pacificlectic : concert reviews & eclectic music news

So, I’ve gotta tell you about a fantastic new collection of previously unreleased songs from Ric Hordinski‘s monastery studio… Notes from the Monastery.  It ships December 18th, and with the pre-order you get an immediate 320kbps mp3 download of it.  It has new songs by Ric Hordinski (aka Monk), Over the Rhine, Ellery, singer-songwriters Kim Taylor and Sarah Masen, a great new instrumental piece by guitarist Phil Keaggy, et cetera…

http://richordinski.portmerch.com/stores/product.php?productid=17109

Track Listing:

1. With Me Tonight (Ellery)
2. I Used to Know (Sarah Masen)
3. Hard Times (Over the Rhine)
4. Rabbit (Harrod and Funck)
5. Clover (Kim Taylor)
6. Always Right (David Wilcox)
7. Hopscotch (Phil Keaggy)
8. Bella Luna (2K9) (Venus Hum)
9. Yesu Bhajan (Aradhna)
10. Villainous Company (Ric Hordinski)
    MP3 Bonus Track:  Flown Free (Over the Rhine)

I’ve been a fan of Ric Hordinski for a long time.  Ric (pronounced “Rich”) was a founding member of Cincinnati band Over the Rhine.  When he left Over the Rhine, he went on to make some gorgeous music via his creative outlet called MONK.  The mostly instrumental affairs hit the spot on a great fall or winter day – sipping your favorite warm beverage and chillin’ with loved ones (or a loved pup). :)  Ric has moved lately to more of a producer / studio expert… and the above songs are unique glimpses of his varied studio work (all previously unreleased by the artists).

I’d highly recommend the above Notes from the Monastery… and check out some of Ric’s other work (all kind of harder to find now except the more recent ones: The Silent of Everything Yearned For and When I Consider How My Light Is Spent).  Anyway, here is his key discography in reverse order…

(easier to find)

(harder to find)

If you can dig up the O -EP- on eBay, I’d also recommend it.  I got it hot off the presses… and I ain’t lettin’ mine go. :)  Oh, and yeah, searching for Ric’s Monk CDs on eBay is really difficult due to a certain Thelonious Sphere Monk who may have released a few albums.  Just a few… happy hunting!!

Anyway, I get hundreds of records a year, and I don’t specifically blog about all of them (this is more of a news and concert reviews blog).  That should clue you in that this new Ric Hordinski compilation is a special one… go get it.

~Dan – np: RAZR13 w/ Doug Pinnick – RAZR 13