Paul Bezooyen said his latest album is full of compositions that have proved their longevity.
Earlier this month the Nanaimo musician and co-founder of local record label The Hermit’s Music released his fourth album, and second of 2020, Another World. The seven-song instrumental guitar EP features compositions dating back as far as the early 1980s.
“I’m a big fan of letting things age and then see how they stand the test of time,” Bezooyen said. “And if they still feel good after a few years then I feel like it’s probably worth putting on an album.”
Bezooyen describes Another World as a collection of “gentle, acoustic, folky” tracks that range from upbeat to more laid back. He said the instrumentals that have developed over a number of years and he’s finally at the point where he has enough to put out “a little EP.”
“I always like to give them some time to develop rather than just write something and then start recording it right away,” he said. “Sometimes things go through a little bit of an evolution, some refinement, and I need to play them for a while so that they sort of get into my cells so I can play them with good expression.”
Bezooyen said he can’t think of a good reason why it’s taken so long to record some of those tunes, but notes that running The Hermit’s Music with co-founder Dave Kilbank and switching between his producer, musician and songwriter hats does keep him occupied.
“I’ve been busy running The Hermit’s Music record label for 11 years now and doing a lot of work for the other artists,” Bezooyen said. “So it’s high time that I got back to getting some of my own stuff out this year.”
Despite some of the pieces being written decades apart, Bezooyen said they fit together well due to their style and sound. Among the other musicians who appear on the album are Kilbank, who provides 12-string guitar and synthesized string background textures, and bassist Joe Spinelli.
Bezooyen noted that the record will not be available in tangible form.
“Partly with my environmental values I’m starting to lean towards not publishing a physical CD,” he said. “This will be the first time that we’re releasing it only as a digital download.”
Another World is available online here.
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