Fecking Bahamas premieres "Calm Sea," CLIFFWALKER's beautiful new video

VIDEO PREMIERE

The fine folks of Fecking Bahamas invite you to "take a jaunt through something else entirely" via "Calm Sea," the latest video from Portland's bass & vibraphone duo CLIFFWALKER, aka Cliff Hayes (CARCRASHLANDER) and A. Walker Spring (Old Time Relijun).

"At once a breath of fresh air and a deeply nostalgic look into the 1960’s aesthetic... comparisons to espionage composers like John Barry or Lalo Schifrin... The duo casually skirts past math rock, jazz, and minimalist classical like ships in the night."

The video is a beautiful assemblage of clips from the film Impressions of a Drowned Man, with the blessing of its director, Kyros Papavassiliou.

He says, "The film is about the responsibility towards the preciousness of life, and about the responsibility of offering without waiting for something in exchange."

Painted Gray Sky — the debut EP by CLIFFWALKER — is out now.

Ghettoblaster speaks with CLIFFWALKER's Cliff

INTERVIEW

Hey!! How are you?!

That's my less-mild Daniel Johnston impression. Like it?

Check it out: Cliff Hayes from CLIFFWALKER chatted with Ghettoblaster Magazine about the duo's debut EP Painted Gray Sky recently.

"Edgy, pulsating... The melodic bass work from Hayes adheres to A. Walker Spring’s enthralling guitar and synth lines. In total, Painted Gray Sky naturally moves from track to track with shadowy underlining that is compelling and progressive." This is accurate!

The instrumental pairing of Cliff's bass and Walker's vibraphone is a sound that I have been here for all year long. I love it! Please give a look-see and a hear-hear (is that the ear version of what eyes do? I don't know.)

CLIFFWALKER gets vibey with the visuals on "Pulling Threads," viewable now via Glide Mag

VIDEO PREMIERE

“I'm hiding from the cops.” Man, such a vibe of a visual to open the new video for “Pulling Threads” by CLIFFWALKER.

The instrumental music of the bass (Cliff Hayes of CARCRASHLANDER) and vibraphone (A. Walker Spring of Old Time Relijun) duo is so dangerous-sounding, after all.

To wit, Glide Magazine says, “This unique pairing of vibes, bass and synth... feels like it could be the score of an 80s sci-fi thriller.”

Then we have this rave throwback to the “gloving” phenomenon going on during the rest of the show. I love this thing! Go and watch!

The debut EP Painted Gray Sky is out now. You can listen at any of the entities that use your money to do bad things.

CLIFFWALKER Release Painted Gray Sky

ALBUM RELEASE

CLIFFWALKER released their debut EP, Painted Gray Sky, on Friday. I have been thrilled to help this project along. It's another one of those that came to be in a humble fashion and has made an impression on all that have heard it. May you be one?

If you love minimalist composers, the simple bass (Cliff Hayes of CARCRASHLANDER) and vibraphone (A. Walker Spring of Old Time Relijun) foundation of this instrumental "crime jazz" music really hits. I have compared it to John Carpenter's self-soundtracks and Michael Mann's early films for this reason. Listen. And learn? What if we did that...

All About Jazz covers CLIFFWALKER's Devo-inspired video for "Punching Clocks"

FEATURE

RIYL: Steve Reich, Philip Glass, Tortoise, Death From Above 1979

It's Monday morning and it's time for the influences of legendary minimalist composers to meet post-rock contemporaries in the Devo-inspired (“Beautiful World” to be exact) video for “Punching Clocks” over at All About Jazz.

The duo is CLIFFWALKER — Cliff Hayes (Buellton) primarily on bass and A. Walker Spring (Old Time Relijun) primarily on vibes. This is instrumental goodness — you don't need lyrics this early in the week, trust me.

Debut EP Painted Gray Sky arrives June 24.

Treble premieres the "gloriously mesmerizing" new single from CLIFFWALKER, "Pulling Threads"

SINGLE PREMIERE


"Ethereal, hypnotic vibes and a distorted, robotic bass."

"Some kind of dirty lounge groove."

"Gloriously mesmerizing."

Look at all the incredible things Treble says this morning about "Pulling Threads," the next single from the upcoming debut EP by CLIFFWALKER!

The instrumental bass (the instrument) and vibes (the instrument) duo of Cliff Hayes (Buellton) and A. Walker Spring (Old Time Relijun) will release Painted Gray Sky on June 24.

It's Psychedelic Baby premieres CLIFFWALKER's video for the vibe-heavy, goth-adjacent "Punching Clocks"

VIDEO PREMIERE

World Goth Day was this past Sunday, and the Goth-friendly Cruel World Fest happened the previous weekend, too. Why bring these up? CLIFFWALKER - the instrumental duo of Cliff Hayes (Bass, Keys) and A. Walker Spring (Vibes, Drums, Keys, Guitar) - is not Goth, but there's a darkness to this music that would appeal to Goths!

"Punching Clocks," the duo’s first video, is evidence. See it now over at It's Psychedelic Baby Magazine.

Cruel World Fest rides into this argument via Devo. We see the influence of that band's classic "Beautiful World" video on the "Punching Clocks" clip as the existential conflicts of humanity are played out on the stage of life. All this in three-and-a-half minutes? Yes!

And like Devo's ability to bring levity, Cliff reminded me by saying, "I do have a decent sense of humor!"

All About Jazz highlights CLIFFWALKER, a duo that evokes a '70s-era sensory experience ala Philip Glass, “The Holy Mountain,” and Tangerine Dream

FEATURE

Please go over to All About Jazz to hear the debut track "Punching Clocks" from the instrumental Portland duo of Cliff Hayes (Buellton) and A. Walker Spring (Old Time Relijun) aka CLIFFWALKER.

“Central to their sound is the vibraphone. It’s here in its glassy and funky finest... I don’t know if Vibrarock is a thing but if it’s not, this duo have invented it.” — Higher Plain Music

Independent Clauses premieres CLIFFWALKER's "Punching Clocks," which "delightfully teeters on the edge of chaos"

TRACK PREMIERE

When I saw that Stephen at Independent Clauses was posting regularly again, I had to send him this track from the instrumental Portland-based bass & vibes duo of Cliff Hayes (Buellton, CARCRASHLANDER) and A. Walker Spring (Old Time Relijun).

Together, they are CLIFFWALKER.

As Stephen states, "The interplay of the leads produces the experience of a spy-movie chase scene. The piece delightfully teeters on the edge of chaos, if only because it’s rare to hear this sort of combo go at it."

Loving this. Check it out! The debut EP Painted Gray Sky is out on June 24.

2014 discussion about how artificial intelligence could produce music evolves into very human bass and vibes-driven duo CLIFFWALKER

NEWS

CLIFFWALKER is not just a cool name for a band.

The Portland, Oregon-based instrumental duo of Cliff Hayes (Bass, Keys) and A. Walker Spring (Vibes, Drums, Keys, Guitar) are just lucky to be named that way. To take the serendipity a step (sorry, had to) further, the sound of the pair’s upcoming “Painted Gray Sky” EP (out June 24, 2022) is also edgy.

We can dispense with the puns now, let’s talk about the music:

It’s like if a sexy Kraftwerk had joined in on the sessions with jazz legend Don Cherry and composer Ron Frangipane scoring Alejandro Jodorowsky’s “The Holy Mountain.”

Or maybe they picked up John Carpenter on the way to Tangerine Dream’s studio to make the music for Michael Mann’s neo-noir heist action thriller “Thief.”

The repeating riffs of minimalist composers such as Steve Reich, Philip Glass, and Terry Riley are also touchstones, and for those born more recently, Hayes and Spring suggest that the instrumentation on “Painted Gray Sky” is in the vein of Tortoise, but driven by bass lines a la Death From Above 1979.