Ambassador Hazy

Cardinal Fuzz and Feeding Tube Records make available the debut release by Ambassador Hazy, Glacial Erratics, previously releases as a private press edition in 2020. Ambassador Hazy is a solo recording project by Sterling DeWeese who was previously in a slew of obscure bands including Heavy Hands, Dirty Rainbow, Terrapin Gun, Madison Electric, and Black Fantastic. Glacial Erratics is really a comeback record as Sterling had totally stopped playing for seven or eight years after he got married and started a family and the business of life took over - but the calling was always there and as his youngest began to grow - the time became available for Sterling to answer the call. First though he needed to get his ½" reel-to-reel 8-track back in working order and set up a studio space and fit it out with gear. Soon he was playing again with some local musicians and recording some of those performances live to tape but the hassle of getting everyone together at the same time was hard, so in the downtime Sterling began focusing on recording on his own. Thus, the name Glacial Erratics was born, as it was all a bit of a hodge podge (i.e. erratic) and ended up being done over several years (i.e. glacial). Once there was enough material finished, between band tracks and solo tracks Sterling compiled them. The resulting album is a kaleidoscope of contagious hooks and artfully crafted songs, laid to tape and brought to life in brilliant color. "Black Smoke Rising" is a blur of fuzz guitar and stuttering snare hits as Sterling says "I believe in the future - don't take it away" and over 14 tracks you are treated to artfully crafted acid pop gems that are riddled with potholes and weird left turns, with hooks that seem to bubble out of nowhere before receding into themselves. The lo-fi aesthetic works perfectly, with the songs benefiting from the warm fuzz tones of the instruments and vocals recorded onto that now fully functioning ½" tape machine. Sterling eventually self-released Glacial Erratics after seeking advice from his good friend Josh (Travelling Circle, Lime Eyelid) who had recently self-released his LP - the record eventually reached John Westhaver (TBWNIS).