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We assemble on the golf course after-hours, preparing the field with Christmas lights, bike reflectors, and loud kerchiefs. Dauud and Andreas become interchangeable silhouettes in the cold, unlit field. Forgive the poetry; it's just that, after a few games of Capture the Flag, your body has atoned for all the wrong you've done to it and you want to go tell it from the mountain. That paradoxical cleanliness you feel after driving yourself to exhaustion in the dirt with a good, close circle. In fact, this was how I came to know Jason. We'd met in Knoxville, TN (and again in Baltimore ... and every time his band, Cue, played with the Octopus Project after that) but it was only after Toto began organizing these weekly games that the extent of his good character made itself known to me.
When he initially began providing percussion for Mothfight shows, I was astounded by how he could fill frequencies as well as holes in the music. Percussion has always been a struggle for me to orchestrate, so to meet someone who will sit and talk things out with you...
That said, the logistics of performing these compositions in a live setting has grown increasingly knotty. I've enjoyed a burst of focus and inspiration over these past 6 months; the fruits of which, though not ready to take out of the oven, I'm still cautiously proud of. However, because I want every individual part to serve an integral function, it's become increasingly difficult to practice for a performance without the full 9 piece band present (and even then...) And once everybody's together in a room, trying to coordinate an experiment, something that always has the potential to fail, might be interpreted as a waste of time if it doesn't yield immediate results. Then there's the challenge of notating samples, circuit bent toys, and the like. The prospect of going into the studio and realizing this music excites me; to have it finally jump forth from the staffs and staffs and pages and pages of sheet music that litter our practice space floor and line its walls.
This was the impetus behind the group. I'd no means to demo these tunes and, even if I did, I'm not proficient enough to record worthy takes of many of the instruments needed to make the songs materialize. Not without an inexhaustible amount of time at my disposal anyways. The only opportunity I really had to hear my own songs would be to schedule a show (because that would be the only night that every player was certain to show up). The more shows that are scheduled, however, the more you rely on the same people to play these parts, which gives them more license to annotate the work.
That's why I've held onto the new material until it's ready to go. Musically, I'd hope to capture some of the immensity and joy of standing in the middle of a Sacred Harp group. Though, I'm not certain, it feels as if there is a certain cohesiveness to all the pieces. It'd be nice if the lyrics reflected that, though verse is a whole different struggle.
George - Slow Wave Sleep.mp3
BUY George - The Magic Lantern
The Green Pajamas - Deadly Nightshade
BUY The Green Pajamas - Narcotic Kisses
"Slow Wave Sleep" by George is such an intimate song that it's almost counter-intuitive to share it. It is one of my favorite songs, though, and I often find myself obsessed with The Magic Lantern. Ryan Schreiber turned me onto "Deadly Nightshade" a few years ago. I haven't actually listened to the rest of Narcotic Kisses but, whilst in Marfa, this song floored me, leading to a few months of repeated listening.
As always, if anyone wants me to take these MP3s down for any reason, please contact me.