When saxophonist Patrick Booth and musician Steve Leaf—also known as Sunken Melody—set out to record "Try Your Best," they had no set plan, no sheet music, and no preconceived notions. What emerged from their recording sessions was an entirely improvised album, reflecting deep musical connection, trust, and a shared love for ambient soundscapes.
Booth and Leaf’s friendship goes back nearly a decade, bonded early on by a mutual admiration for artists like Nils Frahm. Their journey to Chicago to see Frahm live was a catalyst, planting the seed for what would eventually become Try Your Best. “We left the concert and looked at each other and said, ‘I think we could make a record,’” Booth recalls. “We just wanted to create something beautiful together.”
Recording at Centennial Sound in Grand Rapids, Booth and Leaf approached the project with a spirit of exploration. Leaf, known for his intricate electronic rig incorporating guitars, pedals, and drum machines, worked with Booth to create sonic textures as a foundation for improvisation.
Described as an album that reflects “a love of deep tones and simple themes,” Try Your Best achieves a balance between stillness and movement. Inspired by ambient pioneers like Brian Eno and Ólafur Arnalds, Booth and Leaf allowed their compositions to unfold naturally.
That trust was central to Try Your Best. “Whatever I did, Steve trusted it would make sense, and I trusted him in the same way. Even though we tried recording like this before, this was the time it really worked.”
The album’s five tracks—"Fayette," "Sheldrake," "Earth," "Pokagon," and "Nonesuch"—are all named after abandoned mining towns in Michigan. “That was Steve’s idea,” Booth shares. “Originally, the tracks were named after coffee drinks as an homage to our first, failed attempt at recording. But we decided to go with something more meaningful.”
Listen to Kurt Hauswirth's interview with Patrick here:
With hours of unused recordings from their sessions, Booth and Leaf have plenty of material for future projects—or they might simply do it all over again. Live performances of Try Your Best could also take the music in new directions, expanding upon the ethos of improvisation that defined the album.
At its core, Try Your Best is about trust, creativity, and exploration. “It’s our friendship put into sonic form,” Booth says. And in that form, it resonates—deeply, simply, and beautifully.
Find Sunken Melody + Patrick Booth's album "Try Your Best" on Bandcamp.
This interview was broadcast as a part of Public Radio 90's The Shuffle on Sat. Feb 22nd.
