In April 2009, Aaron Strumpel unlatched his rib cage to let the ELEPHANTS that were housed there stampede freely. Many people were trampled soulfully by those sweat-drenched gut-wrenchers. USA Today and PASTE emerged from underfoot, musically bruised, to give poignant praise like "5 STARS!" and "STUNNING!".
But no sooner had the bandages been removed and washed, then he made the equally dangerous decision to pop open his brain-head to force the world to reckon with the BIRDS that had made their nests a-way up thar. So it came to pass and a decreee went out that all BIRDS, both lumbering and limber wouldst exit Sir Strumpel's nogginland and be digitally transferred onto humanity via some hyper-text internet web-portal.
There are members of class:AVES of every shape and flavor, lilting warblers and shrieking sages using their cooing/cackling vernacular to attack those who have been lulled and loosened enough to forget to remember.
And lest one fears that the appearance of their plumage spells doom for each and every, that the melodious notes are omens to alarm and pierce eardrums only, know this: it is the canary who escapes the coal mine who sings most thankfully.
Birds
During the season of the Elephants another two albums were recorded. The first of those two, the Birds, have waited for the perfect time for release...while the Elephants were heavy, foot-tromping and maddeningly good, the Birds promise a bit of flight and a bit of fancy...there may, however be a couple of crazy Ostrich tracks mixed in!
Vespers
Andy Whitman of Christianity Today reviews: "Aaron Strumpel worships as if his life is hanging in the balance. Like his breakthrough 2008 album Elephants, Vespers mostly borrows its lyrics from the Psalms and its sound from a raw mix of strident folk, wailing trumpet, and clattering percussion. As befitting its title, this six-song EP is slightly more quiet and contemplative, but it is no less visceral or moving. "Born Again" builds to a glorious crescendo of praise, while "I Sing" moves from a pensive piano ballad expressing fear and doubt to a nearly symphonic plea for God to storm a hardened heart. These are urgent prayers for the close of day."
There is a tenderness in the water of the heart, a vulnerability of sanity, a mere film separating joy and sadness...these songs were written on afternoons when everything seemed to close in, beauty felt like ashes, when all that was left was to sink deeper and deeper...
Written on two separate days, on a creaky old 1940′s Parlor guitar, spending about an hour each day, a chronicle of the heart and thoughts put into songs and evening prayers.
Each half was recorded in a 24 hour period of time, everything being performed by Aaron, the main instruments being an old Harmony Bobkat, a 1940's Collegiate Parlor guitar, a 1972 Rhodes 73, a Chickering Baby Grand, a 1970's Ludwig kick drum, snare, and floor tom, a set of tire chains, a string of Arabian wedding bells, and cookie sheets scraped along a bicycle chain.
Elephants
Elephants won Calvin College's 2009 Festival of Faith and Art's Bandspotting Competition: "This is the clear winner. The singing is heartfelt, honest and highly unique…a voice of earnest longing. The production is highly original and simultaneously melodic and aggressive when need be. It is rare that I hear such clearly communicated Gospel music that is soulful, articulate and adventurous." -Michael Kaufmann, Asthmatic Kitty Records and Andy Whitman, Paste Magazine and Christianity Today.
“The album title is fitting as most tracks are interlaced with deep drum stomps, rough-skinned backing loops and Aaron’s own trumpet. The sound is experimental, but with purpose, folk rock based but uniquely integrated with a variety of instrumentation; it carries an element of abstraction to it with soul that bleeds through the vocals...and with the strength of an Elephant, you were going to be moved whether you originally wanted to or not.” -Justin Boyer, Relevant Magazine
"'Elephants' is an acoustic smorgasbord of spiritual musings with prophetic and operatic overtones that insist on being listened to again and again to be fully understood and appreciated. There is weeping and wailing-- literally--amidst shouts and cries of joy." -Kris Rasmussen, Beliefnet
Enter The Worship Circle - Chair And Microphone Volume 2
This is the second album in a unique volume within the greater Worship Circle series. It is a raw recording of one artist and one instrument with no overdubs and no polished studio production. The goal is to let the artist be both accessible and vulnerable. This recording is an unapologetic conversation with God, and it has the power to lead the listener on a journey to protest, adore, discover, and relocate inside of that conversation. Musically, it might be compared to artists like Damien Rice or Ryan Adams, but it would be wise to listen to Aaron with new ears--there is no one quite like him.
"Aaron Strumpel worships as if his life is hanging in the balance."
- Christianity Today on Vespers I & II
"Utterly striking and original, Strumpel's music accentuates the soul in both the music and the words."
- Paste Magazine on Elephants
"5 Stars" and "A stunning achievement."
- Christianity Today on Elephants
"...refuses to be tamed and gives you something to ruminate on during and after the listening experience."
- Relevant Magazine on Elephants
"The clear winner. The singing is heartfelt, honest and highly unique,a voice of earnest longing. The production is highly original and simultaneously melodic and aggressive when need be. It is rare that I hear such clearly communicated Gospel music that is soulful, articulate and adventurous."
— Michael Kaufmann & Andy Whitman, Festival of Faith and Arts, Calvin College
"Aaron Strumpel and Todd and Angie Fadel somehow got together to lay down the most outstanding musical set of the conference, a raw, punk-like, discordant, and often strikingly beautiful take on The Psalms...It was so refreshing to encounter people who love God, and experience pain, and let it rip."
— Andy Whitman, Razing the Bar - On Elephants Live
"And to say authentic is to understate Strumpel. He feels as real as the dust that layers your arms when you've spent the day playing soccer with children in an orphanage in Mexico, complete with the pain that sticks to your heart."
— Worship Leader Magazine - On Enter The Worship Circle: Chair & Microphone II
"Chair and Microphone, Volume 2 is not for the faint of heart, but for those who are willing to have their own hearts broken with the things that break the heart of God."
— Kevan Breitinger, Suite 101 - On Enter The Worship Circle: Chair & Microphone II
"Strumpel's passionate, percussive playing, slam-poet phrasing, and raspy, unrestrained delivery add an edge that nudges the conversation from merely interesting to incredibly engaging."
— Greg Adams, Phantom Tollbooth - On Enter The Worship Circle: Chair & Microphone II
"Raw acoustic, honest lyrics, soulful voice with and a gritty edginess that comes from letting your heart bleed into your art. Aaron is not a newbie, or a mainstream pop singer throwing ballads about Jesus around. He’s been around, and it shows in the maturity of his lyrics and voice."
— Pam Hogeweide, The Porpoise Diving Life - On Enter The Worship Circle: Chair & Microphone II
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