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LOVE BY NUMB3RS Shine A Light On Casco Bay, Maine With Their Video For “Ashes”

DATE: NOVEMBER 16, 2022

FROM: MITCH SCHNEIDER/MARCEE RONDAN

LOVE BY NUMB3RS
SHINE A LIGHT ON
CASCO BAY, MAINE, INCLUDING PEAKS ISLAND,
WITH NEW “ASHES” VIDEO
WATCH THE VIDEO HERE

AND READ THE Q&A BELOW

“ASHES” MARKS THE THIRD VIDEO FROM
BAND’S SOPHOMORE ALBUM
‘EARTH NEEDS A MOON’

A picture containing text

Description automatically generatedAlbum Artwork by Walter Craven for EARTH NEEDS A MOON

Known for creating strikingly visual and memorable videos, Portland, Maine-based indie trio LOVE BY NUMB3RS–co-vocalists DAN CONNOR and ANNA LOMBARD and multi-instrumentalist JON ROODS–shine a light on Casco Bay, Maine, including quaint Peaks Island, with their video for “Ashes.” Released today (November 16), the rootsy and edgy “Ashes” marks the third video from the band’s current second album EARTH NEEDS A MOON. Watch the video HERE and read a Q&A below with vocalist and songwriter ANNA LOMBARD.

The “Ashes” video was premiered yesterday (November 15) by Wildfire Music, which wrote: “The song reflects on what we’re left with when relationships have died away and what we can recover from that transition, also calling up specific locations and moments to show the way that memory impacts us. The video was directed by the band’s Jon Roods and brings in locations, some of which are mentioned in the song’s lyrics, to blend with past memories and create a dream-like, reflective quality.”

Directed by the band’s JON ROODS, the video was recently filmed in 15 different locations. Among them: four spots on Peaks Island in Casco Bay including Fisher’s Waterhouse (where the band started the album in January); all over Casco Bay; and Cambridge, MA outside the historic Middle East club.

EARTH NEEDS A MOON, released September 30, was produced by ROODS and LOMBARD and follows the band’s November 2021 Colours EP and doesn’t repeat any of its songs. “Ashes” comes on the heels of the album’s first two singles/videos “Don’t Be So Hard On Me” (premiered by Vents Magazine) and “Earth Needs A Moon” (launched by Glide Magazine).

The album is filled with haunting and evocative songs about love, devotion and more with finely etched, atmospheric settings, over which the band cast their spells. The tracks are sonically wide-open and move slowly, however confidently, and make the listener feel like they are floating in air on a journey somewhere. The album was recorded at Fisher’s Waterhouse on Peaks Island as well as the band’s South Ranch studio. EARTH NEEDS A MOON follows the band’s November 2021 Colours EP and doesn’t repeat any of its songs. This is the music of a band who freewheelingly chart a course through eloquent alternative, Americana and roots rock.

“Ashes”:
Q&A with Anna Lombard of LOVE BY NUMB3RS

What inspired you to write “Ashes” and what was your mindset when you wrote it?

ANNA: A friend of mine sent me an email with some poetry and writings that were both stream of consciousness and autobiographical. This one line, “We’re just ashes of feelings that once were felt,” struck me and stayed with me over the course of the last few years because everyone can relate to that.  We had only a wood stove out at Peaks Island to heat the Waterhouse studio while writing and recording the album–it was 18 degrees with the windchill–in the dead of January. We may have dabbled with some edible fungi (laughs)…and it kind of took on a life of its own from there.

In “Ashes” you explore the complexities of romantic relationships, as you have in other LBN songs. Why do you think relationships can wind up being difficult?

ANNA: Relationships can be difficult because humans really suck sometimes.  However, whereas some of the lyrical content of our songs tend to be kind of sad with this underlying and sometimes not so subtle notion of desperation, this song is more about reminiscing on the rollercoaster of the experience and feelings after a relationship is over…which is sometimes all that you’re left with in the end.  Embers…ashes…of what once was.

Musically, “Ashes” underlines the LBN sound, which is rootsy, atmospheric and modern. It has a really attractive rhythmic shuffle and a haunting + very catchy background vocal hook at the beginning of the track and throughout the song. Can you talk about the “LBN sound” on this track and what it was like to record it?

ANNA: “Ashes” was the very first song we started working on for the new record.  We had three simple chords, and it was good but not super-inspiring until Jon came up with the bass line–the groove changed the feel of the song altogether and definitely gave it a little Motown feel, plus we had a little inspiration as well from some contemporary songs we were listening to. When I was fleshing out lyrics, I just started singing those intro ooh-oohs over the beds of the track and we liked the way it sounded and how it made us feel.  Everything about the song felt warm, especially because we were so cold during that time of year and everything around us seemed frozen in place, like our breath when we walked outside. Time kind of stops when you’re on the island, too–it’s a nice reprieve from the constant go-go-go of everyday life.

What inspired the video?

ANNA: The concept of this video was inspired by the credit reels from “National Lampoon’s Vacation” title sequence with all the postcards of locations. Most scenes in it are super fun and make us “seem” likable…ha, ha.  Instead of the video being dark and regretful, it’s more of a reminiscing on a past love.

How many locations were used in the video?

ANNA: We used 15 different locations including Cambridge, MA outside the historic Middle East club, which is sadly closing. There were also four locations on Peaks Island including Battery Steele; a public swing on the edge of the coast of the island; and Fisher’s Waterhouse (where we started the record last January). We also filmed all over Casco Bay on Alex Fisher’s boat and on the ferry. Jon and I “broke” into the amusement park and arcade called Palace Playland down in Old Orchard Beach which is somewhat of a legendary and cringey-but-loveable destination in southern Maine. Jon also channeled some Silk Sonic dance moves in our backyard for a shot while I was coaching my oldest’s soccer team one day–that was a nice surprise.  And there are other various locations where I tried not to break my neck roller skating for the first time in 20+ years on surfaces like a dock.

Cool how you show a part of Maine that lots of folks may be unaware of, like Casco Bay + Peaks Island. Can you give us quotes about this area where you live?

ANNA: Peaks Island is very special place to us for a multitude of reasons.  It’s only a 15-minute ferry ride from downtown Portland, but when you get there, you feel like you’re away from home.  It’s also known for being a safe haven for artists. Peaks is only about 720 acres but is packed with so much history and some of the most beautiful, private beaches.  It’s the spot where I almost blow myself up with fireworks was shot inside a tunnel at Battery Steele, which was a World War II military fortification.  We also took Alex’s boat out to Fort Gorges which is about a five-minute ride from Peaks. After the War of 1812, the United States Army Corps of Engineers proposed that a fort be built on Hog Island Ledge, in Casco Bay at the entrance to the harbor in Portland.  It’s only accessible by boat–Congress didn’t fund construction of the Fort until 1857 and when the Civil War began in 1861, they worked quickly to finish it over the course of the following four years, but when it was completed in 1865, right as the war ended, it’s said that modern explosives made the fort obsolete. The last time it was used by the army was when it stored submarine mines during WWII. There is still a 300 pound Parrott rifle out there–and it is one of the biggest and only remaining specimens of civil war vintage artillery.  It’s kinda wild.

Ashes
Music written by LBN
Lyrics written by Anna Lombard

Caught a ferry across the bay

Felt the cold on both our faces

couldn’t even make a sound

Our breath was frozen

And all the things we couldn’t say

Like how this house just ain’t a home

And all that sadness lives inside of you

I know it’s fucked up cause I got it too

Oh there’s nothing quite like regret

Crashed my show at the Middle East

I got so drunk I couldn’t feel a thing

And it reminded me of New Years

Broken bottles and the piercing screams

Showed up in Paris when you wanted me

And oh the sadness always followed me

I made a scene in front of so called friends

Fell down the stairs and made a scene again

Man there’s nothing quite like regret

Now we’re just ashes of feelings

That once were felt

How bout the time in Marrakesh

You got so drunk you looked like death

Chasing me around a rooftop pool

Slept on a chair inside our hotel room

Don’t get me wrong I ain’t upset

So lift that weight up off your chest

This feeling won’t go away

Oh there’s nothing quite like regret

Now we’re just ashes of feelings

That once we felt

Oooooooooooohhhhhh

About another quarter mile

To Fisher’s Waterhouse

Our little church on peaks

Do anything to make you smile

If it’s good enough for you

It’s good enough for me

We’re just ashes of feelings

We’re just ashes of feelings

‘EARTH NEEDS A MOON’
ALBUM TRACK LISTING
(All songs written by LBN)

1. Intro
2.  When I Close My Eyes
3. Earth Needs A Moon
4. Don’t Be So Hard On Me
5. Ashes
6. Do It All Over
7. The Universe
8. What Would I Do Without You
9. The Refuge
10. Last Love
11. A Million Suns

Photo credit: Cam Jones

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Indie trio LOVE BY NUMB3RS Return With Single/Video “Don’t Be So Hard On Me” From New Album Out This Friday, 9/30

DATE: SEPTEMBER 28, 2022

FROM: MITCH SCHNEIDER/MARCEE RONDAN

LOVE BY NUMB3RS
RETURN WITH VIDEO FOR
“DON’T BE SO HARD ON ME,”
THE SECOND SINGLE FROM
THEIR SOPHOMORE ALBUM
‘EARTH NEEDS A MOON’
OUT THIS FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE

A picture containing text Description automatically generatedAlbum Artwork by Walter Craven for EARTH NEEDS A MOON

Portland, Maine-based indie trio LOVE BY NUMB3RS—co-vocalists DAN CONNOR and ANNA LOMBARD and multi-instrumentalist JON ROODS—today (September 28) return with “Don’t Be So Hard On Me.” It’s the second single/video from their sophomore album EARTH NEEDS A MOON out this Friday, September 30. Produced by ROODS and LOMBARD, the album follows the acclaimed band’s November 2021 Colours EP and doesn’t repeat any of its songs. Watch the video HERE.

Sonically, “Don’t Be So Hard On Me” is big-sounding, soulful and rootsy, with ANNA’s gutsy and moving vocals illuminating a difficult, fractured relationship. The video, premiered yesterday (September 27) by Vents Magazine, is cinematic, mysterious and evocative. The video was directed by ROODS, filmed in Industry, Maine at their friend’s barn and shot in in a deliberately distressed style, with imagery that is striking and intense. Below are quotes from ANNA about the song and video.

The “Don’t Be So Hard On Me” video follows the “Earth Needs A Moon” clip that was premiered by Glide Magazine, which noted that “the dramatic title track song and video that showers our ears with the dramatic interplay between the trio that takes listeners to a nostalgic hideout where secrets are sheltered and sins are forgotten. There is a bleeding guitar solo midway through the song as Lombard pours her fervently soulful vocals into the song’s building storyline.”

The EARTH NEEDS A MOON album is filled with haunting and evocative songs about love, devotion and more with finely etched, atmospheric settings, over which the band cast their spells. The tracks are sonically wide-open and move slowly, however confidently, and make the listener feel like they are floating in air on a journey somewhere. The album was recorded at Fisher’s Waterhouse on Peaks Island as well as the band’s South Ranch studio. EARTH NEEDS A MOON follows the band’s November 2021 Colours EP and doesn’t repeat any of its songs. This is the music of a band who freewheelingly chart a course through eloquent alternative, Americana and roots rock.

“Don’t Be So Hard On Me”
Q&A with Anna Lombard
of LOVE BY NUMB3RS

–Congratulations on the release of “Don’t Be So Hard On Me.” It’s a lyrically candid and very raw song about a fractured and seemingly destructive relationship, with such lines as “I miss the way you screamed my name/When you were angry/Nothing left but you, your pride & me/That’s how I loved you in the end.” What inspired you to write it?

ANNA LOMBARD: The song started with a single line, “don’t be so hard on me…” When I began writing the lyrics for the song, I tried to imagine myself as a person within a relationship who knew it was falling apart. In the heat of an argument, our instinct can often be to say hurtful things to the ones we love most. We’ve all been there. We isolate, because it’s easier than facing the issue head on, whatever it may be. We stray. We lose ourselves. We ignore the advice of friends or shut them out because we don’t want to hear what they have to say…and this fear of something ending or things changing kind of silently travels through us until we’re ready to face it…so this was the narrative that originally helped me finish the story. But the more I listened, the more I realized that this song was less about being hard on a partner within a relationship, and more about being hard on yourself…It became more self-reflective. I know I’ve had to learn how to be easier on myself and forgive myself and others through my own life’s trials and tribulations. If we cannot be kind or love ourselves, it makes it very difficult to love and be kind to someone else.”

–The song also features your most intense vocals to date, underlining the rawness of the lyrics. Can you tell us what it was like to record this in the studio?

ANNA: This was honestly my fastest vocal take of all time. I really prefer to be solo and run the console when I’m tracking…I don’t love other people being in the room, besides Jon if it’s an absolute must. So we had laid down the musical beds for the song..just keys, bass and drums…and I kicked Jon and Dan out of the studio. I’ll never forget the look on their faces as I walked out of the studio and said, “okay, all done.” I think it took me a total of 26 minutes from start to finish. The cool part was that the lyrics were sketched out with about five pages of verse options…and a couple of the lines that ended up being in the song were improvised…so they felt natural and just right. It was also the first time I ever sat down while recording vocals, because I was running the board at the same time.

–“Don’t Be So Hard On Me” has that trademark LBN sound: minimal but big-sounding, very edgy but finely etched and rootsy, too. What goes into the creation of this sound?

ANNA: We had been listening to a lot of Donny Hathaway (specifically, “I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know”) and from the start of the song, I really wanted to try and tap into some Betty Davis vocal style…throaty blues…lots of space…with simple, autobiographical lyrics. Throughout this album, Jon wanted the musical beds of each song built with all of us playing together live…the use of real instruments, keyboards, pianos, Hammond organ, synthesizers and very little editing…to be as true to late 60’s/70’s recordings as possible. I tracked my vocals on an SM-7 microphone through a vintage tube pre-amp with the gain cranked. It dirtied up my vocals so that when I pushed my voice, it allowed the rawness and cracks in my voice to come through.”

–LBN is also known for its visually striking videos. In this one, the imagery is arresting: you flip over a table, you emerge mysteriously from a body of water, instruments are smashed. And the video is shot in a deliberately distressed style. Please tell us about where it was filmed, who directed it and how you feel the video illuminates the song?

ANNA: We filmed this in Industry, Maine at our friend John Moore’s barn. We looked for weeks for a beat-up, empty warehouse around the Portland area but had no luck. We wanted the vibe of the video to look the way it sounds–raw, vintage, stripped down. This video was directed and filmed by Jon, as all our videos are done in house.

‘EARTH NEEDS A MOON’
ALBUM TRACK LISTING

(All songs written by LBN)
1. Intro
2.  When I Close My Eyes
3. Earth Needs A Moon
4. Don’t Be So Hard On Me
5. Ashes
6. Do It All Over
7. The Universe
8. What Would I Do Without You
9. The Refuge
10. Last Love
11. A Million Suns

A group of people sitting on a bench Description automatically generated with medium confidenceLOVE BY NUMB3RS
Pictured (L to R): DAN CONNOR, ANNA LOMBARD, JON ROODS
Photo Credit: Cam Jones

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LOVE BY NUMB3RS Share Video For “Earth Needs A Moon”—New Album Out 9/30

 

DATE: JULY 13, 2022

FROM: MITCH SCHNEIDER/MARCEE RONDAN

A picture containing chart

Description automatically generated

LOVE BY NUMB3RS
SHARE VIDEO FOR
“EARTH NEEDS A MOON,”
THE TITLE CUT OF THEIR SECOND ALBUM OUT SEPTEMBER 30
WATCH THE VIDEO HERE

Portland, Maine-based indie trio LOVE BY NUMB3RS–co-vocalists DAN CONNOR and ANNA LOMBARD and multi-instrumentalist JON ROODS–have today (July 13) shared the video for “Earth Needs A Moon” ahead of the single’s July 15 digital release. With its big spacious sound, rootsy feel and the soulful vocals of DAN and ANNA, “Earth Needs A Moon” marks the first single from LOVE BY NUMB3RS’ second album that’s due out September 30. As with the band’s previous self-directed videos, “Earth Needs A Moon” lures viewers with its moody and compelling imagery. Watch the video here and see the quotes below from ANNA.

The song video was premiered yesterday with Glide Magazine, which noted that “the dramatic title track song and video that showers our ears with the dramatic interplay between the trio that takes listeners to a nostalgic hideout where secrets are sheltered and sins are forgotten. There is a bleeding guitar solo midway through the song as Lombard pours her fervently soulful vocals into the song’s building storyline.”

The EARTH NEEDS A MOON album, produced by JON and ANNA, is filled with haunting and evocative songs about love, devotion and more with finely etched, atmospheric settings, over which the band cast their spells. The tracks are sonically wide-open and move slowly, however confidently, and make the listener feel like they are floating in air on a journey somewhere. The album was recorded at Fisher’s Waterhouse on Peaks Island as well as the band’s South Ranch studio. EARTH NEEDS A MOON follows the band’s November 2021 Colours EP and doesn’t repeat any of its songs. This is the music of a band who freewheelingly chart a course through eloquent alternative, Americana and roots rock.

The video for “Earth Needs A Moon” was shot in a town called Industry, Maine where there are rolling hills and back roads and lots of expansive landscapes with wildflowers and fields. It is based on a story and art by celebrated artist and their friend Pat Corrigan. The band got his permission to use his drawings and bring them to life in the video.

QUOTES FROM ANNA LOMBARD ABOUT THE
“EARTH NEEDS A MOON” VIDEO AND SONG

–Jon and I co-directed and filmed this video. We also co-produced and edited ourselves, with the majority of the editing falling on Jon.

–Pat Corrigan is a very celebrated artist of many mediums and one of our dearest friends.  When I stumbled upon his Instagram post, I was specifically really drawn to the content of the conversation bubbles in his drawings talking about the earth and the moon.  I felt this overwhelming feeling of some semblance of cosmic connection, as though stars had aligned between what his drawings were meant to convey and the concept/context behind writing this song.  It couldn’t have just been by coincidence.  So we felt very compelled to dig deeper and bring his drawings to life by reenacting them within our video.

–We ended up renting a trailer and bringing Jon’s 1976 Honda 550 Four K motorcycle along with all our gear for the festival we were playing the night before in the neighboring town, and we stayed up there for a few days to film. It was kind of cool that the Tau Herculids meteor shower was happening at the same time–the visibility of the night sky up in Industry is like no other…which is cool because of how much this record is influenced by the workings of the universe and the moon etc.

–In regards to the song’s lyrics/meaning, Dan had come up with a rough sketch of lyrics for first verse which ended with the line “earth needs a moon”–I knew immediately that he was referring to our musical partnership and history–but I wanted to get deeper into understanding the actual scientific reasons the earth needs a moon so I went into my typical manic mode and researched all about WHY the earth needs a moon, and all the things that would be different if we had no moon. Without the moon, human life would change so significantly: nights would be darker, days would be longer, the earth would slow down because we wouldn’t have the moon’s gravitational pull, there would be no tides or seasons. I could go on and on and on–but the main point is that the moon stabilizes the earth. If the moon disappeared, life as we know it would be disastrous.

–So the second verse where I come in, I tried to reverse the concept–“when you’re hiding out in the daytime but I know you’re always there” (referencing Dan’s illness and effects of chemo and all the time he’s sleeping during the day)– but even when you can’t see the moon, you know it exists and is still out there. The lyric “When you only give me half of you” is about how Dan has struggled with his illness and doesn’t always have the ability to be in the studio, or he’s had to bow out of filming or recording because he’s ill.

–“I never want to see your darker side” references the influence that Pink Floyd’s “The Dark Side of the Moon” has on this song but also the darkness that comes with cancer and addiction.

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‘EARTH NEEDS A MOON’
ALBUM TRACK LISTING

1. Intro
2.  When I Close My Eyes
3. Earth Needs A Moon
4. Don’t Be So Hard On Me
5. Ashes
6. Do It All Over
7. The Universe
8. What Would I Do Without You
9. The Refuge
10. Last Love
11. A Million Suns

LOVE BY NUMB3RS

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LOVE BY NUMB3RS Share Imagery-Rich Video For New Single “Oak Tree” From ‘Colours,’ Their Current Six-Song EP

DATE: MARCH 18, 2022

FROM: MITCH SCHNEIDER/MARCEE RONDAN

A group of people sitting on a bench

Description automatically generated with medium confidenceLOVE BY NUMB3RS
Pictured (L to R): DAN CONNOR, ANNA LOMBARD, JON ROODS
Photo Credit: Cam Jones

LOVE BY NUMB3RS
SHARE IMAGERY-RICH VIDEO FOR
NEW SINGLE “OAK TREE”
WATCH THE VIDEO HERE

“OAK TREE” IS THE THIRD SINGLE FROM
‘COLOURS,’ THEIR
CURRENT SIX-SONG EP

Portland, Maine-based indie trio LOVE BY NUMB3RS–co-vocalists DAN CONNOR and ANNA LOMBARD and multi-instrumentalist JON ROODS–today (March 18) have unveiled the haunting and imagery-rich video for “Oak Tree.” It’s the third single and video from the acclaimed group’s six-song EP COLOURS that was released last November. The exterior and interior scenes for the band’s self-directed video were shot at their house/studio in Maine known as South Ranch. Watch the video here.

The “Oak Tree” video was premiered yesterday (March 17) by Americana U.K whose Andrew Frolish said, “Both the song and video are genuinely atmospheric, with the rich imagery of the video mirroring the song’s expansive sound and beautifully poetic lyrics.  Anna Lombard’s vocal is elegant and haunting, delivering incredibly evocative and rich descriptive language set to a gorgeously-building melody. Lombard is joined by guitarist and singer Dan Connor, whose voice complements Lombard’s perfectly, adding depth and texture.  Multi-instrumentalist Jon Roods rounds out the trio, contributing an astonishing array of instruments, including Moog synth, Hammond organ, percussion and exquisite pedal steel, all of which create dreamy sonic layers that transport us into the the heart of a relationship and a deep, immersive, all-encompassing love.”

“Oak Tree” possesses an evocative spacious sound with pedal steel and Moog synth that underlines the band’s mix of eloquent alternative, Americana and roots rock. Written by Lombard, Roods and Connor, the song is a highlight of their acclaimed current six-song EP COLOURS, produced by Roods and Lombard. The EP will be followed by a full-length album (their second) later this year.

Inspired by the book The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein, “Oak Tree” is a moving and haunting song about love and devotion, with Lombard gorgeously wrapping her voice around standout lyrics like: “And just like the roots of this tree/I’ll never let you down/As long as my eyes can see/I’m gathering all your leaves/And weaving them into my crown.”

QUOTES ABOUT “OAK TREE”

Can you tell us what inspired “Oak Tree” and its themes of love and devotion?

ANNA LOMBARD: The writing process for this song began with an idea from Dan–some working/placeholder lyrics and a rough sketch of an arrangement. I began thinking about how it’s been 16 years since I first met Dan. I was freshly 21 and we were introduced at a bar by a mutual friend who told him I sang. We sat down with a guitar that night and he taught me one of his songs he had been working on (as well as an entire solo record) and when I started singing, he somewhat jokingly re-tells it as he knew he immediately needed to trash everything he had already recorded and make a record with me. When the words for “Oak Tree” came to fruition, I had been thinking about how much I have learned from Dan as a writer over the last decade and a half. He really encouraged me to spend these years (pre-LBN) to study the art of songwriting…arrangement, things like inversions of chords to make them more interesting, lyrics, etc. He gave me so much of his time and focus because he really wanted me to “get there” as a writer. I would get so frustrated in my early twenties because even though I grew up writing poetry, I hadn’t found my ability to write songs. I specifically remember expressing that to him and his response was, “Look, just trust me. When you get there (as a writer), you’ll know.”

This very relationship between him guiding me to get to where I am (I think?) now, reminded me of the book The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. Say what you want about that book and whether or not it encouraged selfishness or negatively portrayed how friendship works to children…I never thought of it that way. To me, it symbolized the tree loving this boy so much, that it literally gave him anything he ever needed. I love that. To me, it’s what you do when you love someone. You do anything for them, no matter what. And, sometimes, to the point of it being self-sacrificial.

One morning, I thought we should use this idea in The Giving Tree for this new song. I popped over at Dan’s later that same day and walked into the kitchen and the damn book was just out on his kitchen table. I was like, “ok this is too weird.”

The third line in that book says:

“And everyday the boy would come and he would gather her leaves and make them into crowns and play king of the forest.”

So, the chorus was meant to kind of pay homage to the book as with hopes of people reading that line and putting 2+2 together.

So it’s about giving your all for love. Selflessness. Sacrifice. Friendship. And learning things about the world through the eyes of the people with whom you are close. “I’ll never let you down” was my way of promising Dan that I’ll take everything he’s taught/given of himself to me and never stop writing or playing music, no matter what. That’s my promise.

And we wanted the chorus to be big, coming in after a kind of a slow, haunting verse…kind of like the way this feeling hits when the chorus comes in on Pink Floyd’s track “Us & Them”–we wanted it to be a bit more musically heavy…and impactful.

–For the song’s video, which possesses the wondrous abstract imagery that has come to define the band’s videos, let us know what the band’s creative intentions were? And who directed the video?

LOMBARD: All of our videos are self-directed. Jon had this idea of using the childhood doll house my father built me as the “fort with four walls”–then he built a set in the garage to mimic the inside of the dollhouse for us to film ourselves in–and then juxtapose that with the miniature inside of the dollhouse for this kind of trippy perspective change. Then, he built a 10 x 3 foot bed, dumped soil in it, and told me to get in it. So my hair was meant to look like roots of the tree. And we put little dollhouse-sized furniture, instruments, pencils in it for another perspective-bending idea. We wanted it to look a little psychedelic to match how we made the song feel/sound. We always just want our videos to tell the story of the song and be visually stimulating and at times…just weird. It was filmed mostly in our garage, backyard and our basement aside from some of the nature shots.

–Were there any challenges in shooting the video?

LOMBARD: The night Jon climbed 16 feet up a tree and secured the dollhouse on a little platform for some drone footage was absurd. I mean, It was 6 degrees outside and we are out in our backyard at 2 am with work lamps and a drone flying around my old dollhouse. Those are the moments I pray our neighbors are fast asleep.

–What do you feel the song + video say about the band’s heart and soul?

LOMBARD: We just love what we do and we really love each other like family. It’s a lot of work but we love it. It’s why we get out of bed in the morning, you know? I think this song and video kind of speaks to our focus on being good to, and caring for, one another. That’s LBN.

“Oak Tree” Lyrics
(Lombard, Roods, Connor)
Climb up that old oak tree
Build me a fort with four walls
A hammer, a handful of nails
Boards that were thrown away
Carve both our names in the bark
Take only what we may need
A pencil and paper to start
Look up at the birds as they sing
If only these walls could speak
Oh what a tale they would tell
And just like the roots of this tree
I’ll never let you down
So long as my eyes can see
I’m gathering all of your leaves
And I’m weaving them into a crown
All of my words for a song
Lanterns a-glow in the dark
I laid in a blanket of bones
It’s the chamber that’s holding my heart
And when the seasons change
Burn like a flame up in the sky
Hope you lean into me for some shade
We’ll make up for all our lost time
If only these walls could speak
Oh what a tale they would tell
And just like the roots of this tree
I’ll never let you down
As long as my eyes can see
I’m gathering all your leaves
And weaving them into my crown
If only these walls could speak
Oh what a tale they would tell
And just like the roots of this tree
I’ll never let you down
As long as my eyes can see
I’ll take all that you gave to me
That’s a promise

Text

Description automatically generatedArtwork for LOVE BY NUMB3RS EP COLOURS
By Walter Craven

Praise for LOVE BY NUMB3RS here.
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Portland, Maine-based Indie Trio LOVE BY NUMB3RS Share Intimate Video For “Can’t Lie Like This” From ‘COLOURS’ EP

DATE: NOVEMBER 19, 2021

FROM: MITCH SCHNEIDER/MARCEE RONDAN

Colours Cover ArtArtwork for the upcoming LOVE BY NUMB3RS EP, COLOURS
By Walter Craven

LOVE BY NUMB3RS
REVEAL INTIMATE VIDEO FOR
NEW SINGLE “CAN’T LIE LIKE THIS”
WATCH THE VIDEO HERE

SONG MARKS THE SECOND SINGLE FROM THEIR
NEW EP ‘COLOURS’ OUT NOVEMBER 26

Portland, Maine-based indie trio LOVE BY NUMB3RS–co-vocalists DAN CONNOR and ANNA LOMBARD and multi-instrumentalist JON ROODS–today (November 19) have shared the intimate video for “Can’t Lie Like This.” It marks the second single from the acclaimed group’s six-song EP COLOURS out November 26 (moved from its original November 19 release date due to a production delay).

The video was directed by LOMBARD and ROODS and is based on the vision of CONNOR whose chemo treatments and cancer battle are the subject of the video. He wrote the song and sings lead vocals on it before ANNA joins in on background vocals, giving the song its trademark LOVE BY NUMB3ERS vocal sound. Watch the video here.

The “Can’t Lie Like This” video was premiered yesterday (November 18) by Glide magazine who wrote: “Portland, Maine’s Love By Numb3rs has astounded ears with its eloquent dusty blues and roots rock that has given otherwise placid New England a musical splash of Nashville. The trio–co-vocalist Dan Connor and Anna Lombard joined by her partner and multi-instrumentalist Jon Roods–made a big splash with their independent full-length debut, Parachute yet now are gearing up for the release of a six song EP titled Colours out November 19th…the emotionally explosive ‘Can’t Lie Like This’ swoons, twangs and pacifies with a Tyler Childers meets Tom Petty narrative and soul.”

Coming off the EP’s first single/video “Colours,” which was premiered and praised by Atwood Magazine, “Can’t Lie Like This” is the music of a band who freewheelingly chart a course through eloquent alternative, Americana and roots rock. The song’s unflinching lyrics paint a picture of lives that have unraveled. “The inspiration behind writing this song was based on a dear friend of mine who struggled with substance abuse,” reveals DAN.  “This led me down a bit of a rabbit hole as I began reflecting upon my own family history of substance abuse and dysfunction.”

“Jon and I directed the video, but I would be remiss not to mention the vision Jon had for this one,” says ANNA LOMBARD.  “While the song in its lyrical content was meant to be about the aforementioned lifelong struggles with alcoholism, Jon began seeing the line ‘can’t lie like this anymore’ as more of a metaphor for Dan’s battle with cancer and monthly chemo cycles.”

The moving video begins by depicting the beauty of nature before focusing on DAN at home in bed with his illness. He is able to breaks free in his mind from his struggles by heading outside with his guitar to enjoy the gorgeous wide-open spaces. Says ANNA: “We keep calling it Dan’s “celebration/party” at the end–to be done with chemo and to have made it through to where he is/we are today.”

The video was shot in various locations in Maine: the band’s house/studio known as South Ranch (bed scene, radiation scene, etc.), Crescent Beach in Cape Elizabeth, and outside of a friend’s house in Cape Elizabeth (drone footage on rocks and dirt road shots).

More quotes about “Can’t Lie Like This” are below, along with the lyrics; the EP’s track listing + credits; and the band’s social media links. The EP will be followed by a full-length album (their second) in 2022 (release date TBA).

QUOTES ABOUT “CAN’T LIE LIKE THIS”

Dan Connor: The inspiration behind writing this song was based on a dear friend of mine who struggled with substance abuse.  This led me down a bit of a rabbit hole as I began reflecting upon my own family history of substance abuse and dysfunction.  My father had alcoholism and was homeless for many years due to his denial and not wanting to face his disease.  The commonality between these two people in my life made me consider how substance abuse–regardless of the substance–causes people to withdraw from life rather than face their demons.  Instead, they lie and hide. We’ve all seen it. But the bottom line is that it is a disease like any other.  Some find the strength to overcome and some fall victim.

–Dan sings lead vocals on this one, and then is joined by you for background vocals, giving the song that trademark Love By Numb3ers vocal sound. Can you give us your thoughts about this? 

Anna Lombard: In terms of the decision Dan singing lead on this one–that’s just what made sense.  This was his story to tell.   The song in its original arrangement had no outro with doubled choruses.  For years, it has just been floating around Dan’s repertoire as a song on an acoustic guitar.  So, Jon and I worked on making the song build through the outro.  We coupled Dan’s chorus melody with some harmonies overlaid with new rhythmic/melodic sections on top of those. And then Dan was like “Ok, you gotta go off at the end…” so I threw some vamps on the outro and we extended the section along with a slow fade so the outro became a bit of a hook.

–Some thoughts about the musical feel of the song? It has distinctive guitar parts merged with keyboards. Is that a Fender Rhodes?

Anna: Dan’s acoustic and vocals on this song were done in one single take.  Then, Jon and I built instrumentation and changed the arrangement around Dan’s single take recording.  Our guitarist Josh Duym then laid down some guitar.  Our friend Nigel Hall happened to be in Maine at the perfect time and was staying with us so we had him track his keyboard parts on a Fender Rhodes.

–Who directed the video, where was it filmed, and some general thoughts about the it?

Anna: Jon and I directed the video. Jon envisioned the video being less literal to the lyrics of the song about avoidance and denial and lying to other people and lying to yourself…and instead, the hopes of simultaneously portraying all of these instances where through craniotomies, radiation, MRIs, fatigue, nausea, etc, Dan has been literally lying down.   For the past seven months, we’ve had to work through Dan being really sick from his treatment.  We would more or less only be able to count on maybe 10-14 days a month where Dan was feeling OK enough to write, or track, or be part of a video.  It’s been so tough, the toughest for him, but he’s been a warrior.  He’s sick and tired of being sick and tired.  With scenes where he’s in bed with forty bottles of prescriptions on the bedside table…You know, you get to this point where you’ve got to ask yourself about the reality of your quality of life.  He has been isolated from making music alongside us and from some of the creative process throughout the last year because of treatment.  And when you’re a musician and a writer and music is the one thing that gets you out of bed in the morning…but even that is something you don’t even have the physical energy or capacity to do… you find yourself asking, “what gives?”  So the vision for the video coupled with the original context of the song became a double entendre.  “I can’t lie like this anymore.  I can’t not make music.  I can’t deal with feeling like this anymore.  I’m tired of it.”

Lyrics to “Can’t Lie Like This”:

“Can’t Lie Like This”
(Dan Connor)
Wake up in the mornin’
Even if you’ve been out with the devil the night before
Drink your strong coffee
Make all your plans
Don’t think about it anymore
Til’ the night become crazy
And life gettin’ hazy
You’re showin’ up at my door
The mornin’ don’t matter
Ain’t nothin’ gonna shatter, it won’t
Can’t lie like this anymore
Couple days later
I was on a train with her
Hadn’t slept in seventy-four
Got my blood shot eyes, begin to realize
Pressed down against the floor
I guess I wasn’t listening
Just another man missin’ the life that he never saw
The mornin’ don’t matter
Ain’t nothin gonna shatter, it won’t
Can’t lie like this anymore
Whoa
Can’t lie like this anymore
Go and see my mama
But my papa gonna be there
With his boots kickin’ down the door
He got them bloodshot eyes, begin to realize
Pressed down against the floor
I guess he wasn’t listenin’
Just another man missin’ the life that he never saw
The mornin’ don’t matter
Ain’t nothin’ gonna shatter, it won’t
Can’t lie like this anymore
Can’t lie like this anymore
Can’t lie like this anymore
Can’t lie like this any more
I can’t lie anymore

COLOURS EP track listing

1. Colours
2. Can’t Lie Like This
3. Oak Tree
4. All Falls Down
5. The Beat Goes On
6. Summertime

Credits: ‘COLOURS’ EP by LOVE BY NUMB3RS

–All songs written by LBN (Anna Lombard, Jonathan Roods & Dan Connor) with additional guitar line writing by Zach Jones on track #1 “Colours” and Josh Duym on track #4 “All Falls Down”
–All songs engineered by Jonathan Roods & Anna Lombard
–All songs produced by Jonathan Roods & Anna Lombard
–Mastered by Adam Ayan at Gateway Mastering
–All songs recorded at South Ranch.
–Guest appearances by Nigel Hall, Zach Jones, Gary Gemmeti, Josh Duym

Players on each song:

  1. Colours: Jon Roods (drums, bass, guitar), Zach Jones (electric guitar), Nigel Hall (hammond organ, rhodes piano)
  2. Can’t Lie Like This: Anna Lombard (vocals), Jon Roods (drum, add’l percussion, bass, guitar), Josh Duym (electric guitar), Dan Connor (acoustic guitar, vocals), Nigel Hall (Wurlitzer piano)
  3. Oak Tree: Anna Lombard (vocals), Dan Connor (vocals), Jon Roods (drums, bass, all guitars, Moog synth, Hammond organ, percussion, pedal steel)
  4. All Falls Down: Anna Lombard (vocals), Jon Roods (Moog Synth), Josh Duym (guitar)
  5. The Beat Goes On: Jon Roods (drums, bass, moog synth, pedal steel), Dan Connor (vocals, acoustic guitar), Josh Duym (electric guitar), Anna Lombard (vocals, rhodes piano), Nigel Hall (rhodes piano)
  6. Summertime: Jon Roods (bass, pedal steel, guitar), Gary Gemmeti (drums), Nigel Hall (rhodes piano), Anna Lombard (vocals), Dan Connor (vocals), June & Haisel McGeachey (Anna’s daughters on backing vocals)

Love By Numb3rsLOVE BY NUMB3RS
Pictured (L to R): DAN CONNOR, ANNA LOMBARD, JON ROODS
Photo Credit: Cam Jones

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LOVE BY NUMB3RS Share Video For “Colours,” First Single From Their EP Of The Same Name Out November 19

DATE: SEPTEMBER 22, 2021

FROM: MITCH SCHNEIDER/MARCEE RONDAN

Text, logo

Description automatically generatedArtwork for the upcoming LOVE BY NUMB3RS EP, COLOURS
By Walter Craven

LOVE BY NUMB3RS
SHARE VIDEO FOR
NEW SINGLE “COLOURS”
WATCH THE VISUALLY STRIKING VIDEO HERE

“COLOURS” IS THE FIRST SINGLE FROM THEIR
NEW EP OF THE SAME NAME OUT NOVEMBER 19

Portland, Maine-based indie trio LOVE BY NUMB3RS today (September 22) have shared the video for “Colours,” the first single from their upcoming six-song EP COLOURS. Look for the EP to be released November 19, which will be followed by a full-length album (their second) in 2022 (release date TBA). Watch the strikingly visual self-directed video, filmed at their house and studio (South Ranch), here.

The video was premiered yesterday (September 21) by Atwood Magazine which noted that “the sweetly stunning Colours’ puts LOVE BY NUMB3RS’ exceptional lyrical, vocal, and instrumental talents on full display. A soulful, rootsy, and bluesy outpouring of heavy-hearted feeling comes to life in a song that reckons with a mother and daughter’s turbulent relationship. The band weave a rich tapestry of sound together with vulnerable, visceral lyrics that find Anna Lombard thriving, reeling, and excelling in a tough space. She rises to meet the moment in an intimate and impassioned chorus that–excuse the pun–showcases an inner fire and her many colors…Whether you can relate to your own familial issues, or have other pains close at heart, “Colours” brings out the full spectrum in each and every one of us. It’s a radiant song of turmoil spilling over; of honesty and confession; of pain becoming beauty.”

Coming off their recent single Red Sun this past June, “Colours” will be available at all streaming platforms this Friday, September 24. It is a deeply soulful song written about a mother and daughter’s difficult relationship from the band who freewheelingly chart a course through eloquent alternative, Americana and roots rock. The lyrics are naked and unflinching:

“I been living my life in colors
You made so me so blue then I’m seeing red
When the calm after the storm comes
And then gray is all that’s left”

“It’s definitely inspired by r&b/soul music of the sixties and early seventies,” says Anna Lombard, who wrote the song with bandmate Dan Connor.   “It is real,” adds Anna.  “It is emotive.  It grooves and it builds all the way through the song until the abrupt radio silence after I scream the very last line.”

The track was produced by Anna and Jon Roods, who says: “The drums/beat were inspired by a traditional simple kick & snare feel…and then we built the instrumentation off of that after Anna finalized chords/arrangement in tandem with melody/lyrics.”

MORE QUOTES ABOUT THE “COLOURS” SONG + VIDEO
FROM ANNA LOMBARD

–Who wrote the song?

One afternoon Dan texted me a line that hit me kinda hard. The lyric Dan sent was, “I’ve been hearing you in colors” and it throttled us into this conversation (and my own nerdy research) about synesthesia (“synth” meaning “together” and “ethesia” meaning “perception).  If you’re not familiar, it is a neurological phenomenon where the parts of your brain that control your senses are all intertwined. For example, a person with it can hear sound or music and their brain involuntarily associates those sounds with a specific color, pattern, or shape.  And this condition can sometimes be a bit of sensory overload for those who have it (ahem, Jon.)  But it also tends to inspire creativity.  I became kind of obsessed with it. When you’re a kid, the first things you learn about are colors, the alphabet, numbers and shapes. So I started thinking about things like colors and shapes in a far less literal form.  Humans tend to associate colors with emotions.  Or a specific scent with an experience (good or bad).  And how the environment in which a child is raised ultimately “shapes” them into the person they become…it is internal and we cannot control it….it just happens…much like the involuntary response someone with synesthesia has to music, sounds, colors, touch, patterns, taste, etc.

I stayed up til 4:30 in the morning with my notebook and a pencil and when I finished, I realized I wrote this song about my relationship with my mother.  Family shit is hard, man.  And I’ve got no illusions about the fact that I can be a pain in the ass.  But it felt like this final plea, begging her to learn how to love me and to accept me for who I am….even if it wasn’t what she pictured.

When I sang the line, “You made me so blue and then I’m seeing red,” I quite literally could close my eyes and see the palest hues of blue…and the sadness was washed out by this storm of anger and all I could see was red.  In the aftermath, among all the emotional debris and self-reflection, there was a moment of calm that made me feel empty.  And all I could see was the color gray.

From the very moment I set my pencil down and finished writing, I felt this overwhelming sense of relief.  The process and the creation of this song had released me.  I was no longer immersed in a dense, emotional fog.  And I came to the realization that what started as a song for her, became a song for me… Because our children cannot be our mirror images.  So…you gotta learn how to let go of your ego–and I don’t mean ego as in self-importance–I mean the part of the ego acting as the voices in your head.  The ones which stem from your inner child and your own fears.  Because when you let go of that ego, you begin to learn how to be whole… to be seen… to be heard.  To be accepted.  And ultimately, capable of being loved and loving unconditionally… because deep down, isn’t that what all of us ever really want, anyway?

–Who directed the video, where was it filmed, and some thoughts about the video?

We focused a lot on the vibrance of colors, lighting, shapes–to tie into the meaning of the song.  I bought a silicone heart prop and Jon insisted I follow George Romero’s recipe for fake blood to depict the proverbial ripping out of my heart.  We built a set in our kitchen out of sound foam panels. I bought fabric and cut them into shapes inspired by and as a way of paying homage to the stage backdrop from the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival after we checked out Quest Love-directed documentary “Summer of Soul”– that shit is bonkers if you haven’t checked it out.  Grab some tissues while you’re at it.  For our final set for the video, Jon and I turned our garage into what looked like a cross between one of the clear plastic encased murder scene from the show Dexter and a dope art studio in SOHO.  I splattered buckets of paint and spray painted the plastic walls.  No matter how many times we’ve showered since, we can’t get the paint off parts of our feet. But in all, Jon and I really just focused on creating a visual that would stimulate the viewers senses using colors, shapes, textures, angles, lighting, our vintage gear, etc.  I should note that the pattern of multicolored foam sound panels as the mural against our dining room wall isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.  Adhesive spray is a thing, huh?

COLOURS EP track listing
1. Colours
2. Can’t Lie Like This
3. Oak Tree
4. All Falls Down
5. The Beat Goes On
6. Summertime

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Description automatically generated with medium confidenceLOVE BY NUMB3RS
Pictured (L to R): DAN CONNOR, ANNA LOMBARD, JON ROODS
Photo Credit: Cam Jones

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LOVE BY NUMB3RS Share Video For New Single “Red Sun.”

DATE: JUNE 17, 2021

FROM: MITCH SCHNEIDER/MARCEE RONDAN

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Description automatically generated

LOVE BY NUMB3RS
SHARE VIDEO FOR
NEW SINGLE “RED SUN”

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE HAUNTING
VIDEO SHOT IN THE SOUTHWESTERN U.S.

LOVE BY NUMB3RS today (June 17) have shared the haunting and beautifully filmed video for “Red Sun.” Click here to watch the Portland, Maine-based trio’s self-directed video for the newly released first single from their upcoming in-progress second album.

Written by the band–co-vocalists DAN CONNOR and ANNA LOMBARD and multi-instrumentalist JON ROODS“Red Sun” underlines the many charms of the group who chart a course through eloquent alternative, dusty blues, graceful folk, and rootsy rock. The clip was premiered yesterday (June 16) at antiMusic.

For the mysterious and evocative song, in which the characters undergo a transformative spiritual experience as they journey through the Southwestern United States, the group also travelled across the country to follow the path of the characters in the song.

The concept of “Red Sun,” explains ANNA, “started as an iPhone voice memo Dan sent with a chord progression on an acoustic along with a chorus of him singing ‘See you when we reach the shore, we’ll meet up in Vegas at Bellagio.’ He wanted to write a song about a journey into the unknown. As he handed off the rest of the lyric writing to me, he asked me to consider what it would be like to be a refugee, on a makeshift raft, trying to make my way to America. That is where the journey began…and by the time the chorus hit, it was clear our destination was Vegas…the city of Second Chances.”

She adds: “The characters in the song left home and everything they knew to try and create a better life for themselves…packing minimally with maybe a picture of a family member and a wad of dollar bills…just starting over completely.”

“Jon and I co-directed,” ANNA says. “Since I had never been to that side of the country before, I went into full research mode. Where would I hit first? Texas…that sounds good. Let’s follow the Rio Grande all the way to New Mexico. What might I see on the way to Nevada? And then Jon and I got the crazy idea to book flights out to Las Vegas. We went out west with scribbled notes, a half-assed mood board, and rented a car. We bought some smoke bombs at a fireworks store on the way to Death Valley with camera gear in tow and just went for it…without any real plan or idea what we we’re doing. We spent three days straight filming in Vegas, Death Valley, Mesquite Flat San Dunes, 20 Mule Canyon Road, Zabriskie Point, Dante’s View and Red Rock Canyon. It was really amazing to be so simultaneously connected to nature while so disconnected from the rest of the world. Then it was time to get into character.”

Meantime, LOVE BY NUMB3RS recently performed their first live show Anna explains, “We played our first full band live show in late May and the reception was incredible. The fact we started this project in the midst of a global pandemic and through all of Dan’s health issues…to be in front of a live, real human audience, and to receive a standing ovation was an out of body experience. We finished the 9-song set with ‘The Glory’…and right before we started playing, Dan mentioned how when he began writing ‘The Glory’ a few years back, it was meant to be a prayer song. Then, at the 8 o’clock hour town church bells went off like some sort of ominous queue for that gospel track to finish the set. It was so eerie. I cannot tell you how many people approached us after the set to tell us we made them cry and how moved they were from our performance. It felt so good. We hope to make music people really connect with…that’s the big reward.”

A picture containing person, standing, posing

Description automatically generatedPhoto by Heather Durgin
Pictured (L to R):  JON ROODS, ANNA LOMBARD, DAN CONNOR

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LOVE BY NUMB3RS Release Evocative New Single “Red Sun” Today

DATE: JUNE 4, 2021

FROM: MITCH SCHNEIDER/MARCEE RONDAN

LOVE BY NUMB3RS
FROM PORTLAND, MAINE
TODAY RELEASE EVOCATIVE NEW SINGLE “RED SUN”
LISTEN TO THE SONG
HERE

A picture containing text

Description automatically generated

Coming off their late 2020 indie debut album Parachute, Portland, Maine trio LOVE BY NUMB3RS have today (June 4) shared “Red Sun,” the first single from a planned upcoming album. Listen here to the mysterious and evocative song, in which the characters undergo a transformative spiritual experience as they travel through the Southwestern United States. Stay tuned for a desert-themed video for the song in the next few weeks.

Written by the band, the song underlines the many charms of the band–co-vocalists DAN CONNOR and ANNA LOMBARD and multi-instrumentalist JON ROODS–who chart a course through eloquent alternative, dusty blues, graceful folk, and rootsy rock.

The concept of “Red Sun,” explains ANNA, “started as a demo with just Dan on acoustic guitar with a chorus singing ‘See you when we reach the shore, we’ll meet up in Vegas at Bellagio.’ He had this idea to create a song about being a refugee and making it through the water to America–and landing in Vegas, the city of Second Chances.” She adds: “The characters in the song left everything they knew to make a better life…packed minimally with maybe a picture or two and a wad of dollar bills.”

This past March LOVE BY NUMB3RS released the single/video for Western Sonfrom Parachute. It was premiered at Glide Magazine which noted that the band “bring a sultry and twangy Nashville sound from the northeastern continental 48s. The band offers a timeless polished sound that brings the earthy smoky overtones of Linda Ronstadt, Gillian Welch, and Grace Potter.” PARACHUTE turned the page for a new chapter of three longtime friends and collaborators. After 15 years of friendship, countless memories, two albums and a 100-plus shows in the band Gypsy Tailwind, the trio thread together an unforgettable journey.

Photo by Heather Durgin

Pictured (L to R): JON ROODS, ANNA LOMBARD, DAN CONNOR

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Portland, Maine’s LOVE BY NUMB3RS Share New Video For “Western Son”

DATE: MARCH 29. 2021

FROM: MITCH SCHNEIDER/MARCEE RONDAN

LOVE BY NUMB3RS
FROM PORTLAND, MAINE
SHARE NEW VIDEO
FOR “WESTERN SON”
FROM THEIR DEBUT ALBUM ‘PARACHUTE’

BAND CHARTS A COURSE THROUGH ALTERNATIVE, DUSTY BLUES, GRACEFUL FOLK, AND ROOTSY ROCK

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE

Photo by Heather Durgin

LOVE BY NUMB3RS—the Portland, Maine-based trio who chart a course through eloquent alternative, dusty blues, graceful folk, and rootsy rock—have shared the video for “Western Son,” a highlight of their indie full-length debut album PARACHUTE. Watch the video here. It was premiered at Glide Magazine which noted that the band “bring a sultry and twangy Nashville sound from the northeastern continental 48s. The band offers a timeless polished sound that brings the earthy smoky overtones of Linda Ronstadt, Gillian Welch, and Grace Potter.”

LOVE BY NUMB3RS consists of co-vocalists DAN CONNOR and ANNA LOMBARD and multi-instrumentalist JON ROODS, the latter two of whom directed the beautifully striking “Western Son” video. It was shot along the coastal and woodsy roads of the group’s home state of Maine. See the Q&A below with ANNA LOMBARD about the making of the video.

“Western Son captivates with its delicate groove, haunting sound and ANNA’s immense vocal range. In ANNA’s words, the song “Lyrically, it’s setting the scene for what life ‘would have’ or ‘could have’ been like for the son I never had…”

PARACHUTE turns the page on the next chapter of three longtime friends and collaborators. After 15 years of friendship, countless memories, two albums and a 100-plus shows in the band Gypsy Tailwind, the trio thread together an unforgettable journey.

Here’s a Q&A with ANNA LOMBARD about “Western Son”:

Q: Where was the video shot?

ANNA: “The majority of the video was shot in Cape Elizabeth out at Ram Island Farm, an area of Cape where I spent a lot of time as a kid. This includes the drone footage of the winding road, the views of coastal Maine, the bridge over the river…as well as the scenes of me driving the VW. The headshots were filmed in our living room, and the clip of our guitarist Josh (who is a Chief Mate and steers a tugboat) was shot in N.Y. Harbor on a classic ocean-going tugboat–112′ long with locomotive engines–on his way back from assisting a container ship through a bridge around a turn. He was sitting on the aft deck, near the tow winch, when he cut his scene. The scenes with the boy were on my brother’s farm right off the road where the initial drone footage of the car was filmed. His sons built this little wooded amphitheatre that they named EVERGLOW, and we wanted Harry to be a little carefree boy discovering that special spot.”

Q: Any good anecdotes happen during the filming?

ANNA: “Jon had to sit in the back of Dan’s SUV with the hatch door open while filming the VW car shots and almost fell out about 12 times. Jon had Macgyver’d a camera rig for the scene of all three of us in the bug and placed it on the hood. It was a four-foot piece of one by three with a makeshift camera mount glued and taped to it, strapped onto the car via a ratchet strap, and center on a towel so the car didn’t get scratched. The rig fell apart right as we finished the last cut for that scene and pulled into the driveway, thank God.”

Q: What was the inspiration for the song?

ANNA: “For me, this song is about the son none of us ever had. We have four healthy, beautiful daughters (two each) but neither of us ever had boys! Personally, having girls was so foreign to me, as I grew up the youngest and only girl with all older brothers. Navigating through raising girls seemed so daunting to me, as I consider myself to be a bit of a tomboy. It was kind of like, ‘OK..how the hell am I going to do this?’ Lyrically, we tried setting the scene for what it ‘would have’ or ‘could have’ been… So, it’s kind of this dreamed up idea of having a boy. There are lyrics like ’there’s a church up on the hill, above a town you could’ve known so well’; and the church on the hill in the video is a 200+ year old church in the town I grew up in, where one of my aunts was married and adjacent to a cemetery where many family members of mine over the years have been laid to rest. How would life be different if I had been a mother, or if Dan had been a father to sons? What lessons would they have taught us? Perhaps the lessons I needed to learn only happened from becoming a mother of two girls instead…learning to break the cycle of familial toxicity and be to them what I needed when I was younger. For Dan, the original skeleton of the song was about being married to someone, having a son, and then going through a divorce and losing custody as the mother heads west and he never sees the boy again (not autobiographical FYI).

Q: For the video, what were you looking to visually achieve?

ANNA: “Beautiful landscapes, something that felt fun, easy to watch, and felt good. Our last video was so heavy…both Jon and I felt as though this was something that maybe could make people smile as they are watching. We wanted to give some visual components to the lyrics in a literal sense but also portraying innocence…something easily relatable to the viewer and with a pure, unadulterated playful vibe.”

Q: The car in the video is one that seems to reflect a carefree attitude from another era. Why was the car chosen for the “road trip?”

ANNA: “We chose the car because it belongs to our friend and exec producer Alex. Easy decision. We just wanted an old car to drive around the town and shoot scenes. I think given the fact that this song sounds a little old school, we wanted to have a car that matched that era of music. It is a 1979 beetle, mint condition. So fun to drive, I almost took off forever in it.”

Q: As the video closes, we see the character triumphantly holding a sword as almost a sign if victory. Why did you choose to end the clip that way?

ANNA: “The boy in the end of the video is my nephew–we were going for this fictitious character as I mentioned above, but Harry is this wild, carefree, adventurous and fearless little boy…so we decided that he should resemble a cross between Max from Where The Wild Things Are [book and film] and maybe a character from the classic CS Lewis Chronicles of Narnia [book and film]. A little boy finding a sword and checking out this magical little amphitheatre, where he found himself free to explore without being under the thumb of a parent or rules of any kind. I think the sword as a sign of victory at the end was meant to just convey that no matter what, the fictional character ends up being, even if I wasn’t blessed with a boy. Maybe he’s there in your heart, maybe you know that it wasn’t meant to be. Maybe it’s the point where one of us realizes that our journeys as parents were exactly as they were meant to be and so it allows this fictional character to kind of go on existing in this magical, made up, ethereal and peaceful way.”

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