Dusting off the old blog.

I just reread everything below. Wow. It's hard to believe all that life happened in the last few years. It's been a pretty tough road. I hope good things are ahead.

Icarus Aquanaut: News Update

Hello everyone. Sorry for the lack of update-age. We have some of that for you now, and we hope to keep you updated on a weekly basis at the very least.

Icarus Aquanaut: 5-piece to 4-piece

This isn't something we report lightly. We've had some lineup changes over the past (almost) 4 years of our existence. Moss was out of our live lineup for more than a year as he attended school in Alabama, finishing out his degree. Shortly thereafter, we found a drummer to fill in temporarily as Chance's life was also turning busy. For a short while there, the live lineup of Icarus Aquanaut was pared down to Seth and Chris (Halloween 2008 FTW). We've had a new drummer, Dave Blackburn, for over a year now. We have made some tremendous progress over the past couple of years on new songwriting, keeping to the generally quirky mixture of styles that we have always had.

It is with this in mind that we let it be known that the talented and beautiful Hananel Mavity will be moving on from Icarus Aquanaut to pursue other things. She has been a great asset to the band, and she will be missed. We will likely be working with her in the future and we wish her well in everything she does!

Recording: Japanese Theocracy

We have a total of 12 songs for this album, as well as a general art concept for it. We expect to do more drum recording this month and begin work on tracking over the next two months. We do not have a release date slated yet--we want this thing to be done and done right. We'll be posting more regularly on the blog as we get more things set in stone for the album.

Shows

For now, we do not have any new shows scheduled. We will likely plan out our summer show schedule at the end of May. We'll be taking a look at a few venues in Tallahassee, the Submarine in Thomasville, and some other shows in the southeast area. If you have any suggestions, feel free to let us know!

Habitual.

I'm trying to get into the habit of writing on this blog. I'm not sure we're even really using it anymore. But i'm using it.
The last few years have been really tough. Ridiculously tough since 2000. There have been a few high points, however; most of them involve music. That said, I can't wait to get the recording of our new album rolling. I feel like this is probably my last shot at making music in any capacity that can legitimately be considered beyond the "hobby" threshold. But these are good songs, so i hope it's a pretty good last shot. Viva la Aquanaut.
--jlm

Top 5 favorite songs. by jlm

I've been thinking alot lately about the ingredients that go into what i bring to the icarus table. Here are my top five favorite songs.
*The Zero 7 song has my favorite lyric from a song: (last verse, 1:37) "Look what a terrible mess that we've made--the sun beats us down as we search for the shade."
*Lists of favorite songs are, of course, subject to small, gradual changes.
*Click to listen to these songs, except "Primrose," which has no online presence... such a shame. (Dan's song is on the whatstudios server. The rest came from youtube.)

1) "Primrose" by Black Eyed Sceva

2) "Vertical Asymptotes" by Dan Warren

3) "Would?" by Alice in Chains

4) "Summertime" by The Sundays

5) "Waiting to Die" by Zero 7

How about the other Aquanauts? Top 5 favorite songs?...

Do I get class credit for this?

This is where I was this past weekend:



It made me remember how much I love making music.
--jlm

September Update

Show Tomorrow at the Warehouse

We will be playing at the Warehouse tomorrow night (Saturday night) with Bit Collector and Fantome. If you are in the area, you will not want to miss this show! We will have good sound as well as a great show planned out for all involved, all for only $5! Grab a beer (or other frosty beverage) from the room next door and sit down (or stand up, or dance) while your ears are lovingly caressed by the sweet sounds emanating from the speakers. If you come early (8ish) you can hang out with the bands in advance.

Limited contest

The first two people that can sound off lyrics from any Icarus Aquanaut original song will receive a free CD at the end of the show. (Lyrics must be more than indefinite articles or the title to a song.)

Debut of new material

We will be debuting two new songs at this show--one as our opener. If you like what you hear, tell us afterwards!

CD Sales: Pay What You Can

We've had our album out for a couple of years now. We'd like you to own it. Pay us what you think it's worth (but do pay something, at least). Feel free to burn a song for a friend, but tell them who we are.

How Icarus Aquanaut Writes A Song

I don't think we've officially documented our songwriting processes for the general public. We've had three years to grow as songwriters and arrangers of material, and almost nine or ten months to grow together in this configuration of the band. A curious person might begin to ask questions of his or herself about how this works for writing new material. "Self," you might inquire, "How do you think Icarus Aquanaut manages to do this, what with five people in the band with different musical tastes?" If you get an answer other than silence or "maybe you should be asking the band that question," perhaps you should skip the show to re-enact one of your own within the confines of your mind (and a strait jacket).

• Lyrics and concept: One of the band's lyrical writers (usually John Moss or Hananel Mavity) brings out one of their inventions for perusal. In almost every case, these songs are constructed with at least the full lyrical content of the song, as well as the general melodic bent of the piece.


• Drop in the parts: A lot of work goes into the construction of a vehicle--the same is true for the construction of a collaborative work in music. In most cases, the original songwriter gives leave for each band member to come up with their own part to the song. For my part, I usually add a bassline, tweak it, and adjust it again before I come away with my part's finished product. As for the singing, we've come up with unspoken and unwritten (and pretty much unofficial) rules: If it sounds good, add it. If it doesn't, don't sing it. Make sure the words are clear. Make sure the parts are defined. Project as much as necessary.


• Arrange the piece: This part takes the most time, as it affects parts and the concept of the song. Oftentimes, the songwriter brings in their work, and leaves with a piece that would not be possible without the rest of the band's input. A recent example would be "Drowning Tomorrow," one of our most complex pieces written yet. John Moss wrote the lyrics and the original concept. We all added our own parts. Then, through different band suggestions, we added a riff beneath the "solo" part of the song. (After all, you're not listening to an Icarus Aquanaut song unless there is some kind of instrumental solo in the song. This is basic science.) This part of the song is written in 6/8, with a riff that encompasses two measures of 6/8 followed by one of 3/8 (in improper notation I suppose it would be written as 15/8). Translation for the non-literate in music: It's hard to play, but fun to listen to. Chris and John later wrote an outro that transitions into an Irish/Celtic-influenced reprisal of the chorus.

There you have it: now you know the work that goes into an Icarus song.

Recording

I know, I know. We said we were going to start recording. Due to interference by this nagging little thing called "real life," we have all had difficulty meeting up in one place to begin recording. We'll make it up to you by blogging the recording process in more detail than we did last time.

Finally, an old picture of Icarus playing outdoors at Railroad Square before we got shut down by the cops:

-seth, IA

August Update

Old Business: Pilates Show

We had a lot of fun at this show a couple of weeks ago. Lots of people showed up to the opening, and we played a few new covers.

New Business: Japanese Theocracy

Your Question for Doctorus Iquanaut: When are you recording Japanese Theocracy?

Japanese Theocracy is the working title for Icarus Aquanaut's next album. If you don't get the joke, see http://www.gunsnroses.us/ and come back later. We plan to release this album this year, or at least record it this year. August is the month we plan to start. We have a couple of songs that are still unlearned, so our starting time will be dependent on how many practices we have this month that the entire band will be present for. However, we have all of the equipment necessary to begin the process (or will within the next week).

Music on Facebook?

Yeah, we tried to put it up on facebook. It's still having difficulty verifying us. However, all of our music is now available for you to stream FREE from our website at www.icarusaquanaut.com. Take a listen and enjoy the sounds from our last album! Just click on the logo for our album on the right side of the page.

And now for something completely different:

Icarus Aquanaut at their first and only acoustic show in Savannah, GA. Debut show with Penelope the classical bass.

Icarus Aquanaut Stretch time, plus Doctorus Iquanaut's Super Math/Physics Answers

Icarus Aquanaut Acoustic show: 7:00 PM on Monday, July 27 (beside Osaka's in Tallahassee)

Icarus Aquanaut is playing an acoustic show at a grand opening for a new pilates center in Tallahassee. That's right--we're not just rocking your face off, we're going to help you control the muscles that control your face. Keep your face on just a little bit longer with Icarus! We'll be playing outdoors near Osaka's in Tallahassee (the center is right beside it) at 7:00 PM on Monday, July 27th. Feel free to drop by--it's a free show, and Penelope will be there!

(Penelope is the bass.)

Doctorus Iquanaut answers your questions

Last week, we asked for questions from our fans to pass on to Doctorus Iquanaut. Here's the first one, from someone who likely expected to stump Doctorus Iquanaut:

---------------
Question:
A bullet is fired through a board 5.0 cm thick in such a way that the bullet's line of motion is perpendicular to the face of the board. The initial speed of the bullet is 350 m/s and it emerges from the other side of the board with a speed of 250 m/s.

(a) Find the acceleration of the bullet as it passes through the board. in meters/ second squared

(b) Find the total time the bullet is in contact with the board.
in seconds

thanks for your help!

--------------

I was told there would be no math. However, we always have a backup plan.

--------------

Answer (courtesy of Chall and Dr. Dan Warren, Ph.D)

This is kind of a tough problem, unless I'm missing an easy way to do
it. I'm guessing by the first question that you can assume the
acceleration is constant. That's a big assumption, but you'll need to
make an assumption about the nature of the acceleration to answer this
question, so it may as well be that one. It's probably reasonable to
do so; it's equivalent to assuming that friction is a constant force.
Now, acceleration is change in speed over time, so if the acceleration
is constant, then it must be the difference in the two speeds given,
over the time. You'll notice, however, that the time it takes to get
through the board is not given. So let's do some calculus.

If acceleration is constant, then velocity must be linear, as velocity
is the antiderivative of acceleration, and the antiderivative of a
constant function is a linear function. That is, v(t) = at + b, where
a and b are constants. We don't know what time it is when the bullet
leaves the board, so call it T. If we assume that the clock is at
zero when the bullet starts going through the board, we have

350 = a(0) + b,

so b = 350, and

250 = aT + b.

To find a we'll have to go up another step. The antiderivative of
velocity is position, i.e. the distance the bullet has traveled
through the board at time t, which is

x(t) = 1/2 a t^2 + bt + c

We assume the clock starts when the bullet hits the board, so c=0. We
already know b= 350, so

x(t) = 1/2 a t^2 + 350 t.

We know also that x(T) = .05, because the bullet goes .05 meters in T
seconds, that is,

.05 = 1/2 a T^2 + 350 T.

To find a and T, we now have two equations and two unknowns:

250 = aT + 350
.05 = 1/2 a T^2 + 350 T

Even this system is a pain to solve, because it's not linear in T, but
I get T = 1/6000 and a = -600000. So the acceleration is -600,000
m/s^2 (negative because it's slowing down, not speeding up), and it
takes 1/6000th of a second to get through the board.

----------------

Next question: Which is better for time travel, Quantum Tunelling or Gravitational Time Dilation?

Answer (courtesy of Gingerbread):
Quantum tunneling.

It is easier to produce results with gravitational time dilation, but the results (at least with current technology) cannot achieve much in the way of real time travel. To go off on a slight tangent from this into the expansion of Einstein's general theory of relativity (in which gravitational time dilation is predicted): in hypothetical scenarios, the closer one travels to the speed of light, the slower time will pass for that individual. This is Einstein's theory of special relativity, and it has been proven. To the individual, this seems like time travel, and to the rest of the universe, this likely seems like time travel as well. However, this method cannot send any individual into the past (at least not any farther back than the point that they leave), and technically, it only preserves the individual in a state until they emerge into normal time. If you're a stickler for definitions, this may as well be time travel since it looks like time travel and feels like time travel, but it is not the ideal method--and neither is gravitational time dilation.

Quantum tunneling is the ideal method to pursue this, but technology is not at any position to make it happen. Until then, we will have to rely on the trusty DeLorean DMC-12, a flux capacitor, and McFly.

-----------------

We've had more discussions about recording this summer/fall, so stay tuned for more. The Icarus music will be up on facebook as soon as facebook verifies our account.

July 2009 Update

July News:

Recording: We're still planning to record another full-length album this summer. Life has gotten in the way of making this easy, but we have approximately twelve songs and an enthusiasm to get this done! We will be working (once again) with Ric Hordinski!

Shows: We are going to make the effort to play approximately two shows per month in local areas, with another show each quarter farther away.

Website: I've updated some things on the website. You can contact us with the e-mail address or phone number on the right--but if you would like to book us, it'd be best to use the Contact Icarus Aquanaut link, and fill out that form. We'll respond within a couple of days!

Ask Doctorus Iquanaut: Doctorus Iquanaut is the collective mind behind everything Icarus Aquanaut plays, says, and does--the combined brain-trust of five people dedicated to giving you the answers you need for everything from music to physics. We will do our best to answer your questions once per week, whether in text or by video. Ask here.

June Recording

We'll start recording our next album in June, and we're all pretty excited about it.  We're doing all of the tracking locally at the Submarine.  After we're done tracking, we'll send the songs off to Ric Hordinski, our producer in Cincinnati.  

Right now, we have about ten or eleven songs (depending on who you ask).  This album definitely has a different flavor than the last album, and I don't have the words to describe what this difference is, yet.  We've responded to feedback from the last album and we're ready to make this thing the best musical experience that we can.

More after these messages.

Icarus Aquanaut with matt.james at the Sub

We're playing a show with matt.james opening at the Submarine.

Saturday, May 9, 8:00 PM, $3 at the door.

You should be there, because it'll be great.

Twitter? I just...

www.twitter.com/icarusaquanaut

 

New Pictures

Got new pictures on our website.

Informacion de Icarus Aquanaut

http://portalternativo.com/banda/Icarus-Aquanaut

Related videos section:  very appropriate for this group of people.

1.  Yngwie Malmsteen

2.  Kansas

3.  Iron Maiden

4.  Kid Icarus (the Nintendo game)

Similar artists:  A bunch of european bands.

Licorice Astronaut

...might be our new name...

Following our extended haitus.

This explains things:

Modular Aquanaut

Hey, Seth here.  Going to try to start updating this on a more regular basis, as well as the rest of our multiple websites.

What's in the news today?  We've got a new drummer:

On top of that, I have a new bass, Stella (most of you have already seen her):

And we've got a band logo:

Other things that are happening:

• Moss is moving back to Thomasville, bringing the Icarus lineup mostly back to its roots.
  
• Dave has been reliably showing up to both practices AND shows.
• We have some new music.
• Actually, we have more music than we have actually learned or practiced.
• The tentative title for our new album is "Japanese Theocracy."
• At this point, we're also looking forward to working on this album with the producer for our last album, Ric Hordinski.
• We've figured out that we can function as Icarus Aquanaut with as few as two members, but one of those two has to be Seth or Hananel, and the other of those two has to be Moss or Chris.  Hence the title of this blog post:  Modular Aquanaut.

So that's that.  What with technology and everything making leaps and bounds for the internet, who knows?  We might start doing video blogs or something.

-Seth

Back where we started...

So, the biggest news is that we seem to have found a new drummer...more on that in a separate post.

The more pressing announcement:

Icarus is playing an original lineup show...Tuesday, December 23, 8pm at The Submarine.

www.thesubmarine.net
www.myspace.com/thesubtville


Chance, Moss, Han, Seth, and myself....just like the good ole days. If you're in or near Tville on that date...please drop in, buy some CD's, and enjoy the show.

That's all for now, thanks.


-chall

And then there were two...

Seth and I are playing a show at The Sub...Nov. 1.

This will probably be the first in a series of experimental shows we'll do in the near future.

Please come out and feel the noise.

-chall

Updates and Shows

OK, well...we're still here.
First item of business: New Lineup

The current lineup looks like this:

Seth Rocken: Bass, Vocals, Thump
Hananel Rockity: Yanni Keyboards, Vocals, Guitar, Harmonica, Tambourine
Chris Rock: Guitar, Piano, Loops


Yep...three piece. Lighter to travel with I guess.


Second item of business: New Shows

The new lineup will debut Saturday, August 23 at The Submarine...8pm.

Assuming we don't rock so hard that we can never play again, more shows to follow.


In the meantime, here's some photos for your entertainment:







-chall

NEWS UPDATE

CD'S ARE HERE!!!

CD Release party...Saturday nite...November 24...@ the Submarine in Thomasville, GA.

John David Cook and The Leftovers and Patrick Morales are also playing.

In other news, our drummer is taking a hiatus due to other commitments that really just don't leave him the necessary time to perform in a band. In the interim, Josh Rocknevious has stepped in to fill the drum throne.

He will make his debut with us at our CD release party this Saturday nite.

Exciting times.

See you this weekend.


-chall

Updates

Just a few quick notes...

As most of you have probably heard by now...David Shaw is our new guitarist. That's right...don't act like you're not jealous. We played a warm up show with him last weekend in Cuthbert, GA...and we'll be making our hometown debut with the new lineup tonite at The Sub...8pm...oh, and did I mention Port City Music will be there also?

CD news...we're really close...we promise...the amount of work that goes into getting a full-blown CD release together is enormous...and when you don't have a full-time staff working on it...it tends to take awhile.

We have a new website up...

www.icarusaquanaut.com

Not much there yet...but we're working on it.

Thanks. See you tonite.

-chall

OK...so for some reason, the Title field is not working. The title of this blog might have been "Ch,Ch,Ch,Ch,Changes"...Might have been...guess we'll never know.

So, we apologize in advance for the lack of news from Lake Icarus...but, honestly we've all been kinda taking a bit of a break. Besides a few great acoustic shows, most of our work lately has been on the upcoming CD release. If you don't know by now, the title of the album is: "What's Left Come Morning". We officially have the cover art...and have a rough design for the rest of the jacket. If you wanna hear a few preview tracks, they're up on the myspace: (www.myspace.com/icarusaquanaut). Currently, the anticipated release date is August 4. Those things are subject to change, so don't hold us to it just yet.

So, now to the hard part:
Before this band had a name, members, or was actually in fact a band...it was more of a "project"...an idea...maybe a dream? Starting about 4 years ago, John Moss and myself would convene in my living room for occasional late-nite writing/recording sessions. These sessions eventually became demos that would eventually morph into a band that would eventually record a real album in a proper studio with one of our musical heros. All of these things happened so fast that it's still hard to believe we played our first show only 7 months ago. A band is a fast-moving, fast-growing thing...and you're never sure what sort of life it will take on, or which way it will travel. This band has certainly gone somewhere that none of us would have ever expected. From Moss and I standing outside the Masquerade in Atlanta after an Eisley show naming the musicians we wanted to work with, to sitting in a Mexican restaurant in Alabaster, Alabama scribbling "Icarus Aquanaut" on a napkin, to playing our first run of shows in December, to going to Ohio in March to make an album, to the present where we sit making decisions concerning artwork for the album, it's been a very fast ride...kinda like "The Scrambler" at the fair...that thing that spins you around in a small car while the whole apparatus is also spinning. The 5 of us have all been hanging on with all we've got...maybe getting dizzy and throwing up a few times on the way, but for the most part it's been a lot of fun and we certainly have NO idea when or where it's gonna stop. The problem with that sort of ride though is that it's not for everyone. Some people prefer the safety of the solid ground underneath them...or maybe they have an aversion to spinning out of control. When one of these people goes ahead, jumps on and gives it their best shot anyway, you have to respect and applaud their efforts. Even if the end result is them getting off early because the spinning is not for them.
That being said, it's with a heavy heart that we bring you this news. John Moss, founding member of Icarus Aquanaut will be getting off the Scrambler. After careful consideration, prayers, and thought, he has decided the solid ground is what he needs in life right now. He will be returning to the University of Montevallo to finish up his English degree that he put on hold to jump on this ride with us. We respect his decision and support him fully in his academic endeavors, though he will be sorely missed.
So, where does that leave us? Currently, as a four-piece. We are still discussing the possibilities...talking to a few people, talking to ourselves, thinking, praying, etc... Sure, it's difficult when a founding member/driving force departs...Sure, Icarus Aquanaut will not be the same band ever again. Was Pink Floyd the same band after Syd Barrett left? How about after Roger Waters left? Of course not...but, the band continued to do amazing, new things regardless...and that's what we plan to do. Whether or not we add another 5th member is yet to be determined. Sure, some names have been kicked around. We're not rushing to any decision at this point. The current plan is that John will play the CD release show with us. Past that, we're just not sure yet. We will keep you updated on any more changes. I encourage everyone to support John and the great things he's gonna do in college and thereafter. It is likely that he will continue to write songs for us...after all, he's one of our favorite songwriters.

Here's what the coming weeks hold:

August 4 - Possible CD Release date. Details TBA.
August 11 - Icarus Aquanaut at Andrew College in Cuthbert, GA
August 18 - Port City Music and Icarus Aquanaut at The Submarine in Thomasville, GA

Peace.

-chall

Updates: Things you need to know

1. MuteMath is on the "Transformers" soundtrack.
2. We have completed the majority of mixing for our album, minus some tweaks on a song or two.
3. We went to Savannah.
4. I have a new 3/4 classical bass. It has taught me that playing it makes it look like I know how to play it. I think the cool factor makes up for the lack of experience on it.
5. While we will not give a solid release date/CD release party date until we have the actual finished product in our hands, we are currently expecting a late July release. (This is, of course, subject to change.)
6. We decided on an album title. After last Friday's contest to determine the name, we decided that we would go with the following: Icarus Aquanaut: The Greatest Hits Collection.

-seth

6 down

So, here's the only two pictures I've taken so far:








Enjoy.
Back to mixing now.

-chall

i own th cosmos now, and my first act as govnor of the cosmos is to abolish th lttr "E"

So hav fun making sntncs without that lttr. Just kidding. You can all use the letter E--it's a good letter. It hasn't done anything to me, so why would i do something so mean as to banish it. E and I are good friends; we go fishing all the time. ... But i did buy the Cosmos. And for only $19.99. Plus tax. We managed to fit it into the suburban, but just barely. I also purchased Dubliners by James Joyce and look forward to reading it in between mixing sessions. Morales took home a copy of Ayn Rand's For the New Intellectual, and Chris bought an awe-inspiring volume concerning the making of the first Star Wars film (episode IV: a New Hope). Also a guitar magazine, a music review magazine, and one sentence fragment. And how could I have written this paragraph without my good friend E?

--JohnLakeMoss

Tuesday

We've got a lot done.

Upsides Down is pretty much done.
Hero is pretty much done.
Of Explaining is pretty much done.
Kite is pretty much done.
Simulacra is pretty much done.
Ghost has been started.

Good progress. We're very happy with what we're hearing.

About to head to Mike's Vintage Guitars.

Holla at us.

-chall

This is what it means to be in a band

So, we get asked a lot: "whats it like? What do ya'll do there?"

Well here's a small list of things that seem to be common to these trips:

We consume large amounts of the following: Ingelhoffer Mustard, Cranberry Juice, Pasta, Quesadillas, Grape Nutz, Kashi, and Graeter's Ice Cream.

It's Hot.

We eat at Chiplotles.

The Thomasville song plays at 830am.

We go back in time.

We goto Kroger.

We sit around the Philosophy table.

We drive to that street that has the Ice Cream shop.

We Skype people.

We go outside and look at the neighbors.

We take lots of pictures.

Moss takes lots of video.

We talk about Sufjan Stevens (not in a pleasant way most of the time).

That's pretty much what it means.


-chall

Olive Oil

So, one day of mixing down.

We finished Hero, Of Explaining, and probably have finished Simulacra.

Amazing progress. This is all sounding real good. Exciting.

So, soon we're gonna venture into town, find a Best Buy, and a coffee shop.

Later, Patrick is gonna cook pasta.

I'll try and get some pics up later.

BTW...Final mix of Of Explaining is up on the Myspace. I would post it here, but I don't know how.

-chall

Does anyone actually read this?

So, Patrick Morales, Moss, and myself set off this morning to return one last time to Cincinnati with the goal of getting this record mixed.

So, what's next?

Lots.

Mastering, artwork, photos, jacket design, printing...etc...

Pending the above items, we're hoping for a July release.

We have Skype...so if anyone knows how to use that and wants to hang out with us...holla. Honestly, I don't know how to use it yet...so if anyone wants to provide any insite, it would be greatly appreciated.

And speaking of Patrick Morales...he's one of our favorite singer-songwriters...go check his stuff:

http://www.myspace.com/extendedplayep

Enjoy.


-chall

On the way...

En route...got out of Cincinnati around 745am.

Damage report is small this time:

1 car battery


That's it. We'll be in the car for the next 12 hours so send us messages.

Photos:

Last nite, Ian, Justine, and Matt W came over for a while:




First Light:




Beds:






Uncle Tom hard at work:




(L to R) Ric, Seth, and Ric listening:




Weird Vox amp that Moss has been using:




THE solo:





One of the places where vocals happen:





Mine and Hananel's guitar junk:





Drums:





The last thing we did today was about 20 minutes of space noise:









Parting shot of the Control Room:

Done

Tracking is DONE!


(pics soon)

It's just the end of the world (of warcraft)

So it seems like we are only hours from the last tracking session on this album. All that'll be left to do after today will be mixing and producing, which got us wondering about what to do with the album artwork. I already know what company will be pressing the CDs for us (I've used them before and they have great PR, do great work, and have great prices), but thus far the actual artwork itself is lacking. One of the ideas was using a Chilean artist that Moss and I both admire greatly. We'll be blogging regularly once we get back after we have these ideas set down on paper...right now I think we need to really just brainstorm and get everything written down that we want to do for the album.

This is really shaping up to be the album that we really wanted it to be. It's hard to believe that nearly a year ago, Hananel and I were invited to come up to JRC's basement studio by Chris and Moss. I've really appreciated the freedom to express what I want to express by what I play or sing. There are parts on this album that I helped come up with, but I wouldn't have made any advances towards that end without the encouragement and support of the rest of the band. In fact, I'd say that without working with these guys extensively over the past few months, most of the ideas I've had regarding anything on this album would have never come to fruition.

Last night, we started up video chats with all sorts of people...Matt Wilkerson...Ian Fritzsche...even Justine Spinoza. We figured out how to conference call, too. If you have a moment during the day, download Skype to your computer and search for the name sethgolden. I'll leave this laptop on most of the day I think, and we'll all be here tonight after we go out to eat to celebrate.

Word.

-seth

states.

...and just in case you were wondering, Matt Wilkerson, the score is now 11-2, and I'm the one who's layin' down the boom hand.

There is no spoon... There is no 3rd movie in the Matrix trilogy...

Last night, we finally accomplished something notable: we made Chris watch The Matrix. It is such a good movie. I really wish they would finish the trilogy and make the third movie. Wouldn't it be wonderful to finally see the Winonaryderchowski siblings complete the story arc? Too bad there isn't a third Matrix movie...

Question:

Has anyone been to The Sub? Is it still there?

-chall

Day 3?

Lots of work is getting done...we're pretty much finished with vocals, a few stray guitar parts left and some atmosphere...and we might have a record tracked.

Here's some pics:


Han cutting vocals:




Moss finally gave in to the peer pressure and did a little tracking with a Vox:




Ric @ work:




Justin Golden (from the band Ellery) is engineering the tracking of a lot of our vocals:




This is where we live:





Earlier we went downtown to a bookstore and scored some print. Right now, Seth is cooking veggie and real burgers, Han is washing dishes, Moss is watching TV, and I'm writing. Tonite is a likely candidate for a film to be watched on. Tomorrow morning we tie up a few loose ends and then have a listening party after lunch to see if it all sounds like we think it does.

At this point it looks like we'll be exiting early Saturday morning.

And yes, I'm still working on the Podcast. The hard part was getting the M4a file out of the Mac, into the PC, and converted to .WAV so it could be edited. Yes, I find it ironic that I had to use my PC to edit the Podcast because the Mac didn't really know how. It's all digital.

-chall

Well, we're not THAT bored

At least, Hananel isn't.


She's discovered Ninety-Nine Nights, a game I have on Xbox 360 that I brought up here. She's been playing it for the past hour I think...I think that makes her a gamer now.

So tonight will be a night of gaming, video watching, and enjoying the cool air provided by our fans.

Chris got many tracks done on guitar. So did John. We've had a productive day. I have not much else to report. Oh, other than quesadillas.

Kicking out the jams

So Hannelore and I kicked out some vocal jams this morning. The best part is that we did a lot of scratch vocals last time that served their purpose far better than we thought they did originally. I'm practically done with vocals. I'm going to punch an extra part (previously unheard by any audience except the Mavity) for "Dreaming with the Upsides Down" that should add a bit of dynamic buildup for the end of the song.

As far as bass goes, I've got a synth bass track to put on "Simulacra." In addition, depending on how things go over the next few days, we might do noise tracks for the same song. We're moving along fairly quickly, almost on a par with the last trip up. I think we got more structure established the last time, so it formed a foundation for us to actually work on some of that this time.

I'm not sure what we're doing for lunch, but my belly says it needs to happen soon.

-seth

Day Two

So, currently, vocals are happening...at least until lunch...then back to guitars.

We went to Indiana last nite. If Moss ever gets on here, I'll let him tell the story.

I think we recorded our first podcast last nite...I still have to edit it though...so maybe we'll have it up tonite.

More later.


-chall

One day done

So...the count for the first day is:

Moss and myself made major ground on the guitar side...lots of keepers today...

Tomorrow, we're gonna split the day...half vocals, half guitar.

At the moment...Seth is cooking us a fine pasta dinner...then, we'll probably go for a drive around town...then possibly watch a film...yeah...the rockstar life.

Don't forget to call the rockline 229-233-4724, and send all donations/carepackages/hate mail/food to:
The Monastery
2601 Stanton Ave.
Cincinnati, OH 45206


Maybe we'll start that Podcast tonite.

-chall

Enough about this recording stuff

We just got done talking to Matt Wilkerson on Skype. By talking, we mean video chat.

So if you want to chat with the whole band, get Skype. Look for my name (sethgolden or Seth Golden) and the whole band will be on later tonight to chat. We may in fact do a philosophy table discussion with everyone that is invited to it.

Plus, here's cool photo editing this Mac does.



If anyone else gets bored, let us know...right now, Hananel and I are the only ones not having to do anything like work or whatever...

-seth

Manic Monday

So...I got keeper tracks on 4 tunes before lunch...Moss is back to work now.

Here's some photos:

Me tracking guitfiddles:







This is what the other folks do while guitars happen:



(seth with his new Mac...I think it runs on Biodiesel)



Moss just started some guitar tracks:




Through these amps:




Uncle Tom:






Seth is trying to video chat on his Mac with the Wilkersons. I have to go see what that means.

-chall

Addition

We have some new additions to the family:












1 Stroup Handmade Guitar
1 Ampeg Amp


Happy Graduation.


-chall

Hello

Hello Kaitlin and Sarah.

Pics cause we're bored

Habanela:





Seth:





Moss:





Chall:





Chance:

(photo not available)



Emily:





So, we are down a member....Chance was not able to join us this trip. We miss him already.

We had Cracker Barrel for lunch and I'm happy about that.

We're somewhere in Tennessee now...Emily predicts that we'll arive at 5:43EST. I hope she's correct.


-chall

Here we go again...

We successfully exited Thomasville around 6am this morning....it's 10am now and we're just North of Atlanta...Moss is driving, Seth is Navigating...I'm writing, and Hannelore is sleeping. Actually, we're all still pretty much asleep (except for Moss hopefully) and don't have much else to say at this point...so we'll provide you with a running update of our soundtrack.

1. Dan Warren mixed CD
2. "Get A Grip" Aerosmith
3. "2.0" Garbage
4. "Absolutions" Muse
5. Best of The Pixies
6. "Heartbreak Station" Cinderella
7. Maylene and the Sons of Disaster II
8. "Abbey Road" The Beatles
9. "Blister Soul" Vigilantes of Love
10. "The Heath McNease Fanclub Meets Tonite" Heath McNease

-chall

Over the river and through the woods...

...to Hordinski's house we go...

We're leaving Sunday morning at 5:30 AM. Same deal as last time....we'll keep everyone updated daily on this blog.

And for your viewing pleasure, a picture from our last show.

On to June?

Alan Parsons has declared April to be officially over. In that case, come to our show Saturday night at The Sub...doors at 9pm. There's someone famous opening for us.

-chall

Not that we had any doubt...

But, here is farther proof that Ben Noethe is important.






Yeah, he drew that on his pants.



-chall

It's official...

We have the album title.

-chall

We've been working on our moves (updated)

John's hair finally grew back out.

And Chris has been working on this move for jumping off of the stage.

Don't act like you aren't impressed...

Here's Chance with a wicked drum solo.

And I've been working on learning guitar to fill in here and there. I like to be versatile.

And here we have Hananel warming up at the piano for one of the slower songs in our set.