By Devon Leger.
Seattle songwriter, guitarist, and multi-instrumentalist Eli West’s new album, Tapered Point of Stone, is coming April 23, but his new single and video for the song “Brick in the Road” is out now.
West’s a student of Pacific Northwest architecture and has preternatural ability to fuse our landscapes and natural environment into his songs. For “Brick in the Road,” though, he was inspired by some time spent in a small village in Wales while on tour. Featuring fiddler Christian Sedelmeyer, and mandolinist Andrew Marlin and bassist Clint Mullican of Mandolin Orange.
It’s always illuminating to ask an artist how they understand music, but Eli West’s perspective is nothing short of ground-breaking. A trained designer, he sees music architecturally, visualizing his compositions spatially. It’s a highly unusual way to think about music, tied to his home in the verdant natural world of the Pacific Northwest.
On his new album, Tapered Point of Stone, due out April 23, 2021, West lays out original songs and tunes like houses built by hand, weaving their melodies into the setting of acoustic roots music that first inspired him. Recorded in 2020, just before everything shut down, the album brings together West’s favoured quartet of musicians: Andrew Marlin (Mandolin Orange) on mandolin, Christian Sedelmeyer (Jerry Douglas) on fiddle, himself on mandolin, guitar, and banjo, and Clint Mullican (Mandolin Orange) on bass. Over the 13 songs and instrumental tunes, West explores the joy of communal music making and the grief of his father's recent passing. It's an intimate snapshot of a time before the world went dark and we all turned inward, and a bit of light at the end of the tunnel.
Recorded in Chapel Hill, NC with a repeat band of collaborators, Andrew Marlin (Mandolin Orange) on mandolin, Christian Sedelmyer (Jerry Douglas) on fiddle, Eli on mandolin, guitar, and banjo, and Clint Mullican (Mandolin Orange) on bass. Joseph Decosimo, Stephanie Coleman, Billy Cardine, Jens Linell and Julie Fowlis also contribute. Over the 13 songs and instrumental tunes, West explores the joy of communal music making and the grief of his father’s recent passing. Recorded last March, it’s an intimate snapshot of a time before the world went dark and we all turned inward, with a bit of light at the end of the tunnel.
Website: eliwest.com
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