The Waits / inBetween Music out now!

June 14, 2024  /  News

Minneapolis based trio The Early Planets, led by composer and guitarist, Mike Wolter, releases their debut album The Waits / inBetween Music on Shifting Paradigm Records on June 14, 2024. Wolter assembled the group with bassist Cody McKinney and drummer Cory Healey shortly after moving to the Twin Cities in late 2016 and the trio has since cultivated their approach to Wolter’s original repertoire. 

Upon relocating to the Twin Cities, Wolter dug into a variety of the local music scenes, often working with musicians from both the preeminent vanguard and the eclectic fringe. In 2021 Wolter’s interest in the intersection of music and social change inspired him to repurpose a sizable grant he received for showcasing his music to include, and bring together, the varied musical acts from around town he admired while also raising several thousand dollars that went back into local nonprofits working to better the community. Performance credits for Wolter include Sarah Greer, Brandon Wozniak, Anthony Cox, Nathan Hanson, Erik Fratzke, Michaelle Kinney, Liz Draper, Chris Hepola, and The Better Mistakes. 

The Waits / inBetween Music showcases 11 original compositions, each of which demonstrate the personal style of Wolter, who writes with a succinct approach that catches the listener’s ear while also being malleable enough for the trio to interpret and adapt in real time. The compositions presented here inhabit different worlds while also showing the composer’s fondness of variety in form and spaces for improvisation ranging from completely free of time and harmonic presets to chord changes with built in rhythmic kicks for the band to navigate and play off of. The Waits / inBetween Music captures Wolter, McKinney, and Healey in the moment and the recordings are presented here in their complete form and without edits with the exception of an overdubbed slide guitar part on track 7. 

The album begins with “Tone Down Your Vibe,” a piece that works a basic theme through multiple rhythmic hoops before opening into a solo section that demonstrates the trio’s ability to play structured soloing vehicles with a feeling of freedom and development that floats above the written changes. 

The Churn (How Quickly You Forget)” bounces between vamps and textures with the guitarist pulling apart the time with his solo. The melody is brought back in only to have it pushed and pulled at by the musicians till the piece’s conclusion. 

Lou Bird” was written as a tribute to Wolter’s daughter, Sammie Lou. The piece is in three sections, two of which are in a slow and bluesy 3/4 and the third in double time 4/4. The forth track, “DONKEY,” is a nod to Wolter’s political leanings and was written on election day in November of 2022. The extension at the end of what would be a classic blues form-melody was inspired by the compositions of Ornette Coleman. After the head, the group makes space for the solos to begin and for new musical ideas to be developed over the 12 bar solo form. 

Folksy” disguises one of the more complicated forms featured on the album with simple melodic statements and repetitive chord changes that subtly develop. Wolter and McKinney solo over the form and move between highlighting the piece’s melody and disguising the tune’s more obvious cadences and drawing attention to the unconventional length of phrases being used. “False Teeth” is built around strong cadences, but here the trio depart from the set rhythms and tempo entirely. McKinney takes over after the melody and the trio finds itself in the form again. Wolter then brings back the final cadence of the melody to conclude one of the shorter selections of the album. 

Mundane in the Mystery” begins and ends with a straight eighth note groove with Healey and McKinney setting the pace. The piece is in ABBC form for both the head and solos. 

Wolter’s second tribute to his family is the half swing, half reggae “Poppy” which he composed while his wife Catherine was pregnant. Drummer Cory Healey often shines through on this recording beginning with a strong introduction and later dropping out for McKinney’s solo then returning with the perfect complement to McKinney half way through his explorations. 

Sour Yellow Flower” is perhaps the most “jazz” piece on album. The short 13 bar form is divided in two sections at the 9th measure making an oblong shape which when combined with the uncommon harmonies makes for novel ground for Wolter’s solo. “The Long Part of Winter” was developed over years as a joke between Mike Wolter and his wife about the several months of freezing cold weather that followed the initial joy that comes with winter. Wolter eventually put the melody on paper for another project before presenting it here. The recording maintains the folksong feeling while giving it the distinct feel of an Early Planets performance. 

The final piece is another composition that owes much to the work of Ornette Colman.
Residue Magic” was modeled after Coleman’s “Ramblin’,” a mid to up tempo swing tune with a section for improvising over time without set changes. All three members take a solo on this final selection. 

The Early Planets perform Wolter’s original pieces in a way that honors their belief that music should be malleable and open. The Waits / inBetween Music showcases an experienced trio that knows itself well enough to create far beyond the written music featured. 

Track Listing

01    Tone Down Your Vibe 4:35

02    The Churn (How Quickly You Forget) 4:55

03    Lou Bird 5:40

04    DONKEY 5:05

05    Folksy 2:55

06    False Teeth 3:10

07    Mundane in the Mystery 4:53

08    Poppy 6:06

09    Sour Yellow Flower 3:11

10    The Long Part of Winter 3:50

11    Residue Magic 5:06