Water vapor is typically invisible to the naked eye. We refer to it’s concentrated state as humidity. During the high summer season in New York’s Hudson Valley, humidity reaches peak levels and is very much felt, and sometimes even visible. During these months, we experience a constant tension and release as humidity rises and falls. This tension persists until a massive thunderstorm erupts and releases both the moisture and our anxieties from the air.
Another common occurrence in New York’s Hudson Valley are musicians Booker Stardrum and Evan Shornstein. Hailing from opposite ends of the river valley, the two musicians found themselves orbiting the same region near the old capitol city of Kingston. Nudged together by a constellation of mutual friends and musical allies, Stardrum and Shornstein inevitably crossed paths. This led to a string of sessions in the hot, rain-slicked summer of 2022, broken up by dips in a nearby swimming hole.
Both percussionists-turned-producers, Evan and Booker quickly discovered a shared musical language. That summer, Evan was immersed in the Buchla Music Easel, coaxing fluid gestures from its analog circuitry, while Booker was crafting rhythms on a homemade instrument built from floorboards salvaged from his basement. These tactile tools were brought to life by the duo’s spirit of improvisation and appreciation of their recording environment: a moist enveloping forest. The rain often returned as they recorded, soaking the days and gently filtering into the sound.
A few years passed by and while the recordings stood still, the musicians did not. They performed a handful of improvised duets together, revealing their undeniable synchronicity where all things move in and out of “the groove” with ease. Now, as the seasons cycle back toward the same heat and high humidity in which this music was born, Rafting / Tall Grass is released.
credits
released August 19, 2025
Performed & Composed by Evan Shornstein & Booker Stardrum
Produced & Mixed by Evan Shornstein
Mastered by Sam Obey
Artwork by Celia Hollander
