All Around Sound Is Turning Eight! - Will Stratton

This year All Around Sound will enter it's eight year of operation. While not quite the milestone moment as a year five or year ten, each year that this blog exists is treasured. Mostly by me. Most of the music blog that I came up admiring and working alongside have more or less faded into obscurity: either having grand closing ceremonies or quietly closing up shop with the unspoken hope that they're start up someday later down the line, All Around Sound still exists and at least tries to encapsulates the spirit of our shuttered favorites: namely that of enthusiastic music discovery. Last year was a banner year for the blog seeing impressive releases from a number of our proven favorites but also newer acts and if this year is anything like the year that proceeded it, it'll be as exciting a year musically as ever.

photo by Josh Goleman

As is now tradition, this year I asked some of my favorite artists to contribute a mix to help ring in the blog's new birth year.Today's is a contribution from a longtime favorite of mine Beacon based singer/songwriter/composer/arranger Will Stratton. Ever since I was introduced to Stratton around the 2012 release of his incredible Post-Empire via a music subscription service started by a mutual friend and music writer, I've been positively fiending for more from the fingerstyle virtuoso. Stratton represents an ideal in my love of folk: brilliant, understated songs filled with thoughtful lyricism and composed of elegant melodies and rich, complementary arrangements. Will and I have geeked about over our mutual love of classical music and folk while also sharing a number of recommendations of things we'd think the other might like in a multitude of other genres. And maybe that's why it's taken so long to extend the offer to Stratton. But thankfully, once I saw the error of my ways, Will was more than happy to oblige my offer.

Will on his particular mix:

This mix is composed of music I like to listen to when I’m at home, often when I’m cooking. I think music that conveys the comfort and reflection of being at home is often overlooked when talking about music, although of course for a lot of us it’s the most common type of music we listen to. Travel music and party music and workout music is all good, but as someone who often works from home, and writes and records at home, I usually listen to albums all the way through, but sometimes it’s nice to live in a varying space, and that’s what this is for. There are old favorites like Karen Dalton and Sandy Denny on here, and more recent ones like Lomelda and Jim Ghedi. That’s really the main thing I like about making mixes—listening to the past and the present commingle and converse. 

Thanks to Will for contributing/dealing with my constant requests for album updates. And thank you as always to the readers of this fine blog for checking us out on our little corner of the Internet. Whether you're a longtime or newer follower, frequent or sporadic visitor, you're very much appreciated.