American harpist and composer Mary Lattimore is reunited with Meg Baird on the lead single for her forthcoming new album ‘Goodbye, Hotel Arkada’. While friends, Baird and Lattimore’s musical paths have crossed for many years, dating back to the Philly indie scene. They collaborated on Ghost Forests (2018), and Lattimore also appeared on Baird’s 2011 solo album ‘Seasons on Earth‘.
‘Goodbye, Hotel Arkada‘ is due for release on October 6th via Ghostly International. ‘Goodbye, Hotel Arkada’ takes its name from a hotel on the island of Hvar in Croatia facing modernisation and renovation. While transformed, memories of that old hotel live on in cherished memories, which will inevitably be lost; a fitting reflection for an album that celebrates and mourns the tragedy and beauty of the ephemeral.
Joined by two close friends – Meg Baird and accordionist composer Walt McClements, the lead single, “And Then He Wrapped His Wings Around Me,“ was inspired by a memory from Lattimore’s childhood:
As a child, Lattimore won a drawing contest through a country radio station and got to see Sesame Street Live! in Asheville. She and her mom were invited backstage, and there the benevolent icon Big Bird “gave me an incredible hug with his scratchy yellow wings.” The trio channel the enveloping warmth of that portrait, the feeling of innocent escape, flying away towards a childhood dream that is just out of reach, surreal, and tinged with sadness. In a rare vocal passage in Lattimore’s library, Baird softly hums with the rolling washes of harp above McClements’ tranquil drone; just for a moment, we are held in a sublime canary yellow embrace.
‘Goodbye, Hotel Arkada‘ finds Lattimorer communing with friends, contemporaries, and longtime influences in full stride yet slowing down to nurture songs in new ways. The cast includes Lol Tolhurst (The Cure), Meg Baird, Rachel Goswell (Slowdive), Roy Montgomery, Samara Lubelski, and Walt McClements.
Lattimore goes on to say: “When I think of these songs, I think about fading flowers in vases, melted candles, getting older, being on tour and having things change while you’re away, not realising how ephemeral experiences are until they don’t happen anymore, fear for a planet we’re losing because of greed, an ode to art and music that’s really shaped your life that can transport you back in time, longing to maintain sensitivity and to not sink into hollow despondency.”
For the title and inspiration, Lattimore’s mind returns to the island of Hvar in Croatia, where she first saw those silver ladders at the water’s edge. “There’s a big old hotel there called the Hotel Arkada, and you could tell it had been hosting holiday-goers for decades in a great way. I walked around the lobby and the empty ballrooms and it looked like a well-worn, well-loved place. My friend Stacey who lives there, told me to ‘say goodbye to Hotel Arkada; it might not be here when you get back,’ and I heard soon after that it was actually going to be renovated in a very crisp, modern way.” Lattimore became fixated on the ingredients that make a place special — for Hotel Arkada, the patinaed chandeliers, the patterned bedspreads, the echoes of its intangible charm — and how when those leave this world, as they inevitably always will, it feels important to memorialise them, “to bottle it for a brief second.”
‘Goodbye Hotel, Arkada’ tracklist
1. And Then He Wrapped His Wings Around Me (feat. Meg Baird and Walt McClements)
2. Arrivederci (feat. Lol Tolhurst)
3. Blender in a Blender (feat. Roy Montgomery)
4. Music for Applying Shimmering Eye Shadow
5. Horses, Glossy on the Hill
6. Yesterday’s Parties (feat. Rachel Goswell and Samara Lubelski)
Pre-Order the album here: https://ghostly.ffm.to/mary-lattimore-goodbye-hotel-arkada
Mary Lattimore Tour Dates
24/09/2023 Philadelphia, PA – Making Time
11/10/2023 Los Angeles, CA – Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever
12/10/2023 Los Angeles, CA – Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever
13/10/2023 Felton, CA – Felton Music Hall
14/10/2023 San Francisco, CA – Cafe Du Nord
16/10/2023 Portland, OR – Polaris Hall
17/10/2023 Seattle, WA – The Triple Door
19/10/2023 Boise, ID – Neurolux
21/10/2023 Denver, CO – Skylark Lounge
23/10/2023 Lawrence, KS – White Schoolhouse
24/10/2023 Iowa City, IA – The James Theatre
25/10/2023 Minneapolis, MN – Cedar Cultural Center
26/10/2023 Milwaukee, WI – Acme Records [physical tickets only]
27/10/2023 Chicago, IL – Constellation
28/10/2023 Chicago, IL – Constellation
29/10/2023 Lakeside, MI – Lakeside Inn
31/10/2023 Toronto, ON – Longboat Hall
2/11/2023 Kingston, – Tubby’s
3/11/2023 Brooklyn, NY – Union Pool
4/11/2023 Brooklyn, NY – Union Pool
5/11/2023 Brooklyn, NY – Union Pool
6/11/2023 Philadelphia, PA – First Unitarian Church – Sanctuary
8/11/2023 Baltimore, MD – Current Space
9/11/2023 Durham, NC – Motorco Music Hall
10/11/2023 Asheville, NC – The Grey Eagle Tavern & Music Hall
11/11/2023 Atlanta, GA – The Earl
12/11/2023 Nashville, TN – The Blue Room at Third Man Records
14/11/2023 New Orleans, LA – Gasa Gasa
15/11/2023 Houston, TX – The Secret Group
16/11/2023 Austin, TX – Central Presbyterian Church