Awesome, Original Music. Baked outside the box.

ALT-230 is a new kind of record label for a wild wired world. Once upon a time the music and stories we knew were shared personally between individuals. Storytellers, musicians, and artists of all types were revered not for being famous, but instead for the way they could reach us and connect us to each other. The art was at the heart of it. The stories, songs, and images we shared formed the core of our culture and the soul of our collective spirit. We’re bringing it back!

” [Julia] Kasdorf, being a multi-talented multi-instrumentalist, contributes the lyrics and music, as well as performs vocals, both lead and background, guitar and bass, while McNeil brings his talents to the drum work on the track. Not only is the song a sultry, blues-rock number that grooves and grinds its way to being one of the most interesting songs on the album, but the duo do a seamless job of overdubbing each part to make it sound like a band playing live in the studio, rather than two musicians playing all the parts.”

Julia worked closely with producer/engineer Pete McNeil to write and bring these songs to life. They share bass, drums, vocals, guitar, keyboards, and ideas, and here’s the first record from this innovative music partnership.

Though most of the album is a collaborative effort between McNeil, Kasdorf and guest artists, there are a couple of tracks that feature just the duo, including “The Minute I’m Gone,” though one might not realize this unless the liner notes were consulted. The same is true for the other duo track, “Motel,” though in a more laid-back and stripped-down approach. Here, the brushes played by McNeil, set up Kasdorf’s vocals, bass and guitar in a subtle yet effective way, allowing the vocals to float over the accompaniment while interacting at the same time. Recording in this way is not easy, especially when trying to create the atmosphere of an ensemble in the studio, but Kasdorf and McNeil pull it off in a way that is both creative and engaging, and it is one of the reasons that the album is so successful.