Going Straight

You always hear about some kid who used to rage a lot, or was deep into hardcore, or booking shows or drawing or just being weird or whatever the fuck. Memorably amazing, actually trying to communicate something outside of what was easy for them or made easy by the world they grew up in. Sometimes as a memory, someone who faded and then resurfaced in a conversation five years later. Wondering where they are, and if they're still railing on coffee or cough syrup or just the specific unique chemicals in their own minds and bodies, staying up all night at kinko's making something no one else will ever see or doing bikram yoga seven times a day or cataloging the entire solar system in their bedroom. Or maybe they got some regular job and hooked up a house and just kind of watch tv and feel a different kind of contentedness after they went straight.

City Center "Strait"

Best Of Tymes

When I was back in Michigan, Wayne gave me a tape of the show we played in Houghton back in the end of March. It reminded me of some really amazing days. It was also pretty much 50% stand-up comedy (not super funny, but OK) and 50% songs. Here's a highly-switched up-lyrics version of a song off the Flood record, high on LOLcats reference.


Fred Thomas "Ocean Of" up north, March 29, 2008

How The Fuck Do We Sposta Keep Peace?

It pains me today to officially retire as a musician and producer. Certain recent output from my hometown of Detroit (see above) has taken this rap game to a level never before imagined or even considered in the murky light of my dreams. I just can't find the courage to even attempt to keep going. I won't lie to you all anymore. I'll never be this good, so I'm just gonna bow out as gracefully as possible. Thanks for the years of support. I'm sorry I couldn't be more to you.
Sincerely,
Fred Thomas

Urban Legends On Ice

Home from tour and frankly really bummed to be back. It was such an amazing trip, and one so full of good vibes and rejuvenation that it could only be too short. All the same, I'm hovering on what at times felt like an almost crumbling joyfulness, and hopefully I can just push that positive feeling onward. Here's some of what happened:

I got into Olympia and Mar came to get me. Helsing Junction farm was out of town by about twenty miles. I love Olympia and all my friends there, have such strange and specific memories of wandering around there over the years. I was deliriously tired almost all of the three days of the festival cause I was jetlagged as fuck and it was also hotter than any other part of the summer so far and the whole thing was held on a shadeless field. Intensity in tents! Saw Mirah play and made weird jokes that no one liked. The next day I ran into Nick and Josh and eventually we split back to Olympia to see Grouper play a house show. Lindsay drove, and then, fatigued and insane we just stayed the night at her old house, headed back to the fest on Sunday morning.

Valet played on Saturday. One of my faves that I discovered this last year.

Calvin jammed under the tree cause it was so hot and everyone was buggin. He had one of the best sets of the whole thing.

"I know, right? So then I was all like 'Listen, I didn't even say that, Ok? Cause I wouldn't. And I didn't!!!"

Records

Shrooms

Me and Jae without faces, fixing our hair

Sometimes people are like "Oh, 'City Center' is the name of your new band? Is that cause you moved to New York and are extremely self-centered and self-important?" No one has ever said that to me, but I wonder if that's what some might gather. The band name actually came from traveling around in Europe, seeing signs for City Center all the time, and then in the Northwest and thinking it was a hilarious phonetic happenstance. "City Center". Sounds so fucking bizarre to say (man). Like all important things in my life, it began as an inside joke.

CORPSEKISSER!

I love Lindsay for who she is inside.

After an amazing jam in Portland with Corspekisser, Grouper and some last minute jammers, I went to Detroit to mix my record. I didn't finish at all, but Detroit looks the same, maybe more fucked up slightly than before.

Warn was like "I just can't seem to get it to sound good." Though he tried.

There was a rad show in Ypsilanti on Saturday night, the first time I've gotten to do a City Center jam in the town where I was born. I was especially stoked to be playing with some of my oldest friends, Sellwood's band Drunken Barn Dance and Kelly Caldwell. I found out today that Knox drove all the way down and they wouldn't let him in due to age restrictions. That fucking sucks as he is one of my main dogs in this. I'm so sorry Knox. Looking forward to only all ages tours when I actually have a record out and can make some demands and still get shows.

Son be trippin.

Eliza really be trippin! But rulin' the most.

What if Debo's favorite band was Lucky Dragons? That's what my set sounded/looked like.

Kate was in town from Philly, but spent most of the night making out with her drink. It was somewhat uncomfortable to watch.

Jacob in the light of day

At this point I'm a little bit void of energy, even though I keep making more plans. I wanna get back into the groove, post more songs, play more shows, make more things happen, but really I think I'm crashing out pretty hard on some PTD (post-tour-depression). Things will bounce back in about twenty five hours, I predict, then we'll be back to the usual. In the meantime, thank you so much to everyone who made the last two weeks of my life some of the best in recent memory.

Leaving in nine hours for tour. A lot to do still. I have spent the last year piecing together this album, but the last two months fixating and fine-tuning, total obsessed fool style. Hope it's good. Like Richard Pryor said on the first words of his first record "Hope I'm funny. Y'all clapping and shit, I ain't even said shit yet." Except no one's clapping and shit. Oh, still not smoking and thanks a trazillion to everyone who's been both supportive and also put up with me bugging out for the last week. Maybe my true personality is just insane like this and nicotine kept it at bay? I am trying to catch up with a feeling, also trying to gain about twenty pounds. Here is a rough mix of a song for the record...

City Center "Gladest" (rough mix)

City Center shows this week are here:
Sunday August 17, Helsing Junction Sleepover in Rochester, Washington. (Click link for more info). I play at like one p.m. or so and a bunch of amazing folks play all weekend.
Sunday August 17, might jump on a night-time show with Small Sur at The Finger Complex in Olympia. Not totally sure yet, though, but probably.
Monday August 18, Portland Oregon at Valentines with Corpsekisser & Grouper. Show of the century! Valentine's is no longer all ages, though, sadly.
Saturday August 23, Ypsilanti MI at the Elbow Room with Drunken Barn Dance and Kelly Caldwell.

Please come to any of these jams that you can. I have to run, but I'm so excited to see you friends.

Get On My Level

It's been a minute, but there's a reason or two I haven't been in blogworld. I've been working every day to finish the recording of the City Center LP. I've actually had some other people play with me and add their talents, which has been an intense experience in venerability. Friday I go on a short-yet-all- over-the-place tour that ends up in Detroit where I mix that shit down and call it a done deal. I can't tell you how excited I am about all this. Also, I jumped down to DC for Brett & Morgan's wedding last Sunday. Shit was fucking amazingly beautiful. Party in the woods. If me and Brett ever do our double LP double solo record, this will be the cover....

Details before I go about all the shows and maybe a few rough mixes as well. Then in September I just found out today there'll be a short east-coaster with NYC besties Silk Flowers! And I quit smoking and feel insane but in the best way! And I wake up at five in the morning and start rapping, just like I did as a youth. Here's some Li'l Wayne lyrics to approximate how I feel in this new zone. I love you.

Yessir!
They cant stop me...even if they stopped me ha ha ha yea

Im on it ooh im on it im so on it and how ever you want it
You can get it tonight h**
And all night h** I get the beat from
(Mistro)
A f**kin right h**
I might go crazy on these n****s I dont give a motherf**k
Run up in a n****a house and shoot his grandm****r up what!
What I dont give a motherf**k get cha baby kidnapped
And ya baby motherf**ked
It’s tha Carter 3 b***h better put ya supper up
Hollygrove I throw it up like im tryna lose my gut
F**k is up beat him up like a million uppercuts
Got a million duffeled up for the f**k of it
Shit get on my level you cant get on my level
You would need a spaceshuttle or a ladder thats forever
However im better if now than never
Dont you ever fix ya lips unless you bout to s**k my dick
B***h swallow my words taste my thoughts
And if its too nasty spit it back at me
Two more inches i’da been in that casket
According to the doctor I could of died in traffic
Bounce right back on them b****s like M****c
Abra-cadabra im up like Viagra
I just do this shit for my click like Adam Sandler
I control hip hop and ima keep it on my channel
Watch me!
B***h watch me!
B***h watch me!

But they cannot see me like Hitler
Its the New Orleans Nightmare
M***y so old its growin white hair
Young M***y baby
Yeah we right here
Ima make sure we ball till we fall like tears
And mama dont cry
Ya son can handle his
I got her out the hood and put her in the hills
Yeah when I was fourteen I told my mom we will see better days
And sure enough I got Miss Cita in a better place
When I was fourteen I told my mom we will see better days
And sure enough we did exactly what I say
I told my girl when you f**k me better f**k me good
Cause if another girl could she gon f**k me good
No sittin at the table if you bringin nothin to it
And I get straight to it like its nothin to it
Yea I got game like Stuart…Scott
Fresh out the ESPN shop
And when sports in the poppin
E’ery thang stoppin but you cant fool me I know what you watchin
ME!
You watch me
You watch me
Cause I be
WEE-ZY must see t.v.
C3 n***a thats me
And im me im me
Times three so retreat or suffer defeat
Im back 3 PEAT