Led by Max Ramey (production, bass) and Joe Ramey (production, saxophone), and featuring members of Monophonics, as well as a collection of some of the best Bay Area-based players, The Ironsides specialize in a sound that meshes classic psych soul with sweeping orchestral arrangements in a way that recalls the soundtracks and library music of European composers during the ’60s and ’70s.
The Bay Area collective set out to create a collection of lush compositions that evoke a diverse arrange of feelings, emotions and memories. The band enlisted Louis Robert King, a New York-based maestro as a co-writer and arranger. King had previously created arrangements for Ramey on other projects. Once the material was finished, the Ramey Brothers started contacting a collection of local musicians, who would bring the material to life. “We hired a group of Bay Area working musicians,” Max Ramey explained. “Many of them play a range of music, from jazz to classical, in clubs and orchestras. Using these local musicians was really important to us.”
Slated for a May 19, 2023 release through Colemine Records, Changing Light was recorded at Transistor Sound Studios, the home base for The Ironsides, a growing list of Colemine Records artists, including Kelly Finnigan and Monophonics. While California is a major inspiration for the album’s material, it wasn’t the only geographical inspiration for the album: The Ramey Brothers can trace their heritage to Liguria, Italy — the birthplace of their maternal grandfather. Album track “Ligurian Dream” pays homage to their Italian heritage and the composers, who inspired the cinematic and instrumental direction of the album’s material.
Changing Light‘s material evokes the imagery of an open road, a breathtaking view and scenes of a vast landscape begging to be explored. So plug something into your GPS, play the album and just drive. “The songs are inspired by landscapes – each one could mean something to someone and create a completely different meaning for someone else,” The Ironsides Max Ramey says.
The album’s first single “The Web” is a soulful, lush and incredibly cinematic composition rooted in old-school craftsmanship featuring shimmering and soaring strings, a supple and propulsive rhythm section, a punchy horn section and a buzzing horn solo. Sonically recalling a slick and seamless synthesis of Issac Hayes‘ Hot Buttered Soul and Spaghetti Western soundtrack scores, “The Web” is the perfect mood-setting song for a road-trip playlist.