The Story Behind Winteresque – Part 2

So, I thought we were ready to go to work on yet another album. That’s how things had worked between Branches and Telltale Heart, there hadn’t been much of a break. I had the songs…now hit it!

Kickstart Winteresque with us!

I even started a Kickstarter project in anticipation of starting the album. I was playing with a great six piece band, getting good gigs, doing radio interviews. Life was good.

It was good, but in some ways paper thin. The band was superb, but all part of other projects as well, and over a few months they mostly drifted into other backing bands. The Kickstarter didn’t really “kickstart.” It went splat. It turns out these crowd-sourcing tools work great if you have a crowd ready to give. I didn’t. Then…my brother got engaged. A happy event…but a death knell for Winteresque happening in 2010.

Fortunately I had plenty of shows lined up at coffee houses and small venues…and I could always go back to looping with the Boss RC-50 Loopstation. Still, I was ready to record…so I decided to take a step of audacity.

I would write and record an album of “new” material while waiting until we could work on Winteresque. Thus, the idea for the “Modern Saints EP” was born.

Read on to Part 3 or the Winteresque saga. (coming soon)

The Story Behind Winteresque – Part 1

I originally planned on recording the Winteresque album over a year ago, but life got in the way.

After the release of the Telltale Heart EP (which was a fabulous success) I started writing a batch of new songs. When I write songs they usually come fast and furious, and before too long a theme emerges. This central thesis acts as a centrifugal force, pulling the album together, each song finding its own seat. This creates albums which are cohesive, but not caught up with all weight the concept album.

The central theme finally caught my eye in the corner of my writing journal; it was a simple Haiku I had previously written.

Autumn’s light will fail.

Long white sheets on a pale field.

Will we bloom again?

All of a sudden, the lens focused…Winteresque is a journey from autumn, through the dark of winter, and into the hope of spring. I started seeing elements of this journey in the other songs I’d write. Each song started informing the others on how they fit into the big idea; the puzzle pieces began falling into place. I wrote six songs and created acoustic demos to share with my brother, Scott Gratton who engineered and produced the previous Finn Miles EPs.

I felt like I was on track…but then something happened. (To be continued in Part 2)

Grand Opening: Alpha Omega Gallery in Prineville

I was recently asked to provide music for the opening of a new art gallery in Prineville, the Alpha Omega gallery. Always willing to play surrounded by visual art, I tucked the Boss RC-50 Loopstation under my arm and created ambiance for the gallery’s grand opening.

We’re finally getting some gigs under our belt here in Oregon, enjoying meeting other musicians, visual artists, and creative people.

Have you seen a Finn Miles show in Oregon yet? Check out the tour page and find us at a Central Oregon venue near you!

Acoustic Lunch at Wellspring

Oh rainy days! It was warm at Wellspring, sharing the stage with Tyke for a very special lunch show in Clive, IA. At the beginning of my set I had an older couple walk up to me (while I was singing) and nod, saying “You’re good.” Then they sauntered off to browse in the rest of the bookstore. Such encouragement is well received!

Finn Miles Pictures from the Food for Haiti Benefit at the Vaudeville Mews

Josh Larson of Godatplay.com (interactive visuals) and Paul Gratton of Finn Miles (+boss loop station) performed on April 3rd for the ‘Food for Haiti’ benefit at the Vaudeville Mews in Des Moines, IA. Below are just a few of the stunning pictures of the collaboration.

On our day off…

Sometimes we need a break from the music…and that’s when things get really ridiculous.

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