The Big Lummage

The Big Lummage

(Morgan)

"I have 15 guns in my pants. Don't make me pull my trigger."

Ali squinted slightly and stared a long, hard stare across the room at Jean-Louis; he kept his gun high and aimed as his ex-partner's head. He had never known the Frenchman to bluff, but he was going to have to push his luck today. Too much was riding on it and he had little time. Time to butch up: "Shut it, bitch. You need to tell me where the fucking money is if you want to leave here with both kneecaps. You have 10 seconds to start talking before I relocate them to the other side of the fucking room."
Jean-Louis smiled slightly and squinted back. "You are bluffing, mon ami. I know you are out of ammo, and I can smell the steenk of your fear from over here. You are a desperate man, and zat makes you do stoopeed things. You do not want to be stoopeed, no?"
Ali squirmed slightly but kept his aim true. "And what makes you think I'm out of ammo, you French fuck?"
Jean-Louis was starting to enjoy this. "Your clip holds 48 bullets. There are 48 of Henderson's men on the floor. Eet is simple math. Now be a good boy and die, no?" Jean-Louis began reaching reaching for the largest bulge in his pants, where he kept the heavy artillery.
Ali smirked a bit himself. "Nice try, asshole. I killed two of them with one shot. Which means I only used 47 bullets. And do you what THAT means?"
The creeping horror on Jean-Louis' face indicated he knew. And that look was permanently fixed on his face...by bullet number 48.

Al: Dodging bullets

The Senator

The Senator

(Morgan)

Guards, come quickly! After him! He's being cryptic! And tuneful! And tunefully cryptic! Stop him, you fools, he's getting away...!

Al: Doin' my thing

Nobody Argues With Money

Nobody Argues With Money

(Morgan)

Back to Pop Machine-land; an early attempt to fuse satire, a pessimistic worldview and pop hooks. Sounds fun, right? Well, da boys pull it together and it turns out pretty good, I thunk. Mr. Hewitt handles the odd chord changes with aplomb, Sook pulls another rabbit out of his hat and provides a very credible bass guitar debut (!), and Dave....ah, Dr. Dave. Couldn't do it without you, buddy. You're the meat in the Pop Machine sandwich. (What? Oh, what do you want me to call him, the pickle? That's just sick.)

Al: Vox, Keys
Sook: Bass
Scott: Guitar
Dave: Drums, Guitar

Instant Revolution!

Instant Revolution!

(Morgan)

Living in Fadland (i.e. the USA) ultimately reinforces the lesson that personal change is a lifelong journey and relatively hard-won. Much as I'd like to experience profound epiphanies on a regular basis, most often the things that have changed me for the better have involved work and a dutiful uphill slog through incremental fixes. Anything dramatic usually turns out to be emotional water weight.

So here's a song cautioning against faddish thinking. With 3 keyboard solos.

Al: Revolving

EDIT: I've been asked by a woman we know if this song was directed at her. No, it wasn't. Look, lest anyone else get any ideas, this is predominantly SELF-criticism. The musical equivalent of post-it notes for the soul. I love the people in my life equally...with the exception of the bastard at the gym who stole my towel. You know who you are, scumbag.

Sheila's Wearing a Hat

Sheila's Wearing a Hat

(Morgan)

And the vault creeeeeeeeaks open again. Back to Mindflux days, and we (re)visit a song that popped up again several times in subsequent years. Don't read too deeply into the lyrics, as this is an explicit ode to (read: ripoff of) Robyn Hitchcock and his zany English wordplay. Of course it can be well argued that RH's work was itself heavily influenced by legendary madcap Syd Barrett's post-lysergic ramblings, so we're really just following a trail of loonies back into history. So what else is new?

Al: Vox
Andy Hammond: Guitar

Sacred Lullabies

Sacred Lullabies

(Morgan)

A song for me kids. The chord voicings in the verse (along with the Moody Blues-like poetry reading style) give it a darker feel than I was originally going for, but the chorus is sweeter and I like how it came out. Won't knock Raffi (or is it Yanni?) off the charts, but I'm not too worried about a guy who uses a banana for a cell phone in any event.

Al: In dreamland, as always

Time To Make The Donuts (Rehearsal)

Time To Make the Donuts (Rehearsal)

(Morgan)

Hmmm....still working on my next song, let's see what else we've got around here...hey, what's in this shoebox? Hmmm, Mindflux stuff. Haven't posted any of that recently...Whoo! Smells like eggs...Hey! Rehearsal tapes for our live gig. Thought these were all stolen. Huh. Let's throw "Donuts" on.
Not bad. Ah, youthful exuberance! Mike, that drummer Dave got for the show, sounds good, keeps us together...OK, I'll put this on...Ah, now back to the web surfing...What?...Yes, Toni, I'm coming to bed...Just one more EBay auction...

Al: Vox
Sook: Percussion
Scott: Guitar
Andy Hammond: Guitar
Dave Minken: Bass
Mike Wyenth: Drums

Keep Your Head Down

Keep Your Head Down

(Morgan)

Well, if it's not apparent now that I've got some 70's damage (as well as the obvious 80's damage), this should seal the deal. Mining the unlikely subgenre of prog-funk (prunk?), we take a quick journey to Rod Argentina for today's musical nugget. I'm no Mike Lawrence in the keyboard department, but I'm learning to fake it.

One free Deep Purple 8-track to whoever explains the title pun first.

Al: Makes with the warm'n'gurgly keyboard sounds

On The Way Down

On The Way Down

(Morgan)

Well, you can tell when Al is having a Bad Day. For example, if I refer to myself in the third person and capitalize the phrase "Bad Day", you've got a couple of indicators right there. And if the 365 entry for the day is an introspective keyboard piece about the frustrations inherent in communicating with the rest of humanity, there's another hint. Oh, well, whatever; tomorrow is another day. And I got a song out of it. And there are cookies downstairs.

Al: Vox & Keys

Closing Time

Closing Time

(Morgan-Wall)

What would rock music be without the lovable loser (or the unlovable one, for that matter)? Well, we've got an archetypal case here..."I used to call the shots, but I can't shoot straight anymore" indeed. Paging David Mamet...

I like the way this one came out. A nice arrangement with a bit of lyrical heft...

Al: Vox, Keys
John: Guitars
Dave: Guitars, Bass, Drums

Anyone Can Do Techno

Anyone Can Do Techno

(Morgan)

Hee hee heeheeheeheeeeeeeeeeee!! I LOVE my new Roland Fantom XA keyboard workstation! Lotsa new sounds (I can now expand my bass sound palette past the early-80's fart machine I've been using heretofore) and a sampler, sequencer...I think it'll wax my car if I get the right patch. Anyway, in taking the sequencer for a spin, the following self-referential snark came out. Machines inspiring creativity...how post-millenial.

Al: programming and playing and stuff

Heavier

Heavy 2.0

(Morgan)

Turns out my brother is a kick-ass drummer. Why haven't you been tapping him for this little project, you ask? Well, after some back & forth regarding equipment setup, etc. that very thing is happening in this remix. He's been kind enough to add his mad skillz to this track and I hope to showcase him again soon. Thanks, dude! Al's number one rule of musicmaking: surround yourself with talent and it makes you look good as well...

Jason Morgan: Drums & percussion
Al: Other noises

Building Buildings

Building Buildings

(C.Morgan-A.Morgan)

Worthington stood on the balcony and slowly sipped at his daquiri, gazing out upon the city which he had helped build. Small flightless birds dropped from dirigibles plummeted onto the teeming masses below where they would be scooped up and prepared for the holiday feast later that week. Life was good, he nodded to himself as he turned away from the vista.
He almost didn't see Lady Effluvium glide from the shadows and wrap her arms around his neck. "Oh, Dickie," she moaned, pressing her lips to his waiting ear, "Let's go away for a while, just you and me. Let's do, Dickie, do!"
Worthington gently removed her arms and sighed. Piano music echoed down the hallway from the den. Leaves swirled around their feet. A lonely coyote howled in the distance. "I...can't, darling. You know I can't."
A frown creased Lady effluvium's brow. "You're going back to Alaska, aren't you? I should have known...you can't fight...the sea." She turned away and massaged her shoulders for warmth. It was getting cold...so cold.
"I...I wanted to tell you, but..." his words trailed off as he gently plucked flightless bird feathers from her hair. Sometimes there was nothing a man could say...

Lonely is the life of the ichthyologist.

Cal & Al: Piano

Bad Hair Day (Version 1)

Bad Hair Day (Version 1)

(Morgan-Wall)

There are three, count 'em, THREE studio versions of this tune floating around, and I'll eventually post all of 'em, you lucky bastards. Big riff (came to me in the shower, actually. I know, I know, too much information...), big production, big yellin' from the big man...anyway, we really dug the way this turned out but wanted to tinker with the lyrics, so version 2 followed. More on that in a seperate post...(wow, it's like a cliffhanger!)

Al: Vox
John: Guitars
Dave: Guitars, Bass, Drums

Modus Operandi in C

Modus Operandi in C

(C.Morgan-A.Morgan)

Please welcome to 365 my favorite 8-year old pianist, the incredibly beautiful and talented Callista Eloise Morgan (Ok, ok, I'm biased). We will, on occasion, sit down to jam and I've captured a few of these atmospheric pieces on tape. I've edited out the giggling and fart jokes for posterity (or is that posterior?)

Cal & Al: Piano

Centrifugue

Centrifugue

(Morgan)

Feeling Cobainy today, so decided to go as far to Nirvana as my allotted 2 hours would take me (typical 365 scenario: put kids to bed, scream into microphone, put kids back to bed after telling them daddy's OK). A shiny new nickel to anyone who picks out the requisite lyrical puns...obscure, as always. Pod guitar modeler good!

And, yes, that is how I wanted to spell the title.

Al: Rzzzzzzzzzz

Ladies and Gentlemen...The Cheeseburgers!!

Ladies and Gentlemen

(Junior Cheeseburger)

Hey, we haven't heard from our favorite cartoon band, The Cheeseburgers, in a while, so here's another golden great from our boys. A real foot stompin', crowd pleasin', show openin' number, here they are....The Cheeseburgers!!!!!

Featuring D.Lux Cheeseburger, Junior Cheeseburger, Tex S. Cheeseburger and California Cheeseburger

Bring That Chocolate Down

Bring That Chocolate Down

(Morgan)

A lascivious little song about...well, chocolate. No, really!

Al: Voices and machines

Black Lace and Pale Skin

Black Lace & Pale Skin

(Morgan-Wall)

Here's an Osmium "deep cut"...been a while since I heard this. Here's where we veer away from the standard template and try to get a bit "edgier". Don't know if this fits the bill, but the drums were programmed without hi-hat/crashes/ride cymbals, as I heard they did on "Peter Gabriel" (the third/"melt" album). Always thought that was a cool idea...anyway, really cool bits from Mike and Dave, and i dig how John gets funky on the offbeats.

Al: Vox, Drums
John: Guitars
Mike: Keys
Dave: Bass

Pop Machine LIVE!

Nice Guys Don't Get Laid

(Morgan)

Dinosaur Man

(Morgan)

I'm Not Your Stepping Stone

(Boyce-Hart)

More live stuff from the aforementioned Bogart's show. Good times: I remember the Tide detergent-like banner that Mr. Sookman, I believe, made up for the show, and Mike's glamorous entrance in a compact car driven by his girlfriend, wherein he was crammed into the hatch ON TOP of his gear (his car had broken down and this was the only way he could make it on time). Rock on!

Al: Vox
Sook: Vox, percussion
Scott: Guitars
Mike: Keys
Manny Moore: Drums

Dissidentists

Dissidentists

(Morgan)

This will probably be folded into a larger "Byzantium" piece, but not until I nail down exactly what I want to do with the lyrics. It's got the same feel (and alternate guitar tuning) as Byz1 & "Nodes"; I added some guitar bits so you can psych out to more heavy guitar goodness...

Al: Guitars, Keys, Drums

Get Off My Foot (Live)

Get Off My Foot (Live)

(Hewitt-Morgan-Sookman)

Continuing our theme, here's a version of GOMF recorded live at the late, lamented Bogart's in Long Beach back in '91. Mike was kind enough to draft in a drummer buddy of his to supply the propulsion, and we got so excited performing this piece that I blew my voice out during the soundcheck. Good times! There's video of this somewhere (edited by Syracuse bud and all-around cool guy Tommy G); I'll post it if'n I find it...

Al: Vox
Sook: Vox, percussion
Scott: Guitars
Mike: Keys
Manny Moore: Drums

Get Off My Foot

Get Off My Foot

(Hewitt-Morgan-Sookman)

The time is 1991: Nirvana's "Nevermind" is still several months off, so we still have hair metal and it's ilk to contend with. As young men in the city of angels, the question that naturally occurs to us is: if we cannot profit from this, can we parody it? Or better yet, somehow do both?
The answer comes to us in the form of a cheap CD Mr. Sookman is playing in the car: a magnum opus from a collective by the name of Rhinobucket. Why, how like the mighty AC/DC, we marvel! How uncanny! How artistically intuitive of them! How easy to imitate!
And so we set out to write a big ol' rawck song and hightailed it into Dr. Dave's studio. This became a live staple for us at BOTH our '91 LA shows, so enjoy us as we are rocking you out now, ja! And, no, I don't know what the chorus has to do with the rest of the song. That's the Majesty of Rock, the Mystery of Roll...

Al: Vox, Keybass
Sook: Vox, percussion
Scott: Guitars
Dave: Drums & Bass

508

508

(Hewitt-Morgan-Sookman)

All right, hands up (or if you're German, Hans up), who remembers "Cubic" by 808 State? This was in the early 90's, and it was one of the first tracks I remember breaking thru from the underground dance scene to the mainstream underground before the mainstream underground became the mainstream. Geddit? OK, whatever; what I'm trying to say is that that track in particular and techno/underground in general were the inspiration for this Pop Machine foray into sampley goodness. Really, just an excuse for us to push buttons and smart off, as usual.

(Note that the title of this song added to my standard 365 naming convention results in a filename that looks like an IP address. It's not, but feel free to try using it as one and let me know what happens.)

Al: Keys
Scott: Keys, Samples
Sook: Drums, Fuzz Bass

Turn Off

Turn Off

(Morgan-Wall)

More fun from Dave's studio. I like the idea of mixing up analog synths with guitar-based heavy rock (there's a mid-90's band named Failure who did some cool stuff along these lines...check 'em out), and I think the vibe is pretty cool here. The lyrics seem dour but are a bit tongue-in-pierced-cheek. A dance craze for zombies...!

Al: Vox, Keys, Drums
John: Guitar, Backing Vox
Dave: Guitar, Bass

Dinosaur Man

Dinosaur Man

(Morgan)

Hey, let's go back to the Mindflux days, circa '88. Anything for a thrill, right?
Anyway, being on a 60's/early 70's nostalgia trip at the time, I was into a lot of the "heavy" groups of the period (Grand Funk Railroad, Iron Butterfly et al.) Also being a big Spinal Tap fan, I saw value in finding the biggest, dumbest progression I could and playing it up (arguably I still often work under this principle). Seeing as this was maybe the third song I was involved in writing and still definitely learning, big and dumb was not a problem. Luckily the other guys were willing to jump in and have fun with it, and here's the result.
The synth-drenched ELP-for-dummies "ominous" opening was recorded and tacked on later as a tribute to 70's prog. Who says we're not versatile?

Al: Vox, Keys, Drums
Sook: Vox
Andy: Lead Guitar
Scott: Guitar
Dave: Bass

Tiny Knives

Tiny Knives

(Morgan)

It's about betrayal, natch. The circumstances inspiring it may be long forgotten, but the song remains and has a special charm for me. I always kinda wanted to add a guitar part to it, but I couldn't play it at the time, and now like the simplicity of this version. Thanks to Steve Kanter for the always empathic bass playing...

Al: Vox, Keys, Drums
Steve: Bass

Nodes

Nodes

Esta é uma mensagem do outro lado de seu cérebro. Há muitas maneiras de olhar o problema que pode eventualmente render uma solução. Entretanto, nós não temos o tempo. Considere isto que uma maneira de olhar o que pode ser visto....

Al: Guitars & voices

Byzantium Part 1: A Darker Age

Byzantium Part 1: A Darker Age

(Morgan)

To kick off the new year with a bang, how about the start of an anthologized prog-noise opus dedicated to the dissolution of empires? (Sounds like a job for Atom Heart Ash Ra Temple of the Dog!) "Oh, Al, you loveable goofus", you chuckle. "We want more quirky acoustic relationship songs! Or more Christmas tunes about zombies and truckers and rastafarians!" Patience, my friends! There's plenty of odd goop in my head yet for you to hear; I promise you more pidgin French punk, garage techno squiggles and Dr. Demento-ready singalongs in 2007, along with whatever else I can knock out in the space of a few hours on a given day...

Ice Age (SQ Quad mix)

(Morgan)

I owe you one from yesterday when my internet was down (again), so enjoy the surround sound swooshies of this remix. See ya tomorrow!

Al: New year, same old Al