Aaron welcomed Magic Al (Alex Bingham) to Live and Local this week, ahead of the release of his much-anticipated new album “Good Grief.”
“Good Grief” is not yet out, but its release is likely to be one of the biggest events of the year in local music. Bingham has spent the last ten years as a highly respected and prolific bassist and producer, working with a wide variety of artists – and he looped in many of them for this album. So while “Good Grief” is ostensibly a Magic Al solo project, it’s really a product of the community, featuring a who’s who of local and national notables including Viv & Riley, Chessa Rich, Molly Sarlé, Libby Rodenbough and Joseph Terrell of Mipso, Amelia Meath of Sylvan Esso, and Taylor Meier of Caamp and Sumbuck – to name only a few.
Visit the album’s page on Bandcamp.
While the nine songs of “Good Grief” are generally upbeat, the album originated with a personal tragedy – actually a series of personal tragedies. In the space of a few months in 2022, Bingham lost his aunt, his best friend, and his college roommate. Trying to process his grief, Bingham turned to music – and to his friends. The result was a cathartic summer of love and music, complete with songwriting collaborations, inflatable hot tubs, bad reality TV – and ultimately “Good Grief,” which Rodenbough describes as “an ode to endurance by way of joy-making.”
The album drops on November 10 from Sleepy Cat Records. Four singles are already out, featuring collaborations with Viv & Riley, Sumbuck, Lou Hazel, and Libby Rodenbough. Bingham is spending the rest of the year on tour with Hiss Golden Messenger, but he’s planning a Magic Al tour sometime early next year.
Visit Magic Al’s page on Sleepy Cat Records’ website.
Alex Bingham stopped by Live & Local (joined by Viv & Riley, Vivian Leva and Riley Calcagno) to discuss the album, his favorite memories of recording it, and how he got the “Magic Al” name. They also played three songs: “Hello,” “Cryin’ at the Party,” and an instrumental, “2003 Suburban, 2021 Wedding.”
Listen:
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