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Native Window, a new group comprised of 4 of the 5 members of THE American prog-rock group Kansas, released their debut CD on June 23rd. The CD was co-produced by ARH’s Steve Rawls and was recorded at Real 2 Reel Studios. Some songs were written by outside writers but about half of the songs on the CD were co-written by Native Window and Steve Rawls. Ward Abel also co-wrote one of the songs and Sloan Hayes played keys on one track.
The debut CD features 10 songs and is released on the StarCity Records label (Jeff Glixman) and distributed by Sony. “We hope the CD gets a lot of attention. It’s full of great music and great performances.” Rawls said. The group is comprised of drummer Phil Ehart, guitarist Rich Williams, singer/bassist Billy Greer and violinist David Ragsdale.
Native Window picks up where Kansas left off musically and makes a few diversions as well. All this happened despite the band and Rawls being uncertain what the material would ultimately sound like. "That was the exciting part...we had no idea what Native Window would sound like! We had one criteria - the song had to sound good acoustically. If it sounded good with just acoustic guitar and vocals, then we developed it from there." said Ehart.
Questions came up about the group's vocal and lyrical makeup, but once again, everything fell into place. "We could all carry a tune and sing in pitch, but could we actually sound good together? It took some work to get over the hump of singing harmonies, but once we did, you couldn't shut us up! The lyrics were a total group effort. Someone would have a title, a one liner, a chorus, and the lyrics just sprung from there. Sometimes Billy would have a bunch of lyrical ideas, and we'd brainstorm from there."
When asked to pick a favorite track of the album, Ragsdale had difficulty limiting it to just one. "All of them, and why not? I really like the mood of 'Miss Me', and how it develops and returns. 'Blood In the Water' makes me grin a bit as well." Greer offered his own praise about the project, as well. "The writing and recording process on this project was more rewarding and fun than any I have been involved in a very long time. Vocally, this was one of the most challenging and rewarding CD's I have ever recorded!"
OTHER LINKS |
The End Of Rock And Roll As We Know It
The new CD from Abel, Rawls & Hayes is available! The CD features 12 songs showcasing the group's versatility and range. You can listen to or purchase the CD here. MP3s may be purchased at CD Baby or on iTunes. Subscribe to our email list to stay updated on the latest happenings with ARH.
Songs on the new CD are:
1 - The End Of Rock And Roll As We Know It
2 - Play Me
3 - Doin' To Me
4 - Glory II
5 - Church Of You
6 - A Song I'll Write Tomorrow
7 - Sweet And Low
8 - Crawford County
9 - Ok To Cry
10- Too Much Of A Good Thing
11- Everything Is Temporary
12- My Soul
ARH brought in a few friends to help on the CD.
The featured players on The End Of Rock And Roll As We Know It are:
Calvin Kelley - percussion and drums, Mickey Wade - drums, Bill Turpin - dobro and bass,
Tommy Strain, Jody Worrell, Jonathan Beckner - electric guitar
Click to read more or listen to the CD.
