Understanding Land is the debut album from Jerry David DeCicca and will be released on 2nd June 2014. After five critically-acclaimed albums with Columbus, Ohio’s The Black Swans, the last of which, Occasion For Song, served as a eulogy to the late Noel Sayre – the friend and violinist who DeCicca formed the band with – it felt like a good time to begin a new journey. The 10 songs which make up Understanding Land, were written in London after 5 months of touring and traveling the US, Spain, Portugal, and the UK. What began as demos, turned into an album when they were shared with double bassist Andy Hamill(Mark Murphy, Natacha Atlas, Tracey Thorn). Andy added bass and some gypsy slides. DeCicca sent tracks to pals Will Oldham (Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy) and Kelley Deal(The Breeders) and they both came back with sweet harmonies. The legendarySpooner Oldham (Muscle Shoals, Dylan, Neil Young) played Wurlitzer on 3 songs in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.The first single, ‘First And Last’ features the two Oldhams (unrelated) together on a track for the first time. “It’s a gentle acoustic ballad that matches the easygoing imagery in Matt Bauer’s video, which finds DeCicca peacefully drifting around his new hometown of New Braunfels, Texas by land and sea.” Stereogum.
Everyone you hear on the album (except Spooner who cheated and used a real studio, The NuttHouse in Muscle Shoals, Alabama) recorded the tracks in their home, themselves. Once the digital world allowed everyone to be gathered together, it was mixed in Austin, Texas by Grammy winner, Stuart Sikes (Cat Power, Phosphorescent, Loretta Lynn, White Stripes).
