Tulip Tiger - Award Winning Redemption Arc (2020)

When the lockdown in response to Coronavirus kicked in, I was certain of only two things. First, I was going to need to make some music. Next, I had a secret weapon: A couple weeks into my time in LA, it had become clear that to survive here, I’d need my own car. So, I went to the desert and paid a retired engineer cash for a meticulously maintained 1993 Mercedes-Benz 400E. Among the many great things about this car was the factory stereo system, including the clear-sounding subs. This thing still bumps!

So that’s where I mixed my new album, Award Winning Redemption Arc: Parked in high-mileage car not much younger than me. Each morning I’d bring my laptop out to the sedan and mix, sitting on Orange Drive in Hollywood. I’d turn on the engine and run the air conditioner for a few minutes, and then turn it back off so I could hear clearly. I’d do this until the day’s heat made it impossible to stay there any longer. Then I’d put my face mask on, head back upstairs to my cramped sublease, check my mixes, and continue producing. This process continued for two weeks until the album was finished.

I’ve lived in Europe since 2016. And I never expected to get stuck in America during a pandemic. Award Winning Redemption Arc is the sound of me processing my new reality, even owning a car again. You can call this album my “reverse culture shock” project.

I hope you have fun listening to this record. I hope you bump it loud in your car, and I hope to perform these songs for you live some day. And I hope you like MiniDiscs as this will be available on that format. (And, in case you’re wondering, my car is too old to have a MiniDisc player in it.)