Jeremy Cunningham

From Northern Spy:: “Return These Tides” (out today) started off as a poem wherein Jeremy Cunningham confronts his day to day life, and imagines what happened to his brother in the last moments of his life and beyond. He composed a song to reflect these sentiments, and recorded the piece in Los Angeles at Paul Bryan’s home studio. When he returned to Chicago, he reached out to multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Ben LaMar Gay, and asked if he’d sing over the tune. On the day they recorded at Shirk studios it was a cold and foggy day, with some rain in the air. Ben took Cunningham’s poem and wrote out all the lines that affected him the most. He went in to the vocal booth and got to work. In a few takes, Ben had found a melody and phrasing that captured the poignant essence of what Cunningham was trying to say. “Those rivers run as thick as us. Call him, call him, call him. You call for us. And, we still call for you. I’ve got to find a way to turn the tide. Gotta find a way to turn the tide.” #TheWeatherUpThere is out Feb 28 on LP/CD/digital. Listen and pre-order now: https://ffm.to/weatherupthere @northernspyrecs @paulie_be @jeffparkersounds @joshuaajohn @benlamargay

Jeremy Cunningham's “Elegy" is the story of his brother Andrew Cunningham’s death in a home invasion robbery. Jeremy recorded interviews with various family members and friends, and asked them to share their feelings and reactions to his brother's death. Jeff Parker edited these interviews together to form a compelling narrative. Underneath these stories is a "drum choir" comprised of @makayamccraven , @reedmicj , @mikel_patrick_avery , and @jeremyalanc himself. As the story closes, we hear his Aunt Cynthia’s reflection on guns, specifically assault rifles. Her words highlight the inaction of our government to combat the proliferation of guns, and the violence that is in direct correlation. As she expresses her frustration, Jeremy bashes his drums and cymbals as a show of his own frustration about a society that refuses to enact gun reform and save lives. @northernspyrecs @jeffparkersounds @paulie_be @joshuaajohn @dustin.laurenzi @sentinel6 @chicagodcase Listen/pre-order #TheWeatherUpThere : https://ffm.to/weatherupthere

Jeremy Cunningham's “All I Know” (out digitally today) is a tumultuous piece that begins with dense, aggressive drumming from Makaya McCraven, Mikel Patrick Avery, Mike Reed, and @jeremyalanc himself - a group Jeremy has dubbed the Chicago Drum Choir. We hear Jeremy's father speaking about the moment he found out that his son had died. After being on hold for hours, the police finally tell him what happened: Andrew was murdered by two men that invaded his home. At this time, Jaimie Branch enters, screaming trumpet lines and eventually settling into a wailing theme. Out everywhere now. Preorder #TheWeatherUpThere at northernspyrecs.com @chicagodcase • 🎥: @thoroughlybad @kimmerson @makeamazing

from @northernspyrecs : 🗣 ️Announcing 🗣 ️Chicago-based drummer & composer Jeremy Cunningham's (@jeremyalanc ) debut album The Weather Up There, co-produced by Jeff Parker (Tortoise) & Paul Bryan (Aimee Mann) arriving February 28th. The record also featured fellow artists Ben LaMar Gay, Jaimie Breezy Branch, Tomeka Reid, Makaya McCraven, and more. In his own words, Cunningham explains, “I wrote The Weather Up There to confront the loss of my brother Andrew to gun violence, who died in a home invasion robbery some 10 years ago. My brother was a kind soul, and I used those warm memories of him to illustrate his life as a counterpoint to the pieces that confront his tragic end. Recorded accounts from my family and friends appear throughout the album to show just how far the ripple effect of gun violence extends through a community.” • You can pre-order the album on various formats right now including a limited "sepia" colored vinyl version. You can hear the first two album tracks "Sleep" & "1985" and watch a documentary-style album trailer too. The Weather Up There is a profound response and we're honored to work with him to present this music. Inspired by the nature of the work, we're releasing new music from the LP episodically each week leading up to the February 28th street date. #staytuned @chicagodcase