el deth

Posts Tagged ‘2011’

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unidentified art, New York City, NY

“Edge of Memory”
“Mouse”
“Be My Baby” (The Ronettes)
“Sell it on the Weekends”

In our second Never Sorry session without Katie and Megan, we decided to forget all our songs and start from scratch, at least for this one.  We also abandoned the full instrumentation to go acoustic once again.  The aim was something of a brainstorm.  The result is off the cuff improvisation that sometimes veers into straight dialogue.  There is also a Ronettes cover.

I almost didn’t post this one because I thought it might be just a bit too loose.  The subject matter also ranges from questionable to offensive.  Enough to make me chop out a good chunk of “Sell it on the Weekends.”  I realized it was going to have to be done before we even finished playing the song.

This is us at our most carnal and immature.  It is also riddled with confusion and a little frustration.  Sometimes, though, it just works.

Dane Hill – acoustic guitar, kick drum, vocals
R.J. Hill – auxillary percussion, vocals
Arrison Kirby – acoustic guitar, vocals

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“The Suffer Dance”
“Don’t”
“Blue”
“Moments”

I think Consolation Prize is a fitting name for this session in so many ways.  To be a consolation prize, one must serve as a remnant of something that never was.  Consolation prizes, by name, are there to soften the blow when you ruin your chances of winning.  So here is a tender, melancholy set to help cope with losing.

This is Never Sorry with no Katie or Megan.  The funerary softness celebrates that (surely temporary) loss for sure.  The set also came on the heels of a dumb break up I had and there is plenty of therapy, musical and otherwise, being passed down from the Hills to me.  “Don’t” would be the most evident of this, with Dane making up the lyrics as we went.

The beat oriented songs act as bookstands around the soft inside of the session.  “Moments” was written precisely about that aforementioned break up.  The vocals are iffy at times as I try to sort through them, but whatever.  Some cathartic life force runs through this session all the same, as we dive deeper into this fresh minimalism.

Dane Hill – bass, glockenspiel, vocals
Rachel Jae – auxillary percussion, vocals
Arrison Kirby – guitar, beats, programming, keys, vocals

These are possibly the best versions of “Laundry” and “Michael in the War” recorded so far.  We used beats on both of them, allowing Dane to jump on the bass.  I’m particularly fond of the break down in “Michael.”

“Moon Rest Over Trees” was our opening jam, but I felt it better positioned where it is in the line up.  The other improvisational piece is “Succumb When it Counts” and it features me on drums, Dane on guitar and Katie on the drums.  These are also the same play positions used for the session closure, a slowed down cover of Culture Club’s “Karma Chameleon.”  This cover was Dane’s idea.  He lead us through it and also sang.  I like it a million billion times better than the original.

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

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woman tamer

“I Wanna Be You” – Paul McCartney
“All Your Life” – Blur
“Happy Flower” – Nellie McKay & The Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra
“Fresh Hex” – Tobacco & Beck
“I Feel Ya Strutter” – of Montreal
“Silent Bell” – Radiohead vs. KT Tunstall vs. Overdub
“Fin” – Pavement
“Forever Again” – Eric’s Trip
“Enemy Gene” – Kevin Barnes

Love can be so sordid.  It makes sense and then it doesn’t and it drips all over the floor and messes up your life.  Everyone involved just wants a safe boat on the sea, but can you drop all expectation from your shipmates?  How far does unconditional love really go, anyway?

The title of this mix is meant to be somewhat ambiguous, but ultimately pertaining to the trial and error of any worthwhile relationship.  The most likely association is that of a woman being tamed.  Like a lion tamer, but taming a woman.  The lion connotation also works well considering the  astrological influence for this mix.  (Leo.)  On the other side, the title can also be interpreted as a woman who tames.  I know there are a lot of them out there, and many of them are Leos also.

So yeah.  It’s still the beginning of August.  We’re in the lioness’s den and we all just have to deal with that until the asshole Virgos (love you guys!) take the crown.  Until then, I guess this mix is for all those lovely Leo ladies out there.    Thanks for the strange depth.

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“Devoured by Lions and Fish”

photo by Nathan Tipton

Sometimes stress builds beyond our borders and so comes a time to release it with a good ol’ fashioned beat session.  This one was recorded live one night when myself and Modifi were both in a fantastic, “fuck a buncha bullshit” mode.  We set up, played out, then broke down.  This is a continuous set.  No extra special post edits or attention to detail beyond bpm and maybe tonality.

However, I did think I had an issue with the mastering on it.  It sounded great in my car and in the studio, but in my office, some of the beats were lost in the mix.  I couldn’t figure out why.  I adjusted volume levels and remastered and reburned the disc at least six times.  It was the same problem every time and it was killing me.  Then I finally realized that I had my receiver set on a mono speaker output., hence causing some of the beats to phase each other out.  So all I had to do was hit a single button all along.  Totally lame.

In any case, the mystery has been solved and now you can listen for yourself.  I also have a bunch of unnecessary test burns of this session now, as well.  Some mastered better than others, but if you want one, email me or something.  I don’t know why you would want a CD, though, if you can just download it here.   The offer still stands.

DJ Modifi – beats, samples
Arrison Kirby –  beats, samples

Click to download the track.

“The B” – Obadiah

To prepare for this show with How I Became the Bomb, Obadiah recorded four sessions over a course of three nights. This song was one that arose from between the cracks of our set in progress. It was born of improvisation, as a response to the song that proceeded it.

This is pretty silly stuff for to be the first “official” Obadiah song released in years.  If you come check us out at the Pilot Light, you’ll see it’s barely even a scratch on the surface for the current barrage of Obadiah soundscapes.

Kenny Gilbert – guitar, bass
Josh Russell –  drums
Nathan Brown – keys, electronics
Aaron Shugart-Brown – guitar, vocals
Arrison Kirby – keys, electronics, beats

This is the first show Obadiah will have played together in about five years.  When the offer came through (not a week before the show), we all figured, “why not?”  I don’t think any of us were certain as to what exactly was going to happen at our first scheduled session / rehearsal.  That being the past now, I would say that it feels as if we never stopped in the first place.  I won’t say that, though, because I feel we are all actually much better musicians now with a more mature sound then what it was when we left off.

This is likely going to be a rare one off as drummer, Josh Russell, will be shipping out to Oregon in just a few weeks.  So come on down and see what Obadiah has become.  You will not be disappointed.

Click here to check out How I Became the Bomb.

Click here to check out the last Obadiah album.

Click to download as a continuous mp3:

aural catharsis

“Run, Don’t Walk” – Matt Sparks
“Why Can’t I Believe in You?” – Beck
“Give up the Ghost” – Radiohead
“The Hard Way” – Pat Donohue & The Shoe Band
“You Don’t Miss Your Water” – Otis Redding
“Night-Time Intermission” – Charlotte Gainsbourg
“Sidi Infi” – Cracker
“If You Leave Me, Leave Me Running” – Chicros
“No Conclusion” – of Montreal
“Spread Your Cause” – Beck vs. Flying White Dots
“Cold Heart of Stone” – Frank Black & The Catholics
“Glad It’s Over” – Wilco
“You’re Breakin’ My Heart” – Harry Nilsson

Hey!  It’s a break up mix!  Maybe it’s a tad late, depending on how long it takes to dispossess another soul from their own.  We all know these things come in groups so surely someone out there can use it.

I’m in that number, so this mix came easy and out well.  Ideally, I’m hoping it will serve as a cathartic tool for anyone that needs it.  For no, my friends, these are not all songs of sadness or despair.  Each song feels naturally in its place within the progression.  If a person could submerge oneself into this mix, then perhaps it could live up to its title and provide a truly cathartic experience to the listener.

So though my particular situation is not quite resolved, I can say that I definitely learned at least one thing from it so far:  Your friends really don’t want to hear about this shit.

Fair enough…but everyone likes a mix tape!