“I realized it was a really cool opportunity to use it as a launchpad for Liam and I, being so far apart, to stay connected and accountable in putting formalized content out there, actually coming up with songs and getting them into the studio,” says Harrison, who is two years older than his brother.
Now, Melodious Gaeng is ready to make it official by releasing its debut EP, Satyr’s Sun, on Saturday, April 5, following the standalone single, “Poolside Clams,” which dropped in March.
The project is a change from the bluegrass the two have become known to play in the Deer Creek Sharp Shooters, a group first founded in their home state of Maryland in 2012. The band eventually settled in Denver after Harrison moved out West post-college and recruited his younger brother to follow him to the Mile High City.
“I left school with a philosophy major, which is a great major to have, so I wasn’t really being drawn to any city for work,” Liam quips.
Melodious Gaeng really took shape over the past couple of years, as Harrison, a self-taught banjo picker and guitarist, felt the urge to expand his sonic palette. “This was our breakaway from being pigeonholed into bluegrass and use it as an opportunity to really express some of the other songs we have,” he explains.
The four tracks on Satyr’s Sun are a mix of jazzed-up jam instrumentals (“Beedoodoo” and “Leeway”) and Southern-fried yacht rock (“Dorian Gray” and “Licking My Wounds”). Harrison also brought in members of Colorado groups Flash Mountain Flood, the Jake Leg band, Squeaky Feet, Envy Alo and Little Moon Travelers, as well as Deer Creek, to essentially “create bands for each of the songs,” as he sees it.
He credits native producer and singer-songwriter Derek Dames Ohls, who added his musical touch on several tracks, for bringing his Steely Dan studio approach to fruition. “He’s plugged in," Harrison says. "As I was showing him demos, he was like, ‘This guy for this. This guy for this.'".
Recorded at Vermillion Road Studios in Longmont, under the helping hand of owner and sound engineer Eric Wiggs, Satyr’s Sun employs a more freeform process that Melodious Gaeng prefers. It also serves as the precursor to upcoming second EP, Melodious Twang (released date TBD). Both were laid down at the same time, with guitarist Liam primarily contributing vicariously through Harrison.
The cover for the debut EP, featuring the art of Westword music editor Emily Ferguson.
Courtesy Melodious Gaeng
“We want it to be a musician’s band, where we are writing songs out of our comfort zone and following that inspiration,” he says. “The idea is to pull in other musicians to really make the songs what we envision them to be. The musicians are key to it: It’s not just having a guitar; it’s what type of guitar tone and style you want.”
What that exactly might be is anyone’s guess, as the brothers like to let the music lead. It’s been that way since they first picked up instruments and morphed their group of friends into Deer Creek.
“We started in a really raw format. None of us got lessons — we just picked up instruments, and short of just slapping the instruments, found enjoyment out of it,” Liam shares. “There was a lot of exploration. It was all unexperienced musical aspiration during the beginning.”
“It was trial and error, having buddies jam together and hang out,” Harrison adds. “I feel like that was what set us off on this trajectory of not following rules or boundaries and just feeling like we are the music, and we’ll figure out what that is when it comes to us.”
Ultimately, it’s a way to express themselves beyond the confines of the newgrass genre they’ve called home for so long.
“It’s having those songs as ideas, moments of stepping out of our comfort zone and really elaborating on that by working with different musicians,” Liam says. “A bluegrass band could have tried to play those songs, but it would not be the same without all the instrumentation, which allows the idea to happen.”
Liam says he hopes to visit sooner rather than later to write and record some new material. Harrison calls his brother “a powerhouse of ideas” and urges him to keep the music coming, no matter the distance between them. “I’ve been pestering and pressuring Liam to get something going on out in Baltimore,” he says.
After both EPs are out, there are plans to organize a show with all the musicians who helped bring Melodious Gaeng to life. In the meantime, we're already looking forward to more music from this duo.
Satyr's Sun will be available on all streaming platforms on Saturday, April 5.
