Jon Derosa (Record Release!), Bootblacks, La Cruor

The writing of the album really happened in two parts, with the first half being written in New York and second half being written in LA. The initial inspiration was this intense feeling of isolation and disconnection growing in me while still in New York, and really kind of retreating into this inner world, this spirit world, really. After living there for so many years, I literally felt like a ghost drifting through the crowds, invisible and with no real connection to anyone or anything.

Then within months of each other, I lost both my grandmother and grandfather, the latter of whom was a big band singer in the 1940's and my biggest musical influence. So I felt close to death at that time.

I stepped outside myself, as I often do in the writing process, and
started writing the first *Black Halo* songs. The song were written from the perspective of someone who was so profoundly unhappy with his physical reality, that he began manifesting things from outside of this physical reality. Lovers from his adolescence that had passed over. Wandering souls of whores and
alcoholics passing through the walls of the waterfront tavern where he worked after closing time. Restless spirits of past loves manifesting physically to be acknowledged, and not be forgotten. These attempts to try and relive moments, or to be reborn within a moment, and to reside there in some alternate dimension were all an attempt to escape my physical reality.

When I arrived in LA, I continued writing but the new landscape and lack of social obligation drastically changed my outlook. I was still kind of channeling these supernatural things, but the "darkness" surrounding them had begun to lift. I began practicing Transcendental Meditation, the immediate results of which were nothing short of miraculous. I started reading Edgar Cayce again after so many years, and no longer did the veil between living and dead seem so finite. Through extended meditation and
time spent in nature, I was feeling connections to a lot of different
energies and finally understanding my place in this universe again. I began pursuing different spiritual work in Los Angeles and in South America, and basically a lot of healing started to occur the more I opened myself up, shed my negativity and fear, and embraced all that is light.

As the album began to come together, I felt as if I had figured out how to blend these dark and light elements, and structurally maintain a lot of the 1950's and 1960's musical influences that are such a strong part of my musical being. My hope is that there is a certain bit of nostalgia and comfort to these songs, amidst the darkness, the light, the atmospheres, the orchestrations.


Bootblacks are a NYC-based post punk band. They have released a full-length LP, featuring production work by Jim Sclavunos (Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Grinderman), a 4-song EP on Modern Tapes Records, and are currently in the studio finishing up their second full-length album. They tour frequently and are known for a high energy live show. Their influences range from bands like Depeche Mode and New Order to The Sound and The Chameleons.