Out today: “Straight Trash” – the 2nd single from Michael Sarian
“Straight Trash,” from Michael Sarian’s upcoming album Esquina, arrives in an edited form – excerpted from a nearly 20-minute composition featured on the full release. It is the first composition Sarian wrote for Esquina – a bold, improvisation-forward piece built around graphic scores and open structures that invite real-time collaboration and risk-taking. It unfolds in four movements, led by the drums and guided by the moment.
Michael shares:
Straight Trash is the first composition I crafted for Esquina, a piece built around graphic scores and flexible structures that encourage improvisation and collective expression. Divided into four movements, the piece invites the musicians to guide the direction in real time, creating an organic and unpredictable flow. The inspiration came from Miles Davis’s On the Corner, an album that blurred genre lines and defied musical norms—something I wanted to channel in this composition. The drums lead the way, and the title, Straight Trash, stems from a note I wrote for the drummer at the outset: a call to break the rules and embrace a chaotic, raw energy. This piece isn’t about perfection—it’s about experimentation and letting the music breathe in its most unrefined form. The radio edit you hear is the final movement of the track, distilled into a focused, high-energy excerpt that encapsulates the essence of the entire composition.
This release follows “Glory Box”, Sarian’s reimagined take on the 1994 Portishead classic.
Esquina drops April 25, 2025 on digital, streaming, and CD via Greenleaf Music.
Michael Sarian will be playing many live dates in support of his Greenleaf Music debut. Check the dates here.
