Tales From Lonely Mountain

On Both Sides of the Glass

Like any business, music rewards those who’ve sat on both sides of the glass.

Not just the executive chair—but the artist’s chair. The one with no feedback loop. The one where you press “upload” and release something into the void. And the most informed are often those who’ve lived the cycle, not just modeled it.

There are people who speak in hypotheticals. And then there are those who speak from memory.

For those unaware, I’ve been writing and recording music since my teens, across a few decades now. One of my most personal records is one I never released. It’s called Tales From Lonely Mountain, and I wrote it quietly in 2010, just me and a Rhodes piano, over four nights.

The first song to be shared is Carousel Blues, recorded in a single late-night take during that same stretch. For the past 15 years, I’ve returned to this record more than most others I love. It’s been my private compass. A therapy piece. A friend recently said what I’d quietly avoided: "Why haven’t you released this?"

So here we are.

Some context for the industry-minded: during one of my parallel lives, I had a co-publishing deal with BMG from 2011 to 2015. These songs, including Carousel Blues, were never officially released, but they lived quietly in sync libraries, occasionally surfacing. One clip even made it into a Katie Couric segment on weed policy. (Truly a different era.)

Now I own them again. And I have nothing to lose. It’s been a while since the last record. And these songs, long tucked away, still feel alive.

This is another node in a larger thread I’ve been weaving—about ownership, authorship, the quiet power of creative control, and what it means to make and release work in a landscape shaped by performative momentum more than meaning. More on that soon.

Until then, here’s Carousel Blues. One of my favorites. Out now, from the forthcoming record Tales From Lonely Mountain. Streaming wherever you need it to be.

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[PRESS RELEASE]

Mokotow releases “Carousel Blues,” the first single from Tales From Lonely Mountain
Out July 18 via Heeled & Heavy Records

“Carousel Blues” was recorded in a single sitting on a Rhodes piano in 2010. The first single from Tales From Lonely Mountain, a minimalist, ambient record written over four nights and left untouched for over a decade, it captures the undercurrent of solitude, seasonal change, and emotional stillness.

Raw and reflective, the track serves as an entry point into a record long kept private. For fans of Max Richter, Ólafur Arnalds, and cinematic quietude—for when presence matters more than pace.

Cover photography by Noah Kalina. Visuals by Dan Hayes.
Mixed by Jeff Berner. Mastered by Kim Rosen.

Listen now on your preferred platform.