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Pacific Northwest isolation mixed with wide-eyed ambition, a strong
sense of family and the gift of music proved to be quite the combination
for teenage brothers Donnie and Joe Emerson. Originally released in 1979,
Dreamin? Wild is the sonic vision of the talented Emerson boys, recorded
in a family built home studio in rural Washington State. Situated in the
unlikely blink-and-you-missed-it town of Fruitland and far removed from
the late 1970s punk movement and the larger disco boom, Donnie and
Joe tilled their own musical soil, channeling bedroom pop jams, raw funk,
and yacht rock.
Spurred on their high school?s music program, Donnie and Joe received a
further push from their lifelong farmer father, who drew up a contract stat-
ing that he?d support his sons lofty ambitions with their very own record-
ing studio as long as they focused on original material, sage advice for a
man with zero experience in the music business. After taking out a second
mortgage to help cover costs, Don Sr. also built his children a 300-capacity
concert hall (dubbed Camp Jammin?) replete with ticket booth, stage, and
fully functioning snack bar. The only problem was that the projected au-
dience never quite materialized, despite a prime time TV profile entitled
?The Rock And Roll Farmers? from nearby Spokane, Washington. Even the
Emerson brother?s school pals were nonplussed at their privately pressed
long player; hand distributed to local music stores, but not as far as Se-
attle, five hours away from their rural home. Somewhat rejected by the
muted response, but never surrendering, both Donnie and Joe continued
down a musical path and are still active as performers today.
This rare slice of bedroom-funk gets the usual Light In The Attic treatment
with newly remastered audio, detailed liner notes, and expanded original
album art with loads of photos from the Emerson?s collection. Be sure to
also check out the short documentary Rock and Roll Farmers, premiering
on LightInTheAttic.net.
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