back and better than ever.

So, first off, an apology to all of you (so very many) loyal readers: It’s been over two weeks since our last entry, and for that we are sorry. We were being productive, though, getting ready for our show this past Saturday at the Earl, which was a great time for all. Turnout was pretty good despite some fairly serious weather (thanks for coming!), our friends Luigi played a typically rocking and energetic show featuring their new guitarist Jeff Holt, and we debuted three new songs and a killer cover. Luigi and the Watts also introduced our awesome new joint t-shirt design, designed by the unparalleled Harrison Keys, pictured above (the shirt, not Harrison). Solidarity!

Maybe the most excellent thing about the show, though, was the Massachusetts-based opener, Drug Rug, who blew everybody away with their inspired, classic California psych-pop. Everybody thought they were great live, and we’ve all been digging their new record, too. They’re still touring, so check them out if you have a chance. Be aware, though, there’s another band called ‘Drug Rug’ (no kidding), and we don’t know anything about them.

We’ve also been spending a lot of our time setting up a new, super-sophisticated practice space recording rig, capable of recording up to eight tracks of simultaneous audio. It’s no mm1000, but it gets the job done. In case you care, we’re recording to a Sonar system via an old Delta 1010 converter, and running everything through a vintage Soundcraft 400B with a whopping twelve inputs. We’re also lucky enough to be using a small but awesome selection of mics, courtesy of a good friend of the band’s (thanks, Jim!). Everything’s up and running now, but we’re still experimenting with sounds, techniques, soldering, electrocution and whatnot. Here’s a couple of early efforts:

felix (version):

For any of you who’ve seen us play at Dunch or any other low-key venues, you know we love to tone it (way) down sometimes. This is the slow, quiet version of one of our favorites from the last record, recorded live in the space.

the target (epilepsy warning):

This one’s just a demo of a brand-new song idea. Recorded piecemeal by 3/5 of the band, this one went from inspiration to what you hear in about six hours. Impressive? You be the judge. And keep a lookout for more stuff, more often, we promise...