The Garden – Debut Album Out Friday January 10th
Melbourne alt-country duo Zinnia Blue are thrilled to announce the launch of their debut album The Garden. Recorded and produced by Chris Ellis and the band in Lorne, Victoria, with mixing and mastering by Johnny ‘Hooves’ Clayton in Brunswick, the independent production was crafted piece by piece over four years.
A genuine labour of love, the eleven track long player features an eclectic set of original songs and two haunting cover songs from Melbourne’s own Jordie Lane and Tracy McNeil, as well as famed American singer-songwriter Jason Isbell.
Showcasing lush but subtle layers of instrumentation, each song has been arranged to accentuate its particular mood and style. The album moves through diverse genres of country, bluegrass, folk, blues, and pop, but plants its feet firmly in Americana soil, with an organic Melbournian twist.
The heart of Zinnia Blue is married couple Kate Tucker and Matt Ellis who write and arrange the music together, creating a sound that is delicate, earthy, and emotional. The Garden is a reference to the place where the pair met and began playing music together, as well as an analogy for treading lightly on this Earth, and sharing its riches with those we love. The production of the album itself reflects this meaning, with no less than ten instrumentalists and half a dozen choir members contributing to the bountiful and evolving arrangements throughout the journey that is The Garden.
“Ellis and Tucker have made an album of their musical family album, and done it lovingly over time, choosing their lyrics and songs with care. It preserves the original work of Zinnia Blue, paying homage to the influences that (couple) Kate Tucker and Matt Ellis have collected along the way, including the Melbourne independent music scene (hence the cover from Fireside Bellows). The beauty of a recording that takes its time is the product of a band who have taken their time to build it. The gentle, broody and intimately honest – uncompressed – sound of the record conveys the love of family, community and landscape which has been so instrumental in creating this work.”
– Mandy Connell
“Zinnia Blue features gorgeous voices and intelligent songs”
– Kavisha Mazzella
“Gorgeous two part harmonies which pair beautifully with the instrumentation”
– The Music Below
Album Release and Launch Tour
The Garden is out on January 10th 2020, available for download or streaming through all online outlets. A small batch of CDs will also be available for sale, featuring the stunning artwork of Jack Kirby Crosby. The digital and CD albums are available for pre-sale from BandCamp:
The first single from the album is Truth & Lies, released in September 2019, and the second single is Grow Your Dreams, released in November 2019.
The band celebrate the release with a Tasmanian and Victorian tour, accompanied by a number of musicians from the album. Beginning with three shows at the Cygnet Folk Festival from January 10th to 12th, the band play CERES Market in Brunswick on January 26th, the Wesley Anne in Northcote on February 9th (Album Launch), and Blue Bean Love in Hepburn on January 15th.
The album launch will be held at an old favourite venue, the Wesley Anne in Northcote, Victoria. For this special event, Zinnia Blue will be featuring musicians from the album – Chris Ellis on dobro, Quinn Ellis on Mandolin, Narada Ellis on double bass Leo Kahans on Fiddle, Erica Pringle and The Septemberists choir, and Sam Ellis on a tasty little bit of organ.
Helping the band to launch the album, are some very special guests:
– All round charming and talented singer-songwriter and family friendly entertainer Tim Woodz of Tim Woodz and the dirty shoes, and
– Our good friends Phoebe & Schina, who venture out from under the covers of their new band Breakfast in Bed, to add some gorgeous two-part harmony Americana magic to the show.
Tickets are $10 pre-sale or $15 on the door:
The Garden Debut Album Tour
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