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Wooden Box With Strings

by Warmer

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orseyorsey What a beautiful album, "Wooden Box with Strings" has captured my soul completely. Thank you. Favorite track: Wooden Box With Strings.
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  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Glossy cover, beautiful art by Ryszard Dabek, double-sided insert with lyrics.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Wooden Box With Strings via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 3 days
    edition of 100 
    Purchasable with gift card

      $28 AUD or more 

     

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Digipack artwork by Ryszard Dabek. For once, it is relatively easy being green.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Wooden Box With Strings via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 4 days
    Purchasable with gift card

      $15 AUD or more 

     

  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $12 AUD  or more

     

1.
Wooden Box With Strings 06:30
lyrics
She was hiding in a piano, a wooden box with strings With a room down near the bass notes where she could keep her things And a selection of hammers for what tomorrow brings What tomorrow brings She was holding out for sunrise when she would scope terrain And search for a companion who would go against the grain Of the wooden box with secrets and yesterday’s remains Yesterday’s remains She was hellbent on destruction of the governing elite Frustrated by the rank and file and feeling obsolete So she performs a flourish to bring tomorrow to her feet Tomorrow to her feet She was trying to solve a problem in a wooden box with strings Measuring dimensions and fitting it with wings Bringing it into the light to hear tomorrow sing To hear tomorrow sing (November 2016 - music and lyrics by John Encarnacao)
2.
Fishes Swim and Corals Grow 03:53
lyrics
Down below, fishes swim and corals grow I’ll be there Will you dare, will you meet me in the air? I’ll be there And our lives go on for miles You’ll be with me all the while On the land, won’t you take me by the hand I’ll be there Through the ice, won’t you give me your advice I’ll be there Down below, fishes swim and corals grow . . . Keeping one foot on the ground While we fly with what we’ve found Turn the page, breaking up is all the rage I’ll be there Such a shame, we’ll be laughing all the same I’ll be there Down below, fishes swim and corals grow . . . (November 2016 - music and lyrics by John Encarnacao)
3.
Got Older Today 04:58
lyrics
Got older today just talking to you and I guess that might be OK If all that means is loosening up and not just fading away I got older today when you told me the truth, you know it’s the truth ‘cause it hurts When the person you knew peels a layer or two - that’s where the trouble starts Got older today - closer to death Got older today - holding my breath Got older today - closer to death Got older today - holding my breath Got older today when you kissed my lips and I knew I wanted to stay You held up a mirror and things I saw, I knew they wouldn’t go away Got older today when you opened the door to the happiest days I’ve seen Looked down a tunnel and saw the end and the life to be lived between Got older today when you told me the truth and it crushed my heart to paste You licked your lips and moved right in saying this is too good to waste Got older today when you entered the room and shed your clothes to the floor Got lost in the rhythms and scents and sounds wondering who I had been before Got older today - closer to death Got older today - holding my breath Got older today - closer to death Got older today - holding my breath Got older today - I’m watching my step Got older today - I’m losing my grip (April 2003 - music and lyrics by John Encarnacao)
4.
Blackboard Sky 03:56
lyrics
Flying high A pencil scratching on a blackboard sky Doing fine While we see everything the rest are blind My family They keep their feelings under lock and key And that leaves me Expressing everything, can you hear me? My eyes on your prize Their lies the reason why Our lives, our blackboard sky Last times, lost minds left behind Overshare If you are underwhelmed I’m unaware The bottle there It turns the volume up so I don’t care Your eyes are my prize There lies the reason why Rain falls from a chalkdust sky Fate calls but there’s no reply (February 2015 - music and lyrics by John Encarnacao)
5.
New Thing 03:26
lyrics
There’s gonna be a riot Saturday ’Cause I’ve got a new thing comin’ Gonna get you hummin’ It’s really fresh, gonna make you ticklish I’ve got a new thing comin’ And it’s my own thing I’ve swindled it, rekindled it Gonna fly like a comet You gotta get on it It’s really cracked, you won’t want your money back That’s my new thing hummin’ And it’s my own thing (December 2009 - lyrics by Peter Marley, music by John Encarnacao)
6.
Fire Engine 04:13
lyrics
I can hear you, but I can’t find you I can hear you, but I can’t find you Then you tell me I’m behind you What you can’t see you imagine What you can’t see you imagine Love’s a fire, love’s an engine, love’s an engine What you don’t know, it can hurt you What you don’t know, it can hurt you Are they your friends who would alert you? This is no time for revengin’ This is no time for revengin’ But love’s a fire, love’s an engine, love’s an engine (October 2016 - music and lyrics by John Encarnacao)
7.
You Broke The Wheel 04:29
lyrics
You broke the wheel You broke the wheel How does it feel? Load the wagon with the stuff you can’t throw out Feed the dragon, you could stop there’s no doubt Monster on your shoulder But he cannot hold you You broke the wheel You broke the wheel How does it feel? So you’re looking for another way to roll Don’t even think that you might be in control Monster in your mirror But he cannot scare you You can beat the phantom You can light the lantern The world is full of starlight We’ll sift the darkness tonight You broke the wheel You broke the wheel How does it feel? Monster in the front row He’s enjoying the show You can beat the white snow You can beat the black crow The world is full of starlight We’ll shift the darkness tonight You broke the wheel You broke the wheel How does it feel? (August 2014 - music and lyrics by John Encarnacao)
8.
Cry For The Moon 03:31
lyrics
The faded form that somehow grows Tells a story we all know Reflected light, the shadow grows Yesterday is at my side With all the love that somehow died I tell you now, I won’t be denied I’ll cry for the moon til I’m satisfied, satisfied Light the way, light the fire Let me have my heart’s desire Going out on an all-time high One more kiss and then we fly I’ll cry for the moon til I’m satisfied Til I’m satisfied. (October 2007 - music and lyrics by John Encarnacao)
9.
Get So High I Can't Get Down 03:41
lyrics
In your presence I get so high Get so high I can’t get down The tallest tree, the deepest sound I get so high I can’t get down But why should I Why should I come back to the ground? In your presence I get so high Get so high I can’t get down Count my blessings well I got one You’re the star I wish upon So why should I Why should I turn the darkness on? And you can have the tears in my eyes It’s not the first time happiness cried In the morning I get so high Get so high with you around Then at night the sun goes down I get so high I can’t get down But why should I Why should I just be standing round? And you can have the tears in my eyes It’s not the first time happiness cried The way I feel it can’t be denied It bubbles up when you’re by my side Get so high I can’t get down Get so high with you around Get so high I can’t get down Why should I come back to the ground? Why should I just be standing round? Why should I come back to the ground? Why should I even touch the ground? (October 2016 - music and lyrics by John Encarnacao)

about

I come from Sydney, Australia, and have been writing and singing songs my whole life. Well, writing since I was about 12 or 13. Of course the first few dozen were garbage, but I began to find what worked for me around the turn of the century with the records I made as Warmer – folk rock perhaps, with some psychedelic and experimental edges. Then there was The Nature Strip, which was more collaborative, with my friend Peter Marley writing and singing half the material, and more in a power pop/new wave bag. After several records with Pete, recently I felt the urge to do something in a more acoustic context.

Just then I got the opportunity to head south to Hobart and record with an inspiring guy called Dave Carter. Cast adrift of all the musicians I’d ever worked with, who tend to be in Sydney, Dave made connections to a bunch of great people, many students or ex-students of the Tasmania Conservatorium, which was where we were working. This led to late nights and early mornings scoring string parts and recording the string quartet for three tracks in one session. So “Wooden Box With Strings”, “Fishes Swim and Corals Grow” and “Cry For The Moon” go some way to realising my Nick Drake/Elliott Smith/Laura Marling fantasies.

One of the highlights was recording “Got Older Today”, where violinist Emily Wolfe, a folk fiddle legend in Tasmania, went all Scarlet Rivera for us. This was followed by Dave calling on his colleague Matt Boden to play Hammond. He plied him with whiskey and said “imagine you’re playing with Dylan and The Band and the acid kicks in around the first chorus”. This brilliant, unhinged Hammond part (a real Hammond, mind) plays chicken with my equally wayward Telecaster part.

Very serendipitous was the fact that the Tas Con is home to an extraordinary selection of acoustic guitars. I fell in love with a Gibson Southern Jumbo which felt like it loved me back. There was also a Hauro, a Japanese Martin copy, which was beautiful. But most extraordinary was a 1920s Harmony Sovereign, on which I did the live vocal and guitar take that is the basis of “Fire Engine”.

Oh, Mandy Pearson and Zoe Carides both sang back-ups on the first Warmer album A Prayer For Soft Honey, and here they are again, lending their distinctive tones and a link back.

The album was recorded and mixed in 14 days – 5 days initially, after which I was super-keen to finish it with Dave rather than, as planned, back in Sydney. Graciously, he agreed to work with me for another two weeks several months later. We mixed the record old-school, as a performance on a huge desk, with very little automation and up to three pairs of hands riding various instruments and effects. Once we committed to a mix, there was no going back. Are you sure that was the one? Because once we move the faders it’s GONE.

I could also talk about student engineers Nick and Callum preparing the piano for “Wooden Box” and gathering the percussive debris I played on “Cry For The Moon” . . . the ridiculous high drama of the rough mix of that one couldn’t be bettered . . . Dave destroying a tambourine in his enthusiastic percussion takes for “Get So High I Can’t Get Down” and having to be talked back from the precipice of unconscionable compression in our quest for AM radio magic on the mix of that song . . .

Making this album was a wild trip. I am grateful for the experience and for the opportunity to share these recordings with you.

credits

released May 28, 2020

Art and layout by Ryszard Dabek.
Produced by David Carter.
All songs written by John Encarnacao (Mushroom Music) except “New Thing” by John Encarnacao and Peter Marley.

Recorded by Nicholas van Ommen - Brown, assisted by Bianca Birt, Callum Williams, Paul-Leo Keutmann, Ian Parsons, Timothy Chivers and Rikin Sharma.
Mixed by David Carter with John Encarnacao and Nicholas van Ommen - Brown.
Recorded and mixed in 14 days at Soviet Outpost Studios, Hobart, Australia.
Mastered by David Trumpmanis.
String arrangements by John Encarnacao.

Many thanks to Dave and the Tasmania Conservatorium.

Cast in order of appearance:
John Encarnacao - singing, guitars, percussion, keyboards, bass on “Fishes Swim”, “New Thing” and “Get So High”.
Nicholas van Ommen - Brown and Callum Williams – preparation of piano for “Wooden Box” and gathering of percussive debris for “Cry For The Moon”.
Isaac Gee – double bass on “Wooden Box” and “Got Older”.
CC Thornley – banjo on “Wooden Box”.
Joseph Phillips, Emily Wolfe (violins), Madeline Nichols (viola) and James Anderson (cello) – string section on “Wooden Box”, “Fishes Swim” (minus cello) and “Cry For The Moon”.
Sam Dowson – drums on “Fishes Swim”, “Got Older” and “Get So High”.
Zoë Carides – backing vocals on “Fishes Swim” and “Broke the Wheel”.
Matt Boden – Hammond organ on “Got Older”.
Emily Wolfe – violin solos on “Got Older”.
David Carter – backing vocal on “Got Older”, e-bow guitar on “Blackboard Sky”, interpretive percussion on “Get So High”, programming on “New Thing” and “Cry For The Moon”.
Mandy Pearson – backing vocals on “Broke the Wheel” and “Get So High”.
Michael “Ag” Christie – piano on “Cry For The Moon”.

Kisses on my list to Peter Marley, Mark Jago, Jess Ciampa, Lloyd Swanton, Susie Bishop, Tim Byron, Jadey O'Regan, Matt Roberts, Joseph Leonard, Stephen Creswell, Ryszard and Jodie, Nic Dalton, Matt Langley, Dan, Tony and Yaron at Camelot, Paris Mason, Zoe Carides and ETD.

p&c John Encarnacao under license to Half a Cow Records
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John Encarnacao image

John Encarnacao Sydney, Australia

New album: Wooden Box With Strings
out 4 June 2020 on Half a Cow.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFCI3osYDxE

Warmer is Sydney Australia singer-songwriter John Encarnacao and friends.

John is also part of The Nature Strip:
chinapigrecords.com.au/album/beetle-bones

and does improvised music:
psychopyjama.bandcamp.com/album/tinderbox ... more

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