Carbon Records
CR311
Ethan W. Olsen (aka Ethan WL) is a American-Primitive guitar player, filmmaker, and film photographer from Gloucester, Massachusetts. His works often explore the idea of place and its connection to one's personal history. In both film and music he favors long, contemplative pieces.
“Homespun, hymnal, and hypnotic, Ethan W. Olsen’s My God is a Consuming Fire is a shapeshifting and vital work of contemporary six-string storytelling. The album’s centrepiece, a 15 minute piece called ‘The Ely War’ is a cathartic odyssey through the throat, belly, and bowels of the acoustic guitar. - Jesse Eckerlin
“As I sat in the furnace like heat in the late afternoon, a couple of summers ago watching Ethan W. Olson play his set my mind was drifting. I was tired and probably more than a little bit dehydrated. It was the end of a two-day festival, held outdoors, which ended up being the hottest weekend of the year. The lack of sleep and overall fatigue was kicking my ass. The voices in my head were telling me to just close my eyes for a minute, just one minute. It was at this point that Ethan struck an open chord on his guitar and believe me, it was like being struck by lightning!! Ethan then proceeded to wrangle some of the most furious notes from his acoustic guitar. Cutting through the molasses like summer air and straight into my skull. This was music with a fury and purpose that only someone who’s been through the ringer can produce. Dude has felt every damn note in his soul and is now spitting them back into the Universe. And directly at my sorry ass. Oh geez, this afternoon has certainly taken a turn!! I’m wide awake and questioning my whole existence!! This, my friends, is the power of one single man and his wooden guitar. He struck a place deep into my non-believing soul and now I’m ready to crawl up the Holy Mountain (or maybe a large hill at a ski resort) and build a tabernacle out of the skulls of all the fools who think everything has been done and said when it comes to solo acoustic guitar. Damnation on you all!” - John Schoen
My God Is a Consuming Fire is Ethan’s 2nd LP for Carbon Records. The first one, Blood Farm, which received many accolades and airplay. But with My God…, Ethan (now going by his full given name) has really increased his proficiency, creativity, and patience.
Dogtown Blues starts out with the ever-reminiscent American-Primitive alternating thumb technique, before diving into a great slide-based jaunt. Washed in the Blood of the Lamb, like Dogtown, has heavy nods to John Fahey’s use of melody and tempo changes to weave a story, while recontextualizing pieces from Fred Frith, Henry Cow, Arizona Dranes, and Charles Ives. Sloss is an example of Ethan’s patience, with a slower tempo, only slightly increasing halfway through, and his sparse note selection and slide work. Requiem for Jayne Mansfield is an upbeat masterclass in instrumental storytelling. Weaving in and out of themes before ending the side.
To start side B, The Ely War definitely lands in the American-Primitive raga side of things. Starting out with quick, but clean fingering, leading to a slow, sparse, and deliberate set of strums, the calm before the storm, leading to the frantic strumming that takes over, without completely burying the underlying melody. The title track returns to the pace and styling of Dogtown Blues, is perfect alternating thumb, plucking melody, use use of tempo and volume to lure the listener into Ethan’s world. The record ends with I Will Arise, an alternate take on this traditional track previously released on Ethan’s cassette The Pink House (Drongo, 2023). Joined by Sadie Siskin on banjo, and Kennedy Webb on fiddle, and almost sounding like they’re sitting around a campfire, this is the perfect ending for this well-constructed and creative full-length of American-Primitive gems.
