John Hayes - The Last Best Place EPK
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Private Album Stream- The Last Best Place
The Last Best Place (LP)
Release: May 15th 2020.
Release: May 15th 2020.
'The Last Best Place' sees Minneapolis- based pianist, John Hayes, return with his second full-length release. Inspired by the unexpected loss of a friend along with moving into a new studio space, 'The Last Best Place' captures a range of emotions as well as Hayes’ intimate recording process. What began as a single solo piano piece, written to calm his nerves after the loss of his friend, quickly evolved. New spaces led to new compositions and finally, the album was born. Each piece was written softly, late at night, wanting to tell their own story, yet all finding a way to remain connected to the same narrative.
-"The Last Best Place was very much an unexpected album for me. After recently moving into a new studio I was dealing with several different anxieties. Being on my own for the first time, another unexpected loss of a friend, trying to progress my music. All these things lead to a great deal of uncertainty in my life. It is funny how we always tend to gravitate towards the things that are most familiar to us during uncertain times. For me, that will always be music. One day I finally decided to sit down and take the time to record these pieces that I had been playing during this time. The result is this album. Maybe some of these songs will calm you the way they calmed me. I hope so. With so much busy going on, sometimes it is necessary to take a step back, close your eyes, and just listen."-
'The Last Best Place' will be released May 15th and will be available digitally and on 12' vinyl.
Credits:
In dedication to Bradley Johnson. "The Last Best Place" is a common nickname for the state of Montana, a place Brad cherished.
All songs were written, performed and mixed by John Hayes at his Emerson Studio.
Mastered by Martyn Heyne (Nils Frahm, Peter Broderick, Luke Howard) at Lichte Studio
Album Artwork: Moriah Wolfe
Label: Sonder House
-"The Last Best Place was very much an unexpected album for me. After recently moving into a new studio I was dealing with several different anxieties. Being on my own for the first time, another unexpected loss of a friend, trying to progress my music. All these things lead to a great deal of uncertainty in my life. It is funny how we always tend to gravitate towards the things that are most familiar to us during uncertain times. For me, that will always be music. One day I finally decided to sit down and take the time to record these pieces that I had been playing during this time. The result is this album. Maybe some of these songs will calm you the way they calmed me. I hope so. With so much busy going on, sometimes it is necessary to take a step back, close your eyes, and just listen."-
'The Last Best Place' will be released May 15th and will be available digitally and on 12' vinyl.
Credits:
In dedication to Bradley Johnson. "The Last Best Place" is a common nickname for the state of Montana, a place Brad cherished.
All songs were written, performed and mixed by John Hayes at his Emerson Studio.
Mastered by Martyn Heyne (Nils Frahm, Peter Broderick, Luke Howard) at Lichte Studio
Album Artwork: Moriah Wolfe
Label: Sonder House
About John:
John Hayes is a multi-instrumentalist and producer from Minneapolis, Minnesota. Showing an early interest in music, Hayes received formal piano training throughout much of his youth. Ultimately, as formal lessons progressed and frustrating his teachers became more and more frequent, he eventually dropped out of classical training and began to develop his self-taught style of playing. It was at this time he began to familiarize himself with the compositions and techniques of his favorite composers and began to write his own music.
His debut solo album By The Woods was released in December of 2018 by New York-based label Sonder House. The debut was well received garnering attention from various publications and establishing Hayes as an upcoming new artist on the scene. This was shortly followed by the early 2019 EP Odds & Ends (Double J Music) which served as a companion to By The Woods. In June of 2019 By The Woods (Reworks) was released featuring compositions from 18 different artists.
Hayes' music has been featured on several renowned radio stations including KEXP, BBC and James Heather's Soho Radio show "Moving Sounds." He has collaborated and performed live with artists such as Elskavon, Jacob Pavek and Philip Daniel. Hayes also performs regularly as a resident pianist at the award-winning Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. John currently writes, records and produces music out of his Emerson Studio in Minneapolis.
His debut solo album By The Woods was released in December of 2018 by New York-based label Sonder House. The debut was well received garnering attention from various publications and establishing Hayes as an upcoming new artist on the scene. This was shortly followed by the early 2019 EP Odds & Ends (Double J Music) which served as a companion to By The Woods. In June of 2019 By The Woods (Reworks) was released featuring compositions from 18 different artists.
Hayes' music has been featured on several renowned radio stations including KEXP, BBC and James Heather's Soho Radio show "Moving Sounds." He has collaborated and performed live with artists such as Elskavon, Jacob Pavek and Philip Daniel. Hayes also performs regularly as a resident pianist at the award-winning Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. John currently writes, records and produces music out of his Emerson Studio in Minneapolis.
Previous Press Reviews:
Stationary Travels on "By The Woods"
“If you are looking for music to keep you company in the still hours of the evening, you’d be hard pressed to find anything better than this record.”
Gezeitenstrom Musik on "By The Woods"
“True musical gems in the field of modern classical music. For a debut album it is groundbreaking, it is technically located on a very high level...carefree melodies that grab the heart.”
Piano and Coffee on "By The Woods"
“Passionate snapshots of a broad range of emotional states.”
Rural Sounds on "By The Woods"
“His piano tones are unforgettable and the journey they take the listener on is beyond unique... each track providing a glimpse into a different story and world.”
A&R Factory on "By The Woods"
“For any fans of Nils Frahm and Phillip Glass, you’re in for a mesmeric aural treat… The minimalism of the sound subdues you deeper than most contemporary classical works. There’s a euphonic concordance to the sound..”
“If you are looking for music to keep you company in the still hours of the evening, you’d be hard pressed to find anything better than this record.”
Gezeitenstrom Musik on "By The Woods"
“True musical gems in the field of modern classical music. For a debut album it is groundbreaking, it is technically located on a very high level...carefree melodies that grab the heart.”
Piano and Coffee on "By The Woods"
“Passionate snapshots of a broad range of emotional states.”
Rural Sounds on "By The Woods"
“His piano tones are unforgettable and the journey they take the listener on is beyond unique... each track providing a glimpse into a different story and world.”
A&R Factory on "By The Woods"
“For any fans of Nils Frahm and Phillip Glass, you’re in for a mesmeric aural treat… The minimalism of the sound subdues you deeper than most contemporary classical works. There’s a euphonic concordance to the sound..”