Rabbits Full of Magic

I have always loved Bradford's idea of Virtual 7" releases because it suggests an alternate universe where any band or musician can put out 7" records as often as they want to, as soon as they get some artwork together and get a few songs recorded to their ultimate satisfaction. It's the perfect bite-sized musical snack, fresh and hot and right off the press. Most of these recordings were actually intended to be real 7" but for mostly financial reasons they have not yet manifested in the material cool world. All have been recorded anywhere from a few months ago (Vietkings) to 4 year ago (Tabitha). Enjoy!

Grown-Ups "We Are Grown-Ups and This Is What Grown-Ups Do"
featuring Jack Julie Adam Andrew Megan Lacey

Grown-Ups is an all-star line up that came about when Jack Hines and Julie Elledge were leaving town to get hitched and moved to New York City and live like Grown-Ups and Die Slaughterhaus asked them to record a 7" which hasn't materially manifested yet but you can download it right here. I think we recorded this in 2006 at the second Kiwis house in Oakhurst, a pretty little suburb of Altanta smack inbetween million dollar houses and the ghetto. Jack and Julie enlisted me to play drums and Andrew Nicholson (lead singer of the Kiwis) to record, and we were joined by Megan and Lacey for additional vocals on the main song. Jack and Julie are both Kiwis alumni; Jack was also in the Black Lips and Julie was in Tabitha, The Wet Dreams, Manic Data (with Bradford Cox from Deerhunter), and the Alphabets. Now Jack and Julie Hines, they are performing as Georgiana Starlington in New York city.

So there is obviously alot of musical talent that has gone into this record, and it makes me think of the kind of sound we used to get back in the old days when we all played music together much more often. I think the aesthetic is Beat Happening on mushrooms and weed, cheap wine and rolled cigarettes. Jack wrote and played the guitars and sang the first song and we all joined in and used the ending to get all Mothers Of Invention and do a 60s-style freakout. I still laugh whenever I hear those awesome fucking vocals, it sounds like we found our lead singer underneath a bridge with trains going by over head.

Mammals "Riot Bluejeans"
b/w "Glass Owl"
featuring Justin Josh Paul

The Mammals were Josh and Paul and Justin from Austell, GA, who were all really young kids (19 or so) playing really good garage rock that was jangly and sloppy but still sounded very solid because on some strange level they were a tight band. First time I saw them at the Star Bar they blew me away with their simple 2-guitars-and-drums setup, sloppy on one level, but tapped into some serious shit on another. In "Riot Blue Jeans" Justin has a wonderfully fucked up lead vocal, Paul knocks out a superb go-go dance beat, and Josh steeps the whole thing in surf accents. They came to me to record this for a Die Slaughterhaus release but the label head didn't like the shattering glass that appears throughout this record. The group later did their own recording which sounds even better but I like the dirtiness and noisiness here; it really sounds like a riot. We recorded this and the next 7" in the Swiss House basement, so there were constantly a dozen or so empty bottles of Colt 45, Olde English, Red Lady 21, Mad Dog 20/20, cheap champagne, etc. laying around and ready to smash against the concrete wall for effect and to help in the cleaning up. I really like "Glass Owl" because it sounds like a chainsaw about to cut through your head until the break. On this recording it almost sounds like the Mammals are a noise band instead of a garage band. My fault.

Mammals "Fallopian Fantasy"
b/w "Buttered Grits"
featuring Justin Josh Paul

Sadly I'm not sure if the Mammals are still around. I am glad to have been able to accompany them on their spring East Coast Tour and play theremin with them in Tennessee and New York City. "Fallopian Fantasy" is a pretty amazing performance, from the first inexplicably delayed "sugah-pie" to the laser gun guitar solo that sounds more like welding material than anything else. I am always a sucker for ambient/noise endings too. "Buttered Grits" is fucking seventh heaven to me. Someone may listen to this and think "Man, these people have no idea how to play their instruments" but I think the synchronization is on some kind of telepathic level and in spite of any convention it works and it is wonderful and if you want to hear someone play a 12 bar blues perfectly I'm sure a dozen record companies have already made your wishes come true. I havent told them I'm posting these and I know they were back and forth on if they liked them or not but fuck I think they are really cool recordings and they will never come out so I'm posting them anyways. If you don't like the sound, blame me, cos I recorded them. Btw, I think the Mammals will be in the upcoming >We Fun documentary about the Atlanta scene and all the hip people that do coke in it.

Tabitha
"Old World A"
b/w "Ghost"
featuring Andrew Adam Brent Jack Julie

Tabitha/The Kiwis (they are basically the same group) have been a musical entity for 10 years now, and a recording entity for at least 6, and these recordings are now 4 years old. They never got any respect because they weren't punk rock enough, they only released two records in those ten years (a 7" and a CD), and even after half a dozen years they can still play shows where they end up as opening acts. None of that worries the Kiwis too much, because if you can make such spooky-fun psychedelic rock music in your friend's living room on a 4-track tape machine, not have to leave the house and worry about schedules, an audience, or looking cool, could you really want anything more? "Old World A" is a live favorite that has probably been recorded over a dozen times but this is my favorite session, done live in Julie's folks house in Dunwoody. I always think of Silent Film music, which is a huge influence on my piano style even though I can't play anything that seriously approximates it.

"Ghost" we wrote as "Elevators R Cool" in the first Die Slaughterhaus with then-bass player Cameryn, who was in the Manniquens. We all drank bottles of Robitussin DM, which makes my stomach cringe when I think about it now. But hey, we were stupid 19 year olds. Both of these songs are in the process of being recorded for the Kiwis version of Chinese Democracy (so it may be 17 years until it comes out) entitled Shangri-La, but in the meantime you can download the entire first album, 2003's Beware of Falling Rock, directly from the Kiwis website.

Small Framed Boy "Beach Magic"
b/w "Party Like It's 2012"
featuring Amanda Jennie Adam Nathan

Probably my favorite band that I've been in the past couple of years. We went to Alabama and Tennessee a few times, we never released anything (not while I was in the band), and we often made up about half of the material on the spot. They had already been working together with drummer Erin Santini when I met them and when she left I was asked to take her place. At the time I was listening to alot of Hawkwind (funny, I think I say that alot!) so often our very angular and Yoko-esque material would stretch out into long 10-to-20 minute space rock jams. For that side, I recommend downloading the digital Holy Shit EP.

This is different and while it doesn't have Melissa on it (now in the Kiwis, she was on keys/atmospherics), it is from some rehearsal sessions that are amongst my favorite that I recorded. Both tracks are off-the-cuff improvs and both are unlike what you'd probably hear if you saw us live while we were still playing live. But dammit they're also so twisted and raw and out-of-nowhere that I can't but fall in love with them. Nathan from Tree Creature guest stars on "Party Like It's 2012".

Vietkings "Vagina Faced Man"
b/w "You Me and the Moon"
featuring Kiki Adam Lauren Paul Woody Bradley (Justin, in spirit)

This band might still release a single but I'm not counting on it and we are playing a show on the 29th at Vacation Boutique & Gallery soon so pay attention to these recordings. I have to give huge props to 19-year-old Woody Shortridge for making such kick-ass recordings. He tracked us on a digital 8-track machine and ran it through a reel-to-reel and then he himself came up with the astoundingly-clear-yet-still crunchy-punk rock mix that you hear. Kiki wrote the lyrics and some of the music and we all took it from there. Justin was unfortunately legally restrained from participating in the recording but since he helped write most of these songs his influence is definitely still here. "Vagina Faced Man" makes me proud mostly because of the xylophone, which reminds me of the first Stooges album. "You Me and the Moon" makes me think of Kenneth Anger. God I love Kiki's singing. Recorded at Swiss Studios, home to Omelet. 7" cover designed by Marion Hunt.

More information/recordings with these bands available at MurdochSpace.