I Wanna See You Dead by the Scrodonauts
Skate Harassment by the Women
So I've been stressin' hard as of late.
Times like these generally cause me to reflect on the past. In this case, it has resulted in my nostalgic posting of old, poorly recorded songs from college bands. Looking back at the "glory days" when life was "easy" often makes me feel better. Though at the time, I no doubt had any number of issues or problems that seemed just as difficult or impossible as now. Nevertheless, hearing these old tunes, recorded on 4-track tapes and the like, makes me recall a simpler time.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Shows Coming Up!
For the 2 or maybe 3 people who might actually look at this blog, I apologize for my negligence over this past week or so. I have been extremely busy with all of the projects and haven't had the time to update the old blog.
Two of the reasons I have been busy are the shows I have coming up with Ambition Recliner and the Deaf. This Friday, April 25 Ambition Recliner will be playing at Station 4 for the "Rock n' Raffle Photo Extravaganza," a benefit for the Minnesota Center for the Arts put on by MCTC photo students. It starts early; doors are at 5:30pm. It's all ages and photos will be raffled. Then on Saturday, April 26, I will be playing with the Deaf at Big Vs. As with most V's shows, it will be a later show, with doors around 9pm.
Come on out!
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Adam Marx - side project
Adam Marx
As most of you who read this know, Fargo/Moorhead was a pivotal location in my life. I moved there from my small hometown of Paynesville, Minnesota, attended college (Minnesota State University, Moorhead,) made lifelong friends, and became part of a community of artists and musicians who all continue to practice their crafts despite whatever circumstance, situation, or occupation that life has dealt them. I proudly declare myself to be an adopted Fargonian. Much like Tarzan, I was a sheltered individual who was taken in and raised by a group of exotic apes with their own set of rituals and practices.
Needless to say, there are many accomplished musicians with Fargo heritage. Among those who continue to be actively involved with art and music, few are as prolific or as engaging as Adam Marx. If you know anything about the independent rock community in Minnesota, let along the Twin Cities, you are very familiar with Adam's band the Seawhores. The Seawhores were an institution in Fargo and became a respected name in the Twin Cities. They've been playing for over 10 years and continue to break the boundaries of what is considered typical in regard to live performance and sound. Originally a 2 piece, consisting of Futon Dwan and Judy Station, the Seawhores played a number of shows with a "Beat-Bot," a pre-recorded and video taped drummer. These were not just any old dude off the street mind you, but a mix of local killers and nationally known drummers from acclaimed bands. (No, I am not going to list bands like Lightning Bolt, the Cows, the Melvins, or the Velvet Lush. I'm not a name dropper.) On top of this, their performances were anything but typical. They had a habit of "kidnapping" people, bringing them to their practice space, and performing exclusive shows for them. I was privileged enough to be privy to one such performance on my 24th birthday.
But the Seawhore are not the only musical outlet that Adam has at his disposal. He assumes a different persona completely with Arctic Universe, a club-footed eccentric who croons in a Bowie-esque howl lamenting the events of his life often whilst swinging on a swing or gazing into a mirror. Arctic Universe performances showcase the marriage between Adam's prowess as a potent performance artist and a strong vocalist and song writer.
If this isn't enough, Adam plays guitar in Vaz, who (if you don't know)is an insane heavy band consisting of some of the members of Hammerhead. Their history would be at least a post in itself.
So recently, I was at my good buddy Tom's place, and he was playing this great music. It turned out to be another damn project of Adam's. I don't know the name of it. I just know it is stuff he recorded while on tour in Europe with Vaz. Or at least that's where I think it came from. There is no single tune that really captures the entire album, but these are some highlights. As always, Adam hits above the mark.
Here are some links you should check out, if you haven't already.
http://www.myspace.com/seawhoresofficial
http://www.myspace.com/thevaz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6S5JuaEsIYk
As most of you who read this know, Fargo/Moorhead was a pivotal location in my life. I moved there from my small hometown of Paynesville, Minnesota, attended college (Minnesota State University, Moorhead,) made lifelong friends, and became part of a community of artists and musicians who all continue to practice their crafts despite whatever circumstance, situation, or occupation that life has dealt them. I proudly declare myself to be an adopted Fargonian. Much like Tarzan, I was a sheltered individual who was taken in and raised by a group of exotic apes with their own set of rituals and practices.
Needless to say, there are many accomplished musicians with Fargo heritage. Among those who continue to be actively involved with art and music, few are as prolific or as engaging as Adam Marx. If you know anything about the independent rock community in Minnesota, let along the Twin Cities, you are very familiar with Adam's band the Seawhores. The Seawhores were an institution in Fargo and became a respected name in the Twin Cities. They've been playing for over 10 years and continue to break the boundaries of what is considered typical in regard to live performance and sound. Originally a 2 piece, consisting of Futon Dwan and Judy Station, the Seawhores played a number of shows with a "Beat-Bot," a pre-recorded and video taped drummer. These were not just any old dude off the street mind you, but a mix of local killers and nationally known drummers from acclaimed bands. (No, I am not going to list bands like Lightning Bolt, the Cows, the Melvins, or the Velvet Lush. I'm not a name dropper.) On top of this, their performances were anything but typical. They had a habit of "kidnapping" people, bringing them to their practice space, and performing exclusive shows for them. I was privileged enough to be privy to one such performance on my 24th birthday.
But the Seawhore are not the only musical outlet that Adam has at his disposal. He assumes a different persona completely with Arctic Universe, a club-footed eccentric who croons in a Bowie-esque howl lamenting the events of his life often whilst swinging on a swing or gazing into a mirror. Arctic Universe performances showcase the marriage between Adam's prowess as a potent performance artist and a strong vocalist and song writer.
If this isn't enough, Adam plays guitar in Vaz, who (if you don't know)is an insane heavy band consisting of some of the members of Hammerhead. Their history would be at least a post in itself.
So recently, I was at my good buddy Tom's place, and he was playing this great music. It turned out to be another damn project of Adam's. I don't know the name of it. I just know it is stuff he recorded while on tour in Europe with Vaz. Or at least that's where I think it came from. There is no single tune that really captures the entire album, but these are some highlights. As always, Adam hits above the mark.
Here are some links you should check out, if you haven't already.
http://www.myspace.com/seawhoresofficial
http://www.myspace.com/thevaz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6S5JuaEsIYk
Saturday, April 5, 2008
O.G. - D4th Tune
1,000 Miles (cover of Dwight Yokum)
I've been spending a lot of time thinking about the songs we are finishing up for the next Danforths album, "Amphibian." It has been a long time in the making, close to two years now. Throughout the process it has been interesting to see how much the ideas have morphed and developed from their early stages. I am really eager to post them, but at this point I want to wait until they are completely finished. I can't spoil it.
This did get me thinking about the evolution of the Danforths as a group. Like the songs, the band itself has morphed and changed over time both in regard to it's members and it's approach. But as the old saying goes, "The more things change the more they stay the same." I went back and listened to some of the earliest recording from the Danforths (or the Chris Danforths as we were also known) and found that despite changes to instrumentation and recording methods there seems to be a common thread to the style of the music.
Hearing "1,000 Miles," the first song off of the first Christopher Danforth ep, brought me back to my role in the recording of this Dwight Yokum cover tune. Around the time of this recording, the majority of our close knit posse had graduated or were in the process of doing so, and everyone had started moving away from our college community in Fargo/Moorhead. Chris had moved down to the Twin Cities. A number of our other buddies moved to California. Our crew of friends, who were bound together by a love of making and performing music, was dispersed, and there was a real sense that this was the end of our musical endeavors with our close friends. Little did we know that it was the very beginning of a new era of creativity that would span a longer period of time than any of our previous projects.
Chris Danforth began making recording on a PC in his bedroom. Through this new medium, he began working with more abstract and electronic based sounds. This was a significant change to the types of tunes Chris had been best known for in Fargo/Moorhead, where many of the bands he had been a part of (the Women, the Scrodonauts, the Velvet Lush, and Wisconsin Dells) had their songs rooted in the live experience. As such, these earlier bands were based around how the songs could be played in a live setting focusing on guitars, bass, and drums. This new approach allowed Chris greater flexibility in regard to sound and structure.
He eventually came up to Moorhead to visit with some bits and pieces of his new material. One song he was putting together was this Dwight Yokum cover, which he asked me to sing. I had never heard the original, but figured I'd take a crack at it. Here is the result of that session. It was the beginning of looking at and working on music in a totally new way for us. I hope you like it.
I've been spending a lot of time thinking about the songs we are finishing up for the next Danforths album, "Amphibian." It has been a long time in the making, close to two years now. Throughout the process it has been interesting to see how much the ideas have morphed and developed from their early stages. I am really eager to post them, but at this point I want to wait until they are completely finished. I can't spoil it.
This did get me thinking about the evolution of the Danforths as a group. Like the songs, the band itself has morphed and changed over time both in regard to it's members and it's approach. But as the old saying goes, "The more things change the more they stay the same." I went back and listened to some of the earliest recording from the Danforths (or the Chris Danforths as we were also known) and found that despite changes to instrumentation and recording methods there seems to be a common thread to the style of the music.
Hearing "1,000 Miles," the first song off of the first Christopher Danforth ep, brought me back to my role in the recording of this Dwight Yokum cover tune. Around the time of this recording, the majority of our close knit posse had graduated or were in the process of doing so, and everyone had started moving away from our college community in Fargo/Moorhead. Chris had moved down to the Twin Cities. A number of our other buddies moved to California. Our crew of friends, who were bound together by a love of making and performing music, was dispersed, and there was a real sense that this was the end of our musical endeavors with our close friends. Little did we know that it was the very beginning of a new era of creativity that would span a longer period of time than any of our previous projects.
Chris Danforth began making recording on a PC in his bedroom. Through this new medium, he began working with more abstract and electronic based sounds. This was a significant change to the types of tunes Chris had been best known for in Fargo/Moorhead, where many of the bands he had been a part of (the Women, the Scrodonauts, the Velvet Lush, and Wisconsin Dells) had their songs rooted in the live experience. As such, these earlier bands were based around how the songs could be played in a live setting focusing on guitars, bass, and drums. This new approach allowed Chris greater flexibility in regard to sound and structure.
He eventually came up to Moorhead to visit with some bits and pieces of his new material. One song he was putting together was this Dwight Yokum cover, which he asked me to sing. I had never heard the original, but figured I'd take a crack at it. Here is the result of that session. It was the beginning of looking at and working on music in a totally new way for us. I hope you like it.
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