Crazy Bird

I recorded an electric version of a song I wrote last summer called “Baby Bird”. It came out pretty good!

Unfamiliar things used: a nylon string guitar, Eric’s broken Jazz Chorus amp, kinda broken sm58 ripoff mic, my double tracked voice .

Here’s the new version

Here’s the old version

Long live the Roland Jazz Chorus! These guys get it.

Dreaming Kids at The Silent Barn

On July 21st Dreaming Kids played at The Silent Barn in Ridgewood, Queens. We were the first act on a great bill. Following us was SUNY Purchase duo Data Dog (who we are now superfriendz forever with), Ash’s band The Kitchen Cabinet, and, from Durham NC, the tall, bearded sweethearts Megafaun.

On this night, Dreaming Kids happened to consist of me, Bryan, Dev, and Eric. This is otherwise known as “ManBand Formation”. The best compliment of the night came from Phil of Megafaun, who, regarding Dreaming Kids, said “your pop sensibilities are inspiring”. Ah!

We bootlegged the show for ourselves. Maybe someone who reads this wants it?

Here!

This was the set list:

1. Nectarine

2. We Are Four

3. Daniel

4. Great Girl

5. Aquarellas

6. I Want A House

7. Be Kind To Your Conscience

8. All I Really Want To Do*

9. Ginger*

*These two got cut off.

**Favorite moment on the recording:

Eric: “So, we’re missing a member……….theres that….”

(silence)

Mike: “You sound great the way you are”

(silence)

Eric: “Thank you, Mike”

(silence)

Faultless

This is a new demo of an old song. 1.5 years old, I’d say. I’m not sure what will happen with this. I’m not the hugest fan of the structure of itself, or the rhythm guitar stuff. It could use some stretching, mushing, etc.

Ideas?

Faultless

Faultless

Faultless

Faultless

Faultless

Also, Goat Gouda!

Wonderful Irish Farm Pets

1. Spot, the loyal sheep dog

2. One of many barn cats

Old Songs Revisited, Ordered: BECOMES MOBILE

Becomes Mobile

1. Your Song
2. Baby Bird
3. Be Kind To Your Conscience
4. All I Really Want (with Dreaming Kids)
5. Loud & Hard
6. Ready To Leave
7. I Like To Sleep
8. I Do (Instrumental

Enjoy!

Does anybody who knows this page exists want a cd? Maybe I’d send you one. I just packaged one for a girl from Carbondale, Illinois. It was fun. If you admittedly never listen to cds, just take it from yousendit. I’ll repost that link in seven days when the site takes it off.

P.S. If I gave you one it probably wouldn’t look like this, but maybe it’d be something equally nice. I’ll probably blow it once in a while though.

Life Situations: Nohoval, Co Cork

1. Caravan in the driveway

2. Inside caravan

Life Situations: Skibbereen, Co Cork

1. Escaped cattle

2. My Bedroom

Life Situations

Non-Friend Music

So, there are some current things going on in music that I think are really great. This is not always the case, yeah?

Favorite Recent Release: Portishead, 3rd

Their first album in ten years. This is a band that I admittedly don’t really care/know about outside of this release, but perhaps that makes me less biased- its so good! A fitting soundtrack for a visit to some kind of sex dungeon. Heres the 3rd track from the album: Nylon Smile

Favorite Purchase (Ever?): Mount Eerie, Black Wooden Ceiling Opening

Phil Elverum is so, so good about distributing his releases. Here’s what I got in the mail a few weeks ago: A white vinyl 10″, a CD version of the album (with like 10 extra tracks), a giant poster, and a smaller poster. It was 14 dollars with shipping! AAAH! I had been meaning to buy something from him, and boy am I glad that I did. Oh, and the album is totally radical.

Favorite Video: Justice, DVNO

Holy shit!

Welcome to the Space Jam

Enough with that tourism baloney for now. I’d like to talk about music, which I don’t think I’ve done yet.

First of all, since I’ve been home, my life has been mostly consumed by good friends/ collaborators Vampires, seen here being insane people:

Anyway, after a few rotations, wobbly shows, and extended space jams, we have finally worked out a really solid lineup with which we will construct a really good set and hopefully play a lot, be enjoyed by all, etc etc. So its them plus me and Dev. Very excited about this.

Here’s a picture of Eric writing a song:

Friend Music Updates!

So, it turns out everyone I know is a musician.

My dear friend Kyle Gilbride is the real deal. He put 2 new songs up while I was away, both of which have seriously F’d me up. They are my favorite songs he has recorded; simple, strong, short. My fav is “I’ll Grow”- hooboy. Here he is being an indie folk heart throb.

Rachel Browne, I have been told, is now shredding the electric guitar and has a band assembled, which was totally the next important step for her, aside from graduating the shit out of SUNY Purchase. Also note: Rachel gets hundreds of hits a day on her Myspace. Also, she is working on a full length album with Serious Music Guy Dan Romer. Imminent fame? Could be. Here she is being a 90s babe.

Old pals Gordon Kenny and Matthew “Beans” Aidala are still playing as Double Wonderful, a band that has now had, like, 5 versions of itself in the last 2 years. It was actually the first band that I sung for! Anywhoo, right now, the lineup is Gordo, Matt, and new guitarist Brendan Parker. Most notably, they have managed to befriend DIY Music Superhero/Bearded Old Man R. Stevie Moore.

Then theres John. John has made 2 full albums, officially putting to shame everyone else I know. As for new stuff, he says he has 8 new songs or so on his 16 track up in upstate New York, but no computer to import them onto, so I might have to take it upon myself go and liberate those songs. Check out “When I Lie” on his myspace, it is the coolest song ever.

Finally, I’ll mention Columbia University’s premiere banjo-related act, The Kitchen Cabinet. These guys are friends with Al Green and the Hot New Indie Name Bogarding Sensation Vampire Weekend. Ashraya, lead singer, friend, and sister of my band mate Dev, HAD A CANDLE LIT DINNER WITH AL GREEN. Just check her blog for proof. I really like “That Night”, but it is probably an oldie by now- these guys play a lot.

(not pictured: Al Green, Vampire Weekend)