Album Notes

From the opening punch of "Day in Madrid" to the gentle piano of "Academy of the Fields", from the organ and guitar driven groove of "Cocoon" to the ethereal world of "Aeshna Mixta", What Man Was is truly a journey for your ears. Celebrating the worlds of acoustic and electric guitar with piano and synthesis, What Man Was unites the eclectic musical passions of Paul Grove and Joel Steven with thoughtful songs, heartfelt performances, and studio wizardry. A rare collaboration of true artistic expressionism, What Man Was explores the diverse musical backgrounds of Grove and Steven in a sophisticated and natural masala, sure to ignite that hidden, childlike wonder in us all. Challenging without being invasive, inventive without being unapproachable, What Man Was is one of those very rare 'complete' albums where each piece stands on it's own, yet blends together to create a whole that is complete, that truly is music as art.

"In here you will find humor and melancholy, light and dark, gentle breezes and gale force winds, all entwined together," says Paul Grove (keyboards, piano, bass, percussion, background vocals). "What Man Was truly expresses us as individuals and us as a songwriting team."

"It's just like life, " agrees Joel Steven (acoustic and electric guitars, vocals, drums, bass). "Paul and I both play and write music from our hearts and What Man Was really captures this passion which has driven us through our many years of songwriting and musicianship. We are extremely proud of this album and look forward to the next!"

The somewhat mystic yet perceptible nature of What Man Was makes it ideal to pair with the visual medium, which is why you may have heard parts of this music on MTV, VH1 and various programs on PBS. Like a perfect spice, it blends with and enhances what you see, whether that's what you're seeing on a road trip, blending the music with still pictures, or with motion pictures. Much of this album is without lyrical content (and all is available without voice as needed) which makes it ideal for your movie soundtracks. (Please see www.octagonrecords.com for licensing information for use with your video projects.)

Joel Steven and Paul Grove are both producers, songwriters, recording engineers, and musicians at Octagon Records, with Joel the principal at Octagon Records' main office and studio in Los Angeles, and Paul running Octagon Records in Lake Tahoe. For more information and other music from Joel and Paul and other independent artists, please see www.octagonrecords.com.