NEED NOTHING
Listen HERE
“Need Nothing” is a song about appreciating what you have instead of dwelling on what you don’t. Gratitude is reinforced by frequent reminders and practice– upon slowing down and zooming in to a brief moment of contentedness, the ordinary can reveal itself as extraordinary.
Credits:
Written between 2022 - 2023 by Peter Silberman and Michael Lerner
Produced and engineered by Peter Silberman
Recorded at Field’s Edge in High Falls, NY
With additional engineering by Eli Crews at Spillway Sound in Shokan, NY
Mixed by Nicholas Principe at People Teeth in Kingston, NY
Mastered by Gus Elg at Sky Onion in Portland, OR
Vocals, piano, guitar, bass and synthesizers by Peter Silberman
Drums by Michael Lerner
Artwork by Ryan Hover
TIDE
Listen HERE
Today we’re releasing a beachy new song called “Tide”. You can listen to it now c/o Transgressive Records.
“Tide” is a retrospective song, identifying natural phases over the course of a lifetime. It’s an appreciation for powerful forces that follow their own uncontrollable rhythms, and an intention to navigate them more skillfully in the future.
Credits:
Written between 2018 - 2023 by Peter Silberman and Michael Lerner
Produced and engineered by Peter Silberman
Recorded at Field’s Edge in High Falls, NY
With additional recording at Lone Pine Road in Kingston, NY
Nature recorded in Pompano Beach, FL
Mixed by Nicholas Principe at People Teeth in Kingston, NY
Mastered by Gus Elg at Sky Onion in Portland, OR
Vocals, piano, guitar and synthesizers by Peter Silberman
Drums by Michael Lerner
Artwork by Ryan Hover
RAINS
Listen HERE
Today we’re releasing another new song that coincides nicely with the emergence of spring. This one is called “Rains."
“Rains” is an optimistic song about the possibility of renewal. As if encouraging openness to change, springtime points to an inevitable summer that seems unimaginable in a desolate winter. Rainfall ferries away last year’s leaves, reanimates colorless grass, and invites new life to emerge.
Credits:
Written in 2021 by Peter Silberman and Michael Lerner
Produced and engineered by Peter Silberman
Recorded at Mtn Acres in High Falls, NY Mixed by Nicholas Principe at @people_teeth in Kingston, NY
Mastered by Gus Elg at @sky_onion in Portland, OR
Vocals, guitars, piano and synthesizers by Peter Silberman
Electronic percussion by Michael Lerner
Artwork by Ryan Hover
I Was Not There
Listen HERE
Perhaps counterintuitively, “I Was Not There” is about the elusive experience of complete presence. Across three scenes, the song describes fleeting moments of clarity and wholeness, and the accompanying feeling of leaving yourself.
The band on this one is myself, Michael Lerner, and our pal Logan Coale on upright bass.
Here are the full credits:
Written in 2019-2022 by Peter Silberman and Michael Lerner
Produced and engineered by Peter Silberman
Recorded at Mtn Acres in High Falls, NY in 2022-2023
With additional recording at Lone Pine Road in Kingston, NY
Nature recorded in Baker City, OR
Mixed by Nicholas Principe at People Teeth in Kingston, NY
Mastered by Gus Elg at Sky Onion in Portland, OR
Vocals, piano, guitars and synthesizers by Peter Silberman Drums by Michael Lerner
Upright Bass by Logan Coale
Artwork by Ryan Hover
Ahimsa
So happy to finally share a newly recorded full-band version of "Ahimsa,” out now on Transgressive. Listen HERE.
“Ahimsa” always felt like a simple song that could be interpreted in any number of styles, and as it’s made its way into our live shows over the years, I began to feel like it deserved an update.
The original version appeared on my 2017 solo album "Impermanence” with a patient temp, spare instrumentation and hypnotic circular delays. It was intended as a meditation on the Buddhist notion of "non-harming," which is perhaps a better translation of the title than "non-violence."
Stemming from my wish for a tranquil day amidst turbulent health issues, my focus was on confronting my own ephemerality as inspiration toward greater compassion for those around me.
But in the years since its original release, I think the song has taken on a meaning closer to the immediacy of the chorus of "no violence," and become a kind of hymn in opposition to the rampant turmoil and seemingly inescapable vitriol of the moment.
"Ahimsa" is an attempt to create a peaceful space within a violent world. The scope is wider now, though the message remains the same: mortality is one of the few qualities we all share in common, and through recognizing this we may discover compassion for one another.
This new version was recorded shortly before departing for our US tour this past Spring, and fittingly, it features the same players from those shows. Michael & I are joined by Paul Collins on a laidback baseline & Jared Van Fleet on an elegant piano, while Mike ‘Slo Mo’ Brenner provides heavenly pedal steel.
