Sonny & The Sunsets Talent Night At The Ashram

Received a 7.0 rating from Pitchfork! Initially envisioned as a film project, each song on Talent Night at the Ashram was originally a short film that, when strung together, formed a feature-length movie. Equal parts Fellini and Os Mutantes, Talent Night at the Ashram is cinematic in its storytelling and kaleidoscopic in its mixing and merging of musical genres. ‘60s folk, electric sitars, flutes, and myriad other sounds help accentuate tales of professional bowlers in desperate need of a strike (“Icelene’s Loss”), a mansion that houses every woman Smith has ever known (“The Secluded Estate”), and Occupy meetings ending in bad love (“Secret Plot to Destroy the Underground”). Recording was a communal effort mostly done at Sonny Smith’s home on this tape machine with musicians such as Shayde Sartin (Fresh & Onlys), Garret Goddard (King Tuff), Kelley Stoltz, Rusty Miller, Ian Mcbrayer, and more. Talent Night at the Ashram finds Smith once again securing his status as one of today’s most arrestingly inventive songwriters. LP includes a download.