11 Reasons Why 3 Is Greater Than Everything – the Press Release

My new album is officially out a week today (though it may just sneak onto Bandcamp a day or two early 😉 )

Here’s the press release that goes with it:

11 Reasons Why 3 Is Greater Than Everything –

Steve Lawson

Released 18th May 2011, via http://music.stevelawson.net

– each track comes accompanied by a short essay exploring the theme.

Given that “11 Reasons Why 3 Is Greater Than Everything” is his first solo studio album in 5 years, you could be forgiven for thinking that Steve Lawson has been taking time off from music. Little could be further from the truth. In fact, in the intervening years, Steve has been busier than ever:

• he and his wife, singer/songwriter Lobelia have released 2 live albums as a duo
• he has released a solo live album to mark the 10th anniversary of his debut album
• released two acclaimed duo albums with American bassist Trip Wamsley
• and has a duo project with guitarist Mike Outram ready to release after this.

Add to that a touring schedule that has included numerous trips round the UK, Europe and the US, playing mainly ‘house concert’ shows in people’s houses, and it’s clear Lawson’s music life has prepared him well for this collection of new music.

As with his other solo albums, 11 Reasons was recorded ‘live’ in the studio – each track is a single take, minimally and sensitively edited. They are largely improvised pieces, documenting Steve’s journey through the music and inviting the listener to join in. Says Steve,

“each time I come to make an album, I consider a range of ways of making music – from multi- tracking to programming, building loops in a sequencer. Every time I try anything else, I find that my loose, improvisation approach tells better stories than the more polished, precise, tidy results I get with those slicker studio processes. And it’s all about the stories.”

The title of the album is taken from the internet habit of replacing the word Love with an ascii heart – <3 – made up of the ‘less than’ sign, and a three, implying the triumph of love over everything. As the sleeve notes to the album begin, “see, 3 Is Greater than EVERYTHING. This is an album about love, journeying, gratitude, growing older, enjoying london, becoming a dad, being comfortable having fewer and fewer answers but better and better questions…”

Hopefully the listeners will be taken on a similar journey through their own list of things to be grateful for.

Released on May 18th, 2011, 11 Reasons continues Steve’s recent tradition of releasing music via the Bandcamp web platform. “I’m not anti-CD” explains Lawson, “but I’m also more interested in sustainability than I am in having bits of plastic to hold – the cost of making CDs is sufficiently high that it only makes sense to produce them when the demand is there. Thus far, the majority of my audience seem happy being able to buy downloads, which are available as ‘better than CD’ 24Bit FLAC files as well as all the usual common iPod-friendly formats.”

“11 Reasons Why 3 Is Greater Than Everything” features 11 brand new Steve Lawson compositions, and over 80 minutes of music.