Blue Ribbon

Son Of The Velvet Rat, in partnership with The Ghost & The Machine, the professional alias of Austrian singer songwriter Andi Lechner, follow up on the former’s 2024 standout album, "Ghost Ranch", with a series of 6 digital singles, recorded live, to be released one a month beginning March 12th, 2025. The songs feature a rawer, more immediate sound than previous recordings, with Lechner’s National resonator guitar often tuned down several steps to add an ominous underpinning to the music.

These songs were recorded live at Gar Robertson’s Red Barn Recorders in Morongo Valley, just down the hill from Joshua Tree, and produced by Altziebler and Lechner. Rounding out the rhythm section are fellow desert dwellers Janie Cowan (Bob Dylan’s 'Shadow Kingdom') on standup bass and Danny Frankel (Lou Reed, Spain, She & Him) on drums and percussion.

Improvisation alternates with composed passages. The dynamic ranges from fragile folk to ferocious noise, with colors and transitions being hazy and obscured. The Red Barn Sessions capture the poetry created by the confluence of these blurry shades.

The 2nd song to be released is called "Blue Ribbon" and will be released April 15th, 2025.