» Zephaniah Stringfield and friends drop singles from new CD ‘Ipse Dixit’
Produced with Peter Oviatt, the album features a stellar line-up of Taos musicians
Taos musician Zephaniah Stringfield is set to release a new full-length album in April 2021. “Ipse Dixit” features Stringfield’s original songs and instrumental arrangements and a stellar line-up of Taos (and Kansas) talent, including Peter Oviatt, Bob Andrews, Max Moulton, Paul Greenhaw, Tom Pryor, Brent Berry, Miles Bonny, Nick Cohon, Rachael Penn and Juancho Stambaugh, Jesse Carr and Adel Bengo. Stringfield is coproducing the album with Peter Oviatt of Moonflower Sounds in Taos.
“Zephaniah is one of the most talented writers, singers, performers and instrumentalists I know,” Penn remarked. “The depth of his writing and the imagery he invokes goes beyond the ordinary world into the mystical realms. Peter Oviatt, who produced the album, is an incredibly, broadly talented musician. The two of them had a clear vision and they pulled things out of me that I didn’t even know I could play. It was an amazing experience.”
Prior to the full CD release of “Ipse Dixit,” Stringfield told me he will drop three singles in January and February on Bandcamp and on his website, zephaniahstringfield.com. “Product of the Times” was released Jan. 1, “Logan Harvey” releases on Jan. 22, and “I Sleep with All My Windows Open” comes out Feb. 12 when an EP of the three songs will be released on all streaming platforms.
THESE THREE SONGS are a good introduction to Zephaniah Stringfield’s sound. Stringfield’s deft lyrics are brought to life by his versatile vocals and rich instrumentation. The depth of his talent comes through on each of these diverse tracks.
“Product of the Times” features Stringfield’s storied voice with lyrics that are a cryptic testament to the troubles of our times. It’s one of the newest songs on “Ipse Dixit,” and starts out the album. The song’s lush harmonies by Adel Bengo are a fine touch.
“Logan Harvey” is an upbeat, catchy tune that harnesses the call of the open road. It was inspired by a 15-year-old traveling English kid wearing a derby hat, named Logan Harvey, who Stringfield met while riding on a Greyhound bus.
“He approached me, shared stories with me. He struck me as an interesting character,” said Stringfield. “I’m hoping this song finds him someday.”
“I Sleep With All My Windows Open” begins with a trumpet solo (courtesy Miles Bonny) and percussive instrumentation that create a windy, island sway which Stringfield picks up and carries along as he sings.
“It’s a love song, a heartbreak song … humid, hot and sticky,” Stringfield said.
When I asked him to explain the meaning of the album title “Ipse Dixit,” Stringfield said it is a Latin term which means “he who said it himself,” and it refers to “a dogmatic and unproven statement, spoken as if true.”
“It’s something you say as if you know the truth, but you don’t actually have any way to prove it,” said Stringfield. “A lot of times, poets and songwriters, we speak in these half-truths.”
Stringfield told me the Latin term fits with what he feels about the songs he writes. They represent a part of how he feels, but not necessarily the whole truth.
“Ipse Dixit” will be Stringfield’s third studio CD, following “Stick to Nowhere” (2019, The Snake Farm) and “The Book of Zephaniah,” (2016, 9thWard Pickin’ Parlor). Stringfield’s previous albums were produced by Mike West, and Oviatt played on both, as well as coproducing and playing on “Ipse Dixit.”
At 12 years old, Stringfield was given his first guitar. At 17 he left the San Francisco Bay area to travel the U.S. playing music and singing songs. Eventually, he settled in Taos. A gifted songwriter, Stringfield’s song “Going to North Carolina” won the 2016 Walnut Valley Festival New Song Showcase award and was a semi-finalist in the International Songwriting Competition. Since moving to Taos, Stringfield has played with the Noseeums, Spud Gun Bandits and Foggy Memory Boys.
Stringfield said the songs on his first two albums are arranged in a fairly straightforward Americana style of music blending folk and bluegrass. For his third album, Stringfield places a stronger emphasis on some of his other musical influences, such as old time and rock and roll. The process of making the album has allowed Stringfield to explore, and further refine, his creative style.
“There hasn’t been a day that I’ve been in here [the studio] that I felt like we haven’t been making progress, and finding something new to have fun with. The whole thing has been a pretty awesome experience,” said Stringfield. “Every track feels like an accomplishment.”
“I agree,” said Oviatt. “It’s been quite a long process. I think we both enjoy the process of these things a lot. There’s been a lot of learning. At the same time, I’m proud of the songs and the quality of the production. They’re good songs to begin with, and I really think we’ve done them justice.”
“Part of that has been being able to work with so many different musicians, so many amazing musicians, here in Taos, and also in Kansas,” added Stringfield.
Brent Berry who played percussion on the “Ipse Dixit” album, and who has played music regularly with Oviatt, has nothing but praise for his experience working on the album.
“Zeph is a great musician, talented songwriter and righteous dude. I had a blast working with him and Peter on Zeph’s tunes,” Berry said.
Oviatt said the process of recording, mixing and mastering the album has taken about a year. The pandemic also affected the project’s work flow.
“We’ve had to do more single tracking as opposed to live takes because of the pandemic,” Oviatt said. “We couldn’t just bring anybody in studio, so it’s been a blessing and also an obstacle. The blessing being that we have had time to work on it.”
“It was great to work on Zephaniah‘s album,” Bob Andrews remarked. “His music is a little different to mine, so it was fun for me to explore how I could fit my piano in. I was happy to play with someone else, even if it was just remotely.”
Taos artists created the cover art for the album and singles of “Ipse Dixit.” The full-length “Ipse Dixit” album cover was designed by Stringfield and created by Audra Knutson (@desertshipbuilder on Instagram). The pre-release art was created by Heather Enders (@emptyandamazing).
For more information on Zephaniah Stringfield and his music, visit zephaniahstringfield.com. Details on Peter Oviatt’s recording, mixing, mastering and production services, can be found at moonflowersounds.com.