[Cover photo credit to Sarah Cass; Left – Joseph Allen Beltram of Goodmorning Valentine, Right – Allen Karpinski of Six Parts Seven]
The Ohio-based Rock band Six Parts Seven, recognized for their work with The Black Keys, Modest Mouse and Iron & Wine, is releasing a new video for “Instrumental 2” with fellow Ohio rockers Goodmorning Valentine. Their new collaborative album Kissing Distance is out February 16th, 2024, on Suicide Squeeze Records.
The new track was recorded in three-takes without any prior rehearsal and is as much an improvisation, based around SPS band member Tim Gerak’s guitar parts, as it is an arrangement. The accompanying video was created by GMV’s Joseph Beltram, which features desert imagery filmed in California.
Liner notes from the album discuss the single and the album:
“It was winter. Six Parts Seven had returned to Ohio after touring out to Washington State, to record “Casually Smashed to Pieces.”
There was down time between the recording and the actual release of that album in January 2007, and we were rehearsing, playing local shows, and collaborating, with most of us involved in other projects to keep the momentum going (Mike w/ Talons, Al w/ Beaten Awake), but the one we all came together over was recording an album with Joey Beltram, the songwriter behind Goodmorning Valentine, a local band we shared players with, a band we deeply admired.
The music on Kissing Distance came together over two weekend days. There were a lot of people around; 6P7 and GMV players coming and going from the Saint Ledger House. There were handles of whiskey, there was weed, stacks of Marlboro Reds for the ones still dragging butts. We all went ‘dancing’ at Thursday’s, in Akron, Ohio, on Saturday night. Not sure how we were productive the following day. Chalk that one up to relative youth. Over those two days, songs were cut without any prior rehearsal time. None of us remember how the idea came up. In hindsight, it seems inevitable.
“Instrumental #2,” is the last full/core band recording by Six Parts Seven. The first piece in our catalog written/arranged by Tim Gerak. This song would have been developed on our follow-up to “Casually Smashed to Pieces.” Alas, an album that never came to be. The ache in this is real. It’s there in the bass guitar, tuned high and open, played with a slide, and utilizing one of Jamie Stillman’s pre- Earthquaker Devices fuzz pedals.
Even though Kissing Distance was recorded in 2006, it took almost two-years to finish mixing; a project Joey would slowly complete between his writing for GMV, tours and local shows. When it came to the mix: there was second guessing, trial and error, chaos swirling around a chaotic time.”
Suicide Squeeze is releasing Kissing Distance with an initial pressing is limited to 500 copies on 180g black vinyl. LP jacket is case-wrapped and comes with a double sided printed insert and a black poly-lined inner bag. The music was mixed by Matt Bayles (Minus the Bear, Caspian) and mastered by Ed Brooks (Fleet Foxes, Death Cab for Cutie).
