Roots, Part 10: Lost Images

I just got some things I somehow left in California.  Firstly, the great images from The Shears whose story is told at that link, so I won't dwell on it.

First there was ¡Swing Pad! named after the room Aidan and Sam shared those two weeks.  Hopefully their essence is captured as we would have hoped.

Back and front cover with images from the title location.

Inside cover - some of my favorite images from the era.

Tray image.  This is a cartoon by Sam.  the letter in my hand reads "Dear Chris, I'm in love w you. - Gerry"  Gerry was my high school nemesis, so I react "WHAT?!?"  Aidan says "Hi, I'm Aidan and i'm Gay."  The third character, says, "wait... i'm not Sam."  At the time, he clearly didn't look like him, but years later he would look EXACTLY like this.

Then there was Smokin' in the Girls Room - a much looser affair featuring Jeff Ziga.

The Shears int he actual girls' room.

The back - us at Acme.

The inside, featuring Jon Shapiro and Jeff Ziga on the see-saw.

The tray.

Speed The Plough - The Plough and the Stars

So, as all my loyal followers know by now, my copy of The Plough and the Stars finally arrived today, so now I can finally write a gushing review of my first piece of vinyl from my favorite band.

Not particularly flattering of either.

So, before totally gushing, I'll get the flaws out of the way.  The really big one is that "Fathers and Sons" is not included.  Not even as a bonus track.  This song is only available on the CD version of the self-titled debut.  Any version of it is extremely rare, it's the only album of theirs not available on their website, so maybe the whole thing should have been included.  Either way, it may be their best song and is doomed to remain one of the deepest cuts, available to most only from Souncloud.

The other problem all will have is withthe download, which is pretty disorganized, only consisting of titles and numbers.  This is not an uncommon problem, but with about 40 tracks, it's a little more irritating that usual.

The final flaw is personal (I hope), but has nothing to do with my delivery issues.  The second side of the LP has a big "bird shit" spot which kind of ruins the beginning of "Cutting Branches for Temporary Shelter."  I can't get it off, but I'm hoping it will be neutralized after enough plays.  It's too bad as I think this version is better than the one off Wonder Wheel heard elsewhere on this set.  I suppose this is jsut a risk in buying vinyl, but it is the first time it has happened to me.

Now, for all the flattery.  This is a beautiful item.  With the CD best-of taken from the first four albums, the LP featuring the brand new (though recorded with the former lineup with all three Francias) Tag Sale EP and a life set from WFMU in 1993 it's off to a great start.  Then there are all the download tracks, which are all great, even when not the best recordings.  Then there is the booklet which I am really going to take my time in enjoying.  It is clear that this collection is based on last year's Trypes' retrospective Music For Neighbors.  As you may know, that record changed my life more than anything else I have ever bought.

Tag Sale continues the new era of STP as a multi-generational band as great as it was before, albeit with a very different balance.  I have talked about the differences between their new material and old material, so I'm not going to retread it, but as someone who thinks Swerve and Shine are excellent albums, different yet even stronger than Mason's Box, I think this new EP delivers six more tracks of the same caliber.  Michael Baumgartner's name makes a few appearances in the composition credits, providing further evidence that the musical genes were successful passed down from his parents.  The live tracks are maybe even better, though the record from its era may not be their best, the lineup featuring all three members of Wild Carnation probably is.  Likewise, the downloads cover it all and there is no shortage of great material for this band.  Likewise, the best-of is not the same one I would have complied, but anyone new to the band will certainly not feel cheated by its tracklist.

On yet another positive note, my set is completed by the hand-written none on the back of a sticker from John Baumgartner recommending that I buy this album.  That, along with another blank one, was included with my CD copies of Swerve and Wonder Wheel, which arrived promptly.

Get it, you probably will get luckier than I did when it comes to pressing quality!

Hoboken Arts & Music Festival 9/29/13

Taking a break from a long piece I'm writing about the period when music got out of control with the emotions from 1988 to 2005 to talk about this show I attended yesterday featuring two of my favorite bands of all time:  The Feelies and Speed the Plough.

I wasn't looking forward to spending a whole day at a crowded Hoboken street fair, so Andrea and I got there around 2:45, about 30 minutes before Speed the Plough was set to begin.  We got up to the main stage and it was clear this was going to be as great a three hours as we could hope.  Every member of the Feelies other than Stanley Demeski was onstage setting up as well and two of the other people waiting with anticipation were Ira Kaplan and his son, right next to us for the next few hours (and beyond).

They started off, not long after 3:15, with I believe "Perfect North" off the new record, which unfortunately has not arrived yet (hopefully on account of the postal service, still within normal range).  The rest of their performance was great, save for the one minor hinderance of a bad arm injury affecting Toni Baumgartner which prevented any of the usual woodwinds.  The upside of this was it gave a chance for her son Michael to show off that he is one of the best lead guitarists around.  With drummer John Demeski he brought a great youthful energy to the band that keeps them totally fresh.  The surprise guests were Bill Million, Brenda Sauter, and Glenn Mercer, which was real nice, but a little bit of a tease for someone always hoping for some kind of surprise Trypes reunion.  On that note, the band's setlist was not my ideal, but when all their songs are so good, that's not much to complain about, and surely that had something to do with the injury.  It did have the advantage of being longer than the last time I saw them, but the previous set's inclusion of "Madeleine" and "Veszprem" gave it the edge.

The Feelies, on the other hand have had a very consistent setlist every time I see them, and yesterday's performance may have been the best performance I have seen.  As usual, that begins with "On The Roof," and saved the few Crazy Rhythms tracks for the end.  In between that, though were some of their highlights.  The best of which was probably "Slipping (Into Something)" which concluded with some excellent guitar noise, especially from Bill Million who was clearly channeling Hendrix.  One recurring theme throughout their set was tense buildups such as on "Away" and of course "Raised Eyebrows" which with the greatest visibility of the five members made it the most mesmerizing performance of the song I have seen so far.  Like every time I have seen the band, after that the initial set concluded with "Crazy Rhythms" which also sounded better than ever, ending with more subtle guitar noise and some really tight mesmerizing bass.

The encore was equally predictable and enjoyable.  It began with "Rock & Roll," which was the last thing I heard, sung by Mercer on my final visit to Maxwell's.  Then we got some more Crazy Rhythms with "Fa Cé-La" and "Everybody's Got Something To Hide (Except For Me And My Monkey)."  The latter song was also helped by the sunny environment and big stage with Dave Weckerman's performance on the front, wailing on the pipe and tine drum.  I saw John Baumgartner catch some shots (or possibly video) of him from a very intimate and action-packed angle and I am hoping to see some of those as soon as I can.

Afterwards we were so lucky to be in the front of the crowd and made our way to the PATH, probably not returning to Hoboken until Tommy is back for a holiday or two, and once again we were side by side with Ira Kaplan and son.  As the four of us made our way to the station confirming just how over Hoboken has become, if the members of Yo La Tengo presumably don't even live there.  We made our way down to the 33rd Ave train and waited.  The Kaplans then moved away from us, taking a seat on a bench.  That ended again when the train arrived and they walked right up to the same door as us and stood, and later sat near Adrea and me.  I was convinced they would end up following us even longer as we decided to eat in Williamsburg, and you know, they might live around there, but it ended at 14th street as we left.  It was an oddly long encounter with one musical idol while seeing even more of them.  It was hard not to say something and nerd out again, but he definitely deserved a day off.

An Open Letter to Bar/None Records

I have been a fan of many of the artists on your roster for many years.  While I am too young to have really been there for the heights of the Hoboken scene I have loved bands like The Feelies, Yo La Tengo, The Individuals and many more for a very large portion of my life.  I am a New Jersey native and take a lot of pride in what this label has done for the state's musical identity.  Despite this I feel very slighted by the company.

Speed the Plough has been my favorite band since I first heard them and I have been excited for the release of The Plough And The Stars since I first heard about it.  It was their performance that got me to make yet another long trek from Astoria to Hoboken in Maxwell's final days to see the Bar/None event.  It was definitely worth it and I was already counting the days until I could pre-oder the band's new release from the source itself.  Word has been spreading about this great band and this excellent release and the fact that I still cannot listen to it or hold it in my hands has been bothering me more and more for the last week.

See, I did pre-oder this record almost immediately and dropped nearly thirty dollars, which is a lot for me at the moment.  It was worth it, I was certain.  However, about a week later, I noticed that I had given the wrong address on me order - number 6500.  In the middle of the night with only two weeks until album was to be released I sent an e-mail about this mistake, certain that the problem would be fixed and this anticipated album would still reach my home.  Five days later with still no response I sent another e-mail about this error.  No response.

These days social media seems to be an even better mode of communication with business so I used twitter to mention my complaint and still I was ignored.  Well, maybe they got the message anyway I hoped.  I still don't know because I have not received any information about the order.  I have never ordered anything online and not gotten confirmation when it was sent, so I have no idea if it even has been sent to the wrong address.  All I know is I lost almost $30 that I could really use right now.

Why did I even bother pre-ordering this, I wonder?  Maybe because Bar/None has been plagued by horrible distribution its entire life and I would rather not search every record store in New York and probably pay more money.  Maybe because I wanted to support this release even before it came out.  Maybe I just wanted to know I have it.

Well I don't have it.  All I have is a lot of anger towards Hoboken's most famous record label.  Maybe Hoboken is even worse than we all think.  At that show back in July I saw the artists that made this label great lose the last monument in that city, and now I feel like Bar/None has succumbed to the same monster that has consumed Maxwell's and everything else in that mile square.

Luckily for them I will still buy this record.  I will have spent over $60 I am sure on this set because Speed the Plough is that great, and I am still excited to own their music on vinyl.  However, there is no love in my heart left for their label.

-Christopher McEneaney

Edit:  Finally got acknowledged over Twitter, a few minutes ago, if you can believe that, so there is some hope.  Seems raising a ruckus pays off.

Fall 2013

For years I have been wanting and not even really trying to compile perfect seasonal mixes and I have probably succeeded here and there.  As I looked for a CD to burn this onto (I actually went to the trouble of organizing this one), I may have even found one unlabeled. presumably from 2007.

Well, I did a half-assed try this summer, but I suppose it's fitting that it would finally happen for Fall - obviously the best season and the first one I have gotten to experience in 5 years, unless you count when I moved to Alameda where it is always fall.  It was also technically fall for about half of that time.  It's good, but nothing can really be definitive, that's what always stopped me before.  But hey, that's why you get to do one every year and repeat yourself all you want.

Some of it may be personal and have no essence of the season to anyone else.  So be it.  Also, it's heavy on Jersey.

So, unless you already have all these tracks, I suggest you download this set, with this charming album art featuring a photo of me in Fall 2007.

1.  "(From the) Morning Glories" - The Trypes
2.  "Silver" - Echo & The Bunnymen
3.  "M79" - Vampire Weekend
4.  "Big Day" - Yung Wu
5.  "Night Will Come" - Will Stratton
6.  "Autumn Sweater" - Yo La Tengo
7.  "Jar of Cardinals" - Guided By Voices
8.  "Time To Get Ready" - The Bats
9.  "Big Bus" - Speed the Plough
10.  "Love Athena" - The Olivia Tremor Control
11.  "Map Ref. 41°N 93°W" - Wire
12.  "Childhood" - The Chameleons
13.  "Smokey Day" - The Zombies
14.  "Microcastle" - Deerhunter
15.  "Municiplaity" - Real Estate
16.  "In the Atmosphere" - Speed the Plough
17.  "A Good Flying Bird" - Guided by Voices
18.  "Wind In The Rigging" - Young Marble Giants

DOWNLOAD:  My fall mix (2013)

Twin Sister: Brooklyn Bowl 9/12/2013

I had been wanting to see Twin Sister ever since I heard Colour Your Life, and probably before that, but one thing or another kept it from happening all these years.  I was surprised the opportunity finally arrived via a tweet about a free show at Brooklyn Bowl.  I immediately got my tickets and then found that finding someone to go with me would not be as easy as I had assumed.

Luckily, Jeff's schedule had cleared up in time and not only would I be accompanied to the show, but I would get a ride in a car on a probably rainy evening.  There was even a chance we would make it in time for free bowling.  The event, which was primarily for a screening of Brooklyn Nine Nine, included free bowling and free drinks for the first 50 attendees.  The drink seemed unrealistic and by the time we made it to the venue around 6 there were long lines and the bowling offer had expired.  With little interest in what I assumed to be a film, we went off and did something else.  Then it started to rain like crazy and we had to walk back to the Bowl soaked.

We got into the place around 8:15 and were greeted with free socks and a drink ticket without even having to present my print-out.  Brooklyn Nine Nine, which is actually a TV show premiering on FOX soon - was just ending.  People seemed to be enjoying it, but it obviously wasn't set in outer space so I could care less.  What was really nice was the drink ticket.  I was able to obtain a full pint of Brooklyn BLAST!  (which had an 8.4% alcohol content).  Very nice for a broke fan such as myself.  It was also very easy to get a place near the stage and there was a shocking amount of room to move around.  The band took the stage on time, making this already one of the best shows of my life.

I was really looking forward to hearing some new music from the band who has not put out an album in two years.   I had a feeling that it would be monumental.  In reality the music was very good, but not exactly life-changing.  They have taken their Tetris funk further into a sensual prog territory in a style that is as precise as their playing.  All of the music was more than decent but the focus seems to limit them a bit too much, as is often the case with new, young bands who have "found their sound."  I am sure the next record will be one of the better ones of this or next year, but will lack the spontaneity and unpredictability of Colour Your Life.  This thought may have been proven true as out of their whole set "Lady Daydream" remained the highlight, with "All Around And Away We Go" probably the second best.

One thing I really took out of their performance, which is both refreshing and a little disappointing, is that that their youth is so untarnished.  The average member of Twin Sister, in fact, is not much younger than me (I’m 26).  However, they clearly have been able to retain a lot of their innocence, at least on the surface.  Apart from frontwoman Andrea Estella's visual style, the focus is entirely on the music.  While pleasant to the ears, it leaves the eyes wanting a bit more.

Youth of America 2013

On my article about friends' projects I really wanted to include something from Miles Marsico, but I didn't have anything.  Now here is something!  For months he had been working on things here and there at Super River's home studio and here, as New Technology is a video for a synthesizer cover of "Youth of America."  What more could you want?



Oh, and here's a download if you want to keep it around, I know I will for my next party mix!

GbV: Ranked!

People have been doing this for a while now, especially since the announcement that English Little League  may be the final Guided by Voices album.  I needed some time, it's a daunting task and before I go any further I have to say that the middle section of this list is almost total bull.  Those albums are so matched in quality it is very difficult to rank them.  Also, anyone reading this probably already knows that this is like 40% of the story at most with all the EPs and compilations.  After all this is the most prolific band of all time we're talking about.  Maybe the Fall has more material, but it's much more similar than GbV's catalogue, isn't it.

So, from best to least-best, here is the ranking of the great band's 20 full-length records and their three categories.

THE TOP:

1.  Bee Thousand
It's flawless, diverse, gorgeous, and funny, of course.  But that could be said about most of these albums.  What separates Bee Thousand is its transcendence.  Like the best works from the Beach Boys, Yes, Young Marble Giants, etc., this album is aiming for the heavens and finds it in all its abstract, untouchable beauty.  Probably the greatest album ever made.

2.  Alien Lanes
This is the equal to its predecessor in terms of music, but is a bit more down to Earth.  Some people prefer it, and I think that must be that it is less taxing emotionally and for that reason more fun, especially with it's bookending tracks.

3.  Under The Bushes Under The Stars
Still underrated, the band's move into professional recording has some of their greatest moments such as "Your Name Is Wild," "Man Called Aerodynamics" and "Drag Days" for starters.  In a lot of ways, it's the ultimate "classic lineup" album (considering Jim Greer logged more time than Greg Demos in actuality) and is the one to open your eyes beyond the sound of the last two records.

4.  Propeller
This was the first one to be "final" before living up to its title and transitions them from Midwestern dreamers and shows everything the band had to offer, especially in that of Tobin Sprout whose songwriting makes its debut along with his unique recording style.

5.  Vampire on Titus
This one is a grower.  Recorded in a rush by Bob, Jimmy, and Toby it is stripped down and really weird, but these songs are some of their best and have some of the widest range between energetic folk-pop of "Wondering Boy Poet" to the nightmarish "#2 In The Model Home Series" to the epic "Marchers in Orange."  A masterpiece for the true fans.

6.  Earthquake Glue
Since the reformation of the classic lineup people have been leaving out the professional era, but a lot of great music was made at the time and I think this is clearly the best thanks to tracks like "My Kind of Soldier," "The Best of Jill Hives" and "Secret Star" - at 4:43 one of band's longest songs.  Underrated, overlooked, one of the best.

7.  English Little League
As tragic as it would be to see the band's days purely in the past, they may have ended very well.  The reunion albums just got better and better and the latest may have been the biggest step up with this diverse set. Slowly revealing its brilliance, it captures everything that made them the best band on Earth in 1994 now with professional knowhow and years of wisdom gained.

THE MIDDLE:  

8.  Tonics and Twisted Chasers
The classic era's "hidden" album is a stripped down set of nostalgic classics ("Dayton, Ohio - 19 Something and 5") and weird experiments ("My Thoughts Are a Gas") that proves more than any other how quickly and perfectly the band could shit out genius.

9.  Self-Inflicted Aerial Nostalgia
The early period is the most overlooked and the scarcity of the albums and the absence from the live sets, but they are all worthy, and this is my favorite thanks to songs like the rocking "Navigating Flood Regions," "Paper Girl" and the epic "An Earful O' Wax" with one of the greatest solos int he band's discography.

10.  Half Smiles of the Decomposed
The band's second "final" album, and the last of the underrated professional era featuring guitar god Doug Gillard may be a bit spotty, but closing track "Huffman Prairie Flying Field" could not have been a more perfect conclusion and is one of their strongest and most personal tracks of all.  Add "Window of My World," "The Closets of Henry" and the Ingmar Bergman-inspired "Girls of Wild Strawberries" and you've got a pretty great album, plus the biggest integration of synths of the band's work.

11.  Isolation Drills
Sometimes I'm kinda cold on this one, but perhaps their biggest attempt at appealing to chumps has a lot of charm and that's apparent seconds in via opener "Fair Touching."  There's no shortage of classic pop here and with the Strokes' big endorsement at the time it's a wonder we didn't hear songs like "Chasing Heather Crazy" and "Glad Girls" on the radio, especially if you have seen the latter's video.

12.  Do The Collapse
I am a firm believer that this album doesn't suck, even if "Hold On Hope" does.  Had that song's single not been padded with the sessions' best tracks, the strength of this album is unfathomable.  There are a few other stinkers, but songs like "Things I will Keep," "Wrecking Now," and "Womrhole" are enough to qualify this as one of their better albums.

13.  The Bears For Lunch
The third reunion album is the first one I would really call solid, unlike its predecessors, everyhting is pretty good even if its highs aren't as high, but with heights like "Waving At Airplanes," "You Can Fly Anything Right," and the lo-fi "Dome Rust," there's not much to complain about.

14.  Class Clown Spots a UFO
A huge step up from the last one, their second album of 2012 is still a bit spotty, but Tobin Sprout bursts out some of the greatest songs of his career on "Starfire" and "All of This Will Go," but Little Bobby Pop's not too shabby either with songs like one of the heaviest rockers of all time "Tyson's High School."

15.  Devil Between My Toes
The debut full length (following excellent EP Forever Since Breakfast) is unintentionally lo-fi album is one of their loosest and most fun, though certainly their most derivative, particularly of R.E.M. on the set's best songs "Hank's Little Fingers" and "Hey Hey Spaceman."  It's a different band, but still a great one and the heavy closer "Captain's Dead" foreshadows what they would be doing in the professional era with its dense harmonies.  With Big Daddy on the cover the legend is born.

16.  Mag Earwhig!
The death of the classic lineup coupled with the brief era of "Guided by Verde" and the beginning of the Pollard-Gillard collaboration makes for an unusual album.  It's a more hard-rock flavored affair, highlighted with the Gillard original "I Am A Tree," but the best moments are in the classic style like "Learning to Hunt," "Can't Hear the Revolution" and the classic lineup's last masterpiece "Jane of the Waking Universe."

17.  Same Place The Fly Got Smashed
This album was the one concept album they managed to make.  It's tribute to aging into a drunken waste shows how being an unrecognized genius was taking its toll on the Ohio schoolteacher at its best on "Pendulum."  The love song to alcohol "Drinker's Peace" is the universal favorite, but I think nothing tops closer "How Loft I Am?"

18.  Universal Truths and Cycles
Giving up on the mainstream, they returned to Matador on this album that despite a few (really) great tracks like the piano-driven "Back to the Lake" and "Everywhere With Helicopter"just doesn't work tht well overall.  Not bad, grown on me enough to avoid "the bottom," but one of my least favorite, though it's good songs...

THE BOTTOM:

19.  Sandbox
Always considered their worst, and in the band's opinion their "creamiest."  There is a sound of insincerity and defeat in the overly-clean production, even on great songs like "Long Distance Man," "Everyday," and "Can't Stop."  Too bad, 'cause what a lineup.

20.  Let's Go Eat The Factory
It's like they didn't even care.  It's hard to believe they had been playing together again for over a year when they put this out.  The faithful knew it would get better, but this album is the ultimate example of Pollard's problem with quality control.  I'll admit that sometimes I like this more than Sandbox, but the lack of effort is just kind of offensive.  You can tell Toby may be on his game more than Bob, but I still can't think of his songs.  Just "Donut for A Snowman" and "The Unsinkable Fats Domino" have much to offer.  It's too bad, a lot of people still think the reunion albums such thanks to this mess.

By no means definitive, but thanks for reading.

Roots, Part 9: Uncovered! The Popes!

In part 7 I realized I mentioned the Popes who existed for a week (possibly longer with more people in the same name - transition from Xyster to Hurtu era) in 2002.  Just me and Aidan at Summer Music Programs plus Jeff Ziga and a girl named Jen, both instructors, on drums and guitar, respectively.  It was rare for a band to be so unconcerned with being "mature" at Summer Music programs and this EP's two originals are repetitive, droney instrumentals.  The guest guitarist questioned our open-ness to "goth," but at 15 I explained to her what goth really was with these tracks.

We had a great week and I go to sing "Transmission" and "Beat on the Brat" as the two of us were able to explore our, or probably just my stupid teenage musical ideas for a week.  In a lot of ways, this is a more "professional"-sounding version of The Power of Rawk but with more sax.  Either way, more teenage outsider rock.

The next week we were thrown into Chronic Insurgence, and unfortunately I could not find Watergun Outlet, that band's fascinating EP when I was in New Jersey.  Not sure what else to add, you know the characters already, all there is the music and if you can believe it, all the album art!

Also, I was temporarily unaware of Shane McGowan's band of the same name, and that's why it did not stick.  The names were chosen to be religiously offensive.

Back, front cover

The inside.  Pictures taken that Tuesday and scanned from Weird NJ.

Back cover, can't remember the source of that image

DOWNLOAD:  The Popes - Shabazz! (2002)

A Tribute to Will Stratton

A little late on this but, last Friday was a pretty exciting event.  It was the tribute to Will Stratton coupled with the release of the album available for purchase that also goes to his Medical fund.

It was a pretty fantastic sow held at Spin in Manhattan - a large basement ping-pong club.  I wish I wrote this earlier so I could remember it better.

First there was Beat Radio.  That was a two-man group.  Not usually into that kind of thing, but it was cool.  Next you had Kid in the Attic who I had previously seen at a rooftop show with pow wow! and Crazy Pills on Andrea's birthday.  It's just one woman in a red hat and this was certainly a better venue for her than a drunken Bushwick party.  Both artists are on the tribute album and make pretty cool contributions.

Aaron Roche was the next to perform, an older guy and collaborator of R. Stevie Moore's.  Naturally that piqued my interest and his set, though long awaited from the set-up time was pretty awesome.  It started really quiet and then got louder as he had two young female vocalists with him for harmonies that reminded me of a more successful version of what the Dirty Projectors try to do.  With mostly pre-recorded backing and high intensity, his set reminded the most of John Maus.

The Next two sets were more personal by New York friends Jesse Rifkin and Trevor Wilson.  Both of them are on the tribute album as well, and by then things got so emotionally taxing that I couldn't even pay much attention to Wilson's set, though it was clearly a continuation of Rifkin's with a lot of delicate beauty.  You should look into both artists.

Will closed the set himself which was an unexpected treat, up to some point, and though he was underrehearsed, I doubt I've seen him play better.  It was overwhelming.  There were only three songs in his set but it was the highlight despite some great competition.  He is looking surprisingly healthy and in good spirits, so we all have a lot more to look forward to from Will.  His next album is entitled Gray Lodge Wisdom and will be quite a change of pace, and I personally have very high hopes for it.  A demo of its title track (sure to change a lot) is included in yesterday's article's package.

Photo by Mike Raynes

Photo by Jeff Nasareno

Well, there goes my policy of not reviewing friend's shows, but I have to push the BENEFIT ALBUM and how you should buy it.  I was asked to include a couple tracks and I chose Jesse Rifkin and David Garland's.  The former because it is quite a radical reinterpretation of an old favorite differing from either artist's usual sound, and the latter because of that artist's connection to Connie Converse and the Documentary my wonderful girlfriend Andrea is making about her.

Well, here are those TWO TRACKS, but you really should just buy the album, probably several times.

Anyway, my mind has stopped functioning, rather it's malfunctioning and I should probably stop.

Friends

So the last series was really self-centered, but this whole time it was all with the intention of putting out a collection of songs by my friends.  Most of the are the fascinating characters mentioned in my previous articles.  I have been lucky enough to be surrounded by geniuses my whole life, most of them musicians, and many of them collaborators.  Though some may be over or under-represented in this set, I tried not to have any favorites, I merely wanted all the major projects represented.  Alameda and Basking Ridge probably make up the majority of the lot, but people I know from college (the bridge to all, I suppose) and LA are in there too.  Now for the long explanation int eh only order that makes any sense:  Alphabetical...

Colin O'Brien-Lux is a Maryland-bred performance artist in Los Angeles who has been active in many communities in the city and is perhaps best-known for his Winter 2012 clown show Everybody Nose Nothing Means Anything And I'm Very Worried, which unfortunately coincided with Super River's debut.  Not to discuss my own band too much, but the connection is a major one as Jesse Johnstone did the engineering on the EP Angel Will You Marry Me? from which both these tracks are taken and played drums on one song.  Other drums were played by Miles Marsico and bass came from Andrew Lewis, who played in Skin Rat.  Last I know he was performing as Grandma in a very atmospheric and intimate way that should not be missed.  "Scarf" is one of the most powerful tracks I have heard in a while.

The Darflers is a project led by Alex "Flash Gilmore" Hatatsis that has also featured fromer Funbeatles/Sunfighter Marty Skeels and local legend (and portrayer of Nagatoku in "Gundam Driver") Chris Arnold.  The band had an emphasis on power-pop with green musician Halatsis skillfully pulling off both bass and vocals.  Not much has been heard since, but Halatsis is now in a band with Big/Ewox member Alyssa Polizzi before her move to LA.  "Best Boy" comes from the Spencer's Girl EP, and "Another Lonely Girl" is a demo with lyrics penned by yours truly.  One of my two appearances in this set.

Flash Gilmore & the Funbeatles was Alameda's greatest band, band certainly the greatest live act of 2012.  With firm roots in The Comfy Men, they were comprised of frontman Flash Gilmore, drummer Jerry Ramone, bassist Mick James and guitarists Hazel James and The Glove.  Their uniformed and choreographed shows were a rare spectacle featuring both phenomenal originals and classic covers.  They released the record Debauchery Playground, named after their closing track - the first composed for the project shortly before disbanding in late Spring of 2011.  Unfortunately, the album was recorded months before and the band's playing and songs had improved much in that time, but that's only an issue if you were lucky enough to witness these later shows.  It still stands as one of the best rock records of its time and "The Top" and "Here It Comes" are hardly enough to hear by this unbelievable combo.

Kidz was a project led by Sam Deutsch (who will be explained in more detail shortly) with a collaborator named Mike.  "Move Yo' Body" is a fantastic piece of 90s dance music that shows just how much the artist who cut his teeth in Hurtu/the Shears/Love Athena can do.

The Last Nights was the brief reunification of Funbeatles Alex Halatsis, Paul Igaz, and Arran Rogerson who made a worthy (even by their standards) debut with an improvised set in May 2012.  Before the Hawaii exodus they played a few shows and recorded Dig This from which these two tracks come.  "Dany James" is about the inspirational Oakland artist.  Sadly other classic tracks "Virtual Tibet" and "Guided by C-Mac" remain unrecorded to my knowledge.

Love Warrior was a solo project from Arran Rogerson after the disbanding of the Funbeatles and recorded the album DMZ, a power-pop album mostly about masturbation.

Also from Alameda is One Tribe, the project of Hawaii native Tony O'Toole.  A spiritual figure in the Alameda scene, Tony was the subject of one of the Funbeatles' earliest songs and has been catalyst to much musical growth (in both directions) with most of the Alameda musicians.  Music For My Friends was an ambitious project for him, but turned out to be a success.  It is the source of the atmospheric instrumental "John" and the cover of "30 Century Man," with guest vocals from Alex Halatsis.  "What a Strange Day" is a demo I rather like as well.

pow wow! is the project of Basking Ridge originals Jeff and Eddie Nazareno with roots going back arguably about ten years, or 26, depending on the perspective.  Last year they released the refreshing Don't Stop To Look with a five-member lineup providing big arrangements, tons of hooks, and beautiful harmonies.  The first two tracks are here, but the whole thing is about as good.  The band has had varying levels of notoriety throughout it its career, and their album, one of the finest of 2012 still needs its due.  Unfortunately their future is a bit uncertain, but there is no doubt its members will go onto creating more great music.

Sunfighter is the primary band of former Funbeatles Arran and Sam Rogerson.  They both play guitar and sing and split songwriting duties.  Sweet Machine was another great and overlooked album of 2012 full of catchy guitar rock that evokes all the best stuff and is quite creative in its songcraft.  They toured the West Coast last summer with rhythm section Fed Martinez (drummer in Rogerson's past groups Life on Mars? and others) and Eamon O'Conner, playing with Super River in two instances.  Here are two of my favorites from that record.

SWade is the former alias of Sam Deutsch, one of the most talented and unpredictable artists I know in any regard.  That made selecting tracks from him very difficult.  He can write great classic pop songs, experimental pieces, piano ballads and just about everything in between.  Lately his focus has been on Dark R&B, though with plenty of breaks in between.  He is currently using the name 50 Grand Sam and working on an EP, but just released the song "Hollywood" yesterday which you can purchase on iTunes, and I implore that you do.  These two are different though - "Could This Mean Space?" is an experimental synth pop that is as edgy as it is catchy, and "A Best Friend's Love" is a funny folk-rock demo.  Just two of my favorites among a whole lot.

Volcano Divers is Liam Carroll, from Liberty Corner, not Basking Ridge if you can believe that.  First appearing in this blog as Batwolf's butler Dr. Alphonzo Vengeance (yes, we had a doctor for a Butler), he has recorded a lot of noise-pop in this form and here are a couple of my faves.

Will Stratton is another old friend from Basking Ridge.  His real name is Will Lulofs and he was a member of Batwolf, the Tangles, and previously Time Well Spent.  He is recovering from Testicular Cancer and planning to return u-time to New York in October.   There will will be more about that in an upcoming article.  Last Friday was his benefit show, featuring a closing performance by the man himself in accompaniment of the BENEFIT ALBUM which I will also discuss in more detail.  Having the most professional career of all (four albums released on real labels) it was also hard to choose material from him, especially considering how much of it has Basking Ridge references.  However I chose one from his first, another from his second, and a demo of the title track for the next.  I am sure it will change a lot before the album is released, but I like this version.  I also used to like the demo version of "You're a Real Thing" more, but that has changed.

As mentioned before, Zero the Astronaut is Alex Adler's solo project after Ways ceased to be.  With so much material he started narrowing it down and went into the studio to record a debut single of "Solitude" and "Misery City."  He played all the instruments except the bass on "Solitude" which, not surprisingly was me.  The songs show both his sides - heavy and complex and soft and stoney, but both have a great deal of raw emotion.  Adler is an excellent songwriter who is firmly in the tradition of the best American rock of the 80s and 90s who has a lot of potential, particularly in his ability to not fear the obvious.

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I hope you enjoy all these tracks and artists as much as I do.