Holidays Are Hard!

Thumpity thump thump. 2023

Download

Vinyl

Brandy & Eggnog

03:40
Holidays Are Hard

02:36
House of David

02:26
Scrooge and Marley

03:39
Little Match Girl

03:18
Gloria

03:09
The Truce

05:41
Christmas in the Pen

03:35
Boxing Day

01:38
Tell the Kids

02:33
New to Me

03:00
Aged Carolers

02:44

Brandy & Eggnog

03:40
Holidays Are Hard

02:36
House of David

02:26
Scrooge and Marley

03:39
Little Match Girl

03:18
Gloria

03:09
The Truce

05:41
Christmas in the Pen

03:35
Boxing Day

01:38
Tell the Kids

02:33
New to Me

03:00
Aged Carolers

02:44

BIOG

Will Stafford and Tim Karplus have collaborated on Will’s music since the holiday season of 2014. Window Business is their product. Will writes the songs. Tim plays a host of instruments and engineering roles.

Before the moniker from 2014-2017, Chris Koroshetz played drums. His tracks are on 8 Ball Sessions, the self-titled album, as well as a couple songs on later releases including Here’s My Card and Holidays Are Hard. Since 2018 Mark Powers has played drums.

Beyond those gentlemen, there are scores of accompanists who play dozens of instruments to frame Window Business's multifarious approach. They are named in the site credits.

Age Patterson designed and hosts the website window.business and maintains their music on other sites as well. Window Business has offices in Portland and Spokane.

Dear Listener,

Merry Christmas. Should they please you, I hope these carols find their way into your holidays for years to come. I hope they lift some of the heaviness you may feel around the season with their good humour and sincere meditations. I hope they convey, whether it is for human or spiritual connection, you are not alone. I hope you get the Christmas that you need.

for love,

Will Stafford

Holidays Are Hard!

Written by Will Stafford
and produced Tim Karplus

Mastered by Rachel Field,
Resonant Sounds, Seattle
web development by Age Patterson

Brandy & Eggnog
vocals – Will Stafford
intro and backing vocals – Margaret Wehr
backing vocals, guitars, keys, bass – Tim Karplus
drums – Mark Powers

Holidays Are Hard
vocals and guitar – Will Stafford
backing vocals – Margaret Wehr
keys – Tim Karplus
bass - Dale Jones
saxophone - Nathan Caver Smith
drums – Chris Koroshetz

House of David
vocals, oud, zither, tambourine, harmonica – Will Stafford
bass organ – Tim Karplus

Scrooge and Marley
vocals – Will Stafford
backing vocals, guitar, keys, bass, autoharp – Tim Karplus
drums – Mark Powers

Little Match Girl
vocals - Will Stafford
guitar, bass, keys, melodica - Tim Karplus
drums – Mark Powers

Gloria
vocals – Will Stafford
backing vocals – Haley Johnson
guitar, keys, bass – Tim Karplus
drums – Mark Powers

The Truce
vocals – Will Stafford
arranger, keys, bugle, bass drum – Tim Karplus
backing vocals, bass, cello – Owen Hofmann-Smith
viola – Natalia Uribe Menendez
drums – Chris Koroshetz

Christmas in the Pen
vocals – Will Stafford
guitar, bass, keys – Tim Karplus
saxophone – Nathan Carver Smith
drums – Mark Powers

Boxing Day
vocals – Will Stafford
vocals – Eadric Stafford
keys, bells – Tim Karplus

Tell the Kids
vocals – Will Stafford
guitar – Tim Karplus

New to Me
vocals – Will Stafford
backing vocals, keys, bass – Tim Karplus

Aged Carol
vocals – Will Stafford
vocals, organ – Tim Karplus
vocals – Margaret Wehr
vocals – Hannah Dimo
flute – Sydney Nash
drums – Mark Powers

Here's My Card

People

Adam Sweeney: Chief Engineer, multi-instrumentalist, featured vocalist Murderin Boots

Tim Karplus: Mixing Engineer, multi-instrumentalist, featured vocalist Here's My Card

Alex Champan: Mastering Engineer, bassist Sunshine So What

Age Patterson: Website Engineer, bassist, otamatonist

Mark Powers: Drums

Kyle Richard: Engineer Gone Til November

Kyle Keith: Engineer turntables This is What's Real

Dale Jones: bass on Courtesy

Chris Koroshetz: Drums Sunshine So What

Charlie 100: Drums Good Men Bad Men

Nic Frost: Bass and guitar Good Men Bad Men

Sheila McGrane: Flute Sunshine So What

J Crow: Featured vocalist Old Ways

Will Hobbs: Backing vocalist and mandolin Old Ways

Rebecca Gonshak: Featured vocalist This is What's Real

Ruune: album art

Will Stafford: Writer, Producer

Gone till November by Wyclef Jean and the Refugee All Stars 1997

So What by Miles Davis 1959

You are my Sunshine by Jimmie Davis and Charles Mitchell 1940

Six Apart

People

Will Stafford: songwriter, lead vocals, a guitar solo on Sisters, some whistling

Tim Karplus: bass, keys, guitars, backing vocals, glockenspiel, chief engineer

Rob Salois: co-writer on Sisters. acoustic guitar on Sisters

Owen Hoffman-Smith: cello

Mark Powers: drums

Nathan Percelli: trumpet

Hailey Johnson: vocals on Gloria

Adam Sweeney: co-engineer

John Plank: co-engineer on Sisters

Alex Chapman: mastering engineer

Ruune: album art

Age Patterson: website design and hosting

Will's Notes

Most of Six Apart was written in the Fall of 2020 at Rob’s house in Great Falls Montana. Tim and I drove out there from Portland to record Sisters with Rob and John during the Spring break of 2021. A central idea to Six Apart is that we did a lot of tracking remotely. Owen’s Cello was recorded at Adam Sweeney’s house. Mark, Hailey, and Nathan all sent their parts from their respective home studios. Tim and I did our parts from his home studio.

Six Songs Together

People

Will Stafford: songwriter, lead vocals, guitars

Tim Karplus, piano, organ, guitars, backing vocals, mix engineer

Owen Hoffman-Smith, cello, basses, and backing vocals

Mark Powers: drums

Justin Phelps: chief engineer and mastering engineer

Ruune: album art

Adam Sweeney: videographer on Hallelujah for That

Nick Frost: assistant videographer

Age Patterson: website design and hosting

Will's Notes

Six Songs Together was recorded over July 5th and 6th at Hallowed Halls Studio in Portland.

Before the War

People

Will Stafford: songwriter, lead vocals guitars, oud

Tim Karplus, guitars, keys, bass, backing vocals, chief engineer

Mark Powers: drums

Bryant Byers: tuba and trombone

Nathan Carver Smith, saxophone

Lath Toma: dobro on Pillar

Richey Bellinger: loaned me his dobro

Sheila McGrane: flute

Adam Sweeney: assistant engineer

Stevie Wonder and Yvonne Wright: wrote They Won’t Go When I Go

Dave Johnson: album art

Aaron Parrett: original liner notes

Alex Chapman: mastering engineer

Age Patterson: website design and hosting

Will's Notes

Before the War was recorded at Yellow Room Studios in Portland, OR. We did guitar solos for ode and some backing vocals at Adam’s house as well.

Window Business

People

Will Stafford, songwriter, lead vocals, guitars

Tim Karplus, guitars, basses, keys, backing vocals, chief engineer

Chris Koroshetz: drums

Sheila McGrane: flutes, vocals

Andre Zapata: bass on Tao Called Tao

Julio Appling: bass on Undone

Dale Jones: bass on Blue Light Falls and Ultralight

Alex Chapman: bass on Next Ten Years, mastering engineer

Laith Toma, guitar on House of Woe

Alicia Baker: accordion on History of the Night Lamp

Owen Hoffman-Smith: cello, bowed bass, backing vocals on Carol My Dove

Natalia Uribe: violin and erhu

Will Hobbs: backing vocals on Armistice Day

Rian Lewis: pedal steel on Armistice Day

Megan Cronin: viola and backing vocals on Claudette

Linda Perry: wrote Beautiful

JP Downer: album art

Age Patterson: website design and hosting

Will's Notes

This is a compilation of the first 3 William Stafford albums recorded at 8 Ball Studio in Portland which is why there are so many bass players. We changed the name to Window Business and went out to play our first tour in Montana, headlining the Covellite Film Festival in 2018.

8 Ball Sessions

People

Will Stafford: songwriter, vocals, guitars

Tim Karplus: bass, keys, guitar, vocals, chief engineer

Chris Koroshetz: drums

Lainey Brown: lead vocals on My I’m Blue

Andre Zapata: bass on Most Peoples’ Secrets

Will Hobbs: mandolin on So Hollywood

Jack Kelly and Lily Devlin: bagpipe duet

Ernie Tong and Clayton Morgareidge: backing vocal duet on Morning Star

Alex Chapman: bass on Three Dead Americans

Owen Hoffman-Smith: bass on Morning Star

Megan Cronin: viola on Haunted Frog Song

Natalia Uribe: violin on Sweet Child

Sheila McGrane: flute

Nathan Catver Smith: saxophone

Nick Shatell: wrote original Self Portrait

Gregory Corso: wrote original Last Night I Drove a Car

Age Patterson: website design and hosting

Will's Notes

This is also a compilation of the first three 8 Ball Records. RIP Clayton. Thank you everybody for contributing your talents to these projects.