ANI ANI ANI is a collection of 9 tracks originally recorded as home demos. These songs are a meditation on themes of mortality, grace and universal consciousness. While I do not ascribe to any specific theology, I was raised in the Catholic Church and pursued studies in Gnostic and Christian Mysticism for a time. This is a story of the oscillation

ANI ANI ANI is a collection of 9 tracks originally recorded as home demos. These songs are a meditation on themes of mortality, grace and universal consciousness. While I do not ascribe to any specific theology, I was raised in the Catholic Church and pursued studies in Gnostic and Christian Mysticism for a time. This is a story of the oscillation between life and death and life again.

These tracks are far from perfect. I spent about 2 hours making them on a stark and cold Juneau afternoon in December of 2011. After recording myself playing these songs I double-tracked the vocals and then quickly mixed them. There are quirky pops, knocks and the occasional rumble of trucks speeding by on North Douglas Highway. Still, after revisiting these recordings 11 years later, I feel like they are worth sharing, especially on a winter solstice such as this one.

George Kuhar - 21 December 2022

I didn’t really go to college, instead I spent most of my early twenties playing music, seeing bands and learning how to produce. ‘Empathy and the Sea’ is what I would call my thesis, it was my first real effort at producing an album while writing and recording it. I started laying down tracks in the fall of 2002. Most of the material was recorded

I didn’t really go to college, instead I spent most of my early twenties playing music, seeing bands and learning how to produce. ‘Empathy and the Sea’ is what I would call my thesis, it was my first real effort at producing an album while writing and recording it. I started laying down tracks in the fall of 2002. Most of the material was recorded my myself, I did however have some help. My friend and former band/roommate Jordan Strudel played drums on ‘Big Blue Sky’ ‘Maria’ ‘Empathy and the Sea - part 2’ ‘Home Again’ and ‘Everybody Someday’ While friend and former high school music theory teacher Brent Baldwin provided back up vocals on ‘Big Blue Sky’ and ‘Maria’. In the spring of 2003 I took the near finished tracks to Sounds Outrageous Studio in Austin Texas where my vocal takes and final mix down were completed by Lars Goransson, who was my mentor for a short time.

Posting this lost album up here I was very tempted to edit it down, make cuts and attempt to hide my own personal archaism. I resisted and what you get is myself at twenty three, brooding over lost love, battered friendships and faded innocence. I was trying my best to make a great record and had high hopes for this album. Sadly I was distracted by other things and ‘Empathy and the Sea’ never saw the light of day. Until now. Thanks for listening.

George Kuhar - 15 May 2023

When I was asked to write music for this one of a kind program, my first thought was, “I want to surrender myself completely to the powers of the planet, so that it may take voice in this music.” Originally set for the stage but moved online due to COVID-19, this digital production should be required viewing for everyone living or doing business

When I was asked to write music for this one of a kind program, my first thought was, “I want to surrender myself completely to the powers of the planet, so that it may take voice in this music.” Originally set for the stage but moved online due to COVID-19, this digital production should be required viewing for everyone living or doing business in Southeast Alaska.