This instrumental track on The Bleak, Barbarian Pines EP began life about 8 years ago. I was living in Boulder, Colorado, going to school and playing in a band called Silent Earth. We played a mixture of progressive rock and metal with some jazz and funk influences thrown in. I mostly played electric guitar in the group, but I played acoustic on a couple tunes as well. One of them was an instrumental I came up with called "Song for the Flatirons."
Anyone who has been to Boulder knows the Flatirons. While these rock formations are pretty small compared to other Colorado mountain ranges, they're a prominent feature in the landscape near Boulder and a nice reminder that mountains are nearby!
In my time at the CU-Boulder music school, I came across many pieces of music that were inspired by the Flatirons and other local mountain ranges. I joked that every musician or artist who came to Boulder created something to salute the Flatirons, and this song is my own addition to the collective heap.
The Silent Earth version of my song was very acoustic guitar-driven. The bass player and drummer (Shawn Briardy and Eric Simley) were very tasteful. I think they added some light accompaniment to the fast section towards the end of the song, but they demonstrated great restraint. Unfortunately, no recording of the song exists from that lineup.
I became reacquainted with the song in the winter of 2013 while visiting my brother in Boulder. The house we were staying in had a beautiful view of the Flatirons. One morning, I borrowed an acoustic guitar and played the song as the sun rose. My girlfriend encouraged me to record a solo version, and so here it is! This song brings back many happy memories of Boulder and my bandmates in Silent Earth.