I have to be honest, when I get a CD in the mail and the “Recommended if you like” has M. Ward listed, I am gonna listen to it. It may not sound anything like Ward or his music but I am a big enough fan to at least give a disc with that preface a spin or two. Now, if you actually have presented a disc that is worthy of such a comparision or parallel, there is a good chance I will be writing about it here on ENS. If it turns out to be nothing like M. Ward, well, joke is on my I guess.

However, I did not get fooled at all with Ray’s Vast Basement. The album penned and recorded by songwriter Jon Bernson does bring to mind early M. Ward recordings, and has a great cast of contributors to mention as well. Bernson enlists much of the same crew that ENS favorite Micheal Zapruder did for his Rain Of Frogs album, that we mentioned back here. Included are Nate Query (The Decemberists), Enzo Garcia (Jolie Holland), Sean Coleman (Kelley Stoltz) and Zapruder himself. But, that is really just the tip of the iceberg here, as Bernson was approached by the Actors Theater of San Fransisco to write and perform music for John Steinbeck’s literary classic “Of Mice And Men.”

Bernson gladly accepted the project and months later had a song track ready which breathed new life into the Steinbeck book and also energized the project known as Ray’s Vast Basement. The band performed the songs live for 16 weeks and when the show closed, the momentum carried them into the studio to record. After recording many of the songs, the band hit a setback when the studio was flooded and many of their instruments were ruined in the process. The recordings were mostly kept intact however and the results are worth the wait. The more than competent band, as mentioned above, provide the tight instrumentation that meld perfectly with Bernson’s songwriting. I have two songs from the album for you to sample today, the first of which is highly recommended. Enjoy.

The album, Starvation Under Orange Trees is due out in July from Howells Transmitter.

Ray’s Vast Basement – California’s Gone

Ray’s Vast Basement – The Story Of Lee

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