THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Wide Arches is the debut singer-songwriter project of Juno-nominated multi-instrumentalist and composer, Jacob Gorzhaltsan. The music of the band draws from Jacob’s early influences — classic artists such as Nick Drake, Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan and Harry Nilsson — along with more contemporary folk innovators like Andy Shauf, Damien Jurado, Daniel Rossen and Blake Mills.
During the difficult times of the pandemic lockdown, songwriting was one of the only creative outlets that kept Gorzhaltsan uplifted and inspired to pursue his artistic endeavours. Gorzhaltsan would write over 50 new original compositions throughout the lockdown and was graciously awarded a grant by the Toronto Arts Council to remotely record and produce a full-length album of original folk songs. Realizing the importance of interconnection to the creative process, Gorzhaltsan began extensively collaborating with other artists through remote home-studio recording.
“The entirety of the album was recorded individually by the musicians at their respective home studios. Throughout my career, I have been lucky enough to record in professional studios, but at the time it seemed like the only option to continue making music, and it led me to personally invest in learning to properly record at home. That in turn sparked a deep-dive into recording, mixing and producing.
“I began studying how to mix and record, reading books and handbooks for countless hours, listening to podcasts, watching videos online and (my favourite) trying it out through hands-on trial and error. The result of all this ended up being a process of over three years preparing this album for release. I ended up mixing and producing the album, and learning a lot — for which I am so grateful! I had the record mastered by Justin Gray of Immersive Mastering/Synthesis Sound, who is an absolute gem to the music scene!”
With a knack for storytelling, Gorzhaltsan’s lyrics paint vivid imagery throughout the album, drawing creative inspiration from the snapshots of day-to-day life. The album encompasses a wide range of emotions, from the heartbreaking Sadness Wears Her Prettiest Dress and Pictures in The Sand, to the nostalgic ache of Lake Scene and Butterfly, to the tongue-in-cheek sneer of Upside Down and Fake Smiles.
Farewell to All the Lovely Things features a slew of incredibly talented Canadian musicians including: Meagan Luchko (Juniper Trio, After Funk), Kalyna Rakel (Kalyna & Dan, Johnny Goldtooth), Jared Higgins (Sonny Balcones, Grapevine), Bret Higgins (Great Lake Swimmers, Sarah Slean), Lowell Whitty (Heavyweights Brass Band, King Cardiac), Michael Eckert (Megan Bonnell, Neon Eagle), and Molefe Mohamid-Mitchell (Doghouse Orchestra, Viper’s Cloud). The album is mastered by Justin Gray.”
