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Click to download the track.

“All of Me All of Us” – Arrison Kirby

Yes, friends. I began to use my soundcloud account (see below). Here is the first offering…something I already offered before. That pesky “All of Me All of Us” song I know not what to do with.

Initially, it was a commissioned piece.  I had the music fleshed out, but the lyrics were more shit out.   The person paying for it agreed, so I rewrote it from a more inspirational place.  A bit too inspirational perhaps, because I think the end result was over that second party’s head.  Who knows?  Maybe it just sucks.

In any case, this shit’s just been sitting around with no home…pissing me off.  I passed it along to Steve Wildsmith for one of his articles, but I never shared it directly on here.  Here it is now, though.  Why?  Because I wanted to use SoundCloud.  That’s what this post is ultimately about.

Written, recorded, arranged, produced and performed by Arrison Kirby.

All of Me All of Us by Arrison Kirby

Click to download the tracks:

“Anemone” (Brian Jonestown Massacre)
“Afraid of the Ghost”
“Cute Little Echo”
“Blue”
“House of Satan”
“Single Politician”
“Reading Rainbow” (Horelick, Kleinman & Weir)
“The Whole Planet What?”

This was a rehearsal for the March Pilot Light show.  Only Megan, Nathan and myself were able to make it, which forced us to embrace minimalism.  We did so electronically.  David showed up for the last two tracks and filled things out for new levels.

I’ve posted most of these songs a million times a million ways, so instead of a song by song run down, I just want to point out a few things.  First, as already implied, this is kind of a dark, electro session.  Something of a Hypencrunk / Never Sorry hybrid.  This version of “Blue” is rare in that Megan sings the vocals, as Rachel was not present.  Also, that’s David on the vocals for Reading Rainbow and bass for the epic, “The Whole Planet What?”

Arrison Kirby – beats, keys, guitar, vocals
Megan Driscoll –  flute, harmonica, tambourine, vocals
Nathan Brown – keys, electronics
David Dalton – vocals, bass

Click to download the tracks:

“Untitled as Yet”
“Undershots”
“Kiss Me On My Dick (For New Years)”
“8.16”
“Blue”
“Moo Year” (Wesley Wyrick solo set)

So we decided to have a very last minute, quietish but open New Years session. I was really really sick and also got drunk. I stayed awake and played music as long as I could stand to. Wes Wyrick [American Panda, Soulbot, Star Mountain] joined us with his sound as well. Eventually the night culminated into a viewing of Harmony Korine’s Trash Humpers.

“Untitled as Yet” – I know I’m playing drums on this one and it’s totally way different than any way we’ve played it before. I think Dane and Wes are both on guitar maybe? I don’t know. I can’t pick this apart. It’s really bad ass though.

“Undershots” – This is a pretty full on Never Sorry / Wes Wyrick collaborative track. Possibly my favorite among these all. There’s something foreign and playful to it. Wes is definitely on his electronics for this one.

“Kiss Me on My Dick (For New Years)” – I had no idea about this song until we were playing it. Apparently, though, it had some preliminary attention focused on it by Rachel and Dane. So I presume they wrote it, and I can say with certainty that they introduced it to me. In any case, this was what we were all doing when we crossed into 2011. Notice it’s only got false countdowns. This was intentional.

“8.16″ – This is apparently me solo. We weren’t running through our normal set up. We were all plugged into a single board, which was plugged into the recording board, plugged into a receiver, which was carrying the music to speakers upstairs. So when I played this shit through that set up, it came out like this. All jitter water or something.  Normally this is the song called “Sarabeth.”

“Blue” – I guess we couldn’t resist the old standard. Good job on it, really.

“Moo Year” – This is Wes Wyrick’s 23 minute continuous set from that night. He called it something else initially, but I forget what it was. Then I saw him somewhere recently and he said he wanted to call it “Moo Year.” So cool. It is.

Katie Collins – omnichord
Megan Driscoll –  flute, tambourine
Dane Hill – guitar, bass, vocals
Rachel Jae – auxillary percussion, vocals
Arrison Kirby – guitar, words, beats, keys, drums
Wesley Wyrick – electronics, beats, guitar perhaps

Click to download the tracks:

“Trimpers”
“New Beginnings”
“Blue”
“Dead”
“House of Satan”
“Michael in the War”
“Automobile” (NWA / Parliament)
“Until I Die (Rum Blues)”
“Afraid of the Ghost”
“Cute Little Echo”

Though used to our full on assault you may be, we’re meddling in acoustic music at the moment.  Primarily, this is in preparation for Le Carnival Des Autres, as we will be giving some kind of stripped down performance at the event.  We actually played an Easter  “show” we didn’t advertise.  We used the same arrangement as on this session.  The amplification of acoustic music felt unnatural.

This session was recorded without any electric amplification (aside from the built in speaker on the omnichord), and that is also how we intend to perform at Le Carnival Des Autres.

So we have Samuel Williams back with us on the banjo.  Doing an excellent job, as this is the first time he had played many of these songs.  I’m not going to break down each song as I usually do because – what can I say?  It’s acoustic music.  Period.  I would, however, like to point out “Until I Die (Rum Blues).”  The girl singing is Michelle Sanders (aka Lulu Skidoo) and these are her lyrics.  Myself and Megan Driscoll worked out the music with her.  This was the first session that it was introduced to everyone else.  We hammered it out over and over again,  but I think this is the most solid recorded version.

Katie Collins – omnichord, ukulele, vocals
Megan Driscoll –  flute, harmonica, tambourine, vocals
Dane Hill – guitar, vocals
Rachel Jae – auxillary percussion, vocals
Arrison Kirby – guitar, vocals
Samuel Williams – banjo, vocals
Michelle Sanders – vocals

Click to download the tracks:

“Everyone In”
“Michael in the War”
“Trimpers”

After the Pilot Light show, we reconvened the following Wednesday and went right to work on new material…which is actually old material to me.  Only these three made it to the surface.

“Everyone In” – This was just another standard Never Sorry warm up jam.

“Michael in the War” – Okay.  Last summer a storm put my power out just before dusk.  I decided to record a session, by myself, on a battery operated sound recorder.  I played acoustic guitar and sang, making it up as it went.  This song came out of that session.

“Trimpers” – I wrote this song before I really knew how to write songs, back around 9th grade or so.  Trimper’s is a real place in Ocean City, Maryland.  It’s apparently been open since 1893.  Anyway, the song ends rather abruptly due to a beer spill.  And no…it was not extra light.

Katie Collins – omnichord
Megan Driscoll –  flute, vocals
Dane Hill – bass, drums
Rachel Jae – auxillary percussion, vocals
Arrison Kirby – guitar, keys, vocals

Click to download the tracks:

photo by Tara Williams

“Monkey Waltz”
“Afraid of the Ghost”
“Blue”
“Anemone” (Brian Jonestown Massacre)
“Dead”
“House of Satan”
“Single Politician”
“Cute Little Echo”
“Tender” (Blur)
“Reading Rainbow” (Horelick, Kleinman & Weir)

Sorry it took a minute, but this is the rehearsal session from two days before our show at the Pilot Light.  This is almost exactly as we played and what we said but for a small edit before “Tender” due to things said and done that I’m best not to repeat, lest I would not have removed them in the first place.  It was actually a really enjoyable moment, but a name was said in a context best left private.

Anyway.  Holly Denman was hanging out at that night’s session.  She’s the Holly referenced in the inbetween talk.  Remy is my dog.  Also, Dane didn’t actually eat any LSD.  I was trying to be funny…or something.

There are a few aural differences between this rehearsal and the live set.  They are as follows:

1. You can hear the flute.

2. Samuel Williams is not playing at the rehearsal, though he did join us on banjo for the “Reading Rainbow” finale.

3. At the rehearsal, we took Reading Rainbow into the weird Ghostbusters tease at the end.  It was considered for the show, but ultimately not used.

4. At the show, I used a much more organic guitar sound on “House of Satan.”

5. The ghost (played by Jonny Andrews) played beam theramin at the show, but not on the recording unfortunately.

Katie Collins – omnichord
Megan Driscoll –  flute, vocals, harmonica, tambourine
Dane Hill – bass, drums
Rachel Jae – auxillary percussion, vocals
Arrison Kirby – guitar, keys
Nathan Brown – keys, electronics

Click to download the tracks:

“Dead (As Disco)”
“Afraid of the Ghost”
“Faux Elephant”
“Stand By Me” (Ben E. King)
“Dead (As a German Military Rock Band)”
“Anemone” (Brian Jonestown Massacre)
“Reading Rainbow” (Horelick, Kleinman & Weir)

This session is called Busted Shit because that’s what it is.  It’s all over the place.  A disheveled mess of sound.   It’s also the first session that Nathan Brown sat in on as part of Never Sorry.  He only played on two of the songs:  “Afraid of the Ghost” and “Reading Rainbow.”  They were the longest documented versions of each so far.

I really wanted to post up just one more session before the show.  This is one of four recorded in the past several weeks, but the other three pretty much are the show (in a few variations, of course).  So this, being the earliest of the four, was all I could spare without much ruining the show we have planned.  Here’s a hint, though:  we’re not playing “Stand By Me.”

“Dead” – Two versions on this one.  A minimalist, dance oriented one (maybe dance the way goths dance, though).  As for the other one, I really think “German Military Rock Band” really kind of speaks for itself.  I’m playing synth bass on the first and fuzzed out bass guitar on the second.  That’s Katie on the keys in the second one.

“Afraid of the Ghost” – The first take of the first song Nathan sat in on with keys and electronics.  It slops around a long and winding road.  The longest version of this old favorite for sure.

“Faux Elephant” – Dane was bugging out on some synthetic sitar.  That’s Katie on the drums.  Everyone else assuming their usuals.

“Stand By Me” – This was just one of those “sure…let’s do it on a whim” kinda songs.  Obviously it had been in our mutual music echospheres for a few weeks.  Yet every time I hear any version except the original, I can’t help but think to myself, “meh.”  Our version is no different in these regards.  Whatever though.  Someone out there might enjoy it.  I don’t think I really care about ever playing this song again unless we rock it out really bad and rough.

“Anemone” – We began with another version initially.  I was playing drums.  Dane on guitar.  Katie on bass.  It was really chill until I stuck in a drum part that kind of threw some of us off.  So when we stepped back from it, I sped up the part that was messing us up and played it over and over and over again.  And that version is this version.  It’s super raw and bouncy.

“Reading Rainbow” – Another version with Nathan.  This one meanders into some insanity at the end.  I considered chopping it into two parts:  “Reading Rainbow” and “Reading Rainbow (Reprise).”  But hey.  I didn’t.  So suffer out the slop of the first part because the slop of the last part is well worth it.

Katie Collins – omnichord, ukulele, drums, bass
Megan Driscoll –  flute, vocals, harmonica, tambourine
Dane Hill – bass, drums, guitar
Rachel Jae – auxillary percussion, vocals
Arrison Kirby – guitar, keys, bass, drums
Nathan Brown – keys, electronics

Click to download the tracks:

“Flesh”
“Religion”
“Leisure”
“Robot Rappers”
“Entertainment”
“Romance”
“Stand By Me” (Ben E. King cover)
“Currency”
“Garbage”

Keeping with Nate’s “robots talking” form, this session finds them talking about the relics of extinct humans.  Processing them.  Imitating them, as children once imitated dinosaurs.

Nathan Brown – keys, electronics
Arrison Kirby –  keys, electronics, beats

samples
“Entertainment” – “Fuck Wit Dre Day (And Everybody’s Celebratin’)” by Dr. Dre
“Currency” – “Dime” by Cake
“Garbarge” – “Golden Years” by David Bowie

Click to download the tracks:

“Blue”
“Cute Little Echo (Front Porch)”
“Here Comes Jombo”
“Reading Rainbow” (Horelick, Kleinman & Weir)
“Cute Little Echo (Back Porch)”
“Planned Parenthood”

I hate to use the word “groove” in almost any context outside of a crevice, as in a record or the road, but I can’t just ignore the hokier context here.  I’m not trying to liken this set to a jam band type of deal.  There is, however, an essence of  ease on this one.  It’s light.  Positive?  Who knows?

“Blue” – Notice the resistance to the soundscape at the beginning.  No one (except maybe Dane) thought I was serious about using it when I broke it out (as I did just prior to this take).  I had to sell the girls on it.  I mean, it’s a creepy sound.  I think that they think that I was just being an asshole because I’m not usually wanting to play “Blue” as much as I do the other songs.  I knew it would work, though…and it does!  Good version!

“Cute Little Echo” – Yeah.  I know how shitty my singing can get. Definitely good examples of that on these two versions, but instrumentally they are too fresh to omit for bad singing.  The “Front Porch” is quicker and more rockin’ then we have done in the past.  The “Back Porch” is…well…I’m not certain.  It’s happy.  Not so…serious?  No guitar on it.  I’m playing bass instead.  Both versions also have Dane on drums rather than beats as the prior versions have had.  And listen!  Katie’s ukulele is coming through loud and clear finally!  Alright!

“Here Comes Jombo” – Another good ol’ down home, little group jam.  Dane on bass.  Katie on the bongos.  And seriously…doesn’t it sound like someone named Jombo is approaching you?  Isn’t this what you’ll hear when it happens?

“Reading Rainbow” – I absolutely had to carry this over from the Skynet Session.  With Nathan Brown sitting in with us at the Pilot Light show on March 25th, 2011, and also being my counterpart in that session, it only makes sense to apply this one to Never Sorry.  This is the speedy, more “correct” version that they actually play on the show.

“Planned Parenthood” – This session was over.  Done for.  Megan had already left (I think).  Rachel and Katie were chatting it up.  The music had subsided, but the equipment was still on.  I was still starved for one more morsel of sound.  I suppose Dane was as well, because right after he picked up the microphone, I started this beat.  Those girls were powerless to this gangsta ass shit and we got one more aural feeding for the night.  Yes!  That’s Katie playing an old, out of tune piano.  Not keyboard gloss.

Katie Collins – omnichord, ukulele, bongo drums, piano
Megan Driscoll –  flute, harmonica, tambourine, vocals
Dane Hill – bass, drums, vocals
Rachel Jae – auxillary percussion, vocals
Arrison Kirby – keys, beats, bass, guitar, vocals

Click to download the tracks:

“House of Satan”
“Reading Rainbow”
“Single Politician”
“T-800″
“T-1000″

Hypencrunk is an idea that originated with Nathan Brown back when we still played in Obadiah together.  He would apply the title to any rare touches of upbeat electro we would explore.  However, it was never fully realized back then.  It’s undeniable, though, that this session is hypencrunk.

Nathan is going to join Never Sorry for our show at the Pilot Light on March 25th.  This session was supposed to be his first with everyone else, but everyone else bailed on the session for various legitimate reasons.  So it ended up just Nate and I.

We did two songs that Never Sorry often does, two dubstep improvisations and a slowed down cover of the Reading Rainbow theme song.  We did have a microphone and there were vocals when live, but I forgot to turn the channel input up on my board so they never got recorded.  I actually think this may be to the benefit of this session.  Maybe.

Nathan described this session as “two computers talking.”  Hence, we’ve named it the Skynet Session.

Nathan Brown – keys, electonics
Arrison Kirby –  keys, electronics, beats