Utilizing an exotic array of world instruments, Gayle Ellett (Djam Karet) and Todd Montgomery have created a soundscape that is both familiar and exotic, classical and contemporary, warm and inspirational.

Purposefully conceived to evoke the visual language of film, Arcadia takes the listener on an epic, emotional journey through a pan-cultural landscape. Contemporary Americana and Old-World styles are merged and blended together to produce a beautiful antidote to the stresses of everyday life.

Produced with what can only be described as a golden tone, Arcadia is a marvelously cohesive offering. The arrangements and orchestration are sophisticated and dynamic. Montgomery and Ellett achieve Arcadia's rich and inviting sound by showcasing the natural timbres of instruments such as the Irish and Greek bouzouki, sitar, dilruba, ruan, charango, tanpura, surmandal, tenor banjo, mandolin, harmonium, acoustic guitar, tenor ukulele, violin, piano, upright bass, and more.

"One of the things we try to focus on, is our attempt to apply the artistic concept of theme and variation, to the many different elements of our music such as the rhythm, harmony and melody, but also to the dynamics, arrangements, orchestration and instrumentation. And in a way, its almost like we are a national orchestra ... for a missing country!" says Fernwood's Ellett.

Created and recorded in their Malibu studio, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Ellett and Montgomery's music is a reflection of their lives in Southern California, their knowledge of progressive rock, folk, world and jazz, and their professional experience in film, television, animation and games. Authentic and honest, they play music the old-fashioned way: by hand. Formed in 2006, they have released three albums so far: Almeria, Sangita and Arcadia.

In order to maintain a more natural and dynamic sound, Arcadia was recorded without compression or computer manipulation.

All music played by hand, on instruments made out of wood!

Listen with headphones, you'll be glad you did!

1. Bells Spring
2. The Pan Chaser
3. Vision at Vasquez Rocks
4. Red Hill Trail
5. The Lost Night
6. Crossing the Divide
7. Owens Hideaway
8. Young Mountain Memory
9. After the Big Sky Falls
10. Escape From Sycamore Canyon
11. Winter Way

Listen to: the entire album.

Release date: 08/03/2015
Fernwood lives in California USA

Tagged as: World, Blues, Alt Rock, Folk

1. Kara Nomadica by Kara Nomadica: a fresh new sound driven by traditional Arabic and Turkish rhythms
2. Wild Wood by Kammen and Swan: a bright edge to traditional Celtic tunes
3. George Philipp Telemann 12 Fantasie, Sonata by Vito Paternoster: cellist extraordinaire
4. The Chinese Four Seasons and the Korean Four Seasons by Vito Paternoster: cellist extraordinaire
5. Sharena by Zhaba: psychedelic power meets hypnotic Bulgarian rhythms
6. Grandchildren's Delight by Daria: Music to inspire all the World's children
7. Medieval Game by Aitua: dreamy and beautiful original compositions on classical guitar
8. Playing with Silence by Jeff Wahl: acoustic new age and jazz guitar.
9. Rain Trip by Toni Iniguez: classical guitar and Nature
10. Bringing Light to the Darkness by Music for a Winter's Eve: Early song and dance to celebrate midwinter
11. India meets Persia by Simone Angele and Amir Kalhor: Classical styles of India and Persia and Oriental Fusion
12. Selected Duets by Takashi Matsuishi Spark: flautists with finesse, intelligence and grooves
13. JS Bach Laboratory by Takashi Matsuishi Spark: flautists with finesse, intelligence and grooves
14. Earth, the Kirtan planet by Radhamohan and Savitri: meditative, world, kirtan
15. Legacy by Ken Bonfield: Calling Bonfield a guitarist is like calling Michelangelo a painter
16. Reicha Fugues on Guitar by Daniel Estrem: colorful classical guitar
17. Dry Fig Trees by Gerard Satamian: Exquisite original melodic pieces
18. La Manana de San Juan by Tomas Lozano: highly melodic and structured sweet music

• MP3: High quality MP3 variable-bit-rate files. Most people download these: they are audiophile files that play everywhere.
• ALAC: Perfect quality Apple Lossless format files. If you use iTunes or an iPod, get these. They're an exact audio copy of the original CD, and include the CD artwork and artist info. This is the same format as High Definition audio provided by the iTunes store.
• AAC: High quality Apple Audio Codec files. If you use iTunes or an iPod, these files sound great and include CD art and artist info. This is the standard format provided by the iTunes music store.
• WAV: Perfect quality WAV files. This format works everywhere, and is an exact audio copy of the original CD. It sounds fantastic. Album art and artist info is unfortunately not possible with this format.
• FLAC Perfect quality open source FLAC files. This is an open source audio format. It is an exact copy of the original CD, and includes CD artwork and artist info. Works great on Linux, VLC and many audio players based on open source.
• OGG: High quality open source OGG files. This is an open source audio format. It is a compressed (smaller file size) version of the original CD, and includes CD artwork and artist info. Works great on Linux, VLC and many audio players based on open source.
• 128k: Medium quality 128K MP3 files. These are medium audio quality MP3 files that will work on every device. The audio quality is good enough for most uses. These files are intended for cases where you want to conserve disk space.