Following the digital release of his acclaimed solo album Mountain in late 2017, Howie Payne has recorded an entirely acoustic version of the album. Mountain (Acoustic) will be released on February 2nd, and is also available as a free download (until the end of February) with pre-orders of the physical version of Mountain, which is available on vinyl and CD from February 2nd.
The former Stands frontman has also announced a headline acoustic tour for February & March, which includes a show at London’s Rosemary Branch Theatre on February 21st.
Recorded at London’s Hoxa Studios on November 25th, ‘Mountain (Acoustic) is a track-by-track acoustic version of Howie’s second solo album Mountain, the long-awaited follow-up to his 2009 Ethan Johns-produced debut Bright Light Ballads. The accompanying video of the recording of Quick As The Moon was filmed by Jacqueline Passmore during the studio session.
We caught up with Howie as he talked about his upcoming release and more!
How has the initial response been for Quick as the Moon acoustic version?
It’s been great. A lot of people tell me they prefer to hear the tunes stripped back, that it feels more personal.
Can you tell us something about the track nobody knows?
It was recorded on the last night in the studio, during a thunder storm under a full moon
Would you say this is one of your favourites on the album?
Yeah, I wasn’t going to record it at all and then I tried it a few times and it didn’t feel right. It was the last night in the studio and I was pretty done in, for some reason that night it just found it’s own space, didn’t feel like I’d written it anymore
Are you looking forward to the release of the acoustic version of Moutain?
I am, I think people will dig it, it’s how the songs were all written and how I’ve been playing them at the solo shows so it’s cool to catch that on a record before it changes shape.
Will you be working on new music this year?
I will, I’ve been writing songs this week
If you could work with any band or artist on a new song, who would it be and why?
I dunno, I’d have to think about that
What venue are you looking forward to playing the most in your upcoming tour dates?
I’m really excited about the shows in France, and the UK shows are in theatres like the Unity in Liverpool & Rosemary Branch in London, and the Chester show is n a beautiful church called St Mary’s a Creative Space so that’s really cool… looking forward to all of it really.
Do you find it different performing on your own rather in a band?
Absolutely, it’s a whole different thing, way more intimate and when it happens right, you get into a really special place with the audience.
What was the first gig you ever attended?
The La’s, in Liverpool