As a multitalented musician — a soundtrack composer, rock guitarist, and solo guitarist, among other things — it was nonetheless an exciting turn when the Bay Area (by way of NC) artist Chuck Johnson released Balsams, an album of pedal steel compositions that invented what Pitchfork rightly deemed a new genre unto itself: “country post-rock.” This being the annual Three Lobed Recordings / WXDU Hopscotch Afternoon Jamboree at King’s in Raleigh, NC, Johnson did the only-partly-expected, playing a Balsams track, “Riga Black,” but reworking the original into an extended ambient meditation. There’s an undeniable grace and peace to the work that melded perfectly with the afternoon’s inclusive, forward-looking vibe. We never miss a chance to see Chuck in action, and Balsams is yet another evolution the career of a gifted and visionary artist.
I recorded this set with Schoeps MK4V microphones onstage plus a soundboard feed of Evan Lamb’s house mix. The sound quality is outstanding! Note: If you purchased an earlier version (before 10/1/2017) of this from bandcamp, go back and snag this version, as it has been re-mastered to remove some glitches from the original.
Chuck performs at the Ambient Church in Brooklyn this Friday with Windy & Carl. Check it out.
Chuck Johnson
2017-09-08
Three Lobed / WXDU Hopscotch Afternoon Jamboree
King’s
Raleigh, NC USA
Schoeps MK4V (onstage, DFC)>KCY>Z-PFA + Soundboard (engineer: Evan Lamb)>Zoom F8 (24bit/48kHz WAV files)>Adobe Audition CC
(align, mix down, compression)>Izotope Ozone 5 (EQ, effects)>Audacity 2.0.5 (track, amplify, dither)>FLAC ( level 8 )
Tracks
01 Riga Black
PLEASE SUPPORT Chuck Johnson: Buy this recording via the bandcamp link above, and buy his other recordings on his bandcamp page | Buy Balsams via an independent retailer
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