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Jump Off The Earth

by Mickelson

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Taking a leap of faith, “Jump Off The Earth“, is an experimental new single that sees the US alternative folk/rock songwriter reaching into bold creative stratospheres.

A song that comments on the passing of time and the inevitable shadow of our mortality, it is also one that finds the veteran San Francisco artist invigorated by life and all it has to offer. With a message to seize the moment while it’s ours to take, Mickelson explains of it:

“I feel grateful for the life I’ve led as an artist but I’m also aware that the time left to continue is becoming more precious. I’ve gotten to the point where I will not let anyone or anything slow me down or interfere with the momentum I’ve built. In “Jump Off The Earth”, I’m saying there’s no time to waste. We need to let go of the negative things that hold us back and move beyond them. Or try at least – ha!”

Underpinned by Mickelson’s warm and weathered vocal, he unfurls ruminative and cryptic choral hooks like: “Every minute is a minute gone // No time to plan ahead
// I can’t tell you if I’m right or wrong I don’t want to leave you // I just need to jump off the Earth”; each lyric landing with the impact of a raindrop on Jupiter.

“I’d been playing around with the chorus riff on the banjo for a couple of years then when I experienced an unpleasant incident in my personal life, I thought to myself that I was wasting time ruminating over it. The lyric “Every minute is a minute gone.” came to mind and the rest of the song fell into place” adds Mickelson.

Alive with hyperreal sonic textures and off-kilter time-signatures, “Jump Off The Earth” conjures a Salvador Dali-esque palette for the ears. Initially written and demoed in Mickelson’s San Francisco Bay Area studio last year, the track was fleshed-out at Earthworm Studios in Swindon, UK with the assistance of studio-owner/keyboardist Jon Buckett and drummer Lee Moulding; both of whom perform in his live band. With percussion that ticks like grains of sand falling through an hourglass, the result song opens-up a vortex of winding banjo thrums, ethereal synthesisers, and gravitational basslines that transport the listener through a labyrinthine world of sound. Finalised and mixed back in the US, “Jump Off The Earth ” was mastered by Bob Weston (Chicago Mastering) in 2023. - Maximum Volume

lyrics

JUMP OFF THE EARTH (S. Mickelson)
Every minute is a minute gone
I can’t tell you if I’m right or wrong
Wherever I sit I bloom
My roots taking
Then I’m consumed
From a backhoe to an excavator
I dig a little deeper
I’ve got more dirt to move
Every minute is a minute gone
No time to plan ahead
I can’t tell you if I’m right or wrong
I don’t want to leave you
I just need to jump off the Earth
I run on adrenaline
I sleep on nails
I am imprisoned
I no one’s jail
A break in the routine
Is fought for not given
I dance among the living
Rising and spinning
Every minute is a minute gone
No time to rehearse
I can’t tell you if I’m right or wrong
I don’t want to hurt you
I just need to jump off the Earth
I feel the hot breathe
When people whisper
I hear them chatter
But I don’t play for that team
So I set fire
To the truth they’re running from
I hold back the curtain
And open the sliding door
Every minute is a minute gone
No time to say yes
I can’t tell you if I’m right or wrong
I don’t want to hurt you
I just need to jump off the Earth
Every minute is a minute gone
No time to pack your bags
I don’t want to hurt you
I just need to jump off the Earth

credits

released June 16, 2023
Written/Produced/Mixed: Scott Mickelson

Mickelson: Vox, banjo, guitar, bass
Jon Buckett: keys
Lee Moulding: drums

Mastered: Bob Weston/Chicago Mastering

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Mickelson San Francisco, California

Scott Mickelson is an artist/producer from San Francisco. His debut release FLICKERING was on the Grammy ballot for Best Folk Album and Best Roots Music Performance. His follow up A WONDROUS LIFE received great reviews and led to his first European tour in 2019. Mickelson appears in NPR Radio, Huffington Post, No Depression, Glide Magazine, Paste Magazine, PopMatters, Alternative Press Magazine... ... more

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