Music of Essex

The story of the Essex was as well known in its time as that of the Titanic today.
Essex was a whaling ship that left the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts in 1819 on a two-and-a-half-year voyage to the South Pacific to hunt sperm whales.

The ship, however met a tragic end when it capsized after being attacked and hit by a sperm whale. Though the crew members survived the attack, they fell prey to dehydration, starvation and strife, and most of them died, with just eight of the twenty-one men aboard surviving to tell the story of the cataclysm in all its gory entirety. Inspired by Nathaniel Philbrick's novel,

In the Heart of the Sea, Jonathan Geer set out to craft the visceral story in musical terms. Geer's music displays an "admirable and unabashed versatility which has more than a touch of Mike Oldfield about it" says Leonard's Lair. As he read Philbrick's novel, Geer was immediately captivated by the story and the culture of the Nantucket whaling industry. "Their way of life was so harsh and fascinating," says Geer.
"It's hard to imagine living like that--hunting down whales in the Pacific for years at a time away from your home and family. I wanted to capture a sense not only of the wonder I experienced reading the story, but also of the isolation these men felt out on the open sea." If you had to pin down the style of "Essex" you might call it a "fusion of instrumental Bjork and Chopin" as Matt Howarth from Sonic Curiosity does.

Geer's music blends together many styles and crosses over myriad boundaries of genre to deliver a debut that is filled with a "valiant humanity" (Matt Howarth). Jonathan hails from the epic state of Texas. He spent his formative years in Waxahachie, the cultural and social hub of the state. In 2001, Jonathan graduated with a degree in Film Scoring from Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA.
When he isn't composing he keeps himself busy teaching private piano lessons and leading the music at Church of the Good Shepherd in Arlington.

In addition to working with up and coming Dallas area filmmakers, Geer also composed the music for an internet promo trailer of I Heart Huckabees featuring Naomi Watts. You may not have heard of Geer or the Essex, but if you let that stop you from picking up this fantastic debut you'd be missing out on a unique and creative gem. Hear what Foxy Digitalis calls "an upper crusty breath of fresh air in this noisy, fast-paced, make-a-buck music business." Visit www.essexalbum.com for more details.