The Klee Music EdenHurst Sessions was a programme to record and film twelve artistes over the course of 2021 at Liverpool’s 3rd Planet Recording Studios, under the watchful eye of up and coming Producer / Engineer Jose Ibanez.
Each Artiste performed, under live conditions, a five song set including one cover song from the Klee Music Publishing UK catalogue. The sessions were filmed and edited by Scott Mealey, and the tracked audio mixed and mastered by Paul Cullen.
Throughout 2022, Klee will release one session by each Artiste, available for download on the last Friday of each month. The session will then be deleted for download purchase, although it can be pre-ordered throughout the month of release. February’s release is from Alison Benson.
Liverpool Noise: What was it that made you want to be involved with this Klee Music project?
Alison Benson: I’d been hoping to become involved with Klee Music for a while, so was pleased to be asked to take part in this project. I liked the idea of a live recording and being part of a project that involved lots of other artists as well – even though we weren’t working together. The idea of recording cover from Klee’s label really appealed to me, as I knew there would be the challenge of choosing a song from such a diverse range of performers, learning it and then making the version of it my own.
LN: The format of the live session sounds daunting, was it?
AB: It was really daunting but in an exciting and energising way. I’ve recorded before in the studio, but never live, so I’ve never had the pressure of getting it right first time and there’s been the possibility of trying out different things, adding extra layers or taking them away. I loved that it was live, as I think that the little adrenaline boost that you get with a live performance comes through in the recording. I should say that the atmosphere on the day was great – really warm and welcoming.
LN: What influenced the choice of songs that you performed? I am particularly thinking of Lily, which is one of my personal favourites.
AB: Lily was reasonably new to my repertoire – I think I’d written it in February 2021 and with the lockdown, it hadn’t had a public airing. I thought the story of Lily Parr was worth sharing through a song and felt that the EdenHurst Session was a great opportunity to record it. I’m really glad you like it!. The others were songs that I’d written and performed, but not had the chance to record. Silent Link was written a number of years ago after watching David Olusoga’s ‘A House Through Time’ which explored the history of a house in Liverpool, so I thought it would be good to include a song with a local theme.
Time Doesn’t Stop had been written during the lockdown and was loosely based on the story of ‘Back to the Future’ and as with Lily, it hadn’t had much public airing, but I felt that the reflections in it about the passage of time was something I’d like to record, I hadn’t considered any arranging of the song for other instruments, so it was a suitable choice for a solo recording. Take The Night is a song that was inspired by something my cousin had told me about his late parents and what he’s said was so beautiful that I really hoped to put it into a song about the impact our parents have on us…it’s actually supposed to be a Father Christmas back-story, with the generous qualities embodied by that figure being inspired by the qualities and skills that are past to us from our parents.
LN: As part of the session, you have to perform a song from the KMPUK catalogue. You chose Thomas Lang’s Pale Imitation and put your own unique spin on it. Why that song?
AB: I listened to the whole catalogue and there were some songs that were just not the right style for me to copy, even though I really enjoyed listening to them. Thomas Lang’s Pale Imitation really drew me in from the outset, I loved the riff that opens the song and plays throughout and I like the darkness that comes through the song. I also thought the words were really clever and unusual. I’d been looking for an opportunity to use my mandolin and I knew the riff would lend itself incredibly well to being played on the mandolin – I hope it did!
LN: We have just started 2022…What’s your plans for the rest of the year?
AB: The plan is to go out singing more and write more songs! The last couple of years have been pretty quiet, so I’m eager to perform in public.
Alison Benson’s five track EdenHurst Session for Klee Music is available to be preordered now at https://kmpuk.co.uk/product/klee-022/ up to Friday 25 February 2022.
Alison Benson: https://www.alisonbenson.com
Klee Music: https://www.kmpuk.co.uk
Steve Kinrade
