For those of you who might not know, we are most likely going to start our own label/collective LITTLE CZAR AND THE PSALMIST's ep. entitled MAN VS. BETA will be the first recording we release. Here is an excerpt from a review of MAN VS. BETA.....thought it might create a back drop to the bigger picture......
Enjoy...
MAN VS. BETA is the 4th in a series of 7 albums spearheaded by Ryan Patrick Kennelly during his 7 year stint in the prairies and mountains of Montana. During his stay, he collected over 1,000 different sound bites and field recordings from the urban and rural settings he lived in, using them in and through the songs he recorded.
"Before I moved to Montana, I didn't know how to play guitar or any other instrument besides drums. A friend lended me their guitar and I found myself in front of the fire on cold winter nights, quickly becoming addicted to it....even the sounds and tones it emitted when I tapped on its neck or body. Some nights I would lull myself to sleep just plucking the open strings of the guitar and listening to its resonance." (taken from an interview with ascribeto press, 2010).
Along with his growing fascination of the guitar (and really all stringed instruments), Ryan began a journey of mysticism and uprooting in his faith. Raised in a non-denominational home and having attended catholic school for 9 years, the precepts and concepts he had been given of God began to unpack themselves during his stay. "A still small voice came quietly up over the mountains, down into the prairies and into my unexpecting ears where I sat unaware but flattened by the magnitude of it all. The God of my existence and destiny had always been calling me, inviting me, wooing me, but I paid no attention until now. It seems the quiet stillness and scenic majesty of Montana created the perfect backdrop to experience the presence of the Almighty's love for me and all mankind. A love so divine and great, I had no choice but to surrender my will to it."
From these experiences came songs and sounds and melodies which Ryan began recording using any and all devices possible. Tape recorders, digital 4 tracks, 1960's mics from his grandfather's hearing-aid business, borrowed and run down computers from friends--all became catalysts to recording and assembling and cataloging the songs. Before his stay was up, Ryan had assembled 4 finished albums and the beginning recordings and concepts for 3 more.
As aforementioned, MAN VS. BETA is the 4th in the series " I thought it might be important to release MAN VS. BETA first because it literally is the missing link in the middle of a major evolution in the LITTLE CZAR AND THE PSALMIST project. The first three albums where done primarily alone with the occasional added help of friends and family, while the last two albums will be more whole and communal in their approach. Also, the technology I was using was extremely primitive in the first three, whereas MAN VS. BETA is a nice bridge into some of the better technology--meaning better sounds and clearer recordings-- used in the last two albums."
To be sure, MAN VS. BETA is stripped down and intimate in its strumming and songwriting, yet not limited to that structure or genre (as the orchestrated intro and outro demonstrate). The lyrics are both hymn-like in their horizontal proclamations yet introspective and vertical in their explorations of the human heart and psyche. Ryan is demonstrating his ability to express strength through restraint.
"When the time came to write MAN VS. BETA, I realized that my songwriting skills were lacking. I had hid myself behind experimental sounds, riffs, and melodies for too long, and none of my previous recordings could be played in a live set without help from other sources. I wanted to simplify my approach to music and create songs that I could play using only my voice and guitar if need be."
Surely he has created something subtle yet full and rich. We hope that you find MAN VS. BETA to be both moving and consoling. Enjoy.
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