Mortar, by String Builder

Mortar

by String Builder

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	1.	Shift That Weight 03:16
	2.	Gusty 04:03
	3.	A Difficult Walk 03:20
	4.	Living Mercy 02:24
	5.	Rur 01:55
	6.	Lonesome Pine 02:59
	7.	Is This The Best You Can Do 01:44
	8.	Squa Pan 04:07
	9.	Lake View 03:12
	10.	It's Not The Worst Time I Had 02:55
	11.	Lashes Under Lid 02:08
	12.	No Sense 02:18

about

In the late 1990s brothers Alec and Joel Thibodeau formed String Builder as a songwriting partnership with an acoustic-based sound reminiscent of earlier traditions. After documenting their initial work on 4-track machines, the brothers met up with Pete Donnelly (The Figgs, Graham Parker, NRBQ, Tommy Stinson, Mike Viola & The Candy Butchers, Soul Asylum), who had built an analog recording studio at his apartment in Providence, Rhode Island. Pete produced sessions for String Builder in 1998 and 1999, engineering everything on reel-to-reel tape.

The resulting collection became String Builder's debut album, Mortar, which the band self-released as 50 cassette tapes in 1999 on the eve of its two-month tour of the USA on Greyhound buses. Simultaneously, Grimsey Records issued the song "Lakeview" as a single on 7-inch vinyl. Most tracks on Mortar have spare arrangements: harmony vocals and acoustic guitars. Some feature the expanded instrumentation of Alec and Joel's electric guitars, electric bass, harmonica, lap steel and fiddle -- plus Pete's contributions on air organ, drums and percussion.

After Mortar the band released a self-titled album and some singles. Joel subsequently formed Death Vessel, which has released three albums to date: deathvessel.com

credits

released April 27, 1999

All songs written by String Builder
Recorded with Pete Donnelly in 1998 & 1999

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about

String Builder Providence, Rhode Island

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