King Dream pushes the big red reset button on “Return to Zero” – The Bay Bridged

Like the rest of us, musicians had to make the great pivot in 2020. For Jeremy Lyon of King Dream, whose average week stacked multiple shows with different bands, playing solo, private events, parties, weddings, bar mitzvahs, you name it — the shift to “work-from-home” was, well, rather extreme.

And yet, he’s been keeping pretty busy. The shows — albeit remote ones — are still there. Sometimes they’re live on the web, sometimes pre-recorded and rebroadcast. One day it’s for Social Distance Live, the Bay Area-based affair that bands together many local artists covering a famous one. Another day he’ll be running sound or collaborating with the Rainbow Girls and members of the California Honeydrops.

But a livestreamed at-home recording session with multiple musicians in the middle of a pandemic? Well that, my friend, is uncharted territory. Until now.

King Dream’s latest single “Return to Zero” is the result of a completely remote recording session, but you wouldn’t know it. The recording is so polished you can hear your own reflection in its silvery sheen.

The title “Return to Zero,” comes from “a button on my old tape machine, RTZ, which auto rewinds back to the beginning,” Jeremy explains. “It felt emblematic of this moment, as this ever lengthening pause is a unique time for a reset without leaving.”

The recording session was masterminded (mastermound?) by Scott McDowell of Wally’s Hyde-Out. To hear Jeremy tell it: “[Scott] approached me with an idea to record an entire band, individually, remotely, in one day, producing with real time feedback over Zoom and Audiomovers, a plugin that essentially broadcasts your recording session to anyone with the link, all whilst livestreaming the entire recording session on Twitch.” If that sounds too complicated to you, don’t worry you’re not alone. All you need to know is: it worked.

Featuring contributions by regular King Dreamers Cody Rhodes (Geographer, Curls), Scott Padden (Goodnight, Texas), Pat Glynn (Con Brio), and Graham Patzner (Whiskerman), “Return to Zero” is both lush and punchy. Sure, its opening is all vibe — but by the time the violin solo kicks in, you’ll find yourself nodding your head and grimacing in groove.

And like all the best songs, it’s just a hair too short. I wanted more, and was left wondering what else King Dream has in store for 2021. Thankfully, Jeremy assures us he’s got plenty of new music to release this year, so hopefully we won’t have to wait long.

Listen to King Dream’s “Return to Zero” on Spotify or iTunes, or purchase it on Bandcamp.

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