Description

“Gathering Song” is a heavy-duty beauty of a holiday tune from Cedar Sparks, a new side project from LoHi’s Tim Carbone.

Serendipity and synchronicity, this is how Cedar Sparks have come to be. Their dark and gorgeous blend of gothic and psychedelic folk comes from a melding of minds; the crystalline musical collaboration between Railroad Earth’s Tim Carbone and Lewis & Clarke’s Lou Rogai. They come together through their common love of both Dark Americana (The Shivers) and British Folk (The Pentangle, Fairport Convention) to offer their own view through the looking glass. They are currently at work on a full length LP and have wrapped up a soon to be released EP, including a real-life murder ballad about Easton, PA’s last public hanging in 1833.

“Gathering Song” is more than a Christmas song, it’s an all inclusive holiday anthem of community and togetherness. Rogai and Carbone discussed both the beauty and difficulty of the holiday season, how the commodification and dilution of “real” Christmas can add up to seasonal depression. They agreed that the classic 1946 film It’s A Wonderful Life remains the pillar of the season which stands the test of time and reminds us to keep perspective. The plight of George Bailey is something that most everyone can relate to, and they began quoting the film every day without realizing that a song was born.

In November 2018, Carbone and Rogai began tracking the song at Mixolydian Studios with Don Sternacker at the mixing desk in their hometown of Delaware Water Gap, PA. Rounding out the tune is mainstay Julian Rogai on double bass, Damian Calcagne on keys, Jeff Barg on drums and featuring a guest appearance by Regina Sayles on vocals.