Nate Mercereau - Excellent Traveler 

UPC: 810074424219 
Label: THIRD MAN RECORDS
Format: LP
Release Date: October 11, 2024
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Excellent Traveler is Mercereau’s version of a solo guitar album following the release of his critically acclaimed records Joy Techniques and SUNDAYS. As penned in the album notes by Carlos Niño, this exquisite album of spontaneous solo composition, nuanced improvisation, and exploratory world creation features living legends Laraaji, Luis Pérez Ixoneztli, Idris Ackamoor, André 3000, and frequent collaborators Carlos Niño and Surya Botofasina. Mercereau’s (3 years young) daughter Juniper is also on the album. Kamasi Washington, Shabaka Hutchings, Cavana Lee, V.C.R, Anaiah Rasheed Muhammad, Dwight Trible, Andres Renteria, and Aaron Shaw all intersect in Mercereau’s psychedelic quests and adventures as well.

Known for his writing and production credits on records by household names such as Jay-Z, John Legend, and Leon Bridges, Nate Mercereau is currently buzzing for his contributions to André 3000’s album, New Blue Sun. At the vanguard of electroacoustic compositions, he seized the opportunity of recording duets with the Golden Gate Bridge in 2021 after reading an article on San Francisco residents complaining about the landmark’s eerie hum–see NPR piece here.

"Excellent Traveler is --- Ears As Eyes, Musical Mind Cinema, Exploratory Music with a Sense of Discovery, making music with the Highest Quality Listener In Mind, Walking Through The Forest, there's a swarm of bees, and a bird I've never heard before, Noticing, A vibrant painting flies through the night sky Carried by Egrets, Worlds Within Worlds, Worlds Upon Worlds, Framing, Time Music, Playing with Time, in and out of Focus, World Creation, Shredding on levels (in ways) once deemed "impossible", now thought of and felt as Now -- have All Ways Been Eternal, hi-fives all around (It Can Be Like This), From One Place To Another, Now We’re Here, Traveling (emotionally), Traveling (physically), Traveling (sonically), Navigating Inner and Outer Worlds in all directions, All Possible Realities, Reality Accelerators, Electric as Acoustic and Acoustic as Electric, Preheating Your Creative Mind, Solo Trips, Visual Music, Playing Not Notes, Expanded Realities, 'Going There' and Reporting Back, A New Type of Solo Guitar Album, Expanding the range of what the guitar can do, unique energy and Pacing, getting as close as I can to sharing the unedited feeling of aliveness in all ways, Understanding What I’m On The Planet For (this time), Searching, Finding Out/In, Epiphanic Score Music, (there are no limits)(redefine)(anything is possible), Sharp Turns, Tempos Implied with multiple overlaid + fluctuating/breathing tempos, Body Tempo, “The School of Freedom All Ways”, Planetary Chord Beam Echoing Throughout The Universe, I’m In The Ocean, I’m on Top of the Mountain, riding and creating waves, Honoring Intuition Immediately, (being) the space listening from, Guitar Solos, Fantastic Thoughts, Lions, Time Decoration, Scene Shredding, This Is Happening Now, All 1 Thing …"

TRACK LIST:

1. For The Highest Quality Listener Testing The Limits
2. Sound Within Sound
3. Surfing, in Manhattan
4. Excellent Traveler Theme
5. Infinite Places of Possibility / Horse
6. Continually Cresting
7. I Am In The Fire Place
8. Worlds Beyond (into it)
9. Worlds Upon Worlds
10. Watershed, in Oakland
11. Ears As Eyes (Benton, Tujunga, Mayer)
12. Immersive Realization Landscape
13. From One Place to Another
14. Juniper's Theme
15. DJinn'
16. Sky Spine Curving into the Horizon
17. Awayness