About the record
Fifty Years of Clown School began without a plan, written quietly during practice sessions as Matt explored double stops, Tartini tones, and harmonic motion. The tunes came out of meditating on shifting resonant frequencies — the overtones generated by droning two notes against each other on the fiddle.
The record was tracked live at Radio Enterprise in Nashville with the band in a single room — no headphones, no click, full microphone bleed — letting the room itself shape the sound. Across three sessions, the music moves between layered drones, counterpoint, and string-band forms, guided by Matt's preference for space, balance, and interaction over control.
Tracks
Side A
- 1. Fifty Years of Clown School
- 2. Buddy and Big Fella
- 3. Stoppin and a Startin'
- 4. The April Fool
- 5. Orb of Amplification
- 6. Little Owl's Retreat
- 7. The Rogue Scholar
Side B
- 8. Two Peoples
- 9. Bluegrass Country Club
- 10. The Madison Waltz
- 11. Smuggler Mountain
- 12. Light Weaver
- 13. Dr. Maxwell's Journey to the Unknown
Featuring
- Dennis Crouch
- Jason Carter
- Brighde Chaimbeul
- Allison de Groot
- Brittany Haas
- Natalie Haas
- Bronwyn Keith-Hynes
- Dom Leslie
- Chris Sharp
Produced by Matt Combs and Chris Sharp. Mixed by David B. Arnold. Mastered by Mike Monseur. Engineered by David Thomas Jr. and Maddie Combs. Recorded at Radio Enterprise, Nashville. Executive Producer: Rachel Combs.
The Jacket
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