Live in the Streets, Charleston: Mechanical River at Shem Creek

Joel Hamilton of Mechanical River accepted a request to hop on an air mattress and float down Shem Creek while playing, “When I Crossed”. This is a fun one, shot with a DJI Mavic Pro drone.
Mechanical River is the moniker for Charleston, South Carolina native Joel Hamilton’s most recent musical project - a lo-fi folk masterpiece constructed with fuzzed out, crooning vocals, crunchy acoustic guitar arrangements, and drum machine percussion. In the spirit of true DIY, Hamilton plays every instrument on his debut album, ‘Astral Castle’, which he also recorded and produced himself. Tracks for the album were then mixed at Electric Lady Studios by Ben Baptie (Beck, Haim) and completed by famed mastering engineer Tom Coyne (Adele, Taylor Swift).
Hamilton has created and released music from an early age under a handful of monikers including Inlaws, Baby Lips, The Working Title and Joel T. Hamilton. And, over the years has shared the stage with many artists including Daniel Johnston, Counting Crows, and Rufus Wainwright, all of whom have informed and inspired his musical projects and palate. Between those projects, Hamilton has also toured as a backing musician with bands such as, Slowrunner, The Films, William Fitzsimmons, and others playing bass, saxophone, banjo, keys, and sometimes a cigar box guitar - something he now enlists as part of the Mechanical River sound.
“I get much of my inspiration to create from the restless need for resolution” says Hamilton. “Somehow it seems a poem, a song, or painting can distill peace out of paradox. Its like finding a great sense of accomplishment over having done close to nothing.”
Electric Lady‘s Lee Foster first met Hamilton in 2015: “I was in Charleston working another project and kept hearing about ‘this guy Joel’ that seemed to stay way off the grid making music and putting it online for free. He otherwise delivered produce for a farm there in town. Finally someone played two, or three songs for me and I was blown away. I got his number, called him and we met at the beach the next day. We spent three hours talking on the beach, and he sent me literally dozens and dozens of songs over the next few days. I later saw him perform wearing a lacrosse helmet in the LES’s Cake Shop - which he custom built himself so he could tour alone and still play all the instruments. He was complicated, mysterious and so completely talented. And, he deserves to be heard by as many who will listen. I had to work with him.”
Mechanical River’s album and 7″ including the single “Pomelos” was released in 2017 on Electric Lady Records.
Follow Mechanical River at... / mechanicalriver
Shot, Chopped & Produced: Andy B Coon
Audio Recording & Grip: Jody Terzo
Photography: Douglas Panzone (douglaspanzone.com/)
Music Mixdown: Michael Vignola (www.vignolamusic.com/)

[@marcthacker4walls]

Stellar job, buddy.

[@bereketabraha421]

good.