Iceage Coming is out, Commute Home is in.  Who wants boring slow songs when you could have non-boring songs with guitar solos?  No one, that's who.  Bring on the solos.  That, and Iceage has no freaking chorus.  Commute Home sure does.
If you want to check out where the title comes from, google "jensen nagle" and check out some awesome art.

Apparently, in guitar player-speak, a new guitar comes with 'case candy' - all the little goodies like the price tag, the extra strings, the user manual, etc, that make your new guitar feel extra special, kinda like those extra awesome people who don't cut the price tags off their hats...so rad.

Anyhow, the case candy for this new ep, orpheus and eurydice, would be the track listing and a little wordy description, track by track (yup, its even sequenced in my head).

1- Orpheus and Eurydice - you have to lead off with the title track sometimes.  This one is about young love and unbreakable promises.  Its also about my young love for los Smashing Pumpkins and their guitar sounds.

2 - The Stars Tonight - a little pop song with a nice, slinky beat.  I like the way all of the parts have their own distinct struts and the way they walk together so nicely.  Also, while there are lots of words, they're lots of true ones.

3 - Am I Asking Too Much? - the oldie of the bunch.  A song that I wrote for Erin when I was trying to convince her that I loved her more than I loved the band that I was in...it was true - I certainly did, and certainly do love her more than the Ents...we were still a decent band, though.

4 - Iceage Coming - I've always wanted to write a country dance in 4/4...too many memories of barely remembering nights at other bands' shows, feeling like every time you left, you were a brand new person.  Walking through autumn leaves straight into a brand new year - the best new records come out with the start of the school year.  The best concerts are in the fall.  Truly, autumn is paradoxically the best time for reinvention.

Upwards and Sidewards.

DM and the GRJ

First, I must apologize for my nonexistant posts to this site.  There have been a whole bunch of hits to the site recently, and I can't help but think that you people must think that I'm a lazy little wanker for not posting anything new in so long, save the updated profile pic and the new quote.

The picture is of E and I on vacation in Greece.  Behind us is the active volcano that two thousand years ago totally destroyed a Minoan outpost on the island of Santorini.  Indirectly, it also ended the entire Minoan civilization.  We hiked to the top of it, smelt the smell of lava bubbling two kilometres under the earth, and hiked back down again for a nice swim in the Caldera Sea.

The quote is from Mr. J. Michael Stipe of REM fame.  Its from an older song called Cuyahoga from a record called Life's Rich Pageant.  Song and record are both worth a spin.  Perhaps, this record is a bit of a touchstone for me right now.  It certainly seems to be getting spun on my record player with regularity, along with the first half of The Moon and Antarctica by Modest Mouse, Neon Bible by Arcade Fire, and the new Pumpkins record, Zeitgeist (so uncool to like, but so good in such an uncool way)

And speaking of records, let's talk about some GRJ tracks.

I have finally hit the end of the tracks that make up the first release of GRJ, called "Call Your Name in the Night"

Here's the tracklist, all having been debuted on this here site:

Sons and Daughters of Suburban Doubt
Good Capital Souls
Great Little Hate
Punk Kids
Stella Maris
Out of the Winter
One Day
Park at Night

If you want a hard copy, I'll burn you one and mail it to you with some original cover art-type stuff.  Just send me your address via this page, and boom, I'll hook you up.

Since we've hit the run of "Call Your Name in the Night", it must be time for a fresh set of tracks.  So, after much delay and doubt, on October 31st (or as we like to say in the GRJ camp, Rocktober 31st), I will be launching the new four song EP titled "Orpheus and Eurydice" (its pronounced or-fee-us and your-id-ih-see - look up the back story).  The photo on the site is the cover art to the hypothetical hard copy, which will be made available, free of charge to those who want it on October 31st - same process as getting "Call Your Name in the Night"

New songs, awesome sounds, a different direction (a little bit) coming your way all on October 31st.  I look forward to polishing these tracks up and shipping them out to the ether.

Other announcements will be released as events materialize.  I'm still here.

Sincerely,
DM and GRJ

I have a good friend named Dr. J.  We've been friends for quite a while, but the lives that we lead have changed quite a bit since when we first met.  Sometimes, the changes have been smooth and easy to navigate; sometimes, we've been a little drifty, a little hard to connect up with.  Lately, it seemed that we had been drifting, but I think now everything's cool.

What we sometimes forget is that when you have a friend, you are friends with them all the time, even when you aren't working well together.  It is always best to remember why and when you are great friends, and where the borders of that friendship's comforts are.  I was confused for a while because I'd transgressed our borders a little, had tried to extend our friendship in a venue where it didn't work so well, tried to hang out in a place where perhaps I wasn't welcome and I didn't realize that J's understanding and capacity for water-under-the-bridge-so-let's-move-it-along was much bigger than the people that we were around.  I wasn't comfortable with these people, and he wasn't comfortable either.  It led to awkwardness for a little while.

But tonight, we took stock in our own way, walking the dogs, listening to awful harmonica jams we recorded a few years ago, still cracking up in the same places as we did on the tape, after how many?  4 years?  something like that.

So I wanted to get this down: I knnow how we work, I know what's good.  I'm relieved that we're still good, no matter how we've changed.  Its good to know that we understand how our lives work together, and how they don't.  I want to remember that.

Alright!

So, as promised, here's the new track.  I'm not sure I like it as much now - its not done, so expect it to be yoinked, prettied up, and thrown back on stage, maybe with like a bass track or something...yeah, a bass.  I left it at school by accident, but I still wanted to post the track.  Something about the follow-through.

Anyone know why things are always so much quieter on myspace than inside my record-o-sphere?  I don't know either, but the export function on Cakewalk must really suck, because what sounds so BIG inside Cakewalk always seems so gutless on myspace. 

Silly mp3s.

Anyhow, enough whining.  Enjoy for now, until I yank it (but then repost it when its done).

D M

Greetings, all

So, things have been pretty quiet around here - crazy month coming up with band festivals (OBA for the 7's and Kiwanis competition for the 8's), but what can you do?

Anyhow, in all of the madness, I've managed to pop out a couple of tunes.  One is a bass line short of being finished, the other is still just a sketch track. 

I gotta say, the new track that's almost done is pretty awesome - I used my new amp and my new mixer and I've finally gotten a drum sound that sounds un-tinny.  There's a bass drum that you can hear, and there are nuances in the cymbals for the first time.  Couple that with it being a little different, a little more stripped down and indie-punk as opposed to indie-pop, I think we're doing well.  Now, don't get me wrong - I am in no way, shape, or form trying to pass myself off as punk.  I'm just trying to say that the guitars sound a little firmer, the tempo's up and the guitar wank factor is way way way down (about 10 seconds worth - so minamalist).  It's the spirit more so than the execution.  That, and I'm kinda in a tough spot in terms of some people and so I'm trying to figure all of that out - man, where would I be without music?

As far as the words go, I'm a little tentative, because I don't really like to talk about myself or my life in very specific terms in my writing.  I'd rather be vague because I'm a conversational pacifist - I don't like to talk shit.  However, sometimes, you have to stand up for yourself, I guess, and I'm not such a good fist-fighter, so a song it is! 

I don't think that whoever hears themselves in this song will want to kill me, but understand that I do see what you do and I don't like it.  So there.  Yeah.  Some tough talk for a blog that no one reads.  Hey, as I said, I'm not such a good fighter.

Luckily, as I'm relistening to the song, it sounds pretty good.

In other news, I'm working with a pretty neat little band called Radio on the Run - we've cut a couple of tunes, one of which they've put up on their myspace: myspace.com/radioontherun.  I certainly do dig their energy, and that odd little Thurston Moore-esque vocal.   Check them out, and you may hear a special guest drummer.

See you on the moon.

D to the M

Well, the day finally came.  I wasn't really sure that I would be able to go through with selling the Marshall, but I did.  That amp and I went through a lot - every single gig I ever played avec les Ents from the terrible first ones through the end ones where we almost got signed and all points in between.  Kinda the end of an era, but I'm ok with that.  You can't hold on to everything and anything just because it reminds you of a time that was great and special.  That would mean that you were looking back instead of forward.

So, what happened, then?  Well, I posted the amp on toronto.craigslist.org and I got a whole bunch of responses, people looking to make a quick buck by buying the amp off me for way less than I asked for it.  Then, these two dudes asked whether they could come check it out for their nephew, who's just starting in a semi-pro band and needs a good amp to help him out.  The kid's 17 and is playing through a little Peavey Rage, like the one I have at school.  They play the amp for a while, and the amp totally does what it does, which is sound brilliant and they knew that if they bought it, they'd be getting a very special amp.  So, they bought it and I had to say good bye to it.  It was sad, but happy - after all, the amp was going to somewhere it was going to be loved and useful and needed.

So what about me, then?  Well, I gave them the head cover for free and went out the next day and spent half the cash on an amp much more my style: a Fender Blues Junior, 15 watts of class 'A' tube power through a Jensen speaker.  It sounds really great in my little studio and great when recorded.  I'll post a new track once the thing is done and you can hear for yourselves.

For the record, I'm still trying to get rid of my Traynor 9X8 cabinet - if you or anyone you know wants a kick-ass 8 ohm cab rated at 150 watts, I've got the one for you - no resonable offer refused.

Life's good past that.  Just trucking along.

Study hard.

    So, I came to a realization over the break.  I spent a lot of time working in the basement with my Telecaster (best guitar ever - a sweet blonde 52 reissue) and my amp.  This amplifier was the hottest thing ever back in my Ents days - so loud and it got that perfect humbucking strat tone, so thick and smooooth.  It is a 50 watt Marshall JCM 800 head.  I'm not sure of the vintage, but it still has the vertical inputs, so early 80's, I'm guessing.

Anyhow, after playing with the Tele and talking to a friend of mine who recently traded guitars I realized that I wasn't doing the Marshall any justice.  I was only using it on the clean channel because its high volume bark is just too too much sound for my little basement.  That, and a Marshall-Tele combination has never been my idea of gold soundz.

Either way, I've decided to somehow trade this amp for another amp - something smaller, less loud, but still all tube and still high end.  I don't want to get some garbagey little practise amp.  I'm thinking of a Fender Deluxe Reverb, Bandmaster, or Bassmaster - a small combo amp.  Maybe even a VOX AC15 if I can find one for inexpensive enough.

Either way, I've listed the amp on craigslist.  I've never sold anything that way before and I'm curious to see how it goes.  I've listed the amp for the price that it goes for on eBay in US dollars - catch a price break, anyone?

If you're interested, or know someone who is interested in an awesome sounding amp, point them to toronto.craigslist.org and have them search "jcm 800".

Also, I'm going to list the speaker enclosure I use with it - a Traynor TS-98.  I'll sell the pair together for $1200 to who ever wants them.  Sold seperately, they'll run you $1400.

Anyhow, all is well otherwise.

Say no to drugs, kids.

DM

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is that time everywhere you read:  Year in Review articles, lists, blah blah blah...so, I thought I'd make mine.  After all, isn't a blog strictly a forum for voicing one's own useless ramblings that only the author cares about?  I think so, so without any further ado, the GRJ Year in Review!

Best Thing Ever:  My house.  Its not a big house, nor is it particularly shmancy.  However, it is mine (and E's and G's) and it has a backyard and a lawn and a roof and a basement where I have my drums and guitars and now a working light fixture.  All in all, it is awesome.  It even came with a wicked neighbourhood (Bloor West or Death) and some pretty awesome neighbours.  Indeed, this year's Best Thing Ever.  No contest.

Music I Heard:  Perhaps it was a slow year for new music that I liked.  I found myself retreating a little into music that I already owned - that's what a mortgage does, kids - it prevents you from buying crap.  However, I can tell you that I did enjoy these records especially: 

Twin Cinema by the New Pornographers - Neko Case has an awesome voice when she isn't doing that dirg-y country stuff.

Apologies to the Queen Mary by Wolf Parade - mostly Spencer Krug's stuff; easily the best two songs of the year - I'll Believe in Anything and Grounds for Divorce.

Crooked Rain Crooked Rain (LA's Desert Origins) by Pavement - sooooooo many B-Sides and early recordings of Wowee Zowee stuff.  Just a fascinating documentary on how music gets made.

The Information by Beck - I know that he's no longer fashionable, but not only was his half full show at the Rico great, but the record has some great sounds and beats on it as well.

Boys and Girls in America by the Hold Steady - Indie 'classic rawk' if such a thing exists.  It reminds me of the Weakerthans except with an American at the mic instead of a Winnipegger.

Honorable Mention: Return to Cookie Mountain by TV on the Radio - I really wanted to like this record more than I actually did.  The production was so fascinating, and there were some great songs on here - Province, A Method, Wash the Day Away, Hours.  However, there is something about this record that makes it exhausting to listen to in one sitting - too much going on or too harsh and digital a sound, maybe.  It just doesn't have that organic sound - a note to all producers: there is no substitute for the sound of speakers pushing air into a microphone.  All the DI boxes in the world can't warm up a song like honest to god air movement.  Mr. Sitek, that one's for you.

Movies I Saw:  Lots of great movies this year, so I'll limit myself to two (maybe three).

The Departed: Far and away the best movie of the year.  I was riveted to the screen, even with two pretty boy actors up there.  Matt Damon, I still don't like you, but Leonardo DiCaprio, you and I are alright.  I thought you got a bad rap from The Beach.  This movie is so well made, tight and beautifully shot.  You have to see it (when you're old enough - it fully deserved its 18A).

Casino Royale: I never liked James Bond - pithy and smug ironic detachment does not make a likable, watchable character in my books.  The new Bond got rid of all that crap and baggage.  Plus, the most realistic drowning scene ever caught on film.

Worst movie trend: the death of the Super Hero movie.  Last year, it was The Fantastic Four.  This year, it was Superman and X-Men 3.  Crap crap crap.  All of it.  What happened?  I think that Hollywood figured out that teenaged boys of all ages will go see anything as long as it came from a comic, no matter how bad it actually is.  Spiderman 3 and the new Batman better be damn good, or we're going to be looking at the death of the whole concept yet again.  If the next Batman has nipples, I'm running out of there screaming.

That's all folks.  Get home safe from whereever you're going tonight.  Walk in pairs, don't take rides, make sure no one walks into oncoming traffic.

This song is special.  It is the first song that I wrote completely in my new house.  Most songs that I record have been around for a while.  Some because they take a long time to write, some because they take a long time to face up to and record.  Recording a song takes a certain amount of comfort, I find, with the material.

This song isn't about my first house, though.  Rather, its about a very good friend of mine and his first house.  He decided to move very far away and I don't get to see him very often.  I often wonder why he decided to move as far away as he did, but I'm sure that he had his reasons.  I miss him, though.  I used to see him all of the time and now I can't help but wonder when I'm going to see him again.  People change, though, grow up and move on.  I'm just not sure which one of us grew up and which one of us moved on.  Who knows.

When I first recorded the bed tracks, I was amazed at their simplicity.  Drums, two electric guitars, one acoustic and some background vocals.  I really liked the simple vibe.  Sometimes, I get a little overdub crazy and it doesn't serve the song.  However, the overdub monster that lives in my brain said there was just one more piece lacking - a lead guitar line.  So, I recorded two lines in harmony off the floor through the Marshall using the telecaster.  When I played the track for E, though, she said that it sounded "too country".  I could tell from her face that this wasn't a good thing.  So I erased them and went back to the drawing board.  Instead of using the Marshall, I used the POD to imitate the sound of my Marshall, only cranked to infinity through two 4x12 cabs.  It started to sound better, but then I went off the deep end.  Three hours and thirty guitar layers later, I realized I was in trouble.  I quickly saved everything and went upstairs for a snack and attempted to think things over.  I came back downstairs ready to chop the whole thing to bits.  On relistening, though, I realized that what I was trying to do was get the sound of a distorted pedal steel guitar.  So, I used a reverse volume pedal effect and recorded three tracks in triads that traced the chord progression.  To that I added a couple of wicked solos (check out the one that runs up the middle during the last 16 bars, mixed way down low - it's hot!), and ta-da, overdub goodness.

Maybe one of these days I should go out a get me a pedal steel guitar.  That, or maybe just a new slide.  I lost mine and I miss playing slide on my Strat - what a sound.  I'd actually gotten pretty good at it, too.  Then, it disappeared just like my harmonica.  For the record, I can play "end of the road" by boys2men on the harmonica.  It makes people cry at the beauty of it.

Where is that harmonica?