sp(inner)ace
a debut album by Allison Spann and Scott Li
When we began working on this album, we were in the throes of pandemic darkness, and throughout the year since, there have been many twists and turns. This doubt has made the pay-off of sharing this music with you all the sweeter, and we are so glad that can now reach your ears. As a thank you for listening, we would like to share a behind-the-scenes timeline of our process with some content that has made us smile. From our hearts to your ears, we hope you enjoy.
SEPTEMBER 2020
ALEXANDRIA, VA
Allison finds herself tutoring 4 small children and running her private studio. She begins sifting through old voice memos and lyric notes, trying to remember what it was like to have original ideas. She assembles some of these into rough demos, which she shows no one. She develops a kindred feeling with spiders.
HALLOWEEN 2020
BALTIMORE, MD
A COVID-tested Allison stops to see Scott on her way up to spend Halloween with her parents. She shows him some of her demos, and they improvise together for the first time. Scott, well-taught in recording engineering, has the foresight to mic Allison on vocals and himself on violin. The improvisation lasts 30 minutes. Having felt it as a divine spiritual experience, they keep it in a safe place for later.
MARCH 2021
BALTIMORE, MD
Now living in Brooklyn, Allison comes down for a week to stay with Scott and record the now-solidified four main tracks with drummer Adam Kantz and bassist Lawrence Huftles. They set up studio camp in An Die Musik, eat exclusively the orange cookies Allison baked for the band (pictured) and curry from the great Indian place across the street (not pictured). Inspired by the beauty of the venue, Scott and Allison record footage for a potential music video for Find Me. It is a huge bright spot of collaboration and perseverance in an otherwise isolated time, and hits as a huge creative step forward in the process.
entering ... the space ....
the space ... inside ... so beautiful ...
ha ha look we built a fort ! out of what we later learned were called baffles ... i suppose when we couldn't figure out what to call them you could say we were ... baffled ...
so excited to start using the big girl mic in the fort !
cozy cozy big sound
the only surviving documentation of the aptly dubbed "bass fort." Dreamed up by Scott, ladder work by Allison, patience by Lawrence ...
the fort quickly got hot
lunch break ... or ... we got locked out ... we cannot remember which
the famous orange cookies i want them right now ... if u want the recipe let us know ...
if the vocalist is good she may have 3 mics, as a treat
ooooooohhh boy it's all comin together
hey let's go up to a famous hill and watch the sunset ! after this Allison made Scott go thrift shopping to buy clothes they didn't even end up using in the music video ... but hey ... that's life
JUNE 2021
CRANBURY, NJ
With all the instrumental aspects recorded and preliminary mixes done, Scott and Allison get together to record additional vocals and discuss more creative directions for the rest of the mixing process. They convert the closet of Allison’s childhood playroom into their soundproof recording booth, are interrupted by lawn mowers, and record a good bit of content in the pitch black night after suburbia had gone to sleep. They absolutely lose their minds playing with Scott’s ribbon synthesizer and going to taco bell.
sunshine .... :)
the desk set-up ....
Allison tried to climb a tree in her backyard on a break but the branches were too high ... what does it mean ....
if u cannot see the microphone you are not being perceived, actually
neither Scott or Allison plays the cello. however we took many pictures with the cello and made sure to keep it with us at all times to make it appear as though we were Very Cool, like people who play the cello.
industry secret : all musicians aspire to the condition of cello ...
JUNE 2021
PUTNAM STATION, NY
Scott joins Allison up on Lake George in the Adirondacks to perform demos of their work (and others) in the first week of her NOGO Arts summer series. They celebrate being done with the recording process and strategize how to tackle the huge task of mixing, mastering, and promoting their new 55 minute long baby.
lil pisces needs a nap
thank u to veronica spann for the pics uwu
most of the show was improvised as we were so busy recording that we forgot to plan a full live set
woman of the water .....
a man came up to us after this song and told us he used to play the violin when he was 7
OCTOBER 2021
PRINCETON, NJ
Scott and Allison meet to put on the finishing touches and celebrate the end of a long process. They give a final listen and send off their files to be distributed. They begin planning their media launch and concocting a release party…..
sp(inner)ace :: 11/16/2021
To further support the work, it would mean the world to us if you downloaded our album for $10 on Bandcamp! All proceeds will go towards offsetting the cost of equipment, musicians’ time, travel, and the countless hours putting it all together.
credits
released November 16, 2021
Voice: Allison Spann
Violin: Scott Li
Bass: Lawrence Hutfles
Drums: Adam Kantz
Cover Photos: Scott Li
Cover Design: Claire Zhang
Music and Lyrics: Allison Spann
Engineering, Mixing, Production, Mastering: Scott Li
Interludes collaboratively composed by Allison Spann and Scott Li
all rights reserved
special thanks
Special thanks go to Bora Yoon for her guidance and the use of her cello, Evelyn Spann for her tireless cheerleading, and to our friends- who have fielded our many broken down phone calls and consoled us when we thought ourselves to be too far lost. May your webs be flexible and strong, and may you use them to see the stars.