Band Practice/Party Presents

Space Age Band Reunion

2010-08-29T08:40:00.000-07:00

A music video for "Frankenstein"

2010-05-31T17:32:00.000-07:00

Here's our music video for "Frankenstein" filmed at the Maker Faire last weekend. It seemed particularly appropriate since Frankenstein's monster might be considered a prototypical DIY project, and would fit right in with the robots and devices made of junk. Enjoy.

"Picture Yourself" video

2009-11-30T21:11:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend, my cousin Kris and I filmed the music video for "Picture Yourself." We did this at my new place in San Jose----I wanted to get some footage of the place before I started moving everything in. I suppose it's appropriate because the song talks about future events, and this empty apartment is going to be filled with objects from the future.

Freight & Salvage open mic

2009-11-04T22:25:00.001-08:00

On Tuesday night, Maya, Steven, Ciana and Kate played at the Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse's open mic. We went on stage at around 10:30, Maya delivered a great introduction for us, and we played "Picture Yourself" and "My Kind Idea." By the time we played, the audience was a lot smaller than when it opened, but we still got a decent applause. One guy came up to us afterward and told us that we were his "highlight" of the evening. We look forward to playing there again!

Berkeley and Powell Street BART stations

2009-10-31T23:17:00.001-07:00

Lisa, Kate and Maya at the Powell Street BART station.

The last few weeks, we have been taking our show to the public. On the evening of the 11th, we went to the Berkeley BART station and played until we were too tired/hungry to continue. We learned that we should start playing our high-energy songs right when a BART train pulls into the station and brings us a large crowd. We got the best audience reaction from "Siki, Siki Baba."

Tonight (Halloween night!), we played at the Powell Street station. At first, we played outside, where we were up against a "Thriller" dance number, the police and a fight between two homeless people. Then, we moved it indoors to the corridor between the two ticket machine areas (there were other musicians at the prime locations). We ran through our set list a couple times, and played a few songs we hadn't played for a long time, including "Jambalaya" and "The Sound of Silence." A fellow busking group stopped by and listened to "Scenic World" and "Pompeii," calling the former a "refreshing" song and the latter "a blend of pop, rock and even a little bit of soul."

Live Oak Park

2009-09-28T23:58:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, it was Kate, Lisa, Steven, Ciana, Russ and Devin. We played our set. Somebody gave us chips and cookies. And we had a little debate about whether to invoke "Twist and Shout" at the end of the "Dead Parents" bridge.

Dolores Park

2009-09-21T20:54:00.000-07:00

We played at Dolores Park on Sunday to celebrate Maya's birthday. Russ, Ciana, Steven, Lisa and Maya were there. In addition to our regular set, we worked on "Night Life," "Parish," and a cover of "Eleanor Rigby."

How to mic our band

2009-09-15T23:22:00.000-07:00

Here's something to consider about regarding our live sound: using a single condenser mic for vocals and multiple instruments. The linked article says,

This “old fashioned” technique has made a comeback; for example, many bluegrass and folk bands utilize the one-mic method with surprisingly good result, typically using a large diaphragm cardioid condenser . . .

One obvious advantage of the single-mic technique is that the stage looks cleaner. Gone is the forest of mic stands, booms and cables.

Instead, you have a low-tech, old-fashioned look that fits in well with the music. Setup is much quicker as well: just place the mic, plug it in, adjust position, and you’re done.

So I'm thinking it might be worth getting this vintage-looking condenser mic. I'm guessing we should have two of these shared mics during our performances; three of us can huddle around one mic. I already have one condenser mic and a dynamic mic (less sensitive) that we can use, too. If we figure out a setup, then we can go confidently into any venue and just plug in and play, just making sure that the speakers are placed in front of us, so we don't feed back.

Bird Noises

2009-09-15T12:00:00.001-07:00

BP/P is now on twitter. We'll use it to keep you informed about when, where and how awesome our practice/parties are. That way you can come and listen!

Find us at: @swarthynoise

http://twitter.com/swarthynoise

Pictures from the Vasona gig

2009-09-07T20:24:00.001-07:00

As reported in an earlier post, we played a show at Steven's company picnic at the Vasona Park. Here are the pictures from that event:

Warming up before the show.

This gentle slope worked quite nicely for our first step towards the Greek Theatre.

We need to get Devin a keyboard stand!

This is from our performance of "Nightclub Desperado." Devin's holding the sheet music because it wouldn't stay on the music stand.

Lisa's Garden Party

2009-09-07T19:47:00.000-07:00

Russ and Ciana are back!

Today, we attended Lisa's Garden Party at Mosswood Park. Lisa, Russ, Ciana, Steven, Tani and Maya were present. We played through our usual set and resurrected some old tunes from Russ. Our friends were there to cheer us along. And there was a lot of food.

"Twenty-Five" video: a little thought bubble

2009-09-03T21:12:00.000-07:00

Inside this bubble our bicycle rider will be thinking about 25 and all that it means...

Updated 9/4/2009: Added a speed limit sign to the beginning.

"Twenty-Five" video progress

2009-08-26T23:08:00.000-07:00

Check this out, I built a light box using a cookie tin box, a piece of glass from a picture frame, some duct tape, a ruler, and a portable fluorescent light! This device is going to help me with tracing the animation for the "Twenty-Five" video.

And here are the first seven seconds of the video:

Vasona Park

2009-08-15T16:44:00.000-07:00

Today, Vijay, Devin and I played at my company's picnic at Vasona Park in Los Gatos. Didn't bring my camera because it was having a technical issue this morning, but I'll try to get some photos from my coworkers and post them here.

Great fun was had by all. Our audience was constantly changing, but during some songs there were about 30 people who watched us. Highlight has to be the "audience participation" portion when we handed out all our percussion instruments and had the audience members play or clap their hands to "Scenic World" and "Siki, Siki Baba."

The set list: 1. Picture Yourself, 2. Airplanes, 3. Pompeii, 4. Twenty-Five, 5. Marcher, 6. Nightclub Desperado, 7. Idea, 8. The Unqualified Opinion (The Auditing Song), 9. Scenic World, 10. Siki, Siki Baba. Encore: The Unqualified Opinion.

After the show, Devin and I went for a ride on Vasona Park's Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad. That was a blast.

This was Vijay's last band practice/party with us before heading back to school. Thanks for playing with us and we hope to see you again soon!

"Sylvia" music video

2009-08-09T14:06:00.000-07:00

Here's our official music video for "Sylvia", using NASA footage from the latest space shuttle mission.

San Jose Municipal Rose Garden

2009-08-02T21:58:00.001-07:00

A view of the fountain at the center of the Rose Garden.

This was our first practice at San Jose Municipal Rose Garden, and by some happy coincidence, we ran into a meeting of the Santa Clara Valley Fiddlers Association, an organization best described as Band Practice/Party with several dozen older musicians.

What BP/P might look like in 30 years.

We took over a picnic table off to the side of the SCVFA meeting, but soon attracted the attention of folks who might not be used to seeing a group of twenty-somethings rocking out on a variety of acoustic instruments.

This guy is seriously rockin' out on the recorder.

Vijay and our guest fiddler.

Steven, Vijay, Kate and Devin practiced our set for the show at Steven's company picnic on August 15. We also played "Siki, Siki Baba" in response to a request for mariachi music. (I guess we figured that Balkan brass band music is close enough...)

A familiar sight at a Band Practice/Party. That ukulele belongs to Kate.

We had a jam session with a guy who played some pretty intense violin solos in the key of D. Then, Devin and Steven got sidetracked into a jam of The Who's Tommy. Kate played and sang a couple of folk songs on her ukulele. Finally, we found ourselves playing Beatles tunes, including "I Feel Fine" and "We Can Work It Out."

That's Devin with his harmonium.

"Airplane"

2009-08-01T16:20:00.000-07:00

We've been playing "Airplane" for a while, so I thought I'd post a recording of it. For some reason, I felt like going all out with this particular arrangement. This recording uses different sounds from my keyboard and synthesizer, tons of echo, double-tracked lead vocals and three-part harmonies.

When we play it live, Lisa plays the three-note figure at the end of each line on her banjo, Devin and Maya play the long notes, and I play the guitar.

The melody to "Airplane" came to me in May when I was at home building a replica of Damien Hirst's "The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living." Funny where you get your inspiration from. As I recall, the lyrics came soon afterwards and weren't difficult to write. I've been wanting to write songs that didn't have a particular message, but just painted a picture. I decided to make this one about an overnight, probably international, flight. Possibly going to, or coming back from, a honeymoon.

Kate pointed out during a recent band practice that "Airplane" uses the same chord progression as Sixpence None The Richer's 1997 hit, "Kiss Me." I'm okay with that, because I happen to be a big fan of that song. In fact, I think we should play the two songs back-to-back.

Lyrics:

You and I
Oh my
An airplane
Red eye
A glass of
Cabernet
A glass of
Champagne

The outside
Late night
A plastic
Spotlight
The cabin
A cradle
The engines
White noise

(instrumental)

You and me
So sweet
In soft clouds
In dreams
Your head on
My shoulder
My head on
Yours

(instrumental)

Kite Festival

2009-07-26T21:18:00.001-07:00

Steven, Maya, Vijay and Kate played at the Cesar Chavez Park today during the Berkeley Kite Festival. Played through our set and started working on a cover of "I Feel Fine" by the Beatles.

"Dead Parents"

2009-07-19T09:42:00.000-07:00

Russ offers his thoughts on "Dead Parents":

Firstly, I have a terrible memory, so this is likely to be more storytelling than anything actually that happened. "Dead Parents" was a slog of a song. From the beginning, it was a combination of a poppy hook and hyperbolically depressing lyrics. A sob story love song. After the initial riff and some bits were written the band jammed around with the song on a number of occasions. Every time we played it we came up with some amazingly innovative way of juxtaposing poppy harmonies or 80s era hand claps with increasingly somber lyrics. And as many times we forgot or misremembered all the parts we had written. It was a jumble, a mangle, a song trying to find its adequate expression amidst a number of interested and differing parties. And with only shabby direction from the initial song writer.

Even this recording is just one more version of the song. The this-time-recording. Now Devin's mandolin riff gets to rollick along with our young lovers in their depressing escapades. But the song would be nothing without the hand claps.

The lyrics start us off in an unequivocally sad moment. Maybe there isn't a good reason for this, but there is certainly a power in hyperbole. What it occasions is an odd moment for two people to meet, a moment for the girl to assert radical independence, an independence that will be undercut but only on the terms of this newly emerging relationship. Otherwise the song is full of teenage, love-lorn longing. Midnights spent pacing streets alone when it feels like rain even when there hasn't been rain. Days spent next to phones and ringing phones that you can't pick up. Romance and obsession. In the end it is a look at hyperbole in love and the fragile, tenuous "out of sight" that can still manage to persist within it.

Who played on the recording? Russ (lead vocals, guitar, mandolin); Steven (guitar, backing vocals, percussion, melodica, handclaps); Lisa (handclaps); Molly (backing vocals, handclaps); Maya (viola, handclaps); Devin (lead mandolin); Hilary (cello)

Lyrics:

I met you the day that both your parents had died
You leaned into me and told me that you’d never cry
That all that you’d ever needed you had inside
I am to admit, I certainly sounded like lies

(Chorus)
All I needed to know
And all I had left to show
Was the look in your eyes
The dream in your mind
And I wanted to be
And I wanted to see
All you could be
All that you are
Wanted you more
Than I know you are
You are the heart
You are the land
The only girl
That I could stand

I was lonely, on my own
You’re the only, one I phoned
Deep in my heart I was calling out for your love
So I wandered the streets until I had had enough.

(Chorus)

You’re the one that got this right
All we have is one more night
You and me and the out of sight
All we have is one more night
To get it right.

You were always, on your own
But when I called up, no one’s home
Nobody loves you like I said that I would
Nobody loves like that, nobody could.

(Chorus)

"The Drifter"

2009-07-17T20:22:00.000-07:00

"The Drifter" is about somebody who wanders home the day after an extremely hard night of partying. This is not something I've experienced, so I can't say I really connect with the song. Also, I never really liked the way the music turned out. However, it is included on the album at the insistence of my bandmates who think this is a great song.

I wrote the music near the end of March 2008. The yodeling part was inspired by "The Lonely Goatherd" from The Sound of Music. After I finished the music, I wrote some filler lyrics in five minutes, and recorded a demo for the band. At the time, Lisa had been raving to me about the remarkable life of Stede Bonnet, so I thought, maybe I could turn it into a pirate song. The song went like this:

When I was in town
A rich and favored child
I was sentenced to be loved and forgotten
My stuffy civil life
With oh my nagging wife
I desired more of an adventure

So I gathered up a crew and leased a boat
And then, we set sail from the coast
Towards Aruba, Martinique, and Kokomo
We're sure to put on quite a show

[instrumental]

This week we'll plunder five
In my matching suit and tie
We'll show them what nobility's made of

We're the pirates from a new and fancy mold
With cannons plated in gold
If you work for me, ten coins I will bestow
On you, everyday we're afloat

Yo-ho, lay-ee-oo...

I've seventy hired men
I manage now and then
When I'm not below heating my kettle
Would they ever leave?
That's a silly inquiry.
They have got the brawns, but I've got the money

So we sail into the waves of history
And we'll do this articulately
If they say I'm weak, well, fine, just let them say
But my friend, Blackbeard, will shut them away

Yo-ho, lay-ee-oo...

Despite such great lines as "They have got the brawns, but I've got the money," we decided that the original set of lyrics were stronger. I tweaked them a bit to form a story, and then brought it to rehearsal. There was a bit of a group effort on the arrangement: Ciana and Russ figured out the "Egyptian" countermelody during the chorus, Devin wrote the trumpet lines at the beginning of the song, and Molly wrote her vocal harmonies.

As fun as it was to play, "The Drifter" is really not my best songwriting, and I thought it was sometimes repetitive and boring. So, I decided to make it a little silly, and loaded it up with sound effects like the Beatles' "Yellow Submarine." I brought in my friend Hana to play a harp line to transition from the bridge back to the verse.

Who played on the recording? Steven (lead vocals, guitar, percussion, melodica); Molly (backing vocals); Maya (viola); Devin (trumpet); Hilary (cello); Hana (harp)

Lyrics:

The night I wasn't home
I was a little stoned
I was tripping out to the beat of a disco
Whatever happened next
I bet it was complex
I woke up in the heart of San Francisco

With me and you and everyone we know
From all of the places we've found
All the smiles and eyes and sparks from long ago
They spun like a merry-go-round

I walked along the shore
I walked along some more
I found it hard to talk and hard to swallow

With me and you, and people I don't know
We played on this big haunted ground
All the smiles and eyes and sparks from long ago
They spun like a merry-go-round

Yodel lay ee ooh
Yodel lay ee ooh
Yodel lay ee ooh

Yodel lay ee ooh
Yodel lay ee ooh
Yodel lay ee ooh

So then I reached the park
As it was getting dark
I was introduced to a stomach in peril
My senses came to light
As the world sank out of sight
I found my rented home in a street oh-so-narrow

Oh me and you and everyone we know
Flew out of the old lost and found
All the smiles and eyes and sparks from long ago
They spun like a merry-go-round

Yodel lay ee ooh
Yodel lay ee ooh
Yodel lay ee ooh

Yodel lay, yodel lay ee ooh
Yodel lay ee, yodel lay ee ooh
Yodel lay ee, yodel lay ee ooh

"Frankenstein"

2009-07-16T21:06:00.001-07:00

"Frankenstein" was the first original song for Band Practice/Party! Designed to be easy to play, the song uses only four chords: G, C, F, and D. Over and over again. I guess I was also being influenced by Beirut, who uses a lot of simple chord progressions.

The lyrics are based on Mary Shelley's horror novel Frankenstein. In particular, I wanted to capture the moment that Frankenstein (the scientist) created the monster.

It was already one in the morning; the rain pattered dismally against the panes, and my candle was nearly burnt out, when, by the glimmer of the half-extinguished light, I saw the dull yellow eye of the creature open...

So that's the beginning of Volume I, Chapter IV, which our Verse 1 is based on. Frankenstein had just spent the last two years working hard at creating life, and this is the culmination of his labors. Right now, he's thinking,

How can I describe my emotions at this catastrophe, or how delineate the wretch whom with such infinite pains and care I had endeavoured to form?

Well, Frankenstein, you can pick up a guitar and start singing this song.

I think it would be appropriate to film our music video at the Albany Bulb, a park that has a lot of artwork cobbled together from junk. I thought about doing it as a live performance (like La Blogotheque), but the strong winds would probably make that impossible.

Who played on the recording? Steven (lead vocals, guitar, percussion, toy piano); Russ (mandolin); Ciana (accordion); Lisa (banjulele); Molly (backing vocals, ukulele); Vijay (violin); Devin (trumpet)

Lyrics:

A wintry day of dismal rain,
Falala, it falls against
The window panes, the withered stains,
Tralala, the spark of feeling anew!

I have been waiting all this time to make you mine,
I have been waiting all this time.

So young and fine, sublime, divine
Are the words I’d use to tell
About my pride, synthetic bride--
Weialala, a portrait of my mind!

I have been waiting all this time to make your face come alive,
I have been waiting all this time as time goes by.

Everyday I live to bring me closer to you,
And through the window nature looks so heavenly,
But nothing compares to the beauty of my dream.

I have been waiting (all this time)
I have been waiting (all this time)
I have been waiting all this time. (I have been waiting.)
I have been waiting (all this time)
I have been waiting (all this time),
I have been waiting all this time to make you mine.

"Sylvia"

2009-07-15T20:53:00.000-07:00

This is a lullaby for children of the future. "Sylvia" is named for Sylvia Plath, one of my favorite writers.

The music came to me while I was riding a bus to work one day in January 2008. I had to scramble to write it down after arriving at the office, before I forgot everything.

Here's our official music video for "Sylvia", using NASA footage from the latest space shuttle mission.

Who played on the recording? Steven (lead and backing vocals, guitar, percussion); Russ (mandolin); Hilary (cello); Lisa (banjo, glockenspiel); Molly (ukulele); Maya (viola); Devin (trumpet)

Lyrics:

Smile, Sylvia
I don’t know when I’ll love again
But smile as you fly around the planet smile
As you count another year
Smile, Sylvia
The books I’ve read will come again
Alive, curious and waiting to be
Know your letters A to Z
Baby

Life, Sylvia
Won’t be so bad, won’t be so sad
Life if you stop and play in the middle of strife
If you sing a song when something’s awry
Sing

If they hurt you no matter how they try
If they push you there’s no need to comply
Turn the world upside down
And then you’ve found it
Go to sleep and

Smile, Sylvia
I don’t know when I’ll love again
But smile as you fly around the planet smile
As you count another year
Smile, baby, smile

"Marcher"

2009-07-14T22:35:00.000-07:00

"Marcher" is based on the novella The Beast in the Jungle by Henry James. I don't want to give away the story in case you want to read it, so I'll just talk about how the song came into being.

It was the autumn of 2007 and Band Practice/Party needed more original songs. We already had "Frankenstein," but I wanted to write a song that everybody could play a unique part on. I was messing about with E and whatever the chord is that looks like an open E but is two frets higher. I was listening to Stereolab's The First of the Microbe Hunters at the time, and I really liked the song "Intervals" because of its strange descending melody at the beginning. In fact, I've always been fascinated by descending melodies, including "Teardrop" by Massive Attack and "Weird Divide" by The Shins. So I wanted to write my own. The "bap bap" countermelody came afterwards, as I was trying to make it sound like Stereolab.

I sent the instrumental over to Lisa, who said it sounded like two people sitting on a car by a beach. Somehow that got me thinking about this story that I had read for English 45C. I remember reading The Beast in the Jungle during lunch time one Wednesday afternoon in 2003, on a bench in front of Sproul Hall. I remember this, because I was so moved by this novella that it sealed the deal for me to be an English major. So, in a way, you have to thank John Bishop for making this song possible. Anyway, I wrote the lyrics from the point of view of John Marcher, the protagonist of the story.

The music video will feature Russ playing the role of Marcher. I'd like to have it so that Marcher is wandering around town. It would be nice to have it in Berkeley, so that some of us Cal alums can have this footage for nostalgic purposes later. There will also be a few seconds of us playing in the park. At the end of the video, Marcher reaches his destination, which turns out to be a cemetery. "May, now I feel you..."

Who played on the recording? Steven (lead vocals, guitar, percussion); Russ (mandolin); Ciana (accordion); Lisa (bicycle bell); Molly (backing vocals, claves); Vijay (violin); Devin (trumpet)

Lyrics:

Drawn together young embraces
Sat like loveless seeds who perish
You remember, May, when we were young
Found us in the cool November sun

I sensed something looming towards me
Vaguely, just beyond my arm’s reach
Oh, won’t you watch with me?
Oh, won’t you watch with me?
I drift like a ghost through a fate that I keep holding on

Long nights we stayed up in sentry
Gazing, playing, side by side we
Saw the joy that passion could have brought
Lost the joy that passion would have sought
May, now I feel you, my tears fall in vain on your tomb

"My Kind Idea"

2009-07-13T21:46:00.000-07:00

"My Kind Idea" is a love song. I guess you could also call it my idea of a good time. The lyrics were easy to write, because they simply describe some of my favorite things: drinking tea, staying in, and wandering outside.

Like many of my songs, the music came first, and the filler lyrics that went along with it were: "That old sun, lucky lucky lucky sun." (I wrote the music early February 2008, shortly after Brian Wilson debuted his new album That Lucky Old Sun in London.) The melody is strange and uses some difficult intervals, including a tritone during the "ooh" parts. It's definitely no nursery rhyme. And the chords are a bit chromatic----for example, the verses switch between A minor and G# major. I'm not sure what possessed me to write this kind of music.

The recording is pretty amazing. Please listen to it.

I would like the music video to portray the construction of a Lego set. Particularly this one. The idea is that building a Lego model is one of the coolest things you can do at home when you want to be away from the nightclubs, bars and disco lights.

Who played on the recording? Steven (lead vocals, guitar, percussion); Russ (mandolin); Hilary (cello); Molly (ukulele, backing vocals); Maya (viola); Devin (trumpet)

Lyrics:

As we walk into a room of freezing cold
You laugh and say hello my friend
My fear my kind idea
And I brew a kettle drumming tea for you
Yellow foggy silver blue
I feel its sweet appeal
And you in the armchair all alone
Ooh, tell me something about the past decade
Of blue and the monochrome tube
We can swing and rock till
We both have had our fill
Of time and of space and of fun
But we know we will never be done

The nightclubs and bars and disco lights
Ooh, don’t compel us
As much as our habit of
Staying up talking all night
As I fell into your arms
Fallen out of harm
The charm of a dream of mixed rhymes
And the fancied invention of lines

Later on, the sun is in the room again
Chased away the moon again
The mirror is frosty dear
In a daze, gentle wind a warm embrace
And everything is in its place
So near come for me here
The Sunday review is on the lawn
Ooh, we should go out, see what it’s all about
The bricks in the old custom house
We can stop and wonder
In front of a window of a shop
That is closed for the day
And the sights that we’ll see on the way

"Twenty-Five"

2009-07-13T20:47:00.000-07:00

Superficially, "Twenty-Five" is a shameless imitation of the educational cartoon Schoolhouse Rock! I can even tell you specifically that I had the episode "Figure Eight" in mind when I wrote it. Putting all that aside, "Twenty-Five" is a song that has a lot of meaning to me, and I think it stands very well on its own. Basically, what the lyrics are trying to say is that "age is just a number," and therefore we have the verses that say, "Well, 25 is just this and that, it's just 5 times 5, and so on." But then, you shift to the point of view of somebody who's just reached this milestone in life, is bewildered by adulthood, and still feels like a child.

Based on the timestamps on my demo recordings, this song actually took two months to write. The music came to me about two weeks after my 25th birthday, but I only had filler lyrics that went, "Marigolds, here they come, la la la la..." It subsequently sat on the shelf while I entered a not-so-creative phase that resulted in "The Drifter," also known as "Yodel." When I went back to work on "Marigolds," I decided to make it like a girl-guy duet, kind of like Blonde Redhead, one of my favorite bands. Finally, something inspired me to write the lyrics that became "Twenty-Five."

A lot of the arrangement was worked out in Molly's backyard during June 2008. Noah gets credit here for the "ooh" and doubling harmonies throughout the song. Molly's voice is perfect for this song, and she does a great job with it.

If you ever catch us live, listen for a little surprise at the end.

For the music video, I'd like to make a cartoon in the style of Schoolhouse Rock! A few months back, I drew storyboards for this video, but haven't had time to do any more work. Anyone know of an animator who can help bring this video into reality?

Who played on the recording? Steven (lead and backing vocals, guitar, percussion); Molly (lead and backing vocals, ukulele); Russ (mandolin); Hilary (cello); Maya (viola).

Lyrics:

Twenty-five, or two and five
Spelled with two prime numbers
Twenty-five, or five times five
And sum of two square numbers
Twenty-five, la la la
Five more than a full score
If you count by fountain pen
Count five groups of tallies

Suddenly I found myself beginning to sit still
Suddenly I found that I was picking up the bill
Yet my scribbles from so long ago still send me chills
Still send me chills

Twenty-five is silver, please
When it's my anniversary
Twenty-five is manganese
If you're into chemistry
Twenty-five is a quarter of
The big old sum one hundred
Twenty-five is the quarter coin
The head of our first president

Dusting off my old Nintendo really made me feel
Like those days I weren't in charge of making any deals
They assure me, son, you ain't seen half of what is fun
They say I'm still young

Twenty-five golden rings
On five lucky hands they fit
And every year, many like
This day in December

"Picture Yourself"

2009-07-12T21:33:00.000-07:00

It's been almost a year since I wrote "Picture" one night after work. I was listening to the Kinks at the time, and I guess this was an attempt to write my own "Village Green", complete with things I remember from my own childhood. I did take some artistic license with that----for instance, I never lived in a house with a white picket fence. There are also things I borrowed from other peoples' lives, such as the family photos hanging above a seldom-used piano. But you get the idea, this is a song about a comfortable suburban upbringing, and the passing on thereof to the children. It could also be about aging... in fact, I remember being really moved by the last verse which alludes to the speaker as an old man. The very last line was originally "Make my living worthwhile," but I thought that was way too sad, and so I changed it to repeat the previous line, "Remember them with a smile."

I must have been feeling lazy that night, because the chords are very simple (no barre chords), and it's just one verse-chorus after another. I think it's catchy, though, and it's still fun to play. It's true, I play a Hohner acoustic guitar, but it'll be a while before it becomes vintage.

For the music video, I'm thinking of walking down the street in a suburban-looking location with wide streets, nice houses, and no traffic. Something like this location in Pleasanton, CA. Probably just a continuous shot of me miming to the song, like this video.

Who played on the recording? Steven (lead vocals, guitar, melodica, percussion); Lisa (glockenspiel); Russ (guitar); Hilary (cello, backing vocals); Molly (ukulele, backing vocals); Maya (viola); Devin (French horn)

Lyrics:

Picture yourself one day you’re married
With a home and job and family
And children running around
White picket fence and Reader’s Digest
A Sunday Mass to feel blessed
In this familiar town

All those things I knew so well,
All those things I lived back then
I miss those simple, carefree days,
Will I live them through again?

Picture yourself one day you’re driving
Screaming kids on the highway
On the way out of state
Not quite the trip that Kerouac spoke of
But you’ve got to take good care of
The things you wanted so much

All those things I knew so well,
All those things I lived back then
I miss those simple, carefree days,
Will I live them through again?

Picture yourself one day you’re happy
With a grand piano that will
Sit for seventy years
A portrait of Mum and Dad and Junior
Still looks young and rosy
On his wedding day

All those things they knew so well,
All those things they lived back then
I miss those simple, carefree days,
Will I live them through again?

Out on the porch there you’ll be strumming
A vintage Hohner acoustic
You picked up long ago
That you were playing since you were twenty
Songs of hope and of promise
Remember them with a smile
Remember them with a smile
Remember them with a smile

Gold mine

2009-04-26T21:04:00.000-07:00

Oh my god.

I was being good and trying to work on our BP/P album art and look what I found. It's only exactly what I've always wanted -- an awesome site with free font downloads. And Not Only That. It lets you custom preview the words you're trying to write so you can see if it's the look you're going for before you download and install. Genius!

I even figured out how to install new fonts on this computer! I think a little more font shopping, some ink drawings, a date with Aron's scanner, and we'll have album art. At long last!

The making of the "Twenty-Five" video (Part 1)

2009-04-06T22:02:00.000-07:00

This rough animation is the beginning of our "Twenty-Five" music video.

Eventually, I'm hoping it'll look like this:

Black Magic Voodoo Lounge

2009-03-01T22:14:00.001-08:00

Lisa, Maya and Steven played at the Black Magic Voodoo Lounge's open mic tonight. This is our first set with microphones, PA and a monitor! We would like to thank Ray, the host, for letting us play the following set:

Marcher
Idea
Sylvia
Scenic World (Beirut cover)
Twenty-Five
Picture Yourself
Frankenstein

Yodel

2009-01-11T18:23:00.000-08:00

Last song to be released from the November sessions! Hear it on the facebook.

The night I wasn't home
I was a little stoned
I was tripping out to the beat of a disco
Whatever happened next
I bet it was complex
I woke up in the heart of San Francisco

With me and you and everyone we know
From all of the places we've found
All the smiles and eyes and sparks from long ago
They spun like a merry-go-round

I walked along the shore
I walked along some more
I found it hard to talk and hard to swallow

With me and you, and people I don't know
We played on this big haunted ground
All the smiles and eyes and sparks from long ago
They spun like a merry-go-round

Yodel lay ee ooh
Yodel lay ee ooh
Yodel lay ee ooh

Yodel lay ee ooh
Yodel lay ee ooh
Yodel lay ee ooh

So then I reached the park
As it was getting dark
I was introduced to a stomach in peril
My senses came to light
As the world sank out of sight
I found my rented home in a street oh-so-narrow

Oh me and you and everyone we know
Flew out of the old lost and found
All the smiles and eyes and sparks from long ago
They spun like a merry-go-round

Yodel lay ee ooh
Yodel lay ee ooh
Yodel lay ee ooh

Yodel lay, yodel lay ee ooh
Yodel lay ee, yodel lay ee ooh
Yodel lay ee, yodel lay ee ooh

Idea

2009-01-09T19:28:00.000-08:00

The fifth song from our November sessions. Steven and Molly are the singers. Listen on our Facebook page.

As we walk into a room of freezing cold
You laugh and say hello my friend
My fear my kind idea
And I brew a kettle drumming tea for you
Yellow foggy silver blue
I feel its sweet appeal
And you in the armchair all alone
Ooh, tell me something about the past decade
Of blue and the monochrome tube
We can swing and rock till
We both have had our fill
Of time and of space and of fun
But we know we will never be done

The nightclubs and bars and disco lights
Ooh, don’t compel us
As much as our habit of
Staying up talking all night
As I fell into your arms
Fallen out of harm
The charm of a dream of mixed rhymes
And the fancied invention of lines

Later on, the sun is in the room again
Chased away the moon again
The mirror is frosty dear
In a daze, gentle wind a warm embrace
And everything is in its place
So near come for me here
The Sunday review is on the lawn
Ooh, we should go out, see what it’s all about
The bricks in the old custom house
We can stop and wonder
In front of a window of a shop
That is closed for the day
And the sights that we’ll see on the way

Picture Yourself

2009-01-08T20:05:00.000-08:00

Picture yourself one day you’re married
With a home and job and family
And children running around
White picket fence and Reader’s Digest
A Sunday Mass to feel blessed
In this familiar town

All those things I knew so well,
All those things I lived back then
I miss those simple, carefree days,
Will I live them through again?

Picture yourself one day you’re driving
Screaming kids on the highway
On the way out of state
Not quite the trip that Kerouac spoke of
But you’ve got to take good care of
The things you wanted so much

All those things I knew so well,
All those things I lived back then
I miss those simple, carefree days,
Will I live them through again?

Picture yourself one day you’re happy
With a grand piano that will
Sit for seventy years
A portrait of Mum and Dad and Junior
Still looks young and rosy
On his wedding day

All those things they knew so well,
All those things they lived back then
I miss those simple, carefree days,
Will I live them through again?

Out on the porch there you’ll be strumming
A vintage Hohner acoustic
You picked up long ago
That you were playing since you were twenty
Songs of hope and of promise
Remember them with a smile
Remember them with a smile
Remember them with a smile

Viva block prints!

2009-01-07T10:01:00.000-08:00

With all the November recordings coming together, we're starting to have thoughts about throwing together a lil demo cd, which will of course need art, and I thought this cover for the Glasvegas album (out this week!) was pretty cool. I like the Starry Night-ness of the sky along with the rubber cut-able contrast. The style is not that unlike some of our other art and gives me the inspired feeling.

Keep an eye out for our demo and give us a holler if you'd like one :)

ps. happy new year!

Sylvia

2008-12-27T16:03:00.000-08:00

Listen to "Sylvia" on our Facebook page.

Smile, Sylvia
I don’t know when I’ll love again
But smile as you fly around the planet smile
As you count another year
Smile, Sylvia
The books I’ve read will come again
Alive, curious and waiting to be
Know your letters A to Z
Baby

Life, Sylvia
Won’t be so bad, won’t be so sad
Life if you stop and play in the middle of strife
If you sing a song when something’s awry
Sing

If they hurt you no matter how they try
If they push you there’s no need to comply
Turn the world upside down
And then you’ve found it
Go to sleep and

Smile, Sylvia
I don’t know when I’ll love again
But smile as you fly around the planet smile
As you count another year
Smile, baby, smile

"Marcher, what's that song about?"

2008-12-21T23:14:00.001-08:00

Glad you asked. It's based on the Henry James novella The Beast in the Jungle.

Dead Parents

2008-12-18T19:43:00.000-08:00

Listen to "Dead Parents" on our Facebook page! Russ is the lead singer, with Molly and Steven on backup.

I met you the night that both your parents had died
You leaned into me and told me that you'd never cry
And all that you ever needed, you had inside
I have to admit, it certainly sounded like lies

Chorus:

All I needed to know
And all I had left to show
Was the look in your eyes
Was the dream in your mind
And I wanted to be
And I wanted to see
All that you are
All that you were
Wanted you more
Than I know who you are
You are the heart
You are the land
The only girl
That I could stand

I was lonely on my own
You're the only one I phoned
Deep in my heart I was calling out for your love
So I wandered the streets until I had had enough

(Chorus)

You're the one who got this right
All we have is one more night
You and me and the out of sight
All we have is one more night to get it right

You were always on your own
But when I called up, no one's home
Nobody loves you like I said that I would
Nobody loves that, nobody could

(Chorus)

"Twenty-Five"

2008-11-26T16:20:00.000-08:00

Listen to our recording of "Twenty-Five" on our Facebook page! The singers are Molly and Steven, and lyrics are below:

Twenty-five, or two and five
Spelled with two prime numbers
Twenty-five, or five times five
And sum of two square numbers
Twenty-five, la la la
Five more than a full score
If you count by fountain pen
Count five groups of tallies

Suddenly I found myself beginning to sit still
Suddenly I found that I was picking up the bill
Yet my scribbles from so long ago still send me chills
Still send me chills

Twenty-five is silver, please
When it's my anniversary
Twenty-five is manganese
If you're into chemistry
Twenty-five is a quarter of
The big old sum one hundred
Twenty-five is the quarter coin
The head of our first president

Dusting off my old Nintendo really made me feel
Like those days I weren't in charge of making any deals
They assure me, son, you ain't seen half of what is fun
They say I'm still young

Twenty-five golden rings
On five lucky hands they fit
And every year, many like
This day in December

Mosswood park duets

2008-11-24T09:31:00.000-08:00

If you hadn't noticed, yesterday was the most beautiful day out here in the East Bay. Just gorgeous.

Steven and I carted our various music making supplies over to the park and tried things out till the sun went down. We played all the songs I sing on and/or have banjo/glockenspiel parts for. Pleasantness all around. Small children eyed us happily. Really, there is nothing better than playing music outside on a nice day.

I have also been outed as a not-as-bad-as-I-used-to-be banjo player. It's still to be seen what that means for this band. Pretty excited to be starting a bluegrass band with some other folks next Sunday, though. I have high hopes for this bluegrass thing. Maybe we could play a show with the rest of the BPP folks some time.

Devin McCutchen - Earthquake Blues

2008-11-15T01:49:00.000-08:00

Devin came over to San Jose to record some instrumental tracks for our demo CD, and in-between takes he started playing his new song "Earthquake Blues" and I was so amazed by this song that I felt we needed to go outside and make a definitive recording, La Blogotheque style.

Marin Headlands in black and white

2008-11-10T08:56:00.000-08:00

thanks again to everyone who came out!

Coming soon to a social networking site near you

2008-11-07T07:57:00.000-08:00

We're heading down to San Jose to record a few more songs tomorrow. Steven, Devin and Russ have some fantastic new songs that we're hoping to save for posterity - so watch out for those!

Also, we now have a little "Fan Base" section on the blog ---->

So, if you're a fan, you should, uh, join our fan base ;)

Rocking the Marin Headlands (a visual)

2008-10-24T16:17:00.001-07:00

Busking on Shattuck

2008-10-12T11:05:00.000-07:00

Molly and I met up at Live Oak Park, and then we decided to go busking a few blocks down on Shattuck. That was pretty successful as we made $5 in about 1 1/2 hours. Mostly from children. That was enough to buy a couple slices of pizza from the Cheeseboard and convince us that we're ready to play in public more often.

Not only that!

2008-09-28T22:44:00.000-07:00

So, yesterday's show was pretty much the best thing ever. I don't even know where to start. All I know is it was perfect being outside in such a great space in such perfect weather.

Despite being thwarted by the most terrible terrible traffic, we all made it to the Marin Headlands by 3pm and unloaded our mountain of music making supplies. We set up camp near a picnic table and figured we'd practice a few songs till someone told us where and when to play. Then, about a third of the way down the setlist, we noticed there was a bit of a crowd (made up of the lovely folks who'd given us rides out to this remote fairy land) pooling up in the shade behind us, so we turned ourselves around to face then and put on a bit of a show.

And then magical food appeared. And we ate and drank. There was a fairy wand and blond angel-children that played music with us in the general vicinity of a ratty old persian rug that materialized (one can only assume) for our benefit.

Love was in the air.

And then we played again. Another set, having opened for ourselves like we've always claimed we wanted to do. And the crowd laughed at our jokes and clapped to Dead Parents and called us adorable.

But that was only the beginning. The music that came after us was so just... stunning and intimate as we crowded in on the arms of sofas and cushions on the floor to see a couple of kids interspersed with the audience playing songs at the foot of the stairs of this beautiful house. It was amazing just to sit there and absorb the fact that we had been a part of this perfect, perfect evening.

So a huge thank you to Hilary's friend Josh from all of us for letting us be a part of this. And to Sleepy Todd, Indianna Hale, The Blank Tapes, Honeybody Moonbee, the Magic Leaves, and all the other bands I didn't get to see. I highly recommend checking all of them out!

Here's to hoping we can do this all again some time soon!

The set list

2008-09-28T17:40:00.001-07:00

Thanks to everyone who came to our show in the Marin Headlands! Here's what we played:

1. Picture Yourself
2. Diggin' A Grave (Micah P. Hinson cover)
3. Yodel
4. Scenic World (Beirut cover)
5. Twenty-Five
6. Marcher
7. Parish
8. Dead Parents
9. Frankenstein
10. A Cautionary Song (Decemberists cover)
11. Idea
12. Sylvia
13. Neighborhood #2 (Laika) (Arcade Fire cover)
14. Siki Siki Baba (Kocani Orkestar cover)

2008-09-28T13:15:00.000-07:00

Just wow. You know? A stag ran past us while we played. Is all.

Also I promised we'd post about where we're playing on here before we play. So we should like...do that.

Rocking the Marin Headlands

2008-09-15T08:12:00.001-07:00

It's official - we'll be playing our first proper show with the Magic Leaves and the Blank Tapes on Saturday 9/27 at the staff house of the Marin Headlands hostel!

Till then, we'll be sorting out how exactly to play our songs with so many people and possibly making the acquaintance of those unknown beasts of amplification, the mic, mixer and amp.

It's pretty much guaranteed to be a good time and we'd love to see you there!

Au vélo

2008-09-05T11:29:00.000-07:00

Listening to Blind Pilot live from Portland, Oregon, at MusicFest NW, courtesy of KEXP. They are really good actually, these Blind Pilot kids.

The one dude just said they're going on a bicycle tour. Is that not the best idea you ever heard? Should some subset of us not also embark on a bicycle tour?? We should. We really should.

Band Practice/Party, 8/31/08

2008-08-31T23:23:00.000-07:00

Today we played at Mosswood Park and did some more filming. Lisa, Molly, Steven, Angela and Noah were there, as well as Noah's friend Mulligan Rose.

Band Practice/Party, 8/23/08

2008-08-28T20:37:00.000-07:00

Lisa, Molly and Steven had a little practice on Saturday at the Berkeley Farmers' Market. We added a new harmony part to "Picture" and some banjo to "Sylvia." We earned a peach and a pluot from one listener.

More croquet cuteness

2008-08-17T21:49:00.001-07:00

**photos courtesy of Erin Prado

The Latest in Band Outfits

2008-08-12T22:05:00.001-07:00

Discovered this on the Brooklyn Vegan randomly.

I love how Von Trapp family this is and I totally admire them for wearing what looks like orange and yellow cotton jersey shorts - and getting away with it.

I think every so often about band outfit aesthetics and designing clothes in general. I don't foresee this ever being our deal - you know, the matching outfits thing - but still it's fun to see what other people are doing. (Other people, in this case, being De Novo Dahl). And I'm always down with coordinating.

I also like having themes à la Arcade Fire with some kind of motif going through various people's clothes.

I kind of like the idea of doing a color theme party wardrobe coordination practice/party every so often. It does make for great photos...

Anyway, I won't turn this into a fashion blog heh, but I'll leave you to feast on this:

A scene from the "Marcher" video shoot

2008-08-11T22:42:00.001-07:00

band practice/tea + croquet (birthday) party

2008-08-10T23:46:00.000-07:00

Dang. Where even to start.

I can't even believe that not everyone is out there playing music in the park. For the life of me I don't think I could think of anything better.

We had the most best practice/party today, granted it was probably heavier on the party than the practice, but what are you to do when you're being swarmed by fans who also want to chat? I was a little worried that it'd be cold today after something of a chilly morning yesterday, but it was fabulously warm.

Steven, Russ, Liat, my mother and sister and I all arrived simultaneously at Mosswood Park and settled on a spot under a tree near Broadway where we layed out our blankets and quite a spread of food. There was also a bit of a goth party and twenty hipsters on bikes and Sri Lankan women sitting in a circle and a fancy kid's birthday party with face painting and a piñata and then later a bunch of dudes playing soccer and frisbee and another twenty people playing some kind of volleyball, so the park was brimming with life. and our party was hopping.

So many people came out. So, so many. It was amazing. It made the (birthday) part of the practice/party that much sweeter. Through out the day a series of kids (from that birthday party) with the Batman bat painted on their faces (maybe it was a Batman themed party..?) paused near us to see what our deal was. I'm telling you, kids love us.

But not only kids! This older guy came by after we played Laika - and our Arcade Fires were off the hook today, for real - to say that we should put out a cd and get on the scene because he knows.

And another woman who seemed to be just passing through stopped by us to ask if we were a band or just kids who play together. A little of both? I said. She explained that she has some kind of artist space and is looking for bands to come play in it and did we have any contact info. Awesome, yes. So, we pointed her to the good old fb page. Hopefully Jared can hook us up with a nice link like facebook.com/bandpracticeparty, now that he works for that king of social networks.

We even did a little bit of filming for our croquet/Marcher video. Dunno how the footage came out, but we started it and you can't really ask for more than that. I also heard Steven chatting up Aron about animating our Twenty-Five vid Schoolhouse Rock style. If we ever finish these things, we'll def share them with you all via fb/youtube/this blog. I also saw a bunch of cameras snapping photos throughout the day, so hopefully there'll be pics to post soon.

It was so great seeing everybody and playing music with and for them. I swear I could do this every day of my life and die happy.

ps. I also ran off a couple more posters and plan to print more soon. Maybe some day we'll start selling them, but for the time being, if you want one, just holler!

Live at Lake Temescal

2008-08-03T20:51:00.000-07:00

I wasn't even really aware that there was a lake at the top of Broadway, but we carted our battery of acoustics up there today and rocked it lakeside.

There were lots of us today - enough to throw a real practice/party. Steven, Vijay, Russ, Devin, Molly, Angela and I played through most of what we're calling our setlist. Devin also brought a magical little book of every American folk song ever sung and then some. I insisted Russ do Ciana's birthday song and if I'm not mistaken he was playing some of his old ep stuff in between songs over on his edge of the blanket. We're playing Grizzly Bear's Knife more regularly now, which makes me happy. I love that song. Still need to work out how we want to fill in the atmospheric layers they do, but even our impromptu covers sound pretty decent.

We're all way into Steven's new song Picture - which I always want to call Picture Yourself. We played Siki Siki Baba twice and relived Diggin' a Grave. Angela somehow managed to bike all the way up the hill with an accordion in her bag (and a clarinet, a fancy harmonica and I don't even know what else) and worked her clarinet magic on Twenty-Five. I think the musical highlight for me was Russ covering Idea in his big band voice while I did a pretend singing saw. We really need one of those things. I don't know how our band has gone so long without such an essential instrument.

There was some serious partying going on around us too - a very intense group badminton game with this really deep grunting and yelling, a little smash ball, and a couple birthday parties. We were joking on the way over that we should play kids' birthday parties since kids love us and today was no exception. Three or four kids wandered over to watch and touch things.

Really though, we should have been playing at this one birthday party next to us. These people really went all out. They had the clown, the face painting, the caricaturist, the works. Both the clown and the portrait artist showed a little love on their way out. The portrait guy asked if we were a real band or just kids who get together. A little of both? We pointed him to our Myspace/Facebook page. I hope he checks us out. It would be rad if at some point we were together enough that we could just post up where we'll be for the day on our site(s) and people could swing by to enjoy if they so pleased.

All in all, good times. I even managed to score a slew of pirate songs that I am loving. Thank you, Russell.

practice/partying hard

2008-07-29T17:54:00.000-07:00

That party on Saturday was just absolutely tip top. So amazing in fact that we need two blog posts about it!

We rolled in at about 5pm before even most of the hosts were around and started to set up shop in the backyard. Russ, Steven, Molly and I played through some of the old favorites. If we haven't told you a thousand times already, we're gearing up to do a couple of performances in the relatively near future, so we've been running through a set list lately, but still fishing about for some new gems to add to it. All in all I think I was at the party for something like nine hours. We played music straight through till 1am with only the briefest of pauses around elevenish to run in for food. I was starving and Molly & co. had made the best ever vegetables, and I think it was Eve who made some positively first rate guacamole that had strawberries instead of tomatoes - and I still swear I tasted lavender..

But after a few minutes of stuffing myself with any food within my reach, Russ and I decided that we still just want to play music. And man, we played with everybody and for everybody. We finally met Lana who eventually returned with an incredible orangey-gold sparkling accordion, and I'm still crazy about Hilary's cello. It was great to have Vijay back on violin and towards the end of the night we even had Katie teaching us to play Anyone but You by The Moldy Peaches on ukulele. One of Noah's neighbors came by and had us try to play along with any songs he knew so he could sing. We had a big turnout for Hallelujah and did a pretty good version of Sound of Silence even though we hadn't practiced in a while. Noah, Steven, Hilary and I also performed Wouldn't It Be Nice and God Only Knows even though we'd only really gone through them once a month ago.

And people listened to us! And kept asking who our songs were by, so we kept pointing at Steven and Russ. We were competing for a while with one of the neighbors' opera on blast, but you can't really blame anyone for listening to opera at that volume. There's just something epic about it all that demands it. And another one of the folks that lives in that apartment building out back applauded us at one point. The love was just pouring out from everywhere. One kid said he'd looked us up on MySpace and had even read our blog! and came over to shake our hands! How awesome is that?! Russ and I played him Postcards to Italy since he asked if we knew any Beirut. (Thank you, good sir, if you're reading this. You are awesome. We love you.)

So yes, the party was marvelous, and we can't wait to play for you some time soon! Till then, please say hi :)

Mosswood Park and house party, 7/26/08

2008-07-27T22:04:00.000-07:00

During the afternoon, Russ, Steven, Maya and Hilary played at Mosswood Park. We played "Idea," "Scenic World," "Marcher," and "Sylvia." Practice time was restricted to the number of coins we had to keep our cars from being ticketed.

Afterwards, we moved to Molly/Noah's house. We were joined by Lisa, Molly, Noah, Vijay, Lana and many more partygoers. We played most of our songs, including some we hadn't played for a while, including "Laika" and "In the Backseat." By special request, we played "Wouldn't It Be Nice," "No Woman, No Cry," "Across the Universe," "People Are Strange," and "Hotel California." Steven presented a new song, "Picture." And our cover of "Hallelujah" is sounding quite amazing these days.

Ohlone Park, North Berkeley

2008-07-19T18:58:00.000-07:00

I brought some snacks to celebrate our first practice with Maya's viola and violin and Hilary's cello just like the old days - a sourdough baguette, red grapes and Annie's cashew dip. If any dip will convince people to join our band, it's Annie's. Although I think I ate most of it myself...

In any case, Maya and Hilary are both awesome and we sound really full with very nearly a string quartet. I've been fantasizing about having a cello to fill out our otherwise non-existent low end for ages. Welcome to the crew, guys!

We've never played in Ohlone Park before, but it was great. Lots of people around, but with plenty of space to spread ourselves out and make some noise. We didn't get any more Sparks offerings, but there were a couple of families who paused to listen for a bit.

Angela (and Vijay, Ciana, Russ, Noah, Devin and Lana) couldn't make it because she fractured her foot. Eek! Think good thoughts for her so she can heal and come play with us again soon! Steven, Molly, Maya and Hilary were making some good sounds, though.

Maybe the best part of today was working out the violin bit of Scenic World and playing around with that song. Such good stuff. We're definitely going to be working that one into our regular repertoire, which we will hopefully be showcasing some time in the nearish future - maybe at a park or farmer's market near you!

Band Practice/Party, 7/12/08

2008-07-13T10:24:00.001-07:00

Location: Live Oak Park. Musicians: Lisa, Steven, Angela, Molly, Vijay, Devin. Songs played: "Postcards From Italy," "Mount Wroclai," "Siki Siki Baba," "After Hours," "In the Backseat," "Frankenstein," "Marcher," "Idea," "Twenty-Five." Discussed our band name, show in August.

9 Hour Music Marathon

2008-06-29T15:17:00.000-07:00

There was some serious music happening yesterday.

Firstly, Noah and Steven were gracious enough to let me tag along to their Beach Boys practice. Noah also brought his friend Hilary who has the most incredible voice. We did some good stuff with God Only Knows and Wouldn't It Be Nice. In a mere three hours we were able to power through two full songs weird harmony bits and all. I even went out and finally bought Pet Sounds today. You should ask us to show you some time!

Post-Pet Sounds, we did a bit of unwinding down the street at Noah and Molly's place, finally settling into the living room. We had fun playing through our original catalog and Molly, Steven and I practiced a harmony for Fireball Mail (that song I've been learning on the banjo). It turns out that the song is about one of our favorite subjects: trains. Hopefully, I haven't already abused everyone's tolerance for bluegrass and we can work on it a little more. We sounded pretty great, if I may say so myself. Thanks to Steven for arranging the harmony!

We seem to be pretty into that texture that harmony adds these days, so I'm excited that it sounds like Hilary might be interested in joining our band. And she plays cello. How perfect is that?! I've been fantasizing about having a cello in the band since day one! She also has a friend who plays accordion, which would make Ciana's departure for the big, crazy, and far away world of New York City slightly less dramatic and sad. But it's still dramatic and sad - we miss you, Ciana!

Keep sending your awesome, musically inclined friends our way!

I'll leave you with the lyrics and the chord part of Fireball Mail. For the melody/harmony, you'll have to ask Steven :)

Fireball Mail:
G
Here she comes, look at her roll
D
There she goes eatin' that coal
G
Watch her fly huggin' the rails
D G
Let her by, by, by the Fireball Mail

Let her go, look at her steam
Hear her blow, whistle and scream
Like a hound waggin' his tail
Dallas bound, bound, bound the Fireball Mail

Engineer makin' up time
Tracks are clear look at her climb
See that freight clearin' the rail
Bet she's late, late, late the Fireball Mail

Watch her swerve
Look at her sway
Get that curve out of the way
Watch her fly look at her sail

Let her by, by, by the Fireball Mail
Let her by, by, by the Fireball Mail
Let her by, by, by the Fireball Mail

Sparks

2008-06-23T18:44:00.000-07:00

Practice on Sunday, June 22nd

2008-06-23T07:22:00.000-07:00

Steven, Lisa, Russ, and Ciana gathered at Live Oak Park in Berkeley for practice yesterday. We played through pretty much our entire repertoire, and even tossed in a couple of new cover songs for good measure. We had probably more adoring fans than ever - at least 3 (maybe 4) children under the age of 5, and one homeless woman. It was a monumental event, because we received our first payment in exchange for music EVER: a can of Sparks from the homeless woman. ("That's got like, 6% alcohol in it!!") We were, needless to say, honored, and have taken the can back with us as a future collector's item.

Music video ideas

2008-06-03T22:17:00.000-07:00

I am a big fan of music videos. Let's make some:

Frankenstein
How about a La Blogotheque-style video for "Frankenstein"? Can it have something to do with Frankenstein, like in a lab or some dingy looking place? Or at least have that mood of something bizarre happening? If we don't try to film ourselves playing live, then cardboard instruments would be great for a Frankenstein video because it is like we are trying to give life to 'dead' cardboard. Maybe we can do that at a junkyard-type place like the Albany Bulb.

Marcher
For "Marcher," I was thinking something like this Belle & Sebastian video. The band is doing stuff while the singer is being contemplative. "Marcher" is kind of a tragic song and I would like the video to reflect that. I imagine a cold day in the city when Marcher is realizing what he has lost and he's wandering around. Then he ends up at a graveyard where May is, loosely following the story in the lyrics. It would be great to do this in Berkeley, since we probably have some favorite places there that we want to have some footage of. There should be a scene of us playing croquet, too.

Twenty-five
It could be a like an episode of Schoolhouse Rock! with animated versions of ourselves.

Sylvia
How about this? A continuous shot of me walking down the street, but I'm not lip syncing to it at all, until the very end, when I pick up a guitar and sing the word "Smile." So, it's like we are turning thoughts into action. Fade to black.

Yodel
Probably should be filmed in San Francisco. Could just be us singing and playing as we walk along the shore, and walk along some more...

The Flying Club Cup Chords

2008-06-02T18:58:00.000-07:00

Nantes
D#m, C#/F , F#

Sunday Smile
C , F, Bb, Dm

Guyamas Sonora
D#m, F#, C#, D#m

La Banileue
F# , B, Em, A

Cliquot
Part 1: Bm, Em
Part 2: D, Am, Em

The Penalty
Verse: C, Em, F
Chorus: G, C, F, C

Forks and Knives
G, Em, C, D,

In The Mausoleum
A, C#m, D, C#m

Un Dernier Verre
F#, Bm, E

Cherbourg
Part 1: G, G, A, Bm
Part 2: D, Em, G, D

St. Apollonia
Intro: C, G, Fm, G
Verse: Cm, Fm, Cm, G
Instrumental: Cm, Fm, G, Cm

The Flying Club Cup
Part 1: C#, D#m, E, D#m
Part 2: F#, E, G#m, F#

Band Practice/Party, 6/1/08

2008-06-01T22:04:00.001-07:00

We played in Molly/Noah's living room. Attendance: Noah, Steven, Lisa, Ciana, Molly

Worked on the bridge on "Frankenstein." Will now sound like a workshop.
Played "Marcher," "Idea," "Sylvia," and "Twenty-five".
Discussed our next practice, our CD, a music video, and posting a Craigslist ad for additional musicians
Played some Beirut songs

Band Practice/Barbecue, 5/24/08

2008-05-25T00:59:00.000-07:00

Today we practiced in Molly's backyard. Musicians assembled: Molly, Noah, Steven, Lisa and Ciana. Songs played: Frankenstein, Marcher, Idea, Sylvia, Yodel, Twenty-five. Our friends were there, too, so it was kind of an informal concert.

We want you

2008-05-23T18:06:00.001-07:00

As much as I love the idea that this band is more of an institution than a band tied to specific bandmates, I think we're all bummed at the prospect of a lot of us being forced to move far far away for frivolous life pursuits like higher education. I mean, I'm happy for you all and fully intend to take advantage of your brains and social connections, but *sniffle* I was worried for a while there that our lovely old band might change beyond recognition.

Actually though, I think we're too feisty and crazy about each other to let a few thousand miles do any real damage to The Band.

Also, I think we are secretly and openly trying to win Noah over to our cause. So far, things are looking good. Does he know that we are blown away by his mad skillz? Or at least I am. That boy can make proper sounds come out of anything you hand him. I am intensely jealous.

In any case, we are on the prowl! And, on the off-chance that anyone else in the wide world runs across this blog, I thought now would be a good time to make a shameless plug for new bandymates. We want you! Come say hi!

Band Practice/Party, 5/17/08

2008-05-18T16:19:00.000-07:00

Practice at Molly's place. Musicians: Steven, Noah and Molly. Played on "Twenty-five," "Idea," "Sylvia," "Yodel" and "Frankenstein."

Band Practice/Party, 5/11/08

2008-05-12T00:27:00.001-07:00

Today's band practice was held in Molly's backyard. Musicians present: Molly, Steven, Erin (Molly's friend from yoga), and Noah. Tea was served. We played "Idea," "Marcher," and "Frankenstein." Worked on harmonies, including a new part in "Idea." Then spent a long time trying to figure out the 4-part harmonies on "God Only Knows." Steven and Noah discussed forming a Beach Boys' Pet Sounds-only cover band. Steven, Noah and Molly discussed potential new bandmates, including several violinists and a cellist we know.

Band Practice/Party, 4/20/08

2008-04-21T00:31:00.000-07:00

Location: Lisa's apartment. Musicians: Lisa, Steven, Ciana, Russ. Worked on "Sylvia," "Yodel" and "Tears in Our Eyes/Dead Parents." Wrote the accordion/acoustic guitar melody for the chorus on Yodel. Finalized arrangement of Dead Parents and added a "Twist And Shout"-style build-up near the end.

Band Practice/Tea Party, 4/13/08

2008-04-19T10:52:00.000-07:00

Band Practice/Party, 4/5/08

2008-04-05T20:35:00.001-07:00

Location: Lisa's apartment. Musicians: Lisa, Steven, Russ, Ciana, Molly. Songs played: the Smiths song, the western song, Dead Parents, Idea, Sylvia, Yodel, Don't Die In Me, Monument, Paint It Black. Discussed covers, electronic side project.

Bb

2008-03-21T15:50:00.000-07:00

From this article:

Astronomers have detected the deepest note ever generated in the cosmos, a B-flat flying through space like a ripple on an invisible pond. No human will actually hear the note, because it is 57 octaves below the keys in the middle of a piano.

House party and Dolores Park, 3/16/08

2008-03-16T22:24:00.001-07:00

1. Diggin' a Grave
2. We're Going to be Friends
3. Idea
4. A Cautionary Song
5. South Australia
6. Postcards From Italy
7. Portland Bridges
8. Born on a Train
9. Don't Die in Me (2nd show)
10. Frankenstein
11. Marcher
12. Laika
13. Siki, Siki Baba

Musicians: Lisa, Ciana, Russ, Vijay, Molly, Devin, Steven.

us

2008-03-12T21:40:00.001-07:00

Band Practice/Party, 3/9/08

2008-03-09T20:04:00.000-07:00

Location: Ciana's place. Musicians: Ciana, Russ, Steven.

Frankenstein: Discussed the new arrangement.
Portland Bridges: Wrote some harmonies and a new part for the accordion.
Idea: Russ to play banjo in the beginning. A saw or whistling for the kettle. Bells or zils on selected lyrics. Trumpet to solo during the instrumental, accompanied by trilling mandolin. Trumpet to double accordion part during the verses.
Night Life: Worked on the placement of the accordion melody, cut the length of the choruses.
Dead Parents: Added the clapping part during the verse. Part of the verse now a recurring motif. The bridge is now the beginning of the chorus.
Played Maggie May and most of the songs we're doing next week.

Maggie May

2008-03-08T22:51:00.000-08:00

Hey Fellows and Fellas,

We were messing with some old school Rod Stewart (for the mandolin's sake, of course, per Steven's advice), and "Maggie May" sounds awesome.

Here are the tabs (the "revised" version). Give it a go - it's fantastic!!

xxx

Melodies & Feist

2008-03-04T19:26:00.000-08:00

This is from a recent interview with Feist:

Feist grew up in Calgary and spent her teen-age years as the lead howler for a hardcore punk band.

One memory that sticks in her mind about those voice-grinding days is what a sound man for her band told her one day:

"He said, 'What you're doing is great — I mix it every night so I know — but a song is something you can sing in the shower when there's nothing else there, and you should think about that.'

"I was 17, going 'Whatever!'" she recalled. "But it's true. As the years pass, I think about that."

Maybe she was thinking about that during the first part of her "Mushaboom" video:

Nuestro Primero Cartel

2008-03-03T12:55:00.000-08:00

Because I feel like speaking Spanish today.

This is our first band poster.

Not bad eh?

For the next one, I'm thinking maybe pirate ship. Or, should I say pyrate...

Band Practice/Party, 3/2/08

2008-03-02T21:09:00.000-08:00

Location: Mosswood Park. Musicians: Ciana, Russ, Steven, Lisa, Molly, Vijay, Noah, Mike. Weather: Clear. Songs played: Idea, The Night Life, Frankenstein, Postcards From Italy, A Cautionary Song, Diggin' A Grave, Hallelujah, Laika (slow version), Tennessee Waltz, Heartbeats, Dead Parents (making its debut), Sylvia, Blues Jam in E. Tried some new covers: Across the Universe, Lovely Rita, There is a Light that Never Goes Out, Panic, Bigmouth Strikes Again.

Lisa made our first poster.
Decided to have a show next Sunday at Dolores Park, San Francisco. Should try to burn some CDs.
We decided not to change Warlock lyrics. Instead, we will write an all-new, bloody pirate song.
Tried to write a song about English breakfast tea.
Discussed our techno/electronic side project. Vijay to be prerecorded with face appearing on video.
Slash Party

"Marcher"

2008-03-02T11:11:00.000-08:00

Drawn together young embraces
Sat like loveless seeds who perish
You remember, May, when we were young
Found us in the cool November sun

I sensed something looming towards me
Vaguely, just beyond my arm’s reach
Oh, won’t you watch with me?
Oh, won’t you watch with me?
I drift like a ghost through a fate that I keep holding on

Long nights we stayed up in sentry
Gazing, playing, side by side we
Saw the joy that passion could have brought
Lost the joy that passion would have sought
May, now I feel you, my tears fall in vain on your tomb

"Frankenstein"

2008-03-02T11:06:00.000-08:00

(Just to make it easier to look up the lyrics.)

A wintry day of dismal rain,
Falala, it falls against
The window panes, the withered stains,
Tralala, the spark of feeling anew!

I have been waiting all this time to make you mine,
I have been waiting all this time.

So young and fine, sublime, divine
Are the words I’d use to tell
About my pride, synthetic bride--
Weialala, a portrait of my mind!

I have been waiting all this time to make your face come alive,
I have been waiting all this time as time goes by.

Everyday I live to bring me closer to you,
And through the window nature looks so heavenly,
But nothing compares to the beauty of my dream.

I have been waiting (all this time)
I have been waiting (all this time)
I have been waiting all this time. (I have been waiting.)
I have been waiting (all this time)
I have been waiting (all this time),
I have been waiting all this time to make you mine.

Road Trip Recording

2008-02-25T00:09:00.000-08:00

Driving home last night we decided that we should try to record a record while on a road trip. The idea is to rig a van with mics for each of the people in the car. Driver pretty much has to be the singer and the passengers have to be well placed in the car so as not to poke each other with guitars and banjos.

But the end result would be a record (probably along the lines of an EP depending on the length of the trip) that was recorded in a single drive. I'm thinking we start out with my van and trip to LA down the 5. Of course the theme probably has to be the same of the drive.

Oh and someone can ride in the trunk/back-back and do the sound mixing.

-Rssl.

Band Practice/Recording/Party, 2/23/08

2008-02-24T01:24:00.000-08:00

Musicians present: Vijay, Molly, Ciana, Steven, Lisa, Russ, Devin. Songs recorded in studio: Frankenstein, Marcher. Songs recorded/performed live: Diggin' A Grave, Siki, Siki Baba, Portland Bridges, Idea, Postcards From Italy, Neighborhood #3 (Power Out), A Cautionary Song, Goodnight Irene, The Night Life.

Band Practice/Party, 2/17/08

2008-02-17T20:39:00.000-08:00

Location: Live Oak Park. Weather: mostly cloudy. In attendance: Lisa, Russ, Ciana, Steven, Devin and Alex.

Originals
Portland Bridges: Lengthened the instrumental for the recorder and violin solo, removed the chorus after the instrumental.
Idea: Worked on it a little bit.
Frankenstein: Worked it out note-by-note for Devin, plus other detail work.
The Night Life: Played through, moved the bridge, verses and choruses around. Russ worked out the melody.
Marcher: Came out fine. Devin played drums and sleigh bells.

Covers
Diggin' a Grave: We decided to do the slow version all the way through, then a count off, and 2 verses fast.
A Cautionary Song: No changes, except Devin played the mandolin.
Postcards to Italy: Sounded fine. Ciana switched to drums. Added a little dramatic moment at the end where it stops momentarily before going into the last instrumental.
Laika: Good as usual.
Siki Siki Baba: Experimented a bit with the rhythm section. We eventually decided it should sound "driving." Did detail practice with the transition near the end of the song. Lisa played drums on different surfaces.
Born on a Train: Added a dramatic pause before the last verse.
South Australia: Sounded good after two attempts. Steven used the recorder.

Band Practice/Party, 2/10/08

2008-02-11T21:29:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, we played near the gazebo at Lake Merritt. Originally, we wanted to play at Molly's house, but we moved it outside because it was a nice and warm day. Musicians present: Molly, Vijay, Steven, Lisa, Ciana, Russ, Devin. Songs played: Marcher, Frankenstein, Portland Bridges, Mt. Wroclai, Postcards From Italy, A Cautionary Song, Laika, In the Backseat, Hallelujah, Fear of Trains, Diggin' a Grave, and After Hours. Song debuts: Idea, The Night Life. We stopped only when it got too dark to continue. Audience: tequila guy.

"Idea"

2008-02-07T21:48:00.000-08:00

Here's a new song.

http://www.box.net/shared/q450jt9cgg

As we [Am] walk in- [G#] to a room of freezing cold [Am]
You [G#] laugh and say hello my [Dm] friend
I [E] fear my [Dm] kind idea [E]
And I [Am] brew a [G#] kettle drumming tea for [Am] you
[G#]Yellow foggy silver [Dm] blue
I [E] feel its [Dm] sweet ap- [E] peal
And [Dm] you in the armchair all [E] alone
Ooh, [Am] tell me [F] something [G] about the past [E] decade
Of [Am] blue and the [F] monochrome [E] tube
We can [Am] swing and [F] rock till
We [G] both have had [E] our fill
Of [Am] time and of [F] space and of [E] fun
But we [F] know we will never be [E] done

[Instrumental]
Am G# Am G# Dm E Dm E

The nightclubs and bars and disco lights
Ooh, don’t compel us
As much as our habit of
Staying up watching all night
As I fell into your arms
Fallen out of harm
The charm of a dream of mixed rhymes
And the fancied invention of lines

Later on, the sun is in the room again
Chased away the moon again
The mirror is frosty dear
In a daze, gentle wind a warm embrace
And everything is in its place
So near come for me here
The Sunday review is on the lawn
Ooh, we should go out, see what it’s all about
The bricks in the old custom house
We can stop and wonder
In front of a window of a shop
That is closed for the day
And the sights that we’ll see on the way

A Sea Shanty

2008-02-07T20:29:00.001-08:00

In response to a previous statement that we ought to do a sea shanty, here's one of my favorites:

South Australia

[D] In South Australia [G] I was [D] born
[G] Heave [D] away! [G] Haul [D] away!
[D] South Australia [A] round Cape [D] Horn
And we're bound for [A] South [D] Australia

[G] Haul away you [D] rolling king
[G] Heave [D] away! [G] Haul [D] away!
[G] All the way you'll [D] hear me sing
And we're bound for [A] South [D] Australia

As I wlaked out one morning fair
Heave away! Haul away!
It's there I met Miss Nancy Blair
And we're bound for South Australia

There ain't but one thing grieves my mind
Heave away! Haul away!
It's to leave Miss Nancy Blair behind
And we're bound for South Australia

I run her all night I run her all day
Heave away! Haul away!
Run her before we sailed away
And we're bound for South Australia

I shook her up I shook her down
Heave away! Haul away!
I shook her round and round and round
And we're bound for South Australia

And as you wollop round Cape Horn
Heave away! Haul away!
You'll wish that you had never been born
And we're bound for South Australia

Here's a version by the group Tangleweed.

Found our video

2008-02-06T20:34:00.000-08:00

Remember that guy who filmed us when we played up in Bernal Heights on Nov 17th? Looks like the vid still exists on the internet.

Here it is again:

The video as a whole is weird, of course, but I think we look cute. And sound pretty good. Just ignore the bong noises...

Brilliant ideas we've had so far

2008-02-06T18:41:00.000-08:00

Band "retreat"
where we all go camping or something and roll out our rug and hang our chandelier and play music in a massive park. around a campfire or something. and talk about music and get high on life. *mklj
YES! my only concern right now is weather. can we go to south america and do this? *cw*
we also need our rug and chandelier.. *mklj

European World Tour
in which we live it up in europe and play in various parks. maybe even wandering down the streets. must include a stop in paris. *mklj
OUI! *cw*

music video
we should make our music video like a 1950s home movie, of us playing music and sports in the park. let's get a vintage movie camera. i want to remember this part of my life. -sc
oh i love this! *mklj
this, like all of our ideas, means that we should tighten our sound and make some original music first (or at least do REALLY tight covers.) but i think it's a fab idea...esp. in b&w! *cw*
or color with a lot of contrast.. *mklj

video in which we're playing cardboard instruments
inspired by this pic *mklj -->
yes, i like that. let's shoot the frankenstein video in a junkyard where we are also building stuff out of cardboard and other recycled materials. like frankenstein and his monster. -sc

curious merch
dude. so maybe i'm getting carried away with this curiosity shoppe thing, but how awesome would it be if we sold like curious merch like a curiosity shop?? we could sell like..anything. like stuff we made. like crazy photos or paintings or arctic fox skulls. *mklj
i like this idea. this is so much cooler than selling stickers and t-shirts like all the other bands. -sc

our first show
where we just play for our friends maybe at the berkeley marina (or at the berkeley farmers market...)

Trip to Paxton Gate / Antique Shops/ Other Places to Glean Inspiration
We can make mini-field trips and excursions to imbue ourselves with the aesthetics we want to achieve...not that this doesn't happen naturally, but it might be nice to SEEK inspiration...just to let her know that we want to be buddies with her asap.
i approve. let's go *mklj

mailing list
people are coming up to us in parks. we should keep a mailing list so we don't lose touch with them.
we need to make sure not to be spammers since we have a lot of "shows" but if the mailing list is for people who want to play with us, I can just add them to the list we have now and invite them to 2-3 practices, if they come, we can decide if we want to keep them. i'm all about accepting people, but some people are sketchy.. *mklj
yeah people can be sketchy and we must be careful. we can screen the people who make it to our mailing list, talk to them to see if they just want to hear us, or want to play with us. it is probably a bad idea to invite strangers to one of our houses, but if we have band practice at a park, i think it should be okay. we can keep a mailing list for people interested in band practice (like what we have now), and a "public" list for strangers interested in hearing us. we can also have "tour dates"----start planning band practices waaay in advance.-sc
i'm wondering if maybe having a mini website would be a good idea. that way they could come to us? not sure that's a good idea though since it would lend itself to stalking. ..i will start a new idea.. *mklj

one mic recording
this is kind of a technical point. if we make recordings of ourselves, i don't want it to go through studio processing and mixing. since we're all acoustic, i think it will be possible to record with one mic in the middle of the room, like they did 50 years ago. we can mix ourselves by moving strategically around the room. a band called aberfeldy did this recently and actually it sounded pretty good. -sc
well except that i still like the idea of crickets etc. which would Probably require studio mixing. *mklj

mini website?
that way we could just give people our website and not have to spam them with email or even maintain an email list for that matter. retention would be lower probably, but i like that it requires them to be proactive. still a problem with stalkers though.. *mklj
it's funny i never thought i'd have to deal with fans. haha. *mklj
i think we should have a mailing list, but only include people who actually requested to be on it. i don't consider it spam when i get e-mails from a band, i actually enjoy feeling like i'm part of their secret club. we don't have to use the mailing list that often, either. maybe once a month. i like the idea of maintaining a website too, we can have a curiosity shoppe section where we sell stuff we make. -sc
(see our facebook page)

touring India
because Ciana, Russell and I just saw Darjeeling Limited and it's clearly a must. *mklj
hear, hear! *cw*
...on our European World Tour *mklj

electronic side project
an all-electronic band, with laptops, synthesizers, disco lights, effects boxes, samplers and other fun stuff.-sc
and we could go on tour with ourselves. like our electronic band would open for us. or the other way around depending on how we feel that day. *mklj
ooh can it be fun and dance-y? *cw*

listening party
in which we each bring a song (or more than one...) that the rest of us maybe haven't heard or should hear again. and we could do a hear and tell and talk about what we like about it and discuss what we could maybe work into our sound. just a thought. *mklj
that sounds like radiohead decal. something like that would be good for developing listening skills, too. -sc

serving food at concerts
When we start playing concerts at real venues, we will be the first band ever to provide food to our audience, because it's a band practice/party. Even better if we prepare the food ourselves. Can you imagine, a buffet table down the middle of the Fillmore? -sc
first of all, i love that you say "when". catering lots of large parties will cut into music playing time and could add to ticket prices, but i like the idea of being an event bigger than the band. what i think would be cool was if it was a potluck, but venues would probably have legal issues with that. and with us bringing the food for that matter unless we got food service licenses... which we could do. *mklj

First song ideas

2008-02-06T18:36:00.000-08:00

français
could we do a song in french? i would totally help out with the lyric-writing/singing as necessary. *mklj
YES! Singing in French (or any language) is easy because accent doesn't matter. Plus it's so fun when most people don't know what you're saying. *cw*

postcards
for the exotic/travel element. a quick glimpse into a moment. *mklj
this should also be one of the things we sell at our curiosity shop. -sc

one song with two lead vocalists
i think it is sexy when two singers take turns with the lead vocal, even more so if one singer sings a verse and the other singer sings the same verse later in the song -sc
hells yes. agreed. sexy = good, and we have a lot of sexy in our band. -cw

sea chanties
or is it shanties? *mklj
YES, like at day of the dead! -cw

bicycle
i'm writing a song about the bicycle, since it is the main form of transportation for some of us. and because we have a bicycle bell.-sc
can it be a dark, mysterious bicycle song? like dark and mysterious in the way the arcade fire are dark and mysterious? *mklj
sure, i will try to make it dark -sc

everyone contributes
i am def. feeling like we need to get off of the ground floor with original music, and i don't want to force our lovely steven to come up with all of it on his own (unless he wants to). it might be cool to try making a collaboration, or even having everyone meet up just to talk about new song ideas so that we can put SOME ideas onto paper (or out onto the soundwaves) and start being our own band, rather than a cover band. though i love singing covers, i'm way more into "Frankenstein" right now than any of the other songs we sing! -cw
i totally agree. i don't want to write all the songs because they will all sound the same. bands like the beatles and queen are awesome and got variety because all of their members were songwriters. on the other hand, the beatles started out as a covers band... they learned to play pretty much every song written from the mid 50s to early 60s, and i think that's why they are good... they took the best elements from their favorite songs and created something even better. this band spreadsheet has been pretty helpful so far, but yes we should all discuss song ideas during band practice.-sc
I think it might be slightly premature for me to attempt to write proper songs, but i do like the idea of trying to write lyrics for random music, postal service style.. but yeah variety is good. I also am still into our covers because I at least still need that help to make the connection between music and sounds that I like. ...and I still feel fully compelled to learn the entire beirut catalog in case they ever need a banjulele player ;) *mklj

issues with frankenstein
i think poetry is supposed to introduce new ways of using our language, but i am still uncomfortable with some of the grammar in the lyrics... for example, "i have been waiting all this time as time goes by" sounds kind of weird to me because i am mixing tenses, and "i live to bring me closer to you"----should it be "i bring myself closer to you?"----but that doesn't work well with the rhythm. i like the phrase "portrait of my thought" but it doesn't rhyme well. any help will be appreciated! -sc
i am not so concerned with purposeful 'incorrect' grammar. my personal inclination would be to just be Completely ungrammatical and use exclusively sentence fragments machine monster style to sidestep the issue entirely. although, the music might be a little light for that. *mklj
i am positive that grammar doesn't matter in songs. it can even kind of detract from stuff, esp. if you have to crunch in syllables that don't want to fit in order to be correct. "frankenstein" sounds great! rock and roll has never been about grammar (except when it is, but that's a different kind of band we're talking about!) cw

world's fair
i really like world's fairs because they are festive, involve many countries and promote the future of humanity, although the closest i've been to one is the epcot center. so i think it would be a great idea to make an album about or set in a world's fair. we should also play on treasure island, which was built for the 1939 expo. -sc

Preliminary thoughts on sound

2008-02-06T18:30:00.000-08:00

the songwriters in this band need to know... what should our songs be about? how should they sound? are we going to make happy songs, depressing songs?-sc

Alive, danceable.
i'm kind of into weird sort of almost meaningless lyrics sort of radiohead style. i love depressing music, but i would rather be in a dancey band. but dancey in a beirut sort of way. something alive sounding. sort of life affirming without being gross. like life affirming in an amelie way. *mklj
i agree - we can be singer-songwritery on our own, but since we have a bunch of people and a TON of liveliness among all of us, it seems that we should at least delve into things that involve some kind of rhythm or groove or fun, exciting sound. not that it has to always be like that. radiohead really is a great example - they span a really broad range of tempos and danceability. i'm not so worried that we'll be too drab or mellow - in fact, i think that we'll probably end up having a really well balanced sound. the point is: a resounding YES to songs you can dance to! *cw*

D7
i agree- 7th chords are a go! *cw*
"d7, my first favorite chord" *mklj

songs amelie would listen to - sc
yes *mklj
second that emotion *cw*
but all our songs don't have to have the same feeling, right? or at least not the same sound. i mean, i think they should go where we need them to go. *mklj

drunken ocean orchestra
you know, like a sound that swells. *mklj
i think it sounds really good when ciana (accordion) and vijay (violin) play long notes together -sc
yes yes yes! i think that richness of sound (like a vibrant tapestry or some other dorky analogy) is something we should go for. pretty bare-bones songs will come naturally after we're done creating a lovely, dark, layered chocolate cake of music. *cw*

snapshot/impressionism lyrics
where the words draw a quick picture of a moment. something like a snapshot or short story or fast painting. with details, but without all the details. something emotive without being overly specific. where your idea is still kinda blurry, but you get a strong feeling from it. *mklj

a light peppering of hand claps, not overdone
always a big fan of hand claps, in moderation. *mklj
such clapping should fill the role of an intermittent percussion instrument. not campfire singalong clapping. -sc
agreed *mklj
ooh like in the cure's "close to me". what better hand-clapping is there than that? -cw
close to me! can we cover that? *mklj
YES, let's do it. the cure tends to be pretty easy to play... cw

about covers..
I think covers are a good way to find things we like about music and sounds that we want to keep for ourselves, but maybe a good middle step between being a covers-only band and a no-covers band would be to personalize our covers a little more. like how radiohead call themselves a radiohead cover band - because it's not the same every time they perform it. and it doesn't necessarily sound just like the album. I'd be interested in playing around more with the various instruments we have and making sounds sound like us even if we're using other people's music. like the white stripes jolene doesn't sound like dolly's and sufjan's lakes of canada sounds 1000x better than the original. so maybe we can start there? *mklj
at this point, i think it is important for us to cover songs as closely as we can to the originals (of course, to the extent possible given our instrumentation). doing so will force us to learn and improve quickly. we should challenge ourselves to learn all the solos, little riffs, the correct strumming patterns, and not just to do what is most comfortable to us. this will also teach us to listen to music more closely, because it will probably involve a lot of playing back the same part of the recording over and over, and perhaps watching live videos. it is a bit of extra work, but i think it is more fun to really experience what our favorite bands go through, than to just sorta follow the chords we found on the internet. -sc

Various Aesthetic Elements

2008-02-06T18:24:00.000-08:00

Crickets
Persian Rug to lay out when we play.
Chandelier to hang from a tree
Trees
Banners/Flags - like Björk had at the shoreline - Loved that. *mklj
Mystique - you know, mysteriousness *mklj
The Bizarre
A fine combination of rhythm (aka Rock and Roll) and a sense of exoticism
Exoticism deserves a line of its own

Names we came up with so far...

2008-02-06T18:13:00.000-08:00

something not starting with "the"
because... because i just don't like "the"? and it throws off my folders in my itunes library. *mklj
i agree. band names that start with "the" remind me of standard 4 piece garage bands. -sc

Abigail and the Bumble Bees
This is retardedly awesome, though a first attempt at a "Person's Name & The Band Name" sort of construction. It is not pretentious (or pretentiously dorky) which is why I like it...just a silly idea for y'all, get the ball rolling. *cw*

Vladimir and the Curiosity Shoppe
I like the image I get from this. Lots of space musically. *mklj
I'm still in love with the merch possibilities of being the curiosity shoppe. *mklj

Vladimir in the Curiosity Shoppe
I like the Curiosity Shoppe, but Vladimir sounds too Russian...-sc
I'm ok with russian... but I'm not married to the name Vladimir. I do like the exotic vibe, though. *mklj
I still have a strong pref. for "and the" over "in the" because "in the" is indoors and we're outdoors? but like, if we're vladimir and the curiosity shop we Are the curiosity shop. and i love that. rather than having us just people in a shop buying stuff albeit cool stuff. *mklj
I like Vladimir for the Nabokov reference, his writing is full of pretty little things and really powerful aesthetics that could work well for us...I also like "in" instead of "and" because it seems more interesting, but I do like the idea of being "the Curiosity Shoppe" as a shortened name. -rssl.
i agree. even though it starts with "the" heh. *mklj

_____________in the Curiosity Shoppe
let's think of some more names...
I still kind of like "and the" better if only because I think it works better with trees and outdoors-ness *mklj

The Curiosity Shoppe
even though it starts with "the" *mklj
I still like Shoppe v. Shop, but it has been pointed out that people will probably spell shoppe wrong - that doesn't bother me though *mklj

Band Practice/Party
except i feel like this is more what we DO than who we are. *mklj
but isn't that rad? sort of . doesn't that radically rethink how band names work? all po-mo style and what not? still like VintheCS best right now. -rssl.
But it's only the BEST BAND NAME EVER! it is sort of bare bones, does not pigeonhole us at all, and will hopefully never get dated. plus, two sets of siblings agree that it is brilliant *cw*
also approve -rssl.
still hung up on the description v. name thing. I still want a Name. *mklj
i'm starting to see the beauty in this. and i do like the slash.. *mlkj

Molly Says Yes
love the name for the joyce reference, but people in band with name of band is always a spot of trouble, cause they everyone is always asking "Who is Molly?" as opposed to them asking "Who is Vladimir" and getting the answer no one -rssl.
ditto *mklj

The Ministry of ___________
try going to google.co.uk and typing in "the ministry of". you get lots of good options. i like the idea of a band name that reminds of me of tea *cw*
it sounds a little too orwellian to me... (like "ministry of truth," "ministry of love," etc.) -sc
understandable...i am feeling something antique-y and british, of which this is merely one interpretation *cw*
i had the orwellian thought too. -rssl.
so did i. well, orwell and the ministry of silly walks... *mklj
TEVS, y'all! just putting stuff out there...*cw*

Earl Grey / English Breakfast / Other kind of tea
I think many of us agree: tea is both sexy and exotic *cw*

Drunken Ocean Orchestra
I like this idea as a sound, but I have a feeling there's already a band/orchestra with a similar name *mklj
Electric Light Orchestra
yeah, except for BPP, referencing music in your name can be dangerous. i think we can work with the drunken sailory sort of aesthetic though. keep listening to the decemberists...*cw*
i'm thinking not so much about sailors as the water itself. *mklj

Carmine - Shalimar - Edwardian - Chartreuse - Chevalier - Ballet Russe
Words That I Like That Could Be Incorporated Into a Band Name *cw*

Sun in the Shade
it sounds more like a song title -sc

Goodbye spreadsheet, hello blog!

2008-02-06T18:12:00.000-08:00

Remember this idea?
blog: this band spreadsheet is awesome, but it seems to be getting big and messy. what if we set up a group blog, so we can have longer discussion threads without scrolling sideways? also, a blog might be easier to access for those who don't have this spreadsheet bookmarked.-sc
let's do it! this is kinda hard to navigate... *cw*

Here is an attempt at getting even more organized.

We'll see how it goes.