STON, Mass. [September 25, 2024] – Usually when a person looks at a map of the United States, they think of memories of the places they’ve been, whether visiting family, taking vacations, or crossing off oft-fantasized locations on their bucket list. When Jon Chesbro looks out at that same map, he sees the songs he’s written.
The New England multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer has collected those songs, a sort-of soundtrack to his own personal musical cartology, and offered them up as a singular cohesive vision with Outta State Outta Mind, a new EP set for release on Wednesday, September 25 via Chesbro’s own Ebb N Flow Recording.
Taking sonic and cultural influences from My Morning Jacket’s At Dawn and The Tennessee Fire, as well as Night Moves’ Pennied Days and So Long Forever by Palace, Outta State Outta Mind has a distinctly ‘90s alternative rock feel. It leans into the glistening guitar glow of Chesbro’s summer single “Always & Forever,” and marks a bit of a departure from February’s mostly-instrumental experimental album Dryas.
Over five yearning, heart-on-sleeve tracks, Chesbro charts a course of inspiration across the country and back, touching down on specific moments and memories tethered to locations that led him far from home, returning to Maine, where he now resides, to complete the record.
“I feel like this EP has been two years in the making,” Chesbro says. “Not all on purpose, but through life’s ups and downs I feel like I’ve been granted this perspective that I can only tell through music. That perspective is through the lens of failure, success, heartbreak, friendship and everything in between. After receiving some of my own heartbreak and getting fed up with life, during Covid’s standstill, I decided to leave my hometown and look for something better. I gained new knowledge and experience. After traveling the country for a bit I found myself back home with my tail between my legs. I didn’t know which way was up, I just knew I had to do something.”
Chesbro, also known for his collaborative work in Derek Smith and the Cosmic Vultures, can pin on a map the source material, both emotional and musical, of each Outta State Outta Mind track. Galloping psych-pop EP opener “Against The Crowd” and the sun-kissed “See You Again” were written in Massachusetts; the guitar-led geek-rock punch of “Missouri” was naturally crafted in The Show-Me State; and the two closing tracks, the dramatic neo-psychedelia of “It’s Been A Long Time” and the inviting title track were born out in Arizona.
“After returning home I finished the EP with friends and family by my side,” he adds. “It feels like the end of a saga but also the beginning of my music career all over again. Through a new perspective and newly found knowledge I feel like I can move onward and forward with confidence. I hope people who listen gain a sense of confidence and positivity that even though the road gets rough, stick it out and see what’s on the other side.”
Part of that other side was finding a more collaborative nature around him, allowing the sometimes isolated artist, who crafted Dryas nearly all on his own, to expand his circles alongside his sound. It marked a departure not only from his usual songwriting and production style but also from the feelings he had along his journey, which sometimes found him alone in his car, wondering if he’d been forgotten about back home. “Loneliness and a quiet car can really get your mind wondering,” he admits.
But that wasn’t the case at all. With Chesbro on lead and back-up vocals, lead and rhythm guitar, and orchestral production, Outta State Outta Mind welcomes Cosmic Vultures collaborator Dalton DeLima on drums; Robert Countie on bass; and Akiba Davis on back-up vocals, keys, and percussion. PostFix Media’s Zach Haberern provides press photos and a music video for “See You Again.”
“The difference is that there are real musicians – and talented musicians, at that,” Chesbro notes. Dalton DeLima is an amazing recording artist. Robert Countie just knows what you want. Akiba Davis is the bow on top. He really helped me last minute get this done and got keys, percussion and some background vocals done in only a four-hour session. Overall I just had a basket full of talent at my disposal. It’s usually always just me but this time I had some amazing help and I couldn’t have finished it without all of them.”
Outta State Outta Mind was written, produced, and engineered by Chesbro, and recorded by the musician at his Ebb N Flow Recording Studio. It was mixed and mastered by Jeb at Maine Music Mill in Brunswick, Maine. Davis, Countie, and Smith also aided in the recording. It’s a giant exhale of a record.
“I feel like there’s been a weight lifted off of my shoulders,” Chesbro admits. “I’ve carried these songs with me for the past two years. Finally releasing them into the wild is a bit somber, but also relieving. Like setting an animal free into its natural habitat.”
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