I’ve got the time for a quick update on the latest goings-on here at the palatial Eternity’s Jest Records HQ. Sandstoned continues to garner great reviews and airplay from all across the word. Check out our Bandcamp page for the album to read them — and consider paying for a download or two to help support our activities. Thanks!

New Quarkspace Album Imminent!

Dink (Stan Lyon) arrived last weekend to work primarily on the next two Church of Hed albums, The Father Road and The Fourth Hour. But we also spent some time recording tracks on the soon-come Quarkspace album, All These Unfinished Suns. The key word in the album title is “Unfinished.”

Chet is in California, but would love to warp in for a recording session. Jay seems totally uninterested and won’t return repeated attempts at contact from both Darren and myself. He makes us sad. Darren would love to make it down, but family obligations and an aged truck conspire to hamper his efforts. Enter Dink.

Stan learned bass parts for Starbridge Freaks 4, All These Suns, and The Prodigal Spaceman; getting his Hugh Hopper fuzz bass action going on the latter two tracks. He nailed his tracks and I am now doing a few minor overdubs throughout — you know I had to put the Moog and Streichfett on there. Mixing commences shortly.

I expect the release to be available in mid-November. A new redesign of Quarkspace.com is also in the works. Plan on a WordPress site similar to the one you are reading.

It’s bittersweet knowing this is likely our farewell album. We worked on it off and on from 2009 to 2014. Chet hasn’t been back from Cali since late 2009, and Darren and Jay’s last appearance at the studio was in 2014. I just want people to hear it after all this time.

Special guests include Carlton Smith from the legendary Royal Crescent Mob and spacerock synthesist, Carl Howard. Carlton played kit on a couple of the improvs, allowing me to join Jay in a keyboard maelstrom. These improv sessions happened in early 2009. I guess we can count Dink as a special guest as well.

Hitting the Father Road

Church of Hed’s The Father Road is the sequel to Rivers of Asphalt. They were originally expected to be released together as a big double album. Drive Route 66 west to Los Angeles, and the Lincoln Highway east from San Francisco to New York City. My left brain always bites off more than the rest of me can chew. As such, some of the material was composed 10+ years ago; the Muse released more of it over the last few years.

Dink went hard on his bass parts and we ended up recording most of the backing tracks last weekend after the Quarkspace work. The basic composition is complete from coast to coast. Melodies and those frilly bits come next. I am taking a break to finish the Quarkspace album, but expect the Father Road sometime in the second half of 2019.

Embrace the Fourth Hour

The Fourth Hour is more of a Berlin School electronica freak out, like Brandenburg Heights or Sandstoned, but with more of an improvisational focus. Freaky improvs and beats are gradually emerging and being collected for the album. Dink and I fleshed out the interesting synth loop last weekend, now slated for The Fourth Hour.

Expect its release sometime in 2020, if not sooner. The recording and composition are more immediate compared to The Father Road.

Well, that’s all I got. As always, thanks for reading, listening, caring, and supporting!