Infusing jazz and Western swing with lyrical improvisations and dreamlike harmonies, Hilary Gardner and The Lonesome Pines vividly evoke the expansiveness and romantic allure of the American West.

The seeds for the project were sown during the early months of the pandemic, when vocalist Hilary Gardner — from the confines of her Brooklyn apartment — found herself dreaming of wide-open spaces and the freedom to roam.

Dreaming of those aforementioned wide-open spaces from her one-bedroom apartment she subsequently teamed up with three extraordinarily talented and generous musicians — Justin Poindexter (guitar), Noah Garabedian (bass), and Aaron Thurston (drums) — and The Lonesome Pines were born and after playing sold-out shows in and around NYC, they headed into the recording studio and made an album. This album.

But, as Hilary admits, she needed a Kickstarter project to help get the album finished and product ready. “Making a full-length recording these days is, at best, a Herculean effort. Most of the time it feels quixotic — and in particularly trying moments it feels downright Sisyphean. For independent musicians like me, recording and releasing music remains a costly endeavor — and in the age of digital streaming, it’s harder than ever to recoup expenses.”

“Here’s the thing, though: as musicians, making music is something we have to do. From a logistical standpoint, creating new work is necessary in order to book gigs. But, less prosaically, making a recording empowers independent musicians to share our music with listeners everywhere. It’s a way we can try, in some small way, to add beauty and forge meaningful connections in our discordant, conflict-ridden world. In short, I keep charging this proverbial windmill because I believe that it matters.”

“I’m truly grateful that you’d consider helping me bring this project across the finish line.”

1. Along the Navajo Trail
2. Cow Cow Boogie
3. Call of the Canyon
4. Under Fiesta Stars
5. Silver on the Sage
6. Jingle Jingle Jingle (I Got Spurs)
7. Cowboy Serenade (While I’m Smokin’ My Last Cigarette)
8. Song of the Sierras
9. Along the Santa Fe Trail
10. Lights of Old Santa Fe
11. I’m an Old Cowhand (From Rio Grande)
12. Twilight on the Trail

This delightfully vibrant and wholly impassioned recording opens on a languishing twang that winds through Along the Navajo Trail and the jaunty bob of Cow Cow Boogie and then we get the beautiful fireside ballad Call of the Canyon, the gently rhythmic Under Fiesta Stars, the low slung Silver on the Sage, and the comes my own personal favorite, the yippy yay of Jingle Jingle Jingle (I Got Spurs).

With all the songs on this album evoking all the romantic mythology of the American West, next up is the low laying balladry of Cowboy Serenade (While I’m Smokin’ My Last Cigarette) and the upbeat and joyous Song of the Sierras and they are in turn backed by the veritably shimmering Along the Santa Fe Trail, the harmonious balladry gossamer of Lights of Old Santa Fe, the album rounding out on the congenial foot-tapper I’m an Old Cowhand (From Rio Grande), closing on the lone pines whistler Twilight on the Trail.

www.hilarygardner.com

Hilary Gardner @ Instagram