Long in gestation but immediate in its impact, Wing Walker Orchestra's debut album, Hazel is a great introduction to one of the East Coast's liveliest ensembles led by 30-year old multi-reedist Drew Williams, who plays bass clarinet on the album. The recording, produced by GRAMMY-nominee Alan Ferber, will be released on February 15th, 2019 on ears&eyes Records. Hazel boasts serial surprises, including an adventurous suite written and arranged by Williams that is based on the popular graphic novel, Saga, and an intoxicating cover of tUnE-yArDs ' "Look Around." Hazel is a work of airy futurism with its layered effects, electronic touches and "inside" debt to such bands as Radiohead, Guillermo Klein's Los Guachos, and film composer Jóhann Jóhannsson.

I started Wing Walker Orchestra about five years ago, I started Wing Walker Orchestra. Forest Boats is the first song I composed. Around this time, I was watching a lot of films by Michel Gondry. I wanted to capture the feeling of the music in these films - mostly composed by Jon Brion. His movies and the music for them are melancholy, folksy, and quirky.

Forest Boats is very simple and almost naive in a way - like children’s music. Even though it isn’t composed for a film, I tried to arrange the piece so it feels cinematic. Familiar characters and themes keep returning but each time they’ve evolved.

I’m happy to announce Anxious Etudes - a collection of one minute compositions featuring musicians I admire, recorded in quarantine from our respective homes. I’ll be releasing a new composition every weekday for the foreseeable future. All proceeds will go directly to No Kid Hungry, a charity that helps feed kids affected by coronavirus.