Ervin Stellar is the public persona of Andrew Jordan, who moved from New York to Nashville following his 2018 album, The Moment. That move is referenced in the opening song of his new EP Nothing to Prove, but today, we get to share another nugget from that EP. Love is Love may seem like a well-timed release with Valentines Day on our doorstep. While there are some hints of Dylan throughout, it’s not overshadowed by the man. Below, he talks of arrangements that point to Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks, I also hear hints of Dylan circa 1965, with a melody reminiscent of Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright (which Dylan took from “Who’s Gonna Buy Your Chickens When I’m Gone”). The melody fits well for an equally easy-going number.
But I ain’t tryna blow against the wind
when it’s at my back
While on the surface there is a simplicity to the song which keeps it memorable there’s so much more going on. It all fits so well together, those complementary moments are sprinkled throughout; a vintage warm sound, hooks that catch the ear; a turn of phrase…they seem small at first, but by the time you get to the end, they are the reason you press play again – the hallmark of a storyteller. This has classic written all over it.
Ervin Stellar on Love is Love:
This one means what it says. It’s an important song to me in light of recent history – as the distractions of life fell away and we were all left with what really matters. And who are we to decide what really matters for anyone else? The phrase stands with others like “Live and let live”, and although cliche, it felt anything but that while writing it. There were a few arrangements that I played with, all pointing to a Blood On The Tracks sound. I tracked it in my home studio with a ribbon on the vocals and an old Neumann m582 on the acoustic – much like an early Dylan record would have been. It really came together with Scott Colberg’s bass lines – as much a lead instrument here as the harmonica or vocal. There’s some B3 layered in as well for that spiritual sound, reverence. It’s one of my favorites from the EP.
It’s one of ours too.
Jordan self-produced and self-mixed the entire project to make sure he achieved his desired sound. “With all of these tracks, I knew exactly where I wanted to take the song. I knew which musicians to pull in and the instruments to apply to each.” The hugely diverse pool of musicians he tapped included Russell Carson (Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder), Martin Wenk (Calexico), and Nashville recording artist Michaela Anne; all contributing their unique talents for Jordan to weave into the fabric of Nothing To Prove. “I guess the satisfaction of self-producing is that I get to carry that whole journey through, from writing the song to sitting back and listening to the master recording and saying, ‘Yep, that was the vision, it’s here.’”
Photo Credit: Laura E. Partain