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The music of "Essex" charts the story of the Nantucket whaleship

Article:

The story of the Essex was as well known in its time as that of

the Titanic today. Essex was a whaling ship that left the coast

of Nantucket, Massachusetts in 1819 on a two-and-a-half-year

voyage to the South Pacific to hunt sperm whales. The ship,

however met a tragic end when it capsized after being attacked

and hit by a sperm whale. Though the crew members survived the

attack, they fell prey to dehydration, starvation and strife,

and most of them died, with just eight of the twenty-one men

aboard surviving to tell the story of the cataclysm in all its

gory entirety.

Inspired by Nathaniel Philbrick's novel, In the Heart of the

Sea, Jonathan Geer set out to craft the visceral story in

musical terms. Geer's music displays an "admirable and unabashed

versatility which has more than a touch of Mike Oldfield about

it" says Leonard's Lair. As he read Philbrick's novel, Geer was

immediately captivated by the story and the culture of the

Nantucket whaling industry. "Their way of life was so harsh and

fascinating," says Geer. "It's hard to imagine living like

that--hunting down whales in the Pacific for years at a time

away from your home and family. I wanted to capture a sense not

only of the wonder I experienced reading the story, but also of

the isolation these men felt out on the open sea."

If you had to pin down the style of "Essex" you might call it a

"fusion of instrumental Bjork and Chopin" as Matt Howarth from

Sonic Curiosity does. Geer's music blends together many styles

and crosses over myriad boundaries of genre to deliver a debut

that is filled with a "valiant humanity" (Matt Howarth).

Jonathan hails from the epic state of Texas. He spent his

formative years in Waxahachie, the cultural and social hub of

the state. In 2001, Jonathan graduated with a degree in Film

Scoring from Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. When he

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isn't composing he keeps himself busy teaching private piano

lessons and leading the music at Church of the Good Shepherd in

Arlington. In addition to working with up and coming Dallas area

filmmakers, Geer also composed the music for an internet promo

trailer of I Heart Huckabees featuring Naomi Watts.

You may not have heard of Geer or the Essex, but if you let that

stop you from picking up this fantastic debut you'd be missing

out on a unique and creative gem. Hear what Foxy Digitalis calls

"an upper crusty breath of fresh air in this noisy, fast-paced,

make-a-buck music business." Visit www.essexalbum.com for more

details.

About the author:

ot of Earth Records was started in 2004 by Jonathan Geer, the

artist behind "Essex". Jonathan has had a short, but varied

career as a composer, teacher and performing musician since he

graduated from Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA in 2001.