(PR) San Antonio-based indie pop artist Merykid is set to release his new EP "Boy and The Bird" on June 30, 2009 following with a live album release entitled "Merykid: Live at The Magic Attic." "Boy and The Bird" will be available on iTunes but the live album will be available for free download online.In regard to both his first EP and upcoming live album's free availability to download, Merykid shares, "With home recording studios and the newfound accessibility to music via the internet, I believe there is no greater exposure than showing you care enough about your prospective audience to give them as much as they want. I hope to be the Lil Wayne of folk music."
"Boy & The Bird" was produced, mixed and engineered by Jaime Radar. In contrast to the first EP that was written entirely acoustically and recorded by himself in a closet, this follow up EP was recorded in a haunted church, with a live drummer and string section, and the sound was greatly intensified. The object was for Merykid to experiment as much as possible with different instruments and tempo changes, while still keeping melodies and grooves a priority.
Staying in line with Merykid's sound, "Boy and The Bird" is an experimental pop album. A standout track, "Bad Things," touches on spacey club music with its electronic beat and auto-tuned vocals. "The Bird" is a song that changes between an acoustic ballad into a swing beat personified with electric guitars and three part harmonies. "Goodbye Moon" and "Clean Freak! Ghost!" are the core of the album, both introspective and dramatic, especially the climax of the violins at the end of "Goodbye Moon." "Keep Movin" is a trippy folk song, with changing tempos and reverby harmonica played over piano and guitar. Lastly, the album begins to end with "If She Only Knew," the only one-man song on the album. Sung over banjo, the lyrics are regretful, ruminating over losing touch with two different girls at the same time. The song then turns into the all-out assault of "Addicted," featuring everything from a Marimba solo to a Wilco-style electric guitar/piano jam at the end.
The entire album was created as an experiment, just to see how well Merykid could feasibly write music for an entire ensemble of musicians. He shares, "I had never been presented with the opportunity to express my musical ideas with such depth, until I met Brandon and Ryan Guerra, who were willing to perform the drums and piano/violin parts, respectively."
His soon to be released follow up album, "Merykid: Live at The Magic Attic" is his first attempt at a live album. It was recorded in his rehearsal space "The Magic Attic," an attic located on top of a bar on one of San Antonio's oldest and most popular streets. Merykid furthers, "As I've recently decided to spend the next few months travelling (and subsequently moving out of San Antonio), I felt that the album was a good way to say goodbye." The album was engineered by Jered Stephens, guitarist of The Blowing Trees (signed to Glassnote Records, and local San Antonio heroes), with all of the songs being recorded in one shot, and in front of a small audience. "Merykid: Live at The Magic Attic" will be available for free download in the upcoming weeks. The date is TBA.