Things Are Changing For The Better: The Human Experience & Gone Gone Beyond Embark On West Coast Tour [B.Getz on L4LM]
Producer/multi-instrumentalist The Human Experience (David Block) has spent the better part of 2019 ensconced in a myriad of different artistic collaborations, as is his custom—a composer overflowing with creativity, forever focused on the next mountain or melody. Perpetually on the move and always in service to muse, this year, Block intentionally slowed down. He put his full attention toward the release of Things Are Changing, his future-folk project Gone Gone Beyond’s critically-acclaimed sophomore effort. The record was so well received that it flowed directly into the band’s new single and video, the gripping, hauntingly beautiful “Gravity”.
Next week, Block will unveil his own solo album Stillness in Motion, yet another in The Human Experience’s storied tradition. In addition to this abundance of brand-new recorded music, he’s meticulously curated a short West Coast tour that will feature both projects in the live setting.
Gone Gone Beyond – “Gravity” [Live at Mushroom Farm]
[Video: Gone Gone Beyond]
Rich in acoustic instrumentation, heartfelt songcraft and glistening vocal harmonies, Gone Gone Beyond’s Things Are Changing LP is a gorgeous collection of pristine, emotive tracks that further unleash the seemingly-limitless talents of Block and bandmates Danny Musengo, Kat Factor, and Mel Seme. Bold and defiant, delicate and breezy, ornate and nuanced, the collection immediately began to work its way into the cultural zeitgeist upon release.
As Block explains about the evolution of Gone Gone Beyond, “Everybody writes. Everybody creates. Everybody collaborates. Gone Gone Beyond is the four of us bouncing around on four instruments, singing four-part harmonies. This band feels like the Justice League to me. Superheroes.” You can listen to the full album below:
Gone Gone Beyond, The Human Experience – Things Are Changing – Full Album
Due on October 4th, The Human Experience’s Stillness in Motion similarly reveals a wonderfully-eclectic assembly of co-creators including Block’s long-awaited reunion in song with Rising Appalachia, who come together on the gospel-tinged “Stromboli” remix. The dynamic production and kaleidoscopic songs continue Block’s trademark evolution.
The Human Experience ft. Rising Appalachia – “Stromboli (Remix)”
[Audio: The Human Experience – Topic]
Now that those studio efforts have come to fruition, Block has been hard at work dreaming up this fall’s long-awaited Things Are Changing Tour, a string of shows aimed at inspiring creativity, community, art, and movement. On a 10-date jaunt that launches October 2nd in Nevada City, CA, Things Are Changing Tour swoops to the Bay Area before matriculating up through the Pacific Northwest. The Human Experience promises a finely-curated evening of future-folk magic, rich in poetic melody, subtle empowering messages, and mesmeric meditations in song, a natural flow with four hours of celebration.
The stage is now set to get intimately familiar with the unique gumbo that is live Gone Gone Beyond. Currently residing in Paris, France, the Cuban-born Mel Seme is a freakishly talented multi-instrumentalist whose vocals reveal a graceful serenity in an exquisite-juxtaposition to the weathered, throaty vocals of rock n’ roll troubadour Musengo, the former frontman of NYC roots-rock outfit, Ludlow Thieves. Danny’s leathery lyrical style is indelible in the Gone Gone Beyond DNA, dating back to the band’s humble Big Apple beginnings, and his creative connection with Block remains palpable. Levitating in the midst of this magic is the mystical Kat Factor. Hers is a quirky, angelic presence interwoven into Gone Gone Beyond’s harmonious elixir. The Human Experience, a familiar common denominator, acts as glue and guiding light. The sum of these parts brings forth a powerful potion.
The Gone Gone Beyond fabric is most alive and thriving in the moment onstage, the quartet coalescing organically and steadily exploring fertile new lands between folk and electronic. On the road, Block will perform first with Gone Gone Beyond, the quartet re-introduced with an intimate set that begins primarily acoustic before their journey swells into an emotional, electronic crescendo. In addition to a live band performance from Gone Gone Beyond, the concerts will include Moontricks, a Canadian duo that infuses grassroots blues, wistful soul and gritty, boot-stomping bass. Also appearing is Lazy Syrup Orchestra, a five-piece that jams while mixing in emceeing and electronic elements. David Block will re-emerge as The Human Experience to captain a show-closing DJ set, certain to include a smattering his most beloved cuts culled from a decade-plus in the game, peppered with a few new compositions found on the heart-filling Stillness in Motion.
For a full list of dates, ticketing details, and more information on the upcoming The Human Experience/Gone Gone Beyond tour, head here. You can enter to win a pair of tickets to a show of choice below.
words: B.Getz