Doctor Nick & the Family Dog
Cafe Ram Dass
Cafe Ram Dass is a record searching for meaning in the middle of modern life — built from an embarrassing belief in poetry, scraps of the lost hippie dream, and a healthy worship of holy absurdity.
The first album under the Doctor Nick & the Family Dog name marks a new phase of spontaneous creation. Songs often arrived half-finished, with the rest taking shape in the moment, resulting in a record that feels deeply rooted in family, friendship, place, and community. The name Family Dog reflects the way the record came together, with family, close friends, and musicians passing through Nick’s home studio and becoming part of the creative process. That sense of family is woven throughout the album.
Recorded between Voyager Studios and Nick’s home studio in Walnut Canyon, the album took shape through a revolving cast of musicians, friends, and collaborators. At Voyager, sessions with Chris "Dixie" Darley, Chris Sikora, Frank Lenz, Scott Archdale, and others were recorded live in the room, often without a click, giving the music a loose and immediate quality. The remaining tracks were recorded and produced by Doctor Nick at his home studio in Walnut Canyon, with wife Jenna Hunt providing harmony vocals & spiritual guidance throughout. Chris “Dixie” Darley also contributed production to select tracks.
Drawing from a musical world that includes Joni Mitchell, The Band, Ry Cooder, The Beatles, The Grateful Dead, The Allman Brothers, Beck, and Pacific Northwest psychedelia, Cafe Ram Dass finds its own strange place somewhere between folk, psychedelia, roots music, and experimental songcraft.
Side A
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A1) Cafe Ram Dass
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A2) Waco Bacco
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A3) On Hold
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A4) Longgazer
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A5) Stallion Tears
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A6) Slo Pines
Side B
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B1) Rhodes Tooth
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B2) Nova Rain
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B3) Six Decision
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B4) No Translation
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B5) Disasterpiece
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B6) Nico's Long Trail
Music mastered for vinyl by Well Made Music. Vinyl pressed by Gotta Groove Records. Artwork by Nicholas Abraham, photography by Van Bobbi. Vinyl will be available for purchase on Saturday, September 26 using the purchase button below. Listen to Cafe Ram Dass on your favorite streaming platform: