New Release – Whatever You May Say (album) by Portraits of Sawyer
Portraits of Sawyer is a two-man rock band consisting of Ben Wiggins (lead vocals, keys, guitar) and Adam Garcia (guitars, vocals, percussion).
Ben does most of the singing; Adam sings background and sometimes takes the lead. Adam is the guitar person; Ben throws in a lead line here and there and occasionally plays rhythm. They both play various other instruments when it suits the song – Adam’s native instrument is drums, Ben’s is piano.
The band is about love of music (especially The Beatles) and enjoying the process of writing, playing and producing it together.
‘Whatever You May Say’ the new by Portraits of Sawyer album is coming out on 13th August.
What are your favourite memories of writing or recording the album?
Ben: “Lots of memories because this has been so long in the works. Recording at Meadowlark Studios in Vermont was amazing. Listening to Adam’s guitar part for ‘Mullet Action’ and having key lyrics come to me (“and they’re letting it grow”, “YOU can keep your party G”) which I could write the rest of the lyrics around were great moments. Finding the synth sounds. We also had a blast recording once at another studio, the files had to be scrapped but that was still a super fun day in the process. Until we found out the best takes were missing…”
How long was the recording process?
Adam: “Since recording some of the earliest elements – (‘Mullet Action’ guitars, all of ‘Juliet’ back in 2008) I have moved 8 times through 3 different states, have 3 kids and a super stylish head of almost entirely silver hair.”
Ben: “We were both usually in different cities, with a lot of other stuff going on. Living in the same state for the last few years allowed us to get what we needed in the studio, and we finally dug in and finished the mix near the end of lockdown. Then we sent it to Billy Joe Bowers for mastering – he’s a legend, he mastered Pearl Jam’s ‘Lightning Bolt’ and a lot of the recent Chris Cornell releases.”
What movie should feature your music and why?
Adam: “I love this question because the answers can change per track, because the music styling is so eclectic on the album. There is rock, folk, piano ballad… and whatever the hell ‘Busey’ is. It’s a collection of songs and of styles. We are proud of that aspect as much as we are of anything happening on these tracks. ‘Mullet Action’ could be in an Avengers movie and it would feel right at home. ‘Strawberry Moon‘ could work wonderfully in an independent romance and ‘Busey’… could be (and likely will be) the soundtrack to your nightmares.”
Ben: “The Ray Donovan movie, because I love that show.”