Songs For The New Depression speak to what the upheaval of the global financial crisis did to regular folks. Banks changed the rules, homes were lost and the money people thought they had disappeared overnight. Friends turned on you as if you had suddenly become a social pariah. It got ugly out there. And now, while we are told that we are in recovery, there is, somehow, an even greater difference between the haves and the have-nots. Songs like "Pretty Damn Fine" and "What Lucky Looks Like" take defiant stances against vulgar opulence. "Good & Bad Times" tells the story of love that can’t be beat back, no matter how hard it gets. "Kingdom Come" speaks to the volume of noise in a 24/7 news cycle society, while " Want and Gonna Get Myself A Big One" are companion pieces that speak to the phenomena of endless & mindless consumption. "Fast & Anita" speak to the harshness of the passing of time. And when all else fails, there is always sex without remorse ("Drop My Money".)
Cody plays acoustic guitars, banjos, sitars, piano, Farfisa organ, Hammond, accordions, strings and sings his little heart out. Keith Norton, the major domo of big daddy cool, rules on the upright bass and vibes with El Jefe, born Jeff Carpenter, on cajon, congas, bongos, and all manner of rhythmically friendly sounds.
Surrounding us are some of the great talents of the Champaign-Urbana music scene: Katie Flynn on harmonies, James & Ryan from Elsinore on drums and backing vocals, respectively; percussionist and songwriter, Rocky Maffit; David Howie, harmonies; pianist Jesse Brown, Ben Montalbano on banjo and studio wiz Jim Hewitt. We were making an album, but we always had a party!
Management – Mitch Marlow Management
Mitch@mitchmarlow.com
Booking – Nate Sokolski –
natesokolski@gmail.com
released November 20, 2014
Produced & Arranged by Cody Sokolski with noble assistance from Freddie Breitberg, Jim Hewitt, Ryan Groff
Sessions engineered by Cody Sokolski, Ryan Groff, James Treichler, Jim Hewitt
Pre-production at Perennial Sound Studio by Ryan Groff
Mixed by and made purdy by Freddie Breitberg
Management / Mitch Marlow Management:
mitch@mitchmarlow.com Booking / Nate Sokolski:
natesokolski@gmail.com
CODY & THE GATEWAY DRUGS
Jeff “El Jefe” Carpenter / Cajon, congas, bongos, & percussion
Keith “Rowdy” Norton / Upright bass & slappin’!
The Katie Flynn / Singing & more singing, our rock’n’roll chanteuse Cody Sokolski / Guitars, pianos, organs, sequencers, electric bass, samples, drum programming, scheduling (ha!), songs, & lead vocals
GUESTS:
Ryan Groff / guitar & piano, vocals, "Fast".
elsinoremusic.net
David Howie / support & inspiration, vocals, drum programming.
thelivejukeboxshow.com
Jim Hewitt / Percussion, programming, cellos, samples, guitars.
jimhewitt.com
Downtown Jesse Brown / Piano extraordinaire on "Good & Bad Times" and "Like We Don’t Care Tonight".
thebratpack.com and
thesurrealdeal.com
Mitch Marlow / Guitars on "Kingdom Come" and "Heroes". Courtesy of MKD
The Redoubtable Rocky Maffitt / Percussion on "Pretty Damn Fine".
rockymaffit.com
Ben Montalbano / Banjo on "What Lucky Looks Like" and "Pretty Damn Fine".
thewaydownwanderers.com
Stephen White / Subatomic low backing vocal on "Gonna Get Myself A Big One".
RECORDED AT:
Aerie Loft Studio, M2, Champaign, Illinois
Perennial Sound Studio, Champaign, Illinois
Jim Hewitt Sound, Champaign, Illinois
MIXED AT:
Freddie Breitberg’s Joint
ANALOG MASTER BY:
Jeff Powell at Ardent Studios
DIGITAL MASTER BY:
Freddie Breitberg
Record Design / Kurt Bielema at
singlestereo.com
Artwork / Lisa Kesler at
lisakesler.com
Photos by Yusef
All Songs Published by GATEWAY DRUGS MUSIC / ASCAP
Logo & Posters / The amazing Lisa Kesler at
lisakesler.com
Video / Shatterglass Studios: Boy Genius Luke Boyce & “Ready, Steady, Go” Brett Hays.
shatterglassstudios.com