David Ramirez - All the Not So Gentle Reminders

“I’m over the anger, the sadness, all the not so gentle reminders of my nature. I’m moving forward; I can see it coming soon.”

The Austin, TX-based singer-songwriter—whose career has seen six full-length studio albums, three EPs, countless collaborations, and an illustrious supergroup project in Glorietta—spent a season of rest away from his focus on writing songs. In the wake of the end of a long relationship, he wanted to prioritize processing his grief as a human, not as an artist bleeding onto the page.

“I love all the records I’ve made in the past,” says Ramirez. “But in making them, there was always the thought in the back of my mind of where and what it could get me. I made both creative and business decisions with a goal in mind; a goal that often never came. This time it was all about just the joy of making it, about having fun with it.”

The new record, ‘All the Not So Gentle Reminders’, is exactly what he was waiting for. The 12-song album is an expansive succession of dreamlike songs that indeed tell his stories—but more than anything, lean into the possibilities of the trip that music can take us on. “I’ve been a songwriter for a long time. I love words and stories. But this was about music. I wanted the long musical intros and outros [as heard on “Dirty Martini,” “Twin Sized Beds,” “A Bigger World,” and “Dreams Come True”] to contribute to the stories and be a part of them.

‘All the Not So Gentle Reminders’ was recorded at Spectra Studios in Cedar Park TX, just outside of Austin. Throughout the album, David tackles memory and dreams, fleeting romance, the possibility of something better ahead, and his own deep appreciation for music and his place in making it. The fact that he considered giving it up altogether, a decision he thankfully didn’t follow through with ‘All the Not So Gentle Reminders’ only serves to be that much more impactful as a testament to music and its power.

“I will always be me. I’ve seen enough of the business to know that chasing its praises will only land me in a world of disappointment and self-doubt. I’m wholly back in my chi and, fingers crossed, have the strength to stay.

Description supplied by the event organiser.