Tag: Music

Abigail Foster's Photosynthesis Machine, Fidelia Hall, Life, Music, Titusville, PA

Prozac Is The Dam & I Am The Dynamite

Justin Hoenke

“THIS SUMMER WAS WEIRD” -Justin Hoenke

Six months after the release of the album “Either Way I’m Fine”, the musical project known as Abigail Foster’s Photosynthesis Machine is back with another album titled “Prozac Is The Dam And I Am The Dynamite”. Quickly written and recorded in the Summer of 2017, this eight song album is a trip through Justin Hoenke’s three months of removing Prozac from his body and his adjustment to the world.

“After being on Prozac for eight years, I decided that I no longer wanted to live in a muted state. Everything felt stagnant. I could easily exist on Prozac, but I felt like since this was my one chance at life that I wanted to do it properly. I wanted to feel things, both the good and the bad, again”

The journey on “Prozac Is The Dam And I Am The Dynamite” is raw and honest. “These songs had to be written and recorded. They could not sit around. If I didn’t capture the songs in the moment, the things I was feeling and going through during this process would not be honest. I wanted the album to be honest. I felt like a confused mess for most of this album, and that came out in the songs. Prozac Is The Dam refers to the medicine holding back creativity and true feelings. I Am The Dynamite because I was the only thing that could change the course I was set on. I had to make a decision to sail away from the Prozac and onto different things. I had to steer my own ship towards what I thought was honest.”

Fans of raw, honest, and homemade pop rock will appreciate this album. The album zig zags through a number of sounds and ideas. “The first half of the album is rough. I would totally understand if someone listening to it just couldn’t make it can make it through the first five tracks. But if you can, I think it makes the second half of the album even better. You’ve gotta go through the shit to get to sunshine.”

Prozac Is The Dam And I Am The Dynamite will be available on October 10, 2017 through Arbacarba Records. The album will sell for $7 through the Abigail Foster’s Photosynthesis Bandcamp page

This album was recorded inside and outside on the grounds of Fidelia Hall in Titusville, PA. All songs and music written, produced, and recorded by Justin Hoenke.

 

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Abigail Foster's Photosynthesis Machine, Family, Fidelia Hall, Libraries, Life, Music

WEEK OF MUSIC: “Either Way I’m Fine”

Justin Hoenke

It makes me so very happy to be able to put this new album out into the world.

All of the albums that I have shared this week were written and recorded between 2004 and 2009. Once Haley and I started growing our family I just kind of stopped. It wasn’t one of those big planned out things…it just happened that way. I still played a lot of acoustic guitar around the house and there was always music happening, but it just wasn’t anything that got recorded and released. I had about 8 years to sit with this music and after all those years it got me thinking….maybe I should try to record another album?

I’ve refocused myself around the name ABIGAIL FOSTER’S PHOTOSYNTHESIS MACHINE. Who is Abigail Foster? What’s a Photosynthesis Machine? I don’t know, but I like how it all sounds together!  With all of this nicely put together and a name in place, I gathered what I had, put it all back together as ABIGAIL FOSTER’S PHOTOSYNTHESIS MACHINE, and this week I’ve released all of that music back out into the world.

And today is the last day for that music, but with this final day comes something neato: a completely new album titled EITHER WAY I’M FINE.

This album is the sound of settling into life. It is the sound of a human being and his family. It is the sound of Fidelia Hall. It is a glimpse into the years between 2009-2016 and everything in between. It encompasses a lot of chapters and ideas: Gemini. Happiness. Depression. Extremes. Feelings. Muted. Thoughts. Actions. Wind chimes. Chickens. Family. Rabbits. Boys. Old churches. Moving. Growth. Leadership. Failing. Love. Being. Community. Understanding. Chaos. Mother. Father. Brother. Work. Building. Patience. Conspiracies. EITHER WAY I’M FINE.

You have a few options with how you can listen to and download these albums:

  1. You can purchase the albums at the Abigail Foster’s Photosynthesis Machine website. The albums are $7 each and any money made from the purchase of these albums goes into one of two things: Arbacarba Records, which will invest the money in making these albums available on streaming platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, etc) or Fidelia Hall, which will help with the repairs and restoration of this 144 year old community center. Once purchased, you can download the albums in a variety of formats (MP3, FLAC, and more) or stream them via the free Bandcamp app (iTunes, Android)
  2. You can stream the albums for free at the Abigail Foster’s Photosynthesis Machine website.
  3. If you are a library (public, academic, special) and you wish to add any of the Abigail Foster’s Photosynthesis Machine albums to your digital collection, you may do so by contacting me at justinthelibrarian at gmail dot com and I will gladly share these albums with you as MP3 or WAV formats. Once you have these files, your library will be able to provide your library card patrons with these albums for free by adding them to your library digital music collection at no cost to you.

I hope you enjoy this album!

 

 

Abigail Foster's Photosynthesis Machine, Family, Fidelia Hall, Libraries, Life, Music

WEEK OF MUSIC: “Monsters”

Justin Hoenke

Playing music with my friends for the “Everyone C’mon Get Happy” album release party really inspired me. What came out of my final year in the studio (before having children with Haley) was an album titled Monsters. For me, that album brought it all back full circle…once again I was working on music alone in my room. I got a drum machine and I was listening to almost exclusively Prince, so I wanted to try my hand again at putting together an album by myself. It was fun to write songs around drum loops and to experiment with keyboards instead of just playing a lot of guitar.

After I finished up this album, I continued to write music but nothing ever really got recorded or finished….that is until 2016 hit and from that year came a new album which will be released TOMORROW! Stay tuned!

You have a few options with how you can listen to and download these albums:

  1. You can purchase the albums at the Abigail Foster’s Photosynthesis Machine website. The albums are $7 each and any money made from the purchase of these albums goes into one of two things: Arbacarba Records, which will invest the money in making these albums available on streaming platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, etc) or Fidelia Hall, which will help with the repairs and restoration of this 144 year old community center. Once purchased, you can download the albums in a variety of formats (MP3, FLAC, and more) or stream them via the free Bandcamp app (iTunes, Android)
  2. You can stream the albums for free at the Abigail Foster’s Photosynthesis Machine website.
  3. If you are a library (public, academic, special) and you wish to add any of the Abigail Foster’s Photosynthesis Machine albums to your digital collection, you may do so by contacting me at justinthelibrarian at gmail dot com and I will gladly share these albums with you as MP3 or WAV formats. Once you have these files, your library will be able to provide your library card patrons with these albums for free by adding them to your library digital music collection at no cost to you.

I hope you enjoy this album!

 

Abigail Foster's Photosynthesis Machine, Family, Fidelia Hall, Libraries, Life, Music, Week of Music (2017)

WEEK OF MUSIC: “Everyone C’mon Get Happy”

Justin Hoenke

I wanted to do more as a band with Aaron but for some reason that didn’t work out. I got a laptop and a digital recording interface and went to town recording another album titled Everyone C’mon Get Happy. It was a straight up pop rock album that didn’t have any big concepts or ideas behind it. They were just songs and they were fun and that was it. To celebrate the album, I got together with Kristel Bastian, Dustin Miller, and Dave Washousky to perform some of the music I had written since 2004. It was a pretty awesome event!

I enjoy just how fun these songs are. There’s nothing big behind this album…no giant concept, no deep meaning…it’s all just a bunch of pop songs. I need to remember this album in the future and do my best to add a bit of fun into every recording that I make.

You have a few options with how you can listen to and download these albums:

  1. You can purchase the albums at the Abigail Foster’s Photosynthesis Machine website. The albums are $7 each and any money made from the purchase of these albums goes into one of two things: Arbacarba Records, which will invest the money in making these albums available on streaming platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, etc) or Fidelia Hall, which will help with the repairs and restoration of this 144 year old community center. Once purchased, you can download the albums in a variety of formats (MP3, FLAC, and more) or stream them via the free Bandcamp app (iTunes, Android)
  2. You can stream the albums for free at the Abigail Foster’s Photosynthesis Machine website.
  3. If you are a library (public, academic, special) and you wish to add any of the Abigail Foster’s Photosynthesis Machine albums to your digital collection, you may do so by contacting me at justinthelibrarian at gmail dot com and I will gladly share these albums with you as MP3 or WAV formats. Once you have these files, your library will be able to provide your library card patrons with these albums for free by adding them to your library digital music collection at no cost to you.

I hope you enjoy this album!

 

Abigail Foster's Photosynthesis Machine, Family, Fidelia Hall, Libraries, Life, Music, Week of Music (2017)

WEEK OF MUSIC: “A More Colorful Or Easier Somewhere Else”

Justin Hoenke

I returned to Pennsylvania in 2005 after a year away from everyone that had previously been in my life. I was living with my parents and working in a thrift store. This was my attempt to reboot my life. I began writing a lot of songs after I had read this book (The Annotated Brothers Grimm) and I set out to get my ideas recorded. I reconnected with my friend Aaron Dobler in April/May 2005 and we quickly got to work on what was to become “A More Colorful Or Easier Somewhere Else”.

The whole affair was inspiring. We ran through the songs very quickly but there was a passion and excitement about them. I had the basic idea in my head and Aaron always respected that but took it to a new level with his performances and ideas.

I’ve come to enjoy this album the most out of all the albums I have recorded. There’s something about the songs and the lo-fi quality of the recording that make it feel warm and cozy. I hope you enjoy these songs as much as I do!

You have a few options with how you can listen to and download these albums:

  1. You can purchase the albums at the Abigail Foster’s Photosynthesis Machine website. The albums are $7 each and any money made from the purchase of these albums goes into one of two things: Arbacarba Records, which will invest the money in making these albums available on streaming platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, etc) or Fidelia Hall, which will help with the repairs and restoration of this 144 year old community center. Once purchased, you can download the albums in a variety of formats (MP3, FLAC, and more) or stream them via the free Bandcamp app (iTunes, Android)
  2. You can stream the albums for free at the Abigail Foster’s Photosynthesis Machine website.
  3. If you are a library (public, academic, special) and you wish to add any of the Abigail Foster’s Photosynthesis Machine albums to your digital collection, you may do so by contacting me at justinthelibrarian at gmail dot com and I will gladly share these albums with you as MP3 or WAV formats. Once you have these files, your library will be able to provide your library card patrons with these albums for free by adding them to your library digital music collection at no cost to you.

I hope you enjoy this album!

Abigail Foster's Photosynthesis Machine, Family, Fidelia Hall, Libraries, Life, Music, Week of Music (2017)

WEEK OF MUSIC: “The Sun And The Moon”

Justin Hoenke

In the spring of 2004, I began recording and writing music again. Earlier that year, the band I was in (Zomo) sputtered and fizzled out after about 4 years of work. I moved across the country and decided to try something new in my life. I wanted to desperately be in a band but I didn’t know how to start one up and I was itching to do things. I had a cassette four track recorder, some ideas, and a bunch of time.

I made The Sun And The Moon that year and put it out under the name “Belsapadore”, which was a completely made up word I had come up with many years before. I used the name because I always hated band names that were boring and plain. I wanted something that was unique and had meaning to me…..and we’ll get to the part later on as to why I no longer use that name.

The Sun And The Moon is an album about the five trips I took across the USA in 2004 and the emptiness in between the towns and cities that I observed. Up to that point in my life I had always wanted to be in a very loud rock band. Now I wanted to explore those quiet and empty moments. That desire came out on this album.

I spent a lot of time in a room which I had painted black making this album during the wee hours of the night/morning. I wanted to get into the head space I felt when I was driving across the country: a feeling of being completely alone and isolated with only my thoughts to get me through the day.

You have a few options with how you can listen to and download these albums:

  1. You can purchase the albums at the Abigail Foster’s Photosynthesis Machine website. The albums are $7 each and any money made from the purchase of these albums goes into one of two things: Arbacarba Records, which will invest the money in making these albums available on streaming platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, etc) or Fidelia Hall, which will help with the repairs and restoration of this 144 year old community center. Once purchased, you can download the albums in a variety of formats (MP3, FLAC, and more) or stream them via the free Bandcamp app (iTunes, Android)
  2. You can stream the albums for free at the Abigail Foster’s Photosynthesis Machine website.
  3. If you are a library (public, academic, special) and you wish to add any of the Abigail Foster’s Photosynthesis Machine albums to your digital collection,you may do so by contacting me at justinthelibrarian at gmail dot com and I will gladly share these albums with you as MP3 or WAV formats. Once you have these files, your library will be able to provide your library card patrons with these albums for free by adding them to your library digital music collection at no cost to you.

I hope you enjoy this album!

Abigail Foster's Photosynthesis Machine, Family, Fidelia Hall, Libraries, Life, Music, Week of Music (2017)

WEEK OF MUSIC: Introduction

Justin Hoenke

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Between Monday and Friday of this week, my musical project ABIGAIL FOSTER’S PHOTOSYNTHESIS MACHINE will release five albums. The first album will be available later today at 3:33pm EST

You have a few options with how you can listen to and download these albums:

  1. You can purchase the albums at the Abigail Foster’s Photosynthesis Machine website. The albums are $7 each and any money made from the purchase of these albums goes into one of two things: Arbacarba Records, which will invest the money in making these albums available on streaming platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, etc) or Fidelia Hall, which will help with the repairs and restoration of this 144 year old community center. Once purchased, you can download the albums in a variety of formats (MP3, FLAC, and more) or stream them via the free Bandcamp app (iTunes, Android)
  2. You can stream the albums for free at the Abigail Foster’s Photosynthesis Machine website.
  3. If you are a library (public, academic, special) and you wish to add any of the Abigail Foster’s Photosynthesis Machine albums to your digital collection, you may do so by contacting me at justinthelibrarian at gmail dot com and I will gladly share these albums with you as MP3 or WAV formats. Once you have these files, your library will be able to provide your library card patrons with these albums for free by adding them to your library digital music collection at no cost to you.