Vermont musician Reid Parsons' long road to debut album culminates with Burlington concert
Reid Parsons is a perfectionist. That explains in part why the 32-year-old Vermont musician took so many years before releasing their debut full-length album, 'Back to Back.'
'I have high expectations for myself in general,' Parsons, who uses they/she pronouns, told the Burlington Free Press in a recent conversation over coffee at Scout in Burlington.
The long road to 'Back to Back' has to do with more than a desire to make everything perfect. It represents Parsons' resistance to what society expects, and to embrace creativity.
'Art is one of the things I struggle the most with, and (with) being a musician,' said Parsons, who celebrates the release of 'Back to Back' with a June 12 concert at Foam Brewers in Burlington. 'I feel like it would be easier to do literally anything else. It's like my fight against the extremely strong pull of the tide.'
Parsons grew up in Moretown, and their father and grandmother were both musicians. Parsons took part in the renowned music program at Harwood Union High School, noting that 'all the stuff I care about' artistically was prevalent in the Mad River Valley.
'I just got very lucky,' Parsons said.
They went from Harwood to Harvard, studying anthropology and music at one of the nation's most prestigious universities. The music program was classical-heavy and 'super-challenging,' Parsons said, but they did learn about string arrangements, complex horn parts and the importance of musical layers and textures, all of which came into play for 'Back to Back.'
Parsons created most of the material for the album during the COVID-19 lockdown. They missed performing with other musicians, so working on songs by playing guitar, keyboards and saxophone made it feel like a band. They also did so much alone because they were still developing as an artist.
'I just wanted to see what I could make on my own,' Parsons said. 'I didn't want to have other people's energy, positive or negative, influence my work.' Parsons even avoided listening to other music during the four-year process of making 'Back to Back.'
COVID made Parsons realize it was time to carpe diem to make a full-length album. 'It was for many people a wake-up call about our mortality,' they said of those dark days of 2020.
Parsons recorded a couple of mini-albums over the years, including one resulting from winning a singer-songwriter competition. That EP, Parsons said, sounded 'fast and nervous.' They wanted 'Back to Back' to feel more wide-open and self-assured.
'I like lush layers,' Parsons said. 'I am obsessed with musical texture.'
The new album displays Parsons' near-flawless, alternately delicate yet firm voice placed over tasteful guitar, evocative trumpet notes and punchy percussion, particularly on the lead title track. Their original songs (plus a smoky cover of Bruce Springsteen's 'I'm on Fire') are easygoing but inspired, full of momentum. Some tracks, like 'Get Out of Bed,' jump with a bluesy push. 'Show Me You Love Me' shimmers with simmering soul.
Parsons worked on 'Back to Back' with engineer Ben Collette at Tank Recording Studio in Burlington. Musicians including drummer Russ Lawton, electric guitarists Steve Simollardes and Ian Mack, cellist Emily Taubl, trumpet player Connor Young, saxophonist Avery Cooper and pedal-steel guitarist Brett Lanier perform on the album, with Parsons on vocals, piano and acoustic guitar.
Being a musician is 'a really weird profession,' Parsons said, as vulnerable songs created privately suddenly become very public. 'It's really scary releasing this.'
Parsons is happy with the result.
'I'm just very proud that I did it,' they said.
That pride has a lot to do with Parsons' desire to find a better work-life balance and to fight the pull of society. Parsons ran the Intervale Food Hub during the pandemic and now works as business manager at the Institute for Agroecology at the University of Vermont. The day jobs (nearly half of Parsons' paychecks) helped pay for the album.
Parsons sees 'Back to Back' as a significant effort toward making creativity the dominant part of their life. The reason to record 'Back to Back' is basic: 'Because I'm an artist and I want to make art,' they said.
Parsons said mainstream society has rewarded them and pays the bills. Now it's time to 'pull the music into the forefront,' they said.
'I wanted to tip the scales to the creative side,' Parsons said. 'I needed to inject that into me, invest in my own artistry.'
They did just that and now feel better prepared to make future recordings. 'It feels like a huge thing to have gotten that out of the way,' said Parsons, who hopes to use 'Back to Back' as a springboard to go on tour and become a self-sustaining musician.
Parsons played the songs from 'Back to Back' at a recent rehearsal with the musicians who will perform as their backing band for the Foam Brewers show.
'It was so (expletive) cool to hear,' they said, as hidden qualities of the songs emerged. 'It was like this wave of euphoria.'
WHAT: Reid Parsons album-release concert
WHEN: 7 p.m. Thursday, June 12
WHERE: Foam Brewers, Burlington
INFORMATION: Free. www.foambrewers.com
Contact Brent Hallenbeck at bhallenbeck@freepressmedia.com.
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Vermont musician Reid Parsons celebrates album with Burlington show
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