After years of consistent time spent touring the United States and overseas, Scott H. Biram found himself one of countless people forced to abruptly adjust in the wake of COVID-19. With his main source of income and the biggest sense of release off the table, there was really nothing left to do but go back to the drawing board, and the result of this renewed focus is his most recent release, Fever Dreams. As per usual, the lion’s share of the instrumentation is handled by Biram, but the assist list is full of talent, including Jesse Dayton, Chris Rhoades, Justin Collins and the homie Jonas Wilson. Hopefully, the pandemic and all of the ensuing fallout is temporary, and in time, we can find our way back to some sense of normalcy, but in the meantime, it’s nice to know that artists like Scott H. Biram have not been derailed from their true passions.
While some have delusional machinations of wealth, fame and influence, others are more than happy to just exist. Multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Jonas Wilson falls on the latter half of those groups, and if he didn’t have an ‘I’m just happy to be here’ anthem before, he’s certainly got one now in the form of Ruling the World, the lead single off of his upcoming full length project Science Fiction Post Blues. The song is full of lo-fi charm, which creates the perfect bed for Jonas to share his simple but powerful composition on finding balance as a spoke in the wheel. If you’re looking for a laid back, reflective summer jam, you’re in luck, and your search is over. Check it out, support if you can, and share it around for others to experience!
From the digital desk of Urban Heat‘s Jonathan K. Horstmann:
In the spring of 2020 I started working on a collection of songs with the intention of going into the studio with Jonas Wilson (Mr. Pink Records), as was our practice with previous releases. COVID-19 had other plans, and my family found itself needing to leave Texas to quarantine in North Carolina with my wife’s family. Jonas and I decided I would finish the songs remotely and send them to him for mixing. This meant driving to the East Coast in a car packed with my wife, daughter, dog, outboard studio gear and a ton of synths. Nearly 2 months later we returned to Texas with finished songs, one of those being Running Out of Time.
I think we’ve all been changed by the experience. Quarantining with your family teaches you a lot about yourself, your limits, and how to be patient. Recording on your own provides insight on your choices, how you make decisions, and how to forgive yourself.
When it came time for a video we got the band together for a socially distanced shoot. Everyone’s parts were filmed individually in a home studio and cut together. I filmed Kevin and Pax, and my wife Hannah stepped in when it came time to film my parts.
For Aaron Behrens of Ghostland Observatory, the ride that was the EDM movement was becoming a bit much. The songs were still coming, but the mood was changing. After some soul searching (and some musician searching), enter Jonas Wilson of Lomita and The White White Lights. Both amazingly talented in their own right, it’s a given that The Midnight Stroll is already making compelling music right out of the gate. Keep an eye on this band.. there are certainly good things to come.
Every knows that I’m a fan of the textured sounds, and many of the people I’m cool with are the same way. It’s through these circles that I met Jonas Wilson many years ago. An immaculate songwriter, with a production patience and sense of exploration that matches his songwriting skill, it’s always a pleasure to hear what Jonas chooses to bless us with. His latest mass undertaking will be an album created throughout the course of 2016, with the first track being The Bleeder. Dig this track, and stay tuned for the complete magnum opus, dropping this time next year!
Chief and TheDoomsdayDevice 