Photo: Patrick Glennon
New York jam giants God Street Wine have announced the release of Mantoloking and Other Songs, their first new album in six years, due on March 7, 2025. As an initial preview and first listen, the five-piece dropped a new single from the collection, “One and One.”
“One and One” represents the first in a series of songs intended to turn on first-time listeners and longtime fans of God Street Wine to their latest iteration of jam-fueled music. A melodious rock ballad centered around the handy work of lead Aaron Maxwell on slide guitar, the track has also been kissed by Jon Bevo’s B3 organ, and flanked in melody elicited by all members to create a sonic experience that oscillates sing-a-long status.
“I started writing ‘One and One sometime’ in 2017, in the attic of the old Victorian house I was living in in Kingston, New York. Last summer I finished it, at my place in Woodstock. It’s one of those songs that’s been rolling around my brain for a long time; I even made a demo of it back in 2017, complete with a guitar synth solo, and weird strings. I need to find that thing,” reflects Maxwell.
“Anyway, let’s just say, at that time I was thinking a lot about failed relationships, and the idea of new relationships, and how it’s hard to really infiltrate somebody’s defenses when they’re not ready or willing. I remember listening to a lot of Aimee Mann’s album, ‘Mental Illness,’ around that time, so I think that might’ve been rubbing off on me.
“I was also thinking about, if you find the person you’re meant to be with, it really shouldn’t be too hard, period. And if it is, maybe it’s time to look inward, or let go. But, with all of that, on the other side of the coin, I think there’s also a hopeful thread. One needs to take chances in life to see where various roads may lead. The woods are not what they seem,” he offered via press release.
Mantoloking and Other Songs features six compositions, including the LP centerpiece and namesake, “Mantoloking,” a whopping 16-minute barn burner from Lo Farber. The song takes its name from the New Jersey seaside town while sonically referencing Pat Metheny and Frank Zappa. Prior to the band’s latest spurt of live shows [2024] they played the song with concert regularity in the ’90s, but only now has it received studio treatment.
Listen to “One and One” now. Learn more about God Street Wine’s live schedule below and purchase tickets via www.godstreetwine.com.
Ardmore Music Hall – March 7, 2025 – Philadelphia
The Atlantis – March 8, 2025 – Washington, DC
The Sinclair – March 13, 2025 – Boston
Nectar’s – March 14, 2025 – Burlington (SOLD OUT)
Bearsville Theater – March 15, 2025 – Woodstock, N.Y.