Lunar Prairie, by Lunar Prairie

Lunar Prairie

by Lunar Prairie

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With stunning images both from the artists and of the artists. Music and color from us to you. If ordered before release date, will ship on or before April 26, 2024.

Includes unlimited streaming of Lunar Prairie via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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1.	Line of Totality 04:54		buy track
2.	Tidal Shift 03:42		buy track
3.	Eagle Moon 03:15		buy track
4.	Slow Rebound 04:54		buy track
5.	Shadow Ellipse 04:23		buy track
6.	Somnambulance (live at Minto) 03:48	info	buy track
7.	Lunar Prairie 02:13		buy track
8.	Enchain (live at Minto) 04:42	info	buy track
9.	The Tidal Record 03:19		buy track
10.	Astral Clarity 04:10		buy track

about

"The insistent bass notes of 'Slow Rebound' underlie melodic passages in a recording so clean that it feels as if the musicians are playing live in the room. Feels like where the prairie opens up into a forever sky…."

Tracy Schoenle, former editor of Cricket Magazine

"Even with the sitar making it sound non-Western, there is quite an Americana feel to the music, in so much as I know about these things. Two men finger-picking away on a guitar and a sitar, and this seems smooth and well-spent. The music sounds very much composed and has a strong melodic touch to each of the ten pieces. Lovely stuff, I admit..."

Vital Weekly, Issue 1432

Drawing from the Fahey school of finger picking, David Van Auken’s unadorned guitar arrangements create an apt canvas for J.J. Gregg’s beautifully fluid sitar melodies, evoking a certain joy that permeates the duo’s stellar debut album, Lunar Prairie.

As Tracy Schoenle describes the album:

"Bright, clear, and crisp, this complementary pairing of sitar and guitar is a full-throated conversation in which neither takes a backseat. Both chatter along at a gallop, a true delight for the listener. The guitar evokes the landscape of the early American western prairie, while the sitar suggests the tinkling sounds of stars and deep eastern roots."

The members of Lunar Prairie met on SoundCloud of all things. David Van Auken, checking out some Indian Classical music, stumbled on JJ Gregg's sitar recordings whereupon JJ discovered his interest and really liked some of David's solo tracks.

As JJ describes it: "We got together a couple times in the summer of 2018. We came up with some interesting material, but things hadn't quite clicked to pursue a full scale collaboration. It was in those early days that we laid the groundwork for Line of Totality, the first track on the new album. We kept working on our individual projects, but kept in touch. David's invitation to work on one of those long lost tunes came in 2022 as he finished up his debut album release, American Harmony (on Debacle Records). David's tracks were all recorded and I added the new sitar material in the studio. A new live version of this song, Enchain, features on the new Lunar Prairie album."

After finishing Enchain in the studio, David suggested that they write some new material together. As part of JJ's PNW tour to support the release of his 2022 album, 're-cycling', David opened up for a few of his shows and we started performing together at those shows as well, adding new songs along the way. “We were having a lot of fun, crafting a sonic landscape unlike one we had experienced before. We garnered a fantastic audience response…we had momentum,” says JJ.

JJ and David started recording 'Lunar Prairie' in January of 2023 in JJ’s home studio in Salem. Some of the material they had written or refined in earlier rehearsals and some they worked on in the studio. Many of the tracks required a lot of development and rehearsal, while a couple tracks coalesced almost immediately. David experimented extensively with different guitars on different tracks, the most unusual found on the slide guitar of The Tidal Record.

After about eight sessions, they had most of the material for the album. Not quite satisfied with a few recordings, JJ and David recorded the whole performance at Minto Island Growers Farmstand in Salem in August 2023. From that show, the final two tracks were ready, Somnambulance and Enchain.

credits

released April 26, 2024

All tracks written and performed by J.J. Gregg & David Van Auken

Recorded at Resonant House in Salem, Oregon except tracks 6 & 8 recorded live at Minto Island Growers' Farmstand, all on a Zoom H6

Recordings engineered and mixed by Intangible Cat

Mastered by Mark Yoshizumi

Cover photo by David Van Auken

Lunar Prairie would like to thank:

Ustad Usman Khan, Sam Koentopp, Mike Richards, Mark Yoshizumi, Alison Perlick & Cayla Skillin- Brauchle for their guidance and support

Intangible Cat album CAT-25

©2024 Lunar Prairie & Intangible Cat

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about

J.J. Gregg Salem, Oregon

A dynamic yet meditative sitar player, J.J. Gregg performs improvised and pre-composed music. With over a decade of hands- on training in India, J.J. immerses western experimental and jazz music into the traditional world of the sitar. J.J. Gregg has performed on the sitar in India, Japan, Thailand, and throughout the U.S. He also teaches sitar & voice online & throughout the Willamette Valley. ... more

Recommendations

shows

Apr 26

Resonance Yoga Collective

Salem, OR
Apr 28

Be Yoga

Burien, WA
May 2

Artichoke Music

Portland, OR
May 4

Earth & Elevate Movement Studio

McMinnville, OR
May 8

Music Millennium

Portland, OR
May 10

KALA, Hipfish Gallery

Astoria, OR
May 11

U&I Event Center

Portland, OR

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J.J. Gregg recommends:

American Harmony
by David Van Auken

David invited me to perform on this album on 'Enchain' and the last 9 months has found us collaborating on many new songs. Check out his debut album here - lovely guitar with beautiful sound textures. J.J. Gregg
go to album
Glimmer
by Directives

'Glimmer' really shines, with tracks 1 and 4 my favorites. Lots of organic beats, with some industrial, 80's synth thrown in. A thru-line of 25 years of recording sounds from this fantastic artist! J.J. Gregg
go to album
Mt. Lookout
by The Peel

A palette of familiar sounds put to intriguing use. Check out the lead track for Side B - 'Harmonics'. J.J. Gregg
go to album

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