Hey You Beautiful People –
Summer finally came to Western Washington. The yellow thing is in the sky. Ain’t raining. It’s pretty pleasant.
But enough of the niceties. Time to get down to bizness.
Item 1. We are jolly well pleased to announce the second GMR/Chuckie Boy release, The Holidays – Big Sexy World. This is a whole second album by the ‘Daze, recorded in ‘92 and then stuck on a shelf to “age”. We’ve gone down to the cellar and dug it out off the back shelf, shined up the jug and now it is ready for YOU!.
1992? Yes—it WAS a pretty amazing time to be making music in Seattle in the late ‘80s-early ‘90s. And it was a relatively small scene—a handful of places to play, a core of bands and friends and fans that went to see and support one another, and a growing sense of excitement. And while the Flannel Super-Nova was brewing…there was some Serious Pop action happening. Bands like The Posies, Super Deluxe, Micro Mini…and The Holidays. And here they are.
We know you loved “Octopus of Love” from their first album, right? You gonna love this one too.
A sweet video was made for the song “Who Will Take Care of the World?” (https://youtu.be/nFRff9BqjtQ), where The Holidays and a bunch of friends took a ‘Mystery Tour’-style trip with mustachioed Tour Guide Michael through Seattle on a 1968 GMC Metro Bus. Alki Beach on a beautiful summer’s day. I think the Beatles were all on LSD when they made that film, weren’t they? The Holidays? I dunno, you’ll just have to ask ‘em.
Then it all landed on the shelf. Now it’s out.
Big Sexy World is classic pop action, so get to swinging now. Available everywhere online and at fine record stores and of course on our proliferate Bandcamp site!
Item 2. In early 2019, we released Maggie Teachout’s wonderful debut, Maybe I’m Still Just Peter. Pretty great stuff. After she made that album, Maggie left Olympia and went up to the big city to Cornish to study Cornish stuff, you know art, music, etc. Three years in the making, she has a new record With A Heart Full of Water and Salt, now under the moniker Vulture Queen. It is a beautifully spare 8-song production that showcases her songwriting and singing. It’s pretty great. And it is available in all the usual digital places. A small run of discs was made with art by Vulture Queen. You can get them direct from her at her record release party SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2022 AT 7 PM The Goth Garage 15257 Eighth Ave NE Seattle, WA 98155. Or on the GMR bandcamper of course. Hell yeah.
Item 3. The Boise boys, Cabeza, have a new trippin’ single “Home” b/w “Stumble Bumz” coming out on August 1. As with their recent work, this is a space fest of feelings. Totally cool. Available in all the finest digital joints. They have been going thru some Covid-induced personnel changes of late, all the new hires have been approved by HR and they are getting ready to rock again!
Item 4. Barnsie is still banging away on finishing his opus. Richard Peterson still wants to make three new albums.
In Monkey Pal News, our old chum Gary Minkler has a soulful new Red Dress CD out and is playing shows. The album is Blue Begonia and can be bought at shows or downloads can be bought at their bandcamp page. Next show is Sat July 30 at 8:30 at the Clock-out Lounge.
Monkey Pal news #2, our beloved Al Bloch’s band The Dual Gravitons has a new 7 song CD – My Guitar Is Electrical. It’s a rocker (duh) and can be had at https://thedualgravitons.bandcamp.com/. Is Brother Al now the most prolific American composer or what?
Monkey Pal news #3, from the 80’s way-back machine, long unseen familiars Student Nurse have just reissued their collected works and are playing a few shows, the next with Red Dress at the Tractor, August 20.
What else? Oh yeah. Those True Olympians. The beast. Olympia: A True Story. Whew. Well, my goal was to have all 40 songs recorded and mixed by July 1. That happened. Some long days at the finish line. The next 4 or so long days were all mastering and sequencing. Great to work with Steve Turnidge of UltraViolet Studios on the mastering. I am very happy with the result. 40 songs, plus radio spots, rain, frogs, and of course, birds. Complete. Next up was pound out 51 pages of text for the book. Lyrics. Credits. References. Thanks. Snotty comments. Done. The art is getting done and we are still tracking for a mid-September release. Thinking about videos. And I actually went outside again.
On the last day of recording a new guy from merry England, Jason Homewood, came in to do some guitar shredding on ”A Deadly Wind.” Heck, we liked him so much, he joined the band, giving us two guitar players for the first time and six total members. I now must use two hands to count the band members. Saints be praised!
The next day young Michael Stein (who is so young he still has a couple jobs!) told me he would not be able to play drums with us for the upcoming record release shows – too much on his plate. Sob. I called Jeff Parkhurst, who plays on our Oly album with the mighty Artesian Rumble Arkestra and said “whatcha doing”? He was at the next practice. The ship is under weigh. This is drummer IV. We still have a way to go to catch up with The Fastbacks.
By the by, can’t believe I’ve not mentioned already that The Green Pajamas are hard at it for a new release this fall. Oops. How thoughtless of me! Jeff says it is gonna happen. He is working hard. Laura and Scott just sent him a new song before they took off for dear olde England (hope they are not looking for Jason H. – he ain’t there). This is going to be a CD release only at this point. The English guys (Sugarbush) that have been doing the limited vinyl LPs has had enuff of that for a while. Nonetheless, thought ya’ll might be interested.
Jeff also just released a Green Pajamas – Live at the Hall of Fame for the 1986 Monkey Business record release show download. https://thegreenpajamas1.bandcamp.com/album/live-at-the-hall-of-fame It is a pretty cool lo-fi kinda thing.
Oh yes, the Green Pajamas Xmas album that Sugarbush was going to do last year never happened, so we might release it on CD for you this year, with something new and shiny added no doubt. We shall see.
Ok – that’s it. Back to work!
td
July 2022