It seems like every single day, I’m having some variant of a conversation about the music “business”… where we’re at, where it’s going, doom & gloom, yada yada yada. Try as I might to be Mr. Optimistic, I can’t deny that times are, indeed, really tough for musicians. One of the tricks of doing this work is aggressively seeking out the good, taking time to express gratitude for the miracle of great art and reveling in the joy of being a part of that process. That takes work and constant self-reminding, sure, but it makes the pain of royalty statements easier to bear.
Fundamentally, I believe artists are underpaid and undervalued. That alone makes this job bittersweet— the checks are never what they should be… to anyone. We should all be thankful, though, that great artists don’t do this for a check. They do it to express their humanity, their emotions… and to communicate… and connect.
Tell me all the doom and gloom about the music business, I’ll commiserate with you all day. Go ahead. It just doesn’t measure up to the good. For instance, consider the amount of creative energy, hard work and coordination that go into an album release. All of that, just to put something into the universe and hope— HOPE!— that people give it a few seconds of their life. Art, from creation to forever. That’s possibility. Like the great poet Kevin Garnett once said, “anything is possible”. That’s why, no matter how bad things get— you cannot diminish the joy of release day.
Well Kept Secret is positively thrilled to release the debut record from Los Angeles-via-Louisiana pianist/composer Ben Alleman. It’s called A Study in Unknowing, and I love this thing so much I made it our first release: WKS001.
It’s out digitally (now!) wherever you listen to music. Vinyl copies will be available in July, and you can order those now via Ben’s Bandcamp page. Click here for all of that.
In addition to all of this, if you live in New Orleans or Nashville, you are in luck. We are scheduling two very special release events and we’d love for you to join us.
New Orleans - Chickie Wah Wah - AUGUST 3, 2024 - Tickets Available Here
Nashville - Nelson Drum Shop - AUGUST 15, 2024 - Tickets On Sale Soon
Another thing that I loved about this project is that my buddy Parker McAnnally produced it— and what a job he did. If there’s any justice in this world, Parker will be one of the most in-demand producer/engineers in Nashville soon. He’s also an A+ bio writer, which you can discover if you purchase the vinyl edition of the record. Take a bow, Parker. Well done, my friend.
I admit I am more of a listener than a viewer, but every once in awhile a talent that beautifully captures and contextualizes the music into visual form astounds me. It takes real skill and empathy to take one art and distill it into another. Alex Farias is one of the most skillful interpreters I’ve come across in years. All of the visuals for this project have come from her and we couldn’t be more thankful for her work. Follow us on Instagram and YouTube to see more of that, soon.
For now, I’ll leave you with Ben’s latest live video, a performance of “California, an embarkation” with drummer Matt Musty. It’s hopeful music. See if you can catch it.
… and one more thing. In both Single Lock and Well Kept Secret world, we have so many great new projects to start introducing in the next month. We’re coming out of summer strong and we’re going to push full speed all the way into Election Day… and then we’re gonna take a breath and restart the process in January.
Seriously. There is so much to come. Thanks for reading and thanks for continuing to trust us with your ears. Have a great weekend and enjoy the Euros and Copa America!