'SPARK THE LIGHT.' Godwin Agbara (pictured above), the indie-alternative artist behind the moniker Yomchi, has released a new collection of songs to encapsulate conversations left unsaid – JOUSKA: Winny's Demo Tape. The four-track EP showcases what sounds called him to create, along with what we can expect to hear from the Eau Claire-based musician moving forward. (Submitted photo)

JOUSKA: Winny’s Demo Tape by Yomchi

A new batch of songs to offer listeners a glimpse into “the beginning of everything.” This is the foundation which shaped Godwin Agbara, the singer-songwriter behind Eau Claire’s own Yomchi and his forthcoming EP, JOUSKA: Winny’s Demo Tape.

“I hope this project gives people a chance to see how far I've come,” Agbara said. “Especially for the people who were there from the beginning all those years ago.”

JOUSKA: Winny’s Demo Tape album cover via Bandcamp.

From high school up until today, Yomchi has released a handful of singles with influences drawn from alternative, indie, and neo-soul sounds.

Today, JOUSKA will embody the indie rock genre along with R&B experimentation, as showcased in “Can We Make It?” the EP’s debut track released ahead of the new collection.

“(The EP) connects where I am at now to back when I started self producing … very rhythm guitar focused,” Agbara said.

Thematically, the EP represents seasonal reflections for Agbara: career shifts, glimpses into the future, unfinished thoughts and conversations left unsaid, among other interpersonal nuances embedded through his contemporary and candid lyricism.

JOUSKA: Winny’s Demo Tape by Yomchi will be released to Bandcamp and streaming platforms on Dec. 12.

Kathryn Ryan by Kathryn Ryan

“This album was truly a dream come true for me,” Kathryn Ryan, the Eau Claire born-and-raised singer-songwriter said to describe her debut, self-titled record.

For Ryan, the journey to create the nine tracks featured on Kathryn Ryan – released this November – goes all the way back to the hallways of DeLong Middle School, where she first picked up the guitar.

Kathryn Ryan album cover via Philville Records.

“My friend and I came across a pile of (guitars) in the music hallway and asked if we could each take one home,” Ryan said. “It gave us an opportunity to explore the idea of being musicians that people might want to listen to one day.”

As she continued to evolve and grow into young adulthood – in pursuit of other career paths and personal development – poetry and journaling became an outlet of creativity. Soon enough, one line of poetry was accompanied by a melody, which exponentially shaped what would become Kathryn Ryan.

“This album is an opportunity to read through my journal entries,” Ryan shared. “You can join me as I fall in love, as I struggle through a broken heart and as I try to figure out who I am.”

The genre-bending record – engineered, mixed and mastered by Matthew R. Sayles along with Philville Records in the Chippewa Valley – with enveloping piano chords, country twang, gospel choirs and emotive cello compositions is available to listen on streaming platforms.

Learn more about Kathryn Ryan through her social media platforms online (@kathryn.ryan.creates) and purchase her debut album, Kathryn Ryan, through the Philville Records webpage.

Unfolding as it Should by Dan Zerr

“Go placidly amid the noise and the haste and remember what peace there may be in silence … Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.” These are ephemeral phrases from “Desiderata,” a prose poem by Max Ehrmann and the root of one Chippewa Valley musician’s latest work.

Unfolding as it Should album cover via Bandcamp.

Dan Zerr, an acoustic, Americana musician based in Eau Claire – whose name has been featured amongst local music projects such as The Obtainables, Eggplant Heroes, Bugbear, among others – has released his latest studio album, Unfolding as it Should.

The record, released via Bandcamp in November, features ten tracks which explore themes of love, loss, family, modern societal patterns and other themes embedded within the core of “Desiderata.”

Amongst a cast of local instrumentalists, including Sue Orfield (tenor saxophone), Billy Angell (piano), Mike Malone (percussion) and others, Zerr envelops listeners with genre-bending tunes and lyrics that intentionally highlight each artists’ respective talents.

Unfolding as it Should is be available to listen on all streaming services – in addition to Bandcamp – along with CDs and vinyl pressings in the works.