Get all the top news & discounts for Los Angeles & beyond.
What do you do when you can't hit the road in 2020? You turn your home studio into a premiere virtual performance destination with a popular ongoing series of weekly shows on the StageIt Platform, invite your musical friends to be your guests, record all the performances, and a year later release an extraordinary album of duets Alone Together.
States Michael: "Alone Together is a unique project that presented itself in many shapes and forms. When the pandemic started and all my touring was postponed indefinitely, I knew I needed to continue creating music for my own well-being. That's when I started doing my virtual shows from my home studio on StageIt. A few shows in I started inviting special guests to perform with me, but as technology wasn't allowing for 'live' duets we did it literally 'alone together' from separate locations as a pre-record. The most exhilarating part was that my fellow artists that I invited all said yes immediately - and the same goes for the selections I made for this album."
When it came time to stream the duets, technical challenges made it impossible to do them live. So for each duet, Lington and each artist created pre-recorded videos, doing one take from top to bottom. He mixed the music and then sent it all to a video editor to synch it up - and the result is pure sonic and split screen visual magic. As Lington says in his liner notes, "What ended up happening was incredible. We put together performances that were so real, heartfelt and authentic that it became apparent we were creating something special. We captured a spirit and vibe beyond anything I could have imagined. It's not about being perfect but all about the heart and soul. It's exciting to now share that magic again on Alone Together.
In addition to the opportunity for fans to once again experience favorite warm-hearted and transcendent moments of the StageIt shows, the tracks on Alone Together allow everyone to revisit some of the most compelling original and cover songs from Lington's multi-faceted 20-plus year solo discography. Opening with a rousing version of "Baker Street" (the first single released Feb. 19) featuring Javier Colon (from Heat), the set includes "Everything Must Change" feat. Chris Walker (Everything Must Change), "Gonna Love You Tonight" feat. Kenny Lattimore (Soul Appeal), "My Love" feat. Dave Koz (Stay With Me), "Some Kinda Way feat. Sy Smith (Second Nature), "Slick" feat. Brian Culbertson (Second Nature), "So Very Hard to Go" feat. Dorian Holley (Silver Lining), "Road Trip" (feat. Nick Colionne) (Pure) and "You've Got a Friend" feat. Billy Dean (A Song For You). Lington also fires up a dynamic horn conversation with superstar saxman Boney James on Boney's #1 hit "Up All Night."
"Besides prompting me to learn a lot about new technologies, one of the loveliest aspects of the StageIt series is how it has created a special community among longtime and new fans," states Michael. "When you perform like this, you never know who is out there listening. Then I get those heartwarming emails that say things like, 'We're all locked down at home, and every Sunday night you give us a sense of normalcy in the world and something to look forward to.' To them, I'm no longer just Michael Lington, the artist, but the friend who comes into their home and chats with and plays for them. This has been a very difficult juncture in all of our lives, but what it has shown me is that we as human beings are very cable of adapting and uniting, even in the most challenging of circumstances."
And last, but certainly not least, in 2020 Michael became a Dad to son Landon, his first child and they were able to be Alone Together, too!
Click tab below to access full stream of tracks, photos and press info Alone Together EPK "Baker Street" (first single release) on YouTube: Pre-Order Here.
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400 "Sax Great Michael Lington to Release Duet Album 'Alone Together' in March")