Denison Witmer has released a new standalone single, “It’s Okay to Live A Quiet Life,” in two different versions, “For A,” and “For E.”. Produced and performed by Witmer with help from Thomas Bartlett (Doveman, Sufjan Stevens, Taylor Swift), and Andy Park (Death Cab for Cutie, Pedro the Lion, Noah Gunderson), Witmer wrote the song after a road trip with a friend who asked, “When is it ok to just be? Can’t I just live a quiet life?”
Witmer comments:
So much of our energy is spent trying to separate the signal from the noise. This song is meant as an encouragement to the listener to pause and take the time they need to rehabilitate. It’s ok to live a quiet life. You don’t have to prove a thing to yourself or anyone.
Witmer wrote “It’s Okay to Live A Quiet Life” originally as part of a side project under the moniker of Uncle Denny (a nickname Sufjan Stevens jokingly gave him when they toured together) as a challenge to produce music as quickly as possible in a “first-thought-best-thought” approach.
Witmer wrote and recorded a song a day for a month and then released them on Bandcamp immediately after. Songs ranged from “Hello 2020” (January 1) to “Kobe Bryant” (January 26) to “Constitutional Crisis” (January 30th).
The two versions of “It’s Okay to Live a Quiet Life” reflect the various personalities and tastes of Witmer’s children. The single arrives after Witmer’s full-length release in 2020, American Foursquare.
Denison Witmer has been recording and releasing music since 1995 when he released a cassette titled My Luck, My Love, under the tutelage of the Innocence Mission’s Don Peris. Since then, Witmer has been steadily releasing music every few years.
Witmer’s work is frequently collaborative. He’s worked with musicians like Rosie Thomas, Thomas Bartlett (Doveman), Andy Park (Death Cab for Cutie, Pedro the Lion, Noah Gunderson), Abby Gunderson, Blake Wescott (Damien Jurado), Devin Greenwood, James McAlister (The National), and labelmate Sufjan Stevens.
