The music & lyrics were written during the lockdown of 2020 as a way of dealing with demons of my own, feeling hopeless and overwhelmed by everything that was happening. It just kinda fell out as songs can do. Like it needed to come out. And it was kinda just all there. It's always lovely when a song does that.
Recording it at Gentle Bear Studios in the summer of 2023 at long last was a dream come true. Got to work with Joe George and really share the song with him. He plays piano beautifully on the track and added one extra layer of backing vocals too which was really cool. Plus, he provided the nurturing care this delicate song required.
Jackson Kidder, another songwriter I am a huge fan of like Joe, came in on upright bass and added so many beautiful touches. It was so amazing to sit back and watch Joe & Jackson communicate about music and how to best enhance the initial guitar, vocals, and piano, serving the song like truly inspired professionals.
And then Jake Hawrylak of Gentle Bear Studios added drums, elevating the whole thing, locking it all together. It was a magnificent feeling to receive those first rough mixes with the drums. The magic continued as I enlisted Nick James of Austin, TX at Joe's encouragement for mixing, adding a new set of ears & once again, a beautiful end product. I then brought it home for mastering by my longtime collaborator, Noam Wallenberg, completed what you are now listening to.
Opal Vinopal is my first solo project and "Demons" is my first official release under this artist name, a name my mom had wanted to give me, but was talked out of. It's a tribute to her and the life she continues to live. Fearless, unapologetic, and generous with the love she gives. Because the world is hard and we can feel isolated even when we aren't. Mind games can get us all. So here is my song. Now it's all of ours. -Opal
lyrics
Demons (2020)
I can’t lie I cry
Tell me how do you hide
From the demons inside
When they know where to find you
They know all the places
You feel safest
How do you hide from the demons inside
When they know all the places
You feel safest
Life’s a ride oh my
I stare at the sky
Miss my people who’ve died
And the ones farthest from us
We can’t travel to places
It’s not safe yet
How do you hide from the demons inside
When they know all the places
You feel safest
credits
released December 22, 2023
Music & lyrics written by Mike Vinopal aka Opal Vinopal
Piano & engineering by Joe George
Upright bass by Jackson Kidder
Drums by Jake Hawrylak
Recorded at Gentle Bear Studios (Chicago, IL)
Mixed by Nick James (Austin, TX)
Mastered by Noam Wallenberg (Chicago, IL)
Artwork by Mike Vinopal aka Opal Vinopal
Holy shit, we can't say enough good stuff about this local artist! Jackson Jay Kidder's voice is otherworldly & his compositions will blow you away. The talent on this debut full length is immense! Local Motive
Powerful soul, singing from her toes, Jennifer Hall has been a constant source of inspiration in the Chicago music scene. The talented engineer that we worked with, Noam Wallenberg, also did this! Local Motive
New single from badcandy is fire! Features members of Local Motive, Alex Subak, Todd Gutner, & Mike Vinopal, with searing Black Sabbath meets Fiona Apple vibes. Local Motive
Stunning, ragged-edged funk and soul—if you didn’t know this was new, it could be easily mistaken for a rarities comp from the late ’60s. Bandcamp New & Notable Apr 20, 2017