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On Saturday 15th February, Emily Barker & The Red Clay Halo played a sold out show in the prestigious Hall One at Kings Place as part of the Americana Music Association UK showcase. Early the next morning they went in to Mark Ronson's Zelig studios and set up to record direct to vinyl via a link through to Gearbox Records' incredible mastering suite next door.

The result is a limited edition 500 copies on 10" vinyl pressed at renowned vinyl manufacturer Optimal in Germany to be released on Record Store Day.

Emily's sleeve notes on the vinyl read:
"The record you are now holding is the result of one of the most nerve-racking but rewarding recording experiences we have had in our years of playing together. We had always planned to record these four songs as an EP, and a series of chance meetings led to us receiving an invitation to record them direct to vinyl. The recording process was unlike anything we'd ever done before. Yes, we have recorded live previously - our album Despite the Snow was recorded in four days in a freezing cold barn in Norfolk, and many of our concerts have been recorded as well - but with these previous recordings, there was always the opportunity to edit parts, adding effects, mixing, mastering, and generally the potential to iron out any mistakes. With the direct-to-vinyl recording process, there is no room for error. Each side is recorded in a single take, mixed and mastered as you perform. You even have to time your own five-second gap, or thereabouts, between the songs whilst the technician on the cutting lathe does what is called a "scroll" (a faster revolution of the pitch motor in order to move the cutting stylus along faster, thereby creating more "land" between the grooves -- in case you were wondering...).

Talk about pressure! I don't think any of us dared to breathe during our takes. Anyway, we're really pleased to say that, despite a few "quirky" moments, we managed to get through Side A and then on to Side B with no major mistakes. And in fact, even more than that, we're quite proud of our performance overall and love the warmth and quality of the sound achieved through this wonderfully antiquated recording method.

So why Songs Beneath The River? The four songs on the EP were chosen from the list we had put together of music that informed and inspired the writing and arranging on our album Dear River...

We hope you enjoy our versions as much as we enjoyed recording them.

Emily Barker, Feb 2014"

Filmed and edited by Kieran Short
Emily Barker - vocals, acoustic guitar
Gill Sandell - piano, accordion, vocals
Anna Jenkins - violin, vocals
Jo Silverson - cello, vocals
with:
Matt Park - pedal steel
Nat Butler - percussion

With thanks to:
Sound Network and DPA Microphones
Mark Ronson and Eleanor Kay @ Zelig Studios
Gearbox Studios

To see Emily Barker tour dates and buy tickets, click here: http://smarturl.it/ebytlive

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