Eric, Matt and I made our Chapel Hill/Carrboro debut as Minor Stars on August 12th at The Reservoir. “Chapel Hill Super-fan” Betsy Harris was there to take THESE PHOTOS (copyright: temples of grey).
Song idea tape #63
I’ve been chipping away at digitizing my song idea tapes. A daunting task, considering I’ve got damn near a hundred of ’em. I’m enjoying it, though, as I get to relive the moments of creative epiphany (and sometimes pure insanity) I’ve captured on tape over the years. It would take at least ten years—with no day job—to go back and develop all the song ideas into full-fledged, high-quality recordings. I realize this will never happen. I’m fine with it, though, because 1) Many of the ideas suck; 2) Some of them are too precious to change at all; and 3) I’m constantly coming up with NEW ideas that demand time and attention, so I can only return to the stuff on the old tapes that I find particularly compelling.
This weekend I converted Song idea tape #63 to mp3 files. This 90 minute tape is from the summer of 2006, and documents 48 ideas, including such future classics as Cool riff, Rockin’ riff, Shower song, Legs on a snake, Old timey acoustic riff, Whistle beatbox, and High and longin’.
I also found this short and sweet cover of the Radiohead B-side, You never wash up after yourself, for your listening pleasure:
Proof that Rock N’ Roll is NOT dead
The Dead Weather (Hang you from the heavens):
The Dead Weather (Treat me like your mother):
The Raconteurs (Rich Kid Blues & Kissy Kissy):
Music and lyrics by Stewie Griffin
Minor Stars @ The Reservoir in Chapel Hill / Carrboro, Wednesday 8/12/09
Minor Stars (my band) got some love this week in the Independent Weekly:
INTRODUCING…
08.12 MINOR STARS @ THE RESERVOIR
“Minor Stars is pretty much a name change from Death of the Sun, even though it’s all new people,” says Minor Stars frontman Eric Wallen. But, at least according to him, maybe it’s a good thing the old band’s name got axed. “I always pictured the name Death of the Sun as kind of an epic, brightly burning image,” he says. “I think a lot of people thought it sounded a lot more like a death metal band.”
A lot of people were wrong: Death of the Sun, now Minor Stars, sounds like just the heavy psych-rock band to plant its flag on a peak between Black Mountain and Sleep’s Holy Mountain. Deep, muddy riffs chug and charge and unwind into scorching licks that flicker like snake tongues. Bassist Bob Dearborn plows deep into the riff as drummer Matt McCallus drives with a steady, swinging beat. Wallen navigates the space between, his guitar wandering between the trio’s harmonized voices.
And as the band aims to become a more regular presence on area stages, the beginnings of a record left in the dissolution of Death of the Sun—the forthcoming, Scott Solter-mixed Death of the Sun in the Silver Sea—will finally see the light. 10 p.m. —Bryan Reed
Music Spotlight: Tiny Vipers
Few things will get me out on a Tuesday night, and at 9:30pm I still wasn’t sure if I had it in me to walk down to Nightlight to check out Seattle’s Tiny Vipers (a.k.a. Jesy Fortino). I had only recently sampled a few of her tunes via her MySpace page and YouTube, and while I was impressed with what I heard, I wasn’t sure the live show would be worth the pain of dragging myself to work the following morning on limited sleep. As it turned out, the next day was pretty painful, but so well worth it.
This woman’s voice alone is worth going out of your way for. Her guitar playing is very sparse, leaving space for each note to linger a little, allowing her wonderfully distinct and beautiful voice to pull you into her songs, which resonate with depth and a sense of mystery. Despite some technical difficulties at the onset, I thought the sound was fantastic. She really knows how to back away / lean in to the mic. And the effects on the vocals and the guitar really accentuated the ethereal flow of the music.
When I first heard the song “Dreamer” online, I was reminded of Cat Power, when Chan Marshall is at her best/sanest. The association didn’t come up while seeing Jesy Fortino perform live, however. Her guitar playing may be sparse, but it’s really unique, interesting, and thoughtfully executed. If you’re listening for verse-chorus-verse-chorus or catchy hooks, you’re not spending your time wisely. Most of the twenty or thirty of us who were there sat on the floor or in Nightlight’s comfy chairs, taking in the music like one takes in a sunset, or a starry sky, or the sounds of the ocean. There was that sense of spaciousness and wonder, but also the feeling of intimacy you get when you share in someone’s private world. I want to make a connection between looking through a telescope and looking through a keyhole, but just saying that much sounds lame. I didn’t even think about what the words to her songs might mean. Whatever she was expressing, for me it registered on an emotional, gut level, and her performance left me feeling open-hearted and inspired.
After the show I bought Tiny Vipers’ new record, Life on Earth, and thanked her for her soulful performance. Walking home, I ran into an extremely intoxicated guy who said he was looking for his car. He said he remembered parking it near some sort of store. He also talked about being in West Baltimore and having a Glock stuck in his face. I pointed him to the nearest store in the direction opposite of where I was going. About a quarter-mile down the road I was approached by another man. He was wearing Scoobie Doo bedroom slippers. He explained to me that he meant no harm, but he really needed to get back to Durham somehow. “I’m lost, I stink, and I need $4.75 to get back home.” I reached into my pocket, pulled out five bucks, and stuck it in his hand. He gave me a fist bump, a “God Bless,” and his assurance that if I ever needed anything (and happened to see him again) he would find a way to come through for me.
It felt good to say “Yes,” to give someone more than they asked for. I want to make a connection between that and the Tiny Vipers show, but, you know…
Sunday Dustbin: I am alive
My work/play for this weekend consisted of trying to get a good live acoustic/vocals sound, so I can start recording tunes live with minimal effort and still have them sound decent. I did a version of a two-chord song called “I am alive,” which has evolved (but not beyond two chords) over several recordings over the years. I like the live acoustic/vocal sound on this one, but I’ve already forgotten how I did it. I never write down knob settings and whatnot, out of sheer laziness and stupidity. I over-dubbed a little harmony and ambient guitar, then called it a day.
I am alive.mp3
The sun drops out of sight
and I am the night
Cool air on my skin
and I am the wind
I am the wind
Nothing’s quite as it seems
and I am the dream
Floating out on the lake
and I am awake
I am awake
Holding on to the day
and I am afraid
The sun one day will die
But I am alive
I am alive
Sunday Dustbin: Blood-red house
Yeah, I’ve been listening to The Black Keys a lot lately. Here’s some blues wanking that has my ears ringing:
Blood-red house.mp3
Got on my hands and knees
and I begged my disease
Said “Beg you darling, please.
I need some release.
If you let me off the hook this time,
I’ll do anything.”
She said “Take the train to Shepherd Street.
Go to 117.
Knock exactly seven times,
then wait patiently.
In that blood-red house with no windows,
that’s where you’ll find me.”
Random (yet awesome) stuff I stumbled across this week
First up, “Last Day Dream” by Chris Milk. A very short film simply described as “A man watches his life pass before him.” Produced for the 42 Second Dream Film Festival, Beijing China 2009. Thanks to Ze Frank for the heads-up. Something about death moves me. Loved Six Feet Under, loved this video.
Last Day Dream [HD] from Chris Milk on Vimeo.
Next, a song. On YouTube, but no accompanying video footage. Not to worry. Jimi’s extended guitar solo is well worth it. In fact, in my opinion this is the best guitar solo in the history of rock music. That’s right. The best ever.
Finally, a talk given at Google Headquarters in 2007 by Jon Kabat-Zinn. If you have an hour and the interest, this is one of the best introductions to mindfulness meditation I have ever come across. Brilliant.
Debut of Minor Stars
Eric, Matt and I had a blast Saturday night getting our Rock N’ Roll on at The Pinhook in Durham. It was our debut as Minor Stars, and we appreciate all the folks who came out to support us. It had been about six years since my farewell performance as the bassist for My Dear Ella, and it felt great to share the stage again with Eric and Matt.
I was definitely feeling some nerves beforehand, but I was much more relaxed than I thought I’d be. The only thing that threw me a little was the lighting on the stage. It was really dark, so I turned a little lamp on that was by my side of the stage. Instead of making it easier for me to see, the lamp created a weird shadow/glare thing that made it hard to see the fret board on my bass (and I have the lazy habit of looking down at my fret hand as I play). There was also a leak in the roof right above me, and periodically I was pelted with big drops of water, a few times smack on my fingers as I was playing. For future shows I will practice in the shower with the lights off!
All in all, we rocked hard and rose to the occasion. Speaking of rocking hard—Grappling Hook was out of this world. My neck muscles are still sore from head-banging. I literally HAD to bang my head and pump my fists and raise the devil horns. The Rock N’ Roll made me do it.
Since the wives were out of town I’m not sure who, if anyone, may have snapped some photos. If any turn up (any that make me look cool), I’ll post them here. I’m sure we’ll play a show in Chapel Hill/Carrboro soon. Until then, the finishing touches are being put on the new record, which will hopefully be released in the fall.
Being in a band is fun. Start yours today!