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Jumpstart

from Jumpstart EP by Leslie Rich

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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    The new solo release from Leslie Rich, Jumpstart, visits the teen and pre-teen years of his childhood. Leslie had to manage a lot of emotions in those early years: his dad’s yearning wanderlust, his parents’ temporary separation, the death of both grandfathers, and navigating blossoming love. These emotions all come together in this first EP from 12 recently written tracks; it’s rare for any songwriter’s songs to be so closely bound together. And rarer yet that they proliferate from a specific era in time. Reflection may always come at a certain age. Whatever the truth behind these seemingly endless, sunshine-filled days, Leslie decided that his experience of that time and how he remembered it was as valid as anyone’s version. Any healing came from the roots of how his nine, eleven, or fifteen-year-old self navigated those memories.

    Because the songs came so fully formed early on, Leslie decided to reinvent his usual recording process. He shared the rough demos with his friend, Heavy Sixers guitarist Grant Eull, who had recently begun experimenting with analog synths and sequencers. The results were instantly enlightening, so Stephen Helvig of Helvig Productions was recruited to bring order and direction to the home recordings. In the studio, happy accidents flourished, “usual” processes were abandoned, and traditional instrumentation was kept to a minimum, outside of Leslie’s acoustic foundation. Once finished, a common thread of experimentation can be seen all the way from 1999’s Geeklove or 2001’s Written Lie. In ruminating on his roots, perhaps Leslie managed to creatively rediscover them.

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

Jumpstart was triggered by the memory of his dad trying to jumpstart a worn-out motorcycle. This man looked so cool and remained a hero, despite now realizing that once fixed, that same bike could take his dad away again, pulled by the never-ending “tug on his sleeve.”

lyrics

I FOUND IT HARD TO BREATHE
EVERY TIME YOU’D LEAVE
WONDERING IF YOU’RE EVER COMING HOME
I WAS JUST BEGINNING LEARNING LIFE
AT THE TENDER AGE OF NINE
MAYBE I WAS STILL TOO YOUNG TO KNOW

BUT WITH THE BEDROOM CURTAINS CLOSED
IN THE FIRST HOURS THAT YOU’RE HOME
I WAS LEARNING LOVE SOMETIMES HAS LAYERS HARD TO SHARE
IN AMONGST THE HAPPY TEARS
THERE SURELY MUST BE HURT AND FEARS
THAT SOMETIMES JUST GET TOO MUCH TO BEAR

I ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT YOU WERE STRONG
BRAVE, A DYNAMO
JUST AFFLICTED WITH A TUG UPON YOUR SLEEVE
I WATCHED YOU JUMPSTART A BIKE
AND THEN CRASH INTO THE SIDE
OF OUR VAN, AND THEN I WATCHED YOU BLEED

I WAS ROOTING FOR YOU THEN
ALTHOUGH I DIDN’T UNDERSTAND
THAT IF YOU FIXED THAT BIKE YOU’D LEAVE ME ONE MORE TIME
BUT THAT MOMENT STILL REMAINS
AND REPEATS INSIDE MY DREAMS
YOU ALWAYS ARE A HERO IN MY EYES

BUT MY SISTER HAD IT HARD
OLD ENOUGH TO KNOW THE SCARS
AND I FEEL FOR HER AND HOW SHE BORE THE RIDE
ALTHOUGH I LOVE HER TONS I KNOW
HER STORY IS HER OWN
AND I AM ONLY HERE TO TELL YOU MINE

SHE AND I WE DON’T AGREE
ABOUT THE MAN YOU WERE TO ME
IT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH GIFTS THAT YOU BROUGHT HOME
THERE WERE SMALL THINGS THAT I’D SEE
ON YOUR FACE THAT I COULD READ
THERE WAS A LOVE THAT WASN’T LOST, JUST ON THE ROAM

credits

from Jumpstart EP, released May 21, 2023
Leslie Rich - Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
Grant Eull - Synths, Keyboards
Stephen Helvig - Programming, Keyboards, Drum Machine
Paul Odegaard - Horns
Recorded, mixed and engineered - Stephen Helvig & Leslie Rich
Horn arrangements by Paul Odegaard
Words and Music - Leslie Rich

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about

Leslie Rich image

Leslie Rich Minneapolis, Minnesota

Belfast born singer-songwriter, Leslie Rich grew up listening to a mix of punk, acoustic songwriters and traditional Celtic music. Inspired by artists like Luka Bloom and Throwing Muses, Leslie became a hard working solo performer in the bar scene. He founded the Rocket Soul Choir in 1994, mainly as an acoustic response to the heavy, guitar-driven, Irish bands cropping up at that time ... more

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