Leslie Mendelson - In the Meantime (2021) [Hi-Res]

As some of you know, I released my most recent album, ‘If You Can’t Say Anything Nice…’ back in April, right in the middle of a pandemic. I thought about delaying it—a lot of artists were doing that—but after discussing with my label, I decided to go ahead and release the record anyway. I figured we had nothing to lose and since people were home, maybe they would actually have time to listen. It’s amazing how everything just stopped as the quarantine began. I almost liked it for a minute. The slow down of the everyday grind. I found some peace in all of it. But now what? There were no shows to play and it wasn’t looking like there would be any in the foreseeable future. So like everyone else, I was relegated to playing music through livestreams from my bedroom. The kicker was that this was a rock record. How was I going to present the album on my own without a band? I had rethink everything. Figure out a way to perform these songs solo. Hopefully make them sound halfway decent. After a few of these "virtual livestream shows,” I decided that something new and interesting was happening. Not only did I love being able to connect with people who’d been quarantined for weeks, but I was enjoying the vibe that was happening as I played the songs alone in my room. I felt inspired and decided to record a few of the ones that really worked in a solo acoustic setting. Years from now with distance from it all, I’d love to think this EP will be a moving little reminder of these times we lived through in 2020.

Leslie Mendelson, vocals, guitar
Steve McEwan, guitar on "Speed of Light," Harmonica on "If You Can't Say Anything Nice..."