Anything At All

December 4th, 2024 , by

Denison Witmer returns with a new collection of ten vibrant and pensive folk-pop songs recorded and produced by Sufjan Stevens, his long-time friend and collaborator. Anything At All finds Denison in a suitably reflective mood, mining sublime revelation from an ordinary, domesticated life. Topics like bird watching, carpentry, houseplants, and hiking offer insights into bigger, existential questions about life, death, meaning, and purpose. What are we doing with the precious time we have left on this earth? Whether it’s spent making clocks, gathering berries, planting trees, or putting the kids to bed at night, these songs suggest that a life lived with thoughtfulness and care can lead to deeper joy and fulfillment.

Recorded sporadically over a period of two years, Anything At All was primarily created at Sufjan’s Catskills studio during the pandemic, with additional sessions recorded by Andy Park, in Seattle, WA. Contributors include Stevens and Park as well as Sam Evian, Hannah Cohen, Sean Lane, and Keenan O’Meara, amongst others. The album’s musical aesthetic marries Denison’s folksy, Mennonite vibe with Sufjan’s signature bells and whistles: lush strings and woodwinds, women’s choir, and an occasional jazzy saxophone weave their way around Denison’s matter-of-fact vocals and acoustic guitar. These are simple folk songs with bursts of awe and wonder.

Older and Free

October 16th, 2024 , by

Produced by Denison’s longtime friend Sufjan Stevens, Sufjan Stevens, who also contributes to the track (with additional co-production by Andy Park), “Older and Free” is a heartfelt song featuring thoughtful lyrics and lush instrumentation, inviting listeners on an introspective journey. It’s a soothing meditation on the freedom found in the outdoors, a gulp of fresh air swirling with subtle percussive flourishes and Sufjan’s signature choral swells that color Denison’s laidback delivery.

“One of the benefits of getting older and knowing yourself is being able to seek out the things that reset you in times when things feel off balance,” said Witmer. “For me, alone time is very important. Nature is very important. Moving my body and getting lost in my thoughts has become a must – whether it be running or, in the case of this song, hiking. I wrote this song when I was solo camping for a night at French Creek State Park not far from my home in PA. During Covid lockdown, my wife and I realized that we would burn out in the responsibilities of our day-to-day life if we didn’t take time to ourselves. The melody and lyrics came to me as I was hiking the Lenape Trail back to my campsite. I have a little classical guitar that goes with me most places, and I wrote the song in completion that evening. I got so attached to the sound that the little guitar ended up being the instrument we recorded the basic tracks with.”

Reflections

April 18th, 2023 , by

“I’m constantly thinking about bodies moving through space when I’m writing for ballet – that is what has informed this music, first and foremost.”

Read the Rest...

It’s Okay to Live A Quiet Life

April 13th, 2023 , by

Denison Witmer was on a road trip with a friend when the friend asked, “When is it ok to just be? Can’t I just live a quiet life?”

The song “It’s Okay to Live a Quiet Life” is Witmer’s response to that question, an encouragement to his friend, and all of us, to pause and take the time we need to regroup. “It’s okay to disappear for a while if you need,” Witmer sings, setting the admonition to a backdrop of quiet and consistent strumming and a gently playing piano.

“So much of our energy is spent trying to separate the signal from the noise,” says Witmer, “You don’t have to prove a thing to yourself or anyone.”

“For A” is the side A to a double single, which is two versions of the same song – one for each of Witmer’s children. Produced and performed by Witmer with help from Thomas Bartlett (Doveman, Sufjan Stevens, Taylor Swift), this single is Witmer’s first new official release since 2020’s American Foursquare.

Carrie & Lowell Live

April 17th, 2017 , by

Performed November 9, 2015 at North Charleston Performing Arts Center in South Carolina.

Read the Rest...

I Had Grown Wild

April 21st, 2015 , by

Limited Edition (500) Translucent Blue vinyl available Fall 2015.

I Had Grown Wild is the cumulative EP in a series of releases that began in 2014, and is the followup to the success My Brightest Diamond’s 2014 full-length This Is My Hand. This EP of six tracks includes two new original songs from MBD, and a remix of “This Is My Hand” in both English and French.

The EP begins with a minimalist but driving remix of the LP’s title track, “This Is My Hand,” sung in French. “Say What”, inspired by a poem by Staceyann Chin, recontextualizes images from Billy Holiday’s “Strange Fruit” and issues a challenge to compare and contrast the experience of black and white Americans. Continuing on the subject of children, “Bronze Head” lets off the steam with text taken directly from William Butler Yeats’ poem by the same name. Birth, the body, and the afterlife all take their places on this EP, with the concluding song “Apparition”. Since first singing Stephane (2 accents needed) Mallarme’s poem set by Claude Debussy for the song cycle “Quatre chansons de jeunesse” in college when she was studying classical voice, Shara fell in love with the image of the ghost who with glowing hair who leaves behind a trail of white bouquets of perfumed stars.

Bonus tracks include an English version of the remix of “This Is My Hand,” and a remix of “Lover Killer” by The Hood Internet.

Blue Blades Acoustic Sessions

March 3rd, 2015 , by

Taking a selection of songs from their latest LP, Fumes, Lily & Madeleine have recorded acoustic versions for their new EP, Blue Blades. These acoustic songs highlight the sister-duo’s ever enchanting blood-harmony. Blue Blades includes five tracks from their sophomore LP, Fumes, as well as their version of Alex Turner’s, of the Arctic Monkeys,  “Stuck on the Puzzle.”

Lily & Madeleine (Acoustic Sessions)

July 8th, 2014 , by

MP3 is 320kbps and is emailed upon purchase.

Go back to the beginning, when it was just a piano, guitar and two undiscovered voices. This stripped down form lends itself to the elegance and power of sister’s, Lily & Madeleine Jurkiewicz, dynamic voices. The beautiful simplicity of acoustic recordings helped the sisters reach viral fame in 2012 and will now be featured on Lily and Madeleine Acoustic Sessions.

All while recording and releasing two albums, The Weight of the Globe EP and Lily & Madeleine LP, touring Europe and the US, the songstress sisters have been recording acoustic versions of their hits. Lily & Madeleine Acoustic Sessions is an intimate reworking of previous tracks, and a striking cover of “Sea of Love” by Phil Phillips, popularized by Cat Power.

The songs on Lily & Madeleine Acoustic Session trigger profound emotional effects. The shimmering recollections of that summer, that girl, that kiss, the scent of that evening air, the heat of those afternoons, all float in and out of consciousness as these songs play, transporting you to the world inside you that knows everywhere you have been, but that does not know time, or its passage, or its end.