SECRET MESSAGE MACHINE

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GIANTS MADMEN AND GHOSTS

INSOMNIA
LITERARY CRITICISM
DEAD MAN I


ORPHANVILLE
THE NEW ALBUM
OUT SEPTEMBER 1ST


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WILSON STREET
DRUG STORE BUMS

We will be playing some shows in North Carolina in June and are planning shows on the east coast for late July.

June 12th @ the New French Bar in Asheville /w workday schoolnight and casual curious

June 25th @ the Soapbox w/ ponchos from peru

Here is another preview of the upcoming CD.First a song which won't be featured on the album, 52 seconds of Cold Evolution. Next, a little acoustic demo, about 1/3 of the song. The working title being I'm Ripe

The new album is starting to come togther. Most of the music is recorded, just need to add the vocals. Looks like it will be out before the start of summer. You can listen to some bits of it here.

Just finished my custom built guitar. I designed the body and cut it out, painted it, added the neck from an old guitar i had sitting around, and wired the electronics. Can't wait to play some more shows with it.

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SECRET MESSAGE MACHINE / KALEIDOSCOPE DEATH /
SUMMERCAMP CASANOVA

NO HEAVEN


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CAPITALIST BASTARDS AND COMMUNIST FOOLS

VICTORY AT ANY PRICE
THE GHOST OF DOUG MENDELL
NEW BORN WAY

LO-FI

It's not surprising that lo-fi music as a genre came about during the 1980's when popular music was becoming increasingly slick, digital, and all together less organic. Bands embraced lo-fi recording techniques as a reaction to corporate record labels and studios that presented an increasingly sterilized sound. Of course there is the practical side of it too. Four tracks became more affordable. You could make a recording at home or in your practice space, truly separating yourself from the world of main stream music. Recording the songs yourself, making the artwork yourself, and distributing the tapes yourself. DIY.

Nowadays high quality recording techniques are almost as affordable as four tracks were twenty years ago and so we face a choice. Do we really want to have that dirty sound or are we just fooling ourselves? While everyone points their figures shouting, elitist! obtuse! we are proclaiming no, this is the real me, the true sound unfiltered by producers or record executives. But in this age of increasing digital connections there is no need to separate ourselves as musicians from the mainstream. The major labels have largely become obsolete (although there is still a need for music business types if musicians are to continuing making a living). Now the choice is mainly one of aesthetics. Recording a song with one or two microphones may allow the listener to imagine the singer close, sitting next to them on the edge of the bed, strumming the guitar or playing a live set in their living room. It allows bands to experiment freely without building up giant studio bills and it gives a musician the opportunity to sharpen their skills, looking back on an old song and deciding which parts are of quality and which parts are worth giving up.

Many people may assume the quality of a song is not worth their time because of the quality of the recording, but I believe the recording technique should strengthen the song wether it be a portable tape recorder allowing some sense of intimacy or a twelve track digital interface creating an expansive lush sound. Different songs benefit from different approaches. I can't imagine the Talking Heads' album Remain in the Light would benefit from a lo-fi treatment but, Sebadoh III would sound horribly sterile had it been recorded in a professional studio. So let the the four-track and Garage Band be available to all. Let anyone who wants to write and record a song do it. Sure their will be more junk dumped into the mix that is our collective culture, but there will be more authentic amazing surprises created too.

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