Kids Stuff

Wiccannns!!

We checked out the Gories show this weekend. Pretty stellar. After the show my friend Matt Smith said "Nothing has changed at all from when I saw them 22 years ago". That's what I want to hear. Zero progress is all progress!

Just finished our side of a split tape. More info on that very soon, but here's one of the main jams from the session, which was informed by supreme summer feelings and the endless details of walking around at night, feeling the intricate nature of how stacked on top of itself the entire world is.

City Center "Spring St."

Meadow Vs. Field / Mystery Vs. Function

Here's a mix of new sounds, hopefully the first of a few if I can keep up with my own mind this summer. A lot of this stuff is music I found out or thought more about on tour. I'm getting my record player back this week and next week I wanna do a mix of all the 45s I got on the road. For now, I hope you enjoy this ill-fitting collection and are having good summer days.


summer mix #1
1.Sheriff & The Revels "Shombolar"
This is the best rock and roll song ever recorded. In lyfe, ever, probably forever.
2.The Avons "Push A Little Harder"
3.Unknown Artist "You Can't Get Her Out Of Your Mind"
4.Unknown Artist Unknown Song
No idea where these two weird anonymous girl-group jams came from or who does them. I think Brett sent them to me at some point, but any info would be cool.
5.Cinderella "Baby Baby I Still Love You"
6.Outrageous Cherry "Our Love Will Change The World"
7.Mitch Hedberg "Sesame Seeds"
"What do Sesame Seeds grow into? I don't know, we never give 'em a chance!"
8.DJ Jubilee "Back That Azz Up"
9.Monsta With Da Fade "Hammer Time"
10.Sess 4-5 "Gettin' That Gwop"
11.T.I. "Whatever You Want"
12.Madonna "Like A Prayer"
13.Outkast "SpottieOttieDopaliscious" (Instrumental)
Along with the Avons song, the Cinderella song and some other jams not on this mix, I spent a lot of time with this song on the last tour, freaking out at it's super-dubby vibe and completely unbreakable horn-line. I found an instrumental version online which just highlights these elements. This song makes me think "Jesus Christ, people make music and it sounds like this."
14.Kria Brekkan Unknown Song (live at church in Greenpoint last winter)
15.Grouper "Heart Current"
From the recently re-issued "Cover The Windows and Walls" CD. The best!
16.MIJ "Never Be Free"
Total Time: 51min 7sec
Download the mix here.

spy-hopping

At the end of tour I made a zine of some of the drawings I did in the van and also some of the stuff I picked up here and there. There aren't a ton left, but if you wanted one, drop me a line at westsideaudio@gmail.com or just paypal me $5 at that address and tell me the best place to send it. It's kinda funny, vaguely fucked up and generally exciting.

Life Is Beginning

In a remarkably fruitful time as far as new ideas and inspirations. Having a space in a strange new basement will do that, I think. Taking a break from mixing a song for a new comp, I made this jam, for the high-wire days we're all living now, with or without knowing it.

City Center "Boy Of The Year"

June's Children

We back in biznass! Playing a show in Detroit tonight at the Lager House with Aran Ruth and the Beduoins. It's a free show and will rule. Also, here is a long-ass 10 minute two part jam we made up last night. See you soon!

City Center "Dead Wealth"/"Extrovert"

Lyrical

The lyrics for the record are up on a separate blog over heah. I'll try to get all the lyrics to other releases and eventually songs from this blog up there, too, if at all applicable. Listening to Dave Pajo's Misfit's covers record on IQ's recommendation. It's really great! Kinda makes me wonder why all bands weren't just Misfits rip-offs or counterparts.

Can't Shake These Shapeless Memories

I'm sitting in a coffee shop in downtown Portland and they're playing the Cap'n Jazz record. If you know me even a little bit, you should know this makes me so happy and nostalgic in a way that never feels backward-looking. Some fucked up Midwest emo-ism that never really leaves you. The super-long tour is now done, and following this weekend I'll be back in Michigan to work on new City Center stuff for a while. Our record has been in the process of being released in a very vague way that I'm not really clear on. I'm pretty sure LPs were in stores a few weeks ago and CDs will be available soon. Also pretty sure LPs are all gone, but maybe Forced Exposure or Other Music still has some. There's regularly some on eBay for $20 before shipping, too. (Holy shit, whoever bought that CC/Grouper 7" for $50 on eBay should have hollared over here first! I could probably sell you one of the 3-4 copies I kept for myself if you were gonna flash a fundo around!!! WTF??) I think there'll be a second press if people keep needing it, but who knows. We have copies of the CD available so just get in touch if you want one. I also started working on a separate blog link with lyrics and technical info, since Type wasn't into crowding the layout with all the words. That'll be up soon, and I'll have a permalink if you're interested.


The internet is a weird place. There've been a lot of reviews and weird misinformation about the record already and it's barely available. To clear up some of the major mis-reportings: Ryan does play on the record and we did collaborate on it completely. I just started recording it by myself. Also, I've seen Avi sited as a vocalist on some sites, which is wrong. I used a sample of Avi speaking on "Bleed Blood", and it was so distinct I put it in the credits. Guess it's not too distinct, tho, because he can't even pick it out. The only other person besides myself who sings is Mary Pearson, who does some vocals on "You Are A Force". I won't speak to the opinions of reviewers mostly cause I don't give a fuck, but regarding the Dusted review which insinuated the only possible explanation for our record was that I started smoking weed; I never touch the stuff. No judgment (or even opinion) about anyone who's into it, just personally I smoked pot like seven times in high school and it made me feel so bad I never went back. I just hate the thought of some pent-up reviewer putting the idea in anyone's head that our creative process is to get super blazed and jack off over samplers or records that came out in 2004. But like Kanye say: "When they hate, let em hate, and watch the money pile up!!!" Here's a bonus video of Igor recording this week. Thanks for reading! I love you!

Filth Flarn Filth

Last Things First Things

In Anacortes, WA on the last day of tour. To give you an idea of what's been happening and what kind of shape I'm in;
In Vancouver, BC after we loaded in people scattered. I walked back to the venue, a small gallery called Little Mountain to try to take a nap before the show. I had Brett's pillow in my hand and walked up to the guy who had let everyone in.
"I'm gonna lay down here for a little while if that's cool with you."
"Uh, like on this bench outside?"
"No, probably on the couch thing in there. You can keep working on stuff, I just slept in a tent last night didn't get any rest at all."
"Oh, ok... well, I guess that's cool. I'm gonna be leaving at 7, so you'll have to get out of here by then."
"No problem." and I pass out on some C-shaped couch. Fast-forward several hours to after the show...
"Hey man, this all makes a lot more sense now!"
"What do you mean?"
"I didn't know you were in the band, I thought you were just some homeless dude who needed a place to sleep! You seemed harmless enough, so I thought why not??!"


What's the difference between a Lamborghini and a boner? This guy doesn't have a Lamborghini!


Tuscon was made to rule by these sweethearts, meeting up with Steven (on break from a tour that makes this one look like a daytrip to the beach) and some intense pineapple-basil juice. Good vibes everywhere.

At the thrift store in LA. They also had several No Age shirts on the racks. VC told me I should have scooped them up for eBay, but I could only think about all the Insane Clown Posse t-shirts that invariably litter Detroit thrift stores, probably also potentially eBay gold.


Caroline from the Finches had a kind-of wedding/commitment/love ceremony on the day we were in Oakland, so me, Brian, Vice and George Chen rolled up for a minute before the show. It was cool to show up unannounced to Caroline's wedding thing at her parent's house having only ever spent time with her on tour in different cities. Total surprise style! Total surprise to some of the guests, too, who were overheard to say "Who are those guys? They just showed up and started eating!" You can't see in the picture, but Vice's shirt actually hangs past his knees. It's about 4 1/2 feet long.


Finally checked out the glorious Maggie Mudd's vegan ice cream shop in SF. Missed Scoops in LA, but there will come a day, I know...


Baby goats!!!


I'm feeling like this blog in tour/travel mode is quickly becoming some mid 90's Cometbus-esque food scavenging journal. I have a week of recording in Olympia and Portland and then a summer of jamming in Michigan and NYC with Ryan. I'm really excited about everything to come, and I want to do a lot more with this blog when I'm not on tour. I'm super exhausted from the past 7 weeks of running around but much more inspired and thinking about new things than I am tired.