I first came across Aaron Gibson through his 2011 Reader Spotlight on No Treble. What I didn’t know yet was how much his music would come to mean to me.
After years of enjoying his recordings, Horror Films and Sunday School knocked me out in 2019. It sounded unmistakably like Aaron, but the strings and guest musicians brought something new to his music.
The Story Behind ‘Horror Films and Sunday School’
The best music comes from the life of the composer, and Horror Films and Sunday School is no exception. In Kevin Johnson’s January 2019 interview with Aaron for No Treble, Aaron explained how grief shaped the album, beginning with “Full Dark”:
“It started with ‘Full Dark,’” Aaron shared. “I moved my mother back to the States and into our home because her cancer was progressing. My wife and I got a plane from Atlanta to Portland, Oregon to clean out her storage unit and bring her things home. The morning after we arrived, we got a text saying that our son’s friend, who grew up in our home and whom we loved, was dead. Then we had to drive back to Atlanta. I wrote ‘Full Dark,’ and several lyrics that landed in the other songs in my head along the way.”
A Recording Studio on the Road
Aaron recorded his bass and vocals in his van while traveling for construction work. Nahuel Bronzini then developed and recorded string arrangements in response to those performances.
In the same No Treble interview, Aaron described making music alongside his woodworking:
“I processed my grief by making stuff out of wood and making music.”
Aaron Gibson’s van served as a home away from home and a recording studio while he traveled for work. Photo supplied by Aaron Gibson.
Giving the Strings Their Own Voice
Aaron found arranger Nahuel Bronzini through an online search. He wanted the strings to have their own voice, rather than simply follow the bass and vocals. As he told Kevin:
“I wanted the strings to have their own voice and I wanted them to interact with the song; I didn’t want generic strings that just went along with the changes, so I told Nahuel to be as creative as he wanted to be and that would be our starting point.”
The album also features two guest bassists: my friend Steve Lawson on “Webs” and Jason Everett on “Boy.”
I’ve always loved Aaron’s solo bass and vocal recordings. On Horror Films and Sunday School, the strings and guest appearances added another dimension. It became my favorite album of his and one of the favorites in my collection.
“See the World” offers a look at the recording process and a chance to hear the music:
