Home Spun
By Brett Leigh Dicks 11/20/2008
The musical tidings of local troubadour Todd Hannigan are matched only by those of the oceans themselves. For just as the guitar figures prominently in Hannigan’s life, so too does the surfboard. He has wandered the world seeking enlightenment and surf and his adventures are encapsulated upon a new album, which he will be launching on Friday, Nov. 21, at Zoeys Live at the Lodge with a little help from Dead Rock West and Rey Fresco.
More Volume
There is much more to Todd Hannigan’s recorded endeavors than simply a practical sense of nomenclature. Following on from his debut offering – the fittingly titled Volume 1 – comes Volume 2: Courtside for the Apocalypse. While this time Hannigan throws in a subtitled call to action, like its predecessor, Volume 2 is a melodic sojourn, drawn from wandering the world with a guitar in one hand and surfboard in the other. And, in so doing, the album provides an introspective voyage for both the heart and soul through the trials and tribulations of love and enlightenment.
Brothers In Arms
It is no coincidence that Volume 2: Courtside for the Apocalypse was recorded at Brotheryn Studios. For the past eight years, Hannigan, along with Jesse Siebenberg and Jason Mariani, has owned and operated the Ojai-based recording studio. Along with giving rise to albums by both Hannigan and Siebenberg, the studio has also recently heralded the arrival of recordings by other local luminaries such as Kenny Loggins (How About Now), Nathan McEuen (Festival) and Crosby Loggins (We All Go Home). The studio has also produced several film soundtracks including Sliding Liberia and Against the Grain.
Surfing Safari
Though born in Connecticut, Hannigan was raised in Ventura and whole-heartedly embraced southern California’s lifestyle of sun and sand. While surfing might impart a greater influence upon his psyche than it does on his music, it is never to far away. His music has been featured in films including Jack Johnson’s Thicker Than Water (for which he composed the title track) and September Sessions (coproduced and performed with Johnson), Shelter and A Broke Down Melody all of which eminated from the stables of Moonshine Conspiracy - run by his childhood friends, the Malloy brothers.
Partners in Crime
Hannigan has worked with a host of musicians. The list is long and distinguished and features names like Jack Johnson, Tristan Prettyman, Crosby Loggins, Minnie Driver, Joshua Grange, Ted Lennon, Aerto Morea and Fernie Apodaca.
Hannigan feels that one of the greatest benefits to come from owning his own studio is that when it comes time for him to make music, he has the opportunity to hire back the very best of the players to have passed through with other projects. His live ensemble performs under the moniker of the Heavy 29s — which refers to the age he was when they formed and his emotional state at the time.
Timeless Tidings
While Hannigan might wear his heart upon his sleeve, his influences are perhaps a little less obvious. Wide and varied, Hannigan has sited everyone from Willie Nelson through Dire Straits and Stevie Wonder as musical influences. But his greatest musical inspiration is without doubt Nick Drake. In venturing through his catalogue you can join the dots to his various stimuli, but the overriding sense one gleans from his music is that of Hannigan himself. And although he might not be the first man to wander the world’s beaches with a guitar in his hand, but he is definitely one of the most inflicting.
DIGG | del.icio.us | REDDIT