Hot on the heels of my LP release this year comes the EP "Spare Parts." This 6 song set was recorded in one day with Kevin Ohlau (Young Loves/The Jewels/The Black Fortys) providing keys and backing vocals and David Brown (Secondary Modern/Das Bastard) as engineer. I wanted to take a very loose and stripped down approach, so David set up a couple of microphones and we gave each song just a few takes as we played live and arranged parts on the fly.

I'm really happy with the result and even more thrilled that Plaza Records has released it as a Cassette and Digital Download.

Stream the whole thing below:

(Born April 9, 2015 - 140 grams, 12" long)

The records arrived just in time for the release show, and by "just in time" I mean exactly 1 day before. How's that for cutting it close? They would have been in hand a lot sooner, but there was an issue with the initial test pressing that required David Allen re-master the last tracks on each side of the record to be less "hot" (My fault for not initially telling him I was going to have vinyl made). Apparently, as you get closer to the center of the record, and the circle gets smaller, the tracks become more prone to distortion, especially on the high-end (oversimplifying). This is why albums back in the day were sequenced so that each side ended with a quiet ballad, rather than a rocker. Very cool piece of history and definitely a learning experience for me. The people at Mobineko were very cool and helpful through the whole process and I will gladly recommend them for working hard to deliver the record "just in time."

Holding my first record was a profound experience, second only to the day my daughter was born. I've released CD's in the past, but it doesn't even come close to the feeling of taking the 12" vinyl out of a sleeve you designed and dropping the needle. I'm really proud of this release and owe many thanks to those who supported me through each and every stage. Now it's yours to have.

I've just gotten word that the lacquer has been cut and the vinyl LP should be shipped and ready just in time for an April 10 release show at Norb Andy's in Springfield, IL. With it's haunted history and nautical themes, Norb's is the ideal setting to navigate these tracks with a live audience. Many thanks to new owner Chris Radunzel and his staff for supporting local music.

Music will start at 9pm with a good-luck-following-that set from Micah Walk and Dave Littrell. I'll be selling the album at a "thanks for coming to the show" rate of $10 for the CD and $15 for the vinyl. Get it on your calendar by joining the Facebook event.