Less Antagonism More Christ

What the hell?

This is utter insanity. There should be no problem with a church choosing to open its doors and give kids a pretty-fucking-safe place to go for the night. No one should be getting in trouble, or offended. Not the promoters or the people at the church that let the promoters promote. This isn't a matter of respect or disrespect. It's a matter of context, facts, fun, reaching out, and remembering who it is you claim to follow. I say all of this as a committed believing person.

Bad vibes are from hell. Not rock music.

Smog Sunday

"Back in School" by Smog -

(if someone wants to throw this one up on Youtube, let me know...)

I saw you standing there
With your hand in his hair
And his hand in
Your back pocket
I couldnt help but stare

I wanted to tell you
That I was back in school
But in the dark of the club
I knew it wouldnt carry much weight
Well, I'm trying to learn your language
I'm trying to learn your language

I came to your party empty-handed
I came to your party, uninvited
I came to your party, a headstart on the drinking

I wanted to tell you
That I was back in school
But in the chit-chat, chit-chat chit-back...
Well, I'm trying to learn your language
It's like a fly learning how to bark
I'm trying to learn your language
It's like a fly learning how to bark

That smile on your face
That smile on your face
That smile on your face
I tried to erase
That smile on your face

But a kiss was not the answer
A kiss was not the answer
A drunken kiss was not the answer

Waits Wednesday

Tom Waits' "Soldier's Things" -


Davenports and kettle drums
and swallow tail coats
table cloths and patent leather shoes
bathing suits and bowling balls
and clarinets and rings
and all this radio really
needs is a fuse
a tinker, a tailor
a soldier's things
his rifle, his boots full of rocks
and this one is for bravery
and this one is for me
and everything's a dollar
in this box

Cuff links and hub caps
trophies and paperbacks
it's good transportation
but the brakes aren't so hot
neck tie and boxing gloves
this jackknife is rusted
you can pound that dent out
on the hood
a tinker, a tailor
a soldier's things
his rifle, his boots full of rocks
oh and this one is for bravery
and this one is for me
and everything's a dollar
in this box

New York - My Kinda Town!

Wow, is it good to be back. Our tour was amazing. We met cool people, got kicked out of houses we were staying at, saw doomsday blockbuster movies, ate hot dogs, with meat and without, cut our fingers, watched Los Angeles be unable to handle rain without the power going out, lost red hats and found them again, stayed with our parents, got in car wrecks...

We found used copies of Tom Petty's Full Moon Fever and Soundgarden's Down on the Upside and listened to those fellas insane amounts, for the first time in years. "Switch Opens" by SG and "Face in the Crowd" by TP are SO GOOD. Yeah.


Lyrics and New Songs

Here are the lyrics to one of our songs on Rejoicer, called "Kier".

And spent 2003 missing virginity
crying in Austin's arms to Kevin's alarm
interlocking healing limbs
new pseudonyms
sleepwalking and sicknessing
self-witnessing
to be held just like a kitchen knife, Kier
to unveil and split new seams
things are hatching and opening up
newborn muscles, crisp like leaves
black hole believes, comes back to me
my closest friends: the living dead
drumlessly march over me
lawlessly going home.

We also have lots of new songs coming down the pipeline.

Here's a line from what I think of as our "Everybody Hurts":

Sing under blankets, nestled in the filament, halle.


Here's one from a song about the utter lusciousness of fall:

The gift outside is forming angles and makes self known in shaking trees.


On resurrection, via surf:

Imagining the bodies, rotted and rising.


Some others:

Froze cassettes, cold effects.

You were born in country lanes. I was born to learn your name.

There's something wrong with you. Your skull's see-through.

You do not walk around, because these are walls that you respect.

We're going to start recording a new album or EP or something early next year. Some of these will be on there. Maybe all.



Taking Time to Make a List

We've played three shows thus far on our tour. Four if you count a radio show. We're currently at various exegetical stations, in various states/nation-states.

These are the ten best albums of the 80s. You might not be terribly surprised by the selections. Sometimes when I can't fall asleep, I make this list in my head. This happens fairly frequently.
No order:

REM - Murmurs
Mission of Burma - Vs.
Joy Division - Closer
Tom Waits - Swordfish Trombones
The Smiths - Strangeways, Here We Come
This Heat - Deceit
Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
Public Image Ltd. - Second Edition
The Cure - Pornography

You'll notice there are only 9. I never make it there without falling asleep.

Some bands that start with S (I think this is the most quality letter in the musical alphabet):

Smog
Salena
Smashing Pumpkins
Smiths
Shonen Knife
Suckers
Sisters
Spell Master
Sun Ra (not a band, but still counts)
Slint
Snow (Informer)
Swans
Sean "Puffy" Combs
Surfer Blood
Skeletons
Sonic Youth
Silver Jews
Storm and Stress
Slowdive
Silkworm
(exo) Skill
Saints
Skywave
Sade
Slasher Risk
Supertramp
Supergrass
Shining
George Straight








Tour Dates!

Nov 8 2009 3:00P
Vassar College w/Grass Widow Poughkeepsie, New York
Nov 15 2009 8:00P
Contemporary Space 13 Cincinnati, Ohio
Nov 16 2009 8:00P
Bishop Bar Bloomington, Indiana
Nov 17 2009 8:00P
Record Bar Kansas City, Missouri
Nov 24 2009 8:00P
Vaudeville Mews Des Moines, Iowa
Nov 25 2009 6:00P
WRDP Radio Show at 6pm Chicago, Illinois
Nov 25 2009 8:00P
Ronny’s Chicago, Illinois
Nov 28 2009 8:00P
Project Lodge Madison, Wisconsin
Nov 29 2009 8:00P
Tower 2012 Cleveland, Ohio
Dec 1 2009 8:00P
TBA w/Heavy Cream Nashville, Tennessee
Dec 2 2009 8:00P
Maxine’s Hot Springs, Arkansas
Dec 3 2009 8:00P
Conservatory Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Dec 4 2009 8:00P
Blue Lounge Wichita, Kansas
Dec 5 2009 8:00P
Handsome Kitten Dallas, Texas
Dec 6 2009 8:00P
Mohawk Austin, Texas
Dec 9 2009 8:00P
TBA Tucson, Arizona
Dec 10 2009 8:00P
Silverlake Lounge Los Angeles, California
Dec 11 2009 8:00P
Che Cafe San Diego, California
Dec 15 2009 8:00P
The Hemlock w/ Tempo No Tempo San Francisco, California