New York, NY (Top40 Charts ) Kscope is delighted to announce their release of the debut album from Old Fire, 'Songs From The Haunted South' on vinyl on 3rd November 2017. On joining the Kscope family, Old Fire, the project of
Texas based programmer John Mark Lapham of 'The Earlies' and 4AD band 'The Late Cord' fame, joined a world class & diverse roster that includes the likes of Anathema, Paul Draper, The Pineapple Thief, Nordic Giants and The Anchoress.
Taking nearly a decade to make, 'Songs From The Haunted South' has been a labour of love for Lapham. The album concept was born from an idea for a 4AD project with singer Micah P Hinson (The Late Cord), the album was originally intended to feature different singers and musicians recording songs that were both covers and originals. After parting ways with Micah, Lapham remained determined to realise this vision for the album and sought voices he considered special, fitting the inspiration.
The first piece of the puzzle fell in to place after meeting the former owner of 4AD, Ivo Watts Russell, who introduced Lapham to Tom Rapp, a singer/songwriter who recorded a string of haunting albums in the late 1960s and 70s under the name Pearls Before Swine. The vocals Rapp provided formed the basis of the track 'Shadows'. In the following years, guest vocals were recorded by Sara Lowes (The Earlies), DM Stith,
Christopher Barnes (Gem Club), Rebekka Karijord, and Alex Maas (Black Angels).
The project also features a myriad of exceptional musicians including DM Stith on piano and guitar,
Christopher Barnes (Gem Club) on Piano, Warren Defever (His Name Is Alive) on Guitar, Thor Harris (Swans) on Drums, Christian
Madden on Rhodes piano & Organ and Semay Wu on Cello.
The thirteen-track album contains a selection of songs that in one way or another are dedications to people, some dead and some still living. Musically, inspirations range from ambient artists such as Brian Eno and Stars of the Lid to Psychedelic Rock, traditional Country and early 4AD. Sitting alongside the original Old Fire compositions are a selection of intriguing cover versions. Lapham uniquely interprets songs by Psychic TV ('The Orchids'), Low ('Laser Beam'), Ian
William Craig ('A Sight Grip', 'A Gentle Hold'), Jason Molina ('It's Easier Now'), Camberwell Now ('Know How') and Shearwater ('Helix').
'Songs From The Haunted South' was produced by John Mark Lapham, mixed by JM Lapham and Mark Kuykendall, and was mastered by Ian Hawgood.
The powerful cover art was designed by UK's Grammy Award winning designer Vaughan Oliver, famed for his work with artists such as Mojave 3, Lush, Cocteau Twins, Dead Can Dance, The Breeders, This Mortal Coil, Pixies, Throwing Muses, in addition to artists such as
David Sylvian and Bush.
The cover shot taken in 1958 features Lapham's father during bivouac camping basic training in the foothills of the Ozarks, at Fort Chaffee.
Songs From The Haunted South is available on CD (KSCOPE371) & Digitally (KSCOPE445) now with the LP (KSCOPE941) available from 3rd November - the formats can be ordered / pre-ordered here: https://found.ee/OLD_FIRE_HAUNTED_SOUTH
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Videos:
Laser Beam - https://youtu.be/1u6w6iYIxnM
Bloodchild - https://youtu.be/uoIje9I_kjA
Helix (acoustic) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afvMqnQRM2I
The Orchids (animated cover for the Psychic TV cover version) - https://youtu.be/DExt3B07Bek
