Palmer/Sherwood release first album, party Friday

NORWICH – Mark Sherwood doesn’t make all the songs fellow guitarist Ron Palmer plays; he makes all the songs Ron Palmer plays better – and vice versa, the duo say.

That’s the theme behind the two local musicians’ first collaborative acoustic album, “Launch,” a robust 12-track CD that moves fast even when its going slow.

“There’s a lot of diversity throughout this album,” Palmer said. “He (Sherwood) and I have different guitar influences. It’s just a combination of those diverse influences that seems to make it click.”

“Launch” will have its first official take-off at 9 p.m. Friday, May 25, during a CD release party at The Bohemian Moon on East Main Street in Norwich.

Sherwood said the album – which is almost entirely instrumental with the exception of three songs – is the product of regular weekly jam sessions since 2004 that didn’t have a clear direction or purpose. He said their differing styles – Palmer with the more traditional acoustic sound compared to Sherwood’s modern, punchier approach – complimented and compensated each other’s abilities throughout the process.

“Everything just fell together,” he said. “The process of making this album had nothing to do with goals. We just wrote whatever felt good.”

At points particular tracks, like “Lunar Tune” (the first song they ever wrote together), “Sketches of September,” “Fantasy” and “Hydrogen,” seamlessly delve into what sounds like an entirely different song, demonstrating the improvised mindset behind “Launch.”