That “Dear Companion” even exists is a minor miracle.
“It began as an afterthought,” says Nic Panken. “After working through the first batch of songs I brought in, more material was needed. On a whim, I shared an early sketch of an idea with my co-producer Jared Samuel. He grabbed a pair of scissors, directing me to cut out each line, shuffle them all up and piece together something new.”
“Dear Companion” is the first single from Panken’s forthcoming solo debut, Near Divine Or Merely Rhyme (Useful Objects), which is slated for release April 10. After years of touring with Americana-bluegrassers Spirit Family Reunion, the Brooklyn native is now comfortably settled in Kingston, N.Y., where he’s a jack of all trades in the arts. He works as a puppeteer, hosts the weekly radio show (Freedom Highway) on Radio Kingston and mixes sound at beloved local venue Tubby’s.
Near Divine Or Merely Rhyme unfolds at the easy pace of a guy at peace with the more predictable rhythms of a normal life. Its music is earthy, elegant and accessible—arguably the most accessible of his career. Co-produced with Samuel (Yoko Ono, Kevin Morby) at his Pale Moon Services near the New York/Vermont border, the album features Austin Vaughn (Cassandra Jenkins, Cass McCombs), David Christian (Karen O, Curtis Harding) and former Spirit Family Reunion members Mat Davidson and Ken Woodward, among others. Panken multi-tracked all harmonies himself for the first time, and he also made constructive use of the many synths and keyboards scattered around Samuel’s studio. “Dear Companion” was one of many revelations that emerged from that casual creative environment.
“In the end, we added just a few lines to weave it together,” says Panken of the track. “And we found a wonderfully mysterious place for it all to land. One of the few surviving original lines is in the bridge, which provides the title.”
We’re proud to premiere Nic Panken’s “Dear Companion.”
—Hobart Rowland
