It's Finally Here: Pre Spring

Pre Spring: Pre Collective Volume I

Pre Spring is finally here. My first release of 2024, the collaborative mixtape recorded at my parents’ home in Nevada City. They graciously allowed me to occupy their house with 19 close friends and transform my childhood living room and my dad’s wood shop into recording spaces with the goal of making an album for my birthday.

photography by Gabriel Antonio

Coming out of the brutal winter of 2022, Pre Spring was our first glimpse into social gatherings that didn’t require masks (although we did Covid test). Out of this grey space we played, we meditated, we wrote, and we recorded Pre Spring; the amalgamation becoming a 30 minute sound piece of songs, field recordings, and experimental audio that lives somewhere in between those poles.

The living room and shop were the primary writing and recording areas but we spilled out onto the patio when the weather would allow us.

We ate, cohabited, created, communed and shared a silent dinner - a relief from the sensory build up exacerbated by the complete lack of physical musical connection of the early years of the pandemic.

The silent dinner can be heard in “Glaciers (silent dinner)” - track six. The rules were no talking. We of course recorded the sound of this and layered it over one of our songs. The colorful, coursed dinner was a food collaboration and experience between my sisters and friends.

The enormity of trying to tell the story of this event has been disheartening at times but finally I’m submitting to the current and letting spring happen.

Here are a few slides that explain this more pictorially for those who prefer the infographic explanation:

Perhaps the ambiguous nature of this collection of audio is what made it so difficult to categorize and release. And perhaps its been hard to fully hang up the mask. Regardless, I successfully found several roadblocks. Friends and family provided the perfect constructive tension to finish out the vision of the project. The undertaking was enormous but the vibes remained undoubtably good. Finally, I made it here and am proud of what we made together.

This can probably be seen most clearly in the final anthemic moments of “Keeping the Trust” - the climactic moment that all attendees of Pre Spring united to make a no good ruckus sound bath to contrast the warm close melodies of Marissa Dietz (Sucker Crush), Geoff Saba (Forest Floor) and Kabir Kumar (Sun Kin).

You can see it on my face (in the noise making section) - the pure joy of making and recording music with my friends. You’d think that sharing it when it’s done would come naturally…

Sharing my own musical creations is not always my strong suit and this public posting is an attempt at that through my love of story telling. And I would’ve succeed in releasing this album before the dawn of spring had I not been focussing on assembling the DI LEO live band. After arranging six original songs and a cover of “Norwegian Wood” by the Beatles, we performed a short performance at Berkeley Art House Gallery in April. Some of you may have signed your name in my guest book and as a result are reading these words (great job welcome aboard!). Here’s a little blip of a tune called “Currents” - a tune I wrote back in my San Francisco era (think Edwards Crossing). It’s about submitting to the way of things and allowing the world to unfold as it should. Or as it will.

I’m happy to report the recording of this tune will be available later this year…

The story of Pre Spring can’t be told without the consideration of the body of work that surrounds it. Both my Pre Winter Recital fundraiser and the follow up Pre Summer event in 2023 were illustrative of what I find most important about music. The collection of people, talents, attitudes all combine for these precious moments. The art of recording attempts to capture them. Music is my favorite art and is always better when it’s shared. I was proud of the connections made at Pre Spring. Several of the attendees didn’t know each other at the time, but seeing their connections and collaborations since warms me to my musical core. To the part of me that wants to share the joy of music with the world. Pre Summer was no different but that’s for another time.

Needless to say, I’m grounded in this moment. This email newsletter, the DI LEO live band, and of course Pre Spring all mark an exciting new era. I’m full of gratitude for the opportunity to share my musical creations with you. I sincerely hope I can bring some emotion to your world and some release to your tension. Allowing me to open the window to my creativity is an absolute honor. Thank you