The Western Front

2011-05-09T16:10:00.000-07:00

- very, very excited for this show -

it's nice out

2010-12-23T09:29:00.000-08:00

i'm not sure where you are, but i'm in iowa city, and 31 degrees really does feel nice. i even rode my bicycle without my hood up. (always remember, though: 50 degrees, cover your knees.)

we're playing a show next tuesday with our super good friends Dewi Sant. it's a good post-christmas event, because we get to see so many friends that we haven't seen in a while. our boy Thomas "the Magic Bus" Ruble will be there, and we can't wait to hear him tear it up on any of the thirty instruments that he plays. nobody knows it yet, but the whole show is going to turn into a big free for all with no clear delineation between bands or members. so bring your burning man pants, because shit's gonna get collective.

it's also a tour kickoff show, of sorts. dewi sant is hitting the road the following week, and miss mannix and davidearl are as excited as little kids on christmas to be going along.

peace.

Hallowe'en

2010-10-27T11:35:00.000-07:00

Hola hermanos y hermanas!!!

Come hang out with us at the Mill on Sunday. We guaran-damn-tee a fun time for all.

Here comes another one, licking the dust

2010-09-04T17:26:00.000-07:00

A show!

2010-08-19T15:11:00.000-07:00

Tour Update Numero the Fourth

2010-07-16T16:45:00.000-07:00

Not Here For a Long Time; Here For a Good Time
Vol. IV

Oh, hi. Today's installment finds the band in Lincoln, Nebraska. We're at (surprise) a coffee shop. Sarah "Meat Mouth" Mannix ate a veggie burrito; we're not sure what to make of that.

So it turns out that Bozeman, MT is a really great town. Nice people, nice music stores, and nice breakfast cafes make for a pleasant experience in the middle of nowhere. We played a set at a cool venue called the Zebra Lounge. Here are a couple of songs that you probably haven't heard:

The Western Front - Untitled New Song
The Wandering Bears - Never Far Away (Jack White cover)

We had a couple of days off before our Denver show, so we put on our hippy hats, bought a bunch of patchouli and granola, and drove to Rocky Mountain National Park. It wouldn't be a drive without a flat tire though, and the universe obliged; we blew the other trailer tire in the middle of nowhere, Wyoming.

On the bright side, our 250 mile drive to buy a new tire afforded us an excellent opportunity to see Wyoming's pretty countryside.

If any of ya'll are in need of road cases for your gear (or jackstands for your trailer), we have indisputable proof that David Earl's custom cases are bulletproof:

We finally made it to RMNP the next day, and once again met up with Michael May the Fast Driver. We pitched our tents at the Long's Peak trailhead campground and hiked up to the site of an old mine, where things got pretty interesting and colorful.

(On a sidenote, Dale's Pale Ale is the best beer in the world. If you don't agree, you're wrong.)

We played the next day in Denver, at Backforty Presents. It was pretty rad; we had an excellent dinner of pesto pasta and Dale's, followed by a lively (if not pared down) set. We met an amazing band from Minneapolis (mostly), called Spirits of the Red City. Besides being nice folks, they sound absolutely amazing. Check it out. Kevin BackForty was kind enough to film some of our performance, here are a couple of vids:

peace.
love.
vogt dig for kloppervok.

Tour Update Number Tres

2010-07-09T17:15:00.000-07:00

Not Here For a Long Time; Here For a Good Time
Vol. III

(I usually don't, but I'm going with the Oxford comma today.)

Hola, amigos. It's been so long--where do we start? Since Sam doesn't know how to work the internets very good, I suppose I'll fill in some of her story with some pictures.

This is what happens when you buy a van equipped with tires that are severely under-rated:

Epic fail. Don't try this at home. Changing the tire would not have been that bad, if not for the sparrow-sized horseflies cruising around eastern Texas.

After a surprisingly good show in Lubbock, we rolled up to Amarillo. I'm always surprised/disappointed by the sour faces some people make when we talk about Texas--especially when most of them have never visited. Take our word: Texas is one of the greatest places in the country; you will not meet friendlier folks anywhere else. (coming from a bunch of Iowans, that says a lot) We stayed with our good friends Tiffany and Louie and, as usual, had a grand ol' time. We sat in lawnchairs, we played with dogs, we grilled, we slip-n-slided, and we even played a show.

After TX, we headed up to Albuquerque, NM for a show with our friends Jon and Nick. We would have liked to stay longer, but we elected to do the bulk of our drive to San Diego overnight. While this plan sounded good on paper, it ended up putting us in the California desert at about 11:00 the next day--it certainly wasn't cold. It made our arrival in San Diego that much nicer, though. The ocean breeze was a welcome respite.

We were all happy to hang out with the greatest Labrador in the world: Huxley H. Huxtable. He is 120 lbs. of pure love.

We picked up an additional traveller in San Diego, our good friend Michael May. He usually tours with us, but he was only able to tag along for a week this year. A good time was had by all.

Long van rides are guaranteed to be more fun (if not louder) with Michael in the van. The drive north to LA was a boisterous affair, to be sure. We played the Hotel Cafe in Hollywood, going on after a great set by Philly homeboys Dr. Dog. We headed out of the city that night, and started our trek north to the bay area.

We played a sweet show in Oakland at a warehouse dubbed Ghost Town Gallery. (actually, I'm probably not supposed to say that in print, but somebody that lived there stole Drew's iPod, so screw it.) We were in Oaktown all weekend, and played an acoustic 4th of July show on Sunday. It was a surreal, weird, fun time.

David flew out of Oakland that night to fly to DC for a client meeting (he has a secret identity as a computer nerd). The rest of the gang went camping in northern California. Can you guess who had a better time?

The tribe picked up David Earl in Portland; from there we drove to Seattle to drop Michael May the Male Dancer off at the train station. We took our sweet time and went swimming in a river north of PDX. Michael May the Part Time Nudist was in rare form. A good time was had by all.

peace.
love.
fleetwood mac.

Tour Update Numero One

2010-06-22T15:29:00.000-07:00

Not Here For a Long Time; Here For a Good Time

Vol. I

oh, hi.

I drank too much caffeine and the internet connection at the cafe is not very good so I can't maintain an SSH connection so I can't do any actual work because somehow people think it's ok to load four youtube videos at once on a public wifi connection and someone needs to tell these fools what's what and now I have nothing to do so I guess I'll write a blog post and i guess this is it and wow, what a long sentence.

ok.

we're in OK, just south of Toby Keith's home. we ate at Taco Cabana yesterday and had $1.50 margaritas (after spending five minutes waiting for the cashier to convince himself of the validity of our chintzy looking temporary IDs (thanks, Iowa, for instituting a ridiculous 30 day waiting period on IDs. that'll stop the terror)). it was mucho goodo.

shows have been great. last weekend we formed a supergroup of sorts and played a wedding reception. the western front + the wandering bears + the vagabonds = ROCKnROLL.

The show was at Liberty Hall in Lawrence, KS. After playing, we stormed the dance floor and made James Brown proud.

We were in Missouri before that, and were lucky/thankful to play the Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center and see our good friend Mark Sarich. Everyone there was busy with the Lemp's latest endeavor, Orchestrating Diversity. This summer, around 20 St. Louis highschool students are spending 8:30-3:00 five days a week at the Lemp, participating in an orchestral music program. We were fortunate to sit in on a morning session; it was inspiring to see the work being done.

We had grand plans to leave early yesterday and get some work done during the afternoon, but that fell apart when our trailer tire blew out. The repair involved two trips back into town, a rotten log used as a makeshift ramp, and an amplifier case used as a jackstand to support the trailer in the absence of the van's hitch. Everyone got sunburnt. We were thankful for the timing and location of the failure, which could have been much, much worse.

Current CD favorites in the van:

Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Dr. Dog - Easy Beat
Vampire Weekend - Contra
Fleetwood Mac - umm, everything.

laters, players.

The Western Front / The Wandering Bears - Summer Tour 2010

2010-06-17T08:52:00.000-07:00

Hey Folks - come see us out West / South:

Jun 15 - The Mill, Iowa City, IA
Jun 16 - LEMP Arts, St. Louis, MO
Jun 17 - The Riot Room, Kansas City, KS
Jun 20 - Cesspool Castle, Joplin, MO
Jun 21 - Bill and Dee's, Norman, OK
Jun 22 - Headhunters, Austin, TX
Jun 23 - Bash's, Lubbock, TX
Jun 25 - 806 Lounge, Amarillo, TX
Jun 26 - Amped Performance Center, Albuquerque, NM
Jun 30 - The Hotel Cafe, Los Angeles, CA
Jul 1 - Plea For Peace Center, Stockton, CA
Jul 2 - Ghost Town Gallery, Oakland, CA
Jul 3 - Kaleidoscope Free Speech Zone, San Francisco, CA
Jul 7 - tba, Seattle, WA
Jul 9 - tba, Bozeman, MT
Jul 11 - The Perk, Billings, MT
Jul 13 - BackForty Presents, Denver, CO
Jul 14 - Lion's Den, Denver, CO
Jul 16 - Knickerbockers, Lincoln, NE

Every one of these shows is with The Wandering Bears

Those Bears

2010-04-06T21:18:00.000-07:00

Something of this proportion is certainly worth mentioning - our sister group over there, The Wandering Bears, have released a smacking of songs, 8 of them - you could almost call that a full length. Let's not.

In conjunction with this is the debut of a beautiful new web space, thewanderingbears.com. It is here where you can listen to and download all 8 songs. Here here, there.

from missionfreak.com:

David just told me I’ll “shit my pants” after hearing the new songs. (My bowels certainly could drop — I am rather intoxicated right now).

mission creek 2010

2010-03-04T11:58:00.001-08:00

...with a tip of the hat to Johnny La and his puzzling penchant for parallel lines.

Look, gonna show you a show

2010-02-23T14:59:00.000-08:00

This is most excellent, friends and friends.

We are happy to announce that we will be performing as part of the annual Mission Creek Music Festival here in early April. The details are as follows:

Friday, April 2nd
The Blue Moose Tap House, Iowa City, IA
doors: 8pm
show: 9pm
tickets: 8 bucks in advance, 10 at the door
19+
performing with: Little Dragon, The Envy Corps, Porno Galactica

Mmm, HELL YES, you know this is the first TWF show in Iowa City since last August?

Also, our sister project The Wandering Bears will also be participating in this year's Mission Creek. Travel to The Mill on Wednesday, March 31 to see us perform with The Daredevil Christopher Wrigh t, Brighton MA, and The New Bodies.

The Recording is not the Song.

2010-02-15T14:23:00.000-08:00

So there's this Blind Pilot song, "The Story I Heard", that just floors me every time I listen to it. While listening to the album today, it occurred to me how much I prefer the Daytrotter version. Pondering it for a while, I was reminded of a discussion in the Dewi Sant van that happened somewhere between LA and Portland. The conversation floated around, skirting many different subjects, and somewhere along the line it touched on the discrepancy between the recorded version of a song and the live version. More than one person expressed the disappointment they felt when listening to a band perform live and it didn't sound like the recording. I didn't have words to express it at the moment, but something about that didn't sit well with me.

I can remember a time, in my high-school pop-punk days, when the greatest compliment a fan could give was that "you guys sound just like the album." In this age of AutoTune, time correction, and sound replacement, I suppose that actually is quite a compliment for many bands. It certainly was for us at the time--it was tantamount to saying "you guys are not a fabrication." And for a long time, this sentiment remained; the goal, whenever performing, was to reproduce, as precisely as possible, the recorded song.

Somewhere along the line that all changed. It's hard to pinpoint discrete moments of mental shift, but if I had to venture a guess, everything probably changed with my discovery of jazz--specifically, bop (and later, Free Jazz). To a jazz quartet, the concept of a song was much more transcendent . To quote Ornette Coleman:

I don't know how it's going to sound before I play it any more than anybody else does, so how can we talk about it before I play it?

A song existed only in the moment it was performed. Improvisation was not just a novel tool to be used to spice up a tired guitar solo; improvisation was the thing itself--it was the interaction between performers. The music became the medium through which a listener might listen in on a conversation between musicians. The Song was what the band was talking about.

To paraphrase Korzybski, "the recording is not the Song." It's easy to lose sight of the fact that recordings are a relatively new cultural artifact. Before the advent of electro-mechanically reproduced sound, the concept of Song was drastically different from what we're currently accustomed to. A Song was not something that existed as a singular entity. A Song did not fit tidily on your shelf or hard drive. A Song was a more ethereal thing--a thing that existed outside of space and time in a sort of meta-musical Hilbert space. Once in a while, if the conditions were right, the Song might decide to materialize in local Euclidean space-time. It existed then and there, in that moment, ineffably bringing together performer and listener.

But heretofore, the whole course of music, from its first day to this, has been along the line of making it the expression of soul states; in other words, of pouring into it soul. Wagner, representing the climax of this movement, declared again and again, "I will not write even one measure of music that is not thoroughly sincere."

When a mother can turn on the phonograph with the same ease that she applies to the electric light, will she croon her baby to slumber with sweet lullabys, or will the infant be put to sleep by machinery?

- John Phillip Sousa, "The Menace of Mechanical Music," 1906

While Sousa's essay is a bit over-dramatic (as befitting his music), he recognized very presciently the dehumanizing effect of recorded music. He saw that as mechanical recordings replaced the folk pastime of music making, something important would be lost. This, however, is not to say that recordings are a Bad Thing--that would be short-sighted.

Even as I write this, I'm listening to recordings. Raheem DeVaughn, Caroline Smith and the Good Night Sleeps, The Tallest Man on Earth, Lil Wayne--all of this music is floating around me. I remind myself, though, that these recordings are not the songs themselves. That would make as much sense as saying that my 8th grade class portrait embodies who I am, right now, at this moment. That wallet sized photo is no more than a visual recording of who I was. To recognize that a recording is no more than a snapshot of a Song at a particular place and time: this, I think, is the important insight.

The Blind Pilot recording that I prefer exists only because of a broken acoustic guitar string and an electric guitar that happened to be lying around. The specific circumstances of the session are now archived in that recording. Like a Polaroid of a perfect day spent sailing the azure water off North Bimini, a song can remind us of the sublime moments in life. But just as fixating on a photo of a former-lover can distract from what is right in front of you, considering a recording as the Song itself limits one's access to the infinite potential contained within.

laguna beach brunch

2010-01-19T15:34:00.000-08:00

So our good friend Arlen (of Caroline Smith and the Good Night Sleeps and Cloud Cult) asked me to go on tour with one of his bands, Dewi Sant. Their bass player backed out at the last minute, and I was the first vagabond he thought of. Tour has been absolutely beautiful. I'm sure I'll be singing a different tune next week when we're cold again, but right now, in southern California, I can't imagine feeling happier. I'm going to petition the rest of the band to move here as soon as possible.

Our present hostess, Elizabeth, made us some mean blueberry coffee cake for breakfast. We should probably be leaving for our show in LA right now, but not before I make us a late brunch. The following recipe is the result of things found in a fridge in a beautiful home at the top of a big hill in Laguna Beach:

Uova alla Puttanesca

note: Measuring is for suckers. All given metrics are completely arbitrary guesses.

1 Dozen large eggs
Heavy Cream (or Half and Half or Milk)
1 Sweet Bell Pepper
2/3 Red Onion
4-5 cloves garlic
2-3 Tbsp. Capers
1/2 lemon
Cayenne Pepper
Oregeno
Salt
Pepper

Heat some olive oil in a large skillet under medium heat. Mince the garlic (tip: first slice the cloves really thin, then add some salt--this will act as an abrasive to aid in mincing). Fry the garlic for a few minutes (add enough oil to keep the garlic from caramelizing and congealing). Turn the heat up to medium-high and add the onion; cook for a few minutes before adding the bell pepper. Squeeze the lemon juice into the skillet. Cook for a few minutes and add the capers. Salt, pepper, cayenne, and oregeno to taste.

In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and about 1/4 cup of cream/milk. When you're tired of whisking, whisk for another minute or two.

When the veggies are cooked to your desired tenderness, turn the heat up to high and add the eggs. Stir regularly to evenly scramble the eggs.

Serve.

rusty old dusties: 2

2009-12-17T00:06:00.000-08:00

9.29.2006

Rusty dusties

2009-12-07T21:54:00.000-08:00

Recently I resurrected an old PC, looks like the Terminator all ripped up. I got the dusty thing going and found quite the time capsule. Old pictures, old writing [god I was dumb, good thing I've learned all my lessons [sic]], and tons of old TWF goof. This old flier is from 2006. 3.5 years ago. Elderly brats.

And, yeah, do I remember anything from this show? Who knows? I think we knew one of the guys in North Atlantic, maybe from Tokyo Rose. There is definitely footage from this show on Youtube somewhere, not of us. That's a lot of bands, must have been a long show.

a pound of cure

2009-12-01T16:25:00.000-08:00

Hi, my name is David and I'm addicted to never backing up my files.

(now you say: "Hi, David!" You're trying to make me feel safe and welcome.)

Hi. It's true. I don't backup files. I suffer from pathological optimism, so I don't see the point in making copies of my work. What's the worst that could happen?

It turns out that the worst that could happen is actually pretty bad. Because of a power surge on my laptop's USB port, I recently lost:

all of the recordings from TWF's last release.
all of the recordings from TWB's last release.
any song idea, sketch or demo recorded in the last year.
a sample library meticulously curated and groomed over the last six years.

Needless to say, I was a little despondent about the melt down. It was bad enough that I couldn't even pick up a musical instrument or launch Ableton Live for over a month. But then, in the midst of my preparations for hari-kari, it came to me. Linux. The Little Operating System that Could. It had saved my ass more than once before--maybe it could save the day again. So I booted up into Ubuntu, plugged in the drive, and the OS recognized it (where Windows had just frozen in protest). I launched a terminal, and after a typed flurry of "ls", "cp", and "sudo mkdir" I had recovered my drive.

Please. Learn from my plight. Friends don't let friends not backup their hard drives.

Nibbles, Stay Off The Counter-Top Vegetable Sizzle

2009-11-21T16:21:00.000-08:00

Nibbles, Stay Off The Counter-Top Vegetable Sizzle

Prep Time: pretty quick
Cook Time: whenever the vegetables taste right, check with fork
Ready In: go!

Servings: if more people come over, double or triple this recipe

Ingredients:

1 red onion
1 green pepper
mushrooms
3 cloves garlic
1 can o'corn
good amount of butter, 3 scoops, dollops
salt, pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese
Nibbles the cat
music

Directions:

Get the skillet, lather it up with butter. Cut up and throw in the green pepper and garlic first. While they're sizzling and cooking, [because you've got the burner going heavy] cut up the mushrooms and onion, throw those in. Put on the Ozark Mountain Daredevils or maybe the Stones. Bust open the can of corn, drain it, and throw in those little yellow beads. Salt and pepper the whole thing, stir it up. Make sure Nibbles the cat is getting on the table when she's not supposed to, or running from one end of the house to the other, a nutjob. Once the vegetables are all tender, lower the heat, spray with Parmesan cheese, and eat it.

charcoal suits.

2009-10-30T14:53:00.000-07:00

Hello boys and girls, hope all is well, wherever you may be. I'm currently at a coffee shop pondering the strange spatial-demographics of Washington, DC. (Actually, just the strangeness of DC in general.) I find myself hovering uneasily in the repulsive equilibrium between the Todd-and-Ashley culture of Georgetown, the awkward suit-and-tie crowd scurrying around Capitol Hill, and the depressing suburban sprawl of the Maryland counties. If you tilt your head just right and lean at precisely the correct angle, it almost feels like you're somewhere normal.

Anyways, I'm posting to let ya'll know about the review of our latest release in this month's Little Village. Check it out here:

It's interesting that they interpreted it as two mini-suites. We certainly didn't frame it that way. That's the beauty of music, I suppose. Something different for every listener.

be well.
twf.

Recipe: 'Don't Forget To Feed the Fish Breakfast'

2009-10-07T22:39:00.000-07:00

This dish was created 10.07.09 in the late hours of the night. It is titled, "Don't Forget To Feed The Fish Breakfast" and is a variation on a traditional "Camper's Breakfast".

Ingredients [these can be omitted as you see fit, ditto with additions. remix, mashup, mashed potatoes, fuck it up and give it a name].

8 red potatoes
half a fat onion
1 bell pepper, any color is great, I happened to use a greenie
3 stalks of green kale - mmmmmmm
salt and pepper
cheese
3 cloves of garlic [or more, garlic is typically great for a human body]
3 eggs

Cut up the potatoes hash brown style and cook them up in a skillet with a little oil. These take the longest to cook, so make sure you get them good and crispy. Add the onion, pepper, kale, salt/pepper, garlic. Mash it all down so it bakes good - when it gets crispy on the bottom, cut it into fourths and flip them over, keep doing this until you get hash browns.

Crack the eggs and droop them over the big hash cookie. When the egg whites are white, sprinkle some cheese over the top to melt. You're done.

Cut it up, dish it out, and watch Twin Peaks while you feast. Then don't forget to feed the fish before you go to bed. They're hungry too.

A Chorky Approved Message

2009-09-12T21:25:00.000-07:00

In completely related news, our better half, The Wandering Bears, have put up 4 songs. They can be downloaded, free[dom] at:

www.thewanderingbears.com

And now to my scheduled post, selected dialogue from Hawk and Dove #1 '97.

Setup: The two characters have just met for the first time, and are driving through town after busting up a dive bar, trying to decide what to listen to.

Hawk: Soooo...You dig Nine Inch Nails?
Dove: Puh-leez. Got any Guns 'n' Roses?
Hawk: Those crypto-fascists? Why don't I just play the Horst Wessel song? I got Incredible String Band, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins...
Dove: I get it -- you're the last hippie.
Hawk: Ouch! Hey, lady -- I got a work ethic! So what's a nice girl like you doing in the Air Force?

And curtain.

Midnight Special: 1975!

2009-09-08T20:29:00.000-07:00

So, I'm watching highlights from the television program, Midnight Special, with this hunk being picked out from the year 1975. I took notes on most of the performances - quick ones. Most of the artists I'd never seen live footage of. Perhaps seek some of these groups out or view some videos.

Natalie Cole - She's a very happy woman. Probably because she's an incredible singer. Excellent keys from the guy in the candy-striped bathrobe.

Barry Manilow - Looks like Methodist church with sequins. But he puts out a very haunting love song.

Rod Stewart - Fucked up animal. Don't stop.

Earth, Wind, and Fire - Crazy musicians in futuristic Elvis suits.

Orleans - Purple pants and great beard, man. Just ask her to dance.

Wolfman Jack - Great jacket.

Ohio Players - Horn section rips it up. If you're wearing sunglasses indoors, chances are you're having a real good time. He holds his double-neck as if he found it in a smoking hole, out in the timber. Excellent stop-motion dance routine mid-song.

Olivia Newton John - Oh, she'll make you fall in love.

Glen Campbell - Everyone should have one country singer friend. It would do well for humanity if we should all know each other so.

Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles - Ray is so into it, as if he's trying to burst free of his skin. Aretha sits there swaying back and forth, showing off her voice.

Minnie Riperton - Word to the wise, if you watch this under the influence of anything, those high notes will put a Tesla coil on your person. Minnie somehow created a perfect world.

KISS - Sweaty, hairy, guys in makeup. This is like Ghost Rider, not good until the realization of the ridiculousness that it is. Superheroes, Challengers of the Unknown. Gene Simmons, so tall, hunkers over the little guy and looks at him like he'd eat his face.

the balkanization of epistemology

2009-08-09T14:31:00.000-07:00

After a summer full of guerilla recording in a humid trailer on dusty back country roads with a fifth of black velvet, we're excited to offer up our newest collection of songs--"The Balkanization of Epistemology". It's full of found sounds, illegal samples and cut up words about life. The wordy title is a tip of the hat to our boy Terrence McKenna:

This balkanization of epistemology: it's sort of like, if you believed in economic theory, thinking that it would be a good idea if everybody printed their own money. And then to the degree that you had vigor for the use of your printing press, you could run off more and more copies of whatever meme you had invested in, and I suppose these things would compete. In your imagination they would compete--but anybody who's studied economics for ten minutes can tell you there's something called Gresham's Law, which is that "bad money drives out good money." And I think it's even more true with ideology. Squirrelly ideas drive out ideas of depth and substance. There's a kind of danger of being gently--without quite noticing what's going on--ushered into a world of increasingly more cartoonlike ontological and epistemological fantasies about what's going on, or what's partially going on.

The songs are available in either MP3 or FLAC format. The links to download them for free are right here:

The Balkanization of Epistemology (MP3)
The Balkanization of Epistemology (FLAC)

If you still believe in paying for music (a tenuous metaphysical concept), you can download the songs right here:

Give it a listen; we're excited to hear your thoughts. Bonus points for remixes and mashups.

conventions

2009-07-31T10:09:00.000-07:00

Dear Band that isn't John Coltrane or Saturday Night Live:

Are you sure you want a saxophone in your band? Yes, we know--it sounds good. Your saxophonist is so talented. But are you sure you want a saxophone in your band? Will yours be the music that transcends ingrained associations? From now on, when we hear a sax, will it be you that we think of, and not every bad 1980s love scene?

Something to consider.

back from RAGBRAI

2009-07-27T16:27:00.000-07:00

From time to time in life, I experience something that restores my faith in the human race, if at least temporarily. Situations in which it seems possible--just maybe--that humanity might not be the long march towards entropy that Nickelback's popularity might suggest. This happened last year at RAGBRAI; it happened again this year.

To wit, Wednesday's leisurely 44 mile ride from Indianola to Chariton. About 2/3 of the way in, we happened past an unassuming farm pond that was slowly accumulating riders. We pulled off, stripped down, and jumped in. The water was cold, murky, and smelled of clay and cow shit. It was perfect.

Some tossed around a nerf football, others practiced their deep-water treading, the majority practiced the time-honored tradition of diving-board one-up-manship. For forty minutes under the hot Iowa sun, we were all eight year olds at the local swimming pool, blithely savoring the taste of life without concern for the number of calories.

This is what RAGBRAI is all about. Enjoying the ride more than the destination. We've already got a Slow Food movement; RAGBRAI is a clarion call for the Slow Life movement. We declare ourselves members.

rabbit dog

2009-07-23T15:05:00.000-07:00

greetings from a random wifi connection in Moravia, IA. the band is currently riding RAGBRAI, an annual bike ride slash beerfest across the state. budweiser in the town square, grilled corn on the cob, and plenty of lycra. we have a show tomorrow night in the IC with Baby Teeth and Porno Galactica--we're excited like eight year olds. ya'll should check it out. we just got back from a month point five on the road playing rock and roll shows and perfecting the art of guerilla recording. we're excited to have our first recordings in far too long tomorrow night at the show--you can download one of the songs (titled Rabbit Dog) right here:

Rabbit Dog

well, the state patrol just shut down the bar; we've got to go find a 30 of Keystone. peace. twf.

Robert Anton Wilson and The Dalai Lama

2009-07-14T15:09:00.000-07:00

I enjoy finding links between seemingly unrelated subjects in the course of my free readings, and found this great nugget courtesy of Robert Anton Wilson [I've just finished his 'Cosmic Trigger' and am almost through The Dalai Lama's autobiography]. When asked "What are the most important lessons you've learned in your long life?", Mr. Wilson replied:

1. They live happiest who have practiced forgiveness.

2. A sense of humor results from perspective. The wider the perspective, the more humor you will perceive.

3. Dogmas kill both intelligence and perception.

4. I don't know what is important art or literature, but I know I prefer science fiction and surrealism to mainstream books, Orson Welles to Elia Kazan, bawdy jokes to ugly news bulletins, and Gene Kelly musicals to Death of a Salesman.

5. The Dalai Lama seems the only religious leader around who isn't at least half crazy.

6. Certitude belongs exclusively to those who look up the answer in only one encyclopedia.

Summer Tour 2009 [six of six]: Wednesday, June 10

2009-06-15T13:15:00.000-07:00

"Campfire Recipes: Indian Food"

Ingredients:

half a bag of potatoes
couple apples
salt, pepper, oil
a campfire
a tiny gas stove
tin foil
1 onion
1 green pepper
1 zucchini
cumin, cayenne pepper, curry powder
1 can of peas and carrots
1 can black beans
little apple cider vinegar

Cut up potatoes and apples. Put them in a big sheet of tin foil. Sprinkle them with salt, pepper, and oil them up. Pour some water from a blue cup over that - a decent amount. Get more tin foil and wrap the whole thing up really good, like a nice pouch. Pull the grill over the fire and put that thing on. Pour on xtra water if it starts to get too crazy.

Then, on a camping stove, sautee the onion and pepper for a bit. Add a can of black beans and some cut-up zucchinni. Then sprinkle cumin, cayenne and curry on there. Mix in a can of peas and carrots. Add some apple cider vinegar.

Put it all together and feed four stinky people.

[consult David Earl about the validity of this recipe. S.C. is optional and beautiful.]

Summer Tour 2009 [six of six]: Tuesday, June 9

2009-06-12T15:55:00.000-07:00

"Country Recording"

We get up late today in the rest stop and make our way - right away - to the furthest we can muster from the clusters of noise honks in a city - to finish recording vocals for The Western Front and Sarah's Wandering Bears. After driving a bit through that rolling green that is the Illinois/Iowa countryside - we find a nice little cut-out off a country road that's off a country road - where the mosquitoes live and there are many green jumpy frogs. I go for a little walk drinking cranberry juice and whiskey on ice - in my shorts and sandals in the bright white sun. Mitch cooks mashed potatoes and corn and I cook up some Minestrone soup - slurp it down then go to the trailer to belt it out for our record. Then Sarah does her business - and by then it's about seven - so we elect to just go sleep at a Wal-mart - find a super one in Dixon, IL [birthplace of Ronald Reagan] and we spend another night getting down in the trailer and looking at vintage nudie mags - a bunch of class acts. I buy an orange, nectarine, 2 kiwi, banana, and a pear - and eat them all at once - sending a jolt through my body.

Tour 2009

2009-05-31T09:55:00.000-07:00

Well hello, all! I'm beaming with self-gratification. Why? Because we're leaving for tour in a week and it is our 6th summer tour in a row! If we hit 10 I will lose it. Here are the dates. If you find yourself crossing paths with this train of insane, come visit.

Tour 2009 - June 5 - July 17
------------

Friday, June 5 - The Mill w. The Wandering Bears, Brighton MA - Iowa City, IA
Saturday, June 6 - Music at The Mall - Keokuk, IA
Thursday, June 11 - Swing State w. The Wandering Bears - Lake Villa, IL
Friday, June 12 - *CANCELLED* The DAAC w. The Wandering Bears - Grand Rapids, MI
Monday, June 15 - The New Way Bar - Ferndale, MI
Tuesday, June 16 - Ramalama Records - Toledo, OH
Wednesday, June 17 - Sadie Rene's w. The Wandering Bears - North Canton, OH
Thursday, June 18 – The CopPunch House w. The Wandering Bears – Kent, OH
Saturday, June 20 - Sugar City w. The Wandering Bears - Buffalo, NY
Monday, June 22 - Boulder Coffee Co. w. The Wandering Bears - Rochester, NY
Tuesday, June 23 - The Dublin Underground w. The Wandering Bears - Albany, NY
Wednesday, June 24 - The Space w. The Wandering Bears, Totally Michael, Prizzy Prizzy Please - Hamden, CT
Tuesday, June 30 - The Garage w. The Wandering Bears - Winston-Salem, NC
Friday, July 3 - Fresh Brewed Coffee House - Myrtle Beach, SC
Saturday, July 4 - The Juggling Gypsy Cafe - Wilmington, NC
Tuesday, July 7 - The Elbow Room w. The Wandering Bears - Columbia, SC
Wednesday, July 8 - Flicker - Athens, GA
Friday, July 10 - Loudhouse Coffee - Greenbrier, TN
Saturday, July 11 - The P and H Cafe w. The Wandering Bears - Memphis, TN
Tuesday, July 14 - *Cancelled* Mead's Coffee Shop w.The Wandering Bears - Wichita, KS
Friday, July 17 - The Lemp Arts Center - St. Louis, MO
Friday, July 24 - The Mill w. Baby Teeth - Iowa City, IA

mission creek 09

2009-04-06T23:55:00.000-07:00

We had a fun time with everyone at the Mission Creek Festival on Saturday. A good time was had by all. We're pretty proud of how many beers we were able to down before an early show. (thanks to dougQ for the shots)

(new) noise

2009-04-06T20:58:00.000-07:00

I'd half-forgotten one of my all-time favorite youtube vids, but I happened to think of it the other night; this live performance of "New Noise" by Refused just floors me every time I watch it:

While watching, I noticed the link over on the side to a cover of the song by some band called Crazy Town; I didn't know who Crazy Town was, but I had a vague notion of them as being a band that would play OzzFest (which, by my admittedly stereotyping logic, gave them a 90% chance of being as-bad-as/worse-than Nickelback). Skeptical, I checked it out:

While watching, I found myself experiencing some strange amalgamation of anger/horror/disgust/sorrow. I think it was mostly sorrow; I felt bad for every kid that had ever heard this pathetic caricature of a monumentally important song (maybe I'm going out on a limb here, but I submit that Refused's "The Shape of Punk to Come" presaged later punk/hardcore music in many of the same ways that Ornette Coleman's "The Shape of Jazz to Come" would influence the avant-garde/free-jazz movement). Reading some of the user comments restored my faith, though; it seemed just about every comment was negative.

I think what disturbed me most about the Crazy Town cover was the manner in which the raw energy of the original had been co-opted and distorted into some sort of steroid-fueled locker room aggression. The rhetorical question "Can I scream" was no longer a statement of rebellion--a rejection of "ugly actions" and "bad paintings", but one of blind rage. I suppose it's this delicate dichotomy that bothers me about contemporary hard-rock/metal. It would be short-sighted to deny that the energy and aggression of punk music never flows from the fount of rage; however, I think that punk/hardcore is more adept at bridling and directing this anger--it is able to give it a name and a direction (in this instance, the targets of institution and complacency). Popular metal, on the other hand, seems perfectly content to conjure this primal energy and allow it to flow where it may. To perform this magical act in the presence of a crowd full of young men and not give it a positive outlet is sheer recklessness.

Of course, the definition of "positive outlet" is a highly contentious proposition. But that's another post altogether...

Aren't You Impressed

2009-03-30T21:35:00.000-07:00

This list is somewhat faulty I see, but nonetheless it turns out we've been around for almost 5 years and have played somewhere around 170 shows.

Feb 18 2009 The Mill w. Sarah Mannix and The Wandering Bears, Caroline Smith and the Good Night Sleeps Iowa City, IA
Nov 11 2008 The Mill Iowa City, IA
Jul 17, 2008 Flipside Ottumwa, IA
Jul 16, 2008 The Vaudeville Mews Des Moines, IA
Jul 14, 2008 Studio Show Centerville, IA
Jul 5, 2008 The Lemp Arts Center St. Louis, MO
Jul 1, 2008 Wonderroot Atlanta, GA
Jun 27, 2008 Spazzatorium Greenville, NC
Jun 25, 2008 The Garage Winston-Salem, NC
Jun 22, 2008 Martin's Downtown Bar and Grill Roanoke, VA
Jun 18, 2008 The Haunt Yonkers, NY
Jun 11, 2008 Sadie Rene's North Canton, OH
Jun 8, 2008 Manifesto! Niles, MI
Jun 7, 2008 Louie's Bar and Rocket Lounge Grand Rapids, MI
Jun 6, 2008 Foundry Hall South Haven, MI
Jun 5, 2008 Darkroom (Equalizer) Chicago, IL
June 4, 2008 Swing State Lake Villa, IL
May 31, 2008 The Reverb Cedar Falls, IA
Apr 27, 2008 The Mill w. Casiotone for the Painfully Alone Iowa City, IA
Apr 3, 2008 The Picador w. Neva Dinova, Headlights, Evangelicals Iowa City, IA
Feb 8, 2008 Flipside Ottumwa, IA
Nov 24, 2007 The Mill Iowa City, IA
Nov 12, 2007 The Picador w. We the Living Iowa City, IA
Aug 30, 2007 The Picador Iowa City, IA
Aug ?, 2007 Swayze's Atlanta, GA
Aug 3, 2007 Fresh Brewed Coffee House Myrtle Beach, VA
Jul 31, 2007 500 W. Marshall Street Richmond, VA
Jul 26, 2007 CN Skate Palace w. Team Goldie Ashton, PA
Jul 23, 2007 Boulder Coffee Rochester, NY
Jul 22, 2007 The California Brew Hause Rochester, NY
Jul 21, 2007 Mohawk Place Buffalo, NY
Jul 17, 2007 Replay Entertainment Exchange Lansing, MI
Jul 16, 2007 DAAC Grand Rapids, MI
Jul 15, 2007 EWL House Wonder Lake, IL
Jul 14, 2007 The Bremen Cafe Milwaukee, WI
Jul 13, 2007 The Depot Coffee House Hopkins, MN
Jul 12, 2007 Farmers Day Jesup, IA
Jul 6, 2007 The Roman Kearney, NE
Jun 30, 2007 Kirby's Beer Store Wichita, KS
Jun 29, 2007 A Church Derby, KS
Jun 22, 2007 The Lemp Arts Center St. Louis, MO
Jun 19, 2007 JJ's Bohemia Chatanooga, TN
Jun 16, 2007 Bella Festa Wilmington, NC
Jun 15, 2007 Fresh Brewed Coffee House Myrtle Beach, SC
Jun 12, 2007 The Clubhouse Greensboro, NC
Jun 9, 2007 Java J's Abingdon, VA
Jun 8, 2007 The Courthouse Cafe Pearisburg, VA
Jun 6, 2007 The V-Club Huntington, WV
Jun 4, 2007 Club 87 Middlefield, OH
Jun 3, 2007 GS360 Warren, MI
Jun 2, 2007 Replay Entertainment Exchange Lansing, MI
May 30, 2007 The Klinic Bar Madison, WI
May 28, 2007 The Toybox Minneapolis, MN
May 26, 2007 The 400 Bar Minneapolis, MN
May 25, 2007 The Dinkytowner Cafe Minneapolis, MN
Apr 7, 2007 The Mill Iowa City, IA
Apr 6, 2007 The Yacht Club Iowa City, IA
Mar 23, 2007 The Mill Iowa City, IA
Feb 24, 2007 The Yacht Club Iowa City, IA
Jan 30, 2007 The Picador w. Cougar Iowa City, IA
Jan 20, 2007 Big Al's Argyle, IA
Jan 12, 2007 The Casbah Ottumwa, IA
Nov 17, 2006 Waverly 4-H Building Waverly, IA
Nov 10, 2006 The Reverb Cedar Falls, IA
Nov 4, 2006 Drake University Des Moines, IA
Oct 28, 2006 Sammy's St. Paul, IA
Sep 29, 2006 The Picador w. The Forecast, Umbrellas, New London Fire Iowa City, IA
Sep 14, 2006 The Picador w. New Atlantic, Wax on Radio Iowa City, IA
Jul 22, 2006 Fat Daddy's Lewisville, TX
Jul 21, 2006 Robotic Labs Odessa, TX
Jul 20, 2006 The Hole Clovis, NM
Jul 19, 2006 The Pod Amarillo, TX
Jul 17, 2006 The Fairgrounds Winfield, KS
Jul 15, 2006 Mike's Tavern Kansas City, MO
Jul 7, 2006 The House of Bricks Des Moines, IA
Jul 1, 2006 Java Joz Crown Point, IN
Jun 30, 2006 Eric's House Detroit, MI
Jun 28, 2006 Mohawk Place Buffalo, NY
Jun 23, 2006 Club Deep Asbury Park, NJ
Jun 21, 2006 Benrubi's Basement Philadelphia, PA
Jun 20, 2006 The Library Chapel Hill, NC
Jun 19, 2006 Fresh Brewed Coffee House Myrtle Beach, SC
Jun 18, 2006 Bella Festa Wilmington, NC
Jun 17, 2006 Studio B Glennville, GA
Jun 16, 2006 The American Legion Hall Tallahassee, FL
Jun 15, 2006 Lil Joes Shreveport, LA
Jun 14, 2006 Super Happy Fun Land Houston, TX
Jun 13, 2006 Headhunters Austin, TX
Jun 10, 2006 The Pod Amarillo, TX
Jun 9, 2006 The American Legion Hall Enid, OK
Jun 8, 2006 Elk's Lodge Winfield, KS
Jun 6, 2006 The Boobie Trap Bar Topeka, KS
Jun 5, 2006 The Eastside Tavern Columbia, MO
Jun 4, 2006 The Lemp Arts Center St. Louis, MO
Jun 3, 2006 The Reverb Cedar Falls, IA
Jun 2, 2006 The House of Bricks Des Moines, IA
May 12, 2006 The Yacht Club Iowa City, IA
Apr 21, 2006 The Waverly 4-H Building Waverly, IA
Apr 8, 2006 The Yacht Club Iowa City, IA
Mar 29, 2006 The Emerald City Ballroom Cedar Rapids, IA
Mar 10, 2006 The House of Bricks w. Andy Zipf Des Moines, IA
Jan 14, 2006 Gabe's Oasis Iowa City, IA
Jan 7, 2006 The Reverb Cedar Falls, IA
Nov 22, 2005 Gabe's Oasis w. The Higher, Tokyo Rose, Small Towns Burn a Little Slower Iowa City, IA
Oct 16, 2005 The Phoenix Arcade Cedar Falls, IA
Aug 15, 2005 The House of Bricks Des Moines, IA
Aug 4, 2005 The Lemp Arts Center St. Louis, MO
Aug 3, 2005 PJ's Manhattan, KS
Aug 2, 2005 The Pod Amarillo, TX
Jul 31, 2005 Sol Arts Center Albuquerque, NM
Jul 29, 2005 The Sante Fe Cafe Fullerton, CA
Jul 26, 2005 The Food Hole Portland, OR
Jul 25, 2005 Solid State Portland, OR
Jul 22, 2005 The MP Tacoma, WA
Jul 21, 2005 3rd Street Pizza McMinnville, OR
Jul 18, 2005 The Trunk Space Phoenix, AZ
Jul 17, 2005 The T-Lounge El Paso, TX
Jul 16, 2005 The Pod Amarillo, TX
Jul 12, 2005 The American Legion Hall Enid, OK
Jul 7, 2005 Farmers Day Jesup, IA
Jul 6, 2005 The Lemp Arts Center St. Louis, MO
Jul 6, 2005 The Muse Nashville, TN
Jul 5, 2005 Ghostown Jonesboro, AR
Jul 2, 2005 Club Atomic Ft. Payne, AL
Jul 1, 2005 Swayze's Atlanta, GA
Jun 30, 2005 The Social Myrtle Beach, SC
Jun 29, 2005 The SKnet Cafe Charlotte, NC
Jun 25, 2005 The Ultrasound Lounge Long Island, NY
Jun 23, 2005 The Scarlet and Grey Cafe w. Team Goldie Columbus, OH
Jun 22, 2005 The Lions Club w. Team Goldie Fraser, MI
Jun 21, 2005 Java Joz Crown Point, IN
Jun 20, 2005 Rock Falls Community Center Rock Falls, IL
Jun 19, 2005 The Warped Tour Milwaukee, WI
Jun 18, 2005 The Triple Rock Minneapolis, MN
Jun 17, 2005 The Reverb Cedar Falls, IA
Jun 16, 2005 The Playground Des Moines, IA
Jun 10, 2005 The House of Bricks w. Small Towns Burn a Little Slower Des Moines, IA
Apr 29, 2005 Mt. Mercy College Cedar Rapids, IA
Apr 9, 2005 The Playground Des Moines, IA
Apr 8, 2005 The Reverb w. Days Like There Cedar Falls, IA
Apr 5, 2005 Pella Memorial Building Pella, IA
Apr 2, 2005 The Phoenix Arcade Cedar Falls, IA
Mar 12, 2005 Quad Cities Live Davenport, IA
Mar 8, 2005 The House of Bricks Des Moines, IA
Feb 19, 2005 The Reverb Cedar Falls, IA
Feb 5, 2005 The Phoenix Arcade Cedar Falls, IA
Jan 15, 2005 The Vaudeville Mews Des Moinse, IA
Jan 8, 2005 The Phoenix Arcade Cedar Falls, IA
Dec 29, 2004 The Reverb w. Four Letter Lie, Small Towns Burn a Little Slower Cedar Falls, IA
Dec 10, 2004 Drake University Des Moines, IA
Nov 18, 2004 The Reverb Cedar Falls, IA
Nov 10, 2004 Gabe's Oasis Iowa City, IA
Nov 9, 2004 The Memorial Building Pella, IA
Oct 16, 2004 The Green Room Iowa City, IA
Oct 6, 2004 Gabe's Oasis w. Lucero Iowa City, IA
Aug 12, 2004 The Reverb Cedar Fallls, IA
Aug 10, 2004 Barn Show Jesup, IA
Jul 28, 2004 B and D's Clarinda, IA
Jul 8, 2004 Farmers Day Jesup, IA
Jul 2, 2004 The Hangout Edinboro, PA
Jun 30, 2004 Saints and Sinners Long Island, NY
Jun 29, 2004 The Phoenix Arcade w. Treephort, The Sloppy Meateaters Cedar Falls, IA
Jun 26, 2004 House Show Hershey, PA
Jun 19, 2004 The Dirt Star w. Cartel Lakeland, FL
Jun 16, 2004 House Show Mobile, AL
Jun 14, 2004 Club Shattered Columbus, MO
Jun 12, 2004 The Lemp Arts Center St. Louis, MO
Jun 11, 2004 SOP's

write gooder questions

2009-02-27T09:22:00.000-08:00

In however many times we've been interviewed as TWF, we've never met an interviewer that was good at what they did. Of all the standard annoying questions that we're asked, the worst is: "so what would you say your influences are?"

From here on out, I'm going to carry a little business card with this URL scrawled on it:

Punch

That's it.

click! click! part I

2009-02-18T04:31:00.000-08:00

If there are any interested parties out there - I recently uploaded Part I of my Nepal adventure pictures to flickr. Begin here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/35596620@N08/3290420912/

"Soul" music

2009-02-14T14:39:00.000-08:00

from Marin Williams' review of Ornette Coleman's album, 'The Shape of Jazz to Come' - published in 'The Jazz Review':

"It is probably impossible for Ornette Coleman to discuss music without sooner or later using the word love and he has said, 'Music is for our feelings. I think jazz should try to express more kinds of feeling than it has up to now.' He knows well, then, the source and reason for his music. He also knows that he does not 'own' it himself, nor 'invent' it, but is responsible to something given to him. As is so necessary with an innovator in the beginning, he is not afraid to play whatever his Muse tells him to play: "I don't know how it's going to sound before I play it any more than anybody else does, so how can we talk about it before I play it."

Do great musicians have the propensity for the creation of great music residing within their individual? Or, are they just better in tune with and able to tap into a universal Muse - translating messages from the metaphysical into musical sound? In other words, does Keith Richards exist as a musical genius from his own side or is his mind just more conducive to being a vehicle for heavenly sound than the average person? Is this musical genius an exclusive ability or do we all have the potential to be conduits for pure soulful tunes?

New mp3s - Live at The Mill 2008.11.11

2008-12-31T11:19:00.001-08:00

Howdy! We've got some new recordings for your listening pleasure. We recorded our last set at The Mill in November; here's an electronic sampling of the noise:

Live at Das Mill

I
II
III
IV
V

that facebook thing

2008-12-29T21:11:00.000-08:00

Well, we've entered the 21st century and set ourselves up on that facebook doohickey. If you're a facebook user, search for The Western Front and become a fan! Holla!

I'm Going to Kathmandu

2008-11-16T19:24:00.000-08:00

Thank you everyone that partied with us on Tuesday. The show was great; we all had a really fun time. We recorded the set, so we should have it up within a few more days. The show, I think, was a really good send-off party for Drew. He flew out of O'Hare on Thursday night, headed for Asia. If everything went according to plan, he should be in Nepal right now, and at the Kopan Monastery within a few days. Send some positive vibes on down the road to him. (The hippiness of that last part was not without a sense of irony.)

Netgear

2008-06-15T13:03:00.000-07:00

I'm posting via a stolen wireless connection. Snap.