New Archival Releases and Reissues

Two Daniel Crommie albums have been issued in January - a compilation of mostly previously unreleased material featured on "Rarities #2" and a straight reissue of Daniel's 1987 album "Raised By Piranha". "Rarities #2" will only be available at Bandcamp and includes music recorded between 1983-2018 with outtakes, alternate versions and remixes - all rare or never before heard. "Raised By Piranha" was released on Bandcamp several years ago but will now be available for download and streaming from the usual outlets such as Apple Music/iTunes, and includes participation by Jamie Haggerty, Tom Dougherty and Kristi Mergenthaler. An unusual album in that Daniel Crommie plays no flute whatsoever, only electric clarinet in addition to synthesizers, vocals and sequences. Here's a review of "Raised By Piranha".

New Saturnalia Trio album

On Tuesday, November 26th New Weave is set to release "It Was In May" Saturnalia Trio's first album of all-new material since 2015's "Skin, Wood & Steel" - on CD and as a digital download at Apple Music, Amazon and Bandcamp. Take a trip through time and place (filtered through 21st century Portland, Oregon) - two Swedish folk tunes, a French folk tune, a Castilian Medieval tune from Alfonso X "El Sabio", a French Renaissance dance, a trouvere poem set to original music and two Bert Jansch songs - with the remainder composed by Daniel Crommie. 15 pieces will be featured including "Silent Nights", a version of the classic Christmas lullaby. There will be a different version of "Silent Night" exclusively at Bandcamp (download-only) - "Silent Night (Medieval version)". Get the album at Bandcamp.

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Daniel Crommie: vocals, six-string dulcimer, flutes, recorders, mandolin, buche, bul bul tarang, altus cornamuse, miscellaneous percussion, tambourin ’a cordes, tin whistle, psaltery, synthesizer and samples
Leslie Gray: violin, viola, vocal
Eldon Hardenbrook: acoustic bass guitar & nylon string guitar
Dave Thatcher: hand drums 

Listen to a sample here.

Animosity reissue!

Daniel Crommie's 1988 experimental ambient album "Animosity" will be available for download and streaming after Tuesday, October 29th at iTunes, Apple Music, Amazon, Spotify, etc. 10 tracks recorded in 1987-1988 and originally released on cassette (the original cassettes have become somewhat collectable, and are now sold out at Band Camp) - this collection contains some of the more unusual musical pieces - including a Medieval troubadour poem set to modern accompaniment. 

"There Once Was A City" hits home like a less exuberant and decidedly down in the mouth OMD, until the spoken vocal which utilizes words written by Peire Cardenal in the 13th century adds an eerie and remote atmosphere. However "Still Life" is the album's shock moment, the quiet, almost ambient ringing chimes overtly opposed to the modern (for the time) electronics found elsewhere, its slow beautiful sprawl genuinely ear catching, beautiful, out of place and wonderful." - Sea of Tranquility

This is already available at Band Camp for download with a printable PDF poster.

Daniel Crommie's "starseedhead" released!

The first new music from Daniel Crommie since last year's "Winter Roses" has been released at Bandcamp, Amazon and iTunes/Apple Music. Bandcamp and Amazon have the CD, which has the following track list: starseedhead, Spiraea, Solid Red, Slowmelt, Copernicus Uprising, Crucifixated (greed), Drones, Time in Seconds, Spiraling Logic, Urban Atmos-Fear, Requiem for Ymir. Just over an hour of music featuring flutes (concert flute, bamboo, clay and wood flutes), electric dulcimer, analogue & digital synthesizers, mellotron, samples, devices and rhythm loops. Mind movie music! Read a review here.

Echo System "The Architect of Secrets" released at Bandcamp

An archival compilation of Echo System material from 1987-1988 has been digitally released at Bandcamp.

Echo System was comprised of Daniel Crommie and Jamie Haggerty, who recorded four albums between 1986 and 1988 - all released originally only on cassette. This collection includes ambient/instrumental tracks from "In a Strange World" (1987) and "Heat Lightning" (1990), plus a couple of previously unreleased pieces from the same sessions. Much of this material was recorded live to digital stereo with no overdubs.

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track listing:

The Architect of Secrets

Machines of Injustice

High-Rise

Wrapping the Body

Blue Plateaux

The Garden Pool

Heat Lightning / Water by Moonlight

The Garden Pool (reprise)

Unwrapping the Body

New Projects in 2019

There are a few new album projects slate for 2019: a new Daniel Crommie CD/download "starseedhead" will be released at midsummer in June and consists of instrumental compositions with electric dulcimer, flutes and percussion. Rather a departure from the last several albums, "starseedhead" has a more experimental rock vibe. Listen to the album and order from Bandcamp here. Order from Amazon here.

Also in the works: a new instrumental album from DC Sound Collective and a new Saturnalia Trio album from Daniel Crommie and Leslie Gray (with new member Eldon Hardenbrook) that will feature a couple of Bert Jansch songs, new original songs from Daniel and Renaissance, Swedish, French, Irish and German folk tunes.

DC Sound Collective "Dirae Pax" released October 23rd!

A new album from DC Sound Collective "Dirae Pax" will be released Tuesday, October 23rd at iTunes/Apple Music/Amazon and at Bandcamp a few days earlier - both as a download and CD. Featuring 4 songs from the "Following the Noise" EP of 2016 (remixed and remastered) plus 6 new songs - 2 instrumentals and 4 vocal songs, all rock with the stalwart team of Crommie, Hardenbrook and Hazen with guest appearances from Colin Henson, Leslie Gray and Bo Parker. The mastering and album art was created by long time associate Jamie Haggerty. Limited edition CD release!