Part 1 of 2.
This two-part episode was a labor of love for me. In 2002, two of my best friends attempted to deliver a Honda Accord from Akron, Ohio to Seattle, WA while simultaneously writing an album about their experiences on the road. The goal was to record the album once they arrived in Seattle, with me - a hopeful young musician and engineer - twiddling the knobs. The car and one of the two friends never made it. (No, he didn't die. He just got stranded, and then went home.) The car delivery may have been a failure, but the album lived on in our hearts. Two years, three states, five recording locations, seven musicians, and many, many beers later, the album was completed and released. Solyoni has gone through many incarnations since, and its members have spread across the nation, but the joy of making this album has held us together, albeit loosely and with sporadic output.
I sat down to record this story with Solyoni founders and main songwriters Dan Lurie and Dominic Aulisio, and once we got going, it was hard to stop. Basically, we got drunk and recorded a whole bunch of material. This isn't exactly a "tour" story. It's the tale of a roadtrip, a crazy idea, and how a group of young fellas from Ohio came to the great Northwest, learned a thing or two about making music, and maybe actually grew up a little.
Chances are, you've never heard the album Prairie Monsters. You can go here and download it for free, or for however much you care to donate.
I hope you enjoy this one. Part two will post soon.
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