MORE TIME
acknowledgements
The high I felt after releasing my first EP was unlike anything I had ever felt before. For about a month afterwards, I was fairly certain that I was through with music altogether; it was as if an "achievement unlocked" message had been hovering over my head, signaling that it was time for me to move on, do something else, pursue other passions. Truth be told, looking back on it now, I was equal parts exhausted from the last venture and nervous about doing the whole thing over again. Eventually, my friends, family, and my love for music itself convinced me to give it another go. MORE TIME is over double the size of my last record. Having 13 songs on this bad boy gave me the chance to really play with the storytelling aspect of putting an album together— and right away, I learned that a larger story meant more characters. I feel truly honored to say that the people I enlisted to help me tell the story of MORE TIME are not only incredible musicians in their own right, but incredible people whom I consider myself very fortunate to know:
Trey, what can I even say? This is the second project you've worked on with me, and once again, I am completely blown away. Your musical mind is supernatural; there were so many moments that brought me to tears while working on this album because I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that you really heard me— and what a priceless feeling that is, to know that you are truly heard by someone else. Your passion for music shines through everything you do; it encourages me to be the best that I can be, and it reinvigorates me when I lose focus on what really matters to me. My gratitude for you is endless, Trey. Thank you for seeing yet another monstrous project through with me, for pushing me to make this album the best that it could be, for bringing me back down to Earth after long days-turned-nights in the studio, and for a million other things. I am so indescribably thankful for you in music and in Life.
I love you.
Charlie, it's always an honor to work with you. There's a reason I make it a point to watch you perform at every opportunity: listening to you play, it becomes obvious right away that you are in it for the joy that music brings to your life and to those around you. Between that and your naturally sweet disposition, you are always such a joy to work with. This record goes to some pretty dark places at times— but threaded throughout it all, your playing serves as a sort of groovy comic relief. I feel so lucky to have you on my first full-length album, Charlie. Thank you for being a part of it.
I love you.
Patrick, from the first time I heard you play, I knew that I had to work with you. Listening in, I immediately got the impression that your playing style was very aligned with who you are as a person: reflective, responsive, self-assured and light-hearted. I'm so thankful that I had the opportunity to incorporate those sentiments into this project. Working with you was a pivotal point in the album making process, because it signified the point when MORE TIME transformed into something more tangible, more doable. Thank you for helping me bring this music to life and for putting up with all of my songwriting antics.
I love you.
Sam, I am so glad that I got to put you on this project. I learned so much about auxiliary percussion from you the day that we worked together— but most importantly, I learned how much passion you have for what you do. You were answering questions for me that I didn't even know I should've been asking, taking great care to explain the nuances of each and every instrument. Your finishing touches helped take this project to the next level, and I will always appreciate you for that.
I love you.
Emily, I reached out to you on a complete whim, fairly certain that you would be far too busy or uninterested to make time for someone who was practically a stranger. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for proving me wrong. Not only was your work on the title track quintessential to the album at large, your air of warmth and kindness made it feel like we had known each other for years. I'm so grateful to have ever crossed paths with you; even though our time together was all-in-all short, I genuinely feel like my Life is better for your appearance in it. Thank you so much;
I love you.
Emma, you are truly a force to be reckoned with. The way that you are able to speak so clearly through your instrument is dumbfounding. Such great care goes into what you do that one can't help but lean in closer; you attune such a masterful balance between hard-earned prowess and ingenuity. Your work on Brush Your Teeth makes one of my favorite songs even more haunting, and your solo on Waitress sells the song more than I could ever have hoped to on my own. Thank you for taking the time to breathe life into this music;
I love you.
Charlie, even though our recording session was extremely last-minute, I now understand why I wouldn't have wanted to work with anyone else; your musical intuition is striking. The thing I look for in a musician above all else is the enjoyment that they get from playing, and your love of mandolin was undoubtedly translated into Waitress. Thank you for saying your piece on this album; it means the world to me.
I love you.
Drake, you are truly ahead of your time. From the moment I heard your first original song, I knew you were something special. Our musical minds work so well together; in many ways, it feels like we balance each other out creatively. Both of us are able to keep tabs on the other, always making sure we reign a song back in to its highest potential. You helped me make sure that state-of-mind-CTRL reached its highest potential. I will always be thankful for our friendship, whether that means working on a new song together or just being in each other's presence.
I love you.
Bailey, you have believed in me for so much longer than I have believed in myself as an artist. Working with you has taught me to never compromise on my dreams and to trust my own artistic vision no matter what. The music industry can often feel overwhelmingly oversaturated— never once have I felt pressured by you to create anything other than what my heart of hearts desires. Having the opportunity to translate what's in my head is already such a privilege to me; I am equally thankful for the opportunity to share the music I hold so dear with my family and friends.
I love you.
Natalie, you are much of the reason why I have such a passion for music to begin with. So much has happened to that little girl you used to teach piano between then and now. I've changed my mind, learned new things, unlearned old things, and had music to guide me through it all. How remarkable is it that we can reunite through music all these years later? I have so much respect for you, Natalie. I see who you are and what you've done with your life so far; I see the hunger you have for music because I recognize it within myself. Thank you for helping me hold on to that passion, and for reminding me that life is too short to not do what I love.
I love you.
Gracie, you know me in a way that few can, and that's irreplaceable. A lot has changed over the years; Love has always been our constant. You have always made it known how much you believe in me, how much faith you have in me, and that in and of itself has gotten me through some very difficult times. You're always the person I'm most excited to share my music with because you're able to give me insight into myself that I could never produce on my own. Thank you for being a part of so many of the moments that have made my Life worth all the trouble.
I love you.
As you can see, so many people helped me turn this dream into a reality. Know that I am forever grateful for each and every one of you for helping me tell the story I needed to tell. The beauty in working with others, I've found, is that they can say things that I would've never thought to say. Working with all of you didn't just give me new audio files— it gave me new perspectives, different angles, a deeper understanding of the stories running through this music —which is so, so precious to me. This album wrestles a lot with the tension between narrative and perspective, aging and dying, growing and living. But most of all, MORE TIME is about the grief that permeates all of that tension— and the love that makes our grief worthwhile. Because if I didn't have love in my heart, a love for what I do, or for the people I know, or even just enough love for Life to keep on living it, this album would not have been made. No matter where our lives take us all from here, I will always cherish this story and everyone who participates in it, from collaborator to listener.
This is MORE TIME.
CREDITS:
All songs produced, mixed, mastered, and preformed by Saint Lavender
01. What They See—
Songwriter, Guitar— Saint Lavender
String Arrangement, Cello— Trey Campbell
02. Bury The Hatchet—
Songwriters— Trey Campbell, Saint Lavender
Background Vocals, Piano— Saint Lavender
Bass Guitar, Cello, Background Vocals, Cajón— Trey Campbell
Electric Guitar— Patrick Oakes
03. The Cause—
Songwriter, Acoustic Guitar— Saint Lavender
String Arrangement— Trey Campbell, Saint Lavender
Bass, Cello, Upright— Trey Campbell
Electric Guitar— Patrick Oakes
Drums— Charlie Edwards
04. Hero Down—
Songwriter, Piano, Background Vocals— Saint Lavender
String Arrangement, Cello, Upright— Trey Campbell
05. state-of-mind-CTRL—
Songwriters— Saint Lavender, Drake Downing
String Arrangement— Trey Campbell, Saint Lavender
Guitar, Piano, Background Vocals— Saint Lavender
Cello, Upright— Trey Campbell
Violin— Emma Campbell
06. Patience—
Songwriter, Guitar, Background Vocals— Saint Lavender
String Arrangement, Cello, Upright— Trey Campbell
Timpani— Sam Parker
07. What's the date again?—
Songwriter, Piano— Saint Lavender
String Arrangement, Cello, Upright— Trey Campbell
08. Uncanny Valley—
Songwriter, String Arrangement, Cello, Upright, Bass Guitar, Background Vocals— Trey Campbell
Background Vocals— Saint Lavender
Drums— Charlie Edwards
09. MORE TIME—
Songwriter, Piano, Guitar, Background Vocals— Saint Lavender
String Arrangement, Cello, Upright— Trey Campbell
Harp— Emily West
Background Vocals— Natalie Hagan
10. Waitress–
Songwriter, Background Vocals, Acoustic Guitar— Saint Lavender
Upright, Bass— Trey Campbell
Mandolin— Charlie Merk
Violin— Emma
Drums— Charlie Edwards
Electric Guitar— Patrick Oakes
11. Man-Village—
Songwriter, Background Vocals— Saint Lavender
String Arrangement, Cello, Upright— Trey Campbell
Aux Percussion— Sam Parker
12. Brush Your Teeth—
Songwriter, String Arrangement, Background Vocals, Piano— Saint Lavender
Violin— Emma Campbell
13. Gracie—
Songwriter,Acoustic Guitar, Background Vocals— Saint Lavender
Upright— Trey Campbell
Drums— Charlie Edwards
Slide Guitar— Patrick Oakes
Background Vocals— Gracie
Recorded over two years, eleven people, and three states.
Mixed and Mastered at the Music Media Production Studios at Ball State University.
© & ℗ New Hippie Entertainment
SPECIAL THANKS:
to Shelby, Ben, Dante, Laurenz, and Corynne for their "na na na na na" 's,
to Abi Bache for tracking drums & bass on tracks 3, 5, 10, and 13,
to Miles Jena for showing me what was possible,
to Jeff Seitz for CCing me in an email as an "audio engineer",
to my mother and father for making me Me,
to my brother and sister for what they see,
to you for listening.