ESOPUS MAGAZINE ::: Archive

ESOPUS CD #10: GOOD NEWS

The more man meditates upon good thoughts, the better will be his world and the world at large. —Confucius

Our tenth compilation CD features positive thinking—and inspired songwriting—from 12 musical acts who we invited to choose and interpret pieces of news they felt could be construed as “positive” to use as the inspiration for brand-new songs. Topics ranged from Liza Minnelli’s speedy recovery from a stage fall (Man Man), the black-footed ferret’s rebound from near-extinction (Neko Case and Carl Newman), the opening of a “death hotel” in Japan with coffins for beds (The Real Tuesday Weld), the U.S. government’s forthcoming income-tax rebate (Chris Rehm), and the miraculous tale of a Manhattan window-washer who fell 47 stories and survived (Marnie Stern and Artificial Workshop).

Track List (with links to referenced articles):

1. "Love at the Death Hotel," by The Real Tuesday Weld
"DEATH HOTEL"
2. "Yon Ferrets Return," by Neko Case and Carl Newman
BLACK-FOOTED FERRETS RELEASED IN KANSAS
3. "Impendin' Recession," by Chris Rehm
"TREASURY CHIEF: TAX REBATE CHECKS TO GO OUT IN MAY"
4. "Fathom Five," by Marnie Stern
"'MIRACULOUS' RECOVERY FOR MAN WHO FELL 47 FLOORS"
5. "I've Always Known," by Busdriver
"L.A. GANGS: NINE MILES AND SPREADING"
6. "A Song for Liza Minnelli," by Man Man
"LIZA MINNELLI RECOVERS QUICKLY FROM STAGE COLLAPSE"
7. "Priceless," by Langhorne Slim
"STOLEN MUNCH PAINTINGS FOUND SAFE"
8. "A Song in the News," by Ryan Adams
9. "Butterfly Knife," by Gowns
"TWO AGAINST ONE"
10. "Boredom Arcades," by Catherine McRae
"CONEY ISLAND: RIDES AGAIN?"
11. "Sleeping Village Appears Empty," by Atlas Sound
"MOST AMERICANS “VERY SATISFIED” WITH THEIR PERSONAL LIVES"
12. "Miracle Man," by Artificial Workshop
"MIRACLE ON 66TH STREET: WINDOW CLEANER SURVIVES 47 STOREY FALL"

Musician's Bios:

Ryan Adams has released a number of albums, including Heartbreaker (2000), the Grammy nominated Gold (2001), Rock N Roll (2003), 29 (2005), and last year’s Easy Tiger. Adams made three records with the storied alt-country band Whiskeytown prior to his solo career and has since recorded two albums with backing band the Cardinals. The longtime New Yorker has also released myriad EPs and singles and frequently collaborates with other musicians (including Emmylou Harris and Willie Nelson, whose album Songbird Adams produced in 2006). He is currently recording a new album with the Cardinals.

Graphic designer Dominic Dyson is the force behind Artificial Workshop. When not working on his “manufactured” electro-art-pop music, Dyson teaches at the School of Graphic Design at the London College of Communication.

Atlas Sound is the solo project of Bradford Cox, who is also the front man of Atlanta psych-rock band Deerhunter. Atlas Sound’s most recent album is Let the Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel, released by Kranky Records in 2008.

Busdriver is Los Angeles MC Regan Farquhar, a seminal figure in the alternative hip-hop world known for his hyper-literate, dizzyingly dense rapping style. Busdriver’s albums include Memoirs of an Elephant Man (2001), The Weather (2003), Fear of a Black Tangent (2005), and last year’s RoadKillOvercoat (on Epitaph Records).

Neko Case’s highly regarded solo albums include her 1997 debut The Virginian, Furnace Room Lullaby (2000), and Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, which topped many critics’ “Best of 2006” lists. Case, who attended art school in Canada, is also a member of Vancouver-based band the New Pornographers with Carl (A.C.) Newman. The New Pornographer’s albums include Mass Romantic (2000), Twin Cinema (2005), and last year’s Challengers. Newman, who formerly led the band Zumpano, released his 2004 solo effort The Slow Wonder on Matador Records.

The Bay Area band Gowns is the project of vocalist/guitarist Erika Anderson and vocalist/keyboard player Ezra Buchla (who have been joined on the road by drummer Jacob Felix Heule and bassist Daniel Brummel). Their debut album, Red State, appeared on Cardboard Records in 2007.

Brooklyn-based Langhorne Slim was born Sean Scolnick in Langhorne, PA. He has toured with the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players, Cake, and the Violent Femmes and is releasing a new full-length CD on Kemado Records this spring.

Philadelphia-based Man Man is known for the exuberant live performances of its members Honus Honus, Sergei Sogay, Pow Pow, Critter Crat, and Chang Wang. The band’s albums include Six Demon Bag (2006) and Rabbit Habits, released by Anti- Records in 2008.

Violinist and singer Catherine McRae has played with Patti Smith, Nick Tosches, Vic Chesnutt, Tom Verlaine, and the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra.She currently collaborates with T. Griffin as one half of the Quavers, whose album Lit By Your Phone was released in late 2007. McRae, who lives in Brooklyn, has also worked with filmmaker Jem Cohen and theater director Richard Maxwell.

The Real Tuesday Weld was founded, and is fronted, by Londoner Stephen Coates. The band’s albums include At the House of the Clerkenwell Kid (2001), I, Lucifer (a soundtrack companion to the 2004 book of the same name by Glen Duncan), and The London Book of the Dead, released in 2007 on Six Degrees Records.

Based in Houston, TX, 17-year-old Chris Rehm self-released the album I Am the Hot Potato...I Hope You Work Out last year and is also a member of several other area bands. The high school senior will attend Loyola College in New Orleans next fall.

Singer, songwriter, and guitarist Marnie Stern lives in New York City. Kill Rock Stars released her critically acclaimed debut album, In Advance of the Broken Arm, in 2007.