My Tears Have Unusual Chemistry, by James Whetzel

My Tears Have Unusual Chemistry

by James Whetzel

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Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of My Tears Have Unusual Chemistry, Rest This Day (Geamat Remix), It's a Wake Time, So Much Things Special, Put That Dream in the Universe, Rhythmic Kaleidoscope: Palm Wine Guitar Music, I Want To Go About My Day, Synthesis (Music for Alexander's Theorem a Math-Dance by Nancy Scherich), and 63 more. , and , .
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1.	Triste Felicidad 02:59	buy track
2.	Café Septième (Polepole na Umeme) 03:14	buy track
3.	Lumumba na Kanafani 02:18	buy track
4.	Palestine Freedom 02:31	buy track
5.	Deora 01:58	buy track
6.	Bekayt 03:51	buy track

about

At an eye exam several months ago my eye doctor told me "your tears have unusual chemistry." And thus an album title was born! I finished recording the guitar parts, basic beats, and percussion as I was preparing for surgery to get a cancer removed from my colon. The genocide in Gaza was also already underway. These were things that were on my mind as I was working on this album.

I recorded the trumpet, trombone and flute parts as I was recovering from my surgery. And I finished up the mixing and mastering as I was preparing to start chemo. I may already be cancer-free, scans show no cancer in my body anymore but I am doing chemo now to make sure I can be as cancer free as I can be! And that is going well. I got the artwork from Hothead Unlimited just as I was starting my first chemo session. I am so happy to now be able to share this album with the world.

In these tracks I was trying to mix the sounds of vintage 80s and 90s Afro-pop with contemporary Lofi Afrobeats. On each track I am playing a finger picked palm wine style guitar rhythm part and then at least one rhythmic lead Highlife/ Soukous style guitar part. This is the first album where I am playing palm wine guitar on electric guitar!! I recorded the guitar parts using a Roland Jazz Chorus amp that was left with me by friend Liz Erber. It has built-in a great selection of vintage 80s and 90s guitar effects, which makes the guitar parts also reference new wave music in a
lovely way as well.

credits

released April 5, 2024

Electric guitar, bass, drums, beats, percussion, trombone, trumpet, and flute performed by James Whetzel.

Composed, recorded, mixed and mastered by James Whetzel.

Artwork by Hothead Unlimited.

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Olin Place Seattle, Washington

Olin Place is a record label founded by James Whetzel in 1999. Styles of music include downtempo, instrumental hip hop, Indie Pop, West African and South Asian traditional music and fusion, ambient music, soundtrack music, and instrumental Christmas and Holiday music on sarod. ... more

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