Sean Thompson’s Weird Ears Instore Performance
We hope you’ll join us on Friday, February 7th at 5:00 PM when we host “guitarist extraordinaire” (Nashville Scene) Sean Thompson to celebrate the release of his new album, Sean Thompson’s Weird Ears’ Head in the Sand. The album is due out that day via Ears Over America/Missing Piece Records and we’re thrilled to welcome Thompson back to Grimey’s to launch his new creation into the world. We last hosted Thompson in the shop in 2023 when he joined current students from his alma mater, Nashville School for the Arts, for a Past, Present and Future of NSA performance, and over the years, we’ve seen Sean share our stage with many of our favorite Nashville musicians including Erin Rae and Spencer Cullum’s Coin Collection. All who preorder his new album from Grimey’s (in the shop or online) will score a wristband for Thompson’s post-performance signing. Wristbands are required for the signing for all 13+ and guarantee entrance to our event.
Thompson has been stretching the boundaries of Nashville music for over the past decade. His nimble and lyrical guitar playing has anchored the live bands of many including Erin Rae, Teddy and the Roughriders, Emily Nenni, and Spencer Cullum’s Coin Collection. But it’s his songwriting project, Sean Thompson’s Weird Ears, that’s positioned the 33-year-old as one of the most psychedelic and adventurous artists working today. Head In the Sand is not only a leap for its expansive and immersive arrangements but for how Thompson translated one of the most difficult periods of his life into his most personal and cathartic record yet.
Over 10 rollicking and undeniable tracks, the LP is a potent wake-up call to let go when things get tough. It’s about being present and embracing life’s towering highs and brutal lows head-on. When Thompson made his debut Sean Thompson’s Weird Ears in 2020 he had nothing but time to write, reflect, and tweak. With Head In the Sand, Thompson’s process couldn’t have been more different. “My mom died from cancer, my dog passed, and I had a life-altering breakup,” he says. “While that was happening I probably played 200 shows that year. I was just living on the road. This record was made while life was happening. I didn’t have the luxury to sit and think about what to do.” The strikingly autobiographical songs on the record reflect this turbulent period in Thompson’s life. Take lead single “Roll On Buddy,” which Thompson wrote immediately after his dog’s death at the beginning of a six-week tour. Over warm and ambling keyboards, Thompson sings, “You’re still with me every walk that I take / You pull me to every bush you peed on / When I scatter your ashes at the park / I know you’re going home once more.”
This album was a direct reaction to everything going on in Thompson’s life. Though he’d never approached lyrics this way before, he decided to just create freely and unselfconsciously. “It was actually natural to write about those emotionally intense things because it was so cathartic creatively and emotionally,” says Thompson. Grappling with his grief and how unmoored he felt allowed him to see the unhealthy habits he’d developed in his life. “You can go your entire life having an idea about who you're supposed to be,” he says. “You can become blinded by your ego, and live life with total blinders on and miss what’s happening around you.” The phrase ‘Head In the Sand’ became a sort of North Star for Thompson, a reminder to stop living life with the idea of yourself instead of being in the moment.
Thompson created Head In the Sand with a cast of longtime Nashville collaborators. Recorded and produced by Jake Davis, Thompson enlists bassists Alec O’Connell and Ryan Jennings, Jo Schornikow (Phosphorescent) on keys, drummer Ben Parks, Erin Rae, Michael Ruth (Rich Ruth) on synths, guitarist Jack Quiggins and steel player Spencer Cullum. Here, he substitutes the carefree twang of his debut for something more cosmic, timeless, and exploratory. “I thought, ‘Okay, man, I did a country rock record: I’m good on that for a while,” he says. “This record is way more of a portrait of who I am.” Inspired by Herbie Hancock, Frank Zappa, and the Grateful Dead, Thompson eschewed the standard singer-songwriter palette for something more cerebral. The ebullient and soaring single “Riding In The Van” captures this perfectly. Over wailing lead guitars he introspectively sings, “Through the window, the world pass by / Mountain trees so high / Winding road make you wanna cry.” When Thompson wrote that song, he thought, “This is finally the kind of music I want to be making.”
For Thompson, the 10 tracks on this LP were opportunities to let go of grief, exhaustion, and chaos to be radically present. Through his lush and cerebral explorations of disparate sounds, he found the magic of making music with his closest companions and welcomed imperfection.
Join us for what will surely be a magical afternoon of music in the shop! We hope you’ll help us celebrate the release of Head in the Sand with Thompson and our wonderful musical community. You can preorder your copy now in the record shop or out site here.
Sean Thompson’s Weird Ears Head in the Sand album