Ok, I gotta admit that I’m hooked on this record. A few days ago, our bud Matt at Addicted to Vinyl notified the world about how we could download The Damnwells latest album, One Last Century, for free. How many of you followed the links to get the record? I hope the answer is “All of us!” because it’s a GREAT set of songs.
Here’s what lead singer and songwriter Alex Dezen has to say regarding the free-ness of the album:
“I suppose the hardest thing to explain to people is why I’m giving this record away. “You’re just going to give it away?” seems antithetical to the human brain. “Is this just a bunch of b-sides or something? Some ‘give away’ material you don’t mind releasing into the ether?” No. Quite the contrary. I have never worked so hard or put so much of myself into a collection of recorded songs. It is for just this reason that I want to give it away. To me it makes perfect sense. I just want people to hear this music, and I don’t want them to have to enter into some kind of contractual agreement with a third party to do so.
Download the record, copy it and give it to your friends, lovers, and enemies. Whatever. It’s so hard these days just to get the actual music into people’s houses and cars, let alone their ears. Besides, I know everyone’s broke, maybe I can supply the soundtrack. So, I just want to give this music away because I want people to hear it. I should have done this years ago. I’m starting over.”
Like I said above, I’m completely hooked on this record.
The Damnwells have had their share of trials and tribulations. They’ve toured the country with some huge artists like The Dixie Chicks and Los Lonely Boys, recorded an album, and then were shelved. There’s even a documentary about it called Golden Days. Here’s a brief description of the film:
In 2001, a photo assistant named Alex Dezen asked a couple friends to record a few songs with him. Shortly thereafter they would form the Brooklyn based rock band THE DAMNWELLS. Two years later they had toured the country, opened for rock legends, and had a song featured in a major motion picture. By 2004, they had signed a major record deal with EPIC Records (Sony/BMG).
In March of 2005, THE DAMNWELLS went into the studio to record their first professional album. For six months, THE DAMNWELLS immersed themselves in preproduction, recording, and mixing. But as months passed, their release date was moved further and further away. In January of 2006, lead singer Alex Dezen received a call they never expected. The band was being released from their contract and the fate of the album was unknown. For the moment, it would sit on a shelf at EPIC Records and collect dust.
THE DAMNWELLS, who had previously recorded their albums in a storage space and their apartments, were not used to waiting. They had been in complete control of their music and their lives before they signed on the dotted line. Now, a year of their lives was sitting on a shelf waiting to be heard.
Will the band break up, will they go their separate ways, or will they take back their future?
Harp Magazine describes the movie as “A fascinating glimpse into the fabled but ubiquitous major label hell.” I’m putting this on the top of my “must see” list…
I’m not sure how long the album, One Last Century, will be available for download. I’ve heard that it’s up for a limited time, but I’ve also heard otherwise… either way, don’t miss out! You’ll find a couple of selections below in the Dig-It section. Take a listen and if you like it, GO GO GO and pick up the rest of it.
The Damnwells on Amazon
The Damnwells on iTunes
Your Dig-It Downloads:
Download: Like It Is
Download: Say
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