Monday, May 30, 2005 I'm back from the weekend adventures. At the very last minute, I ended up camping on the beach in Assateague, MD with a straight edge biker gang and at least one pirate. It's an island with a lot of wild ponies and a really quiet and pretty beach. We ended up on the boardwalk in Ocean City, MD Saturday night to break in the season. It was nice and peaceful hearing the waves and the wind through the tent as I drifted asleep. Yesterday, there was sailing with good friends. It took a while to get everything going due to some mechanical problems, but Scott persevered and got us moving for a nice cruise across the bay. Today was the traditional Memorial Day barbeque. Matt finally got me the rest of the Saxon Shore rough mixes and they're sounding great. I'm excited for the final mixing. :::scott::: Posted by Scott @ 09:22 PM CST Friday, May 27, 2005 Ben and I met about Saxon Shore artwork last night and he's illustrating away. We've got mad plans, we'll see what happens. There still might be a video for one of the songs if a certain Hollywood director is available. If not, there is still much love in our hearts for him. Tonight, the Lost Film festival in Philadelphia. This weekend, sailing in Maryland with Scott, Jane, and Nicole and barbequeing with Dave and Nicole. All we need is enough sunshine. Starflyer 59 vinyl is en route from the factory finally. Things were backed up at the pressing plant. We'll get these sent out to everyone as soon as they arrive, I promise. Happy Memorial Day. :::scott::: Posted by Scott @ 12:28 PM CST Thursday, May 26, 2005 Saxon Shore should be done tracking the parts of The Exquisite Death of Saxon Shore with Fridmann. I'm waiting to hear some of the rough mixes, but what I've heard so far has been impressive. Everyone seems pretty happy with the record so far, but I guess it's their/our record so there is some inherent bias. If you don't have their new ep Luck Will Not Save Us from a Jackpot of Nothing, it's out to all the cool record shops this Tuesday, 31 May. Johnathon and I were talking last night about a second Unwed Sailor album that will feature alternate versions of older songs and new, unreleased tracks performed with the new live lineup of keyboards, bass, and drums. If our plans hold, that will be recorded in September. The White Ox is still on track to be finished in July. There have been a couple more dates added to their tour, so be sure to check those out and see them when they come near you in June. The Bosque Brown website has gotten a bit of a facelift, so go check it out. :::scott::: Posted by Scott @ 10:01 AM CST Tuesday, May 24, 2005 I left everyone in the dust for the long drive home after a massive 3 on 3 badminton victory. Let the record show that not only is Dave an amazing producer, he definitely has mad badminton skills. I think most of the guitar parts have been added to the record now and the rest of the time is for experimenting with additional parts and sounds. Tracking should be over on Wednesday and Dave will mix the album in June when Saxon Shore is on tour. Saxon Shore is big in Japan at Linus Records this month. Luck Will Not Save Us from a Jackpot of Nothing is the top seller and Be a Bright Blue is #2. :::scott::: Posted by Scott @ 08:54 AM CST Monday, May 23, 2005 Quote from the studio wall..."They've all got something wrong with them. And that's a well known fact." -- Tony Doogan on Belle and Sebastian fans (he produced, recorded, and mixed several of their albums). Another studio tale. When Mogwai was here recording Rock Action, they got back late from BJ's and decided that it would be a good idea to shoot at the windows of their photographer's rental car. Things escalated to the point of the band completely trashing the car causing $6-8,000 in damages. Part of the plan was to drive the car down the road a ways, set it on fire, and claim that it was stolen, but things never progressed that far. Posted by Scott @ 03:42 PM CST ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Saxons have finally put up a bit of studio journal here and have also added a new front splash page to their main site. So take a visit, there are plenty of photos of the band in action. Matthew started the day out with Max Richter's The Blue Notebooks which seems to capture the feel of the cool, overcast morning. Mary went and got bagels for breakfast. I made another batch of cookies and did a round of dishes. Matt is adding some more guitar parts today and then Matthew will add additional guitar parts. Dave showed up with water softener salt, more shuttlecocks for badminton, and circus peanuts. When I was a kid, circus peanuts were my favorite treat. We keep destroying all of the birdies during badminton and are grateful to have more. Hopefully the weather will get a bit nicer so we can play. The control room is filled with racks and racks of equipment. There are things which look like they're from the '40s and '50s with crazy knobs and meters and thick metal cases. There is one box with a bunch of vacuum tubes to warm things up. There are other things which look super expensive, high-tech, and ultra-modern. They're all patched together with a dizzying array of wires to tweak the sounds for the record. An oscilloscope flickers with the changing melodies. The magic is happening. :::scott::: Posted by Scott @ 11:40 AM CST Sunday, May 22, 2005 We're out here in the middle of a nice wooded area, far from any big highways or cities. Matthew, Willis, and I shot some BB guns earlier and Matthew's been so good at it, he's been able to shoot down badminton birdies from the trees when they get stuck. It's a nice place to be together creating a record and it's times like these when I understand why I have this record label. Here is the birth of something beautiful into the world, even though it's called The Exquisite Death of Saxon Shore. I often sit on a red couch at the back of the control room watching Dave work and listening to the record being made as parts are added, changed, and removed. Shall I speak of the legend known as Excouchlibur? Legend holds that Sir Alan of Low was sleeping on said red couch and unable to fall into a deep sleep. He tossed and turned and tossed and turned, deeply disturbed by something. The next morning, he looked through the couch, found a toy sword under the cushions, and dubbed it Excouchlibur. Posted by Scott @ 11:27 PM CST ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Willis and I went to get groceries for supper. We ended up grilling sausages and burgers, but considered getting some rabbit and I wasn't sure how to cook it exactly. I did bake a batch of cookies that have been rapidly devoured. Matt is tracking guitar parts for several songs tonight and Matthew is going to continue on when Matt leaves to watch Desparate Housewives. Doesn't sound too indie rock to me, but what can you do? I finally won a game of badminton, but it was mostly due to Dave being on my team, he's had a lot of practice and was prepared for domination. There should be some images from the studio up on the Saxon Shore website a little later once they've posted them. They've been slacking a bit on their studio journal. We've descended into Mary's tabloids and are reading the latest from US and Star. I have a secret love for trash magazines. Posted by Scott @ 07:48 PM CST ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mary came out to visit from NYC to check up on Matt and the recording action. The 9th song was finished up last night so we broke for BJ's. Mary Fridmann joined us. Matthew got brave and ordered up some Mr. K fries which come with cheese, peppers, and onions. Some things you end up regretting in life and these would be one more in that trail of ruin. Dave greeted us with a box of donuts and pink tape for marking off the badminton court. It's going to get ugly later, we're sure of it. A little piece of trivia for Mercury Rev fans (Ethan?)...Boces is a local term for kids who ride the short bus. Song ten is underway, at least for bass and drums. The recording is being done digitally with ProTools because Quantegy stopped making tape at the end of 2004. Apparently, no one can get new 2" tape for analog recording at the moment. It's not the perfect scenario, but it's sounding good and that's what's important. Being in the studio is all about magazine reading and we arrived well-stocked. Dave's name is all over the current press because of the new Sleater-Kinney album The Woods that he did and was released recently. Harp has a special section on all things "red hot" and Dave is mentioned as the red hot producer, though he's not sure how they got the old photo and quotes from him. Props to the great Mr. Harvey Wallbanger and his Highball Society, it's been a long time, brotha. High fives to Mike Price. It's also been way too long. :::scott::: Posted by Scott @ 01:44 PM CST Saturday, May 21, 2005 Drums and bass are tracked for three more songs and they're working on one more. There's been badminton and wasabi peas to fill the breaks. Gorgonzola enchiladas for dinner. Word has it that Sleater-Kinney were remarkable cooks and so is Michael from the Flaming Lips. Matt and Mary delivered the tastiness tonight, though. There's talk of going to BJ's later where those who record here often show up for small unannounced shows. Saxon was supposed to play, but decided to devote themselves to the slavery of working on this record. Apparently the factory where Mad Dog is made is just down the street and a certain Scottish instrumental band loved visiting... Posted by Scott @ 08:39 PM CST ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When I got up, Dave was out mowing the lawn on the riding mower. After some of Matthew's extra strong coffee, the Saxons started tracking a song. The method is to record everything live, so they've been playing it several times in a row to get a good take for the drums and bass. The remaining parts will be overdubbed after a good base track. Posted by Scott @ 02:30 PM CST ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I'm in Fredonia after a long drive through the New York countryside. I finally got to meet Dave Fridmann and check up on Saxon Shore. Tarbox Road Studios has a lot of amazing equipment, definitely the most complete studio that any of the btv artists have ever used for recording. Matthew's been using the Flaming Lips' guitars. Michael Ivins was helping on the recording until he threw out his back, had to make a visit to the hospital, and decided to go back home. There are separate rooms for each band member and most of the songs are recorded live and then overdubbed. We're feeling the good vibes of the amazing records recorded here from Deserter Songs to Come on Die Young to The Soft Bulletin to Rock Action to The Great Destroyer and more. Phil Collins vinyl is playing on the turntable and I'm afraid, but it's what's in the air tonight. I got to hear any early mix from the forthcoming Sigur Ros album and it was groundbreaking, truly amazing. I haven't actually heard any of the Saxon Shore session, I walked in as things were wrapping up for the night, but I'll give an update once I hear some mixes. :::scott::: Posted by Scott @ 12:35 AM CST Friday, May 20, 2005 Filibustering to Fredonia and Fridmann... Posted by Scott @ 11:22 AM CST Wednesday, May 18, 2005 Saxon Shore are now laying down tracks at Tarbox Studios in Fredonia with Dave Fridmann. Maybe it would be nice to know some background about the recording process. Matt, Matthew, Steve, Will, and Oliver have all contributed to the songs for The Exquisite Death of Saxon Shore. Being in NYC, upstate NY, Philadelphia, and DC it makes the process a bit difficult. Matt will lay down the intial melodies and others will add on various parts to construct the demos. Matt, Matthew, and Steve did some live demos after touring in March, but since Will and Oliver don't really tour and are part of the process, there are still some things missing from the final mix. Needless to say, without computer based recording, the demo process would be very difficult for Saxon Shore. The demos are important for the band to figure out the basis of their songs, but also important to pass along to Dave so he can get an idea of how these songs might end up, things to tweak and adjust, sounds to find, other instruments to use, the whole gammet of the recording studio pallet. :::scott::: Posted by Scott @ 01:30 PM CST Tuesday, May 17, 2005 Saxon Shore will be on tour in June. Here are the latest dates: 9 June : Philadelphia, PA. Millcreek Tavern. 10 June : Pittsburgh, PA. Garfield Artworks. 11 June : Knoxville, TN. The Pilot Light. 12 June : Nashville, TN. The Muse. 14 June : Mt. Pleasant, SC. Village Tavern. 17 June : Gainesville, FL. Faces Lounge. 18 June : Tallahassee, FL. Beta Bar. 20 June : New Orleans, LA. TwiRoPa. 21 June : Houston, TX. Super Happy Funland. 24 June : Oklahoma City, OK. The Conservatory. 25 June : Warrensburg, MO. The Set List 26 June : Kansas City, MO. The Hurricane. 27 June : Des Moine, IA. Vaudville Mews. 30 June : Chicago, IL. The Abbey. :::scott::: Posted by Scott @ 06:07 PM CST Sunday, May 15, 2005 Happy Birthday, Dad (well, yesterday). Saxon Shore are polishing their songs this weekend before going into the studio with Dave Fridmann in Fredonia, NY this coming week. The demos are sounding really good and we're all very excited. :::scott::: Posted by Scott @ 11:09 PM CST Friday, May 13, 2005 It's Friday and it's been a long week, not just for me and you, but for our pal Joey Sweeney. Pop over to the Philebrity site and read his crazy encounter after the Echo and the Bunnymen show last night. By the way, he and The Trouble with Sweeney are at the Khyber in Philadelphia this Saturday, 14 May. Rockout. I think this weekend has some sailing with Scott and Willis scheduled. :::scott::: Posted by Scott @ 03:58 PM CST Thursday, May 12, 2005 When Sigur Ros' "Staralfur" comes in during the end of The Life Aquatic, isn't it a beautiful moment? Almost as beautiful at The Zombies' "The Way I Feel Inside." I love how Wes Anderson films are so soundtrack oriented, those details shine through. Bill Murray, Bill Murray, Bill Murray, Bud Cort. I don't care what else you say, it's fun to watch. I got to hear some of the finished songs for The White Ox. Unwed Sailor is continuing on from their contribution to the For Jonathan soundtrack. They're planning to tour in June and have a new swank website up, it's really looking good. New dates are listed there, but here they are: 13 June : Little Rock, AR. The Oyster Bar 14 June : Baton Rouge, LA. Red Star Bar 15 June : Austin, TX. Church of the Friendly Ghost 17 June : Norman, OK. The Opolis 18 June : Fayetteville, AR. JR's Lightbulb Club 19 June : Lawrence, KS. The Granada 20 June : St. Louis, MO. Radio Cherokee. 21 June : Des Moines, IA. The Vaudeville Mews. 23 June : Minneapolis, MN. Triple Rock Social Club. 25 June : Chicago, IL. The Bottom Lounge. 26 June : Grand Rapids, MI. The DAAC. 27 June : Traverse City, MI. American Legion Hall. Go and see them play, it's been far too long, don't you think? :::scott::: Posted by Scott @ 11:09 AM CST Tuesday, May 10, 2005 I made it to both the Danielson and Starflyer 59 shows last night. As the Famile played their last note, I rushed across the city to see the very first note of the Starflyer show. It was great to see the Famile all together, especially Rachel from the West Coast, and the set was a good mix of the old favorites and a few new things. I was thinking that it was 9 years ago that we had a Valentine's Day cd release party/dance for Tell Another Joke on the Chopping Block at my university in Philadelphia. Starflyer sounded really good in the small confines of the Khyber and it was great to see the guys again. Man, Yann Tiersen and Shannon Wright, who knew it could sound so good? Unbelieveable. :::scott::: Posted by Scott @ 08:48 AM CST Monday, May 9, 2005 All hope is not lost: Danielson/Deerhoof at the First Unitarian Church and, later, Starflyer 59 at the Khyber. Tonight. :::scott::: Posted by Scott @ 04:51 PM CST Sunday, May 8, 2005 Happy Mother's Day, Mom. Nicole and I took on Montclair, NJ with her roommate Sal and friend Neil on Friday night. Our new band will soon be ready for gigs. John Darnielle, know that Sweden and Nothing for Juice made it onto the turntable during the party down. What is it with NJ state pride? We saw some guy with a shirt that had the NJ state icon on it with swords around it. Do other states do this? I've never seen it if they do. I think you're over compensating for NJ. I never had a shirt with Indiana and swords or PA and swords. I think those states just don't care. Saturday, I made it to the Cy Twombly exhibit at the Whitney which was entirely works that I hadn't seen, just in time, too, the exhibition closed on Sunday. Twombly is one of my favorite artists and my favorite museum is the Cy Twombly museum (designed by Renzo Piano) that is part of the Menil Collection in Houston, TX. His bursts of color, scrawling scribbles, and uncommon materials are captivating. I met up with Matt Doty and Mary and then we wandered over to the Knitting Factory to see Starflyer 59. It was an early show and a little thin at the beginning, but the crowd picked up. J. Edward Keyes showed up just in time and it had been about a year since I'd last seen him. He did the short story for the Starflyer one-sided LP and was once my roommate. The Starflyer guys were tired and went back to their NJ hotel while the rest of us stuck around Manhattan for some Indian food. Starflyer will be in Philadelphia on Monday night at the Khyber. See you there. Mikael and I have been chatting tonight. He's written a book in Danish and it's getting translated into English and German shortly, so I'll be able to finally read it. Ooh yeah, Dodger grandslam on Sunday night baseball just went down... :::scott::: Posted by Scott @ 08:53 PM CST Friday, May 6, 2005 Ben and I had a little Cinco de Mayo celebration out our way last night. He's going to be doing the album design for the forthcoming Saxon Shore album. This weekend I'll be in NJ and NYC to see my friends Nicole and Keyes, as well as visit the Cy Twombly exhibit at the Whitney and see Starflyer 59 play at the Knitting Factory. Don't forget that Starflyer will be in Philadelphia on Monday at the Khyber. :::scott::: Posted by Scott @ 11:03 AM CST Thursday, May 5, 2005 Congratulations to Jim, Elena, and their new triplets. God bless the kind clerk at Waterloo Records in Austin who convinced me that I should buy The Mountain Goats' Nine Black Poppies ep/mini-album so many years ago. It led me down that slippery slope of fandom and Mountain Goats record collecting, though I confess that it's been way too long since I've put Sweden on the turntable. Forgive me. The show tonight was fantastic with members of Shearwater and John Vanderslice backing on various songs. John even played "Nine Black Poppies", in spite of not playing "Cubs in Five" (has anyone ever heard that live?). His voice was going in and out during the last show in Philadelphia, but tonight, it was definitely incredible. Happy Cinco de Mayo! :::scott::: Posted by Scott @ 12:05 AM CST Tuesday, May 3, 2005 Unwed Sailor have postponed their May recording sessions while Dan Burton is on tour with Early Day Miners in Europe. They'll be on tour in June and will likely finish The White Ox in July. Starflyer 59 is on tour. I'm still hoping the vinyl for Talking Voice Vs. Singing Voice will be ready for the second part of their tour. They'll be in NYC at the Knitting Factory on Saturday and I'll be visiting to see them. They'll be in Philadelphia on Monday at the Khyber and should be on after Danielson and Deerhoof finish at the Unitarian Church. Tomorrow night, The Mountain Goats at the Unitarian Church. I've always loved to see John play. By the way, today was the official retail release date for Bosque Brown Plays Mara Lee Miller. Hope you picked up a copy or two for yourself and your loved ones. :::scott::: Posted by Scott @ 10:56 PM CST Monday, May 2, 2005 Thanks to the friend who sent me a copy of Sufjan's Illinois album. There seem to be more instruments on this recording than the previous albums, I'm definitely noticing string parts this time around. The recorded version of "Chicago" is great, it's been one of my live favorites and I've been waiting to hear it on an album. Sufjan's ability to tell stories from the perspective of state residents is unparalleled, beyond mere folk songs and more like short stories hanging onto melodies. Dave, his son Vincent, and his dad went to see the Phillies and Marlins play, it was Vince's first game ever. It was a nice, sunny day, a great day for baseball. The Phils started out with a 5 run first inning and led the rest of the game to win 8-6. I do have some home town loyalty for the Phillies, until they play the Dodgers (who have quietly returned to having the best record in the National League). :::scott::: Posted by Scott @ 10:26 AM CST Sunday, May 1, 2005 I've just returned from a surreal triangulation of friends in Asbury Park, NJ of all places. It was actually a really interesting place. It's an entirely run down looking ocean shore town and the weather was cool and misty, making it nice to just watch the waves crash on the beach. By an interesting chain of events, my friend Tim was there for some kind of punk rock festival and my friend Nicole was there for an unrelated concert. Thanks to the kind folks at ASCAP, we were able to meet up and hang out for a bit at their party. Our friend Rory joined up with us and we all popped over see Lovedrug play (Tim manages them). Last night, I stopped by the studio to pick up Emil, we went to aka music to look for vinyl records and ran into their grand opening extravaganza (they moved up the block a few spots and re-opened). Joey Sweeney was in attendance and promised that the Trouble with Sweeney will ride again on 14 May at the Khyber. See you there for that. Emil and I went over to NJ to Daniel Smith's house and were treated to a listening of the rough mixes of 5 new Danielson songs, as well as a song he had recorded with Kramer. I still think the world will be pleasantly surprised. :::scott::: Posted by Scott @ 01:23 AM CST [ Archives ]