Saturday, May 5, 2012
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
it's been a while
" i think its time that i made a few things clear.
first of all, i am not in hiding, as some have said. where i am i supposed to be hiding?
behind the coach? in the cat box? under the bed?
i wake up everyday, i walk out into the world and i say hello to the people i meet.
the sun shines, the birds sing, the dogs birth out of the old womans eyeball, the
afterbirth overwhelms me, swimming with strange creatures, etc. living in the great mystery
is enough for me right now.
also it has been said that i dont like people listening
to my music, that i dont like playing live, that i stopped playing because people heckled
me at my shows, called me names, etc. if you really think im that pathetic, then you should
burn my records, and forget about me. but its not like that. not that i thought every aspect
of being in a semi popular
rock band was totally healthy, but im not knocking it either. but when i hear people bitching about
being famous, i always wonder why they keep doing it. if you dont like doing interviews
anymore, then dont. its that easy.
but anyway, im getting off track here. what happened to me
comes down to two things.
1.immune system breakdown. i was getting sick every two months for a year, and finally in
the spring of 99 i got hepatitis and mono at the same time, which turned me into
a vomit tornado with yellow eyeballs for two months, and gave me chronic fatigue for the next
two years. which led to number two.
2.spiritual breakdown. this little nervous breakdown, which lasted about two years, was
one of the best things that ever happened to me. it turned out great in the end, even though
it was a living hell for a long time.
in our society, we are supposed to feel ashamed of ourselves when we breakdown,
were supposed to go to the shrink to "fix" the "problem",
so that we can come out as smiling productive members of society.
what a load of crap.
we must live in the loneliest society on earth, one that has taken the spiritual
aspect out of becoming a healthy person.
in other cultures, spirituality, human
psychology, physical health and meditation are all one thing. you cant separate them into
compartments. i didnt know any of this a few years ago, and my breakdown forced me
to begin to see through the horrible mental boxes that our society imposes on everyone.
two years ago i was a mess, every belief i had was disintegrating, everything
i had based my life on seemed shaky. i was tired, confused, and i just didnt think
i could simply sing my way out of it this time. and i was right. the songs i did write
were confused, very dark and not anything i thought anyone needed to hear. they were
more for myself, to help me to work through my mental problems. so, doing shows seemed
inappropriate, since anything i would sing would instantly end up on the net, for
everyone to hear. im not knocking people sharing my music on the internet, but
at that point, it didnt seem right.
so where am i at now? well, all my belongings are in storage, and i am leaving for spain in a
week. dont know whats going to happen. life is better that way. my attitude has always been
to remain open to all possibilities. maybe i'll write a song, a story, a tape piece,
learn meditation, capture a beautiful event on tape, make a friend, see something i've
never seen before. and if at some point, if it all adds up to be something worth
releasing to the world, i will do it gladly. i dont give a fuck if it
"tops aeroplane" or not. thats just another mental prison. anyone waiting for an album
to top the last one should look somewhere else, because you'll inevitably be disappointed.
when i wrote aeroplane, i spent 90 percent of my time screaming nonsence
into my little tape recorder, or chopping up sounds with my sound blender, or
just making noise,
and 10 percent of my time writing songs. it was very liberating,
because i never thought about what i was doing, and a week before we went to record i didnt
even think we had a half finished album. but i didnt care. i figured if we went the studio,
and only recorded one finished song, then that would be fine. creating just one minute of
something inspiring is an incredibly fun thing to do. so next time you hear that neutral milk
is recording, dont get your hopes up. it may only be one minute of music.
and if i ever release my korena pang pieces for you to
hear, you'll soon find that
its just liberated dada to free the mind. if you want more neutral milk, dont buy it.
you'll hate it. i for one love music that makes my brain freeze, like the shags, or art ensemble
or maybe some chanting and
banging and confusion from bolivia that makes me forget myself for awhile.
major organ was just a bunch of friends putting music together for fun. it was a project
that changed hands at least a dozen times, and most of the time you didnt even know who was working on it,and you never knew where it would go.
released mostly to inspire other dreamers and home recorders to do the same with there friends.
we weren't trying to create a masterpiece. trying to do anything is the of death of creativity,
and if we can encourage people to not try, but to just do, then we have accomplished our goal.
the jittery joes show should be out in august or september. it was a show i did in 98 before going
to denver to record. i think the video footage makes it worthy of release, since lance bangs
did such a good job. we're putting it out to encourage people to stop paying alot of money
for second generation live shows. but again, dont get your hopes up. its really not a big deal.
so thats it. thanks to everyone for listening to my music. now i need to forget myself again,
so you may not hear from me for awhile. forgetting yourself is freedom, and i need to be free.
happy travels. jeff "
first of all, i am not in hiding, as some have said. where i am i supposed to be hiding?
behind the coach? in the cat box? under the bed?
i wake up everyday, i walk out into the world and i say hello to the people i meet.
the sun shines, the birds sing, the dogs birth out of the old womans eyeball, the
afterbirth overwhelms me, swimming with strange creatures, etc. living in the great mystery
is enough for me right now.
also it has been said that i dont like people listening
to my music, that i dont like playing live, that i stopped playing because people heckled
me at my shows, called me names, etc. if you really think im that pathetic, then you should
burn my records, and forget about me. but its not like that. not that i thought every aspect
of being in a semi popular
rock band was totally healthy, but im not knocking it either. but when i hear people bitching about
being famous, i always wonder why they keep doing it. if you dont like doing interviews
anymore, then dont. its that easy.
but anyway, im getting off track here. what happened to me
comes down to two things.
1.immune system breakdown. i was getting sick every two months for a year, and finally in
the spring of 99 i got hepatitis and mono at the same time, which turned me into
a vomit tornado with yellow eyeballs for two months, and gave me chronic fatigue for the next
two years. which led to number two.
2.spiritual breakdown. this little nervous breakdown, which lasted about two years, was
one of the best things that ever happened to me. it turned out great in the end, even though
it was a living hell for a long time.
in our society, we are supposed to feel ashamed of ourselves when we breakdown,
were supposed to go to the shrink to "fix" the "problem",
so that we can come out as smiling productive members of society.
what a load of crap.
we must live in the loneliest society on earth, one that has taken the spiritual
aspect out of becoming a healthy person.
in other cultures, spirituality, human
psychology, physical health and meditation are all one thing. you cant separate them into
compartments. i didnt know any of this a few years ago, and my breakdown forced me
to begin to see through the horrible mental boxes that our society imposes on everyone.
two years ago i was a mess, every belief i had was disintegrating, everything
i had based my life on seemed shaky. i was tired, confused, and i just didnt think
i could simply sing my way out of it this time. and i was right. the songs i did write
were confused, very dark and not anything i thought anyone needed to hear. they were
more for myself, to help me to work through my mental problems. so, doing shows seemed
inappropriate, since anything i would sing would instantly end up on the net, for
everyone to hear. im not knocking people sharing my music on the internet, but
at that point, it didnt seem right.
so where am i at now? well, all my belongings are in storage, and i am leaving for spain in a
week. dont know whats going to happen. life is better that way. my attitude has always been
to remain open to all possibilities. maybe i'll write a song, a story, a tape piece,
learn meditation, capture a beautiful event on tape, make a friend, see something i've
never seen before. and if at some point, if it all adds up to be something worth
releasing to the world, i will do it gladly. i dont give a fuck if it
"tops aeroplane" or not. thats just another mental prison. anyone waiting for an album
to top the last one should look somewhere else, because you'll inevitably be disappointed.
when i wrote aeroplane, i spent 90 percent of my time screaming nonsence
into my little tape recorder, or chopping up sounds with my sound blender, or
just making noise,
and 10 percent of my time writing songs. it was very liberating,
because i never thought about what i was doing, and a week before we went to record i didnt
even think we had a half finished album. but i didnt care. i figured if we went the studio,
and only recorded one finished song, then that would be fine. creating just one minute of
something inspiring is an incredibly fun thing to do. so next time you hear that neutral milk
is recording, dont get your hopes up. it may only be one minute of music.
and if i ever release my korena pang pieces for you to
hear, you'll soon find that
its just liberated dada to free the mind. if you want more neutral milk, dont buy it.
you'll hate it. i for one love music that makes my brain freeze, like the shags, or art ensemble
or maybe some chanting and
banging and confusion from bolivia that makes me forget myself for awhile.
major organ was just a bunch of friends putting music together for fun. it was a project
that changed hands at least a dozen times, and most of the time you didnt even know who was working on it,and you never knew where it would go.
released mostly to inspire other dreamers and home recorders to do the same with there friends.
we weren't trying to create a masterpiece. trying to do anything is the of death of creativity,
and if we can encourage people to not try, but to just do, then we have accomplished our goal.
the jittery joes show should be out in august or september. it was a show i did in 98 before going
to denver to record. i think the video footage makes it worthy of release, since lance bangs
did such a good job. we're putting it out to encourage people to stop paying alot of money
for second generation live shows. but again, dont get your hopes up. its really not a big deal.
so thats it. thanks to everyone for listening to my music. now i need to forget myself again,
so you may not hear from me for awhile. forgetting yourself is freedom, and i need to be free.
happy travels. jeff "
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
What's next?
i just found the first reason to actually believe the world may end this year...
and it makes me look forward to being swallowed up by a black hole.
and it makes me look forward to being swallowed up by a black hole.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
no one chooses to be sick
sometimes songs are written and you swear they were taken right out of your notebook, they send you chills, you know the words as they come out of the singer's mouth the first time you hear it.
THIS is one of those songs for me, this is one of those songwriters that has a constant grip on my notebook.
THIS is one of those songs for me, this is one of those songwriters that has a constant grip on my notebook.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
i heard it gets lonely
i've realized that keeping up with this can be a bit daunting. i still have a list of bands and albums i'd like to mention but it gets a little overwhelming when i think about sitting down for a long time at the computer and typing in a giant blog entry. i kinda have this internet routine that i do where i check my email, my fantasy hockey (yeah i said it), my favorite music blogs (yeah i said it), and if i have to, my bank account and bill type shit, and then i'm done, i'm off. i'll admit i do this a handful of times each day, but i'm never really "online" for more than like 10 minutes (unless it's sunday morning and i'm reading the aQ newsletter).
so, instead of trying a huge entry to get all of this out of the way so i can move on to the new music of 2012, i've decided to just chip away at the list one at a time. an entry per artist or record.
this one is a thanks to Jubilee, for which, had i not had a paypal account for her to use to order a cassette tape (that never actually made it cuz it was sold out), i may have never heard of Molly Nilsson. maybe i've been snoozin, but oh well, i know her now, and she's really great. here's a video from her 2011 record History.
find it. buy it. it's good.
that's all for now, maybe i'll post more regularly in this format, maybe not, i don't know. anyway, i'll say goodnight with this great song and video. (from These Things Take Time 2008) again, buy it here.
so, instead of trying a huge entry to get all of this out of the way so i can move on to the new music of 2012, i've decided to just chip away at the list one at a time. an entry per artist or record.
this one is a thanks to Jubilee, for which, had i not had a paypal account for her to use to order a cassette tape (that never actually made it cuz it was sold out), i may have never heard of Molly Nilsson. maybe i've been snoozin, but oh well, i know her now, and she's really great. here's a video from her 2011 record History.
that's all for now, maybe i'll post more regularly in this format, maybe not, i don't know. anyway, i'll say goodnight with this great song and video. (from These Things Take Time 2008) again, buy it here.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Thursday, January 5, 2012
sleep for me sleepless
i'll get around to posting some more from 2011 sometime soon, but for now i'll just share this.
enjoy.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
more from 2011
i'll start this post off with a thank you from one side of the globe to the other....thanks Maura (& Andy), I had no idea there were gummi bears in that bag with the Rogue beer you brought over the other night. that was awesome!
the list continues with a pretty ridiculous compilation and if you were one of the lucky ones to get a hard copy of this, well, i'm hella jelly.
Three Lobed Recordings released the 4LP box-set, Not the Spaces You Know, But Between Them, in August and in less than a month the 700 copies were sold out.
Welcome to Bummertown, population: 1.
Sonic Youth, Eternal Tapestry, Bardo Pond, Sun City Girls and more appear on this comp and in true fashion for most of them, it's no surprise that there's no track breaks on some sides of this 8 sided set. almost 50% of these songs are 10min +. read about it here. it's a pretty cool story.
oh yeah, all artwork done by Casey Burns, yeah, no big deal. fucking awesome.
having already mentioned Eternal Tapestry and Bardo Pond in short, i'd like to elaborate a bit on the web of psychedelia i found myself immersed and engulfed in when i succumbed myself to the wondrous world of Aquarius Records. my god, that site rules me. if you're still reading this after that link, well, i'm not really sure what and why and who or where you are. i can read that site all day, and actually most all sunday mornings are spent doing just that. coffee, aQ, coffee, aQ, repeat, nap, coffee, aQ, food, bed.
anyway, i'll start here and hopefully you'll follow along in the entanglement:
Bardo Pond/Carlton Melton split LP (aQ puts it best with this quote, legendary Phillie psych rockers Bardo Pond, prove to be the perfect match for Carlton Melton's slow burning laid back psychedelic drift. for real, for real.)
Carlton Melton - Country Ways (title track spans all 20 minutes of the side A)
Eternal Tapestry/Sun Araw - Night Gallery (45 minutes of continuous improv between the 6 musicians during a hang out in Austin)
Eternal Tapestry - Beyond the 4th Door (go ahead, open it)
Sun Araw - Ancient Romans (in this list, it just can't be left out)
also worth mentioning in this post about Bardo Pond, we at Vg just did the gatefold packaging prints for this re-issue of theirs with Tom Carter of Charalambides!
release date of Jan. 24, pre-order available now at link. listen to a track here.
i'm tired. more tomorrow.
cheers-
i'm tired. more tomorrow.
Monday, January 2, 2012
not a "Best of 2011" list (part 1)
i've been making a year end "best of" list for a pretty long time. i used to just write them down in a notebook for when i got sick of the new year's music so i could re-listen/judge myself, and where i was, when i decided that that record was good enough to say it was one of the "best" records of that year.
you kinda learn a lot about yourself, and your life, when you do something like this i've realized.
because of this, i now make a "favorites" list, not a "best of" list because i don't pretend to be a pretentious ass anymore, thinking i know anything about music, i just know what i like about music, and this is what i like. if you don't like it, i don't really care, i'm sure there's shit you listen to that i don't like. i still learn from myself and that's all that really matters to me, if you're looking for me to teach you something, well, i'd say you're looking in the wrong place.
and if you haven't noticed already, i'm a fan of commas and run-on sentences and the word 'and', probably because i read too many Salinger and Kerouac novels at a much too influential age. on top of that, i'm usually a sarcastic jerk, so again, if you don't like it, i don't really care, i'm sure there's shit you do that i wouldn't like but i'm not gonna complain about it. you could just stop reading if it bugs you that much.
so, without further ado, my favorites list of 2011 (and don't expect me to say anything about that fucking Bon Iver record):
if you know me, you know these were the easy ones...
J Mascis - Several Shades of Why (see previous post)
Dum Dum Girls - Only in Dreams (yes, yes, i love my Dee Dee. even when she goes into the studio)
Vivian Girls - Share the Joy // La Sera - s/t (hard to mention one without the other)
Sonic Youth - SYR9: Simon Werner a Disparu (soundtrack to a french thriller-drama? yes, please)
Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring for My Halo (if this dude keeps knockin out records, i'll keep putting them on my list.)
Thee Oh Sees - Castlemania + Carrion Crawler/The Dream (these belong together)
Ty Segall - TY REX + Goodbye Bread (pretty sure this dude isn't human. 21st century King Midas)
speaking of those 2...if you don't have this, and you have a record player, here's a no-brainer.
fucking colored flexi-discs with sweet metallic pictures on them? ca-razy!
not to mention Ty Segall + Michael Kronin killin 2 Bowie songs!
the link is here. buy it
then there's this, which isn't quite as beautiful as actually seeing Jeff Mangum live in person this year, but comes pretty damn close, and is well worth the money: NMH Box Set
First listen winners:
Widowspeak - s/t (was already on the list back in July when I first heard/saw this record on Captured Tracks)
Davila 666 - Tan Bajo (thanks Gardiner!)
Iceage - New Brigade (again, thanks Gardiner! but seriously, aptly fucking titled. these kids are 18 & 19 years old! check them out here)
Disappears - Guider (this came out in January and i've been jammin it since then. new record in March '12 for these guys)
Moon Duo - Mazes (any band that will count Royal Trux as a "touchstone" is fucking awesome in my book)
Peaking Lights - 936 (go ahead, get lost in it. and while you're there check out the Imaginary Falcons record too. and when you wake up, don't be frightened, it's just Wisconsin)
more later...
you kinda learn a lot about yourself, and your life, when you do something like this i've realized.
because of this, i now make a "favorites" list, not a "best of" list because i don't pretend to be a pretentious ass anymore, thinking i know anything about music, i just know what i like about music, and this is what i like. if you don't like it, i don't really care, i'm sure there's shit you listen to that i don't like. i still learn from myself and that's all that really matters to me, if you're looking for me to teach you something, well, i'd say you're looking in the wrong place.
and if you haven't noticed already, i'm a fan of commas and run-on sentences and the word 'and', probably because i read too many Salinger and Kerouac novels at a much too influential age. on top of that, i'm usually a sarcastic jerk, so again, if you don't like it, i don't really care, i'm sure there's shit you do that i wouldn't like but i'm not gonna complain about it. you could just stop reading if it bugs you that much.
so, without further ado, my favorites list of 2011 (and don't expect me to say anything about that fucking Bon Iver record):
if you know me, you know these were the easy ones...
J Mascis - Several Shades of Why (see previous post)
Dum Dum Girls - Only in Dreams (yes, yes, i love my Dee Dee. even when she goes into the studio)
Vivian Girls - Share the Joy // La Sera - s/t (hard to mention one without the other)
Sonic Youth - SYR9: Simon Werner a Disparu (soundtrack to a french thriller-drama? yes, please)
Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring for My Halo (if this dude keeps knockin out records, i'll keep putting them on my list.)
Thee Oh Sees - Castlemania + Carrion Crawler/The Dream (these belong together)
Ty Segall - TY REX + Goodbye Bread (pretty sure this dude isn't human. 21st century King Midas)
speaking of those 2...if you don't have this, and you have a record player, here's a no-brainer.
not to mention Ty Segall + Michael Kronin killin 2 Bowie songs!
the link is here. buy it
then there's this, which isn't quite as beautiful as actually seeing Jeff Mangum live in person this year, but comes pretty damn close, and is well worth the money: NMH Box Set
First listen winners:
Widowspeak - s/t (was already on the list back in July when I first heard/saw this record on Captured Tracks)
Davila 666 - Tan Bajo (thanks Gardiner!)
Iceage - New Brigade (again, thanks Gardiner! but seriously, aptly fucking titled. these kids are 18 & 19 years old! check them out here)
Disappears - Guider (this came out in January and i've been jammin it since then. new record in March '12 for these guys)
Moon Duo - Mazes (any band that will count Royal Trux as a "touchstone" is fucking awesome in my book)
Peaking Lights - 936 (go ahead, get lost in it. and while you're there check out the Imaginary Falcons record too. and when you wake up, don't be frightened, it's just Wisconsin)
more later...
But it's hard for me, I'm done so easily.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqqH16oePQg
a welcoming post
i've always thought about doing something like this but always found it a bit burden+/-bothersome. apparently, at least for the time being, i don't think so anymore. but don't get your hopes up, because this will probably be one of the worst blogs you'll come across. i'm not on the internet much and when i am i'm usually just looking for new music (which in a way is why i started this, to share what i've found with you, whoever YOU are) so hopefully (for YOU) i don't wear myself out and not leave time enough to actually post on here.
so here goes nothing, pass thru the mirror with me.
a 2011 favorites list is soon to come.
cheers!
so here goes nothing, pass thru the mirror with me.
a 2011 favorites list is soon to come.
cheers!
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