Talking With Musicians

Creating Head West was a true family affair. Zellar’s eldest son Wilson engineered, mixed, and mastered the album in addition to playing all the guitar tracks. His youngest son Owen acted as assistant engineer (and primary engineer on vocal tracks), and his wife Carolyn took all the album art photos. Even his 13-year-old daughter Clementine contributed, adding some percussion. “Before the quarantine, I wasn’t sure I would ever record another album,” says Zellar, “but like many other people, the downtime provided a lot of time for my mind to roam. I think these songs reflect equal parts looking back and looking to the future. I am incredibly proud of this album, and the process of recording it was one of the most gratifying experiences of my life.” Zellar stresses that the family approach to recording the album was organic, not affected. “Everyone involved was incredibly qualified. I think that will be apparent when you listen."