“Power’s Out”
“Michael in the War”
“Springtime of the Dregs”
“Really Horrible Shit is Popular”
“Watery Grave”
“Local Flavor”
“Those Guys”
“Reggae Sunsplash”
“Lesbian But For Penis”

This was recorded to my exgirlfriend’s Olympus digital recorder on a stormy evening.  I wanted to work on something more involved and deliberate, but the weather ended up putting out the electricity (hence the session title).  And so it was settled.  As with the Pianospout sessions, I would record an improvisational set with just my voice and a single, acoustic instrument.  In this case, I used a guitar.

One song, “Really Horrible Shit is Popular,” was already written prior to the recording.  Everything else was made up on the spot.  This includes “Michael in the War,” which was later transcribed and performed on numerous occasions with Never Sorry.  To date, it’s the only song I have ever written in the moment that, when later fleshed out, kept every single lyric and chord change in tact.

Also unchanged is the order the songs were created / performed.  This is is the same path I took that evening as I strung all this shit together.  The session ended when the power was restored.

“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

“Welcome to the Show”
“Anemone” (Brian Jonestown Massacre cover)
“House of Satan”
“Single Politician”
“Dead”
“Untitled as Yet”
“Action Medley:  a) Hard Times b) Pronounced Veins c) Haunted House d) Company Tab”
“Golden Trust of the San Juan Valley, Diarrhea, California”

My guitar had been shorting out more and more.  It was causing too many issues, so I decided to finally have it repaired.  With the guitar in “the shop,” I was limited on musical resources.  The result was a much heavier use of keys on this session.  It all culminates into something somewhere between driving electro and plunky jazz.  David Davis joins us again on a couple songs.

“Welcome to the Show” – This is a happy little instrumental based around three simple chords.  I think that’s Megan stating those chords at the beginning.  I’m particularly fond of Rachel Jae’s sparse, but consistent use of an old pot for a percussive detail toward the end.

“Anemone” – I think this is the third version of this Brian Jonestown Massacre cover that I’ve put up here.  It’s certainly the most unique.  We actually worked this version up at the prior session.  I initially wasn’t going to post it because I wanted to break it out at our upcoming show at the Pilot Light on March 25th.  (Yes.  We have an upcoming show at the Pilot Light on March 25th.)  However, there is ultimately no way I can prevent myself from withholding it.  It sounds great and it’s only going to get better.

“House of Satan” – This song again.  It’s so easy, but effective.  I can’t resist it.  David Davis is playing the acoustic guitar on this one.  Katie’s hitting the bongos.  Megan’s hitting the flute.  Dane and Rachel were not present for this one.  Obviously, as on the song before it, we’re keeping in some electro territory.

“Single Politician” – I absolutely love this version.  It’s loose and gruff.  It reminds me of a car falling apart as it drives hard down a shitty road.  That’s Katie on the drums, sounding like they’re about to fall over as the rest of us lose control of our knees and elbows.

“Dead” - I wrote this song back in the days of Obadiah and actually have a few recordings of Obadiah playing it.  Rachel worked the vocals into  something new and it works far better than my original cadences ever did.  Two things here are unfortunate, though.  The first is that Katie’s ukulele is barely audible and the second is that, at the end of the song, we get feedback from the new mic we were using to try to make it audible. We did other takes where she played bass, but as far as the musicianship of the rest of us on the other takes, none beat this one.

“Untitled as Yet” - We hadn’t pulled this one out in a while.  This is another track with David Davis on acoustic guitar and without Dane and Rachel.  I feel it lacks something without electric guitar, but it’s not bad.  David does some badass flamenco guitar work in the faster part of the song.  It’s mixed kind of quiet though.  I might should fix that one day.

“Action Medley:  a) Hard Times b) Pronounced Veins c) Haunted House d) Company Tab” - This is some more of that, uh…musical comedy (?) that just pops up sometimes.  There’s little to explain about this ever-changing odyssey.

“Golden Trust of the San Juan Valley, Diarrhea, California” - I’m playing drums on this one.  Katie is on the bongos and Megan the flute, of course.  A nice meditative, percussive end.

Katie Collins – omnichord, ukulele, bongo drums, drum kit
Megan Driscoll –  flute, vocals
Dane Hill – bass, drums
Rachel Jae – auxillary percussion, vocals
Arrison Kirby – keys, beats, vocals, drums
David Davis – acoustic guitar

Yay!  The band has a video!

This song and the video were recorded on 12.1.10 at a session that only included myself, Katie Collins and Megan Driscoll.  It’s cover of the NWA song, “Automobile,” (as they reformed from the original by Parliament) from their highly misogynistic, but wonderfully produced Niggaz4Life .  It’s different than the version we did in the last session.  That one was rockin’.  This one is more chilled out and electro.

Lots of offensive language on this.  Again, I’m no fan of standard camp.  But this isn’t camp…these are gangstas!  They mean it!

And as always, if you’d like to download the MP3, here you go:

“Automobile” – Never Sorry

Obadiah

“Draglock”
“A23″
“Chainsaw Man”
“Fire Shadow”
“Diatomic Princess”
“Grabpop”
“Savannah Passage”
“Call a Flower”
[secret song]

Written, produced and performed by Obadiah

Josh Lunsford – electronics
Arrison Kirby – electronics
Aaron Shugart-Brown – guitar
Chris Hoose – electronics

Artwork by Aaron Shugart-Brown

Recorded at a house on a dead end street, Maryville, TN.