Singled Out: Old Town Crier “Moonlight Road”

April 21, 2021 Brian Carroll

There is something very endearing about the cacophony of instruments and sounds in the warm and lo-fi delivery from multi-instrumentalist Jim Lough. Going under the moniker “Old Town Crier”, Lough presents us with a bit of a punch in the tune “Moonlight Road”. There is the din of accordions and keys, the constant of an electric guitar rhythm with slide tendencies and the drone of a harmonica. A palette of jubilee and perhaps late night jamboree amongst friends fueled by passion and not wanting the evening to end. That feeling is palpable. Perhaps, whats so intriguing and impressive is that the layering of soundscapes and vibrations is all orchestrated by Lough on his lonesome. Dig in.

Who: Old Town Crier (Jim Lough)

Song: “Moonlight Road”

From: Lakeville, MA

Latest Album: I’m Longing for You Honey in Middleboro, Mass

What About It: “I never really set out to write a song. I wait for them instead. Sometimes they come in fragments, and sometimes they come complete, but it seems like they come from somewhere else. Moonlight Road came to me nearly complete. It’s a story about a man at the end of his rope. Lonely and strung out, he fears that he’s losing his mind, but he takes comfort in the voice of an angel and the vision of a ‘moonlight road.’

I record in my rehearsal space, a 19th century barn at Colchester Farm in Plympton, Ma. I have a pretty low budget system; record on an old digital 8 track, edit on Adobe Audition, then send it off to get mastered. Recording as a solo multi instrumentalist can be tricky. I start by laying down a drum track. It takes a long time for me to get a viable take! Once I scrape together a drum track, I move onto the next challenge; getting a decent piano take. From there it’s pretty much smooth sailing. My philosophy is to always record in mono, and keep layering and layering until you’ve run out of instruments to play. Thanks for listening. I hope you enjoy it!”