Sean Thompson
As I’m writing this, the world is on fire, and I am too overwhelmed to process it all. There’s so much to process — a new horror on the hour, every hour! — and it all comes with a debilitating sense of déjà vu. But weird times call for weird ears, and we are lucky enough to be on this rock at the same time as Sean Thompson’s Weird Ears and their excellent new album Head in the Sand. It is an album about the process of processing life tragedies big and small, and it couldn’t have arrived at a more appropriate time.
Psychedelic and probing, Head in the Sand captures the local guitarist and in-demand side player dealing with things like the death of a parent, the end of a relationship, the passing of a beloved pet — all eminently relatable but rarely the province of records with this many sick guitar solos. The sound is spaced-out, but in that fugue-state sort of way that feels oh-so contemporary. Written in a year when he played more than 200 shows (including both his work with folks like Erin Rae and his solo performances), Head in the Sand finds bliss in simple moments and beautiful sounds.
“Being on the road for so long in my life, over and over and over again, and experiencing just about every kind of chaotic scenario that you can — and there have been some big ones,” explains Thompson, “I think it’s afforded me the ability — or taught me the ability — to roll with it, and think on my feet, and just be able to be more flexible.”
That personal and emotional adaptability translates into a sonic proprioception that allows Thompson’s songwriting and instrumental performance to wander far afield without falling off a cliff into self-indulgence. His guitar playing has taken on a new, even broader palette of influences, becoming more improv-informed and jazz-like — ready to jam at a moment’s notice. Beyond technical leaps and bounds that he’s made since his 2022 solo debut LP Sean Thompson’s Weird Ears, his playing has become more expressive, conveying the granular emotions that words might wash away.
“I’ve tried really hard to become really disciplined about playing and practicing, and diving into the inner machinations of music more than I ever really have,” he says. “And that’s helped me fall in love with it all over again too. Just the mystery of it all, and the theory and the inner workings of chords and melody, that shit is really inspiring — having such an intimate relationship with the notes that you can elicit emotion in a way that I think is hard to do if you don’t have that grasp, and that sort of understanding of music.”
While Head in the Sand may technically be a solo record, in reality it’s a community effort. Featuring a who’s who of Music City’s outré Americana crowd — including Michael Ruth, Spencer Cullum, Jo Schornikow, Ben Parks and the aforementioned Erin Rae — the album’s best vibes radiate from the group’s interplay, its higher-language conversations.
Sean Thompson
“I just wanted to try something that was a lot different, a lot more musically forward in a way,” Thompson says. “Just heavier, more intentional about musical interludes. … I just really wanted to do a lot more guitar-y stuff, and jammed-out stuff, and more lively improvisation — and not being as precious about perfection and takes, and trying to focus more on spontaneity.
“The players are so good that I just wanted to create things that felt pretty open-ended and had a lot of room for interpretation — and so much room for these amazing players to just do what comes naturally. … I’ve called in 3 billion favors from everybody, and it makes me feel pretty humbled and grateful to be a part of something that’s so vibrant and special — and how many brilliant people that are around us here.”
It’s a testament to Thompson’s flexibility that the emotional tenor never overwhelms the musical timbre. “Roll on Buddy” could be a Coil-level pit of despair, but instead it keeps on chooglin’ — the song’s swinging momentum pushes the writer and the listener through the gray clouds. “Taste of Tennessee” shines like an early summer and unconditional love. Album closer “Song From the Heart” is a deep meditation on the healing power of music (as well as a candidate for the Bong Hits Before Bedtime song of the winter). In all, Head in the Sand marks a huge artistic leap for Thompson with more exciting sounds on the horizon. That’s an especially fortuitous stroke when the world at large isn’t the most hopeful place to be.
“It’s good to know that in this absolute dumpster-fire state of musical media, business-y stuff, that there’s this warmth and comfort — just knowing that there’s a bunch of killer players that I get to play with, and that we have a community. And it’s important for me to remember this.”
