Andrés Miguel Cervantes is releasing his debut album The Crossing on brand new label Speakeasy Studios SF, founded by musician, producer and engineer Alicia Vanden Heuvel (The Aislers Set, Still Flyin', Magic Trick, The Ladybug Transistor, Brigid Dawson & the Mothers Network, Dirty Ghosts). Andrés Miguel Cervantes is a Mexican-American singer songwriter based in San Francisco and San Diego, California. Known to fans and fellow musicians primarily for his live performances, The Crossing marks an exciting debut for an incredibly talented singer, songwriter and finger-picking guitar player. The album was produced and recorded at Speakeasy Studios SF on Otari 8 track by Alicia Vanden Heuvel, featuring musicians: Jacob Aranda (Tarnation - pedal steel, mandolin, violin), James Kim (Fresh & Onlys, The Court & Spark - drums), Noelle Fiore (Magic Trick, Shannon Shaw Band - vocals), Anna Hillburg (Shannon Shaw Band, Magic Trick - trumpet), Ed Ivey (Rhythm Pigs - tuba), Alicia Vanden Heuvel (bass, vocals, percussion), Nick Castro (The Young Elders - lead guitar), Raphi Gottesman (The Fresh & Onlys, China - drums) and Conor Riley (Astra, Birth - piano, bass). Influenced by songwriters Leonard Cohen, Townes Van Zandt, Fred Neil, and Vicente Fernadez, Cervantes's lyrics are distinctly his own, with beautiful, haunting images of landscapes both internal and external-stories of traveling, searching, rambling, and experiencing the impermanence of life and love. Suffused with a dreamlike, mysterious atmosphere, his complex songs are grounded in an honesty and simplicity that make them timeless and deeply relevant. The album is characterized by both a '60s classic country and folk sound (à la Fred Neil, Lee Hazelwood, Dylan's album Desire), and a Western-Noir sound (Mexican Ranchera and the film soundtracks of Ennio Morricone). The title track "The Crossing" is dedicated to Cervantes's father, telling the story of his father's border crossing and life after. This release brings a new voice to the folk / Americana / country scene from this incredibly talented Mexican-American singer-songwriter.
