A number of people have asked me questions about the most recent Finn Miles release, Modern Saints EP.  “What was the inspiration? How did you record the music? Where was it recorded? What does it all mean?” I’ll attempt to answer these questions and more below. Read on!

Our EP Modern Saints was our first release on Pinnacle Records, an independent record label from Ames, IA. The album was self produced and recorded by Paul Gratton, with slight musical assistance from tenured Finn Miles member Scott Gratton.

During the summer of 2010 I (Paul) wanted to record a full length album centering around a haiku I wrote named “Winteresque.” However, Scott, who had produced the previous two Finn Miles albums, was busy preparing for his nuptials and had no time for recording and producing.

Since Scott was necessary for the Winteresque project I decided to write a collection of songs based around an idea for a song I had called “Modern Love.” While waiting for Winteresque I found myself prolifically writing lyrics and melodies, enough for five songs, all of which orbit around the idea that modernist philosophy has given us great efficiency, computational technology, and access to massive amounts of data, but has not provided the insight and wisdom to use these advances in healthy ways.

What if we confess we still didn’t really know how to love each other? What if rapid transit distances us from the ones we most want to be with? How can we build more beautiful, highly functioning cities? These are the questions Modern Saints wrestles with.

Over a five month period I frequented a makeshift studio that I had set up in my friend Matt’s living room. With a key to the front door, I came and left at leisure, layering guitars, experimenting with rhodes piano, glockenspiel, tambourine, and shakers. The end result was far better than I had expected when I began the project, in fact I thought it was good enough to share with the world. After last minute late-night vocals and a glossy-eyed mastering session with Darren Hushak we declared the EP finished, passing the design work off to talented artist and Finn Miles collaborator Jonathan Pearson.

Once the artwork was completed I put together a crackerjack band, comprised of Finn Miles members Laura Gratton, Scott Gratton, and myself, along with talented newcomers Brandon Findlay and Darren Hushak rounding out the sonics on guitar, bass, and tambourine. We held a three-show weekend to celebrate the new music, culminating with a set at the Vaudeville Mews in Des Moines, IA on December 19th, 2010 – featuring the live visuals of Josh Larson’s Weiv project, and the pair of talented opening bands, Jacob Tyler Wolfgang and the Dustin Smith Band.

Overall, I count the endeavor of writing and recording my EP a stunning success, though as with any project, there are always nagging second guesses. “Should the tambourine be mixed higher? Maybe that’s not my best vocal take. Did I over-compress the guitars?” At the end of the project these doubts must be surrendered. As I’ve found from previous albums, some of the most offending “mistakes” become endearing moments of honesty, reminding me that there is no such thing as a perfect album, or a perfect person. Still, I believe there is a gritty kind of beauty beneath all of the clanging and strumming, you’ll hear it on Modern Saints.

I invite you to hear our latest recording, Modern Saints. You can listen at our website, www.finnmiles.com, or purchase the music on iTunes, Amazon, or many of the other major online music retailers. I’ve enjoyed making this music, and I sincerely hope you enjoy listening to it.

Thanks,
Paul
- Finn Miles

P.S. – Expect the long awaited Winteresque in 2011!