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

Click to download as a continuous mp3:

Ashes to Ashes

“Intro” – Barack Obama
“Airline to Heaven (Live at Farm Aid 2005)” – Wilco
“That Highway Won’t Get You to Heaven” – Beck
“Drugs” – Talking Heads
“Black Satin” – Miles Davis
“Caramel (William Orbit Special)” – Blur
“Karaim” – Electric Masada
“Ghost Town” – The Specials
“Ladytron” – Roxy Music
“Star Eyes (I Can’t Catch It)” – Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse with David Lynch
“Do You Realize? (live at Hollywood Cemetery, Los Angeles, CA)” – The Flaming Lips & Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros

Here is a mix that is fitting for today, the ten year anniversary of the World Trade Center bombing in New York.  It’s not a bunch of country songs, but something a little deeper than kickin’ Sadam’s ass.  I bet your foot would go right through his ass at this point, anyway.

I wanted to make a mix that was spiritual, political, emotional, dark and beautiful at once.  Something to usher in the fall and its massive push of death and loss in nature, hence around us.  I aimed for this mix to express some endearment for the finite, in general, when relative to a world of suffering and pain.  There should be peace in knowing that all things shall pass…not fear.

The whole idea of “never forget,” however, is counter to this notion.  Do we really want that to be our mantra in relation to a national tragedy?  We are holding this against you forever?  Transformation does not always have to be a harsh lesson, especially ten years later.

“Afraid of the Ghost”
“Michael in the War”
“Dead”
“Teamworking”
“Until I Die (Rum Blues)”

Instead of tuning up the piano, Samuel tuned his banjo to match the piano.  The result is this macabre and winding session of standards.  It’s another really minimal session, as well.

Lulu Skidoo (aka Michelle Sanders) joins us again for “Until I Die.”  This is the first version we had tried on any keys at all, let alone an actual piano.

“Teamworking” is the only new song here and is most likely incomplete, but still worth sharing, I guess.  It’s about a person getting involved in someone else’s new relationship.

Arrison Kirby –piano, vocals
Samuel Williams – banjo, vocals
Michelle Sanders – vocals

Here is another clip from the footage taken by Maurita Roman at Le Carnival des Autres from back in May. This one is not as consistently strong as “Until I Die (Rum Blues)” was, but it’s the only other complete video of an entire song – or a two song sequence in this case.

So yeah. It’s a somewhat frantic push of “Michael in the War,” segueing into John Lennon’s “Give Peace a Chance.” And of course, I never know the verses. Just the chorus.

“Trimpers”
“Afraid of the Ghost”
“House of Satan”
“Dead”
“Cute Little Echo”
“Dicks and Tits”

This was our first acoustic session in preparation for Le Carnival des Autres.  Though Samuel Williams had joined us on stage at the Pilot Light not a few weeks later, he was unable to attend this one.  I’m not going to lay out each song and what’s up with it because, obviously, there isn’t anything that has been posted before (except “Dicks and Tits” but we’ll get to that).  Suffice it to say that these are all very stripped down versions of some old standards.  Gypsy versions.

And then there’s “Dicks and Tits.”  It’s all over the place and possibly unbearable at time, but that’s why I put it last.  This was actually the first of three improvisational group spiels in a row.  The other two were titled “Rachel N” and “Negro Gingé.”  It’s doubtful those two will ever be shared on this site.  There are several reasons for that but isn’t “Dicks and Tits” enough anyway?

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

Click to download as a continuous mp3:

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“Libera Me, Domine” – Ernst Reijseger And Mola Sylla
“In Excelsior Vaginalistic” – The Flaming Lips
“Night Sight” – Air
“Section 20 (Together We’re Heavy” – The Polyphonic Spree
“Subterraneans” – David Bowie
“Doll’s Polyphony” – Geinoh Yamashirogumi
“Pure Bug Beauty” – Wilco
“Chemtrails (acoustic)” – Beck
“Prophecies” – Philip Glass
“Vanities” – Charlotte Gainsbourg
“Harry Patch (In Memory Of)” – Radiohead
“It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” – Bob Dylan

The rapture is supposed to happen tomorrow, so say some fringe Christians who have managed to bring this idea to mainstream America (and possibly beyond).  If it actually does happen, and 144,000 of God’s closest friends and lovers  get a free ride to heaven, then I think this would be a fitting soundtrack.  For them in their ascent, of course, but also those of us who may be left behind…until we start killing each other for drugs or whatever.

This was actually something of a commissioned mix.  Aaron Shugart-Brown had asked me to make a mix of instrumental, easy going music for his shop, Unarmed Merchants, in Knoxville.  It’s not totally instrumental, but I feel all vocals here are light and well served enough to not get in the way.

If nothing else, you might be able to meditate or something.

This weekend, Never Sorry played a crossdressed acoustic set at Le Carnival des Autres at 1010 Gallery in Knoxville.  In this video, we are joined by Lulu Skidoo (aka Michelle Sanders) for this performance of “Until I Die (Rum Blues).”  She wrote these lyrics.  Myself and Megan Driscoll fleshed out the music.  Then, obviously, everyone else together brought it into form.

This video was filmed by Maurita Roman. I have at least one more good recorded excerpt from the show and it will likely get posted soon.  For now though…

“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

Le Carnival des Autres is a mixed media art project by Dorothy Verbick and Sarah Holland.

Other performers include:  Fine Peduncle, Delinda D’Rabbit & Salome Cabaret, Maria Kateri McGuire & Balazs Sipos, Lulu Skidoo, Hudson K and American Panda.

There will additionally be tarot readings by Madame Cristalyn

This song has been getting a lot of activity and restructuring since we first introduced it during the depression session.  Obviously, I felt inclined to record myself performing it acoustically, while draped in blue garb and sitting in a blue room.  How…novel…

I also used strobe  lights and shit.  You gotta admit – it’s gotta be slightly more interesting than it would have been had I just sat stone faced in front of the camera and played the song.