“Everyday, twice a day, mornings and evenings, my family and I play a game we made from Grandpa’s theories, against the was and will be, so enjoy the now…”

It is not difficult to pine for a similar way of framing one’s day, for some sort of celebratory discipline to enjoy and truly connect with what and who is around us. With all of our societal striving for immediacy—for information (now!), communication (now!), food (now!), accomplishing (now!)—the present moment has become a curiously elusive commodity. Often riddled with regrets about the past or anxieties about the future, we are unable to take in “the now” that we so ardently pursue. We restlessly check our email (again) since our microwave burrito won’t be done for another twenty-seven seconds, then race to the park gulping down our lunch to relax and feed pigeons.

Is there an antidote to this kind of existence? What if it were possible to hover above the chaos of jostle and activity and doing, to float above it all, as a hot-air balloon floats past busy highways and bustling cities, and breathe in cool air and good company while the pressures and to-do lists worry about themselves? Moment Soakers 7”, the latest recording from Danielson, is a joyful exploration of these questions.

The occasion for Moment Soakers 7” was provided by Daniel Smith’s good friend Brian McTear, the engineering genius behind the mixing-consol of several excellent Danielson and Sounds Familyre recordings, and also the director of the newly formed nonprofit, Weathervane Music Organization. Weathervane represents a profound commitment to the idea that at all stages of the process, community must be part and parcel of what it is to make and share music, from recording to presentation, from funding and resource allocation to promotion and arts advocacy. If anyone in the independent music world could get behind community being a whole-hearted pooling of resources benefiting all involved, it would be Daniel Smith. So get behind it he did with Danielson’s participation in the Weathervane Music Project Series, and “Moment Soakers” was realized.

“Moment Soakers” is everything we’ve come to expect from Danielson, the musical articulation of a singularly poetic and ecstatic vision; music that simultaneously welcomes and surprises, moving both body and soul. Seven-inch vinyl was deemed the perfect format for this recording, and with its complimentary themes of flying and floating, ABBA’s “Eagle” (a long-time favorite of Smith’s) was quickly decided on as the perfect cover for the B-side.

On October 26th, two beautiful and compelling videos of the “Moment Soakers” studio sessions will be posted at Weathervane's website, and during the first week of November, an animated video of “Moment Soakers”, created by Marji Fortin (animator for the PBS children's show "Word Girl"), will be You-Tubed, Vimeoed, and blogged about all over the internet. On November 12th, in cooperation with Weathervane Music Organization (and in support of their first annual fund-raiser concert), Moment Soakers 7” will officially be available from Sounds Familyre Records. Finally, on November 17th Moment Soakers 7” will be available through your favorite digital retailer.

A lot of exciting things coming down the pike, but until then, soak in the moment...