Music for an Unknown World Anniversary
About a year ago I released one of my most ambitious and personal projects to date: a vinyl album entitled Music for an Unknown World. Ambitious because it involved licensing existing songs and compiling & pressing them into a vintage package that encompassed 1950s & 60s exotica, garage rock, pop, soul, and more. Personal because it was a tribute to my father, who passed away unexpectedly two years ago, and loved this kind of music and the work I did.
He was excited years ago when I was working on another vinyl project and disappointed when it had to be cancelled due to rights issues. I remember he was visiting and we were in Cleveland, and my dad insisted on stopping in to see Gotta Groove Records, who would have been pressing that album, because he thought it was so cool that people were listening to vinyl again.
My dad passed along his love of old movies and rock & roll to me and this album is a tribute to him. I tried to create the kind of album that he'd want to listen to, even if I couldn't afford his favorite band, the Rolling Stones.
To date I’ve sold a little more than half of the 500 records that were pressed by the good folks at Third Man Detroit, who could not have been nicer in walking me through the process, even giving me a tour of their amazing facility when I went to pick up the records. Equally kind were the folks at the Numero Group and Secretly who guided me through the process of licensing songs and masters and helped me put together the album entirely from the Numero catalog.
This album is a real labor of love but I also think it’s a fun listen. It moves between different styles while always keeping in mind the goal of transporting you to another world, with sounds and vibes from the 1950s and 60s. Plus it's printed on rad clear green vinyl.
I’m very proud of Music for an Unknown World and would love for you to check it out. It’s still available for sale on my website (click here to purchase) or in the Studio, and I’ll have some copies with me to sell at Crafts and Drafts: Local Love this Sunday at East End Brewing. And if you want to sample before you buy, links are below to listen on various streaming platforms.
Thanks Dad, for the music, for the movies, for everything. Let’s get to an unknown world.
