Nada Alic
Feb 28th, 2011
Feb 28th, 2011
The Mixtape Series Presents: Joel P. West Mix 18.0
album artwork by Chadwick Gantes
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Joel P. West is a mild force, dressed in the same clothes as you and I yet just about as different and striking as a quiet book whose words alter the course of your days and weeks without much awareness of the subtle change. He writes songs, yet what removes him from the sticky lump of the genre, the “singer-songwriter” the indie-folk-so and so’s is that over a few years time, he’s managed to cultivate a community of loving friends, fans he can nearly call by name. He’s done it with intimate house shows peppered around San Diego, inventive displays and frequent inclusion of artists of all kinds to fit into his calculated patchwork of art and music, and as of recent, the expansion into a full band, The Tree Ring, led by strings and instruments of all sorts, elevating his minimalist man-and-guitar act into his own orchestra, with their new record called Generous Shadows.
You may not know his name, but his recent record release packed out the house leaving a lengthy trail of the eager many, wanting to exist in that space with other bodies, all of which have been transported into a meditative state- redwood forests, a winter cabin, a long stretch up the Pacific Coast. Dreamlike states that manifest only to the sound of a falling and rising violin.
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It’s been a real pleasure to come in and out of San Diego finding a few constants, Joel P. West with always something new to offer, The Tree Ring being his most generous contribution. If you haven’t heard their new album yet, go here and give it a listen, I highly recommend it. I recently invited Joel to make a mix, and this is what he said:
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“When I got up to make this mix it was the kind of grey day where morning arrives slowly and lasts until the sun goes down. For me, those days are really conducive for writing and working on art or music – there’s a softness to everything and I am less aware of time passing so I can get lost in my surroundings and let my mind run. This is a mix of songs to accompany or replicate those cloudy feelings.”
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12 HOUR MORNING- MIX. 18
Castle Time – Chris Garneau
Somehow To Keep It Going – Cotton Jones
Wolves – Phosporescent
Living Without You – Randy Newman
My Plants Are Dead – Blonde Redhead
Your Sweet Love – Lee Hazlewood
Maple Leaves – Jens Lekman
Peace of Mind – Neil Young
Blood Bank – Loch Lomond
Beauty – The Shivers
I’ll Keep It With Mine – Nico
Not Dark Yet – Bob Dylan
The Meaning of the Ritual – Villagers
Bad Dreams – Damien Jurado
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DOWNLOAD THE MIX HERE:
