Into It. Over It. / The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die

For years I had played, written, recorded and performed in bands. The Progress, Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start, Map The Growth, Stay Ahead Of The Weather and Damiera have been a few.

From September 2007 to September 2008, I wrote (and recorded) one song each week for an entire year. This project (which was called 52 Weeks) was available online weekly during that year. Since it's completion, Chris at No Sleep Records approached me about releasing the record. We remixed it, mastered it and (with the help of Brian Mietz) put together an amazing layout. The 2xCD was released on June 23rd, 2009.

I've since relocated to Chicago. Written twelve songs documenting anecdotes an travels I've had in Twelve Towns. These songs will be released over a series of split 7" records during 2010/2011.

I've most recently recorded 5 new songs which were released on a split LP with my best friend KOJI. These 5 songs are about 5 stories taking place in 5 Chicago neighborhoods.

2011 will bring a new full length LP on No Sleep Records.


Connecticut-based band The World is a Beautiful Place & I am No Longer Afraid to Die has a new album Harmlessness available now. It is the band's second album and first with Epitaph.

If Harmlessness marks a new milestone for the band, and its foremost artistic achievement, it's also an album that spends time pondering the years that The World Is A Beautiful Place has spent finding its place. The title itself is a play on the band's first release, a gesture inspired by the return of founding member Tyler Bussey. Yet Derrick Shanholtzer-Dvorak also sees "Harmlessness" as a state to be achieved, an ethos that fits with all the open spirit of being "formless". In Shanholtzer-Dvorak's words, the goal is "to exist in harmlessness, doing no harm to those around you." It's a fitting idea for an album this devoted to beauty and humanity, and the search to find one in the other.

The group create their dense textured sound with multi-layered and heavily effected guitars as well as synthesizer, cello, and trumpet. In their idealistic maximalist world, more of everything is better.