Columbus, Ohio based Electronic Progressive/Space Rock project Church Of Hed released the first single “Our Grandfather The Mountain” taken from upcoming new album “Under Blue Ridge Skies” on April 18, 2025. Purchase and STream the track on Bandcamp:
Church of Hed’s new track, “Our Grandfather The Mountain,” is the first single from the band’s new album, “Under Blue Ridge Skies.” The album is the third volume in the Rivers of Asphalt series, all aural travelogues along classic American roads. This time out, we journey down the Blue Ridge Parkway, a classic example of roadway design traversing through enchanted mountain vistas.
A digital release, “Our Grandfather The Mountain” is exclusively available on download in 24-bit audio from Bandcamp for $1.99. One dollar from each sale is being donated to the Bob Moog Foundation and Moogseum, located in Asheville. We are inspired to help the Moogseum in the wake of the Hurricane Helene tragedy, which also informed the music on the album.
“Our Grandfather The Mountain” focuses on a Moog Model 15 synth pattern run through a Moogerfooger MF-105S MuRF, played with a Roli Lumi Keys. The slowly building track provides a sense of motion through the Blue Ridge landscape as synths and effects pulse in and out of time with the surroundings.
Xils-Lab’s PolyM Polymoog emulation and the MoogCoast (Moog Sub37 + Make Noise 0-Coast) are sonic companions on this track. Delayed electric piano serves as the melodicist, somehow channeling an ethereal Townes Van Zandt. A sense of sadness lurks throughout the single and album itself; an obvious feeling in the wake of Hurricane Helene.
For “Under Blue Skies,” Church of Hed’s Paul Williams limits the sonic palette to an array of Moog Music created or emulated synthesizers and effects, both hardware and software. Make Noise’s 0-Coast semi-modular synth also appears, as Moog and Make Noise are both located in Asheville, North Carolina, right along the BRP. Delayed piano and electronic piano offer sometimes mournful melodies, keeping the album rooted to its mountain landscape.
Lineup:
Paul Williams / Moog Model 15 + MF-105S MuRF (both iPadOS), Moog Sub-37, Make Noise 0-Coast, Xils-Lab PolyM, Yamaha MM8, Roli Lumi Keys.