The music of "Essex" charts the story of the Nantucket whaleship
with ambition and imagination.
The story of the Essex was as well known in its time as that of
the Titanic today. Essex was a whaling ship that left the coast
of Nantucket, Massachusetts in 1819 on a two-and-a-half-year
voyage to the South Pacific to hunt sperm whales. The ship,
however met a tragic end when it capsized after being attacked
and hit by a sperm whale. Though the crew members survived the
attack, they fell prey to dehydration, starvation and strife,
and most of them died, with just eight of the twenty-one men
aboard surviving to tell the story of the cataclysm in all its
gory entirety.
Inspired by Nathaniel Philbrick's novel, In the Heart of the
Sea, Jonathan Geer set out to craft the visceral story in
musical terms. Geer's music displays an "admirable and unabashed
versatility which has more than a touch of Mike Oldfield about
it" says Leonard's Lair. As he read Philbrick's novel, Geer was
immediately captivated by the story and the culture of the
Nantucket whaling industry. "Their way of life was so harsh and
fascinating," says Geer. "It's hard to imagine living like
that--hunting down whales in the Pacific for years at a time
away from your home and family. I wanted to capture a sense not
only of the wonder I experienced reading the story, but also of
the isolation these men felt out on the open sea."
If you had to pin down the style of "Essex" you might call it a
"fusion of instrumental Bjork and Chopin" as Matt Howarth from
Sonic Curiosity does. Geer's music blends together many styles
and crosses over myriad boundaries of genre to deliver a debut
that is filled with a "valiant humanity" (Matt Howarth).
Jonathan hails from the epic state of Texas. He spent his
formative years in Waxahachie, the cultural and social hub of
the state. In 2001, Jonathan graduated with a degree in Film
Scoring from Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. When he
isn't composing he keeps himself busy teaching private piano
lessons and leading the music at Church of the Good Shepherd in
Arlington. In addition to working with up and coming Dallas area
filmmakers, Geer also composed the music for an internet promo
trailer of I Heart Huckabees featuring Naomi Watts.
You may not have heard of Geer or the Essex, but if you let that
stop you from picking up this fantastic debut you'd be missing
out on a unique and creative gem. Hear what Foxy Digitalis calls
"an upper crusty breath of fresh air in this noisy, fast-paced,
make-a-buck music business." Visit www.essexalbum.com for more
details.