Earth Stepper
Passport to Magonia

Earth Stepper is a collaborative project by Dan Stearns (instruments) and Andrew Heathwaite (vocals and text), with a handful of contributions from friends, mixed by Stearns into a microtonal and often noisy multidimensional stew. This album, Passport to Magonia, defies easy description. It beguiles, it challenges, and it gets into the back of your brain and under your skin. As with other music by Stearns (see Golden Town, SpecT 03), there is a conviction behind it that betrays an underlying logic, a subliminal flow, despite the chaotic layered surfaces; a sound-art tethered beautifully to Heathwaite’s words and melodies. Step into this trip.


Lunar Weather:
Andrew Heathwaite – voices, text, hand percussion
Dan Stearns – microtonal electric guitars, acoustic guitars, nylon-string guitars, mandolin, bass, drums, keyboards/synths, tambourine, junk percussion, loops and sounds, composition/arrangement
John Clark – alto saxophone
Jukka Pekka Kervinen – 8 – bit

Sister Wind:
Andrew Heathwaite – voices, text
Dan Stearns – microtonal electric guitars, acoustic guitars, nylon-string guitars, bass, keybords/synths, fujarka, loops and sounds, composition/arrangement
Jim Capone – Bb clarinet
Jean Lozoriatis – female voice
Bryan Stearns – drums


Pin Hole:
Andrew Heathwaite – voices, text
Dan Stearns – microtonal electric guitars, guitar synth, midi constructions, acoustic guitars, bass, keybords/synths, percussion, loops and sounds, composition/arrangement
Jacob Barton – bass clarinets
Bryan Stearns – drums

Crystal Myth :
Andrew Heathwaite – voices, text
Dan Stearns – microtonal electric guitars, acoustic guitars, bass, drums, bells, depth charges, keyboards/synths, junk percussion, loops and sounds, composition/arrangement
Jacob Barton – trombone
Carey Smith – howler monkey calls

Krtko :
Dan Stearns – microtonal ukulele, tambourine, and hand percussion, composition/arrangement
Jacob Barton – bassoon
Jim Capone – Bb clarinet

Perfect Pair :
Andrew Heathwaite – voices, text
Dan Stearns – microtonal electric guitars, fretless guitar, bass, keyboards/synths, junk percussion, midi constructions, loops and sounds, composition/arrangement
Jacob Barton – trombone
Bryan Stearns – drums

Plain Song : (for Ken Rubenstein)
Dan Stearns – microtonal electric guitar

Lantern of Ravens :
Andrew Heathwaite – voices, text, hand percussion
Dan Stearns – microtonal electric guitars, guitar synth, midi constructions, acoustic guitars, bass, keyboards/synths, drums, drum machine, junk percussion, loops and sounds, voices, composition/arrangement
Jacob Barton – bass clarinets, bassoons
John Clark – alto saxophone
3- Hand Man – turntables

Ready Wheel :
Dan Stearns – microtonal electric guitar

Box of Hands :
Andrew Heathwaite – voices, text, hand percussion, sazz, 22-tone acoustic guitar, orchestration/arrangement
Dan Stearns – microtonal electric and acoustic guitars, guitar synth, midi constructions, backwards acoustic guitars, bass, keyboards/synths, drums, drum machine, junk percussion, loops and sounds, toys, piano, analog synths, voices, tubes, composition/arrangement
Jacob Barton – French horn
John Clark – flutes
Jukka Pekka Kervinen – 8 – bit
Luca Heathwaite – child's voice, and stiking things
3- Hand Man – turntables

[SpecT 45]