Tag: Patrick Wieland

Look and Learn — The Soods Search for Clarity and Purpose on Self-Titled EP

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Jason Roy of The Soods plays piano at Amber Lit Audio in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Photo – Matt Ten Clay

In a post-pandemic and pre-election era, The Soods search for clarity and purpose.

The Grand Rapids, Michigan collective explores those aspirations while having an existential crisis on its latest self-titled EP.

“I think we’re all at a point in our lives where we came out of this situation and we’re all trying to put the pieces back together,” said Jason Roy, frontman and co-producer for The Soods. “But at the same time, we’re trying to hang on to the big pieces that we had before.”

As part of that exploration, the collective of multi-instrumentalists Matt Ten Clay, Shane Tripp, Chris Coble, Patrick Wieland, Steven Meltzer, and Roy addresses the disappointment, longing, and regret that comes with the passage of time.

“We’re all on the same page, the same wavelength, and the same vibe. I attribute that to the idea that we’re all going through stuff on earth all the time,” said Roy about The Soods’ bedroom-pop EP, which features vivid instrumentation and contemplative lyrics.

“We hit a nice rhythm where everybody had the same premonitions or existential questions. It’s like, ‘How did I end up here?’”

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Gold Mine – The Soods Uncover Rich Collaborations, Treasured Tracks on ‘Ornaments of Affection’

The Soods’ latest album, “Ornaments of Affection,” features collaborations with Grand Rapids artists, songwriters and musicians. Album artwork – Dominic Ryan Photography

Jason Roy thoroughly mines for Michigan music gold.

The Soods frontman uncovers rich collaborations and treasured tracks with a growing collective of scintillating local artists, songwriters and musicians on his latest indie folk-psych rock musical gem, Ornaments of Affection.

“I pared it down from a list of 36 songs; those were the ones to get vocals on, and from there I followed through with 22 of those. Some of those are the newer singles that I’ve been putting out. It was a fun thing like, ‘Well, I haven’t put any music out in a while,’” said Roy, who released the album in October via GTG Records.

“For ‘Morning Harold!’ and ‘Nomadic Marine Biologist,’ I’ve had those two instrumentals for eight months. I just hadn’t gotten vocals on them yet, and then when it came time to make that list of 36, I was like, ‘Ooh, I like that title,’ and I remember liking this track. It was like, ‘Two check marks, you’re in,’ and then figuring out from there who fits best.”

Throughout Ornaments of Affection, Roy beautifully melds 13 priceless Soods folky, trippy tracks with a talented array of Grand Rapids collaborators, including Steven Meltzer, Matt Ten Clay, Shane Tripp, Patrick Wieland, Drinking Mercury’s Timmy Rodriguez and others.

“These guys have their own ways with words, and weirdly somehow it all does sound like a band if I keep the thematic elements constant. Like having Matt Ten Clay sing the backing vocals on a track strengthens the foundation of that illusion of like, ‘These guys got together in the studio for a week and pounded these songs out.’ If you only saw all our emails and Google drives, it’s very different,” said Roy with a laugh.

“It’s a great compliment when people are like, ‘Oh yeah, I like that band.’ That’s what I want; I don’t necessarily need it to be a Jason Roy brainchild thing. I enjoy collaborating with these guys.”

Continue reading “Gold Mine – The Soods Uncover Rich Collaborations, Treasured Tracks on ‘Ornaments of Affection’” →