Author: h

Three great links this week.

http://www.myspace.com/fiftybearsinafight – The other weekend, Matt and I laid down a practice tape for ourselves and for prospective singers. I think you can hear pretty well what Fifty Bears in a Fight is all about!

http://www.jamphat.com/rap/??/ – Rap represented in mathematical charts and graphs. You can see the positive arithmetic correlation between money and problems.

http://www.cracked.com/article_15699_
9-most-badass-bible-verses.html – Cory’s pick.

Sorry for the delayed post this week; next week, I’ll give you a new recipe AND a blog, OK? -h

Welcome to the MFR edition of Pitchfork’s Guest List. This week, I asked Cory to fill you in on what he’s been up to lately: which tracks he can’t stop spinning, what books he can’t put down, and what new bands he’s caught on tour.

>> Favorite New Songs of the Past Year:

“Finer Feelings” and “The Underdog” off of the newest Spoon record Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga are both huge favorites. Hmmm… “Divisionism” by The Return off of The Arsonist (Plays the Architect). “New Slow Sea” by Sally Ride! Was that more than a year ago? I don’t give a crap! “Angel In The Snow” off of New Moon by Elliott Smith, which is an old song but the record is new, so I think it counts.

>> Favorite Older Songs at the Moment:

I just got Revolver and Abbey Road for my wedding, and my favorite songs off of those guys are “For No One”, “Here, There, and Everywhere”, “Eleanor Rigby”, “Something”, “Here Comes The Sun”, “Because”, and “Come Together”. I’ve heard both these records before I officially owned them, but I love getting new Beatles records because you just know it’s going to be awesome no matter what.

>> Favorite New Band:

My new band, The Sleepover! And, what else… new bands to ME include Led Zeppelin, Centro-Matic, and Neil Young. And I like these a bunch.

>> Best Recent Concert:

Ladyfinger (ne), Ideal Cleaners, Her Flyaway Manner and Paper People at Box Awesome this last weekend. I wasn’t able to actually see Paper People, but I heard they rocked. You read my mind, Muchacho.

>> Favorite Song Ever:

“Say Yes” by Elliott Smith is up there. “In The Aeroplane Over The Sea” by Neutral Milk Hotel is as well. A lot of songs off of The Photo Album by Death Cab for Cutie are favorites. My favorite MFR song lately has been “The Picture Song” by tape/echoes HOWIE BABY BOY-NASTY! I love that song. Out of all the songs Howie has written, this song is the song I wish I wrote the most. Or at least, it’s probably the one I could have written the most, if that makes sense.

>> Last Great Film I Saw:

Um, I saw “The Darjeeling Limited” and I liked that a lot. It’s much more of a drama than Wes Anderson’s other movies; it doesn’t have the same inane silliness. So it was hard to get used to. But I really liked it. I’ll be able to say more after I’ve seen it a few more times.

>> Last Great Book I Read:

“Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates” by Tom Robbins! I read this while in Jamaica on my Honeymoon and then finished it up just recently. Excellent book. I like reading Robbins at a slow pace because there’s so much literary awesomeness to appreciate.

>> Favorite Piece of Musical Equipment:

Um, my iPod or guitar? I don’t really have anything that cool.

>> Favorite Record Shop:

Salzer’s Records in Ventura, CA does the trick. And not just because I worked there; it’s AWESOME. Amoeba Records in Hollywood and Berkeley is probably the best place to records, though. Cheap, and they have EVERYTHING.

>> Best Purchase of the Past Year:

My guitar, I think? I bet that’s it. It’s a red Ovation fiber-glass backed job. It sounds great, especially since my old guitar (a learner’s guitar) kind of suuuuucked. But I feel bad saying that, since it was my first guitar that I owned. But yeah, it buzzed and didn’t say in tune.

>> Best Thing I Did This Year:

I got MARRIED, ladies! It was awesome!

>> Favorite Music Venue:

The Zoo Bar, Duffy’s and Box Awesome are pretty rad! The Orpheum in Omaha isn’t too bad, either; I’m going to The Slowdown this weekend though, so I’ll be able to tell you if that’s as awesome as everyone says it is. www.theslowdown.com is the link, I think!

>> Favorite TV Show at the Moment:

Grey’s Anatomy is always pretty good. Campus Ladies is awesome, but I haven’t seen it in forever. Is it still on? There’s some other show that’s awesome that I can’t remember. Maybe that’s it?

>> Favorite Radio Show:

None! NPR? UNL’s radio station, 90.3?

>> My Ringtone:

“AAANSWER YOUR PHOOOOOONE!” It’s me singing it! Over and over!

http://blog.goo.ne.jp/warp50cd/e/
143d57b2c7ed0f4cb0f42bfdcff97bbe

Congrats, Katy! and Thanks, Music Forest!

Cory came down to KC last weekend, and we held sessions for his songs for Sally Ride’s upcoming record You Have To Wear the Boots.  Friday night he tracked vocals and guitar in one live take for “Easy Kill” and “Into the Fire” – Saturday he did “Cracked Piece of Sky” and together we played “Harvest Moon.”

The main tracks for the album are now complete; next steps are adding the cast and company vocals, and adding some additional instrumentation (light drums, bass, and keys on various parts of various songs).

I’ve listened to it all once in the car, and am pretty durn happy with it all.  The extra vocals will add a lot, too.

We’re looking forward to a release in the spring.

Robot, Creep Closer!’s farewell EP, Real Awful, Real Quick will be released one week from today; same furious-time, same furious-station.

Cory, you left your toothbrush at my house!

Cory and I continue to improve our in-studio rapport; I hope this one was basically painless for the little guy!  Seriously, I used to stress him out while recording.  Now we have a pretty good time, including songs, jokes, salsa, babes, Mastodon, and walks to the pastry shop around the corner.

Artists out there; you should consider recording at my place, if only for the Boulevard Pastries!

-h

Teachers very rarely glimpse concrete evidence of the impact they have on their students. Musicians aren’t present when people play, and are changed by, their recordings. Volunteers don’t often experience the fruits of their love’s labors. Everyone is sending out ripples, like stones tossed into a pond.

At Cory and Lara’s wedding the other weekend, I received some Furious-related ripple-back and affirmation, that this waste of time might be a holy one.

I finally got to meet Nate (aka Bike) (!!!), and we had a long, free-floating conversation about Kid A, the purpose of music, and facial hair. He talked about the motivation it gave him to be a part of MFR, the purity of both making his music and knowing how listeners were receiving it (freely!), and how pumped he is about the number of people who have heard his records.

Chad, who has done some amazing artwork for us (The Silent Woods, Shacker and R,CC! posters, etc.), talked with me about Robot, Creep Closer!’s upcoming EP. He openly offered his art for future MFR projects on the basis that we give our music away, so he’s 100% up/down for giving his work too. Ripples. Inspiring.

The communal aspect is what resonated with Corbin.  Corbin is all about the community – the family – the kin-dom that pools its resources and gifts and uses them in a way that turns capitalist economics on its head.  I bring my noise, you bring yours, we bring ours and throw it down together for its own sake.  I talked with Corbin for a long time; you can imagine.  And I loved that he really got it, and was affirmed that he really loved it.

Thanks, all.  I’m grateful for you, and grateful we can be MFR and a tiny sliver of your lives.

-h

Today is moving day for me; today’s post is an email exchange Cory and I had a couple weeks ago.  -h
From: cory.kibler@almamater.edu

To: howie at MFR

Subject: Comfort Music

One time, a long time ago (I’m talking 2000 or 2001), I asked you which artists’ albums you would take with you to a desert island, and you said DMB, not because they would constantly surprised you, but because you knew their albums so well that they would just be good to have as a reminder of what was good.

Anyway, even though I am not and was never the DMB fan you are/were, “Under The Table…” has been one of my favorites since high school, and this CD just fucking owns all across the board. “Best Of What’s Around”, “What Would You Say” and “SATELLITE” right in a row, and then later, you get “Lover, Lay Down.” Sheeeeit! The other songs and the hidden track are awesome, but wowie.

Anyway, this is a comfort albums for me. For two reason: (a) it’s great and never gets old and (b) it takes me to a time when discovering new music was entirely new and pure. Or at least purer. My other comfort albums:

– Phish, “The Story of the Ghost”, “Billy Breathes”

– Elliott Smith, “Elliott Smith”, “Either/Or”, “X/O”, “Figure 8”

– Beastie Boys, “Hello Nasty”

– Death Cab for Cutie, “The Photo Album”, “We Have The Facts…”

– Neutral Milk Hotel, “Under The Aeroplane Over The Sea”

– Nada Surf, “The Proximity Effect”

– Weezer, “The Blue Album”, “Pinkerton”, “The Green Album”

– Shacker, “Dimly Lit Room”, “Knowing Her Best…”

– h&s, “Signs/Comets”

What about you???

From: howie @ MFR

To: cory.kibler@almamater.edu

Subject: RE: Comfort Songs

my DMB comfort album is Dave & Tim, Live at Luther College, and DMB Live at Red Rocks. At least as much for the times and places I first listened to them as for the music.

– Common, “Be”

– Heiruspecs, “A Tiger Dancing”

– Halloween Alaska, “Halloween Alaska”, “Too Tall To Hide”

– Bike

– JV All*Stars, “Document the Fall” EP, “Distance”

– Beach-Puppy, “Creepy Eepy”

– Kanye West, “Late Registration” (I can’t explain this; just is.)

– Nada Surf, “The Proximity Effect”

– Wilco, “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot”

– Beck, “Sea Change”

– Mike Doughty, “Skittish”

– Goldfinger, “Goldfinger”, “Hangups” (from all the h&s road trips)

my most powerful comfort music is hip-hop; explain that! if i’m super-bummed, i almost always put on the raps. -h