"The Poquito Pioneer" and "Highway Driveway" honored by You Crazy Dreamers 

and the Lonesome Drifters BEST OF THE YEAR LISTS.

"Certainly the most atmospheric pieces of music i heard this year are these two gems."

"If you want to listen to something a little bit different, totally unique, a little bit creepy but but also incredibly beautiful then i HIGHLY recommend these two albums. Just stunning!" 

to read more click here...
http://youcrazydreamers.com/2011/12/14/the-lonesome-drifters-albums-of-the-year/

Mixed feelings today.  The album I released this year, "the Poquito Pioneer", about one man's journey through the desert to Salvation Mountain was recognized today on You Crazy Dreamers' best of the year list.  But today I also found out that Leonard Knight (the creator of Salvation Mountain) is not living in the desert at his beloved mountain anymore and is living in assisted care.  Also even more tragic, his long time helper/caretaker at Salvation Mountain, Kevin, has passed away.  Amy and I were fortunate enough to meet both these folks and hang out, please keep them in your heart this holiday season.

Music to appear in the Norwegian National Ballet

The Norwegian National Ballet has requested a song I wrote with Jason Iselin (as part of george&caplin) to accompany a dance for the production of “the Ice Palace” in Oslo! (based on Tarjei Vesaas’ novel “Isslottet”) We are overwhelmed. This is truly beyond anything Jason and I had in mind when we began recording years ago.

http://www.operaen.no/Default.aspx?ID=29014&ProductID=PROD655

a fall mix just for you...

While I'm away working on my new album, I thought I would pass on some of my favorite old melancholy tunes that are best accompanied by fall, a brown sweater, and tea. 
Featuring:: 
Lee Hazlewood, Scott Walker, Dennis Wilson, Piero, Kourosh Yaghamaei, Ennio Morricone, Fancis Lai, Catherine Spaak, & more.  
DOWNLOAD HERE...

http://www.mediafire.com/?p1s9mz9b39238hu

:::Special thanks to Mr. Eric Lee and family for turning me on to a great deal of these tracks:::

Recent reads that still have me thinking...

Great article on the complexity of Roberto Bolano's legacy, by another author I also enjoy.

Bolaño Inc.

by Horacio Castellanos Moya November 2009

http://www.guernicamag.com/features/1382/bolano_inc/

[And the tiny pioneer found respite in a manger.]  

Saved this jumping spider from the tides of my sink this morning.  I left him for dead on my window sill but was pleased to find him a half hour later alive, away in a manger. 

(look close for his beady little eyes.)

Always nice when my outdoor friends join me for the winter.

Saguaro dusted in sunlight

Saint Jude strained my neck, so I walked into the Sonoran sprawl

I found myself surrounded by halos glistening amid the chollas

We were all alone together, I in their adobe coat.

Dusk in the cholla garden seeped through my pores to my lungs, eliminating the need for breath

Joshua trees swatted awkwardly at schools of sunbeams

This is a land where there is time enough

This is a land where there is room enough

God delicately planted a saguaro mescal mustache on my forehead.

William Basinki's Disintegration Loops in remembrance of 9/11.

Ten year anniversary concert featuring Basinki....
"Remembering September 11" concert by the Wordless Music Orchestra conducted by Ryan McAdams, presented at The Temple of Dendur in The Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan, NY on September 11, 2011. 
http://www.npr.org/blogs/deceptivecadence/2011/09/07/140265002/remembering-september-11-a-live-concert-webcast-from-the-temple-of-dendur

Robert McCall

Inspiration, like an exploding star, is vast, expansive, and always hurling outward; but like all mass the shear gravity causes even the tiniest of particles of matter to re-connect.  I'm thankful for these small moments of gravity that my creative career has afforded me.  

Thanks Maura for re-connecting.

:::THE STORY:::

One reason I like art...

Last summer I went to Salvation Mountain for the first time with my wife Amy.  Just us and the lonesome mountain. But soon we met Maura, who was also there for the first time. We soon realized we all shared the common bond of being teachers. To our great fortune we were blessed to find Leonard hanging out before a swim in an irrigation ditch and he stayed to give us a tour. I left very inspired.

{Cut to a year later.}

Maura read a review of the Jjango album on YouCrazyDreamers and from the cover realized she was there that day. She contacted me and shared her excitement for the experience and the album. She too was inspired by the moment and did some artwork. (see Maura's work here) (Above is a photo from Maura I accidently snuck into.) Inspiration like an exploding star feels vast and expansive, hurling outward, but like all masses the shear gravity causes even the tiniest of particles to re-connect. I'm thankful for these small moments of gravity my creative career has afforded me.

One of my favorite duels.  From REQUISCANT.

Thanks for the photo, mysterious mercedes man in michigan.

Oramics from Nick Street on Vimeo.

 you crazy dreamers [uk] REVIEW of the Poquito Pioneer...


"...if i had to choose my album of the year now, it would be this one because it brings me joy on so many levels. Musically it’s outstanding, it has immense atmosphere and each listen brings me new pleasures and it continually keeps me guessing. It’s such a forward thinking album with so many levels it’s very easy to go overboard and just make what is essentially noise but they, (he?) seems to know when enough is enough and has created something so astonishing it’s actually impossible to describe it in words, it needs to be heard for it to make any sense. It’s something rather beautiful."


"The psychedelic nature of the album has your imagination running wild because the album slowly feeds you nuggets of sound, a distant voice or an echo but for me it’s the overwhelming beauty that makes this album so great, so, so beautiful. Sometimes just the horns is enough to be completely overwhelmed but when you add snippets of crackle and hypnotic sounds  to such devastating effect it takes you places that most music doesn’t."
by Geordie 8/3/11


...wow, know I'm not a cowboy because I'm blushing, thanks!
to read more, go here...
http://youcrazydreamers.com/2011/08/03/jjango-cleefworth-morriconez-the-poquito-pioneer/

Extremely honored to have a few Jjango Cleefworth Morriconez tracks appear 

on Stadiums and Shrine.

check it out...

http://stadiumsandshrines.com/?p=4620

I shall be loading tons of floppy discs and bending cassette tapes with the talents of Joseph Sampson, Frieda Stalheim, and Jason Iselin; all forming together as frontier man Wentworth Kersey. Come watch. 9pm @ DELITE (south broadway, Denver)

REVERB/The DENVER POST says "Steal These" EPs...

"J. Wentworth. S. is a musical outlaw hero. Like the rugged loners who populate the spaghetti westerns from which he draws much of his inspiration, the Denver experimental musician blazes his own trails, breaks a few hearts and pulls a few burrs out of his boots while crafting his sun-drenched psychedelic desert laments." 

Released on Denver’s own Plastic Sound Supply Records, “Highway Driveway” serves as a peaceful-yet-exhilarating soundtrack to a man’s escape from the city and into the Sonoran desert. It’s a moody, reflective collection that juxtaposes organic instrumentation with analog electronic blips. Its dusty tin heart beats irregularly, like the twitching, wiggling gauges on the dashboard of a ’70s station wagon as it labors across America’s sun-burnt western expanses.

"The Poquito Pioneer,” the looser companion cassette released by Wil-Ru Records under the pseudonym JJango Cleefworth Morriconez (spaghetti western nerds should be able to unpack that one fairly easily), charts the same course, but from the perspective of a Salton Sea native returning to his homeland. Like an old cowboy who’s spent too much time in the city, its hat is ill-fitting, its boots too well-worn and its approach to the once-familiar desert landscape wary and rusty. Where “Highway Driveway” is the American euphoria and freedom of driving, “The Poquito Pioneer” is the heat stroke and fever dreams that follow."

by Eryc Eyl july 14 2011

http://www.heyreverb.com/2011/07/14/steal-this-track-ums-edition-featuring-jeffrey-wentworth-stevens/

[^]LAND magazine's praise for Cleefworth/Wentworth...


"Jjango Cleefworth Morriconez is the latest moniker of Jeffrey Wentworth Stevens, following on his releases as George&Caplin, Wentworth Kersey, and Runway Estates, and adding new material to his construction of a new western aesthetic that speaks to the sounds and themes aroused by its historical landscape. The new moniker is christened by The Poquito Pioneer, on Wil-Ru Records July 13th, and arrives alongside his solo debut Highway Driveway, on Plastic Sound Supply. Both albums are high concept pieces; psychedelia with a country tinged croon and ringing drones that reference Spanish horns, exploring the artifacts and decline of the traditional “west”. Set amidst “teetering border towns” and – in The Poquito Pioneer - ultimately leading to the narrator’s childhood home in the decrepit skeleton towns near the over-salinated Salton Sea, it’s a tremendously compelling song cycle and Stevens’ evolving vision."

Posted by DWIGHT of [^]LAND.
http://www.comeintoland.com/2011/07/jjango-cleefworth-morriconez-companeros-dos/

SPECIAL EDITIONS aVaiLAbLE fOR PurChASe...NOW!!!

JEFFREY WENTWORTH STEVENS' "highway driveway"

(Limited edition hand designed CD in sewn map casing.) (50 copies only)

CLICK HERE TO BUY

JJANGO CLEEFWORTH MORRICONEZ' "the poquito pioneer"

(Limited edition cassette in library listening center case) (50 copies only)
CLICK HERE TO BUY

THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

WESTWORD MAGAZINE previews/reviews the..

art/music of "highway driveway" and "the poquito pioneer"

"While we don't generally talk about cover art reveals or preorder deals, this one is simply too good to pass up."

"For its part, Highway Drive is a meandering electronic record inhabiting the space somewhere between a psychedelic freak-out in the desert and an inspiring vision quest lead by a generous but ungrateful wolf. It's a solid cohesive album that bangs along to a slightly different drum than one might expect from Stevens.
The Poquito Pioneer, in contrast, is rooted more in what you might expect from Wentworth Kersey. There's more going on here lyrically, and guitars are a bit more prevalent, but it's still not a traditional rock record by any means. "Me and the Lonesome Road," is probably one of the most upbeat tracks on the record, with a whistling track that holds the whole thing together it feels like something out of an Ennio Morricone soundtrack."
"Don't take our word for it though -- listen to both EPs right now."


By Thorin Klosowski
published: Fri., Jun. 24 2011 @ 8:00AM
http://blogs.westword.com/backbeat/2011/06/check_out_the_artwork_stream_a.php

THE ONION's AVclub previews/reviews of "Highway Driveway" and "The Poquito Pioneer".

"Quasi-ambient electronica and dusty, fly-blown Western Americana may not seem like natural bedfellows, but in the hands of Jeffrey Wentworth Stevens, they mix like gin and tonic—two strong, distinctive flavors that somehow combine into something greater, and far more delectable, than the sum of its parts. Like Ennio Morricone jamming with Brian Eno as the house band of a rundown cantina in the Nevada desert, Stevens’ work evokes the beauty and loneliness of wide-open skies in fuzzy swathes of distorted sound and gorgeous keening timbres."
"In effect, they work as two sides of a single album—and a quite good one, at that."


By Cory Casciato June 27, 2011
http://www.avclub.com/denver/articles/preview-2-new-eps-from-jeffrey-wentworth-stevens,58195/

Like you spacey psych music served in an 1800's setting?  

Then I might suggest checking out...

Wentworth Kersey @ the beautiful Four Mile Historic Park this Wednesday June 29th.

http://swallowhillmusic.org/music-school/events-and-festivals/shadygrove/artists

Limited Edition (50 copies only) ..."TOWN MOUSE" CD.. 

Individually Hand Designed Compact Disc in Sewn Vintage Map Casing. 

(brought to you by PlasticSoundSupply Records and Amy Apple Crafts)

ALBUM ART via the magnificent Mr. Eric Lee

Wil-Ru Records limited edition cassette library listening center box cover

The Poquito Pioneer digital cover art

Highway Driveway digital cover art

Top ten Favorite Spaghetti Westerns as of today.

1.The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
2. Once Upon A Time in the West
3. Fistful of Dollars
3.5 Yojimbo (honorary mention)(the movie Fistful of Dollars is based on.)
4. The Mercenary
5.The Great Silence
6. Death Rides a Horse
7. For a Few More Dollars
8. Requiescant
9. Django
10. Face to Face (&) The Big Gundown (&) 10,000 Blood Money (three way tie)

Westword previews the new albums.  Read more here...

http://blogs.westword.com/backbeat/2011/05/new_project_from_half_of_georg.php#more
.
.
.
(thanks Thorin and Westword for your support.)

Getting close.  Special edition for Plastic Sound Supply in production.

Supplies rolling in to assemble special edition releases of solo work. Next step learn sewing.

COMING THIS SUMMER! 

Jeffrey Wentworth Stevens VS. Jjango Cleefworth Morriconez

(Town Mouse, Desert Mouse)

TWO ALBUMS. 

Highway Driveway, the story of a townman’s roadtrip into the Sonoran desert to lose himself, and The Poquito Pioneer, the story of a desert man’s journey to a lost tourist trap of the Salton Sea to remember himself.

LOOK FOR THESE RELEASES 

courtesy of Plastic Sound Supply records, Wil-Ru records, and LAND magazine.

links...

http://www.plasticsoundsupply.com/

http://wil-ru.com/

http://www.comeintoland.com/
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.
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Pointy Mexican Boots admired by a Bootgazing Vaquero.
This trend really intriques me.

Enjoy via VBS.

PLASTIC SOUND SUPPLY RECORDS best label of DENVER.

So honored that my music has found a home on this label.  A heart felt thanks to Justin and his whole crew who have made music fun and interesting for again for me.

http://www.westword.com/bestof/2011/award/best-record-label-1770188/

The studio ghost of Jjango or Jeffrey?  Good day with Colin Bricker at the helm.  

Of course, my studio ghost wanted to put auto tune on everything.

recording process done? stay tuned...

Teamed up today w/Sandusky for some vocals on a track for the HannaRanch SNDTRK. 

Louvin Brothers style worked marvelously.  

Nice to be in the studio with the "Thom Yorke Cowboy" again.  

Love these guys.  Need them to help me choreograph some moves to my new tunes.  Go long boots.

http://bit.ly/gwzRY7

A photo from times past (Portland, OR).  Thought I would post this one because Jason Iselin (of G&C fame) has been a huge factor in helping me pull of my first solo recording.  Yesterday, his guitar was the glue I needed.  It felt like old times or maybe I should say it felt like all times.  

Thanks J.  Album/s getting close!

Wrote a love song to immigration.  We’ll see how it turns out.  Cutting and pasting some odd source material.

I'm pleased to announce the birth of my first child, 

Sandoval Wentworth Stevens.  

I'm excited to share "Dad's" music with him and thankful that Sandoval will only add to my process.  I'm sure he will add new levels of patience, sleep deprived moments of song writing delerium, and much more heart to the new project.  Just need to find a better babysitter than this one before I jump back in full speed.  In other good news, the album is already ten songs deep, still more to write. 

Grab the Plastic Sound Supply Label Sampler for free.  I'm honored to have a few of my projects represented.
CLICK the LINK below...
http://soundcloud.com/plasticsoundsupply/sets/plastic-sound-supply-label-sampler/

Up at 6am this morning, really trying to branch out in my song writing. Might have stumbled upon the most solid pop song I've ever written. Sounds like The Rolling Stones got in a fight with Yeezy. It scares me.  

(or maybe it's the fact I'm exactly one month from becoming a dad.)

Jason Iselin swung by the studio today to help the jjango cleefworth morriconez cause and entertain the "stuffed" crowd.