So what exactly is West of Lincoln? Well, the ocean is. Lincoln Boulevard splits Santa Monica, California into two parts and that is where Blue-Eyed Son’s inspiration can be found: deep in the big blue. Heilprin spent a lifetime and continues to spend it in the salty water and on the hot sand. From surfing on the UCLA competitive squad to stopping twice on his 130-mile round trip commute to “a big editing job for The Matrix” just to catch some waves, Heilprin has spent his fair share of time on the beach. He’s also spent some time in the studio and on stage. 40 Watt Domain had spots on the Vans Warped Tour appearing with Rancid, Blink 182 and the like, as well as headlining CMJ at CBGB’s. Their blend of surfing punk rock (all smoked out, of course) has graced everything from MTV’s Undressed to EA Sports’ Supercross 2000. But Andrew found himself increasingly happy with the music that he was making as an individual, something he called “Drew’s special onemanshow for one.” Quickly his catalogue grew to over 50, especially after a trip to Hawaii and Volcano Records. But a laptop liability leading to losing everything left Andrew with just a four-song demo. But the demo was enough for Andrew to land at Los Angeles’ Eenie Meenie Records (also home to Irving, Seksu Roba and From Bubblegum to Sky). His long, strange trip: from the beach to The Matrix to the beach to computer failure to the beach will end (or just begin again) when he arrives at his starting point: West of Lincoln. West of Lincoln, Blue-Eyed Son’s first full length, draws on a wide variety of influences but still manages to be as unique as any imaginative child’s sand castle masterpiece. With engineer help from Doug Boehm (The Vines, Elliott Smith), and production and musical contributions from Rusty Logsdon (EELS, Scapegoat Wax), Blue-Eyed Son crafts a distinctive sound that has the pop sensibility to land on mainstream and college radio. Building on the back of Andrew and his acoustic guitar, Blue-Eyed Son’s songs are layered with inspired piano playing and matched with an up tempo set of kicks and snares that’ll make a person get out of bed in the morning. However, other songs slow the pace and allow Andrew’s voice to take its deserved stage. West of Lincoln is an album whose pace rises and falls with the tide, leaving the mark of an indelible listening experience. In 2004, the release of Blue-Eyed Son’s debut album will truly be the starting point for a picture perfect day at the beach. |
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