seems so.
Songs of loss and longing, hope and regret, sparsely arranged and unashamedly sung, broken-voiced and honest.
This ain't background music. Get the headphones. Dim the lights.
Under Trees was recorded in the Spring of 2001 at an empty warehouse with ODDIO Records' mobile gear. Most of the songs had been bouncing around MH's kitchen for a few years, the earliest being "Rain Keeps Falling," and the latest, "That Place."
About the cover: MH found the photos while surfing through pinhole camera and toy camera photography sites. A fellow from Michigan, HJ Seeley, was gracious in allowing the use of two of his photographs for the front and back covers.
copyright 2005 The Worry Knot.