I’ve been working for a while on a 3 song EP called Pearl Blue. I’ve decided to release the first two songs individually and then the third song along with the entire collection last. That final release will happen April 5th. For the time being, check out the first single “Blue Pearl” (yes, it’s the name of the EP with the words reversed!). This song and the other two in the collection were me getting back to my heavier rock roots while maintaining the vocal softness and lyrical introspection of my more recent acoustic work.
A recording of my piece Seven Steps for alto saxophone and playback, featuring saxophonist Dylan Ward, was released in July on Neuma Records. The work was written specifically for Dylan, and we had a lot of fun collaborating on it! Check it out at Dylan’s bandcamp page or any streaming platform.
The piece was my most far-reaching experiment with polyrhythm and polymeter to date, and Dylan absolutely nailed it! I’ve made a score video to help those interested get an idea of the different rhythms involved (see below).
Concept/background:
Seven Steps is a concept piece based on the notion from Gnostic creation myth of the physical world as a skewed or imperfect reflection of the spiritual world. In a manner representing the emanation of the Aeons, each of the eight sections of the piece gives way to or "steps into" the next by means of a metric modulation -- the tempo established forms a numeric ratio with the previous tempo. A metrically constant "timekeeper" track runs through all eight sections, providing a constant pulse against which these increasingly complex ratios are perceived. The final step into the last section brings about a ratio of 64:63 of the timekeeper to the new tempo. This effect, combined with the return of the thematic material from the beginning (now a perfect fifth away and with a very similar but slightly off tempo), produces an "imperfect copy" of the original section. The original and its imperfect copy now play simultaneously in a kind of out-of-sync resonance.
Credits:
Dylan Ward - Alto saxophone
Kenneth Michael Florence - Guitars, piano/keyboards, programming
Dylan Ward's website: dylan-ward-saxophone.squarespace.com
Another long break with no updates. I’ve basically been silent on here for the duration of the pandemic. But I’ve been steadily chugging along, so here are some highlights of what I’ve been up to.
Most recently I collaborated on a track with my good friend Jacuzzi Jefferson called “Numbers That Don’t Divide.” He’s a member of the group Pool Cosby, whom I’ve collaborated with before. I always have a great time working with him. We made a video for the song — Joe (Jacuzzi Jefferson) blew me away with his video editing abilities.
Before that, the EP I produced for the band Tree Hollow came out. The EP is called “Shrouded in Such Color”, and I have to say it turned out quite beautifully. Here’s a video for one of the songs called “No Funeral” :
Steadily over the past two years, Jenna and the Janes (a band I play in and produce) has been putting out quite a few singles. Here’s a video for one of them:
Last year I wrote a piece for my saxophonist friend Dylan Ward. The piece, called Seven Steps, is for alto sax and playback. Featuring heavily layered polyrhythms and polymeter, it’s structured around increasingly complex numeric ratios and as a whole is a symbolic representation of the Valentinian Gnostic creation myth. Dylan is planning to release the recording as part of a larger set, so stay tuned for that.
Additionally, I’ve been writing a lot. I started a blog where I write about topics such as religion, spirituality, metaphysics, epistemology, symbolism, media theory, and culture. These are the things I’m thinking about when I’m not working or making music. I’ve also recently contributed a few articles to The Symbolic World blog, a blog centered around Christian symbolism, hosted on the website of symbolism expert and icon carver Jonathan Pageau. So far I’ve contributed articles on Joan of Arc, the Green Knight, and the plant symbolism in the Bible.
My band King Jane just put out a video from a live recording session we did back in February at the Safehouse in Manhattan. This song “Little Devil” is a brand new one, featuring yours truly on lead vocals. Excited to get back into the studio to record it for our next EP! More videos from this session to come.
The debut single Watching News from Jenna & The Janes is out now on all streaming platforms! Jenna will be releasing one single per month through the end of 2020 and then putting out the entire collection as an album. This is one of the most rewarding projects I’ve ever been a part of—a breathtakingly beautiful amalgam of heartfelt folk balladry, 90s inspired dream-pop, and lush verbed-out country. I’m super grateful to have had the opportunity to produce it. Give her a listen here!
Music
It’s been way too long (over a year!) since I last gave an update on stuff I’ve been working on. A lot has happened since then. I’ll see if I can recollect it all here.
Firstly, back in August of 2019 my band King Jane released our debut EP Deep in the Garden.
Here’s a track from the EP I wrote and sing lead on:
A year ago this month, I co-produced a track called Break Through for NYC-based electronic trio Pool Cosby. I had a lot of fun writing the string ensemble arrangement and playing guitar on this track, which was just released two weeks ago on their album Day Breaks. The song began as an instrumental and took on an eclectic dimension with the addition of vocals from guest artist Soren Bryce.
Off and on for the past year or so I’ve been working on the score for a short documentary called The John Budin Story, a story about a prominent psychologist’s own personal journey with bipolar disorder. The film is currently in the last stages of post production and should be finished within the next month.
Since my last update I’ve been working whenever time permits on an absolutely gorgeous record for my friend and bandmate Jenna Smith. The financial and scheduling limitations inherent to the DIY recording process have made producing this record somewhat of a long and arduous process; but we’re nearing the finish line! In a few weeks Jenna will release the album’s first single Watching News on all streaming platforms. Her plan is to release one single per month for the remainder of 2020 and put the whole collection out as a full album under the title Earth Dog Year in December. This is one of the most rewarding projects I’ve ever been a part of—a breathtakingly beautiful amalgam of heartfelt folk balladry, 90s inspired dream-pop, and lush verbed-out country. I’m super excited to soon be able to present the fruits of our labor!
Here’s an Instagram video of me working on a song from the record:
Tree Hollow’s latest single Living Proof
Last but not least on the music front, I’ve been working on producing an EP for Tree Hollow—the moody, haunting, psychedelic-folk project of Phil Ling. Phil is a good friend of mine, and we’d been meaning to collaborate for many years. Back in late summer of 2019 Phil asked me if I’d be interested in producing his next EP. He knew he wanted to do something different from his first release Drown in the Moon, a collection of six delicately poignant folk songs more or less straightforwardly arranged. He sent me a demo of the first song Clouds That Pass, knowing that the song needed cello and perhaps some guitar from me. I set to work demoing out some of my ideas for the song, and before we knew it the recording session, set to eventually take place in November at La La Land Studios in Louisville, was nearly upon us. Up until a few days before the session Phil was sending me sketches of the other songs. At that point I knew that the success of the EP would ultimately rely on any chemistry Phil’s band and I could strike up on the spot in the studio. And what a chemistry did we strike! Over the four days of the session, the talents, ideas, and styles of all the music-makers involved gelled into a perfect synergy of emergent magic, and we left with the feeling that we had really accomplished what Phil had intended to do: to make a beautiful, compelling, and totally unique piece of art.
The EP, as of yet untitled, is currently being mixed. Be on the lookout for it in the next two months!
Other Recent Work
I recently started a YouTube channel on lucid dreaming and astral projection (wake-induced lucid dreaming). My first video for the channel is this astral projection tutorial:
I also recently finished a substantial essay synthesizing some of the major philosophical threads I’ve been pursuing for the past few years. Topics covered include Gnosticism, psychedelics, the nature of language, and Jungian philosophy.
My solo EP Seconds to Dawn is out now! Currently available as a digital release, you can check it out on my Bandcamp page. You can also find it on Spotify, iTunes, Google Play, etc.
This record took a long time to make. Pieced together over the course of nearly two years, in little stints between other projects, it slowly took form and eventually crystallized into the digital object I now set free unto you. It’s been nearly a decade since I last released an official collection of songs. It feels good to put something out again. Most importantly, I’m super happy with the way it turned out and immensely grateful to all the fine folks who lent their invaluable talents to these songs.
Today I finished the cover art for my solo acoustic EP “Seconds To Dawn.” It’s now all set for a November 16 release! Look for it on Spotify, iTunes, Google Play, etc.
I’m pleased to announce that as of last weekend, my solo EP Seconds To Dawn has been completed. The final mixes are bounced and ready for mastering! I’ll be shooting for a mid-to-late fall release, so keep an eye out. For the time being I’m only planning to release it digitally but am considering a limited supply vinyl pressing should the circumstances become allowing. Artwork coming soon!
Lots in the works at the moment!
I recently finished tracking my solo acoustic EP Seconds to Dawn and am in the process of mixing, mastering, and designing the album art. The EP will feature six songs recorded over the past year and half--five original and one cover. Sparse instrumentation and fleeting moods combine with a more personal, intimate lyrical style than anything I've done before. Feeling really good about this one! Look for it in early fall 2018.
King Jane is about halfway through tracking a 4 song EP. Between the three songwriters of the group, a wide range of stylistic ground is explored (all united by the slickest snare sound you ever heard--courtesy of mixing engineer Neal Shaw).
Jenna and The Janes also recently finished up a great weekend in the studio recording our first full length album. Both this and the King Jane EP will be out by the end of 2018.
About two weeks ago I finished the score for the film Parallel Parking directed by North Carolina based film maker Aby Rao. This was a rather large project, taking me seven months to complete. It was also my first feature length film, and I'm really pleased with how it turned out! I'll be posting the full soundtrack to my SoundCloud soon.
Finally, I've embarked on a collaborative endeavor with sample-based electronic trio Pool Cosby. I'll be providing guitar, orchestrations, and production direction for an upcoming release. At this point, we're not sure what final form this collaboration will take, but so far it's been super fun for me to work on something outside my comfort zone. The combination of our disparate approaches to music is making for a really eclectic sound that's way different than any of us on our own.
Cheers,
Kenny