Star Trek: Lower Decks star Tawny Newsome releases album, Material Flats, with longtime friend and noted performer Bethany Thomas

Tawny Newsome and Bethany Thomas, Material Flats. Out now from Fine Alpinist Records

OCTOBER 29, 2020 - Star Trek: Lower Decks actor Tawny Newsome and her longtime friend and collaborator Bethany Thomas have teamed up to produce a new album together. Material Flats was released October 9th by Newsome’s own label, Fine Alpinist Records. The Chicago Sun Times brought us the story behind the album’s origin and rather timely release.

In a year that has seen a nation divided by social unrest, Newsome and Thomas were left wondering what they could do to help make a difference. On a road trip to Newsome’s home in Los Angeles in May of this year, Thomas heard about the Donald Trump rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, originally scheduled for June 19th. Also known as Juneteenth, the day recognizes and celebrates the emancipation of slaves in America. That seemed to be the final nail in the proverbial coffin, and the two set to work recording tracks for Material Flats, including a song called “Juneteenth 2020”.

“When [Bethany] showed up to the compound where we recorded everything,” Newsome said, “I had a handful of demos of various things I wanted to write about that were somewhat topical and somewhat timeless.” With themes of isolation, civil unrest, self discovery and self reliance, the eight songs on Material Flats are an exploration of the struggle for equality and inner peace for Black Americans. On collaborating with Newsome for the project, Thomas said, “There wasn’t really a lot of second guessing; it seemed organic and obvious.”

Material Flats is available to purchase as a digital download or 12” vinyl record (which also includes a digital download) from TawnyAndBethany.bandcamp.com. Individual tracks are also available for purchase and download from Amazon.com and other digital music retailers. The album is also available to stream on multiple streaming services.