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Hala Strana |
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As with all Hala Strana releases, Heave the Gambrel Roof contains a wide variety of instruments (many built by Smith himself) such as the hurdy gurdy, spike fiddle, gourd guitar, bowed baritone psaltery, bouzouki, xaphoon, and the more common electric guitar, organ, cello, and harmonium. The album includes musical contributions from Loren Chasse (Blithe Sons, Franciscan Hobbies, Of) on one track. *The first pressing of the LP is limited to 250 copies. The cover is a 12"x12" square of wood that has been hand cut and hand sanded, with screen printing on both sides. Each copy is hand numbered using a woodburner, with the vinyl wrapped in felt, and includes an 8-page chapbook created and printed by Smith. **The second, and last pressing of the LP is limited to 250 copies. The cover is 12x24 natural fiberboard cardstock hand silkscreened with the same cover art - screen printing on both sides. |
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Steven R. Smith began recording music under the Hala Strana moniker in 2002 as a way to further explore his interest in traditional Eastern European folk music, apart from his solo releases under his own name and collaborative work in Thuja, Mirza, and other Jewelled Antler creations. Heave the Gambrel Roof is Smith's fourth full length album under the Hala Strana name. The album is a return to the shorter, more song-based form of Fielding and Hala Strana and includes reworks of four traditional Albanian tunes as well as seven original tracks.