Photo by Sarah Cass

Left – Joseph Allen Beltram of Goodmorning Valentine, Right – Allen Karpinski of Six Parts Seven

Six Parts Seven/Goodmorning Valentine Announce New Collaborative Album Kissing Distance out February 16

The rock band Six Parts Seven recognized for their split and collaborative albums with The Black Keys, Modest Mouse, Iron & Wine, etc team up with fellow Ohio band Goodmorning Valentine on this new release

The first single “Meditation in D” was the decided spark that set the fire blazing: for both bands, this song was the starting point, an invitation to take things further, to expand, combining players from both bands

(Watch the video for first single “Meditation in D” here)

To learn more about the collaboration, read the album liner notes below:

It was winter. Six Parts Seven had returned to Ohio after touring out to Washington State, to record “Casually Smashed to Pieces.”

There was down time between the recording and the actual release of that album in January 2007, and we were rehearsing, playing local shows, and collaborating, with most of us involved in other projects to keep the momentum going (Mike w/ Talons, Al w/ Beaten Awake), but the one we all came together over was recording an album with Joey Beltram, the songwriter behind Goodmorning Valentine, a local band we shared players with, a band we deeply admired.

The music on Kissing Distance came together over two weekend days. There were a lot of people around; 6P7 and GMV players coming and going from the Saint Ledger House. There were handles of whiskey, there was weed, stacks of Marlboro Reds for the ones still dragging butts. We all went ‘dancing’ at Thursday’s, in Akron, Ohio, on Saturday night. Not sure how we were productive the following day. Chalk that one up to relative youth. Over those two days, songs were cut without any prior rehearsal time. None of us remember how the idea came up. In hindsight, it seems inevitable.

“Drunk from the Bottle,” is the first of the one-take/one mic songs: an SM58 used for both vocal and guitar, making it impossible to over-think anything: You got the version, or you did not, that simple.

“Instrumental #2,” is the last full/core band recording by Six Parts Seven. The first piece in our catalog written/arranged by Tim Gerak. This song would have been developed on our follow-up to “Casually Smashed to Pieces.” Alas, an album that never came to be. The ache in this is real. It’s there in the bass guitar, tuned high and open, played with a slide, and utilizing one of Jamie Stillman’s pre- Earthquaker Devices fuzz pedals.

“Lonely Daughter,” is another one-take/one-mic song, notable for the lead-guitar, played by James Matthew Haas, who overdubbed his part, months later, standing alone on the deck at Joey’s folks place, playing to the moonlight, making magic…

Even though Kissing Distance was recorded in 2006, it took almost two-years to finish mixing; a project Joey would slowly complete between his writing for GMV, tours and local shows. When it came to the mix: there was second guessing, trial and error, chaos swirling around a chaotic time.

We played one show together, at The Beachland Tavern, in Cleveland, to celebrate the collaboration between bands. Think we printed off, maybe, fifty CDr’s to sell at the show, making the original version of Kissing Distance, too long, at 14-songs, a few of which have been cut from this final release.

Suicide Squeeze is proud to release Kissing Distance out February 16th. Initial pressing is limited to 500 copies on 180g black vinyl. LP jacket in case-wrapped and comes with a double sided printed insert and a black poly-lined inner bag. The music was mixed by Matt Bayles (Minus the Bear, Caspian) and mastered by Ed Brooks (Fleet Foxes, Death Cab for Cutie).

Praise for Six Parts Seven:

“There’s something very personal about the music, something evocative in the simplicity that invites closeness. It’s really quite stunning.” 

– Pitchfork

“Absorbing, serenely minimalist music built on subtly evolving guitar patterns.” 

– NY Times

“It’s no surprise that their compositions have been used as NPR’s incidental music.”

– ALLMUSIC