press release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

STARSAPIEN TO RELEASE SOPHOMORE ALBUM ON OCTOBER 13
Single “Raw Walrus” out now from band led by Jay Siebold

LOS ANGELES -- Starsapien, the eclectic recording group helmed by Jay Siebold, will release their second full-length album Apes Scrapes and Bandages on his independent label Siebold Sound on October 13, 2023.

Lead single “Raw Walrus” is available now on all platforms.

Recorded mainly over four days of sessions in the woods near the crystal coast of North Carolina, the album features storytelling and characters inspired by Siebold’s home on the left coast: Los Angeles. Siebold said of the album’s creation:

I thought it would be fun to take the jazz cats out to the sticks to make a faux-country-western record. These are West Coast songs with an East Coast band, and the result is an album that feels like it's living between two weird worlds.

The album builds on the sound of Starsapien’s debut full-length, Streams of Conscience, in part by swapping synthesizers for pedal steel, toy piano, and brass. Long-time collaborator Kevin Beardsley acted as musical director for the recording sessions. Jakob Bower provided horn arrangements throughout.

Apes Scrapes and Bandages was produced by Jay and his brother, David Siebold. It was mastered in North Carolina by Jason Richmond, known for his prior work with The Avett Brothers, Joe Henry, Nnenna Freelon, Dom Flemons and Steep Canyon Rangers. The album’s retro-futuristic artwork was designed by Alberto Ricchi, a graphic and collage artist based in Milan.

Under many names and faces, Siebold has amassed a decade of music releases as performer, producer and engineer. Prior to Apes Scrapes and Bandages, Siebold’s Starsapien released the full-length debut Streams of Conscience in 2021 and two singles: “The Hungry Man” in 2019 and “Last Breath” in 2018, available on all platforms.

Credits

The album features Dwayne Jordan (drums), Kevin Beardsley (upright and electric bass), Brandon Shamar (Rhodes and piano), David Siebold (acoustic guitar and vocals), Logan Butler (acoustic and electric guitars), Jay Siebold (vocals), Jakob Bower (trombone), Nick VanBuskirk (alto saxophone), Elijah Freeman (tenor saxophone), Ariel Mejia (trumpet), and Cody Angel (pedal steel), with contributions from Al Strong, Ellis Dyson, Lauren Harrold, Benjamin Dodson, Phillip Richards, Becky Butler, and Kevin Siebold.

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