Tara Key here. If you had asked me on Derby Day, 1984, Antietam's birthday, if I thought we would be celebrating 40 years, I would have said why not? It's “what I do” — what I am. I can’t imagine not making new music. We do it because we love it. Yeah things are different these days. The days of OG style tour, press, college radio, and record store are gone. We aren't! The common denominator then and now: verve for an engaged life, a hope we can energize your body/soul, give you a hug, or open your mind. Mixer/master(er) Steve Silverstein: Antietam has grown beloved in part for their remarkable concerts, with broad dynamics setting up visceral highlights, and the abstract textures in Tara’s creative solos melding seamlessly with the trio’s punk and classic rock referents. By focusing on these magical qualities, it’s easy to overlook the detailed and thoughtful arrangements, which while a smaller part of Antietam’s live sound, sometimes move to the foreground on recordings. Emphasis on Antietam’s arranging talents, which they have spent decades refining, is a key theme of Pitch & Yaw. Layered vocals and guitars, the contributions of guest musicians Cheryl Kingan and Greg Peterson (The Scene Is Now, Low Ways), and intersecting percussion parts move to the foreground, without losing their visceral peaks or signature guitar solos. While these elements have all been part of Antietam recordings for decades, the textural and psychedelic sonics shine in new ways on Pitch & Yaw.