Album Notes

Proud Simon is the music of Brian Keenan and friends. They currently operate as a 4-piece band in Brooklyn, NY.

The record 'Shoestring Universe' is a collection of sounds and stories, captured over the course of a year. Some are stories of old, retold to a new backdrop of textures and spaces; others were from the tips of tongues, songs that rose straight to the surface.

The songs represent a period of constant movement, and the eventual return to a place changed by time. From dark and dense bars of Eastern Europe, to the cold open air of Scandinavia, the songs encapsulate the essence of place.

Sonically, the collection marks a process by which new ideas worked to reshape the whole. Many of the tracks were recorded previously on a 6 song EP. The treatments for the LP version were a sea change in experimentation and articulation.

A host of musicians played on the album, including many local NYC performers. Bryce Hackford produced the record at number of locations, using multiple methods and setups to achieve the varied textures on 'Shoestring Universe.' The record was engineered and mixed at Galuminum Foil Studios in Brooklyn, NY, and mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side Music in New Windsor, NY.