My CD release show for Save You From Yourself was pretty fantastic. We packed the house, and Suzanne and Dennis were brilliant. Man, I could totally get used to having a band. I'm waiting on more photos, video and audio so I'll post a more thorough recap later on. But in general: wow! If you were there, thanks for coming, hope you enjoyed it. (Hat tip to Maggi, who snapped this pic from the crowd.)
This Friday I'm the musical guest at A River And Sound Review, a local live literary arts show. I'll be performing some tunes in between readings by Tacoma's poet laureate William Kupinse and 2006 National Book Award finalist Jess Walter. I guess I should wear some nice shoes. Admission is free, but if you're not a WA local, shows are archived as podcasts on their website.
I've also started recording some new stuff, but you know how that goes.
Thanks to Jessica for using my song More Good Days in her LIS 460 Student Podcast. Remember: if you've used my tunes in your podcast, let me know so I can link you up.
The July 2008 issue of the Victory Review, a magazine that covers acoustic music in the Seattle area, has an almost frighteningly positive review of Save You From Yourself. You can download a PDF from the website. Thanks, James!
Speaking of which: if you have a copy of Save You From Yourself, please consider writing a short review of it at Amazon. Customer reviews are pretty awesome for convincing new people to try out the songs, and it's an easy, no-hassle way to help out the DIY rockstars in your life.
Sam tipped me off to the fact that my new CD is gracing the cover of the latest Disc Makers catalog. I had totally forgotten that I'd agreed to let them do this months ago, but I never thought they'd put it on the cover. Funny thing is, I don't think I get the catalog anymore. (Update: ooops, link above was broken. All fixed now.)
Full props go to Scott Mongrain who did the camera magic, and thanks again to all the CD contributors, without whom there wouldn't be a fancy CD package to begin with.
Heigh-ho, just wanted to remind you Seattleites that my "Damn, I Shoulda Had A CD Release Show!" on July 18 is fast approaching. If you're planning on coming (and I hope you are), make sure to call/email to reserve a table, or else you might be seated on the sidewalk.
It has also come to my attention that Batman: The Dark Knight opens that same evening. Let me just say that I myself CANNOT WAIT for this movie to get here, but nonetheless I compiled the following list of reasons why you should come to my show instead:
Unlike the new Batman film, which opens on hundreds of screens nationwide, my show is only being performed once! Ever!
Dennis the drummer is very nearly as sexy as Christian Bale, even without the leather bat suit. They even look like twins from a considerable distance!
The new Batman film has Maggie Gyllenhaal and she doesn't sing a note! My show's got Suzanne Picard on piano, and guest vocalists Alissa Jandt, Laurie K. Carlsson and Jerin Falkner. Four times the foxiness!
Heath Ledger. I -- okay, fine, I got nothing here.
Um, and that's all I could come up with on short notice. Anyway, my point is that Hollywood should totally check with me first before scheduling any summer blockbusters.
X the Owl: Are you hurt, Bob Dog?
[Bob Dog howls in pain]
X the Owl: Does that mean that you are or you aren't?
X the Owl: I don't think we should call them "bombs", though. We should call them "surprise treats" or something like that. Bombs are scary things and hurting things.
Lady Aberlin: What's the matter, X?
X the Owl: Oh I'm really disturbed. I am just as disturbed as can be.
Lady Aberlin: Why is that?
X the Owl: Well just come on inside my tree ands I'll show you.
Lady Aberlin: I think this knothole is a little too small for me to get in.
X the Owl: There's a bigger door for creatures your size around the back. Now just come on in here and meet you inside. I tell you, I'm really disturbed.
X the Owl: All the same, I wonder if it wouldn't be easier if people just gave each other the things they need instead of buying all the time and selling all the time.
Cornflake S. Pecially: Well in some places, it's like that, X. But in most places, people earn money for work and then pay that money for what they need.
X the Owl: Like shovels and buckets.
X the Owl: I'm not so sure I want wishes to come true.
Lady Aberlin: Why not?
X the Owl: Well, Henrietta, you know Henrietta Pussycat, my neighbor, she said to me, "What if all your wishes would come true, X?"
Lady Aberlin: And then what did you say?
X the Owl: Well, I thought about the times when I'm angry and wished for bad things. I wished my tree would fall down and all kinds of bad things.
X the Owl: [singing]
One time I wished that my tree would fall down
And hit someone else on the head
I was mad all the day
And I just couldn't say
Why owls and people and things get that way
I wished for some terrible thing, I'd say
Especially trees falling down
But that wish certainly didn't come true
'Cause scary mad wishes don't make things come true
No, scary mad wishes don't make things come true.
Robert Plant, "In The Mood"
Ginuwine, "Pony"
Player, "Baby Come Back"
Mötley Crüe, "Dr. Feelgood"
Mötley Crüe, "Livewire"
Snow, "Informer"
Neil Diamond, "Heartlight"
Michael Jackson, "Rock With You"
R. Kelly, "Sex Weed"
Ted Nugent, "Stranglehold"
Yesterday afternoon Greg and I finished tracking drums and bass for four new Explone tunes. I posted a few photos to Flickr here.
I was a bit intimidated going in, this being my first time in a "real" studio and all, for someone else's music, with my bass playing under such scrutiny, but I didn't make nearly as many mistakes as I expected. We stuck my 6x10 cab inside a foamy isolation booth in the basement. Since I've spent years sequestered away in the Folkhole playing amp-less bass lines directly into my sad little 4-channel mixer, monitoring my bass through headphones wasn't a problem at all. I didn't really need to "feel" the low-end punch in the room with me. (Although you could feel it rumbling through the floor a bit, because my bass rig is a beast.). Anyway, the result is some really great-sounding bass tracks that I'm finding hard to believe I actually played.
Today Shawn and Patrick are tracking the rest of his guitars and vocals, and I'll be going in for a few hours to add some backing vocals.
Here's some video of Patrick cutting some guitar tracks in the control room:
And here's Greg doing a drum check ahead of recording:
Starting today, Explone is spending three days tracking new songs at Studio Litho here in Seattle. We'll be working with local producer/engineer guy Shawn Simmons. I'm a bit nervous to have my bass playing put under a microscope, but I'm really, really looking forward to the session. It's been a long while since I've been in a studio that wasn't my bedroom.
I didn't know this until yesterday night, but Litho is owned by Stone Gossard. Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Dave Matthews have recorded here. And now here I am, tracking dirt on the carpet and stuff.
Man, July kicked my ass.
The July 2008 issue of the Victory Review, a magazine that covers acoustic music in the Seattle area, has an almost frighteningly 
Heigh-ho, just wanted to remind you Seattleites that my 
