Jonny Polonsky's Acoustic "Lay Down Your Arms" — Exclusive Live Video Premiere
Here’s an intimate acoustic video of Jonny Polonsky’s “Lay Down Your Arms,” from his recent album The Other Side of Midnight.
Gravel-voiced Polonsky pleads for detente and his nakedly acoustic performance is a fitting accompaniment.
Polonsky shares, ""This video was shot in my house. Originally it was going to be filmed in my bed and I was just hanging out on the couch waiting for the cameras to be set up in the bedroom. The director, Chris Deford, liked how it looked better with me on the couch so voila. I had pretty much just woken up."
Written and performed entirely by Polonsky and mixed by longtime Lynch collaborator/engineer, Dean Hurley at David Lynch’s Asymmetrical Studios, Jonny Polonsky’s The Other Side of Midnight is 35 minutes of strange and beautiful, melodic, sci-fi bliss.
On the new album, Polonsky shares, “The Other Side of Midnight is the first record I've made since Hi My Name is Jonny where I played all the instruments, and produced and recorded everything myself.” He continues, “Dean Hurley (whose additional credits include artists: Zola Jesus, Moby, Duran Duran, Danzig, Chrysta Bell; and iconic film/television work including: Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet, Inland Empire) and mixed it at David Lynch's personal recording studio, Asymmetrical Studios, which was a huge thrill to me. I love David Lynch's films and the music he makes. A LOT. My new record has a dark, watery, nighttime feel to it, and Dean helped to bring out those qualities BIG TIME. Plus I'm sure having Lynch mojo in the air didn't hurt either...”
Polonsky has lived an entire lifetime over the past decade. After opening for Audioslave in 2005, and spending some time in a short-lived band with Brad Wilk and Tim Commerford of Rage Against The Machine/Audioslave called Big Nose, Polonsky met Maynard James Keenan of Tool, and became an integral part of Keenan's performance project, Puscifer, writing, recording and touring with them for several years.
Rick Rubin has championed Polonsky’s involvement in a number of studio/live performance collaborations with legends including Johnny Cash, Neil Diamond, Donovan, Pete Yorn and Cedric Bixler of The Mars Volta. A restless creative, Polonsky has continued to work and release his own solo music throughout his numerous artistic endeavors.
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Acoustic Nation is written by Laura B. Whitmore, a music industry marketing veteran, music journalist and editor, who has contributed to Parade.com, Guitar World, and others. She has interviewed hundreds of musicians and hosts the She Rocks Podcast. As the founder of the Women’s International Music Network, she advocates for women in the music industry and produces the annual She Rocks Awards. She is the Senior Vice President of Marketing for Positive Grid, making the world safe for guitar exploration everywhere! A guitarist and singer/songwriter, Laura is currently co-writing an album of pop songs that empower and energize girls.
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