Spencer Lewis: From the pandemic emerges a rich new sound
Thanks to Art Edelstein, Arts Correspondent at the Rutland Herald for this article from Aug 29, 2020.
Spencer Lewis: From the pandemic emerges a rich new sound
Bethel multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Spencer Lewis is a stone-wall builder when not performing or recording his music. Lewis’ music is in a way a reflection of the art of stone wall construction. As he must find the right stone to fit into his wall as he builds up the layers, so he must find the right music part as he layers each track in his recordings.
Lewis’ most recent CD, is number 30 in his growing discography that spans more than 30 years of recording. “Solitude is the Deepest Well” shows just how carefully Lewis works to achieve the sound that has become his trademark.
“I think each song individually comes to me,” Lewis says of his compositional prowess. “I respect what they are telling me.”
Lewis builds his instrumental tracks one instrument at a time. “Few of my songs start out on violin; most start out as guitar riffs. It’s trying to grab the moment.”
He uses handheld recorders to capture emerging guitar and violin parts that he will later record on more sophisticated equipment in his home studio. While some might call the guitar parts that emerge from his exploring the guitar fret board “noodling,” Lewis says these snippets of music are essential to creating a musical track.
“My riffs are like a theme,” he said. “It’s like my stone work — you chip away, and it reveals itself. All these melodies are contained within.”
“These melodies kind of appear, they are ideas. I have the discipline to put the riffs on my iPhone or other recording devices.”
Lewis’ recordings center on an acoustic guitar and the chords and arpeggios he creates. The music is not complex in its melodies, derived as they are from essentially folk music themes. He does achieve an almost classical ensemble sound when there are several violin parts in the mix.
After laying down the acoustic guitar parts, Lewis then overlays violin parts, and other guitar parts until he has a completed track.
“I record guitar first, that’s where the melodies come from,” he said. “Some tracks have just one violin, some have a second violin part. I listen to the first part and try to write out the violin parts. Other times I don’t listen to the first part; I record and then listen to the first part and then mix parts. I do multiple takes. I’ve learned how to mix my music,” he said of his compositional approach.
For this new album, Lewis introduces two instruments he has not previously recorded with, viola and mandolin. He chose viola because, as he said, “I like my violin tuned down a step and decided to use a viola for that sound. With viola you get more support in the lower register.”
Mandolin came harder to him because, “I always resisted playing it. I couldn’t play it.”
However, with the COVID-19 pandemic raging, Lewis borrowed a mandolin “and decided to record the mandolin in different takes.
“I used the same compositional method as on the violin, I use harmony notes — and transferred the same compositional method as the violin, it gave me a different voice.”
The introduction of viola and mandolin enhances his style of recording. There is more depth and a fullness to the sound that was missing somewhat from his previous instrumental albums.
Lewis has upgraded his recording equipment and guitars, which also improves his sound.
“Solitude is the Deepest Well” is an 18-track CD that is well-conceived and gorgeous in its sound quality. Spencer Lewis has created a wall of sound that is as attractive as the stone walls he builds.