2013 is Happening

Hey all, it's been some time.

We've missed you.

I miss you.


So, it's 2013 and if you're reading this it means we're still alive. The end of the world didn't come and we're glad about that. But now that we're certain that death isn't coming in the form of, "the end of the world" in mid December of last year, we feel it's time to keep moving forward.

What have y'all been up to? How's life?

We've been busy over here. Work, and a big trip up north in October, and the holidays, and many other troublesome time-eaters (mainly video games (more specifically, Minecraft)) have distracted us from working on Matilda.
But we weren't  on a total hiatus. In fact, we just played a show last week at Found Sound in Ferndale. At the show we released a new CD version of the Porn on TV split with remastered sound, new recordings of some of the sound in the songs, and two totally new songs to replace the cover song that appeared on the cassette.

On top of this, Jon Berz and I have been stocking the catalog of our record label (Simple Living Ferndale) by working toward Songs from the Moon recordings, signing and recording a new two piece punk outfit called The Counter Elites, making new merch to sell, editing and writing works of literature to be released on the label as well as researching book binding techniques, making videos, and et cetera, et cetera.

So, yeah. We've not been asleep at Matilda. Just expanding.

But with that in mind, 2013 is a big year for Matilda and we want to make it great. September of this year marks 10 years of Matilda music, and we think that's something to celebrate.

So we have a few ideas of how we want to celebrate, and those details will be released in time... not because the details are a secret, but because the details are not yet ironed out.
The general ideas:
1.Finally finish the full-length "Fishnets and Regrets" that we've been half-ass recording for the better part of a year. 2. Release small batches of the Matilda back catalog on Simple Living Ferndale (full release, with proper packaging, credits, art work, inserts, etc),
3. Something special to actually celebrate 10 years of making all things Matilda. We're thinking of maybe re-recording some of our favorite songs, or going back through all the old tapes and wav files to find songs that didn't make the cut, or alternate version of album songs.

#3 is still in the works in our brain, so no promises on that.


Anyway, that's all for now.
I'll leave you with some photos of the last few months that we've been away.

Love you guys.

"Party Like a Block Star" and other musings

Good morning Earthlings.
More specifically Michiganders...
And even more specifically, Ferndaliens and the Cosmic Cadets of the surrounding areas.

First order of business:
Block Party.

The Annual Woodland Park Improvement Association Block Party has asked Matilda to play with Jon from the Moon for all of upper Ferndale.
From the Facebook event description: "This Annual event will take place on Thursday June 14, 2012 at 5PM. Please come and enjoy food, fun, sunshine, and live music from "Revoir" & "Matilda and Jon From The Moon and Friends".

We're really excited about this show. We'll be playing both Jon's solo stuff, as well as Matilda stuff, and we asked our dear friend [who just happens to be an excellent drummer] Danny K. to help round out the sound of this neat show.
So we're going to be a bass/drums/guitar 3 piece, and as you may have read up in the event description we're calling ourselves "Matilda and Jon from the Moon and Friends," or something else just as long and confusing and unbrandable.

Come on out if you're feeling frisky, and feeling up to seeing us all play a weird show in a strange venue in a group of mostly 50-somethings out to chat with their neighbors.


Next on deck in new business:
Songs/Albums/Etc.

Split CD is almost done.
Most of the remixing is done, and the new recording is nearly complete. I hope to release it in tandem with whatever Jon is doing for his portion of the album. Like, I was thinking, if he releases a single, I'll release a single, and if he streams the whole album, I'll do the same.

So what? I'm a poser.


Also: brand, brand new Matilda stuff is coming along well.
I'm writing new, new songs, and recording new-ish songs that have been bouncing around in my head for the past 2 years. At first we were thinking about  just an EP, but now I'm thinking it'll be more like a regular 14-15 song Matilda record... Or maybe two short records... It all depends on how the songs come out, how they play together.
Maybe a 10 song record, with a few singles?

I don't know.

The material is piling up, and as soon as the split is finished up, I'll start figuring out what I'm making, and how I'm going to make it.


So, get excited for that.


Last order of business:
Inspiration.


I heard a wonderful quote yesterday from the late, great Ray Bradbury that really inspired me to keep creating.
It was something like:
"Jump off the cliff and build your wings on the way down."

And I had never really thought about it until I heard that quote, but I'm most excited about what I'm doing when I do it that way.

I love having a vague idea for a song, or painting, or short-story and just jumping right into it and let the creative side just create it without thought. Just start it first, and finish it as best and as quick as you can, because to be creative is one thing, but to be prolific is quite another.



With that I'll leave you for the morning.
There is much work to be done on my first day off in what seems like a life time.
I'm off to make things, to create, and not look back.

Split CD and other things.

Remember a while ago we talked about this split tape I made with Jon from the Moon.
Remember? There was like pictures of cassettes and stuff?

Well, anyway, we're re-doing that but doing it different from the first time.
For starters both sides of the tape are getting remixed and some things re-recorded. Jon's side will be getting a bit more done than mine, but I still plan on fixing up the Matilda tracks quite a bit.
Probably new guitar tracks, definitely new bass tracks, maybe new vocals, and maybe stretching out the opening instrumental.
We're also taking the cover songs out of the mix and writing a brand new two part song to bridge the two sides together as one.

And one big difference, this split tape will be a split CD. So no more dusting off that old tape deck to Matilda and the moon make love and break up.

More info coming soon, but I'm needed in the basement now for tracking!

Here's some pictures on Jon doing a guitar track, and drinking coffee with a guitar on.

Stop the Press! No Wait...

The band I play in, known on the mean streets of Ferndale as Songs from the Moon, has been getting some good press!
And guess what else?
Just by being in the fucking band, Matilda and me got a little mention (ahem, whole paragraph) on a cool local blog. Check it out here: Ferndale115

SFTM was also in the Detroit News last Thursday (March 15/2012 edition) inside of the "Go" section, which I think is the new entertainment type section...Maybe?
And, although it looks a lot better in the paper, we made the website that day too. Check that out here: DetNews ...
scroll down,
down,

down,

until you hit the "Ones To Watch" section.
There we are. Silly Detroit News. Should have just put that in the side bar.

And last but not least, Jeff [who has a little blog some people 'round here read] had a nice little write up about us on the Ferndale Public Library Observer blog. Check out that over here: FPL Observer


So, please... Don't stop the press just yet.
We're all just getting started.

Imagine This on a Huge Poster. Big Letters... The Works.

There is new news coming.

New items to hear, and see, and buy.


We're on a small hand made label now... Here's a list of things you might want to expect:

• Expect small hand made goods.

• Expect new Matilda releases.

• Expect old albums getting proper releases.

• Expect shows...                         As a matter of fact:

• Expect a show at the Trumbleplex on Feb 22nd.

• Expect Songs from the moon shows and releases. 

• Expect more updates to this blog [I hope]
• Expect a new blog look.

• Expect things like this: http://youtu.be/AMSm4Nl4quc

Now that you know what to expect, keep your ear to the ground.

Matilda has gone mobile.

Recently Matilda and me had a portable cellular telephone screen die on us. And it was one of those magic screens that knows when you're touching it and responds to your fingers and such. You know what I'm talking about.
Anyway, the old phone had to be replaced and we knew a friend who had a super fancy dance-y intelligent phone that he wasn't using so we called him up on the broken phone which was really hard to do considering it was broken and all and we called him up and said, "Fred!" because that's his name and we said, "Fred. We'd like to buy the phone you're not using."
And so now we have an iPhone and it connects to the Internet and I'm using it right now to type up this here blog. Isn't that strange? Here I am talking to you over the Internet only using a phone.

It's a weird weird world out there I tell you what.

Anyways. We'll be able to post Matilda news as it happens now with pictures and updates and words and so on.

Can't wait to be connected just by my brain. Like if I could tell my brain to think something and just like that it thought it and you all could read my mind. That would be pretty neat.


That's all for now. Hope everyone is doing well. New music is a-coming.

Hear here... They're there.

So there's been some upsets.
Some downturns in production.

Some kinks in the hose that waters the creative lawn.

Unfortunately my laptop is sprouting grey hairs and needs to walk with a cane.
And you might say, "That's not that big of a deal. I started using AOL 3.0 again on a my mom's old dial up Dell."
And that's cool you're so ahead of the curve when it comes to manufactured nostalgia... I'm sure soon enough it'll be a thing. Just like how cassette tapes are cool. [I should know, Songs from the moon and I just released one]
But there's lots of cool things out there. There are GameBoys used for necklace bling, 8-bit music labels, re-manufactured Schwinn bicycles to look retro, or that t-shirt of some 80's metal band you listen to to be "ironic."
Oh, and neon slap bracelets, leggins with Ninja Turtles on them, sunglasses you borrowed from your grandmother and other faded fads.

[None of the above, "hipster criticism" actually bothers me. It bothers me that people obsess over analyzing kids/young adults these days though. Note to world: it's not a big deal.]


But as I was saying, my laptop is dying. It constantly turns off from exhaustion and being over heated. And I know I could just use an old 4-track and recording everything to tape like I did in the late 90's when I first started recording, but even then I would still need a way to get it to you.
And for that I need internets... Or all of your mailing addresses.
But I'd rather spread it around the web, that way you don't feel obligated to "check it out" - or like it out of pity because I took the time to send it.


So lately I've been recording ideas to tape just as a placeholder until I can fix this computer, or record elsewhere.

And recently I was offered by an old friend his home studio for him to get practicing recording different things. And I said yes, and I'm excited. His fake name is Dan Petro and he helped me record Before and After the Fact... as well as 7503 Prospect.

Nothing has been recorded yet, for I've been busy with other stuff.
"What other stuff?"
Well, I'm getting married in October and that's pretty much top priority... A lot of planning, and making things, and preparing... And spending time with Julie and my dog, and the few friends I see on a regular basis... And I'm in a band called Songs from the moon and we're recording a punk EP and another EP right after that... and we're making a music video, and re-releasing the handmade split tape as a handmade split CD-R... and I just got promoted at my job... so a lot is going on right now.

But as soon my schedule links up with Dan Petro we'll do some recording.
He said, "I've got this shit that's going to make you sound professional as hell," which will be strange for a Matilda record, but I'm all about trying out new sounds, trying new things musically, and new ways to make recordings.



So, to sum up:
1. I'm still making music in Matilda, Songs from the moon, etc.
2. There's new stuff in the works, and it'll be out soonish, even though my personal recording process was put on hold.
3. I'm still updating a blog I'm not sure anyone looks at, let alone reads, and I suppose it doesn't really matter to me. I like documenting the Matilda history.


This is all.

My parting gift to you is:
If you want to feel better today, listen to Slim Cessna's Auto Club, Marnie Stern, The Rentals, Daniel Johnston, and The Dead People.