THE 'INTERLUDE.' Hunter Nicholson (pictured above) has released an eight-track collection of improvisational compositions, titled Green on Green. The record features sounds from the places and spaces Nicholson has called "home" over the years — whether that be in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, or basement music venues and recording studios in the Chippewa Valley. (Photo by Gabbie Henn)

Green on Green by Hunter Nicholson

Step into a lush world, where flowering ferns persist amidst the first winter's snow and ambient compositions invite listeners to the seasonal changes of process, presence and clarity. Hunter Nicholson, a multi-instrumentalist and music educator based in Wisconsin, has released their latest collection of compositions, Green on Green.

"(Green on Green) is the spaces 'in between,' " Nicholson said. "I want people to let their minds wander, but I also want them to like let (Green on Green) make them have a feeling of something — I wanted to transport people in many different ways ."

Green on Green album cover via Bandcamp.

Whilst spending over a decade in Eau Claire to study music and take part in the city's burgeoning "underground arts scene," they collected a series of "sketches," demo recordings and befriended fellow musicians and creatives to shape the eight-track record released independently on Oct. 12.

The collections blends Nicholson's return to the piano, as new visions of ethereal woodwind choruses beckon a return to the very Northwoods forests where they currently reside.

"I wanted (Green on Green) to be freeing," Nicholson said on and involved letting go of perfectionism, a significant personal struggle of theirs — and possibly listeners, too.

"I am going to break the rules (and) whatever sounds good to me — even if it doesn't sound 'that good' — that's what it is."

Green on Green, by Hunter Nicholson is available to listen through Bandcamp online. 

The King of Good Intentions by Jon Loomis

"For me, everything starts with the words — a line or a title or a fragment of a verse, and then the music part kind of forms itself organically as I build the lyric," Jon Loomis, longtime Eau Claire resident and now Americana singer-songwriter, said. "I guess the common thread for me is attention to language."

The King of Good Intentions album cover via Bandcamp.

The King of Good Intentions, Loomis' debut album was released early October, following a career as an accomplished poet, novelist and academic professor with the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire; this ten-track collection marks his first expedition into the professional recording world.

We're living in profound and equally strange times, Loomis believes. Yet, these critical moments of contemplation and introspection can become a reminder — especially in the creative arts — that we are all interconnected.

Loomis illuminates these messages through the power of storytelling and song, drawing influences from great songwriters of the past, alternative country and roots rock genres.

"But these times are when the arts are especially important, I think — a reminder of our shared humanity, a reminder that we’re not in it alone, that we can still connect with one another," Loomis said.  "That’s what the arts are all about, right? Your brain and my brain connecting for a little while."

The King of Good Intentions, by Jon Loomis, is available to listen through Bandcamp online. 

Automatic Yak by The Hind End

Derrick Williams, an Eau Claire native for over two decades and former "acoustic-sludge" performer based in the Twin Cities of Minnesota, has taken on a new moniker — The Hind End — in his latest musical release. Now, as he embarks on a solo songwriting and recording "experiment," Automatic Yak — independently published on Oct. 6 — continues to pay homage to his earlier music landscapes and the 90s solid rock genres which first called him to create.

Automatic Yak album cover via Bandcamp.

"In the process, I think I really liked what I got — which was 'at the surface' and straight ahead rock with a lot of influences from my past," Williams said. "These whimsical-heavy songs are what they are and that's what actually made me more content — than trying to fight something out of myself that's a deeper song."

A clash of battering drums and heart-stirring choruses present themselves in this ensemble of The Hind End's six tracks. Automatic Yak incorporates lighthearted retrospections from themes that Williams' originally envisioned he might be apprehensive to share with listeners.

"(Automatic Yak is) supposed to say to myself — as well as anybody — (to not) always take yourself too seriously. It is okay to be silly," Williams said. "I think we forget to remember that; we started out playing as kids (and) it's okay to still bring that (energy) into an adult entity. It's okay to be whimsical."

Automatic Yak, by The Hind End is available to listen through Bandcamp online.