Equinox at Heron Lake
Equinox at Heron Lake by Isaiah Z Johnson - STREAM IT HERE
.png)
I wrote Benediction, the closing track of Equinox at Heron Lake, more than four years ago, right after I moved home from college at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Its chorus was a meditation that I sang to myself as I worked through the new phase of my life that was just beginning. "Take it slow, wait for warmer winds to blow, use this time to heal and grow...let go."
Four years later and the warmer winds are here! I am 26 years old, I am living with Toni in Somerville, and the summer is just beginning. My early twenties were filled with moments of turbulence and anxiety and doubt, but also joyous moments when I felt truly grounded. So many of the good times were ones I spent in nature - in the woods near my parents' house, sitting up on Corey Hill, getting my hair wet in the rain.
The seasons have passed many times over since I started this project. In that time, I got together with my friend and long-time collaborator Ian Downie (AKA Edward Glen) to write and record the eight songs that make up Equinox at Heron Lake while he recorded his own projects. We tracked the first guitars during the fall of 2021 with the help of veteran Edward Glen guitarist, Sam Eastman, and booked a session at The Record Co. to track drums in January with Nic Adam of the band Trash Rabbit. With the drums providing a solid foundation to build on, we were off to the races.
We layered in the other parts on top of the drums, meeting every few weeks at Ian and Sam's apartment at Craigie Circle near Harvard Square. When we started recording, I had only written six songs, but by summer Knots and Burls was on the list, and I had some initial ideas floating around for others to add.
In June, Ian, Sam, and I, along with our friend Evan Lo, took a recording retreat to Ian's folks' house in North Adams. We set up for the weekend to record the loud amped guitars and a lot of the backing vocals. It was a long weekend and a good one - a big step forward toward finishing up the record. We spent the evenings shooting pool at the Mohawk Tavern and took a visit to Mass MOCA on our last day before heading back to Boston.
The rest of summer flew by with lots of travel and bits of recording here and there. By the end of summer we'd been able to lay down the bass. Then, due to my surgery, we took a long pause in the fall before picking back up as we headed into 2023. In the aftermath of the surgery, reflecting on the mental health challenges it spawned, I wrote Edgemont Street, the last song to be added to the track list.
In the spring, we tracked bass and I realized that Falling Leaves needed a bluegrass kick that I didn't have the skill for, so I reached out to my old friend Noah Harrington and his bandmate Sofía Chairandini of the Ruta Beggars to track upright bass and fiddle. Sam shredded lead guitar parts and pedal steel. We brought in another Edward Glen member, Chloe Koval, to add gorgeous three-part backing vocals, and I worked with Alasdair MacKenzie to add drums to the two newest songs. By the fall, I had an album - unmixed and unmastered - but recorded.
On the studio version of Redeye Flight, we upped our game, working with an engineer and getting professional support. We recorded everything in the studio and paid for it to be mixed and mastered, but we didn't do much arranging. We just played the songs straight as we'd play them live.
Equinox at Heron Lake was my crash-course in home recording, and I feel like I've learned a lot. I bought Logic and a real interface and worked on my craft. We needed the studio to have enough inputs for all of pieces of the drum kit, but everything else is at home, DIY. These songs aren't crappy demos anymore. They're fully-fledged recordings. Ian van Opijnen then ran with the recordings and turned them into what you're hearing on the record. I couldn't be more proud of how they turned out.
I'm thrilled to be sharing these songs with you all. They're out of my hands now and into yours. I still consider myself an amateur, hobbyist musician, but that doesn't mean I don't take it seriously. I love these songs with all my heart. They're a representation of growing up in New England and a reflection on change - life changes and the changing of the seasons. Thank you for listening!
----------
Equinox at Heron Lake
June 6, 2024
Written and Arranged by Isaiah Johnson
Drums Recorded by Williams Goldsmith at The Record Co.
Additional Drums Recorded by Alasdair Paul MacKenzie
Mixed and Mastered by Ian van Opijnen at Echoroom Media
Instrumentalists: Isaiah Johnson, Sam Eastman, Nic Adam, Sofía Chiarandini, Noah Harrington
Vocalists: Isaiah Johnson, Ian Downie, Chloe Koval, Sam Eastman, Evan Lo
Originally a Downy Woodpecker production
1. Knots and Burls
2. Beaver Brook Waltz
3. Highway Life
4. Edgemont Street
5. Falling Leaves
6. Cremation Song
7. White Mountain Roads
8. Benediction
Track One: Knots and Burls
Written by Isaiah Johnson Spring 2022
Arranged by Isaiah Johnson
Recorded by Isaiah Johnson, Ian Downie, Sam Eastman, and Alasdair MacKenzie
Mixed and Mastered by Ian van Opijnen at Echoroom Media
Isaiah Johnson: Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Drums, Bass
Sam Eastman: Pedal Steel
Lyrics:
Recorded by Isaiah Johnson, Ian Downie, Sam Eastman, and Alasdair MacKenzie
Mixed and Mastered by Ian van Opijnen at Echoroom Media
Isaiah Johnson: Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Drums, Bass
Sam Eastman: Pedal Steel
Lyrics:
I’ve been quaking like the quaking aspens askin’ after you
Tryna heal my heart with willow bark and sarsaparilla root
Meet me in the meadow mushing mud between my toes
And follow me where brush and briars grow
Now I’ve been away for so long that my memory starts to fade
It’s frosted ‘round the edges like a winter window pane
I want to come back to New England, I’m tryna feel your arms again
I’d follow you on every escapade
And I’m glad that you’ll put up
With all the mud stains and the muck
I’ll go fill me up a tub
And I’ll scrub myself clean
There’s a nor’easter bearing down hard, inches of snow and freezing rain
And I’m out in it ‘til my clothes are all soaked through
And you wait for me inside, hang my clothes up to dry
And I hope you know I’d do the same for you
I know you’d rather that my elbows and my fingernails stayed clean
But my hands are twice as rough as any others that you’ve seen
I’d have my fingers be as calloused as the bottoms of my feet
As well-worn as my favorite, my favorite pair of jeans
And honey I’m glad that you’ll put up
With all the mud stains and the muck
I’ll go fill me up a tub
And I’ll scrub myself clean
When God made me, She made me out of wood
She whittled out my features from my head down to my boots
And burned the shavings up as incense down to ashes, dust, and soot
And planted me on Earth right next to you
Now I’m weathered like the driftwood we collect on Second Beach
My scars are all smoothed over, all my cracks are sprouting weeds
You run your thumb over my body, and brush the salt off of my cheeks
And say “I love you knots and burls and all just as long as you love me”
Say “I love you knots and burls and all just as long as you love me”
Tryna heal my heart with willow bark and sarsaparilla root
Meet me in the meadow mushing mud between my toes
And follow me where brush and briars grow
Now I’ve been away for so long that my memory starts to fade
It’s frosted ‘round the edges like a winter window pane
I want to come back to New England, I’m tryna feel your arms again
I’d follow you on every escapade
And I’m glad that you’ll put up
With all the mud stains and the muck
I’ll go fill me up a tub
And I’ll scrub myself clean
There’s a nor’easter bearing down hard, inches of snow and freezing rain
And I’m out in it ‘til my clothes are all soaked through
And you wait for me inside, hang my clothes up to dry
And I hope you know I’d do the same for you
I know you’d rather that my elbows and my fingernails stayed clean
But my hands are twice as rough as any others that you’ve seen
I’d have my fingers be as calloused as the bottoms of my feet
As well-worn as my favorite, my favorite pair of jeans
And honey I’m glad that you’ll put up
With all the mud stains and the muck
I’ll go fill me up a tub
And I’ll scrub myself clean
When God made me, She made me out of wood
She whittled out my features from my head down to my boots
And burned the shavings up as incense down to ashes, dust, and soot
And planted me on Earth right next to you
Now I’m weathered like the driftwood we collect on Second Beach
My scars are all smoothed over, all my cracks are sprouting weeds
You run your thumb over my body, and brush the salt off of my cheeks
And say “I love you knots and burls and all just as long as you love me”
Say “I love you knots and burls and all just as long as you love me”
Track Two: Beaver Brook Waltz
Written by Isaiah Johnson Spring 2021Arranged by Isaiah Johnson
Recorded by Isaiah Johnson, Ian Downie, Sam Eastman, and Williams Goldsmith
Mixed and Mastered by Ian van Opijnen at Echoroom Media
Isaiah Johnson: Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Keyboard, Bass
Sam Eastman: Electric Guitar, Pedal Steel
Nic Adam: Drums
Lyrics:
Another rainy spring day
Up on Beaver Brook Street
The snow in the parking lot ain't melted yet, but
Rain has swollen the creek
Rain has swollen the creek
Went out driving today
On the rain-slick streets
Wanted to feel I was moving somehow
Feel the road 'neath my feet
Feel the road 'neath my feet
And I've grown tired of not knowing what's next
And of the relentless ache in my chest that I've grown to expect
Am I just holding my breath?
Not leaving this nest?
Am I at rest or restless?
Am I at rest or restless?
Another year gone by
'Neath my worn-out feet
Like the season ain't changed in three sixty five days, and
The winter weather won't retreat
The winter weather won't retreat
And I told myself I would be out by the coming of spring
So why am I still here on Beaver Brook Street? I can't seem to change anything
And Mama I promise I'm trying my best to move on
When the snow in the parking lot melts that's when I will be gone
Am I just holding my breath?
Not leaving this nest?
Am I at rest or restless?
Am I at rest or restless?
Am I just holding my breath?
Not leaving this nest?
Am I at rest or restless?
Am I at rest or restless?
Track Three: Highway Life
Written by Isaiah Johnson Summer 2021Arranged by Isaiah Johnson
Recorded by Isaiah Johnson, Ian Downie, and Sam Eastman
Mixed and Mastered by Ian van Opijnen at Echoroom Media
Isaiah Johnson: Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, 12-String Acoustic Guitar, Bass, Tambourine
Ian van Opijnen: Pad
Lyrics:
I met a woman from south Massachusetts
Just east of the Rhode Island line
She said “kiss me already, I know that you want to”
Just with the look in those pretty brown eyes
Those pretty brown eyes
But I choked and asked her just what she was thinking
What thoughts had been crossing her mind
She said “baby well it won’t be no fun if I tell you
Just take a guess and let’s see if you’re right”
And she kissed me that night
Now I’m making my way down the fast lane on I-95
And your finding a seat on the tracks of the Providence Line
Yeah I’m making my way down south for the very first time
Gonna try living this highway life
And you said to me “babe, let’s go down to my hometown
I’m sorry there ain’t much to do”
“‘cept my great-grandpa’s farm and brunch at the diner
No streetlights, we’ll drive by the light of the moon”
Just east of the Rhode Island line
She said “kiss me already, I know that you want to”
Just with the look in those pretty brown eyes
Those pretty brown eyes
But I choked and asked her just what she was thinking
What thoughts had been crossing her mind
She said “baby well it won’t be no fun if I tell you
Just take a guess and let’s see if you’re right”
And she kissed me that night
Now I’m making my way down the fast lane on I-95
And your finding a seat on the tracks of the Providence Line
Yeah I’m making my way down south for the very first time
Gonna try living this highway life
And you said to me “babe, let’s go down to my hometown
I’m sorry there ain’t much to do”
“‘cept my great-grandpa’s farm and brunch at the diner
No streetlights, we’ll drive by the light of the moon”
So we rolled down the windows and you played Frank Ocean
As we watched the country roll by
And we talked ‘bout how one day we’d move to the city
All this time on the road has been making us tired
Now I’m building a house on the fast lane down I-95
And you’re feeling at home on the tracks of the Providence Line
And someday I’ll head back up north for the very last time
But for now I’m living this highway life
It’s been a year of back and forth
Getting to know every crack in the road
And the deer that was hit by exit 24
Is a pile of withered old bones
The work has dried up and we’re all strung out
But someday Imma buy us a home
Put five thousand more miles on this four-wheeled house
Turns out I ain’t built for a life on the road
For a life on the road
So I’ll trade in my house on the fast lane down I-95
For a one-room apartment right next to the providence line
And next time I head north I swear it’ll be the last time
Cause I’m tired of living this highway life
Yes I’m tired of living this highway life
Track Four: Edgemont Street
Written by Isaiah Johnson Summer 2022
Arranged by Isaiah Johnson
Recorded by Isaiah Johnson, Ian Downie, Sam Eastman, and Alasdair MacKenzie
Mixed and Mastered by Ian van Opijnen at Echoroom Media
Isaiah Johnson: Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Keyboards, Drums, Tambourine
Sam Eastman: Pedal Steel, Electric Guitar
Lyrics:
Edgemont Street is on my bike route
Every time I pass it I feel blue
I’m biking faster than I used to
Tell Edgemont Street that I’m just passing through
It feels like it’s a rite of passage
An unfamiliar road
I worry that the world is moving faster
I’m all alone
Sally got hit by the crosswalk
Now I flinch at every passing car
You said “be careful coming home dear”
Don’t worry babe, cause it ain’t all that far
I’m going down an endless twisting passage
This unfamiliar road
On my back I’m carrying all this baggage
A suitcase full of stones
Such a heavy load
Edgemont Street is on my bike route
Every time I pass it I feel blue
Every time I pass it I feel blue
Track Five: Falling Leaves
Written by Isaiah Johnson Fall 2020Arranged by Isaiah Johnson
Recorded by Isaiah Johnson, Ian Downie, and Sam Eastman
Mixed and Mastered by Ian van Opijnen at Echoroom Media
Isaiah Johnson: Vocals, Acoustic Guitars
Sofía Chiarandini: Fiddle
Noah Harrington: Upright Bass
Ian Downie: Vocals
Chloe Koval: Vocals
Lyrics:
When the leaves on the old hills burn like red-hot coals
And the grass frosts over in the early morning cold
I’ll take you down to Sherman Bridge Road
Where the Sudbury River runs high
And we’d go to the old Concord Scout House by chance
Where the local string band would play and old time contradance
There’d be holes in our shoes and the knees of our pants
And a gold harvest moon in the sky
And we’d dance just like the falling leaves
Twirling through an autumn breeze
And when the trees are bare as hollow bones
You’re my evergreen
And I would hike to Fitchburg like it’s 1849
And you’d laugh and say you’d rather try to take the Fitchburg Line
And we’d meet somewhere out west of here to while away the time
With a cider and some huckleberry wine
And the cemetery wall is made of S+H bricks
From an old farmhouse chimney built in 1886
And I’d lay us out a blanket with champagne and candlesticks
And we’d tell ghost stories late into the night
And we’d be singing with the autumn breeze
Whistling through the sugar maple trees
And when the trees are bare as hollow bones
You’re my evergreen
Oh you’re my evergreen
And I really want to show you
The things I loved when I was young
Before we move out to the city
Where neon lights outshine the sun
And maybe when we’re older
We’ll move out to a quaint New England town
And I would bake you acorn bread
As we watch the geese fly south
And we’d dance just like the falling leaves
Twirling through an autumn breeze
And when the trees are bare as hollow bones
You’re my evergreen
On you’re my evergreen
You’re my evergreen
Oh you’re my evergreen
Track Seven: Cremation Song
Written by Isaiah Johnson and Ian Downie Spring 2020Arranged by Isaiah Johnson
Recorded by Isaiah Johnson, Ian Downie, Sam Eastman, and Williams Goldsmith
Mixed and Mastered by Ian van Opijnen at Echoroom Media
Isaiah Johnson: Vocals, Acoustic Guitars, Electric Guitars, Bass
Sam Eastman: Electric Guitar
Ian Downie: Vocals
Nic Adam: Drums
Summer Starved: Foley
Lyrics:
Isaiah Johnson: Vocals, Acoustic Guitars, Electric Guitars, Bass
Sam Eastman: Electric Guitar
Ian Downie: Vocals
Nic Adam: Drums
Summer Starved: Foley
Lyrics:
Red moon in the sky
Amber embers and warm firelight
Dark beer and red wine
And the smell of cedar and pine
Honey I am afraid
Of the dark creeping in to pluck my soul away
So I’ll keep the fire warm
To keep out the night and the gathering storm
When I die, set my body aflame
Let me drift through the sky, let the flames roar my name
I have traveled around by the way
I’m not dead, I have only changed shape
A hollow in the woods
A small plot of land where my forefathers stood
Lay me down in the ground with my kin
And let me rise to heaven just to see them again
When I die, set my body aflame
Let me drift through the sky, let the flames roar my name
I have traveled around by the way
I’m not dead, I have only changed shape
Take my ash to the old willow tree
Plant me deep in the earth with the dandelion seeds
When the flowers grow again in the spring
Look to them and there you will find me
Look to them and there you will find me
Look to them and there you will find me
Amber embers and warm firelight
Dark beer and red wine
And the smell of cedar and pine
Honey I am afraid
Of the dark creeping in to pluck my soul away
So I’ll keep the fire warm
To keep out the night and the gathering storm
When I die, set my body aflame
Let me drift through the sky, let the flames roar my name
I have traveled around by the way
I’m not dead, I have only changed shape
A hollow in the woods
A small plot of land where my forefathers stood
Lay me down in the ground with my kin
And let me rise to heaven just to see them again
When I die, set my body aflame
Let me drift through the sky, let the flames roar my name
I have traveled around by the way
I’m not dead, I have only changed shape
Take my ash to the old willow tree
Plant me deep in the earth with the dandelion seeds
When the flowers grow again in the spring
Look to them and there you will find me
Look to them and there you will find me
Look to them and there you will find me
Track Seven: White Mountain Roads
Written by Isaiah Johnson and Ian Downie Summer 2020Arranged by Isaiah Johnson
Recorded by Isaiah Johnson, Ian Downie, Sam Eastman, and Williams Goldsmith
Mixed and Mastered by Ian van Opijnen at Echoroom Media
Isaiah Johnson: Vocals, Electric Guitar, Bass
Sam Eastman: Electric Guitar
Ian Downie: Vocals
Lyrics:
These White Mountain roads are gonna take me home!
Track Eight: Benediction
Written by Isaiah Johnson Spring 2020
Arranged by Isaiah Johnson
Recorded by Isaiah Johnson, Ian Downie, Sam Eastman, and Williams Goldsmith
Mixed and Mastered by Ian van Opijnen at Echoroom Media
Isaiah Johnson: Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Bass, Keyboard
Nic Adam: Drums
Ian Downie: Backing Vocals
Chloe Koval: Backing Vocals
Sam Eastman: Backing Vocals
Evan Lo: Backing Vocals
Arranged by Isaiah Johnson
Recorded by Isaiah Johnson, Ian Downie, Sam Eastman, and Williams Goldsmith
Mixed and Mastered by Ian van Opijnen at Echoroom Media
Isaiah Johnson: Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Bass, Keyboard
Nic Adam: Drums
Ian Downie: Backing Vocals
Chloe Koval: Backing Vocals
Sam Eastman: Backing Vocals
Evan Lo: Backing Vocals
Lyrics:
Last night we got together with hot coffee and full plates
And we talked until the coffee grew cold and drank it anyway
I brought honey whiskey, you brought your rosé
And we drank to sweet nostalgia and God’s grace
Last night we got together with hot coffee and full plates
And we talked until the coffee grew cold and drank it anyway
I brought honey whiskey, you brought your rosé
And we drank to sweet nostalgia and God’s grace
This morning was farewell and we all went our separate ways
With the spirit from last night still in our veins
She went to New Orleans, he went to LA
And we promised that we’d all be back again
But the best laid plans wash away with the cold spring rain
But I’ll be here when you’re back again
And I’ll say ooo
With the spirit from last night still in our veins
She went to New Orleans, he went to LA
And we promised that we’d all be back again
But the best laid plans wash away with the cold spring rain
But I’ll be here when you’re back again
And I’ll say ooo
Say ooo, I’ll see you soon
We sang our benediction, all our voices through the tears
In the same room where we gathered every week for fifty years
A baby grand piano and a song we know by heart
And a prayer to guide us through our time apart
Through many dangers, toils, and snares we have already come
But now we’ll rest our wander-weary souls
And I’ll sing Amazing Grace to bless the road we traveled on
And to pray that grace will lead us safely home
But the best laid plans melt away with the winter snow
And all good things must pass to let the flowers grow
So let’s just take it slow
Wait for warmer winds to blow
Use this time to heal and grow
While we practice letting go
And I’ll say ooo
Say ooo
Say ooo
Say ooo, I’ll see you soon
Through many dangers, toils, and snares we have already come
‘Twas grace that brought us safe thus far and grace will lead us home
So take it slow (Take it slow)
Wait for warmer winds (Wait for warmer winds to blow)
Oh and use this time (Use this time to heal and grow)
It’s time to practice letting (While we practice letting go)
Said let go, aah (ooo)
Let go, said let go (While we practice letting go)
Aah (ooo)
We sang our benediction, all our voices through the tears
In the same room where we gathered every week for fifty years
A baby grand piano and a song we know by heart
And a prayer to guide us through our time apart
Through many dangers, toils, and snares we have already come
But now we’ll rest our wander-weary souls
And I’ll sing Amazing Grace to bless the road we traveled on
And to pray that grace will lead us safely home
But the best laid plans melt away with the winter snow
And all good things must pass to let the flowers grow
So let’s just take it slow
Wait for warmer winds to blow
Use this time to heal and grow
While we practice letting go
And I’ll say ooo
Say ooo
Say ooo
Say ooo, I’ll see you soon
Through many dangers, toils, and snares we have already come
‘Twas grace that brought us safe thus far and grace will lead us home
So take it slow (Take it slow)
Wait for warmer winds (Wait for warmer winds to blow)
Oh and use this time (Use this time to heal and grow)
It’s time to practice letting (While we practice letting go)
Said let go, aah (ooo)
Let go, said let go (While we practice letting go)
Aah (ooo)
Comments
Post a Comment