Denison Witmer - Are You A Dreamer?
Denison Witmer’s upcoming album Are You A Dreamer? features a guest appearance by Sufjan Stevens. A few full-length tracks are available for your listening pleasure at Denison’s Myspace page and Denison’s brother’s site. Clips for the remainder of the songs are available at the innocence mission news & faq site and at the Militia Group’s Are You A Dreamer? e-card.
Release Date: July 26th
You can pre-order the album now from The Militia Group Store.
Press release and information from The Militia Group:
There’s no such thing as a casual Denison Witmer fan.
While only a few music lovers have been lucky enough to hear his minimally distributed previous work, many more are becoming acquainted with Denison’s family of related artists. This emergent circle of talented peers includes The Innocence Mission, Sufjan Stevens, My Morning Jacket, Damien Jurado, and Rosie Thomas. Denison has toured with all of these artists and some are guest-musicians on his new record, “Are You A Dreamer?”
“Are You A Dreamer?” will be his first record to receive an adequate marketing push, but Witmer is intentionally patient and enjoys watching his fan base take shape. “I like touring and revisiting places over and over again to a slightly larger audience each time. I know there is a limited group of people who will get into my music, but as long as I’m doing something honest that resonates with them, I’m confident they’ll pick up on that and keep coming to my shows. So far this has been the case and I feel very blessed. I prefer it over having some huge overnight success and wondering whether my fans will still be around next year.”
Recorded in Lancaster, Pennsylvania with Innocence Mission guitarist Don Peris, the same mentor who helmed Witmer’s immaculate debut “Safe Away” seven years ago, “Are You A Dreamer?” functions as an extension of Witmer’s previous folk offering though a broader lyrical lens and progressively thoughtful instrumental arrangements.
On earlier releases, Witmer tackled fading friendships, the disillusionment of early adulthood, and failed romances with an unblinking style lifted straight from the pages of his diary. In “Are You A Dreamer?” Witmer set his sights on different emotional terrain. Feeling free to venture into previously unexplored areas, Witmer examines beginnings, endings, imagination, faith, aspiration, and the world of dreams with comparable sensitivity. The ethereal subject matter melds seamlessly into the airy acoustic sound conjured from Witmer’s guitar and talented band of collaborators.
Karen Peris’s haunting harmonies, Don Peris’s tremulous electric guitar, James McAlister’s conscientious drumming, and Sufjan Stevens’ terse banjo work, all come across the speakers like bold primary colors. Witmer’s voice sounds sharpened from years spent performing in Rock N Roll dives, notoriously difficult for solo singer/songwriters.
The ultimate design is intimate, with generous focus on Witmer’s dexterous guitar work and beautifully natural voice. Inside a “less-is-more” mentality, every instrumental embellishment feels simultaneously essential and subtle.
“Are You A Dreamer” serves as a powerful reminder that no matter how crowded the pack of sensitive guys with acoustic guitars becomes, genuine talents like Witmer are hidden somewhere in the rough. Warmth shines through every moment of “Are You A Dreamer?” and combines with a welcome sense of optimism often lacking in the depressive world of
confessional singer/songwriters and independent rock.In Denison’s own words, “‘Are You A Dreamer?’ is about finding peace and remaining hopeful in a situation that feels completely out of control. A lot of people are feeling defeated right now. We’re full of anxiety associated with our society’s pressure to become something more important than what we feel we currently are. We’re constantly being told that if we’re not moving forward (or able to prove how we’ve gotten to where we are with perfect checks and balances) then we can’t be trusted or taken seriously. ‘Are You A Dreamer?’ is giving in to life’s mysteries, picking yourself back up, and continuing to go for it even in the face of a string of failures.”
The album comes out on The Militia Group July 26th.
Tracklist:
- Little Flowers
- Everything But Sleep
- Ringing Of The Bell Tower
- Are You A Dreamer?
- East From West
- California Brown And Blue
- Castle And Cathedral
- Worry All The Time
- Grandma Mary
- Finding Your Feet Again
July 11th, 2005 admin
Entry Filed under: Guest Appearances, Press Releases, Related Artists