Eddie Skuller Releases TOM WAITS Tribute EP BLIND LOVE
Ryder Cooley, Jack Skuller and Jeremy Chatzky join the sessions produced by Nick Kinsey.
New Jersey singer-songwriter Eddie Skuller has released his 'Blind Love' EP, a four-track tribute to the songwriting of Tom Waits that explores lost love, desire, tenderness, nostalgia and hope. Skuller recorded the EP at upstate New York's Chicken Shack studio, a fitting coincidence given that Waits is said to have recorded his 'Mule Variations' album in a converted chicken shack on the opposite coast.
Recorded live to tape, the EP was produced by Nick Kinsey, whose credits include Kevin Morby, Waxahatchee and Scott McMickey. Skuller brings an intimate vocal approach, favoring emotional connection over imitation, while the analog process preserves the spontaneity and imperfections of the performances. He is joined on the EP by Ryder Cooley of DUST BOWL FAERIES on accordion, Kinsey on drums and keyboards, Jack Skuller on guitar, and Jeremy Chatzky (Bruce Springsteen, Steve Earle, Ronnie Spector) on bass.
Based in Jersey City, Skuller traveled to the opposite edge of the state to record the EP at the Chicken Shack studio with producer-proprietor Nick Kinsey. Captured without edits or vocal overdubs, the recording preserves the spontaneity of the sessions and the imperfections of analog production, with vocals recorded live with the band.
'These four songs share a dark melancholy of lost love and desire, but all resolve with a sense of hope for a positive future outcome. That's what draws me in to these songs and what connects them. In my live show it's the spirit of hope that people take with them,' says Eddie Skuller.
'What makes this experience unique for me is that it was recorded live in studio to tape. I wanted Nick Kinsey to produce because I was familiar with his aesthetic sensibilities and the warmth that analog recording can provide. The songs became meditative dirges and the lyrics read as pure poetry.'
Nick Kinsey notes, 'Producing a cover of any Tom Waits song is a daunting proposition, but I think we did a great job paying homage to one of America's musical heroes, while giving it our own authentic touch. Eddie's vocal performance and approach give an emotional immediacy that's inarguable.'
Skuller previously released 'Downtown Train' and 'You Can Never Hold Back Spring,' two of Tom Waits' most quietly affecting songs, revealing a gentler side of Waits' catalog, where grit gives way to tenderness and reflection. The music video for 'You Can Never Hold Back Spring' is a collaboration with French collective SPX ETC (artists Sandrine Pagnoux and Sophie Etchart), blending collage, illustration, photography, typography and animation, sparked through Sandrine's Tom Waits editorial for 46pgs magazine.
In addition to his solo work, Skuller is a perennial guest vocalist with The Losers Lounge, the acclaimed tribute series curated by The Psychedelic Furs' Joe McGinty and regularly held at Joe's Pub and City Winery in NYC.
As of August 26th, the 'Blind Love' EP is available everywhere digitally, including Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp, where the first two singles can also be found.
Tracklist
01 Eddie Skuller - Blind Love
02 Eddie Skuller - Downtown Train
03 Eddie Skuller - House Where Nobody Lives
04 Eddie Skuller - You Can Never Hold Back Spring
Credits
Produced & Mixed by Nick Kinsey at the Chicken Shack Studio, New York
Mastered by Christopher Colbert at National Freedom Studio, Oregon
Eddie Skuller - vocals
Jeremy Chatzky - bass
Jack Skuller - guitar
Nick Kinsey - drums, percussion, keyboards
Ryder Cooley - accordion
EP cover photo and design by Eddie Skuller
'You Can Never Hold Back Spring' video produced for SPX ETC by Sophie Etchart & Sandrine Pagnoux
Single cover photo & design by SPX ETC
Original artist photos by Eddie Skuller
