“Goldfinch is looking for a space to record a new record. It has been four years since our last full-length record was released and we have a lot of new material that we’d like to get out to our friends, family and fans,” declares lead singer, Aaron Stevens. Spaceworks Tacoma is helping move the process along by awarding the band a three-month artists’ residency through March 31, at 1310 Martin Luther King Way.
Seasoned vets of the live music scene, Goldfinch plans to keep a low profile while laying new tracks at the practice space, and the studio will be closed to the public except for Third Thursday gallery walks and possibly other special-event nights. “We will not be selling anything,” says Stevens. But the musicians will not be maintaining a zendo-like purity, either: “I’d like for this record to be primarily recorded live with the full band playing, and then come back and add any additional layers and sounds that we’d like to have on the record.” The band has even considered making the record available free of charge once it is complete: “I believe that Goldfinch’s art is intended to be a gift to our community” – illustrating one more reason why they are among the area’s best-loved musical artists (but believe us, the music is worth the money).
The band – made up of Stevens (vocals/guitar), Emily Peterson (cello/vocals), Paul Hirschl (drums), Steve Norman (pedal steel/trumpet), and Mikey Bergstrom (bass) – will also reach out to its T-town fan base via local videographers and bloggers who will document the project. Ultimately, they aim for a CD release party in a performance space at the Broadway Center, where Stevens is a programming associate.
Goldfinch has been “an active part of the arts community in Tacoma for many years, and I think that using a random space in the city to record in a non-sterile environment makes the most sense,” he says. “After all, we are not a hermetically sealed city, and I don’t believe our art should be, either.” Watch for new music by Goldfinch in early April!