Winter Creatures by Grand Hallway

"Winter Creatures," the third album by Seattle band Grand Hallway, was recorded over several weekend sessions this past winter at Scenic Burrows in Portland, Oregon. The band holed up in the tiny studio (where the latest albums by Dodos, Castanets, Richmond Fontaine, and the soundtrack of “Portlandia” were also recorded) with producer Cory Gray over many rain and snow filled days, and worked into the wee hours of the morning fueled by endless cups of coffee. Sometime before sunrise each night, they would retire with a bottle of whiskey to sneak in a game of Baseball Stars 2 on NES and maybe sleep for a couple hours in the apartment (a former dentist’s office) right above the studio.

The relaxed atmosphere belied the frantic productivity of the recording sessions (a couple of the songs were written entirely in the studio, mere moments before they were committed to tape), and provided a welcome contrast to the heaviness of the past year that inspired the album. The illness and death of chief songwriter Tomo Nakayama’s grandparents, the birth of guitarist Jeramy Koepping’s baby, and the closing of the beloved Seattle landmark Neptune theater (where Nakayama worked for the past decade), were just a few of the events that informed the writing of "Winter Creatures'" nine songs, which explore themes of life cycles, mortality, and family.

Tracklist

1.	Winter Creatures	2:46

2.	Apple Tree	4:11

3.	Wildfire	3:51

4.	North Cascades	6:18

5.	Oh Yes (Stay Alive, My Dear)	2:52

6.	Little Sister	3:48

7.	Fourths	3:13

8.	Father's Clothes	5:32

9.	Roscoe (What a Gift)	5:25

Credits

released June 10, 2011

Performed by:

Tomo Nakayama - Vocals, Guitar, Piano, Bass, Drums, Pump Organ, Mandolin, Vibraphone, Mellotron, Synth, Tack Piano, Timpani, Harmonium, Glockenspiel, Percussion
Shenandoah Davis - Vocals, Piano, Vibraphone
Kevin Large - Vocals, Bass, Banjo, Mandolin
Brian Wright - Drums, Timpani, Windchimes, Vocals
Jeramy Koepping - Electric Guitar, Mellotron, Synth Bass
Jaclyn Shumate - Violin
Alina To - Violin

with:
Cory Gray - Trumpet, Synth, Vibraphone, Vocals
Goh Nakamura - Vocals, Guitar, Vibraphone, Tack Piano
Luke Bergman - Upright Bass
Amanda Lawrence - Viola
Douglas Jenkins - Cello
Samantha Kushnick - Cello
Lauren Waude - Vocals

Written by Tomo Nakayama (Ricebelly Music BMI Copyright 2011)
Produced by Cory Gray and Grand Hallway
Recorded and Mixed by Cory Gray
September 2010 - January 2011
at Scenic Burrows and Type Foundry, Portland, OR
Additional Recording and Mixing by Jeramy Koepping, Jaclyn Shumate, and Luke Bergman
Mastered by Ed Brooks at RFI
Artwork by Heisuke Kitazawa or PCP

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