With summertime nigh, it becomes the perfect moment to offer an update of the latest goings-on here at the Church of Hed.

New Church of Hed Projects proceed Swimmingly

Not surprisingly, I’ve roped myself into working on two projects simultaneously, with both seeing significant progress worthy of reporting. Our next album is more of a beat-laden work with shorter pieces; it’s similar to Electric Sepulcher in that regard. I wake up in the A.M. and compose a beat…

Beats are arriving from everywhere — hardware drum machines, human playing, iOS apps — whatever channels the Muse. There are now more inspired ideas than necessary, which bodes well for filling-out future seasonal EPs. Riffs and melodies bubble up and are usually captured. I expect to be able to release a single by the end of this year, with the full album arriving sometime in 2018 — hopefully early. Stay tuned.

The other album, known as The Father Road, is the sequel to our Rivers of Asphalt release. This time out, we travel the Lincoln Highway from San Francisco to New York City. The basic musical motifs and interludes for the entire journey are now composed, and some of them are actually recorded. I am a little more focused on the “beat-laden project” for the time-being, so expect The Father Road to be released in 2019. I expect to rope a few special guests to help on this project, so that may delay its eventual release as well.

Needless to say, I’m happy with the progress on both fronts. While we’d love to have a full album out in 2017, the Muse remains the ultimate arbiter of release dates. So there.

I’m a KAT Official Artist!

Alternate Mode, the fine purveyor of electronic percussion equipment, produces the TrapKAT, which has been an essential part of my studio and live setup for years. The company recently anointed me as an Official KAT ARTIST. Check out the short interview and such. B’boom! Guys, I’d love a MalletKAT if you have one to spare!

Church of Hed Interview in Inside the Rift with a Special Remix

Inside the Rift is an excellent online resource covering music (predominately of the electronic form) in addition to other takes on the nexus between art, intellectualism, and business. Prox interviewed me for the magazine a few weeks ago. I also produced a special exclusive remix as part of the fun. Said remix, Caesar Grinder Salad, mashes up the old Quarkspace tracks Recaesarian and Astral Grinder into one freaked-out whole. I had loads of fun putting this together, despite my left-hand almost dying when doing the e-piano bass line on the weighted keys. First world problems.

That’s about it for this month’s edition of the news. I will shout out when anything else newsworthy happens.

P.S. — I’ve been working on live versions of some of the Church of Hed material primarily for practice purposes, but hope to record video of the in-studio fun for public consumption. As I don’t want to schlep gear around anymore, hate driving any farther than 20 miles at a time, and I can’t afford roadies, this would be the closest to a live show we’re willing to perform. Stay tuned, again.