Art As Catharsis is proud to announce the release of The Grass’ debut record, “Porch” – a heady mix of Spacious, guitar-driven Folk tracks.
Drawing inspiration from Afro Guitar Music – and artists like Toumani Diabaté, Ali Farka Touré, Ralph Mooney, The Necks and Daniel Lanois – Cameron Undy and Ollie Thorpe unite to fuse harmonic simplicity and Experimentalism with some unique string work. A mutual love and respect of African rhythm and Irish choral hymns drive this subtle music, leaving listeners adrift within a range of style, influence and technique.
“The coupling was inspired by Ollie coming to one of my solo performances and him digging the sounds I was making,” begins Undy. “We decided that rather than me explaining my perhaps dry, algorithmic methods, he’d be free to play his own impression of what he heard me doing. The result was immediately exciting, with Ollie’s lush, shimmering backdrop on the pedal steel against my rhythmic, muted string guitar playing. So we decided to hit the studio.”
As both the leading single and the record’s title track, “Porch” gives the feeling of sitting back and watching the world slowly unfold from the front of one’s house. Each note grows the track out in either slow, stretching slide guitar notes or through calm acoustic plucks. Contrast is key to the song; the balance between surreal warping instrumentals and intimate plucks and buzzes from the strings creates the feeling of being caught between two worlds, watching in weightlessness as the song drifts towards its end.
“The first time we played this piece. it emerged from just playing two chords out of time as we acquainted ourselves with each other,” begins guitarist Cameron Undy. “We had never played together before. It was pouring with rain outside and the water hitting the corrugated iron awning out the front of my house and dripping/running off onto the ground was making a collection of fast and slow rhythms/sounds that was somehow perfect and summoned up an image of being on a porch somewhere. I had recorded the play and so that sound/image/feeling became fixed in our minds. The next time we played it rained again! The image really solidified for us and just added to the peaceful, calming vibe of the music.“
With six tracks spanning close to a total of 36 minutes, “Porch” is digestible, intriguing and marks the beginning of a promising collaboration between Undy and Thorpe. Theirs is a form of folk that will catch the ears of those who both appreciate a challenge to Folk Instrumentalist formula and lush progressions, leaving many satisfied in their wake.
The Grass‘ debut album “Porch” is out 24 February on Art As Catharsis. Their first single (also named Porch) sees release on 27 January.
About the artists:
Cameron Undy is a prominent Jazz bassist leaning towards the Avant-Grade and Experimental having taken the stage with Australian greats from Bernie McGann, Paul Grabowsky, Mark Simmonds and Mike Nock to international legends Pharaoh Sanders, Sam Rivers and Don Pullen. A deep love of African musical heritage has been poured into his recent transition to musically expressing on guitar which seems inherent in his most recent work.
Oliver Thorpe is a multi instrumentalist, prominently known for his guitar and vocal work, over a wide range of musical genres. In recent years a deep love and respect of traditional country music led him to the pedal steel guitar, of which he is a regular in the studio and on stage with Australian greats Tim Freedman and Ian Moss.
His Jazz and improvising music upbringing has led him down a much less orthodox pedal steel path. This project is certainly a reflection of Thorpe’s path on the eclectic instrument.