Acoustic band plays live studio and gets recorded by expert hands and ears for hi-res in 2002 and becomes a benchmark enduring what is to follow through the present.

In 2020 HIFICRITIC magazine named "The Window" in its 5 ALL TIME BEST DSD RECORDINGS. You can hear the highest quality master now on any Smartphone or music player (as FLAC). Decodes

Acoustic band plays live studio and gets recorded by expert hands and ears for hi-res in 2002 and becomes a benchmark enduring what is to follow through the present.

In 2020 HIFICRITIC magazine named "The Window" in its 5 ALL TIME BEST DSD RECORDINGS. You can hear the highest quality master now on any Smartphone or music player (as FLAC). Decodes to 24/352.8k on MQA compatible gear.

"Let's make it clear that the songwriter/guitarist no only produces great music, but also great sounding recordings, going his own way with self-released albums that still set standards almost two decades on."

Recorded live studio direct to DSD by Gus Skinas, mixed for SACD by Gus Skinas.

Converted to DXD and encoded with MQA by MQA Ltd., UK. Plays on any player (24/44.1) and unfolds to 24/352.8k on compatible MQA decoding playback.

For any Smartphone or other music player, this is one of the most authentic hi-res acoustic folk recordings out there, captured live studio as a trio with 2 acoustic guitars and voices and an upright bass.

No effects, no compression, no edits or overdubs, just the pure music recorded as native DSD (2.8mHz 1 bit) to no more than 8 mics.

This studio

For any Smartphone or other music player, this is one of the most authentic hi-res acoustic folk recordings out there, captured live studio as a trio with 2 acoustic guitars and voices and an upright bass.

No effects, no compression, no edits or overdubs, just the pure music recorded as native DSD (2.8mHz 1 bit) to no more than 8 mics.

This studio master has been converted to MQA by MQA Ltd., UK, where it will unfold to 24/352.8kHz on the proper compatible audio gear, and also sounds incredible in its folded 24/44.1k download format with any music player or Smartphone.

Your ears will agree.

This sophmore SACD from David Elias is another blockbuster sound quality benchmark for audiophiles today. Reviewed initially by Stereophile as "Extraordinary" the live studio, minimal microphone and minimal tracks approach to audio verite comes through every song and every story in this collection.

Recorded direct to DSD on Sonoma using vintage

This sophmore SACD from David Elias is another blockbuster sound quality benchmark for audiophiles today. Reviewed initially by Stereophile as "Extraordinary" the live studio, minimal microphone and minimal tracks approach to audio verite comes through every song and every story in this collection.

Recorded direct to DSD on Sonoma using vintage Meitner ADC converters by Charlie Natzke. Mixed by Gus Skinas.

Converted to DXD with MQA Encoding by MQA Ltd., UK. Plays on any music player and Smartphone. Unfolds to 24/352.8k on compatible MQA decoding gear.

Living Large in San G. live EP featuring The CasualTees in La Honda style splendor, March 2007. High energy, lots of kinetic everything between the band members. Recorded live in the San Gregorio General Store, Hwy 1 & Woodside Road, California. Thanks to all in the room for the chance to play straight from the heart.

Why An EP?

While there

Living Large in San G. live EP featuring The CasualTees in La Honda style splendor, March 2007. High energy, lots of kinetic everything between the band members. Recorded live in the San Gregorio General Store, Hwy 1 & Woodside Road, California. Thanks to all in the room for the chance to play straight from the heart.

Why An EP?

While there may be a full LP version of this particular show with The CasualTees, I chose to release these 4 tracks at this time, with these ideas in mind:

First, I love the "Before Those Winter Nights" performance. It's hard to ever capture that kind of raw energy in a studio even if it's all live which nearly all my studio recordings are. The crowd is a huge factor and big part of the whole chemistry and performance.

A similar huge wave of energy is encapsulated in the next track "I'll Never Know Tomorrow". But to me the 2nd track has a lot more subtle messages going on between the band members. In fact I can't hear much of it without headphones. When you are performing you don't get to hear all of the subtleties going on. Over time, these hard-to-hear artistic commentaries going on, not just as notes played, but visceral rhythmic and percussive sounds from guitars, horns, bass and voice get assembled for me at least, into a bigger picture about what the given song has momentarily become. It's purely temporal.

The last 2 songs take almost an about-face approach and hit some of the very open, subtle ways the band could perform. Hugely anti-climatic in some ways, yet not so (assuming Less is More) in others. That bipolar contrast wasn't my intention exactly (at first I had the song order different). Trying to present the full dynamics of a band in 4 songs is tough. But that's the "record" I wanted to leave of this particular period with this particular band. In fact the ending trail of the 4th song "If I Had My Way" is barely above a whisper across the entire band. Decrescendo to the limit.

Over some time and many listens I began to hear more and more of the subtle messages between band members in these last 2 songs. While both songs have particular meaning for me as far as songwriting, this goes beyond that as far as choosing them for the EP. If someone (let's say me) were to carefully analyze the chemistry and mechanics of the band with just these 4 songs, I think they (again, me in my example) would come away with a realization that there were no limits to this type of band.

The CasualTees could spontaneously create a mood and an environment to express the mood. All through the song that will and did sound a hundred different ways in a hundred different performances.

This is the essence of the band that came to be known as The CasualTees.

• David Elias, 5/12/2023

-- Warning: Explicit Language --

EARLY RELEASE Only At This Music Store, January 2021 Lyrics & Notes PDF

[ Song Previews Currently Unavailable]

DSD Exclusive Master is here...

"I really love MQA it lets the musicianship shine through. Which is very apparent in this set. I love the banter of a live show and this recording adds the sound of the

-- Warning: Explicit Language --

EARLY RELEASE Only At This Music Store, January 2021 Lyrics & Notes PDF

[ Song Previews Currently Unavailable]

DSD Exclusive Master is here...

"I really love MQA it lets the musicianship shine through. Which is very apparent in this set. I love the banter of a live show and this recording adds the sound of the venue. I think these are some of your best work. It pays to surround yourself with good people eh!" - Chris S., New Zealand

Recorded Live in the San Gregorio General Store, California in 2007, and now first released in January 2021. The large 9-piece electric & acoustic band David Elias & The CasualTees are in full swing with their home crowd. You hear the entire show, over 2 hrs. 15 minutes in length.

Featuring John Hartley Havard on Stratocaster and Roger Powell on keyboards Day 3, Take 1 represents the 3rd consecutive fundraising night of music in "The Store" with no holds barred and bar open.

This unedited, no effects or compression MQA conversion of the DSD source tracks were mixed live from 22 tracks by John Nowland (formerly Neil Young's Redwood Studios) to stereo and recorded as native DSD on Sonoma by Gus Skinas (superaudiocenter.com).

Musicians:
David Elias, acoustic/vocal/harmonica | John Havard, electric | Roger Powell, keyboards | Gary McArthur, tenor sax/flute | Charlie Natzke, electric-acoustic/vocal | Scott Beynon, electric bass/vocal | Ken Owen, drums | Reid Dennis, percussion.

Stereo live mix to DSD: John Nowland | DSD Engineers: Gus Skinas, Dr. Andrew Demery | Host: San Gregorio General Store (www.sangregoriostore.com)

MQA decoding unfolds this recording to 24/352.8k. Otherwise, FLAC plays at 24/44.1k on any player or music software.

Songs

1. 01-02 Silver Pen, Too Early To Tell (13:24)
2. 03-04 Not Another Minute, Stand In The Middle (13:31)
3. 05-06 I'll Never Know Tomorrow, Roll Right On (17:06)
4. 07-08 Lost In The Green, The Riddle Song (13:39)
5. 09-10 You Never Know, The Road To Bethlehem (10:57)
6. 11 ...until 06:55...(break for intermission)..., Hummingbird (12:18)
7. 12-13 Heaven's Destiny, Audience of One (11:28)
8. 14-15 Poor Polly, Save The Church (17:36)
9. 16-17 Good Old Days, Field Of Wood (14:32)
10. 18-19 Hi, Before Those Winter Nights (16:02)

Songs that didn't appear on releases anywhere else but still want to be listened to. Some old and new favorites of mine that ended up as wallflowers for all the reasons wallflowers become just that. Here they are rounded up together to keep each other and you good company. . All songs have MQA encoding added to the lossless FLAC CD quality

Songs that didn't appear on releases anywhere else but still want to be listened to. Some old and new favorites of mine that ended up as wallflowers for all the reasons wallflowers become just that. Here they are rounded up together to keep each other and you good company. . All songs have MQA encoding added to the lossless FLAC CD quality masters.