A Knew Front Ear
If you asked me a year ago if I'd:
A). Have a finished album in 2025
and
B). Would release it on vinyl (*squeal*)
I'd have said "Nuh uh, ain't happening". But as I try to keep the momentum on this little project, these little milestones make me happy. I’m a quasi-avid vinyl collector so having this in the collection makes me grin. And for my kids, what’s old is new again. Records seem so foreign and interesting in this screen-soaked time in history. Gone are the days of saving up allowance to buy tapes and CDs and just wearing those fuckers out until they scratched, skipped and infuriated us…guess the digital world has its perks. But when I was first hypnotized by great artists around 10 years old, I loved the mystery of new music; back when artists weren’t plastered everywhere and overly available. You had to wait all day to watch your favorite music videos, grab a random issue of Rolling Stone or Guitar World, or in few rare instances catch them when they came to town and mom would let me go. This was the case in the mid-nineties for Green Day (SUNY Albany RACC 11/10/95), Bush w/ Toadies (The Palace 8/29/95) and Smashing Pumpkins (Knickerbocker Arena 11/2/96). All my favorite artists still were not as accesible as they are now, which made any connection to the “man behind the curtain” such a vibrant experience.
By the time I was 17, I sought out the classics and became a full-fledged, card-carrying Pink Floyd junkie. Beyond the unbelievably vivid soundscapes, I was equally enamored by the mystery. “Who the hell are these magicians and what have they done to my fragile psyche?”. I probably hadn’t seen a picture of the band until 3 years after my first listen. Their mission was to transport your mind to a distant land, or deep into a character’s mental state. The last thing they wanted the listener to think of, it seemed to me, was that 4 measly “humans” were playing instruments. I’ve always believed the effect of their output was far more vast than a “band” playing “tunes”; it was alchemy; a sum greater than its parts; some indescribable mystery; esoteric visions only discovered by word-of-mouth exuberance from friends who couldn’t wait to see whether you were as shocked as they were upon their first listen.
Some of that mystery remains these days, as so many indie artists are everywhere it’s impossible not to be blindsided by some awesome Latvian/French duo pumping out brain massage frequencies (e.g. - Dominique Dumont) or weird British electro-indie-nutjobs (e.g - Snapped Ankles) or some 70’s Nigerian afro-rock group you can’t believe isn’t more discussed these days (e.g.- The Funkees).
Still, a tangible manifestation of an artist’s efforts has a bit more sorcery built-in. Streaming services have their place, but the ritual of uncovering that big fat black circle from behind some interesting artwork (like black hole emerging from an imploded star), putting a needle to a groove (like forging an electric connection that closes a circuit), watching it spin and spin as the circle tightens (like a tether ball wraps around a pole until a point is scored), and that full, natural analog pours out (like the artist is performing in the room, directly to you, and you alone). It’s just mysterious, and I love a good mystery.
Vinyl is one of the great, game-changing entertainment mediums. The first physical music format for consumer purchase was the wax cylinder (invented by Edison in the 1890’s). Shellac 78 records came along in first years of the 20th century, but only pumped out 3-5 minutes of music per side. Then the vinyl record was born in the 40’s. Lighter, more durable and able to hold an “album’s” worth of material. I’m a true fan of the art form known as the “album”; not just a hit or two, not a hapless or vapid space-filler, but an entire collection of songs, either as a cohesive conceptual ride or a wide palette to showcase an artist’s range. I love both ends of that spectrum and everything in between. I try my best to create albums instead of disparate ditties; but it’ll take time to realize my actual goals on that front, then TRY to get those goals in print.
Elastic Stage kicks ass if anyone’s looking to get their tunes out on vinyl; zero out-of-pocket cost, a free Test record, they just take a % of each on-demand order. I'm not in the hole even 1 penny, so I don't have to hard sell. But you should still be cool, grab a copy and CRANK IT!
If anyone cares what else is going on, I'm still working on bringing these tunes and a whole bunch more to the stage. Doing my best to get there, but life's a you-know-what. And after a few stops and starts with musicians, I'm still on the hunt for the right crew. I'm confident no one's still reading this, but if you're interested in having some guttural fun on stage, give me a shout. Text "Freaky Styley" to 518-728-8609…or any safe for work pictures of tattoos, or your pet tarantula. Hey, even if you cooked a lasagna and it just looks delicious, I want a goddamn pic. Am I too good for your lasagna? Fine, be that way!
Anywho, try not to let the current political insanity bog you down (like it does me) and if you keep posted, I promise some new material in the coming weeks. Be well!
ORDER WILLYA VINYLS BELOW…and use code “SPINMAS” by 11/24/25 for 10% off your order:
https://elasticstage.com/willya/releases/they-dont-have-to-know-everything-album
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