Banners of the East is a collection of songs that has been quietly living in the back of my mind for about six years. Over time, they got louder and louder, compelling me to finish them, mix them, and ask a few old friends to help with the finishing touches. It took me a while to understand what they were, but eventually I realized they belonged together as a short album.
And now I'm finally ready to share them.
The name Banners of the East comes from a series of paintings by the Russian artist Nicholas Roerich, one of my favorite painters. There’s a museum dedicated to his work on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, a magical little place I had the chance to visit around the time I was writing this music.
Sky Power, 1934
Roerich’s Banners of the East series was inspired by the mountains and temples of the Himalayas, where he traveled and worked throughout the 1920s. I think I was drawn to the name because, for me, the music was looking eastward in a different direction—toward my own youth on the East Coast.
Around 2023, my old friends Marc and Becca Santo shared with me a series of photographs that captured something I recognized immediately: the feeling of being twentysomething in New York in the early 2000s. Nostalgia, youth, wild in the streets.
That feeling may or may not come across directly in the music, but it was an important part of the story behind it. I’m grateful to Marc and Becca for capturing those moments and for letting me use the photographs for the album and single covers.
Liner Notes
Killing Time
A track with a long history behind it. I wrote it on a trip to Paris in 2023, but its roots go back to my time in New York in the early 2000s and history with my first band, Soviet. Mastered by Keith Ruggiero.
Michelle
Michelle came together during a difficult period in 2020, when we were spending time between Brooklyn and New Jersey, helping my family while my mother was in declining health. It grew out of a weekly meetup with my good friend Kenan Gunduz, and reflects a lot of what I love about the music he was making in his unassuming Brooklyn studio.
We eventually collaborated remotely on the album's instrumental closer, Young Adult. I'd be very happy if we get another chance to make something together.
No Room For Us
Written in the depths of the 2020 COVID shutdown during a particularly intense period of listening to Thom Yorke's solo work.
Some influences are subtle; others are not.
Wrong Illumination
This was a track that started as instrumental until I realized there were words buried in there that I had to unearth. Bit of a weird one. Arrangement assistance from Keith Ruggiero.
Killing Time (Soviet Remix)
My old friend Keith took Killing Time apart and put it back together in his own way. His version has the polish and precision I've come to associate with his work, and I'm very grateful he gave the track his time.
I'm not sure there will be another Banners of the East record. I've enjoyed having an outlet for lyrical music, though, so perhaps another batch of songs will eventually walk up on me.
For now, I'm just happy these songs finally made it out of the hard drive and into the world. It was a fun project, it took much longer than expected, and I'm proud of where it landed.