WILSON, N.C. — “. . . and into the flow,” the third CD by The Near Myths, was released on July 29. Barton College’s Dr. Jim Clark, band member and de facto manager of the group, explains, “This CD will very likely be our last. More and more people download their music now, usually individual songs; the days of physical CDs with artwork and songs arranged for a particular effect are numbered.” The band has released two previous CDs: “Wilson,” in 2005, and “Words to Burn” in 2008. All three CDs also feature the musicianship and technical expertise of Barton’s director of Audio Recording Technology Phil Valera, who recorded, mixed, and co-produced them, as well as contributing organ, synthesizer, harmonica, and percussion.
The other members of the band include Clark’s grad school roommate Ben Greene, whom he met in 1976 while attending UNC-Greensboro, and Greene’s wife, Bernadette, from Vancouver Island, British Columbia; Katy Adams, from Greensboro; and Terry “Teep” Phillips, from Knoxville, Tenn. Adams’ son, Matthew, played drums. “There’s a sort of retrospective feel to some of the songs in terms of their lyrics,” Clark adds. “Most of us are in our fifties now, and we’ve known each other a long time and been through a lot together, bad and good, including the recent deaths of band member Andy Oglesby, from Greensboro, and Katy’s husband, Frank. That’s not to say there aren’t some up-tempo rockers, though.”
Indeed, “. . . and into the flow” is the band’s most adventurous and varied musical effort yet, including saxophone on several songs, and a full horn section on Ben Greene’s “Cooler Heads Prevail.” “We also co-wrote several songs this time, and we trade lead vocals on several tracks,” Clark adds. “We wanted a more organic, communal feel. Our musical tastes and influences are pretty eclectic, so it’s kind of hard to categorize the sound of The Near Myths.” I guess contemporary folk-rock comes close, or maybe Americana.”
All three of the band’s CDs, as well as two solo CDs by Clark, were recorded in the Sara Lynn Riley Kennedy Studio, on the campus of Barton College. Clark is especially pleased about this, noting that Barton’s director of publications, Keith Tew, has served as the art director for all the CDs, and other members of the Barton community, including music director Mark Peterson, communications professor Webster Struthers, and psychology professor Eddie Fernandes, have played on some of the CDs. “There’s a real sense of community at a small college, and wonderful opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration. I think it’s a tribute to the kind of place Barton is that it has nourished and encouraged this sort of creative – and even entrepreneurial – collaborative effort.”
Physical CDs and downloads of “. . . and into the flow” will be available online at Amazon.com and CD Baby; downloads will be available from iTunes, Rhapsody, eMusic, and other digital music providers. The Near Myths’ homepage is http://thenearmyths.com
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Questions? Please contact Kathy Daughety, director of public relations, at 252-399-6529 or email: kdaughety@barton.edu.