My name is Quinn Hedges and I am a songwriter based out of Rocklin, CA, a suburb of Sacramento. I have previously released three independent albums (Quinn Hedges, Without You, and Step Outside). In an effort to progress, I wrote a group of songs I felt deserved more than my previous efforts. With that said, I made a commitment to working with the most talented cast of musicians, arrangers, and engineers possible. As it turned out, I stayed true to my commitment and have recorded what I hope you’ll agree is my best album to date, "Slightly South of Stormy Clouds". In late 2013, I reached out to my cousin, John B Hedges (Co-Producer, Arranger, Piano, Keyboards, Vocals, Shruti Box) to collaborate on an album with an emphasis on doing it the right way from the beginning to the end. John B, alumni of the Curtis Institute of Music, is a contemporary composer and musician has worked with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Modern, New Jersey Symphony, Grand Rapids Symphony, Curtis Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Ensembles the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble among others. He has conducted concerts at the Centre Georges Pompidou, Frankfurt Alte Oper, Academie Musicale de Villecroze, the Aldeburgh Festival. From across the country, John B and I fine-tuned all of the songs, arrangements, and the album arc as a whole. The next step was to actually start recording. In April 2015, I flew out to Philadelphia to record some world-class talent at Milkboy The Studio. John B and I hand-picked some amazing instrumentalists to perform on these sessions, including: Xavier Foley (Double Bass), virtuoso bassist and First Prize winner of the 2014 Sphinx Competition; Tessa Seymour (Cello), who made her Carnegie Hall debut in 2007 and has performed in numerous other distinguished venues throughout the world, including Davies Symphony Hall and the Kennedy Center; Childhood friend and huge musical influence, Aaron McHenry (Drums); Curtis Institute of Music's Ren Martin-Doike (Viola, Violin) & Zoe Martin-Doike (Violin); “The Philly Phatness” Horn Section, consisting of Vince Tampio (Trumpet, Flugelhorn) and Thor Espanez (Tenor Saxophone & Baritone Saxophone); and my uncle, John B’s father, “Funkle” Johnny Hedges (Electric Bass). These recording sessions (Milkboy Sessions) were engineered by Philadelphia native, Tim Sonnefeld (Audio Engineer, Mixing Engineer), who received a Grammy Award for his contributions on Usher’s 2010 album, “Raymond v. Raymond”. Once the Milkboy Sessions were completed, recording resumed in Sacramento at Octopus Audio with Zack Proteau (Audio Engineer, Electric Bass). Zack Proteau is an engineer, producer, electric bassist, and Rolling Stone award winning producer on Jackie Greene’s 2002 album, “Gone Wanderin’”. Among the list of musicians recorded on the west coast consisted of Sacramento’s own Brian Chris Rogers (Percussion), a multi-Sammie award winning musician; Alison Harris (Vocals), a Sebastopol singer-songwriter and fellow music-major classmate at Sonoma State University; my father, Bernie Hedges (Pedal Steel Guitar, Dobro, Vocals); and the remainder of my immediate family, June Hedges, Rebecca Hedges, and Hilary Dibben (Vocals). When the recording of the album was deemed complete, I connected with Tim Sonnefeld and enlisted him as the mixing engineer. Upon completion of mixing, I sent the final mixes off to Gateway Mastering Studios in Portland, ME, for the legendary mastering engineer, Bob Ludwig, to put on the final touches. Bob Ludwig is a multi-Grammy Award winning engineer who has worked with artists from the likes of Led Zeppelin, the Who, and Jimi Hendrix to Alabama Shakes, Beck, and Radiohead. After 3 years of extremely hard work that tested my patience, drive, and dedication, I can finally sit back and enjoy the efforts of the fantastic team that I was surrounded by spanning from coast to coast. 'Slightly South of Stormy Clouds' is intended to be listened to from beginning to end, guiding the listener through a self-reflecting musical journey about life in transition. I truly hope this album is as enjoyable a listen for you as it was a creation for me. Please enjoy 'Slightly South of Stormy Clouds'! Sincerely, Quinn Hedges