Ramirezs most adventurous album to date, but a record that captures the mood of thecountry in its music as well as in its lyrics. : Being half white and half Mexican has made thiscurrent political climate especially interesting. So many cultures in this country are beingviewed as un-American and it breaks my heart”. This is the first album Ive had properlyproduced, says Ramirez, who either produced or co-produced all of his previous efforts.For Were Not Going Anywhere, he hired Sam Kassirer, who has helmed albums by JoshRitter, Lake Street Dive, Bhiman, and many other artists. I needed to evolve and change things up a bit, which is why Ichose Sam. He pushed me in a way I hadnt been pushed before. Kassirer challengedRamirez to simultaneously simplify and complicate his songwriting, to find new ways to tellhis stories and make a band record. In January 2017 Ramirez and his band decamped to theGreat North Sound Society, an eighteenth-century farmhouse in rural Maine that serves asKassirers studio. Especially in the winter, when the trees are bare and snow blankets theground, the setting proved inspiring. Its very secluded, which was part of the appeal. Wewere able to get out of our touring headspace and stay completely involved with therecord and what we were doing.