Rebecca Dearth

New Mini Album Available, “the lilypad suite”

We have some great news! Today we would like to announce the release of the lilypad suite.

the lilypad suite is a six-song collection that was written over the last few years and recorded over the last few weeks here in Tampa at RedRoom Recorders.

Over the last few years I have been writing songs to put into my next full-length album, Disconnect which should be finished in the summer.

As I was writing the songs that would be a part of my next album, Disconnect. I noticed a consistent theme running through several of them. I assembled those songs, got the team together and decided that we would record them and release them as a separate collection. This collection has become the lilypad suite.

the lilypad suite is a collection of songs inspired by the struggle of a young girl to come to terms with the absence of her father. The character of “lilypad” is an amalgam of several people who, through the years, have shared with me the stories of their journeys from loss into understanding.

The album was produced and co-written by Dean Tidey. Dean’s experience on the London session scene and as a touring sideman for Feeder the past several years was invaluable in pushing Mark and I to try new ideas and take the songs into some amazing places. Dean also contributes a really unique set of guitar skills that fit into the songs and the live set and give even our older material a fresh and new sound.

Long time co-conspirator Mark Prator is on drums and engineered on the album as well, Mark really pushed into some new territories in his playing on this set of songs.

Joining us on bass and engineering as well is Travis Hearne. Andy Irvine also contributed bass to two tracks.

The mixing and mastering was handled by UK based Grammy winning engineer, Steven Orchard. http://www.steveorchard.com/ I can’t even begin to describe Steve’s resume, as he’s worked with so many outstanding artists — Chris Cornell, U2, Jeff Beck, Kate Bush, just to name a few. We have a common link as Steve did a good portion of engineering on the last Porcupine Tree album. Steve and Dean had worked together many times before and as we recorded the songs, Dean was able to guide us into adding elements that he knew Steve would be able to make special use of, and their years of working together really helped to take the mixing of this set of songs to a new level.

The album is available as of today for immediate download and the physical cd is available for pre-order. You can preview the tracks or purchase the album in my shop.

Welcome to the the Redroom Sessions part 2. The second video is “She Said No” from the Under the Red and White Sky album released in 94. In exploring what this song means today, I really didn’t find it wanted to be changed much. The characters have all moved on with their lives, and the story will always be with them, but the concept, the ideas of where this story came from, is being played out again and again all around me. I see it in different lives, in different circumstances, yet the path that this story follows, is still very much the same. So this song merely needed to be played again, the story re-told from the perspective of those that live it in the now. I hope you enjoy it. JW

The RedRoom sessions are a series of very raw live videos recorded in my studio, RedRoom Recorders in Tampa Florida.

I have an extensive back catalog of songs from previous albums that deal with themes running through the years and lives of myself and those that have inspired me to tell or create the stories that are encompassed within these songs.  Through the years, I have changed as a songwriter, a musician and in all aspects of my life, so I thought it would be interesting to revisit some of these songs all these years later, and find out what they mean to me now.

My intention is to look into the heart of one or two of these songs every other week or so, break them down to the barest forms and then see where they take me. Sometimes they will change, as in the very first attempt at this, “Rome Is Burning”. Looking at Rome through the lens of all those years, and then seeking to discover where those years have brought me, took the song in a new direction, a new feel and even into a new story.

You can see the “RedRoom”, at www.redroomrecorders.com, take the virtual tour, be part of the experience. Most importantly, if you like the songs, the videos, share the experience with others that may get something from listening.

So all for now, I hope you enjoy the first  song, with more to come from “The RedRoom Sessions”.

Now Available! John Wesley Live at the L’Olympia Show Released for Download

Live at the L’Olympia is now available for download!

This release is a solo acoustic performance that was recorded live at during Marillion Weekend 2009 at the Theatre L’Olympia in Montreal, Canada.

Live at the L’Olympia features 12 songs, 3 of which are the first live performance of new, previously unreleased John Wesley songs.

The price for this release is only $6. Live at the L’Olympia is only available in the John Wesley download shop. The download is available in your choice of format (mp3, FLAC, etc.) and includes cover artwork for a jewel case in PDF format.

Click here to visit the online shop and preview or purchase Live at the L’Olympia.

New! John Wesley Oxford Live Show Released for Download

I would like to take a moment to announce the release of a new live show for download.

This release, titled John Wesley : Oxford, is a solo acoustic performance that was recorded live at the Jericho Tavern in Oxford, England on June 11, 2008.
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