David Ramirez - Were Not Going Anywhere '2017

Tracks list

We’re Not Going Anywhere: At a historical moment of immense political,
social, and ecological uncertainty, those four simple words comprise both a
promise and a protest, a comforting reassurance of inclusion as well as a hearty
cry of defiance. It’s a statement that offers no small sense of hope, in
that sense matching the music contained on the album.

On these vividly imagined and passionately performed songs David Ramirez takes
in the world from his unique perspective: “Being half white and half
Mexican has made this current political climate especially interesting. So many
cultures in this country are being viewed as un-American and it breaks my heart.
My family have raised children here, created successful businesses here, and are
proud to be a part of this country. Most of what Ive seen as of late is
misplaced fear. I wanted to write about that fear and how, instead of benefiting
us, it sends us spiraling out control.”

The album that bears that title marks a departure for Ramirez, who builds on the
rootsy sound of his early albums to create something new, something bold,
something anchored in the here and now. Scouting out unexplored music territory,
these songs bounce around energetically, toying with new ideas and experimenting
with new sounds, as barbed-wire guitars and retro-futuristic synths grind
against his anguished vocals and evocative lyrics.

“We flipped script a little bit and went in with a pretty specific vision:
lots of keyboards and some out-of-the-box guitar sounds. I took a lot of notes
from the indie bands I’ve been listening to and from the bands I loved
growing up in the ‘80s, like the Cars and Journey. Let’s just live
in this spacy world for a while and see what comes out of it.”

What came out of it isn’t just Ramirez’s most adventurous album to
date, but a record that captures the mood of the country in its music as well as
in its lyrics. While he does tackle some new subjects, Ramirez grounds these
songs in his own perspective, which means every song remains both human and
humane, outraged and generous. There are some break-up songs on here, sober and
self-castigating: first single “Watching from a Distance” thrums
with iridescent synths and a tight backbeat that sounds like lines on the
highway measuring the widening rift between lovers. “People Call Who They
Wanna Talk To” is Ramirez at his catchiest, marrying a playful earworm
hook to a somber realization about romantic irreconcilability:
“Don’t blame it on the distance, don’t blame it on the
booze… people call who they wanna talk to.” A simple line, but
completely devastating.

“This is the first album I’ve had properly produced,” says
Ramirez, who either produced or co-produced all of his previous efforts. For
We’re Not Going Anywhere, he hired Sam Kassirer, who has helmed albums by
Josh Ritter, Lake Street Dive, Bhi Bhiman, and many other artists. “I
needed to evolve and change things up a bit, which is why I chose Sam. He pushed
me in a way I hadn’t been pushed before.” Kassirer challenged
Ramirez to simultaneously simplify and complicate his songwriting, to find new
ways to tell his stories. “He said, I want you to try to tell a story but
use fewer words and more space. In other words, let’s not make a
singer-songwriter record. Let’s make a band record. Once he said that, my
mind just opened up in a way it never had before. It was fun to just be more
straightforward lyrically. It left a lot of space for the music.”

In January 2017 Ramirez and his band decamped to the Great North Sound Society,
an eighteenth-century farmhouse in rural Maine that serves as Kassirer’s
studio. Especially in the winter, when the trees are bare and snow blankets the
ground, the setting proved inspiring. “It’s very secluded, which
was part of the appeal. We were able to get out of our touring headspace and
stay completely involved with the record and what we were doing.” That
allowed the band to concentrate on the music, to pursue ideas without
distractions and misgivings, but it also removed them from the world during a
momentous event.

We’re Not Going Anywhere turns that distance into a big-picture
perspective— engaged and informed, compassionately political but not
necessarily partisan. “We’d take breaks during the day and watch
the news and see all the rallies and marches and the disruption and the
out-of-control feeling that was everywhere then—and, frankly, still is
now. We were looking around and no one was around us. The closest house was a
mile away, so it was just us. We were grateful just to retreat from that social
tornado for a while and create something that we hoped would be very
beautiful.”

Looming over every song is the ghost of Ramirez’s great-grandmother, who
inspired “Eliza Jane,” a deeply poignant and personal tune near the
album’s conclusion. In gracefully plainspoken lyrics, Ramirez describes
how she and her brothers left Oklahoma during the Great Depression, heading
northwest to Oregon, where she played piano in a country band. “My mom was
telling me this story and the song was writing itself. I wish I had known her,
because I’m curious what drove her. I know what drives a lot of my
musician friends, but I really want to ask a family member: Why did you do this?
Was it just for fun? Was it a passion so deep-rooted that you couldn’t
not do it?”

While he may describe the creative process as fun, Ramirez obviously has
inherited a deep-rooted passion—one that will continue to drive him well
into the future. “I’m not going to be so afraid to take risks in
the future, like I have been in the past. I’ve been so stressed and
concerned with every detail, but I learned to let that go. Let’s just
have fun. Let’s get weird. I’ve never felt that way about my work.
I still respect my older stuff, but I just didn’t want to be afraid
anymore. That’s what I learned on this one.”

David Ramirez, vocals
Simon Page, guitar, pedal steel guitar
Sam Kassirer, piano
Matthew Wright, piano, organ, synthesiser
Zack Hickman, bass
Ariel Bernstein, drums
Arum Rae, backing vocals

Tracklist: 
01. David Ramirez - Twins (3:39)
02. David Ramirez - Watching from a Distance (4:19)
03. David Ramirez - People Call Who They Wanna Talk To (3:31)
04. David Ramirez - Time (4:48)
05. David Ramirez - Good Heart (3:19)
06. David Ramirez - Stone Age (5:07)
07. David Ramirez - Telephone Lovers (3:34)
08. David Ramirez - Villain (3:42)
09. David Ramirez - Eliza Jane (3:25)
10. David Ramirez - Im Not Going Anywhere (4:05)

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