Brady Rymer And David Gibb Release First Single From Album 'Songs Across The Pond'

Ever since the Beatles took the USA by storm in 1964, a healthy tradition of musical collaboration and exchange of ideas between American and British artists has been a part of popular music. For the very first time, the world of family music is about follow suit. Three-time Grammy nominee Brady Rymer teams up with acclaimed UK-based artist David Gibb to offer a joyful new album for all ages: Songs Across the Pond. The album is available for pre-order today, with the first single, "Two Towns," which plays around with the delightful differences between Brady's hometown of Southold, NY, and Belper, Derbyshire (where Gibb grew up). It will be available on all music platforms July 31, 2020.

Three years ago, Gibb, a widely acclaimed and BBC Folk Award nominee based in Oxfordshire, sent a friendly note to Rymer about his music, and the two became pen pals. Rymer lent his voice to Gibbs' latest album Climb That Tree. The process was so much fun that they decided to book an "Across the Pond" tour around the UK with David in fall 2018. As they traveled to perform family concerts from London to the Lake District, the two artists shared more than just a stage. They swapped stories, favorite music, food (Brady had his first taste of Marmite), and, perhaps inevitably, they also wrote some songs. In short, they became friends. Brady headed to his home on the North Fork of Long Island exhausted but elated, with the certainty that there was more to come.

That "more to come" is Songs Across the Pond, a collection of tunes for families about friendship, adventure, traveling, sharing new discoveries and cultures, and making music together. The perfectly blended harmonies of these two mates (or "buddies") are enveloped in a rootsy and expansive production that borrows a little from the Beatles , Stones, Bowie and Madness, and from the other side, '60s soul, Americana and classic rock traditions. The first track "Across the Pond" is a new arrangement of their radio hit from early 2019. In the humorous cross-cultural song "You Say This, I Say That," the two artists compare vernacular on the two sides of the pond. The duo present energetic covers of Sam Cooke's classic "Twisting the Night Away" and Cat Stevens' "If You Want To Sing Out." In the whimsical "Living in a Beatles Tune," "Lucy shines her diamonds in the octopus's garden, eight days a week." The anthemic "Summertime Soul" just exudes joy, and the song "Hey There" shows just how powerful it can be to reach out to another person in friendship.

"It's amazing what a song and a simple 'hello' can do," says Rymer. The process of writing, arranging and producing these songs transatlantically was a surprising and unique process for both artists. Rymer remembers: "I loved writing songs remotely with David. It was very liberating, creative, and spontaneous. We felt free to build upon each other's ideas. The songs came together very naturally." It's almost as though this album would have been very different if they approached it in a more traditional way, according to Gibb: "The best thing about writing and recording a record this way is that it forced us to slow down. Often when you're in a studio together there's this sense that you've got to get it down quickly as you're always on the clock. But when you're on opposite sides of the world, you're forced to slow down and let the music develop naturally. Some of these songs are unrecognizable from their first versions, and I really love the journey we've been able to take them on."

The duo are busy creating fun online performances and content to celebrate the album this summer. Rymer plans to perform with Gibb at the Just So Festival in the UK during August 21 to 23. In October 2020, Gibb and Rymer hope to tour the East Coast performing for kids and families. It will be Gibb's first time performing in the United States. It's also the first time that two family musicians from different countries have collaborated in such an exciting way.

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