24-bit audio, exclusive to Bandcamp. Get those FLACs!

Church of Hed’s new double album, The Father Road, takes us on a surreal aural journey across the United States along the Lincoln Highway, the first transcontinental road built for automobiles. It’s effectively the sequel to the band’s 2011 album, Rivers of Asphalt, which traveled the legendary Route 66. The music shifts and evolves in tandem with the scenic backdrop of America from San Francisco to New York City. As with the original release, the sense of a lost era lurks throughout the album.

The music within features Church of Hed’s unique mix of spacerock, psychedelia, prog rock, krautrock, and electronic music. It channels diverse influences, ranging from CAN, Cluster, Brian Eno, and Hawkwind, to YES and The Flaming Lips, in addition to Glass, Reich, and Riley. In the end, it always manages to sound predominately like Church of Hed. Of course, Kraftwerk provided the original concept of combining electronic music with a transportation corridor!

The band’s Paul Williams composed, performed, and produced The Father Road with help from Quarkspace guitarist, Stan Lyon, on bass and guitar. Williams plays an array of synthesizers, keyboards, and electric drums. Surreal ambience highlights the western portion of the highway, while more lyrical instrumental pieces aurally describe the more populated sections of this old road. Check out the expanded liner notes at: http://churchofhed.com/releases/church-of-hed-the-father-road/" rel="nofollow - churchofhed.com/releases/church-of-hed-the-father-road/

Released both on CD and digitally, The Father Road is available on CD or download from Bandcamp,

Thanks, everyone!

Guy, reach out so I can get you a promo copy for your radio show... radio show.

Indeed. It's a small world. Thanks for checking out our stuff!

I don't really play out anymore, too much gear to schlep, plus I lack the number of appendages to cover multiple parts live. Nevertheless, I do play in from time to time.

Sadly, these are the only three tracks from The Father Road (out of 20) I can do justice to live. I am figuring out the arpeggiation (a bit of live improv magic originally) from Sierra Crest to make four.

 

Such pretty stuff and one of the great additions to Space Pirate Radio, and for a long time, too!

Wow! Thanks for listening and spread the word!

Peace!

Hi,

Been with Guy and his show from the first in Santa Barbara in 1974 ... though it is hard for me to sit up now and listen to it each and every time, in the end, the show is still the very best there is, and the quality and amount of music is second to none anywhere, and deserves a wider touch/audience, although Guy might prefer the way it is ... cozy, comfortable, and incredibly peculiar in his musical tastes, but one thing that he had in those days ... was the touch ... he could always find anything.

There was one incident I remember well, when Guy was playing something, and one other DJ had to interfere and say that it "wasn't rock'n'roll" to which Guy immediately slowed the piece to a stop and then said ... "who cares! It's great music" ... and the irony always lived in my heart ... the piece? "Are You Receiving Me?" by Golden Earring!

To me, that says more about all the material he shows than anything else!

Wow. That's a cool story!

I typically encounter too many genre purists who react with veiled anger by music that's references various styles (especially what they perceive as "pop" or "techno".)

As I always say, "Church of Hed (and Quarkspace) piss off genre purists in multiple genres simultaneously."  It's all music according to Charlie Mingus!

 

Here's the latest video from The Father Road! This time out we travel over the Alleghenies in a flying teapot that didn't originate from the Planet Gong. A slow psychedelic groove for your lazy Sunday afternoon with cool string synths providing that ambience. Enjoy!

Here's another new video from The Father Road. This time out we trace where Route 66 meets the Lincoln Highway in Plainfield, IL. It's a synth (Moog)-laden track mixing psychedelic prog with electronica and minimalism. In short, Church of Hed!

The Father Road is steaming on Apple Music. Of course, we prefer folks support us with a CD or download purchase, we understand the irresistible force of the modern streaming proletariat.

So git yer mashed-up psychedelic spacerock electronic prog right here! Apple still lets you buy a download too!

http://https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-father-road/1641103658" rel="nofollow - http://https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-father-road/1641103658

Here are the first published reviews of The Father Road.

First, a video review from Sea of Tranquility's Peter Pardo.

And here's a review from Expose and Peter Thelen.

http://expose.org/index.php/articles/display/church-of-hed-the-father-road-3.html" rel="nofollow - http://expose.org/index.php/articles/display/church-of-hed-the-father-road-3.html

Today is also Bandcamp Friday, so head on over and pick up The Father Road and/or some of the other 28 releases from Eternity's Jest Records, including Quarkspace, National Steam, and Church of Hed.

http://https://quarkspace.bandcamp.com/album/the-father-road" rel="nofollow - http://https://quarkspace.bandcamp.com/album/the-father-road

Thanks!!

Here's another fresh video from The Father Road for your stony Sunday. Take a surreal climb up the Sierras on the Lincoln Highway with tripped-out swirly visualizations and a soundtrack mixing psychedelic spacerock and electronic music!

Guy Guden wrote:   still sounding SO GOOD on SPACE PIRATE RADIO.  congratulations again, Paul!  & HEY!  it's getting near to another LIVE broadcast of 4 hours plus (did 8 hours last week, so you never know if I've had too much Complimentary Anxiety Coffee from the GREEN NEON MOTEL).  thank you & cheers!

Thank yous for that continued support. Slowly getting back into new music stuffs, The Fifth Hour slated for next year sometime!

Of course, we prefer folks support us by buying a CD or a download of The Father Road. Nevertheless, we understand the convenience of streaming. So here's a link to the album on Spotify. Maybe some year they will increase their royalty rates, but I'm not holding that hit in! Cough, cough.

http://https://open.spotify.com/album/6pxiYab6PhzIzpXkPnDrdJ" rel="nofollow - https://open.spotify.com/album/6pxiYab6PhzIzpXkPnDrdJ

http://quarkspace.bandcamp.com/album/the-father-road" rel="nofollow - https://quarkspace.bandcamp.com/album/the-father-road

Howdy. I publish (and write for) TabMuse, a music technology resource, covering synths, effects, and more -- software and hardware. I took a deep dive into the recording of the new Church of Hed album so check it out if the synth and software word intrigue you. Thanks!

http://https://tabmuse.com/church-of-hed-the-father-road-recording-notes-prologue/" rel="nofollow - https://tabmuse.com/church-of-hed-the-father-road-recording-notes-prologue/

For your lazy Sunday, trace Ohio's red brick road on the Lincoln Highway as it winds through the hills south of Canton. Here's a fresh video from The Father Road! It might be my favorite coda from the album...

Check it out and subscribe! Psychedelic spacerock meets prog and electronica for you.

http://quarkspace.bandcamp.com/album/the-father-road" rel="nofollow - - https://quarkspace.bandcamp.com/album/the-father-road

Here's "Side 1" from the recording notes for The Father Road I just published on my TabMuse music technology side. Check it out if you have an interest in synths, recording, and more. The Prologue for the series is posted earlier in this thread. Thanks!

https://tabmuse.com/church-of-hed-the-father-road-recording-notes-side-1/" rel="nofollow - https://tabmuse.com/church-of-hed-the-father-road-recording-notes-side-1/

TabMuse just published another installment in their series looking at the production and recording of The Father Road. Check it out if interested in music technology and music production.

http://tabmuse.com/church-of-hed-the-father-road-recording-notes-side-2/" rel="nofollow - https://tabmuse.com/church-of-hed-the-father-road-recording-notes-side-2/