3 Victims, One Merdict

The Victims by mikeadams

The Victim - AVB

Pug Life

Here's an example of two things I really like getting together; Joe Pug and Daytrotter.

I met Joe Pug sometime between 2006 and 7 when our mutual friend Jeremy invited him to play at the record shop i owned at the time in our hometown. I was pretty immediately taken with Joe, mostly because he was such a sincerely nice fellow. And when he played his songs at the show, they were also very good. A year or so after that, I tuned into WIUX on my way home from work and heard Joe doing a live session in the studio. I changed course when I heard him playing and headed for the radio station so i could say hello. After the broadcast, Joe and I, along with Joe's friend and tour manager Ian headed over to the waffle house for a bite to eat. It was a real nice dinner, and I had a great time time chatting with those guys. So, that's the biography of Me and Joe Pug.

There are a few things i like about Joe's music. For one, he's a great guitar player. I kind of image Joe playing the guitar kind of like my buddy Frank plays the guitar. Not that they're SRV or anything, but I get the feeling that both of these guys are crafty guitar players because they do it all the time. Like it's a tool they use everyday, so it's kind of a second nature, and I appreciate that. Joe's also a great lyricist. He's very poetic, but I also get the impression that he's using his words to squeeze out the things he's thinking and feeling. Because of that, it feels honest to me. And I think the combination of that, plus having spent some time with Joe and thinking he's a pretty honest dude, gives his music a real cathartic quality to me. Not that i'm even paying attention to the lyrics half the time, but once in a while a line he sings will jump out at me and stick to the wall. His songs are believable, his performance is enchanting and believable, and he's a super nice guy. I wish you would listen to his songs.

And pretty much all of the qualities I've listed here about Joe are the same things i feel about Daytrotter.com and all of the folks I've interacted with over there, namely Sean and Phil. I believe they're honest, and I really appreciate what they do.

this is just a blogpost about two things i like.

Also, my friend Kalah has a tattoo of her dog Gertie that says "Pug Life"

oops, all bloopers

I've been working on some unusual collaborations lately. Unusual in the sense that I'm working closely with some people that I don't often get the chance to work closely with. It's been nice exercise, and a whole lot of fun. Some of them have been quick, as in the (eventually) 2 hour long recording session with Frank Schweikhardt yesterday for the Laminar Excursion series. Some of them are more involved, like the Sleeping Bag record i'm working on with Dave.
Hopefully, sometime soon I can post the three 30-second spots I helped Bryant with. Quick and dirty, but we have similar sensibilities, so most things went smoothly and came out sounding pretty good (albeit, nervous and out-of-tune).

for now, here's an older recording I sat in on with my main man, Jared Cheek. I played lead guitar, and so did Jared. He also wrote the song and played the organ, and/or keyboard.
Midnight at the Hills Layaway by mikeadams

Sleeping Bag drum tracking:


Oh, by the way, the Bloomington Sandwich Co. has won me over lately. Delicious sandwiches. It's a little pricey, but it's got to be. It ain't Blimpie. Plus, if you share with someone it's really not that bad. They've been giving out free samples of italian ice all week. You'd better hurry before they shut that promo down.

sf59 bootleg

i'm really glad that someone recorded this. it's a great sounding starflyer 59 live bootleg from 2001, recorded at the door in dallas texas. 20 songs, over an hour long. half solo acoustic, half full-band. songs from silver, gold, americana, the fashion focus, everybody makes mistakes, and leave here a stranger (their newest album at the time). not to mention great live versions of ep nights and next time around. i'm a real geek for this stuff, but really it's a great recording of starflyer, arguably, at their live peak. really glad to have it.

link

Spelunkering

Old Friends - Roger Miller

stoned ageein.

Timmy Page

Tim bow 058 by mikeadams

i'm putting the finishing touches on the husband&wife contribution to the Laminar Excursion Monthly project right now. i've been in a whirlwind of "first thought, best thought" recording and mixing since last weekend. it's been really thrilling, and a nice change of pace.

during one of the mixing sessions i ran across this gem that was recorded as an after-thought in addition to the live tracking we had done for one of the songs. it sits nicely in the mix, and does it's job, but i thought it was a shame that the world would never hear it holding it's own, so i decided to leave it here if anyone should find it. this is tim felton playing one live guitar track.