Also had to dig the Counter Elites out of carbonite today for a just-announced show this Thursday at Small’s. As their producer/co-manager it’s up to me to make sure they’re able to comply with SLF corporate protocol. The fact that I don’t know their names makes them particularly difficult to work with, but I think they’re on to something.

Now that I feel able to play drums I have a really good idea of how to move forward with the whole project, but before diving into the rest of the full-length I’m gonna cut my teeth on the Carpe Vita Quadrumvirate and hopefully get it to the ears of the world as soon as summertime.

Basically everything that’s come out of Simple Living Ferndale aside from Songs From The Moon‘s Protest Strategies and “Xmas Eve” has been recorded with a Tascam field recorder, which only records one track at a time. In order to multi-track I have to record something, transfer the SD-card from it to my laptop and line the audio file up with the other existing tracks, which is a much bigger pain in the butt than actual multi-tracking when you can play along to a recording and lay tracks down on top of each other. But I’ve gotten used to this technique, and though I’m in the process of acquiring a new computer, sound card and multi-mic setup, I decided I’d rather not wait to start and just hit the ground running with the tools I’ve become accustomed to using.

But I wasn’t exactly sure how to hit it, or what “it” was going to be. I didn’t know if this was going to be a record resembling my recent solo recordings–stripped down, maybe with some hand-percussion, nothing full-band sounding–but I was inspired by a couple of events. Yesterday morning I went for a walk and listened to the Blasé Splee record Et Cetera for the first time in a long time and it hit me that what I really wanted to do was make a rock record as extensive as that. Even though my solo shows are totally stripped down, I feel capable of transforming my songs into fully fleshed out compositions and can take care of the bulk of the instrumentation myself. The only thing I felt I couldn’t handle would be the drumming, which I was going to ask friends to do for me, but that idea never really sat right with me. I know it’s not a big deal, but if I had others play on the record I just wouldn’t feel right calling it “Jon From The Moon.”

Later yesterday I was having a conversation with a friend and she asked me if I played drums. I took the long way around saying no–that I do play percussion, or sometimes one drum at a time, but don’t feel comfortable on a kit. But I didn’t want to say “no” outright because I really wasn’t sure if I play drums or not, as it’s been years since I’ve sat at a kit. But I knew recording a rock record had to start with the drums.

For the last couple months I’ve had a key to Woodshed Studios in Oak Park, which is owned by Songs From The Moon producer/bassist/guitarist Ed Sertage (formerly of Bedford Drive). Though I don’t know anything about the knobs, bells and whistles, I have access to a large soundproofed room I can use at all hours of the day and night, equipped with a piano, countless amps, and drums. I asked Ed if I could use the space for DIY-recording because my upper-flat home with paper-thin walls is not feasible for it. I got to the studio today expecting to start by constructing basic drum tracks for “Carpe Vita” one at a time, with each drum on its own track, and spent a couple hours deconstructing the song and laying down bass, snare and toms separately. But then I recalled the conversation about drumming–and the particularly inspiring, adventurous nature of the girl I was speaking to–and decided to say fuck it and set up a kit and just make a go at it. I played along while listening to a demo of “Carpe Vita” on my iPod and recorded the drums to one track with the recorder on the other side of a wall of blankets. I played until my blisters broke and I could no longer hold sticks. I have two recorded hours of drumming to rummage through but I feel I have something to work with, and have a revitalized confidence in my abilities to make a band-sounding record by myself. Now that the first track is recorded I’m beyond excited to move forward, and feel like I’ve opened the floodgates to probably the biggest project I’ve taken on by myself.

One of my many goals for the 3 1/2 months I have off from school is to make a full-length solo record. I’ve produced eight singles/EPs in the last year and a half and feel ready to take a flying leap into something more substantial and involved. I’ll be working on two full-length albums at once, producing both my solo record and one for The Counter Elites (whoever they are) while Songs From The Moon wraps up our impending EP Blood For Power at Woodshed Studios. Anywho – I have my full-length demoed out and about 95% written for piano, synthesizer, acoustic and electric guitars, bass, drums, multi-layered vocals and maybe some extra interesting musical happenings. I may or may not invite friends to play/sing on it – at least know for sure my ultra-bud Shaun Wisniewski will be playing drums on at least 2 or 3 songs, including the lead single “Carpe Vita.”

So here’s a tentative track list for Dawn Of Isis. I’ve been playing quite a few of these tunes at my solo shows, and a couple go back to the earliest days of SFTM:

1. Before We Turn To Dust
2. Carpe Vita
3. Long Night
4. Why Would She Want To Be With Me?
5. Doin’ Nothin’
6. Jordan Haircut
7. We’re All Underwater
8. Wonky Eye
9. Phossy Jaw pt. 3

Speaking of up-and-comingness, SFTM has a new teaser-trailer out, featuring a clip from “Ball Of Thread”:

Songs From The Moon BLOOD FOR POWER commercial from Simple Living Ferndale on Vimeo.

and our first show booked in 13 1/2 months – at the Phoenix Cafe Hazel Park’s 4-day Memorial Day Weekend May Bash.

Happy spring (and all).

I’m going to release one single (maybe two) as the record comes together. The first, and next official Jon From The Moon release, will be another “suite” of sorts, a 4-part EP built around a single from the LP called “Carpe Vita”:

The Carpe Vita Quadrumvirate

I. TEMPUS FUGIT
II. CARPE VITA
III. DISCE PATI
IV. MEMENTO MORI

The other three tracks will be exclusive to the single. It’ll be out when the stars align. In the meantime, check out the next single from The Counter Elites hitting the interwebs in the next couple of days, and coming out physically on 4.20.13 at Small’s.

Facebook event: Axis Mundi Night at the Berkley Front

I have been keeping quite busy musically but rarely think of posting to the interwebs these days. Partially because by the time I make it to the laptop at the end of the day I’m too exhausted to think of anything clever. But I’d like to start to officially document the shows I play with bands and be more on top of announcing where I’ll be and when. That said, last night I played at the Pike Room in Pontiac with two very incredible bands coming through town on tour, Buke and Gase and Ahleuchatistas (who were, no bullshit, one of the greatest live bands I’ve seen in years). I played electric piano and Farfisa organ and sang a few harmonies with my left-hand band The Walking Beat. It was a fine way to spend a Wednesday evening.

Additionally, new recordings are coming along smashingly. Songs From The Moon is more than half done with a 4-song EP that may or may not be titled Blood For Power. We’ve been working on it for about half a year at Woodshed Studios and it’s sounding better than anything I’ve ever been a part of. Plus, The Walking Beat is hard at work on a full length LP. The above photo is from last weekend when we recorded baby grand piano for four of the tunes at Steph’s parents’ house in Grosse Pointe Farms. It was the finest piece of musical equipment I’ve ever been fortunate to play and the recording session was several hours of absolute joy (and delicious pancakes).

I have a couple weeks off from performing live and plan to devote them to producing the next single for The Counter Elites: “Choices” / “Too Much of Everything” w/ bonus track “I Could Like That (But I Don’t)” and wrap up the new website for Simple Living Ferndale. Then later this month we’ve got some happenings happening:

Friday, February 23: The Walking Beat 1-year anniversary party at the Old Miami w/ French Method and more
Thursday, February 28: Jon From The Moon solo at the Berkley Front (Axis Mundi night) w/ Norway Norway and The Restless Days
Wednesday, March 6: The Counter Elites CD single release party at TBA w/ TBA

All secrets will be unveiled in due time.

I recorded this song last night in celebration of the final night of existence. I wrote it on Sunday and debuted it live on Wednesday at Skipper’s open mic in Hamtramck. I figured if the world was going to end, I might as well go out making some music on an otherwise lazy Thursday evening.

I kind of took a break from the Internet. I played a show on my birthday in July and gave out 100 CD-Rs of early mixes of my upcoming EP over a couple weeks. Since then I played at the Phoenix Cafe after the Hazel Park Art Fair, but that’s it. The Walking Beat had a handful of cool shows, including a Halloween party at the Lager House where we played as The Kinks. I was the Dave Davies and it was unimaginable fun. SFTM has only gotten together a handful of times to work on our next 7″, which is about 2/3 complete. I’ve been working on my Master’s, some writing projects, and Shaun and I have been producing a punk band called THE COUNTER ELITES and prepping for our Simple Living Ferndale mega-release party that very few people know much about.

video produced by Shaun Wisniewski
music and poster produced by Jonathan A. Berz

SLF 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY PARTY

with
THE COUNTER ELITES
SEX POLICE
JON FROM THE MOON
PANCHO VILLA’S SKULL
MATILDA