Gravy is the musical exploration of Garrett Knochenmus. This Nelson, British Columbia based musician finds inspiration for his music in the beauty of the natural landscapes in which he finds himself - the mountain peaks, river valleys, and expansive forests of interior British Columbia. Writing, recording and performing his music mostly in solitude, Gravy's music is a testament to the emotions that we experience deep within the wilderness. Mountains, Valleys, Places Between was self-recorded in a small cabin in the woods near Ymir, British Columbia. This cabin is featured on the cover art of the EP, which from the looks of it, is a classic A-frame model (got to make me one of those someday). The album was self-mixed and mastered by Garrett, and exudes an intimate sound crafted from years of playing for friends around late-night campfires and on DIY backyard stages. While stripped-down guitars and mandolins are inspired by youthful scenes of time spent in the mountains of British Columbia, the lyrics go deeper. They tell stories of love lost and solitude found, and subtly encourages the listener to chase the moments where they feel most free. Enjoy the journey!
To kick things off, the fun to pronounce first track, “Shabadoobah” begins with the sound of gentle rain falling, a full and rich acoustic and bass guitar, and then a mandolin can be heard alongside the faint sounds of chirping birds. This danceable track also features a little tambourine and harmonica for good measure. This first tune is about doing things on a whim – rambling around the countryside, climbing mountains, having a campfire and driving dirt roads. “Lost my Voice” is one of the longer tracks on the record, with more birds chirping in the background blending at the start of a more somber tune. With lower sounding guitar chords and a nice second vocal track offering nice harmonies, some mandolin comes in later, all playing along to a waltz-like rhythm. Sometime after the five-minute mark, the tempo and style of the song changes. Gravy’s rhythm and sound reminded me a little bit of the song “I Wish That I Knew What I Know Now (When I Was Younger)” aka the “Ohh La La” song. With gentle rain still being heard in the background, the next song “Wildhorse” starts in. It begins with a catchy, light acoustic riff, light mandolin accompaniment and a soft, thumping bass beat. “Play my tunes to this cabin” sings Garrett, has a sort of children’s song quality about it, that was heartwarming and happy. “I Won’t Stay” takes on a richer sound, complete with a bright electric, alongside warm acoustic and bass tones. I liked the melody with this one, as well as the addition of an electric guitar solo. Lyrically, this track seems to be about a break-up or maybe just someone leaving for a long time who couldn’t stay – “Did it hurt you to find out that I won’t stay?” The whistling at the end was a nice treat, too. Next up is “Oh My” and it’s another longer track, which sounds like it was written with the 1-2-3 waltz structure in mind. Style wise, this one felt to me more country-folk rock, like stuff that came out of the early ‘70s. For comparison, bands like Bread, America and Lobo come to mind. What I liked best on this track was the fuller sounds of the bass and the ambient sounds coming from the electric. “Sweet Mary” finds the mandolin as the main lead, with accompanied acoustic and bass. The happy sounds of that bright, little “guitar” play a catchy melody on this tune. This track also features great contrast between the main vocal and bass vocal harmony – nicely done! Overall, I thought this track was as close to a full band sound as you’ll hear from just one guy. The last number “Freebird” puts the electric upfront, with no apparent sounds of the acoustic, at least not right away. Multiple vocal tracks layered together are also one of the highlights here. I thought this last tune was Garrett’s most indie rock on the entire album, which was a nice way to change things up. As in the album’s beginning, there is more rain heard at the song’s end, which gives the album a fantastic, uninterrupted flow. Overall – a sweet, mellow album, refreshing and a perfect DIY musical journey.
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