Peasants' Muster
Dear Listener, Peasants’ Muster is an album of instrumental acoustic guitar pieces. The music was recorded in Seattle Wa. in the fall and spring of 08 / 09. This is a concept album that tells the story of a peasant revolt. The event that was most in my mind while working on this music was the peasant revolt of 1381 led by Wat Tyler, hence the image on the cover. Peasants’ Muster was recorded simply in my home studio on my mac mini using garageband. I used two guitars for the recording, a steel and nylon string. While there are multiple guitar tracks the general approach was straight forward and simple. Most songs contain three to five guitar tracks. Where five tracks were employed it was generally to add a little color or to fatten up the mix a bit. All the guitar parts were played through, there is no cutting or splicing. In addition to the guitars the percussion on Peasants’ Muster was played on various household items. This album was a pleasure to record and I am personally quite pleased with the results. Thank you for taking the time to listen and I hope you enjoy the music.
RECORDING MAGAZINE REVIEW
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November 21, 2010
I received a small review in recording magazine back in May.
Equipment Used: Mac Mini with PreSonus FireBox interface running Apple Garageband; AKG C1000S condenser mic; Seagull S6 acoustic guitar, Aria nylon-string classical guitar.
Production Notes & Credits: “Daybreak” is an acoustic instrumental with a Latin/Flamenco vibe. Justen did it all.Reviewed By: Marty Peters
Recording: With just Garageband and one AKG C1000S mic, Justen has used some creative layering and panning to create a pretty compelling recording. Tone-wise, things hold up fairly well, the performance is solid, with only a minor bit of string squeak in the track. To us the real standout here is the way that Justin has used some nicely devised left side/right side panning to create a “rolling” effect as the piece gains a flamenco-style groove. Well done!
Suggestions: Justen tells us in his cover letter that he set out to create a simple recording, and while that’s true, the creative nature of the mixing and arrangement provide the piece an energy that is far from dull or boring. Regarding the string squeak, we have certainly heard worse, and to some extent it’s the nature of the beast when recording a fingerstyle piece with this much movement.
Summary: We like it.
Recent Placements
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August 2, 2010
I have recently had several placements of my music. Here are a few.
Yale Alumni Magazine
Film Garden Entertainment ( Endless Feast )
Cobe Design
Flash Press Media
Pirates of the Caribbean Online Video Game
Amazing Wedding Cakes
World of Wonder
NBA Entertainment
Talking Eyes Media
As the Dog Flies
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July 2, 2010
As the Dog Flies is available for free download. The album was recorded with Rich Duffy at my house in Nashville over several months in 2000. It was recorded on a Tascam 1/2 inch reel to reel. Somewhat lo fi but there is still nothing like good old fashioned analog warmth. The artwork is available on the album artwork page, just drag and drop.
Sonic Circus
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July 2, 2010
Peasants' Muster is featured on a recent broadcast of The Sonic Circus. Thanks Josh.
http://www.thesoniccircus.com
The Levee Breaking
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April 25, 2010