4.27.23 - SONGWRITING
I don't know how to write a song. Yet I've written a few hundred at this point. I've always been fascinated to find out how other people approach songwriting. And while this book is a few years (?) old, it's somewhat enlightening to learn how a songwriter I'd admire goes about it. I'd say I the one thing I learned, that I probably instinctively knew, was that there's no right or wrong way to write a song—but it's certainly not going to be written if you don't work at it. Which is really a "No-duh" piece of advise, and yet how many things do you expect your self to be good at without working on them? Or at least be reminded when you do attempt to do them that you're going to suck unless you've been at it for a while. It's true of sports, or any skills, but especially songwriting. That's a really long way of saying, you should check out this book if you've ever thought about writing a song.
4.30.18 - RE-ENERGIZING
So I'm late to the game on this guy Shakey Graves (aka Alejandro Rose-Garcia). But spent the day listening to his new record, Can't Wake Up, four different times. Honest it's that good. A weird, intelligent mix of dreamy rock/pop I think you'll like. Heck, buy it now, and put that wax on the ol' turntable w/ a nice glass of wine. Or a whiskey. Whatever. I'll buy it from you if you don't like it. There's a concept, a rock critic who puts his money behind his word. Not much of a business model I suppose. But honest, it's that good. Give it a listen. I think you'll dig it.
3.16.17 - RE-ENERGIZING
There's angst in the air. Politically, and otherwise, there's plenty to be unhappy about. Will it seep into the new record? Time will tell. But there will be a new record! There's too much new material brewing to keep it to ourselves. It's bound to be a long process, per usual, but we're collectively fired up to make it happen. We've got a show on the books for 5/20/17 at the intimate Hotel Utah, and hope to have at least two new songs to whet y(our) whistles. Come see us get nervous.
9.27.15 - RECLINER
Finally some musings about ourselves and our new record. It's the record I wish I'd been a part of twenty years ago. The one that might have sent us over the edge. We get fancier and fancier with each recording. And by fancy, I mean we put everything we learned with the last one to good use. Musically and production-wise. So Unfinished Conversations is the most mature thing we've ever done. Which stands to reason. It's also packed with some of my favorite lyrics, some honoring friends we've lost, others honoring some that are still chugging along. Some that don't honor anyone at all. There's contemplative looks at life, happiness, aging.
I really can't wait to share this new one with the world.
3.15.15 - THE 'MATS
Holy shit. I had the pleasure of witnessing a revamped Replacements rocking in all its power this past Monday. This clearly wasn't a grab the money and run affair. Nope. They brought it with all the ramshackle glory you'd want and expect from this infamous group.
I don't care if it was a room full of middle-aged folks reliving the old days. Neither did The Replacements. From the first note, I was enthralled. It brought some serious inspiration to add at least one rocker to the new set Recliner's working on. Not that we're not rocking, but holy crap, this set the bar high. Best show in a loooong time.
2.01.15 - DON'T CALL US DAD
We had a good time in “Battle” with our brethren dads (and a more than a few moms) at the "Battle of the Dad Bands" last Friday. I'd originally not wanted to play. I’ve always had a hard time with the “Dad Band” label. Self-conscious? Perhaps, but I think it goes a little deeper. We take this as serious as any better known (read: more successful) band out there. While this may be true of many “dad bands” you may encounter, we wouldn't be confused with a wedding band. No offense to wedding bands.
So while we’re not off touring in a small van (anymore), it doesn’t mean we put any less effort into creating something just as original and intriguing as younger, less (ahem) tethered musicians. Touring the country to “make it” isn’t possible anymore. Because being a dad makes your re-think that kind of dream. It’s more of a day-dream at this point. One you have in the car as you drop your kid off at baseball practice, then rush to make it to band practice on time.
Yeah, I’ve thought about it a lot. I describe being in a band at this stage of life as “my serious golf game.” I happen to hate golf, but people who love it understand the analogy immediately. It’s something you’re passionate about and never want to stop getting better at. You may even dream of someday making it to the Seniors as an amateur. Stranger things have happened. It’s when I describe my band this way that a light goes off for a lot of people.
So while I’m proud to be a dad, and to support my son’s school by playing a “Dad’s Band” benefit, don’t call my band a “Dad Band.” At least not to my face.
I know…”lighten up Francis.”
1.28.15 - THE WORDS FINALLY COME
As you can see by the gap in dates, we've been lagging. Okay, I'll take all the blame (this is Kevin). I'm the keeper of the words, and I've been keeping 'em buried. Deep, apparently.
In fact, the words have escaped me for about a year. Ever since we started writing new music—I just couldn't find the words. Where'd they go? Not sure. I don't know how that all works. All I know is I started to think I'd written my last lyric. My last song.
A year is a long time. And it's not like I didn't try. Everything just seemed like crap. Cuz it was crap. As an artist, or someone who's been doing this as long as I have, you pretty much know when something is crap. You don't always know when it's good. You do know when it's bad.
But then the words started coming. They started coming fast. Some inspirational music writing brought it out of me along with some inspiring shows. I wish I could remember what finally took the cork out of the bottle, but I'm not sure it was any one thing. The important thing is we now have ten FINISHED and READY-TO-RECORD SONGS! Sorry, but it's exciting. I can't wait for you to hear them. I really can't.
3.18.13 - GEORGE'S NIGHTMARE SET
That was it...our longest set ever! Call Guiness' record keepers for the longest Recliner set ever played. Yep, we nearly played 2 hours long for the big anniversary show. AKA, George's worst nightmare. You see, G likes to keep it short and sweet. Can't say we blame him--but we do anyway. This time around, it was appropriate (to play longer - not place blame). We covered our full 11 years together, with 21 songs...and it felt pretty damn good! We tallied it up, and we've got at least 65+ original songs credited to the band. Not too shabby. So technically, we could have played at least another 3-4 hours. George, let''s shoot for that at our 15th Anniversary Show.
2.25.13 - ARCHIVES
Just put up some of our old archive "musings"going back 8 years ago. Fun to reread where we've been. Makes me even more excited for the 10 year show coming up. We also realized in the process that it's really been 11 years since it all started, but c'mon who's been counting. Also realized it's going to be St. Patrick's Day the Sunday after our show, which makes even more sense for people to come out and celebrate with us on Saturday (3.16.13). Hell, people are coming in from SoCal for this thing! We'll have some cool surprises.2.20.13 - Happy Birthday Kurt
I thought Nirvana was crap when I first heard them. I guess I was a Pearl Jam guy. You picked sides then. But I got smarter and realized they really introduced a genre of music to me - and everyone that I'd never really tapped into. I was young. Man, I'd have loved to hear what you'd have come up with these past 20 years. 20 years! Sweet Hay-Zeus. We're all getting old. But that makes me feel extra old. I think I'll write a depressing song for you. You're welcome. Happy birthday.
2.11.13 - 25 Billion Crappy Compressed Songs
People tend to forget that an MP3, by definition, is a compressed file. Now how do they compress a file without losing fidelity? They don't. But you really can't tell, can you? Yes, you can. Especially when you hear it side by side with the way its supposed to sound. Unfortunately, the way the industry is set up, most young people (says the old man) don't know what good fidelity actually is. In addition to the compressed files, the delivery system just furthers the problem. Apple should be embarrassed by what they try to pass off as headphones. They are some of the worst I've ever heard. But even the best earbuds pale in comparison to a good set of speakers or higher-end, over-the-ear headphones.
But what are you to do when the only place to buy music, whether it's a record or a CD, is basically Best Buy? And I understand they're also doing away with their CDs. So that leaves Amazon for people in small towns across America. Now I'm all for instant gratification, which is something iTunes excels at. But my version still amounts to heading down to the local record store. Here in SF, we've got Amoeba on the grand scale (a former bowling alley) and Streetlight on the much smaller scale. And I have a great sound systems with good speakers.
25 billion iTunes sold tells me this downward spiral of sound isn't going to get better anytime soon.
1.31.13 - Father John Misty
Then there was the workman-like efficiency of the Walkmen, which I sometimes forget is one of my favorite bands. And a Fillmore poster to boot...one of these days I swear my collection of Fillmore posters is going up on the wall.
11.5.12 - Romney Punch
10.09.12 - Grizzly Bear
8.30.12 - Father John
There's been one record (we still call them that) that's been playing on repeat for months now–Father John Misty, aka Josh Tillman. Fear Fun is one of those records that reveals itself over time with a wit and melodic sensibility that are infectious. Seriously. Like a smooth codeine cough syrup bender that never ends. And lucky for you he's playing at the Independent. I say fake a cold, get your doctor to call in a prescription and go see him.8.28.12 - The Vagtastics
ARCHIVES
Below, you'll find musings from the dark ages of Recliner up
to the point we first mention this new site. Most of the links for songs and things are broken, and we're slowly adding back in the photos that are referenced in print, but they're coming.
Have a read:
Have a read:
March 6, 2008 - New Blog
Amazing what a difference a day makes. I'm certainly not
100% - but a helluva lot closer than yesterday. So much so that I've taken the
time to create a new blog page for all things Recliner and Recliner-related.
This should encourage more posts, more content, and well honestly, more crap.
But hey, we're catching up to the 21st century. This will be the last
"Diary" entry.
So from now on, the "Diary" link will go directly to our blog, but for now, we want to leave our previous posts up for your enjoyment.
So from now on, the "Diary" link will go directly to our blog, but for now, we want to leave our previous posts up for your enjoyment.
March 6, 2008 - The Plague
Okay, I'm sick for the third time this year -- and we're
only three months in. Unbelievable. But maybe not. Our good friend, and fifth
Recliner, Dr. Ron, tells us hospital visits are up 50% this winter. See he's a
smart cookie ER doctor, and he says the flue and cold season is bringing in 50
more people a day or so. Amazing. Glad to know I'm not alone, though this is
one time I wish I was.
What else? God, I can't think through the cough medicine.
I'm interested to hear what the new Black Crowes sounds like. Especially after
the whole bad review brouhaha (that's a word, I think). Was a big fan back in
the day, before the drugs took hold (them, not me). Then they kind of
slooooooowed the tempo down. But I hear they're back sounding pretty good, and
I truly believe the whole Jimmy Page/Black Crowes thing had something to do
with the Zeppelin reunion. So they get props for that alone, right? Even if
Jason Bonham is on skins.
Has anyone listened to Plants and Animals? Or the new
Charlatans U.K. (it's free)?
Talk to you when the fog wears off.
Talk to you when the fog wears off.
February 26, 2008 - "Been awhile"
Hey, I realize how ridiculously long it's been since putting
finger to keyboard here. Uh, sorry. So what have we been up to? Well, really
just spreading the word, getting "After the Fog" into the hands of
fans and other important folks. As an independent band, it's not a finger snap
sort of thing. Sure, we had a record release date - but for all intensive
purposes, that just means the songs were available on the date through iTunes,
emusic, Rhapsody, and again, some illegal Russian MP3 sites.
We're not complaining, it's just a lot of work getting this
out to the masses - the publications, the blogs, and any other people who might
potentially write about the band and our new music. Otherwise, it's a
"select few" who are treated to the new sounds.
Yeah, nothing new there. That's the way bands have been doing it for decades. But honestly, the industry has never been in such bad shape. And by industry, I don't mean record companies. I guess I mean music in general. There's a lot of great music being made - just not a lot of interest in my opinion. My 2 cents this lovely Tuesday afternoon.
Yeah, nothing new there. That's the way bands have been doing it for decades. But honestly, the industry has never been in such bad shape. And by industry, I don't mean record companies. I guess I mean music in general. There's a lot of great music being made - just not a lot of interest in my opinion. My 2 cents this lovely Tuesday afternoon.
January 21, 2008 - Thank you
Wow, what a turnout. A big, big thank you to our friends,
fans, family - anyone who came out for the big CD release party. Amazing to
have so many people you know all in the same room. New friends and old friends.
Young friends and old friends. Skinny friends and...okay you get it. We
sincerely appreciate your support.
And it's official, the record has been released. We've been getting some nice feedback, and people from all over have taken an interest. So the wheels are a-rollin'. We should have some samples from the disk up soon too.
And it's official, the record has been released. We've been getting some nice feedback, and people from all over have taken an interest. So the wheels are a-rollin'. We should have some samples from the disk up soon too.
January 3, 2008 – Resolutions
Happy new year to you. This year, I'm not making any
resolutions. What the heck is a resolution anyway? Merriam Webster calls it the
"act of resolving" or "the act of analyzing a complex notion
into simpler ones." Is it that simple? Does it mean that by resolving to
"not drink so much this year" I'm merely boiling down the notion that
my miserable self-loathing in a world of over-stimulation, in which I drink to
feel numb night after night as a coping mechanism - can be done away with if I
resolve not to? Yeah, right.
Well, for the record, that's not one of my resolutions. And I don't drink myself into a stupor - at least not as a coping mechanism. Sometimes it just happens.
Which leads me to Absinthe. Ever had it? For over 90 years it's been illegal in the U.S. Supposedly drove people mad, or made them hallucinate. Well, that was not what it did to me, unless I was hallucinating about a really bad hangover. Now Absinthe is legal again, and being produced by some high-end distilleries. It's supposed to be really good stuff. Well, I haven't decided completely that I don't like it. But it most certainly has decided it doesn't like me much.
Got to see my friends in Madame Blavatsky Overdrive open for Les Claypool at the Fillmore on NYE. They also forced Absinthe down my thrat. Regardless, I urge you to visit their site and download their latest (for free) - and poke around the great videos and oddities assembled there. Good stuff (the band, not necessarily the Absinthe).
See you January 11!
December 10, 2007 – Homeland
December 9, 2007 - 60 footers
Holy Tidal Wave, Laird Hamilton (which rhymes with Batman).
Just got back from about 3 weeks out and about surfing Hawaii, Mexico, and
Mavericks. Only the last one was from my computer. Man, those 60 foot waves
make my head-high set waves in Mexico look like raindrops. Amazing stuff coming
from the ocean this past week. Truly Awesome.
In other news, we're gearing up for our CD release party
January 11, which is its own kind of tidal wave. Learning some songs we've
never actually played live, and some old chestnuts from like four albums ago.
Plus, we get to play with our friends in We Are Invisible. It's going to be a
good night. You can get your tickets on Ticketweb.com, or Ticketmaster, which I
think are one in the same these days, sadly. But hey, who are we to fight the
system? You know whadahmsayin?
November 1, 2007 - Some Seriousness
Hey I missed my chance for a good Halloween tie in, but I wanted to use this
forum for a cause near and dear to my heart. Something that's really scary
(see, there's the Halloween tie in), children with cancer. More specifically
extra cranial solid tumor cancer, otherwise known as neuroblastoma. Every 16
hours a child with this horrible disease is taken from us, and there is no
known cure.
Even worse, it's not a big money-maker for researchers and
pharmaceutical companies, so there isn't much being done. That's where the
Magic Water Project is trying o fill the gap. Raising money to help beat this
disease, they are putting money where, well, where there isn't any. Co-founded
by a good friend of mine, it's a very, very worthy cause. And they could use
your help. Learn more here. Anddonate. You can
donate as little as $5. Every little bit counts.
October 10, 2007 - Early Demo #2
Hello. Not that we're trying to compete with Radiohead - but we're offering you
the chance to get some free music as well. Of course, as with Radiohead, you
could choose to send us a few nickels. Okay, I know, now we're pushing
it...
So, wIthout further adieu, as promised, a few "early" demos from Tranquilizer. The first one with alternate lyrics on "Dear Delilah" w/ an acoustic guitar. And the second, George's early idea for what became "The Killer." As we get closer to the new release, I'll post a few teasers from that as well. Enjoy...or don't. That's up to you.
So, wIthout further adieu, as promised, a few "early" demos from Tranquilizer. The first one with alternate lyrics on "Dear Delilah" w/ an acoustic guitar. And the second, George's early idea for what became "The Killer." As we get closer to the new release, I'll post a few teasers from that as well. Enjoy...or don't. That's up to you.
Dear Delilah (early demo)
The Killer (early demo)
October 1, 2007 – Rocktober
We had a great show with Persephone's Bees and Dora Flood at the Red Devil
Lounge. Thanks to everyone that came out and helped celebrate Kevin's
birthday.
Looks like we might going dark until our big CD release party in January. We heard Radiohead was coming out with there's in October, so it made sense to let some of the excitement die down, so we could pick it back up in January. A post-holiday high point, if you will. And in the other good news department - we have a title for the CD -- "After the Fog." Seemed appropriate given our collective rehab from all those tranquilizers we'd become addicted to. That, and a miserably foggy summer. Hmmm, how'd we think of it?
Looks like we might going dark until our big CD release party in January. We heard Radiohead was coming out with there's in October, so it made sense to let some of the excitement die down, so we could pick it back up in January. A post-holiday high point, if you will. And in the other good news department - we have a title for the CD -- "After the Fog." Seemed appropriate given our collective rehab from all those tranquilizers we'd become addicted to. That, and a miserably foggy summer. Hmmm, how'd we think of it?
Anyway, don't let that dead time keep you from visiting back
here. I'll be posting some demo stuff from the new album soon. A sneak peak,
and sounding nothing like the final stuff. But interesting nonetheless.
Septemer 21, 2007 - The Bees
So, if you read any scientific journals - or watch Bill Maher - you know the
Bees are disappearing. It's a big deal on many levels. But we won't go into
that here. No, that's really just my awkward segue into telling you about our
gig this coming Saturday with Persephone's Bees. Funny thing is, I was going to
go to the show myself, because I really dig their stuff. But now, not only do I
get to go to the show, we get to open for them. Which is way cooler. And it's
my birthday, which is nice. Yes, birthday's are nice. Means you haven't kicked
it yet, right?
Hope to see you at the show!
Hope to see you at the show!
Septemer 3, 2007 – September
Krikey, September's here already. You know this is the big month all the block
buster CDs get released. I remember they issued the Led Zeppelin box set on my
birthday back in 1990-something, and it was the best present I coulda got. I'm
such a zep head that I could tell which parts were tweaked, made brighter, etc.
You listen to On the Tiles and you can hear a verbal cue for the drums you
never heard before. Think I'll get that excited about anything released this
year? hmmmm.
Geez, how quickly I digress. SO yeah, anyway, September is
here. Wow. The end of summer (for most of the country) and the beginning for
San Francisco. Except today--the fog was so thick driving over to go surfing
that there was a 10-car pile-up--and I never made it. Anyway, back to blockbuster
releases. Well, we're not going to have one (ours will be in October) - but we
will be releasing a few songs early. And this is my longwinded way of telling
you so. A reward, if you will, for readin this far into my babble.
AND ON A DIFFERENT NOTE...I did go out to the Summer of
Love, cuz I'm the curious type, and it was a lot like I imagined. Lots of grey
beards, tie-die, and not-so-good music. So I promptly came home and watched
United 93 to cheer myself up. That not working, I endured Music & Lyrics.
Yeah, a little self-hatred I suppose.
Okay, I'm not in top form today, but check back for some good stuff soon. I promise.
Okay, I'm not in top form today, but check back for some good stuff soon. I promise.
August 22, 2007 - Summer of Love?
There's a cool plug-in for iTunes that uses your music files and fills in a
calendar with the concert dates of all the bands you like. I got very excited
when I saw that Charlatans UK were going to be in town over Labor Day weekend.
Then I figured out it's the original Charlatan's from the sixties. Yeah, it's
the 40th anniversary of the "Summer of Love" here in San Francisco.
Well, if you've been down Haight Street lately, you know there are only
touristy traces of that bygone era. I myself do wish I'd been around all those
years ago to witness the goings-on. But not a lot of that going on these days.
I wouldn't be surprised if a Starbucks moved in at Haight and Ashbury any
day.
Well, the nostalgic minded are celebrating this landmark
summer with a big concert at Speedway Meadows in Golden Gate Park. Bands like
the Canned heat, Moby Grape, and the New Riders of the Purple Sage. The most
current band on the bill is Fishbone, and they were around when I was in junior
high. Sure, it's all fine, and I'm sure Country Joe and Fish will do a great
version of their "Fixin' to Die Rag." But frankly I'm tired of San
Francisco living in its past - and celebrating something from 40 years ago.
Isn't it time we started a movement of our own?
August 15, 2007 – Masters
Just got our first listen to the masters for the new "album" (still
sounds cooler to say than "CD"). Holy cow. 15 songs of warm, buttery
rawk goodness! So, we were going to put out an EP, holding out a few songs from
the full-length. But we decided we'd put 'em all on there. More bang for the
buck. We've got one track that didn't make it, and look for that to show up as
a download sometime soon. We'll throw on some other demos and maybe some live
stuff and you can make your own EP.
The next order of business is deciding on the title, and finishing up the artwork. We're excited to share it with you, so hopefully that'll all happen soon. And you know, the record company wants it out before Christmas. !
The next order of business is deciding on the title, and finishing up the artwork. We're excited to share it with you, so hopefully that'll all happen soon. And you know, the record company wants it out before Christmas. !
July 22, 2007 - Don't quit yer day job
Damn. Has it really almost been a month? Musta been working
or something. But on what? Well, the boys have been employed as of late as
sketch artist models. You know the kind (if you've ever taken a nude stills
drawing class like I assume you must have). Well, we do get to wear flesh
colored speedos, so it's not too bad. Although, flesh colored speedos are
actually creepier than if we'd just let it all hang out. Kind of a bad Ken Doll
effect really.
Which reminds me. I just found my old Donny Osmond doll
from, well, back when there were Donny Osmond Dolls. I have no idea why. I
don't recall ever liking Donny Osmond much. I thought Marie was cute, in that
Mormon kind of wholesome Little House on the Prarie way...
Anyway we have been working. Nothing as exciting as the
modelling (but that really painted a picture, eh? The four of us on stage at
some bad City College art class, all sweaty after a week's bender...where is
this stuff coming from?). Actually, we should have the masters back in short
order. I can't wait to hear the magic. Let's hope those magic beans work this
time. And we recorded a LOT of songs, so we're thinking about putting out an
EP. Might have a couple free songs for people to download. Some demos. That
kinda stuff.
We've also been working on some album artwork. And we've got
a show in, what, 2 weeks! So there you go. Just wanted you to know we're not
slacking over here at Recliner HQ. And we don't really own flesh colored
speedos. Well, not that you know of.
June 29, 2007 - Summer time blues
Hey, it's summer, which means it must be ridiculously cold and foggy. Unless
you're living in Ventura, which one of us is now. But we're not going to talk
about that. That's becasue we're not jealous of the sun, or the surf (including
warm water in which you only need board shorts), or the superior public
schools. Not at all. No, we're just going to miss our friend. And this fog and
wind blows. Literally.
June 20, 2007 - Flight of the Conchords
They are brilliant. We had a nice little link up here to check out - but it
expired. So go to HBO and check it out your own damn self.
June 18, 2007 - Post-tour blues
Happy to be home. Sad to be away from playing music every single day and seeing
our friends.
June 6, 2007 – Inspiration
Last week while we were in Tokyo, we were in this obscure t-shirt/lingerie/art
shop and they were playing The Stooges Raw Power. I swear, it was the
greatest thing I've heard in a long time. Yes, I've heard it plenty of times
and just went to see them. But for some reason it was so damn good--and I
didn't own it until this week. I also just went out and purchased Lou
Reed's Transformer too. Why was this not in my collection? Um, I
can't say. You have to understand. I think of myself as Mr. Musichead (also a
good Adrian Belew album title). So I really should be ashamed. If you don't
have these, get them.
June 1, 2007 - Photos
In the interest of time, I cheated by using iWeb so you could check out some of our Japan photos. Click "start slideshow" to see them bigger. Enjoy.May 30, 2007 - Happy
That about sums it up. Exhausted and happy. Happy to be headed home, and glad we got to play for so many old and new friends over our 8 days here. Look for some more photos soon in the photos section. Now it's time to get jet-lagged all over again at home.May 29, 2007 - Karaoke
Tomorrow we go home. But not before getting in some karaoke
after our show. Check out bass-god, George Carney in action. We've decided he
will sing all the songs from here on out.
And here's a little earlier in the night at Outbreak with
quite a few of our friends in attendance. This is the first place we played -
on the night we arrived. And when we returned here to play our last show, none
of us could remember it - or hardly even being there. Wow.
This was a great night, great way to end an excellent mini-tour. Everyone who walked through the door got a Recliner CD, compliments of the band. Hey, if it works for Prince...
This was a great night, great way to end an excellent mini-tour. Everyone who walked through the door got a Recliner CD, compliments of the band. Hey, if it works for Prince...
And our last supper in Japan. Mmmmm Udon, tempura and beer.
We'll miss the good food, and freshest sushi we've ever had.
May 28, 2007 - Shibuya
Another great night. This time about 4 blocks from our
hotel. My Chemical Romance was in town the same night, but that didn't stop the
fans from coming to the show. Maybe it's because we wear less make-up? Or don't
suck?
Again, some surprise guests. The lovely Penguin shop girl. Some MySpace friends. And some old friends from our last Japanese tour.
The Chelsea was a very fun place to play, and reminded me of the Fillmore back home with it's chandeliers. Only a tiny bit smaller.
And from yesterday:
May 27, 2007 - Turtle looks for shoes
So the day started off as a pilgrimage for some "kicks" (sneakers),
like Turtle's on Entourage. Only we couldn't find the damn place, so we circled
the neighborhood for a couple hours. And when we finally found the place, all
the shoes were for display only. Good business model.
So another really fun show after the barn-storming show the
previous night. Making some noise in da house. Yo yo. Bump checking. No idea
what that means. We also saw plenty of friends from our past tour - and present
- there tonight. There was the band Alaska, and the guitarist from Greasy Spoon,
both of which we played with 2 years ago. There was Dan from Metropolis Magazine (who
published a nice little blurb, along with our picture, announcing our presence
here), Ed from RollingStone.com, our tour manager fill-in Keiko, and a few new
friends from MySpace. What a concept that MySpace. Spanning continents,
bringing music and people together.
Anyway, we made plenty of new friends too. And we'll have
some more photos posted soon. I promise. It's just that I'm just getting lazy,
and it's 1:30 am.
The report on the playlist is we're playing a lot of new - and fast - songs. And we're getting a great response. We love it here, and wish we could take everyone home with us. I'm rambling.
The report on the playlist is we're playing a lot of new - and fast - songs. And we're getting a great response. We love it here, and wish we could take everyone home with us. I'm rambling.
Tomorrow night's the Chelsea Hotel in Shibuya (about 3
blocks from our hotel), a rather famous stop for a lot of indie bands passing
through. Looking forward to it.
Okay, time for goodnight. The Ambien is kicking in (how did they fight jet lag before this stuff?). Hope you're enjoying our minor coverage of the Relciner Japan '07 tour notes and pictures. xxoo
Okay, time for goodnight. The Ambien is kicking in (how did they fight jet lag before this stuff?). Hope you're enjoying our minor coverage of the Relciner Japan '07 tour notes and pictures. xxoo
May 26, 2007 - Thank you for not smoking
What a difference a day off can make. Tonight's show was
great. Maybe the best the past two years - and the bands we played with were
probably the best we've ever played with in Japan. The crowd at Mission's in
Koenji was equally as great. I don't think we've had people pogo that much
before. And get this...they made it a no smoking night just for us. There was a
sign that basically read:
Please, no smoking inside the club tonight. Recliner vocalist was recently ailing with near-pneumonia and kindly requests you refrain from smoking.
Wow. What a prima donna that guy must be. Plus, it wasn't true! But what a great
idea we should take with us wherever we play, near-pneumonia or not.
May 25, 2007 - The Cold War is not over
Had the chance to check out the Cold War Kids last night on
our night off. Great stuff. And nice to see they're playing venues as big as we
are. Also nice to see they looked almost as jet-lagged as us.
Which reminds me, we saw Chow Yun Fat (the Killer, Pirates
of the Carribean, etc.) during our sojourn to the "fish market"
yesterday. It went something like this:
"Hello, Mr. Fat. Oh, I'm sorry, you prefer Mr. Yun Fat. Can I just call you Chewy? I had a friend in 7th grade named Chewy. I think he was Japanese though. I'm not sure..."
"Hello, Mr. Fat. Oh, I'm sorry, you prefer Mr. Yun Fat. Can I just call you Chewy? I had a friend in 7th grade named Chewy. I think he was Japanese though. I'm not sure..."
No, we didn't bother him - or try to give him a flier for a
show.
We did get to a great little bar called X+Y. Great 60's and 70's Japanese pop music. Here's a shot of us thinking we're cool (we are, right?).
We did get to a great little bar called X+Y. Great 60's and 70's Japanese pop music. Here's a shot of us thinking we're cool (we are, right?).
May 24, 2007 - Fishy fishy fish
News flash from the future (yes, we're a day ahead of San
Francisco here in Tokyo): All the fish have been fished. And they're all here
at the Tsukiji Fish Market. 2,000 tons of "marine products" a day.
Wow. I can't quite describe how huge this operation is. But here's some photos:
And then last night, Yokohama treated us to a rawk spectacle that, to date, had never been witnessed by these eyes. 3-foot high hair. Chainsaws. Disembodied heads. I kid you not. We think the booker was secretly having a little, uh, fun with us. Perhaps?
And here's Kevin's reaction to it all:
May 24, 2007 - Kools
We arrived in Tokyo yesterday and pretty much proceeded
directly to the club to play - and inhale smoke. Philip Morris is alive and
well here. Quite the change from our spoiled LA and San Francisco shows,
respiratoriallyy speaking. Is that a word?
Not the greatest set of our lives. Definitely not the worst. However, one overly gracious young man told me it was the best showed he'd ever seen in his life. Wow. And then promptly bought 3 CDs and asked for autographs. Um, I think you've got the wrong guys, sir.
Not the greatest set of our lives. Definitely not the worst. However, one overly gracious young man told me it was the best showed he'd ever seen in his life. Wow. And then promptly bought 3 CDs and asked for autographs. Um, I think you've got the wrong guys, sir.
On to Yokohama today. 12:30 pm departure for a 3:30 sound
check, or something crazy like that. All the clubs start up early so people can
catch the last train home - which comes around midnight or so.
Tomorrow's a day off from playing, so we're going to get up
super early and make our way to the sushi capital of the world. I'll post some
pictures to explain. Then we're going to see the Cold War Kids. Something tells
me they're not dragging they're instruments through the subways of Tokyo like
we are.
The tour flier.
The tour flier.
May 21, 2007 - One day away
About to take off for Japan. So real quick, as promised, an early demo from the
Tranquilizer sessions. See how much it changed. More to come.
Leaving Hollywood (Early Demo)
And stay tuned for some tales from the road.
May 15 - One week away
Lot's of activity here at Recliner HQ. First, we've got a
show coming up at The Red Devil
Lounge, playing alongside our sister-ship, We Are Invisible. We're hitting the
airwaves 90.3 FM, KUSF, with our friend Jet
tomorrow. Then we've got some new t-shirts in the works. Here's the graphic:
We also finished our mixes for the new CD. A solid hour's worth of stuff. I'll post a few tidbits soon for you loyal readers. What else? I know there's something else? Oh yeah, almost forgot. we leave for Japan in a week. And I need to get my hair and my nails done, and buy some travel conditioner. So many things.
May 8, 2007 - Mixin' it up 2
That title sounds like a bad rap/breakdance movie from the
eighties. No, that's what we're doing here in the studio again today. Finishing
up the most tracks we've ever assembled in one session. Count 'em: 16. Holy
cow! Not that they'll all make the final count, but at this point we're
thinking why not? Listening to some of these, it's hard to imagine the same
band played them all. From cowpoke punk to Camaro-cruisers to ebb-and-flowing
surf-influenced pirate marches. Huh? You'll see. Trust us.
In 2 weeks we take off for Japan and look forward to catching up with some old
friends there. Ward's got us all brushing up on our Japanese by way of audio
lessons. He doesn't realize I could hardly master the English language until a
few years ago.
Ohio! I believe that's "hello".
Okay, back to the mixes!
May 7, 2007 - Mixin' it up
Hey there. I write to you all from the studio. The actual studio
couch. We're listening to the new mix of a very old song. More on that
later.
More to the point we're mixing the new album. Or CD. Or mp3s. Or whatever. Either way, they're all going to sound good. Mr Aaron Prellwitz is again at the helm while we shout at his back..."more guitar!" "No, more of me." "No, bigger drums." You know, that kind of thing. He's used to it by now. This is our third CD worth of stuff with him - and our best to date. Well, that's what my mom says.
Stay tuned for some sneak previews.
On a side, side note. The t-shirt designs are trickling in.
If you're maybe thinking, gee my little scribble wouldn't impress anybody.
Think again, my friend. Let's see what you got.
Talk at you soon. :)
April 12, 2007 - Suitin' up
So we're putting on our musical game faces gearing up for
the studio next week. The songs are taking shape. Some better than others. Some
we're just crossing our fingers. But then you never know what's gonna happen in
there. Bring me some magic! Send me an angel.
Huh?
I don't know. Better yet, send me a time machine so we can
go backwards and practice some more. Or not. This thing was getting too
polished anyway. It's our longest stint in the studio and we're turning into
ELO. Or Fleetwood Mac. Yeah, amazing what a whole 6 days can do, huh? Ha. (I'm
a little more sarcastic than usual this morning).
Stay tuned for some demos and things I'll post. Maybe some
old demos too, so you can see how these things actually take shape. Old, bad
lyrics. Weak, bad parts that got stripped out. And you can quake with horror as
to how awful these songs started. Oh what a treat. Bet you can't wait. ha.
double ha.
April 9, 2007 - Wet t-shirt contest
Oh, wait. I mean Web T-shirt contest. As I
mentioned below, check out the specifics.
Can't wait to see what you come up with.
April 6, 2007 - Mr T's
It's spring, so I've been going through my closet in the
hopes of ridding myself of some clothes...and I can't. And I've come to the
realization that I am a t-shirt-aholic. When I was a kid, buying a concert
t-shirt was a must. I distinctly remember my friend Andy scolding me at a Rush
concert (circa "Power Windows") for almost passing on that shows cool
shirt (a matter of opinion, I realize). I wish I still had that shirt.
But I've got plenty of others - and mostly from my "adult" life. Shit, they're 100 times cheaper now. At least at the shows I go to (I haven't seen Rush since junior high). And yeah, I guess I have a little more money. But how do you pass up a cool Neko Case t-shirt that's only $15? Well, I don't. And that's the problem. Yes, I admit it. I'm a "grown" man, and I've got probably 100 t-shirts. I don't have a job that requires a suit. But then I don't have a job that requires shoes either.
So what's my point here. Well, I like t-shirts for one, but
also it's time for Recliner to get some new t-shirts of our own. And we want
you to design that shirt! So, stay tuned for a cool contest where you can
design the next Recliner t-shirt!
Woooohoooo. Of course there will be fabulous prizes. Hugely
fabulous. We just have to figure out what they are. Stay tuned. The contest
starts next week.
March 20 - Grumble, grumble Murmur
Okay, sign of hands. Who feels old after the recent Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame induction? This week I realized that the band that got me
into "alternative" rock, as it was called back then, has been around
for 25 years. I'm talking about R.E.M.
It was Mr. Stipe's vocals and slurred colloquialisms (although it took a couple of years to understand what the hell he was saying) that first got me. That, and Peter Buck's encyclopedic Byrds-filtered-through-Kudzu guitar playing. Combined with some very mysterious imagery and layers of meaning and texture, I was hooked.
It all opened up a world I had never experienced before. A very southern world at that. Odd Fellow Local 151 anybody? That was as southern a (modern) rock song as this kid had ever heard at that point. It turned me on to a whole host of southern "alt" rock, like The Connells, Drivin' n' Cryin', and the DB's. But none had that R.E.M. thing that kept me coming back for more. Shit, I even made the decision to go to grad school in Athens in part because I knew I might get to rub shoulders with my boyhood idols (more like, a stalking really).
But more than anything, besides feeling old, it made me
fondly remember one of the first bands that sent me head over heels into the
multi-layers music could foster. Congratulations gentlemen, and thank you.
March 1, 2007 - IFC
So the taste makers at IFC know a thing or two about good
movies, and short films, and, well, videos. And if you read our home page, you
already know to have your TIVOs set to watch Float Away as it takes
to the airwaves. It's Recliner for the masses. Or at least those with
cable.
Anyway, we're pretty fired up about it. Why not drop 'em a
note to say thanks, and how about putting up Make a Friend or All
Pleasure? Yeah, that might be pushing it.
February 22, 2007 - Japan-tastique
We've pulled the trigger. Our second tour of Japan begins on
May 22nd. We're like giddy school girls, only without the...nevermind. We'll be
fresh out of the studio with a batch of new songs, new t-shirts, new haircuts.
You get the idea.
Point is, we're excited. Anybody got a free apartment for us to crash in
Tokyo?
February 2, 2007 - Ablaze on the high seas
Our good friend and sometimes "spiritual" leader, Greg Jones, invited
us to a wake for his once and now twice deceased spanish galleon. The first was
set ablaze in the high desert, and a much smaller replica was sent burning out
to see under the full moon this weekend. The Decemberists showed up and played
pirate songs. Okay, maybe it was just somebody who reminded us of the
Decemberists. Argh.
January 18, 2007 - Look at your feet
Hey everybody. It's been almost a month since our last
confession. Yeah, one of the resolutions for this year is to update this page a
little more regularly. Lord nose we've been locked up inside long enough with
this ridiculously cold weather, so why not write some unintelligible babble
while we're at it?
Make sure you check out our performance at
the Independent. It's a great way to get a taste of the band in action. Or
inaction. Whichever the case may be given this footage. You be the judge. Lotsa
shoe gazing. But hey, they cut out all the witty banter! And the crowd participation!
And the waves. Aww man.
Until next time.
December 22, 2006 - Good Tidings to All
This Christmas thing seems to creep up on me faster every year. So 'tis the season for lists. The Best Celebrity Melt-downs of '06. The Top Newsmakers. And my favorite, the Albums of the Year. Although the fact that they still call it "Album" of the year makes me scratch my head. I don't even know anybody that regularly buys CDs, let alone records.A good round up of top ten lists from around the web and in publications can be found on Metacritic. They also compile their own top ten using some scientific ranking utizlizing the BCS football poll or something. The fact that Ali Farka Toure's SAVANE ranks as the best CD gives us all hope that the earth will not spin off its axis this year. Another hint the apocolypse is NOT yet upon us: The Killers only made it onto one top ten list.
Another refreshing thing to see is the wealth of bands hardly anybody has ever heard of. Myself included. Or maybe I'm just losing my sixth sense. I got turned onto some bands this year that seem to have gathered quite a following before appearing on my own radar. Including Grizzly Bear, TV on the Radio (I know, I know, I live in a hole), the Hold Steady, and the Thermals. Those are all bands that have had at least two CDs out before I'd gotten into them. I'm feeling old all of a sudden.
So no grand message this year, and no big predicitions. I won't say we're the biggest band since the Beatles (throat clear) like the Killers (okay I have to halt mid-thought and curse this band for a second. They're a talentless bunch of hacks, but at least they steal from some of the best - okay I'm done). I will say we're going to put out a good record that builds on our past successes, and mixes it up even more. When, I'm not sure. We're do back into the studio in April, hopefully with another basket of material to record. So stay tuned.
Merry Christmas.
December 8, 2006 - The Whisky a-Go-Go
"...Mother? Yes Son? I want to..." Is that too blind a reference? Are we the only ones who thought Jim Morrison was a god at one point in our adolesence? Doesn't every guy pass through that phase and attempt to write their own bad lyrics?Okay, so Recliner did it's very first show at the Whisky a-Go-Go on the Sunset strip in LA yesterday. And I swear you could still smell 'ol Jimbo's spilt beer in the carpet. Played with our new friends Chance and the Choir, another rare breed of good guys of rock. That might sound lame, but it's sure not meant to. The boys kindly let us use their equipment to play through which made travelling a lot easier. And yet, Southwest airlines still managed to snap one of our guitars in half on the way there. Not cool.
Other than that, it was a great trip and we look forward to playing with them again soon. We also had a great time seeing many old and a lot of new faces in LA. Thanks to everyone who braved the 60-degree weather that night!
November 20, 2006 - The Day After
Well, the first session is complete. And not to pat ourselves on the back, but we got some pretty good stuff down. And as long as we don't have an accident with a magnet in the next month or so, i think we'll have some fine songs to share. As I mentioned earlier here, we didn't have everything down pat, so I think we were a little surprised how well it came out. Probably the most experimental (for Recliner) and creative we've been on the fly in the studio. Ever. Uh oh, I'm starting sound like the dude from the Killers.We're back in January for a few more days - and it looks like we might have a few more to record, then maybe mix. Who knows. We could get crazy and record 8 more. That would be fine by me. But now, it's time for some turkey with the family.
Happy Thanksgiving.
November 19, 2006 - The Baby's
The two Recliners from California have a very odd love affair with the band, The Babys. Back in the day ('78) we were what, 5? Anyway, back then, hits were way more regionalized than in today's generic Clear Channel (R.I.HELL) crap on the radio. While our East Coast friends were rocking out to Billy Joel or something, we had L.A.'s The Babys. Very California. Anyway, despite the questionable lyrics, they were doing power pop before the Foos were even out of grade school. Hell, before there was a "power pop". So John and Kevin pulled a power play, demanding right there in the studio that we record "Head First" or we would erase all the tapes and walk out. Well, we got our way. And damn, I think we did 'em proud.November 18, 2006 - 4 Down
Despite the permanent fog hanging over our heads yesterday, we managed to knock down 4 tracks with plenty of goodies piled on top. Not to mention a couple bottles of Tequila, but that was mostly George. Ha. Everything's sounding really good. Aaron always gets us in the sweet spot. We sound way more polished than we expected.November 17, 2006 - Wow
Our heads are a little hazy this morning as we head into the studio. Sure sign of a great show. And from what I remember, it was. We're getting set up this morning in the studio, then it's off to the races. We record fast (and furious), and we'll see how much we can get through in the 3 days we have. We're not as rehearsed as we normally would be going into the studio, so we'll see.November 14, 2006 - I'm gonna hurl
Soooo, we've got a big show coming up this week at San Francisco's Independent with Joseph Arthur, Etienne De Rocher, and Apollo Sunshine.The very next morning, we move our gear into the recording studio to record us some new hit singles. We've been writing and rehearsing at a fevered pace (for Recliner, anyhow) and the creative juices are a-flowin'. Aaron Prellwitz will again be at the helm at our friend John Vanderslice's Tiny Telephone studios. Stay tuned for more updates on that. Maybe some photos, and perhaps even a rough song or too.
November 8, 2006 - A Glorious Day for America
Yes, we're all very happy today at Recliner HQ on this historic day. In fact, we've been gloating all day long. Yes, you know what we're talking about...Britney Spears is single again!!October 8, 2006 - Heavy Metal
Wow. what a weekend. First, a nice trip around AES (the American Engineer's Society, or something) trade show at Moscone Center. Geeking out with all the other gear heads. Lots of 1's and 0's. Then a nice suprise birthday party followed by some Heavy Metal backstage action at the Warfield. Matt Sorum, Scott Weiland, Slash, Metallica's rhythm machine Lars and Robert, Steve Vai, some guys from Poison, Steven Jenkins, Mark McGrath, and Donovan Leitch, Chris Chaney, Billy Morrison, Duff McKagan, Steve Jones, and Brandon Boyd (or was it Chester Bennington? - I get 'em mixed up). Whoa, felt like 8th grade all over again.On the opposite side of the spectrum, the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in Golden Gate Park treated us to Elvis Costello, Ramblin' Jack Elliot, T Bone Burnett, Richard Thompson, Emmylou Harris, Alajandro Escovedo, that I saw at least.
I'm not sure which genre has the cooler clothes. I do know which has the cooler poses. Either way, good inspiration as we cram to write new songs for our studio session next month.
September 28, 2006 - Tomorrow the world
Hey everybody. It's been a good week in the Recliner world. We hit a major milestone this week when the four of us opened our mailboxes to find...no, not a mailbomb - a royalty check!! Wow. Okay, we won't be pimping our rides on this money anytime soon, but you gotta start somewhere. And I find the bottom to be as good a place as any.$1.62
That's how much we made on Internet plays alone (on sites, like Rhapsody, RollingStone.com, etc.). Whooo-eee. It's the start of something big, I tell ya. Well, when you consider you get .0001 cents per play, that's not bad. Okay, that's not really the rate, but it doesn't bother us. Bought us a coffee this morning, didn't it?
Big show tomorrow at 330 Ritch in San Francisco. We're fired up, got some news tunes, some new threads, and a new pedal. What could be better? See you there, we hope.
September 7, 2006 - Why we love podcasters: Part One
Sorry, it's been a while since we've posted...but we've been busy writing.Way back in early 05, when podcasting was less than a year old and most casters were still in double-digit shows, Recliner started contacting a few of them to see if anyone would play our music. The results were unbefuckinglievable. Not only did people actually get back to us, but suddenly our music was being introduced to a whole new audience of listening enthusiasts worldwide.
Instantly we were hooked, and it hit us like Ike how big this was. We started telling anyone we knew in a band, "holy shit you've gotta get on this, it's the new college radio!" For those of you unfamiliar with the game, here's a brief, opinionated and highly generalized breakdown of the radio kingdom:
Commercial radio stations pretty much play you when someone with mad promotional cheddar tells them to (this is not their fault btw, it's just the nature of the beast; babies cry, wineglasses break, and big radio plays the same 18 songs all day, with a commercial break after every two). If your favorite commercial FM station dedicates even 30 minutes per week (between commercials, so let's make it 20 minutes) to new/unsigned/local music, you should thank your lucky stars.
There was a nice little window there a decade or two ago, when college radio was a great sub-radar venue for an unsigned band to get their music out to a broader audience. But since the majors have been hip to this arena for years now, college stations are increasingly flooded with music (free iPods, etc.), making it nigh impossible for the little guys to break through the noise and clutter (there's also the lovely dynamic of dealing with the occasional MD in BFN Junction who thinks he's Nic Harcourt). A big disclaimer at this point would be that Recliner is extremely lucky to have a few great friends and allies in the college radio world, but let's just say (and we think they'd agree) that it's hard out here for a pimp.
Enter the podcaster.
Picture a hardcore music fan in their basement late at night with a behringer mixer, a cheap microphone and a laptop, recording a show with their favorite music sheerly for the love of it. Unhindered by formats or time restraints or commercial demands or the iron fist of the FCC. Now imagine a small army of these people, constantly introducing their favorite new tracks to anyone in the world who cares to subscribe. The minutemen in the War Against Suck, as it were. If you are a musician, you should be experiencing a tingling sensation right about now.
Not that the podcasting world is or will be 100% pure and perfect and untouched by the commercial machine (just mention a certain spice blend found in many Indian and Thai entrees, and you'll bring many a podcaster to a simmer). But for the indie music world (bands and fans alike), podcasting is the best thing since canned beer.
So here's to you, Mr. Podcasting Guy. We hereby pledge allegiance to the podcasters of the world. If Recliner ever becomes a household name, if we ever get big enough that people who ride in limos are courting Big FM over a mango ceviche to play us 20 times per day, we'll owe it mainly to you and you can bitch-slap us if we ever forget it.
We'll have more here shortly in the way of links, both for shout-outs and to introduce you to the best podcasts around, but for now you can dive right in at musicpodcasting.org
put that in your pod and smoke it - cheers, Recliner
August 7, 2006 - Genius 2
Went to check out our friends in One Way Bliss on Saturday night at the Hotel Utah (a SF Classic) and ran into some music friends we haven't seen in yeeeeears. Good to know the rockers keep on rockin'. Like.August 3, 2006 - Genius
Who knew these guys had a sense of humor? Brilliant.July 26, 2006 - Freefall from Outer Space
Good name for a song, or maybe a band. Also, one of the craziest things we've seen on video - or somebody's music video. Check it ou there. Read more about it here. Scroll down and look at that photo of him stepping out. There's a sadness to it. "Ground control...tell my wife I love her very much, she knows..."July 26, 2006 - Reasons for Getting Up - Part II
The new Minders CD, It's a Bright Guilty World, only being partially homeless, having your video sent out to millions of Rolling Stone subscribers, listening to old Soundgarden and writing very un-Soundgarden-like songs while jobless (goes nicely with the almost homeless), and VH1's supergroup with the Nuge.June 27, 2006 - Reasons for Getting Up this Morning
A Neko Case t-shirt and her songs swimming in my head from last night's show, a new dark, cherry red Gibson acoustic guitar, fog, sun, the World Cup, "Morning Becomes Eclectic", a Band of Horses, news of a new baby Hay, four new tires, Peet's, and a fresh coat of paint on my attitude.June 21, 2006 - First Day o' Summer
Is it really the first day of summer? I actually have no idea. That's what I was told. Some things I'll check out for myself. "Yo, there givin' out free slushies at the 7-11, dude." See I'd have to check that out for myself. Or "We know where the weapons are...and we will be greeted as liberators." That's another one I might want to find out for myself, or at least wait for a confirmation. But I'll take it on faith that it's truly the first day of summer, because my god it frickin' hot! And if it's not, who cares?Anyway, happy summer. Time to toughen up those feet and break out the summer bands (Apples in Stereo, and uh...Recliner spring to mind). See you at the BBQs.
June 14, 2006 - Sasquatch Sighting
Took a while to get this up...a Recliner Fan sighting (really, if you look close, that's a Recliner t-shirt) at the Sasquatch Festival in Washington a coupla weekends back. While we weren't one of the featured headliners, we're told we were blasted from some car speakers in the parking lot. Representin'!June 6, 2006 - The Charlatans
Last night, my faith was restored in a basnd I almost forgot about. The Charlatans UK played one of the best shows seen this side of 12 months. At a less than capacity Fillmore (putting it nicely) in SF, we were a little worried at how the size of the crowd would effect the performance...but Tim Burgess and the boys from Manchester were not. They came out blazing with a confidence, swagger and style that Liam and Noel could take a note from. The show had many high points, right up to and endeing that brought be me back to 1995 all over again. Wow, these guys are good. I think I will be revisiting every CD by the band on Rhapsody today. If you get the chance to see them this tour, you will not be disappointed. Best Monday night in years.May 30, 2006 - The curse of diamond
What the heck is going on? Two gigs cancelled in less than a month. One due to a city permit pull, the other due to a bar closing with two-day notice.What'a recliner to do? Well, schedule more gigs, for one. And drink lots of tequila over memorial weekend. In, well, in memorial. But that's not all. See, if they're going to cancel us here, well we'll have to fight them elsewhere. Uh, yeah. Playing in places like LA. And Las Vegas. And maybe even Japan. Yeah, that'll show 'em. You can't take this kind of thing lying down--under a patron haze. No, you need to take it lying down under a doe eyed...nevermind.
What I'm really not getting at is that we've got some shows in the works in some far off, and real close lands. Just be patient with us, please.
May 5, 2006 - Animal noises
You may have noticed the new look for Recliner on our home page. It's a frame from our new video for "Float Away." In the can as of today, so look for it up on the site soon. We've also got a bunch of new men's and women's t-shirts with artwork from our CD. Come on out to one of our upcoming shows to get your very own. In other news, Kevin plays with We Are Invisible on drums at a show coming up in late May. Details to come.Hope you are all well. More from us soon.
April 11, 2006 - Inspiration (and a band called Elbow)
I'm a starstruck geek, I'll admit it. A few of us had the great fortune to see a great band out of Manchester the other night. Elbow. Not a great name (in my opinion), but a great band. Take some Peter Gabriel, throw in some Pink Floyd for the new millenium and you've got the right idea. Anyway, we were partaking in some food and drink with our lady friends prior to the show. In walked the boys from Elbow. I was struck by what regular guys they all were (and the singer's named Guy). Not sure what I expected. Somebody who creates music that good, and that nuanced can't be that normal.Can they?
So, there they were. Drinking pints just barstools down from us, and the urge to express my "fan-dom" overcame me. But then I got all self-conscious like that wasn't very cool. And if you'd ever seen me stutter my way through fawnings toward other well-respected artists, you'd agree. My tongue swells, my brain stops working, and I become a thirteen year old girl. But I didn't want to sleep with them, I just wanted to tell them I was a big fan and was very inspired by their music. That, in my opinion, has to be the highest compliment. I would certainly appreciate that kind of acknowledgement.
So off I went. As i approached, I got even more nervous, but before I knew it, the words had spilled out of my mouth:
"Hey, what time do you guys go on tonight?"
Smooth, huh? No "hey, great to meet you." Or, "your music has inspired me to dig deeper in my own songwriting..." Or even, "that is a cool beard." Nothing. I just want to know what time it is that you're going on so I don't drink myself into a stupor over here and miss whatever it is you guys do. You're musician's right?
Well, I did find out when they went on, and I think I even managed to squeek out, "big fan" as I gestured to myself like an ape. I think they even said, "Cheers!" as I turned away. Hell, they could have asked me to stick around and write some songs with them. But how would I know. I was half-way out the door already.
Regardless, they put on one of the best shows I've seen in quite some time. And Earlimart impressed as well. And I'm inspired to grow a beard. Go figure.
March 21, 2006 - It's still cold
So here it is, the first day of Spring (I think) and it's colder today than it was three months ago. Welcome to the winter of our...nevermind. So a few months have passed by, and we still have yet to reveal any of the aforementioned media products (see below for details of what you're still missing). Fret not, my friend! Said media devices are coming soon. In the meantime we thought we'd ruminate on a few other developments happening here and there.First of note would be our inclusion on the new Sansa e200 mp3/video player. One song. Pre-loaded. Ready to go. Challenging the dancing shadow people for mp3 dominance? No, probably not. But how cool that we're going to have a song on 6 million or so mp3 players? You'll be able to download our videos and watch them on there too. Hey, we're not corporate shills. In fact, we'll be the first to point out that it would be a lot cheaper to just buy our CD. But if you're looking for an mp3 player, you might want to check this one out.
What else? Well, we've got a video in the works. The plot, or lack thereof, are under super-double-dog secret lock and key. But rest assured, it will be a sobering undercover look at the troubles of teens in America. That, or we'll just try and make it amusing. Bank on one of those.
Now back to stoking the fire so we don't all freeze to death out here. Until next time, stay toasty.
March 13, 2006 - Damn its Cold
What the hell? Snow on the Twin Peaks! It's cold in San Francisco. Give us some time to thaw out and we'll post some more soon. Seriously, it is c-o-l-d. cold!February 22, 2006 - World Domination
Hey there, sorry it's been so long. Lot's of activity happening here at the Recliner Headquarters. Lots of planning, plotting, and acting on all those things. Things like new t-shirts. New videos. New singles. Your basic world domination stuff. It occured to us here at Recliner HQ that we should probably get together and play too. The March first show for the Insomnia Radio show is a step in the right direction. The show is also our first ever live webcast. So all you fans in Peoria (why is it always Peoria?) can listen along as if you were there. And geez, it's only a 2 hour time difference. Why even our friends in Japan can listen along as they enjoy their morning cup of coffee. Shout out to Tokyo, y'all.Speaking of world domination, what is up with the White Stripes winning a grammy for their worst album yet? Just asking. See you at the show.
January 27, 2006 - What's it all Mean?
Now that we're grizzled veterans, we're used to getting a few questions when we release a new record. Why? That's the first one. But then somewhere down the line, someone (no, not our Mom) asks, "hey, what is that song about?" Or, "dude, what the hell are you saying..."So here, for the first time we thought we'd preempt any of those questions and go ahead and just lay it all out for you in a song by song synopsis. If for no other reason than to be able to say, "Mom, don't you read the website?"
1. The Great Destroyer -- All about el Presidente, his reelection, and his view of things (I know, there's nearly more words in the description than the song)
2. Masuki Jones -- From the perspective of a servicemen making his way Japan and falling for a "special" girl.
3. Leaving Hollywood -- Partly for Elliott Smith. Also in part about a friend who gave up on a dream.
4. Float Away -- Resentment, wanting out, and masking those feelings all at the same time. Fun stuff.
5. Little Aeroplane -- Planes are circling the house (in the form of a 1-year old boy), with energy to burn, and all you want to do is sleep.
6. Do This -- Getting sick of taking abuse from "the man" and wanting out.
7. and 8. The Message/She Said -- Means absolutely nothing -- and everything. And written in as long as it took to record.
9. Anyone But Me -- Always on the ladder to greatness, never getting to the top. Wouldn't it be nice to trade places with somebody who had.
10. Hello Sun -- Sometimes waiting to meet an old friend, or a very new one is like waiting all winter for the sun to peek out.
11. The Killer -- When someone nearly does you in, and it becomes a serial habit, you probably shouldn't let them back in.
12. Dear Delilah -- Cheaters get theirs in the end. Or at least they should.
13. Can't Deny -- Sometimes when you're not feeling so hot, it's hard not to wear it on your sleeve.
So there you have it. The things that can drag you down, mellow you out, or just plain drive you nuts. Our tranquilizers.
December 31, 2005 - Auld Lang Syne
Well here it is, New Year's Eve. Recliner's playing a private party tonight, but before we dash off to sing "Auld Lang Syne" (which roughly translates to "the Good Old Days"), we must stop and give 2005 its proper eulogy. Before we do, I'd like to stop and acknowledge that song. Written in 1788, people have sung the damn thing for 217 years. Now that's some staying power we'd be interested in.Now, on with the wrap up...
It was a good year for the Recliner crew. Not so much politically, but don't get us started...We found ourselves playing some great shows. Some crap shows too, but that's the way it goes, right? Still, our music found its way onto various TV shows, radio stations around the world, onto video games, and of course onto the Internet.
For us, it was the year of the web. In fact, we had our legs all over the place. Lots of press, podcasts, connections with other artists, bookings...you name it, it took place on the Internet. Hey, this thing just might catch on.
But 2005 was a good year to meet a lot of great people face-to-face too. You know, the good old fashioned way, in the clubs, in the studio, and in the strip clubs. Point is, there are lots of people helping the Recliner train roll along, and we'd like to acknowledge them here.
Mind you, these are in no particular order, so here goes. Please raise a glass to:
Ron Lieberman, the fifth Recliner, for paying his own way down to spend time with us and add some incredible playing on Tranquilizer; Doug Muise, for superb help in all things web; Connor McDonald, for all thing editing, as in videos, as in a full video of Nadia in the red dress (where's my copy, by the way?); Aaron Prellwitz, for making us sound better than we are in the studio; Greg Jones, for all things loaned, begged, and borrowed...and played in the studio. Our friend Jet, for all things played on the SF airwaves; Jason, for all things played on the Internets (including a whole show on Insomnia Radio devoted to yours truly); Mateo, for his generosity in the artwork department (just wait until you see the new CD); We Are Invisible (Jen, Rebecca, and Dom), for playing with us throughout the year, and dragging Kevin up onto the drums, not to mention adding some real character to the new CD; Nadia, Megumi and Liddy, for dressing up our otherwise dude-ish video; and most of all, to our fans, friends and family who made it out to our shows and supported us along the way. We could not have done it without you, nor would we have wanted to.
Finally, I'd like to include the words of our new friend Mateo, whose artwork adorns our new CD, Tranquilizer. It's a poem that accompanies the painting, "Forlorn" (on our cover), from his own website. It's a little chilling how well it fits the new CD.
One day I was floating
feeling lost at sea
I drew this round fella
he was looking at me
He drifted past dark spots
in his boat made of plastic
tried to make sense of it all
the world now so spastic
The sea then grew silent
waiting and listening
the ideas brush past
so shiny and glistening
I threw in my line
hoped this time I'm winning
it was time to move forward
a new stage beginning.
So there you have it. Sayonara 2005...hello new world (if you make it so). Happy new year everyone.
December 24 - He Knows When You are Sleeping...
Well, now we know that it's no longer just Santa Claus who knows if you've been naughty or nice this year. Turns out our President has been requesting that information too. Does that mean he's going to bring all the good anti-war activists goodies for Christmas? Don't count on it.Well, in lieu of any special gifts, we at Recliner headquarters have been cooking up a treat all our own. Yes, we have unearthed a few new verses to that old chestnut, "Twas the night before Christmas..." Enjoy:
Twas the night before Christmas when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, 'cept for George getting soused
His P-bass was hung by his amp with such care
He knew the Recliner boys soon would be there
Ward with his Fender and John with his drums
And Kevin with a Gibson all ready to strum
When up on the roof there arose such a clatter
They ran up to see what the !%*!@#! was the matter
What to their wondering eyes did appear?
It was Santa, he was singing and stinking of beer.
With an acoustic guitar, so beat up and battered
He really did reek, I mean the guy was just shattered
Dressed in a shirt that said "Free Mumia"
The guy was the spittin' image of Jerry Garcia
A wink of his eye and a puff on his pipe
The boys in the band were in for quite a night
He spoke not a word, and went straight to his work
The way he played guitar made them all feel like jerks
Such finesse, such control, you could tell he had practiced
Then he whipped off some tunes from Santana's Abraxas
When he finally stopped, the band was in awe
They couldn't believe this thing they had saw
When he sprang to his sleigh, he slurred a goodbye
And the chorus to "Yeah", I swear it, no lie
Then they heard him exclaim as he drove out of sight
"Hey, I heard that new "Tranquilizer" CD, that stuff is alright!"
...we wish you a Merry Christmas. Recliner's new Tranquilizer is just around the corner.
December 11, 2005 - Hello, is there anybody in there...
Good thing we're not getting paid to keep this thing updated, or we'd have been canned long ago. And yet, exciting news...the CDs are back, and boy are they nice and shiny. And great sounding, we hope. If you hold 'em up to your ear, they sound good. Not a lot of tape hiss or anything.Anyway, it's the "holidays". You know, Festivus and such. And we'd like to remind you, we're still donating the proceeds of our "Make a Friend" sales to the Red Cross. What could be better hung from the mantle with care than a Recliner CD for your loved one--or your enemy if you're truly angelic?
So as the year winds down, and we look forward to a big 2006, we'll be getting our New Year's speech all ready for you. A soliloquy to our friends and predictions for the new year. Just like People magazine.
Yeah, so there's not a whole lot of deep thoughts on our minds today. Just a few trivial things to break the silence. So why not just list 'em out? Here goes:
* White Stripes at Live 105's "No So Silent Night": S-U-C-K.
* John Vanderslice Independent downloads : F-*-C-K-'I-N C-O-O-L.
* Please, John. Be our friend.
* What took so long for the red states to come around?
* Tranquilizers. Mmmmmm.
* 3 is the new 4.
* Why the f*ck did they cancel Arrested Development? Oh. (see 4th on list)
Merry Christmas, Festivus, Festival of Lights, Kwanza, etc. if we're not back around these parts before then.
November 10, 2005 - The Interview
For all you .pdf and PSP "challenged" folks, we bring you the Kill Your FM interview. Just click here to get the textNovember 1, 2005 - Not So Dead
It's the Day of the Dead. A day when we celebrate our fallen family and friends and offer up some treats for their spirits. And so it was this night, with a big old heapin' helpin' of rock, along with We Are Invisible and Turn Me On Dead Man. Thanks to all the fine folks that made it out to the show last night. Even one of the biggest, nicest Halloween nights in a long, long time couldn't keep you away. We should have plans for a holiday show sometime soon we hope. Adios for now amigos.October 24 - Get Happy!
Ventured out to see a "band" last night, called, oh you just nevermind what they were called. We're not ones to slag off other bands, unless that other band has the owner of Comix on Divisidero as a member. F*#%! D!ck. I digress. Anyway, so called "band" started off strong enough. Very happy dance pop stuff that reminded me of 70's theme songs mixed with some Beck-ish trumpet accents. Think Mr. T headed out in the van to catch a Beulah show. No, that's way too kind--but a fun visual nonetheless. On the record, it all sounds nice enough. In person too. And people seemed to be enjoying themselves. I've been told this is a very "it" band to be into, afterall. So why was I so, I don't know, angry? Well, the closer I looked, the singer couldn't really sing. The drummer(s) couldn't really drum, and the guitarists couldn't really play either. But it took me over half the show to realize it, because they seemingly were playing "the parts", faking along the whole time to sequencers/samplers. However, their hands were telling the whole truth.What did I expect? I knew they used samples. I guess I realize that it's just not a lot of fun to realize you're being cheated, and that the band you've paid good money to see (okay, I was on the guest list) is in essence playing air guitar along to their favorite record. Maybe even one they actually played on.
On the way out, I overheard their manager saying that they played the same exact set every night. I guess the sequencer goes in order, and you gotta play what comes next, right? Oh, and it was only a 45 minute set too. On my way past him, I asked about their extensive use of samples and how much they actually played themselves up there on stage. His response floored me. "Hey, all the greats do it too," he said.
Well, if you say so. Ah, but it's a nice transition to our next show at Cafe DuNord on November 1. For better or for worse, I promise this show will feature 3 bands that are actually playing every note live that you're hearing that night.
October 14, 2005 - Green Day
Three of us had the distinct pleasure of seeing the Green Day show at the Warfield Theatre last night. Those boys have come quite a way since Gilman Street. And while they can no longer be called punk rock, they did rock. It was fun to see a few mohawked fans in the crowd singing along to Cheap Trick and Queen covers. Even cooler was seeing the band kind of wing it toward the second half of the evening, clearly playing for themselves and the joy of acknowledging their roots and how far they've come. I have to say I almost enjoyed the Clash covers more than their own "hits", but anyway you slice it, it was a very memorable night of music.Now back to bed. My ears are still ringing.
October 10, 2005 - Fall Music-Part 2
This past weekend in San Francico was a fall classic. Blue Angels swirling overhead, good Bloody Mary's up on the roof, and an early close to the day, all while listening to the perfect soundtrack.In this spirt, we give you part two of our music list, with the second part of the alphabet (and a few we missed the first time around).
The Cramps/A Date With Elvis...just in time for Halloween.
Gordon Downie/Coke Machine Glow...in Canada, this guy is god. The singer from the Tragically Hip gets even weirder and atmospheric here. And Canadians know a thing or two about fall.
Gram Parsons/Grievous Angel...took me a while to understand why this guy is so revered. Find out fer yerself.
Jim white/whatever you can find...curl up with almost anything this guys done and your favorite pumpkin ale.
John Vanderslice/Pixel Revolt...our studio mate knows a thing or two about nuance. And he's out on the road this fall.
Mamas and Papas/Greatest Hits..."all the leaves are brown..."
Marc Ribot y Los Cubanos Postizos/The Prosthetic Cubans...Never been there, but imagine Cuba's delightful in the fall.
Mountain Goats/The Sunset Tree...yummy lyrics and easy melodies, going down like candy corns.
Neko Case/Blacklisted...A timeless voice. I love you Neko. I know where you live. Just kidding.
R.E.M./Murmur or half of Document...can't understand what he's singing about, but it might as well be about fall in the south.
The Shins/Chutes Too Narrow...reminds me of an indie Simon and Garfunkel...
Simon and Garfunkel/Graduate Soundtrack...for Mrs. Robinson alone, this album makes the top of my list, and perhaps for that reason, my judgement may be cloudy.
Wilco/Being There...so maybe the later albums got more attention and were a little more varied in sound, but this one started it.
The Wrens/Silver...moody, rocking, and the end of the list.
So there you have it. Just a list for list's sake, but from the heart nonetheless. Of course there are a million others that belong here. Neil Young comes to mind. But these are the ones cued up on the old CD player this week. And no, we're not going y'alternative on you any time soon. The list just so happened to land that way. Just something to enjoy until our own fall release hits you in late November, early December.
October 4, 2005 - Fall Music
Fall is unmistakably here. Yes, just 4 entries ago we were hailing the arrival of summer. Well, the hell with summer. Who needs it? Too much pressure to get outside and see the sun, get a tan, and be happy. Fall is my favorite time of year. The pressure's off. We all know winter's coming at this point, so it's time to switch focus and get our sweaters outta the cedar chest. Inevitably, when that first chill appears in the air and the days grow shorter, I find myself gravitating toward to a certain music selection. Autumnal music, if you will. Stuff that's a little moodier, maybe a little darker. Stuff that goes better with scotch.Huh? Well, think about it. You probably don't listen to a lot of the Beach boys in the fall or into winter. Unless it's their holiday album. But who listens to that? I know, who listens to the Beach Boys either? It's a square reference, but I'm sticking with it.
Okay, how about the "alterna-hero" of the populous, Beck. His new CD is a decidedly summer affair. Happy, shiny and shimmery. Sure you can play it anytime you damn well please, but it's summer music, no matter what you say.
So I thought I'd take a moment to list out some of the music that puts me in a decidely fall mood. Nothing too obscure this time around, just some old chestnuts as well as stuff that just came out, in alphabetical order no less:
The Arcade Fire/Funeral...good and dark.
Beachwood Sparks/Once We Were Trees...reminds me of the Byrds. Nice and jangly. You can see the fall colors.
Beatles/later period stuff...the earlier stuff is summer music, dontchaknow.
Bob Dylan/post '64 stuff...again, the early protest stuff is so summer, don't you think?
Built to Spill/everything and anything...even in the summer, it's fall in Idaho.
Calexico/Iron and Wine/In the Reins...introspective in places, fall energy textured with pumpkin spices. Okay, just kidding.
Earlimart/Treble and Tremble...music for a dead friend
Elliott Smith/From a Basement On a Hill works nice...and here's the Dead friend. Be sure you don't listen to Figure 8. it's too happy, even for him.
Grant Lee Buffalo/Fuzzy...something quintessentially fall about it.
Jay Farrar/I can hear anything he's done (which includes Son Volt or Uncle Tupelo) playing in a pumpkin patch shack.
Kinks/Village Green Preservation Society...timelessly fall, especially "Monica".
Led Zeppelin/III...listen close, you can hear the leaves falling
There. That should get you started. I'll post part 2 in a few days, provided Nick Hornby doesn't sue me for stealing his shtick.
September 30, 2005 - Another One - and Done
Wow. we leave the country for a coupla weeks and another hurricane strikes. Not that we could have done anything to prevent it. But we're still on the case. So buy some CDs, buy some for your friends. And remember, we don't see a red cent. But the Red Cross does.In other news, we finished mixing our new CD. In the nick of time as our man George George Carney (too much soul for just one name) heads off to Africa for a couple weeks to play with the bush men and teach them a thing or two about rhythm. In the meantime, we'll be getting the mastering done and trying to come up with something to name the CD. Suggestions welcome. We're shooting for a November release.
That's it for now. Give what you can.
September 1, 2005 - Doing What We Can
Disaster brings out the best and worst of people. We prefer to dwell on the positive. Here's a great web page with links to places to donate for disaster relief. We're also trying to do our part by donating all proceeds from our online sales at CDBaby of "Make a Friend" to the American Red Cross for disaster relief. Donate some money and get a CD.August 31, 2005 - Dropped Jaws
Sorry, this one has nothing to do with music or anything remotely pleasant, but had to get it off my chest. First of all, our hearts go out to everyone effected by this nightmarish storm in the gulf states. The gutwrenching footage and stories out of Louisiana and Mississippi have been tough to watch unfold, and we can only imagine what it must be like to actually be there.But what's even harder to stomach is how politicized the whole thing has become already. Or how moronic some of our elected leader's comments have been. You've got the left blaming the right for ignoring warnings, cutting FEMA funding to the area, even global warming. While on the right, some extremists go as far as to explain the disaster as God's payback for New Orlean's moral indignations. Yes, and what about Biloxi, Mississippi? Lord knows it's right up there with Las Vegas or Amsterdam. And then we have a governor actually comparing the tragedy with the nuclear holocaust of Hiroshima. Umm, not quite. You might want to do your research on that one.
Unfortunately, not even John Stewart can make us chuckle about this right now.
August 25, 2005 - Anticipating Summer
Ah, summer is almost here. Huh? If you live in San Francisco like we do, you know what I'm talking about. What the rest of the country calls "the Summer months" are the arctic freeze months for us. It was colder here last week than it was in Juneau, Alaska for chrissakes.
No, our summers are spent indoors with a guitar, swilling whiskey, writing "whoa-was-me-kill-me-now" songs. But then September finally rolls around and "blinggg" (that's the magic wand sound), summer is here. Everywhere else, people are getting ready for Thanksgiving and tailgating at football games, while we're just breaking out the shorts and our worn copies of Pet Sounds.
September also seems to bring with it some great music. Inevitably some of our favorite bands release new records around this time and then come around on tour. Like our friend John Vanderslice. His new record, Pixel Revolt, is quite tasty. Or the New Pornographers. How do they fill a song with so many hooks? Neko, please show me the way.
Yes, it's finally going to be a good summer.
August 18, 2005 - Oh, My Head
A few things we learned during our guest stint bartending at Elixir:1. Corzo is amazing tequila.
2. Old Potrero is really tasty rye whiskey.
3. St. Pete's Old English Ale comes in the coolest bottle.
4. These three things consumed in tandem are absolutely deadly.
We also learned that our friends are very generous. With everyone's help, we raised quite a bit of money for the Boys and Girls Club of San Francisco. Thanks to all that came out. We'll post some pictures from the event soon. Now...back to bed.
August 8 - We Are Quite Visible
Well, we thought August would be a sleepy little month for the Recliner clan. Pretending we were all Euro and taking a month break. But no. We're American's damnit! And when duty calls, we Rock. Or something. Bone chilling fog be damned. Here's what's going down, and what's done gone down already:Kevin's outting with We Are Invisible proved to be a success. Nothing like three practices and a bunch of complicated beats to make an out of practice, ex-drummer queasy. But the Hill Sisters pulled him along by their boot straps, slapped a dress on him, and shoved him up there on the mighty Slim's stage. How cute.
This week, our own Ron Lieberman brings his own brand of rock to the Cherry Bar (which used to be The Covered Wagon) in San Francisco on Friday, August 12. We've said it before and it bears repeating now....Ron is our hero. Come join us in worshipping at his feet and give his Morgansterns a look-see. They're fine fellas from L.A. and they make a heck of a racket.
The week following, three-fourths of Recliner will be boozing it up for charity on the 17th guest bartending at Elixir in San Francisco. Our own Ward Evans will be off running a fact finding mission in the great midwest states of the USA. And if he comes back to tell us Bud Light is not so bad, and gee I'm getting to like Nickelback, and boy, I can see where The President might have been right about a few things... we're never letting him out of the state again. What the hell am I talking about? Just come out to Elixir. Drink some good beer. And feel better about yourself in the morning.
Lastly, we'll be rounding out the month with a little intimate show at the Edinburgh Castle with our good friends We Are Invisible. So as you see, Recliner is indeed quite visible this month. So stop by. Say hi.
August 1, 2005 - Upon second listen
It's been a few weeks now since our recording sessions ended, and upon further listen, we're scrapping what we have. We obviously drank too much tequila, and somebody forgot to tell Kevin we weren't playing "every" song a half step down. Just kidding. Everybody's just as excited, if not more, about the new recordings. We could probably split the songs into two camps. The balls to the walls rockers. And the more introspective, but no less Recliner-sounding mellower tunes. Again, tequila can do that to you. We're itching to get in and twiddle some more dials with Aaron and get this thing mixed. Still deciding on an album title. The top contender: The Mollusk. Or maybe not.On a side note, Kevin's been busy practicing for his upcoming drum debut with We Are Invisible this week. Word is, he's scared shitless. 7+ years since the last live show playing drums will do that to you. More on that once we see how he does.
July 11, 2005 - A Year in 4 Days
3 a.m. we close the door to Tiny Telephone and head home. We've crammed a years worth of recording into four days. Well, at least it feels like that this morning. We get to leave with some pretty cool sounding rough mixes Aaron made us. And waddya know? They sound like real songs. Like somebody who knew what they were doin' went and recorded. Our final day we had our friends the Hill sisters (Jen and Rebecca) lay down some fine vocal harmonies, and the esteemed Greg Jones made like Emily and blew. Come on people! It's a hurricane reference. He was playing the trumpet.So exhausted and happy, we head home from another great time in the studio and agonize over the time in between until we can get back in and mix.
July 9, 2005 - Overdub-ilicious
Third day in the studio and we're onto the overdubs. So we laid down all the basic tracks the past two days and even had our friend Bobby Lucero come in and do some fancy frettin' over Masuki Jones. Today our friend Jen Hill came in and laid down some fat bassoon on a few tracks. And the fifth Recliner, Ron Lieberman, flew up from LA to finish out the sessions with us. Ron also plays The Morgansterns in L.A. We worship Ron's feet. And at his feet too. It's exciting to hear the songs coming to life. It's sometimes hard to tell if a song's going to be any good until you really give it a little TLC. Or is it THC?July 7 - Let the Patron, err Recording Begin
It's the first day in the studio and the band is sounding good. We're laying down all the basic tracks today and it's going surprisingly fast. We're basically playing live in the studio then we go back and do our harmonies, add a boatload of guitars and anything else we can think of to flesh out the songs. Our awesome engineer and friend Aaron Prellwitz, who was with us for Make a Friend is back at the helm this time around. We can't say enough good things about Aaron. The man is the Tasmanian devil of engineers and he gets a pretty mean drum tone. Tiny Telephone, owned by the esteemed John Vanderslice, has more gear than the last time we were in. Crazy PA heads turned into load roaring amps, new EQs and Pres and things that go way over our heads. But we're using 'em. And we're liking the way they sound.July 28, 2005 - The Hemlock and Free Pudding
Played the Hemlock Tavern last night with our label mates We Are Invisible. Good show. Some new tunes, of which I forget the majority of lyrics for. No matter, you couldn't hear a word I was saying. I'd be amused to hear it back and hear a snapshot of what was going through my mind at that point after a few technical difficulties. Seems I can't get through a show without the power going out or a string breaking, or my pants falling down or some- thing within the first two songs. And of course it also feels like an eternity although was told it wasn't so bad.So we get to the club, and their handing out pudding in the alley to some homeless looking people. I'm imagining there was a little Methedone handed out as well. So of course I helped myself.
4/15/05 - Recording Date Set
So it's an affirmative. We go into the studio in July. Tiny Telephone's the place. Now, we gotta get cranking on new songs. We've probably got 5 or 6 solid tunes ready to go, with another 5 or 6 half-baked things. Stay tuned for more on that.3/24/05 - The Kings
Holy shit. The Kings of Leon smoked the house this past Friday at the Great American Music Hall. Very inspiring, and humbling at the same time. Ah, youth and young manhood. Or something like that. Saw them again opening for U2, and what a difference a small hall makes. Sooo much better at the Great American. Can't imagine that opening slot does anything for them with the kind of sound they got that night. I hope for their own sake it's not like that everywhere they go. Bunch of people scratching their heads going "what the hell is this?" Still, if U2 comes calling, do you worry about the sound? I guess not.January 21, 2005 - Final Countdown
T-minus five days and counting before the big CD Release Party. We're busy getting everything ready for the big push, so don't be too surprised if we don't answer your drunk phone calls for a while. We're gearing up with some cool videos, downloads, pictures, artwork. And music. Stay tuned for a whole lot of new stuff to appear on the site. We'll have some samples of some songs up shortly in case you're not there on Friday to hear them first hand.We've also been practicing as best as Recliner can practice for the big show, and have a few surprises in order. Hope to see you at the show.
January 10, 2005 - New Music
We started out the new year the way you should. With a fist full of dollars from returned Xmas gifts we made a trip down to the local record shop, and began trolling for used (but new) CDs. One of my personal favorite activities. Also made a trip online for some downloads...and that's when it struck us. How ungratifying an experience it is to download a bunch of tracks, and not have a package to open, or liner notes to read, or artwork to peruse. Aside from the fidelity issues, that's my biggest beef with digital distribution.Don't get me wrong. The introduction of iTunes, Rhapsody, and all the others, was probably one of the biggest things to happen to the music industry this side of the Spice Girls. But wasn't one of the appeals of music the whole visceral experience that went along with it...and yes, that includes ogling Posh Spice (my particular favorite). The music wasn't the same without it.
It struck us, why not provide some digital downloads with artwork and things for the folks that buy their music online (which is fine by us). So, suddenly we had our first new year's resolution. Get the people something to ogle, damnit! As you read this, we've employed our team of graphic designers, illustrators and lyric reprinters to come up with a solution. So stay tuned for further developments on that. We only pay these guys with our groupie leftovers, so there isn't a whole lot of incentive to work, really. But we've got some shows coming up, so we'll get it done sooner than later.
