Royal Oakie — Summer 24 | compilation | showcase

The epitome of summer ☀️

Royal Oakie Records is proud to announce the new compilation Royal Oakie - Summer 2024, releasing July 5th 2024 (out now on digital) and their Summer Showcase (you're invited - please see details below - RSVP). The compilation features tracks from recent and upcoming releases by Donald Beaman, Sea Dramas, Iain Mann, Half Stack, and more, as well as previously unreleased-on-album tracks (*) by Go By Ocean (ft. Tim Bluhm), Jeff Moller, Holy Matter, Natural Bridges, Michael James Tapscott (ft. Aux Meadows). Plus there's Well Well Well's sublime new single. Here's the track list...

Curling — “Shamble (single edit)”

“This was one of the first songs that we recorded for the album. Jojo’s guitar part is in a different tuning for the second half, so the song was recorded in two parts and later sewn together. From the sonic collage at the beginning to the celebratory horns ornamenting the end (and accompanying lyric simply stating “breathe out/nothing”), everything in this song is full of accidents, and pure chaos that somehow came together in the studio.” — Bernie Gelman

Sea Dramas — “Running Thoughts”

“Sometimes thoughts are enough to make them real.” — Scott Pettersen

Jeff Moller — “During Retrograde” (*)

“During Retrograde is my 'post break-up blues' song written while spending a lot of time commuting through downtown San Francisco to La Méditeranée, an award-winning Mediterranean & Middle Eastern restaurant that's been serving their family's delicious recipes for 45 years. Getting lost in the monotony of commuting and delivering meze sampler platters all while processing heartbreak created the effect of life going in reverse. One of my roommates at the time was Jason Cirimele who helped me arrange the song and kept me moving forward. Thank you Jason and thanks to La Med!” — Jeff Moller

Half Stack — “Diamond Dancer”

“We land in psych here, with cryptic hooks and intricate guitar harmonies…” — Half Stack

Well Well Well — “Summertime Heat” (*)

“Inspired by those early mornings in my mom’s minivan bumping the local smooth jazz station. Getting dropped off at high school in Encino, where gridlock traffic happens around the clock and the sun beats down with merciless heat. The only escape being the ocean breeze and the windows down, cruising the 101 freeway. It’s an homage to my Los Angeles experience.” — Seton Edgerton

Natural Bridges — “Shake It Loose” (*)

This song was inspired by a crow: “Has anyone else noticed more crows than usual hanging around lately? They seem to be showing up for me on a daily basis, floating from a palm tree to a redwood to a power line. On a walk in my neighborhood, I spied a dark object out of the corner of my eye and looked down to see the body of a crow under a rose bush in someone's side yard. I wondered what led to the demise of this bird, kept walking and let the story unfold in my mind. So this song came out of that. I've been working on a batch of new songs lately and this isn't the first time a crow has shown itself to me and offered up its story for a song. I've heard that crows can remember human faces, and also tell if you are friend or foe. In my Miwok culture, we consider everything around us to be our relatives, so I feel like I owe it to the crows to listen to what they have to say.” — Matthew Johnson

Holy Matter — “Wishing Well” (*)

“A rare instance of knowing exactly how I wanted a song to sound as I was writing it, and it actually turning out identically to how I heard it in my head. I kept thinking about this restaurant I went to as a kid called The Wishing Well, which had a faux stone well in the middle of its wood-paneled dining room. I imagined this song playing in that dingy room over some crappy 70s restaurant speakers. I knew I wanted a sort of burnt orange tropicalia vibe, and Andy Kahn had gotten a 1960s Maestro Rhythm Jester drum machine that I immediately knew would be perfect for the song. I love finger-picked classical guitar and drum machines together. I paired those with on-the-edge-of-dissonant Shangri-Las harmonies… bursting with energy and then saying 'oh well'. It was really important to me to have a strong Motown-esque bassline that was a super groover, and Andy did a great job…it’s my favorite element of the whole song. I recorded most of the track at my apartment, had Andy send me a few parts, and then on a trip to St. Louis we laid down the live percussion and the Farfisa with Matt Stuttler at the Sinkhole. It was my first time recording there, and one of my first times recording in a studio period, and it was such a great experience. The lyrics are about the dissolution of a crush on a too cool person; when you can see so many reasons that someone is right for you, but you know they’re on another planet so you just have to walk away with a sigh…” — Leanna Kaiser

Donald Beaman — “Old Universe”

“Old Universe is propelled by the brushwork of drummer Michael Nalin and the jaunty bass playing of Kirt Lind. A metaphysical ode to (among other things) eye contact, with repeated references to the collapse of space and time.” — Donald Beaman

Iain Mann (featuring Sandy’s) — “Minor Meditation”

“I recorded a guitar idea in my kitchen in Scotland, sent it to Alexi Glickman (Sandy) in California. Alexi recorded a vocal line. Then I added harmonies.” — Iain Mann

Iain Mann (featuring Sandy’s) — “Magic Tracks”

“Written in Scotland, and based on the chords to a piece for harpsichord by François Couperin, a psychedelic attempt to unlock the secrets of the secrets of the giant trees of California, my home. Alexi’s layered guitar in the outro is beautiful, but the true hero of the story is the organ, recorded in Seattle, played by my childhood friend Lorenzo Farrell. Inspired by an experience with psilocybin that defies words, which brought me out of one of the bad depressions that have plagued me since my early thirties. I was visited by crazy, dancing sages - the Buddha was there, and so was Professor Calculus from Tintin - and the ancient roots of California's sequoias revealed many secrets. The geometry of the walls dissolved, and when I came back from the trip, I was free from depression for the first time in years.” — Iain Mann

Go By Ocean (featuring Tim Bluhm) — “Peace In Your Garden (remix)” (*)

“This is a song for and about introverts. the dichotomy of pursuing something you're extremely passionate about in your life but it causes you to be in a lot of uncomfortable situations. It’s a song about the bittersweet and a longing for quiet solitude.” — Ryan McCaffrey

Michael James Tapscott (featuring Aux Meadows) — “Cheap Hotel Reprise” (*)

“The moment I saw the name Aux Meadows, I knew I would love these guys. They are a breath of fresh air, and, thus, bring the perfect sound to revitalize and recontextualize what has become a setlist standard for the MJT band.” — Michael James Tapscott