Earth Awhile

Dobro, lap steel guitar, pedal steel guitar, and loops by Michael Grigoni.

Modular synthesizer and electric guitar by Chihei Hatakeyama.

Acoustic guitar, piano, samples, and loops by Stephen Vitiello.

Ebow guitar by Cameron Webb on “Dry in the Sun.”

Cover photo by Paul Thulin-Jimenez.

Recorded and mixed at the homes of Michael Grigoni in Durham, North Carolina, Chihei Hatakeyama in Tokyo, Japan, and Stephen Vitiello in Richmond, Virginia in 2020.

Mastered by Chihei Hatakeyama at White Paddy Mountain.

About the album:

Earth Awhile is the first collaborative release by Japanese sound artist Chihei Hatakeyama and American musicians Michael Grigoni and Stephen Vitiello. The album provided a opportunity to reach out during the isolation of the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic and craft a project that bridges Hatakeyama’s ambient soundscapes with the signature sound of Grigoni’s steel guitar and Vitiello’s compositional sensibilities and seasoned resourcing of field recordings. Expanding the geographic footprint of the project, the trio was also joined for one track by Australian guitarist Cameron Webb (Seaworthy).

Earth Awhile presents six compositions, allowing for an expansive approach to time. The tracks feature lap steel and pedal steel guitar, dobro, modular synthesizer and layers of processing that rise and fall in a series of expansive compositions. The album’s title is borrowed from a poem by Robert Frost titled “Birches” — “I'd like to get away from earth awhile / And then come back to it and begin over.” The track titles reference “Birches” as well, grounding these soundscapes in territories of light and air.