TRACKS is the story of a young woman's journey from adolescence to adulthood. It begins in rural Alabama (where she passes the milestones of youth), and ends in the Philadelphia suburb of Bryn Mawr (where a train station sign warns, DO NOT CROSS TRACKS). The seven-poem cycle, written by Katherine McCanless Ruffin, has been set to music by Chris Mills and is sung by Manjula Dias-Hargarter.
Chris and Manjula, who are releasing the album under the name ‘Mysina’, recorded demos after Chris composed melodies and framed-out chord progressions. We made several attempts to produce fully arranged versions but met with limited success because our ambition for the work far exceeded our abilities as instrumentalists, particularly in light of the songs' long running times which required virtuosic performances to sustain listener interest.
COVID changed all that. Professional musicians who were unable to play live suddenly had time on their hands. Some were already well known to us, either personally (James Levy, Roger Greenawalt, David Lenat) or because they have played with bands we admire (Johnny Hawthorn/Toad The Wet Sprocket). Others are friends-of-friends, including the new friends who play on this album. This process of expanding the circle of contributors was thrilling for many reasons, not least because it introduced us to several new sonic possibilities: never had we considered mandolin, for example, until Dennis Lichtman (recruited for his banjo work) suggested it; likewise, this was our first-ever experience with pedal steel. Our virtual ensemble was on board and contributing parts throughout the summer of 2021. Producer/engineer Derek Chafin compiled the songs in early 2022. Mastering by Peter Humphreys.