‘SHADOWLANDS’: S. Carey and John Raymond Release New Album, to Perform in E.C.
years after meeting at UWEC, musicians merge styles in album due Sept. 15
Sawyer Hoff, photos by Kyle Lehman |
In The Chronicles of Narnia books by C.S. Lewis, “shadowlands” refers to a world that is filled with imitations of what is real. This is but one of the themes explored in S. Carey and John Raymond’s new album, Shadowlands, which will be released on Sept. 15.
Sean Carey, best known as the drummer and supporting vocalist for Bon Iver, met fellow musician John Raymond when they attended UW-Eau Claire together, studying classical and jazz music. Raymond is a Grammy-nominated jazz musician who is a remarkable trumpeter, flugelhornist, and composer. After going their separate ways years ago, both physically and musically, Raymond got ahold of Carey about five years ago and threw out the idea that the two should record a song together.
In 2019, the two finally got together and recorded what is now Shadowlands, a dazzling 10-song album that fuses each of their individualistic musical styles into one enveloping electric jazz experience. While the pair had five or six song ideas before recording, they said much of the additional music was improvised. They recorded the album at The Hive, an Eau Claire studio run by Brian Joseph, who has worked with Them Coulee Boys, Hemma, Pit Wagon, JE Sunde, and other local favorites.
“When we have tried to define what the music sounds like, it’s been really difficult to do that, and I think it’s a byproduct of just having so many different kinds of influences happening in the music and so many different musicians,” Raymond said. “But I think it, in certain ways, blends Sean’s world with my world pretty well.”
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The songs really come to life when they’re performed live.
I’m really excited for the tour, we’re playing in some great places, especially that Eau Claire show. It’s gonna be really special.
s. carey
musician
While Carey and Raymond spearheaded the record, the duo also wanted to bring in other musicians to further capture the sound they were looking for. With six days in the studio and four more after the height of COVID-19, they brought in musicians from across the country including Aaron Parks (piano), Chris Morrissey (bass), Dave Devine (guitar), Jeremy Boettcher (bass), Ben Lester (pedal steel/synth), Jeremy Ylvisaker (guitar), and Chris Thomson (woodwinds). The album was produced by Sun Chung and mastered by Taylor Deupree.
“It's kind of like a dream, you know. What more can you really ask for?” Raymond said. “On an artistic level, it’s just getting to combine all the things you love with amazing musicians and a really great environment that just made it feel like home.”
Four songs on Shadowlands, “Calling,” “Steadfast,” “Chrysalis” and “Transient,” have already been released, as well as a mini-documentary about the creation of the album, produced by Kyle Lehman and Ivy Media. The mini-doc can be watched on John Raymond’s Facebook Page.
The entire album will be released across all streaming platforms on Friday, Sept. 15, and the duo is slated to tour the Midwest and East Coast with a stop in Eau Claire on Sunday, Oct. 1, at the Masonic Temple (616 Graham Ave., Eau Claire). Ben Lester will be opening the show with a solo set with Brian Joseph producing the sound and production, bringing the album experience full circle.
“The songs really come to life when they’re performed live,” Carey said. “I’m really excited for the tour, we’re playing in some great places, especially that Eau Claire show. It’s gonna be really special.”
You can stream Shadowlands on all platforms on Friday, Sept. 15, and purchase tickets for the Oct. 1 show at the Masonic Temple on volumeonetickets.org.
