Timothy Monger—known for his tenure with two of the area’s best loved bands, Great Lakes Myth Society and The Original Brothers and Sisters of Love—is back with a new, solo CD.

He plans to mark the release in two ways. On Tuesday, he’ll do an 8-hour local mini-tour starting at 7:45 a.m. with a radio interview and performance on 107.1-FM with host Martin Bandyke. Then, on Friday, June 24, he’ll play an official CD release party with his band, Timothy Monger State Park, at Woodruff’s in Ypsilanti.

“I wanted to spend an entire work shift of music,” Monger said of the June 21 event. “Though I love my job at the violin shop (he’s a repair technician at Shar Music), ideally I would love to be spending my 8-9 working hours of the day doing what’s more important to me.

“I will be stopping all over the place, playing short, 3-4 song acoustic sets; I’ll probably be pulling a wagon full of records and CDs, putting posters up, live tweeting, taking pictures, hopefully filming some of it—just trying to make an event out of it without leaving Washtenaw County,” he added.

The CD is called “The New Britton Sound,” named in part for where Monger now lives, in a small farmhouse in Britton (between Dundee and Tecumseh and a stone’s throw from M-50). In addition to the farmhouse and surrounding barns at home, Monger recorded all over Washtenaw County, even laying down tracks in a converted bakery.

“This is the era of my rural recording and writing,” he explained. “Without GLMS playing that much (the band is on temporary hiatus), I’ve been able to really focus entirely on my solo project … I’ve been able to stretch out more and try to do some different things. I finished the album in November; I spent the winter trying to figure out how to get it out; now finally it’s coming out.”

Just prior to forming Great Lakes Myth Society, Monger released his debut solo album “Summer Cherry Ghosts” in 2004, with the CD’s baroque-pop song cycle earning favorable comparisons to Elliot Smith, Electric Light Orchestra and early Bee Gees. The new CD is very different than that first solo effort, Monger said.

“’Summer Cherry Ghosts’ was dense and lush,” he said. “I really wanted to do something a little more sparse with this album. It ended up being more orchestrated than I originally planned, but I am really happy with where it ended up. Sonically I think it covers some new ground, but it’s familiar enough that people will recognize my style. I feel like it’s an advance from me, both a departure from my GLMS work and my first solo album.”

For this outing, he even hired a string arranger, L.A. pop chanteuse Paula Kelley. “It was a way to get someone from outside of Michigan and outside of my usual circle to give some creative input on this. … I think it turned out well,” Monger said.

The album was mixed by veteran engineer and longtime collaborator Geoff Michael at Big Sky Recording in Ann Arbor and released on Monger's own Northern Detective record label. Guest musicians included members of Starling Electric<, Drunken Barn Dance, Great Lakes Myth Society (Monger's brother Jamie), My Dear Disco and Hello Stranger.

“This is really the record where I learned how to engineer, beyond just a basic bedroom four-track,” Monger said. “I really studied up a lot, asked a lot of questions, fought with mics, really tried to teach myself how to engineer.

“It really was all do-it-yourself till I got to Big Sky, then Geoff cleaned it up and made it sound great.”

As far as Great Lakes Myth Society goes, fans will be pleased to know that Monger has already begun to write tunes for that band’s next CD.

“We’ve been playing together for 14 years; it just seemed time for a little break,” he said of the hiatus. “I think it’s healthy to do side projects and other endeavors, if anything to refresh interest in GLMS. My next project will probably be getting back to the Great Lakes record.

“We’re best friends—that’s definitely the partnership that’s lasted longest in my life and career,” he said.