Were the album tracks worked out through improv, or did you bring in composed motifs?ĬT: I think the best way to explain it is that we were composing in real time. I think music is a very powerful medium that affects our sense of timing and place within ourselves and the world. How does one exercise the mind? Is it about continuously learning new things, or is it about unlearning all the things you already know? It also implies mental awareness and also, perhaps, questioning the status quo. Does it imply the safeguarding of our mental health?ĬT: It has many implications, with safeguarding mental health being one of them. Mind Maintenance is an intriguing project name. Joshua Abrams: Shared interest and experience. Your success shouldn’t be determined by others, but by your own accord. There’s a lot of different paths you can take to being an artist. That said, I know some great musicians who do have full-time day jobs. Joshua was like, “Just quit and play music full-time.” It was a hard decision, but I followed his advice and I’ve never worked another day job since. After a while I was frustrated because I found myself working another day job I didn’t enjoy. Joshua let me move into his apartment in Andersonville. I had a day job and gigs almost every night of the week, but I still couldn’t pay my bills. I remember back in 1997, Joshua helped me move from NYC back to Chicago. It sounds corny and sentimental, but it’s been the story of my life. You first worked together back in the 90s what has kept you attuned as artists?Ĭhad Taylor: The music has a way of taking care of you, if you take care of it. Deep emotions may be stirred for those who know how to listen. Mind Maintenance reminds us that Africa’s melodic traditions are as vital as its rhythmic legacy. The duo’s new album is an unadorned work featuring nine pieces performed spaciously, where the players and their instruments merge in a rhapsody of thunking and thrumming. Each instrument has distant origins in the Gnawa population of Northwest Africa and is widely used in healing or trance ceremonies. Mind Maintenance is comprised of Joshua Abrams playing guimbri (three-stringed lute) and Chad Taylor on mbira (board with metal prongs). Chicago-based duo Mind Maintenance discuss their devotional new album for Drag City Records with Gareth Thompson
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