Toadal Forces by Chris Hewitt, Bret Sexton, Mike Brown, Matt Smiley

The boreal toad (Anaxyrus boreas boreas) is the nominate subspecies of the western toad (Anaxyrus boreas). They are commonly found in the western U.S. and western Canada. The boreal toad is currently listed as an endangered species by Colorado and New Mexico. It is known in Colorado as the only alpine species of toad.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boreal_toad

I am often thinking of animals while making music - anteaters, various echinoderms, toads, diving birds, insects, capybaras. I was very inspired by this rare and beautiful Boreal Toad while backpacking in the Northern Boundary of Rocky Mountain National Park, and have dedicated these tracks to the community of Boreal Toads that exists in the Lost Lake zone.

Free improvisation is the closest we come to expressing the chaos and beauty of their world musically in a non-programmatic way. These particular tracks remind me of my favorite Warner Herzog quote:

'Nature here is vile and base.
I wouldn't see anything erotical here.
I would see fornication
and asphyxiation...
and choking
and fighting for survival...
and growing and...
just rotting away.'

Chris Hewitt is a percussionist and composer located in Denver, CO. Chris is active in several musical circles in Colorado's Front Range, including improvisational collective Le Secret, Gamelan Tunas Mekar, and chamber group Witches and Science. Chris's playing and compositions are informed by the jazz tradition, contemporary classical music, pop, rock, and the music of Indonesia.