Aaron Dooley – “Westbound Alameda”
More front range rock is on the horizon with the release of Aaron Dooley’s The International Disassociation Of:, out October 6th on the always amazing Centripetal Force label, with cassettes available through the also incredible Island House records. Bassist and composer Aaron Dooley rounded up an epic ensemble of musicians to make something blurring the lines of spiritual jazz, high lonesome ambient country, and improvisational drone. Upon first listen, Westbound Alameda was the first to really catch my ear with its sophisticated melodicism, and reading Aaron’s note below, I’m elated to see that my beloved Psychic Ills had some influence, so I’m honored to share its debut.
This song came to be about two years ago. I had returned from an Osmium House tour in late August 2021, about to begin my last year of college. The malaise of the pandemic was thick. An old friend, who stayed close to me since the start of the pandemic, had fallen out of communication with me. I was feeling rather down. I had the blues, some might say.
Then, while didlin’ on my bass one afternoon, what I guess you might call the melody of the song, popped into my head. Or maybe my fingers did it first. Either way, mind and body really came together. The accompanying words “I was bound West down Alameda, ‘round about half past five, I was bound West down Alameda; dunno if they’ll take me alive,” sorta came out of nowhere. Even though I omitted words from the recording of the song, those lyrics solidified a mental image of trotting off into the sunset.
And even though lyrics were omitted, the place where they would fall became the motif Gabi clung to on saxophone. I didn’t ask her to, but it would seem our minds were melded. Everyone came together perfectly on the song. Like all the other songs on the album, no one heard ’em before we played em, aside from a quick rundown. The interplay is really fantastic on the song and had me grinning like a fool the first time I heard it back. Diego did exactly what I had in mind for the drums (and more), which made my bass playing all the better. I’m pretty sure the clave feel of the drums was inspired by Psychic Ills’ “Back to You.” Cooper’s steely mixed with Aesop’s tele work completely drives home the country western feel. Add Gavin’s shining trumpet to the mix, and suddenly the twang gang is coated in solid gold. His trumpet combined with Zuri’s violin give it a much more symphonic feel than I initially expected, and I won’t shy away from unexpected Morricone feels. And Gabi’s singing saxophone is perfect. She doesn’t make it jazzy. She is the refreshing breeze to accompany that ride into the sunset.
Of all the songs on the album, I think this one was the most fun to play because I had been sitting on it the longest. Maybe the anticipation was higher, but that made the relief all the better when everyone executed so flawlessly. It was exactly what I had envisioned and more. I can’t wait to share it with folks.
Get the album through Centripetal Force or the cassette through Inner Islands.
See Aaron and crew on tour:
September 29th- Denver, CO at Enigma Bazaar w/ Prairiewolf and Moonbros
October 1st- Kansas City, MO at Farewell w/ Ida Rowan; Hutchison, Lovelace, Osborne, Racanati, Verploegh; Night Mode
October 2nd- Bloomington, IL at Reverberation Vinyl w/ Creatian/Heap, Vivianne Velazquez
October 3rd- Nashville, TN at Jack Silverman’s Bday Show w/ Jack Silverman Group (message Aaron or Mike at Centripetal Force for address)
October 6th- Brooklyn, NY at The PIT
October 7th- Turner Falls, MA at Shannon’s House w/ Hal Lambert & Mitchell Mobley, the Monotonous Ringing
October 8th- Rahway, NJ at the Coffee Box
October 10th- Philadelphia, PA at Century w/ Jeffree Alexander, Bhajan Boy, Ex-Reverie
October 11th- Baltimore, MD at The Crown w/ Tarotplane, Seventh Shadow of the Sun
October 12th- Cleveland, OH at Little Rose Tavern w/ Powers/Rolin, Kath Bloom
October 14th- Chicago, IL at The Hideout for Astral Autumn Days w/ Kath Bloom, Tekla Peterson, Charlie Schmidt
