Portobello Mushroom is a snapshot. A snapshot of where my headspace, my curiosity with guitar, my interest in distortion and my love for the craft of songwriting found itself moving from the end of 2021 into 2022. I didn't want to be something I wasn't. I just wanted to experiment, have fun, and simply play what excited me. In doing that I found a sense of freedom. I could talk about my anxieties, God, love, heartache and anything else that entered my psyche. It was wacky, but made me feel like I didn't have to abide by any rules.
I could do whatever I wanted.
All of these songs started with me singing and playing the guitar. Whether it be lyrics created on the fly during the take or written the night before, I just recorded myself playing the songs. No click. No band. No accompaniment. Something I hadn't really done before...
From there, the arrangements began to grow, changing a solo performance into what felt more like a painting. A piece that incorporated interestingly unusual elements to further enhance the listening experience.
Then, when the tracking was all said and done with, I destroyed the audio. I ran it through various tape machines, and sources of distortion. Anything I found that I felt added to the mysterious quality of the recordings. Maybe to make it sound a little ambiguous. A little soupy. A swampy mash stemming from a song sweet enough to pull you through the layers.
Studying about "The Basement Tapes", I read that Bob Dylan and The Band wanted to make an album that sounded like something that had been burned right after it'd been finished, but somehow survived the fire. I really liked the idea of making something not necessarily intended for an audience. Just made for the fun of making it.
So, here it is... Portobello Mushroom.
Thanks for showing interest in my new project and checking out the album!
Cheers!
- Nathan
