We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

The Absent Sounds of Me

by Dear Ephesus

/
1.
* 00:16
2.
3.
On West B' 04:14
4.
5.
Big Brother 03:19
6.
Blue Day 04:05
7.
8.
Ocean Deep 04:06
9.
A Woe 05:40
10.
11.
12.
13.
! 00:17
14.
Just As I Am (free) 03:42

about

Recorded during late spring, early summer, 1998.

Many of these songs were written during the United Tour in spring of '98, and some versions were also performed during that time. "Looked for" was born in Virginia the morning after we had fallen asleep in someone's living room with "Static Prevails" blaring from a boombox. "Simpleton" was born poolside in a motel in Iowa. "Big Brother" was born in Michigan and grew up a little in a California cabin. "Pinning Dreams" was born in Orlando but came of age on the road, including a couple of false starts onstage. The verse bass riff on "Absent Sounds" had been written for a Tenderfoot song, and it took some convincing to keep it.

There had been talk of tapping a popular, Atlanta-based producer that the label gentlemen had access to. Whatever the reason was for not making the connection, we were familiar with Joel, who worked with Nick and engineered "A View," so it felt a bit like going home.

At this point, we had upgraded our gear a bit. Lou traded his Carvin bass for a Music Man with Willie from Elder (Four Living Creatures/Sweet Nectar). Thanks to Dave and Travis from Exeter Flud (Remnant), we added a standard Fender Strat (see the cover of Tenderfoot's "The Devil and Rock n' Roll"), and a Fender Jazzmaster. Live, we had recently been stomping on an Ibanez Tubescreamer with the tube in it, a Metal Zone, a Small Stone and an occasional wah. Lou also brought his dad's Jazz bass which quickly became the favorite in the studio. Dave Ott hung out along with his collection of pedals and laid a couple of guitar parts down with his Gibson Nighthawk.

Joel challenged us on a few songs, especially the ones he co-wrote. A hesitancy to criticism always crept in but egos subsided much quicker than before. Louis let Ed play a couple of small bass parts. Ed relinquished tracking all the main guitar parts in "Ocean Deep" to Brett. If anything seemed to work better for a song, it was ok to try it.

For this recording, we paid more attention to the sound and were not afraid of "pop" as we would have been a year before. The old "emo" tag followed us to the shows but not to the studio. Musical influences hadn't changed much. We were open for more.

credits

released August 1, 1998

Produced, engineered, and mixed by Joel Wild at Footsteps Studios, Merritt Island, FL. All songs written by Dear Ephesus except 4, 6, 11 by Dear Ephesus and Joel Wild, and 14 by Charlotte Elliott and William B. Bradbury; version, and arrangement in this recording by Dear Ephesus. Cover by Andy Crump for FOPR design. Other design by Owen Eliasen 4000.
Dave Ott played guitar on tracks 11, 14.
Len Federowicz played cello on tracks 4, 7, 9.
Jeff Kendall played percussion on track 14.
Joel Wild played acoustic guitar on track 4.

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Dear Ephesus Orlando, Florida

Aaron Wiederspahn
Brett Levsen
Ed Lamoso
Louis Defabrizio
Jeff Irizarry

contact / help

Contact Dear Ephesus

Streaming and
Download help

Report this album or account

If you like Dear Ephesus, you may also like: