mrfuriousrecords.com – Dharmic *DUBS* out now!!

Month: June 2006

  • Andre R, Arcola, & echoes in MN

    We three played Kate’s house on Saturday night, making music, looking at her fine artwork and Jon’s photos, and collecting cash for a Mexican man’s hernia operation.

    I kicked off with an hour-plus set of Ventura material, “I Don’t Even Know How Right This Sounds,” Cory’s “Where Did I Go Wrong?,” Derek’s “Race Car Driver,” “Hey Ya” (at Jon’s request) – and BIG UPS to the “Unwritten” CHOIR!!!111 It was a super good time and reinforced my faith in the new s&*#, which stood in pretty stark contrast to what I would have played one year ago (last time I was in Wayzata). In the last 12 months I’ve grown much more melodic, and play almost everything in a sort of quick folk-strum rhythmic pattern versus a more rock style (like on the nickel and Be A Ska Rat EPs).

    Arcola (Jon + Jon – www.myspace.com/thearcola ) are a local acoustic/cello duo. They opened with two original tunes, which were my favorites of their set (write more songs Jon P!). Songs by Feeder, Bright Eyes (“Landlocked Blues”), and the Pixies followed. Arcola is very far ahead of my learning curve when I was just leaving high school…

    I can’t say enough here about Andre Rodriguez; look him up ( http://www.isound.com/contact/andre_rodriguez/ ). He usually performs jazzy piano-rock-pop with his band, but came over for a short solo set that I dug entirely. The songs are a great mix of exciting harmonic development and hooky vocals + lyrics. We chatted for awhile about different possibilities for music together, and while we of course haven’t done anything concrete I hope this isn’t the last you’ll here about Andre.

    I’m visiting Uncle Charlie for a couple days before heading back to KC; he’s up in arms about the NSA’s domestic spying, net neutrality, Ohio 2004, and murdering cowboys (that’s cowboys who kill, not Charlie killing cowboys). So there’s lots of potential for the new Sally Ride we’re doing together. see you -h

    h

  • echoes show details

    This Saturday, June 24, 7:00 pm.  Wayzata, MN.
    email  goeswithyoureyes@hotmail.com for DIRECTIONS!!!111
    echoes / Arcola (Jons Shrader and Peterson) / Andre Rodriguez / art by Kate Frisbie

    *Benefit show, two dollar cover charge, and a word from Jon: “all proceeds go to help fund a man’s hernia operation. He lives in tijuana mexico and does not have the means of financing this operation on his own. I (Jon Shrader) met him last week while helping to construct a 2 bedroom house for him on a mission trip for a week and a half in tijuana. And i want to help him further. So the more people that come to this show the better!!”

    -h

    h

  • Bike News

    Nate asked me to post this for you guys.  I’m heartbroken, but it sounds like there is hope for more Nate-music.  -h

    —-

    This message is to thank all the people who have listened to and supported Bike during the past several years since Bike’s inception. The happiest moments I’ve had writing music as Bike came during collaborations with friends, and being able to share my music with whomever wanted to listen. There is however, a time and a place, and this time and place tells me it is time to close out Bike.

    Admittedly, my audience is small. I have garnered no accolades. There is no six record contract in the works. My music has never been about viability or commercial success. I simply wanted to create music for music’s sake. In that light, I believe I’ve been successful.

    What do we talk about, when we talk about success? I hope that you listeners have been able to form some connection to my songs. This can be challenging when 80% of my music is instrumental; so I praise your patience. When I talk about success (brace yourself for clichés), I talk about creating a bond with the listener. Do you remember your low points in life when music seemed to save you? I hope you, the reader, have experienced this at least once in your life. Music is innate in us. The earliest people sang melodies to celebrate spirituality, love, and to re-tell their lives. In my own way, Bike has been about telling a story, albeit through clicks and pops and strums. The above is how I define success. I hope you understand.

    I digress. I feel this farewell is narrowly avoiding becoming a long-winded diatribe on the ethics of music. I just want to once again thank the loyal listeners out there, and the people who have supported bike and the cause. YOU are a special breed.

    I do plan to keep the bike myspace page up occasionally posting songs here and there, but nothing comprehensive. So I wave my hand in the air as I wheel Bike into the sunset. Envision F-16s leaving red, white, and blue sky trails as the music is queued and all fades to black. Thank you again and be golden my friends!

    -Nathan Driver / Bike

    h

  • Thursday right before Friday

    It’s been a super long time since I wrote one of these bad boys, and whenever that happens I have a million little things that I want to write about, but I’ll see how cohesive I can make this nasty little elf-of-a-blog-post.

    The first thing I wanted to briefly comment on was the Echoes mention on Pitchfork.  At first, I was the most stoked because “HOLY SH*T THAT’S HOWIE THEY’RE TALKING ABOUT ON PITCHFORK I BET WE GET GOOGLED!”  And then, I felt the most stoked because of a pride I collectively had for Mr Furious and its mission, because, “Hey! Someone else cares besides us!”  But then, I became finally stoked (and the most stoked) on a part of it I didn’t really see at first, but Howie’s mention of “ripples” in the news update reminded me of it: this mention affirms our interconnectedness quite a bit.  To me, Pitchfork is such a staple in the realm if indie-stardom that seeing a Mr. Furious artist’s name in it just seems unreal; My senior-high class photo might as well be painted on the moon.  But if I can see a mention of Echoes in something on Pitchfork, it’s super-cool proof that the things we think are really far away are actually very close to us, and in fact, we are one in the same. 

    TRIPPY, BRO!

    This weekend is going to be sickalicious, because I’m heading off to the Bay-Area for sister’s graduation and also garlic appreciation weekend with some friends who live there MIKE AND SHANNON w00t!  Because of that, I am forced to miss out on a HUGE AWESOME CONCERT this weekend in Omaha.  At first it might seem like I’m talking about the FREE Bright Eyes Concert this Saturday, the 17th at Memorial Park, but I’m actually talking about Ladyfinger (new Saddle Creek band, they are metal, they rule) and Ideal Cleaners (That’s not the fact of the matter) at the 49er in Omaha on the same night. 

    I can’t see this show, but Matt Wisecarver is doing sound for this show, so eff him for being so attractive and talented!

    I just realize that Wisecarver is almost like a weird celebrity ghost on this website, since he was in the Remnants, he recorded some stuff on MFR, and he has an album named after him.

    Anyway, the level of connectedness within the MFR community and the level of connectedness (I could use “connection” but guess what? no!) between MFR and the outside world is really showing itself these days.  Just so cool to know that we’re not in a bubble!

    Speaking of weird connectedness, one final thing:

    Robot, Creep Closer!, Honorable Mention, and 10 O’Clock Scholars at Knickerbocker’s tonight at 9:30!  BE THERE OR BE SOMEWHERE ELSE! 

    Oooooh, and R,CC!/5*C in NE on August 12th at the C-Box!  Early show!  More later!

    San Francisco, Here I Come!

    Love,

    CoryAlan                                                                                          

    Cory

  • Holy $%#@, by howie

    From this morning’s Puritan Blister column at Pitchfork ( www.pitchforkmedia.com )

    Any metacompilation from the 2000s would also have to include Brakes’ “Heard About Your Band”, any of the (early) Stills’ cleverly-titled metatunes, the Cribs’ “Hey Scenesters”, the Format’s “First Single”, the Echoes’ “God Bless the Strokes”, and Desaparecidos’ “Hole In One”, during which Conor Oberst informs you that “You can buy my records down at the corporate chain.”

    Link: http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/columns/puritan-blister/06-06-09.shtml

    This is pretty wild, it sort of gave me a little head rush. One thought; it seemed after “howie&scott”* that I should choose a band name that wasn’t confusing at all. How we got from echoes to “the Echoes” escapes me, but no worries at this point. Somebody heard the song. Ripples.

    It’s true that the next sentence is “Have you noticed that such a metacompilation would not be, um, very good?”  I can’t speak for any of the other tunes, but I like “…Strokes” for what it’s worth, and in terms of Bowers’ conclusion that we need to write more original, honest songs, I’m doing my best.  Hang in there until Ventura. 

    -h

    * Known variously to reporters and promoters as “Howie and Scott,” “Scott + Howard,” “Howie & scott,” “howie with scott,” and “howieandscott.”

    h

  • Robot, Creep Closer! Interview

    Cory, Jaimie, John, and Gina were interviewed by StarCityScene.com for their June feature; check out the story here.

    In other news, their full-length record is all recorded, and mixing is scheduled!  It will be out later this year on Lone Prairie Records.

    h