Storm Variations, by John Calvin Abney

Storm Variations

by John Calvin Abney

supported by

Yimmy Kil What a calm meditative series of sounds. Happy JCA released this and hope he gets better soon. Favorite track: Partnership.

John Brownell Started playing this to give it a quick listen before I got to work this morning and next thing I knew I had listened to the whole album. Sucked me in completely. Engrossing and beautiful. Favorite track: Spillway.

	/

Streaming + Download

Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

Purchasable with gift card

Download available in 16-bit/44.1kHz.

$10 USD or more

1.	Distance Becomes White River 03:09	buy track
2.	Where They Gather and Speak I 02:37	buy track
3.	Observation I 02:03	buy track
4.	Empty Winter 01:24	buy track
5.	Juniper and Frost 02:11	buy track
6.	Where They Gather and Speak II 02:05	buy track
7.	Observation II 01:05	buy track
8.	Spillway 01:33	buy track
9.	Country of Singing Hills 02:45	buy track
10.	Partnership 01:42	buy track
11.	Farewell Distance 01:34	buy track

about

Storm Variations.

This ephemeral, fleeting work came into form as a compositional experiment in piano, tape manipulation, stochastic improvisation, and field recording. In February 2021, a catastrophic winter system enveloped Texas and all but disabled the electrical grid and infrastructure for weeks, sparking the initial inspiration and leading Abney to record weather patterns across northern hill country. Silence and isolation are juxtaposed with the busy nature of human travel and gathering, as desolate gales fade in and out of the places and structures where people move. In “The Places They Gather And Speak” parts I and II, Abney recorded the atmosphere of the departure and arrival areas of the Austin International Airport, as well as a calm day at Barton Springs recreational area before a storm, as an ambient canvas for his soft-pedal piano, a manipulated music box, and steel guitar played by ZDAN. Processing incoming signals of stereo-recorded piano, Abney destroyed and degraded the waveforms in slowed loops of tape and manual speed controls of the tape machine motor. The coming and going of the modern person, intimately tied to the temperamental shifts of weather patterns, vice versa, are also captured by the field recordings of Rebecca Sarkar, spanning from the rain-inundated hills of Shropshire, England to the tropic coastal showers of Jamaica. Without voice, without lyric, the tracks held herein are temporary, shifting in nature, and a reason to rest and hold fast at the port until the storm and stress passes.

The album visuals were conceived and skillfully executed by environmental architect, musician, and painter Drew Carman in his Austin, TX studio.

credits

released February 3, 2023

Personnel:
John Calvin Abney - synthesizers, found sound, music box, piano, Rhodes, tape loops and manipulation, Tascam 424, acoustic guitar, SP404 SX
ZDAN - lap steel on “Where They Gather and Speak” (parts I and II)
Rebecca Sarkar - field recordings

Mixed and engineered by John Calvin Abney
“Country of Singing Hills” and “Juniper and Frost” engineered by John Moreland
Additional mixing on “Distance Becomes White River” by John Moreland
Additional mixing by Michael Trepagnier at Cardinal Song in Oklahoma City, OK

Recorded at:
Tin Canyon mobile studio in Austin, TX and Tulsa, OK
Beige Lamborghini in Tulsa, OK

Management: Rebecca Sarkar

license

subtotal
taxes calculated at checkout

about

John Calvin Abney Tulsa, Oklahoma

alternative folksinger. instrumentalist.

contact / help

Contact John Calvin Abney

Streaming and
Download help

Redeem code

Report this album or account

If you like John Calvin Abney, you may also like:

El Capitán
by Will Johnson

supported by 9 fans who also own “Storm Variations”

I've only owned this album for a day, but I can't get enough of it already. It's just so quiet, stunning, raw and moving. Reminds me of Nick Drake and Ryan Adams mixed in one. It's just incredible. Thank you jane willow
go to album
A Small Death
by Samantha Crain

supported by 8 fans who also own “Storm Variations”

When they played “Joey” on Reservation Dogs I melted. I’m still melted. Gabe Meyr
go to album
Cardinals At The Window
by Various Artists

supported by 8 fans who also own “Storm Variations”

Came here for “pianos” by MJ Lenderman. Stayed for the constant gems. So good. And for a good cause, love to NC menflea3e
go to album
Molten Rock - album
by VanWyck

Tense, moody, guitar-forward songs from VanWyck that emphasize tension and fragility. Bandcamp New & Notable Jan 15, 2020
go to album
Late Great
by Laura Stevenson

The singer and songwriter sublimates heartbreak into breathtaking alternative folk. Bandcamp Album of the Day Jul 2, 2025
go to album
Requiem for a Planet
by Beams

The Toronto-based sextet make moody, cinematic sounding music that blends psych-folk and post-rock. Bandcamp New & Notable Apr 27, 2024
go to album
Visitor
by John Moreland

supported by 8 fans who also own “Storm Variations”

Heard a few minutes of the NPR interview, and bought the album as soon as I got home. I have NOT been disappointed! Waits / Prine style of lyrics (while still individual as writer and performer.) It all seems to come straight from the heart. foofaraw-chiquita
go to album