The sounds of the prairie winds blowing, of trucks passing, of the hustle and bustle of busy towns, of farm implements dutifully working the land—the noise of a place can take you there. We’re keeping our ears open all the time.
A region’s music can take you there, too, speaking to inhabitants’ influences, feelings, and upbringing. Melodies tell visceral narratives; lyrics relate stories true and fictional.
Last night, multi-instrumentalist Daniel Gillispie visited us at our temporary headquarters in Billings. We set up a quick-and-dirty recording studio in a spare bedroom. Sheets hung from the ceiling and covered the window. Blankets were shoved against the crack under the door. Tarek, Stan and I stood (perfectly!) still while Daniel played some pieces he had prepared for this project.
I’ve heard Daniel perform around Billings in rock and roll bands, but I didn’t know he could play like this. Full, complex numbers flowed from his acoustic six-string. The selections, dynamic in mood and tempo, fit the tone of this project, I think. He improved a couple tracks, too, which turned out great.
Here’s a taste:
We’d like to extend a special thanks to Daniel for stopping by last night and sharing his compositions. We’ve received a lot of support from area musicians. If you’re a tunesmith hailing from MT or ND and you’d like to get involved, shoot us an email: team@highplainsheritage.com.