MEGASUPERULTRAPOST (including SXSW '10 wrap up and TOUR SONG 2)

Just gotta take a moment to say I love my brothers.

GRANT.
RYAN.
BEN.
TOMBO.
PAT.
GABE.
FUEGO.

Octo-phenia YO! We are an eight headed beast. Many minds. One Goal.

(...AND THAT IS COMPLETION OF THE WATER SLIDE AND MOON TRAVEL. - editors note)

First off. I am proud to unveil TOUR SONG #2 entitled "Click of a Button". Have a listen, friends.

Tour Song 2 - "Click of a Button" (Battlehooch/Judgement Day SXSW '10 Song) by Battlehooch

(READ AS YOU LISTEN - editors note)

Similar to TOUR SONG #1 (see corresponding post here), TS #2 is made up of sound recordings and "relevant samples" gathered on the road while touring (this time, our trip out to Texas for SXSW). At points we found ourselves literally spending day after day driving through epic, expansive desert wasteland. TS #2 is meant to sort of convey what that experience was like. Its a sort of musical landscape if you will, made up of smaller landscapes (someone gets out of the audience and kicks Archaeology Johnson square in the balls----- thanks i needed 'dat!)

(ABOUT SOME OF THE SOURCE MATERIAL FOR TOUR SONG #2, "Click of a Button.")

1) The Speech:
We did the first leg of the SXSW tour with our new BFFs, Judgement Day. Pretty much every night we played with Judgement Day, their violin player (Anton) would give a speech. The exact words of speech changed from night to night, but the gist of it was this: We are all living in an age when music fans have an unprecedented amount of access to and influence on the music going on around them. People should use all the various outlets available to them (facebook, myspace, e-mail, chat rooms, etc.) to share music that they feel passionate about, thus bypassing corporate BS and creating an environment where progressive artists can have a voice.

GROOVY STUFF, right? (wipes a tear from his eye)

I've included snippets from this speech in TS #2. The ideals conveyed in the speech are definitely shared by us BATTLEHOOOOOOOOOOOCHERS, so I wanted put this thing front and center in the piece of music that was meant to (in a way) convey this particular touring experience.

Seriously Love Judgement Day. SLJD. SLJD. SLJD.

2) Dogs, Dishwashers and Disturbed Grandpas

The first group of recordings were done at the LA Branch of the BATTLEPAD. There was a tweaky keyboard with an arrpegiator lying around, as well as a guitar with a backwards whammy bar. All cheesy pin-wheels of sound and rubber guitar chords found in TS #2 were gathered during this sesh.

A few days later we were staying at Pat's parents house in luscious BREA, CALIFORNIA and we recorded a whole gaggle of cool sounds. All the acoustic piano stuff in the song is culled from various improvisations done by different Battlehooch members on the Smith Family Piano. There was also an out of tune auto harp that made some excellent squealing noises. SPEAKING OF SQUEALING NOISES!!!!..... The Smith Family dishwasher is a MUSICAL GENIUS. While cleaning up after breakfast (We're professional house guests, ya'll. We don't fuck around), we realized that when opening the dishwasher, it made screeching noises similar to an ill tempered analog synthesizer. We immediately ran for the microphones and recorded a free form improvisation on said dishwasher (captured on SXSW TOUR VIDEO #1). These recordings, as well as some rhythms I banged out on some Peanut Butter and Nutella jars, make up a large part of the basic rhythm track of this song. Also, MVP award goes to the Smith Family dog, Charlie B. Barkin for laying down a fat bark rhythm.

(Funky Funky Funky Funky Funky DAWG. DIRTY DAWG.)

Later in San Diego, Anton enthusiastically ran up to me saying that he wanted to make a song "RIGHT NOW"! Out came the mics and we started making music with whatever was around. At the time, we were sitting in the Battlevan 2.0 outside of that night's venue, so we just started banging on the walls of the van, clicking seat belts together, and shaking a single egg maraca. At one point (much to every one's delight), Anton started rapping. What did he rap about, you might ask? Well, he rapped about not being able to rap. Some choice lines ended up in the end song, but sadly some of the most glorious bits, ended up on the cutting room floor.

(Isn't that how it always is.... SIGH.... how french... Also, his brother Lewis' whole-hearted endorsement of the Martin Lawrence classic "Black Night" wasn't successfully captured by the mics, ALAS. )

The last significant "recording session" took place in Corales, New Mexico at Archaeology Johnson's (that's me) Grandfather's house. In the living room was a little keyboard with some whimsical sounds and a funny little electro drum bank. This keyboard yielded some great stuff, but i had to record most of it in a back room, cause my endless keyboard drones were kinda rubbing Grandpa the wrong way. Sorry Grandpa. It's Art, I swear. Thanks for the chicken and pie!

(still confused about that last PARENTHESIS)

There were so many other recordings made on this tour that we could seriously make a whole album for the SXSW tour. So there ya go. Tour Song 2 (who knows, maybe there's be a Tour Song 2 Part 2?)

Also, in case you missed it, the band's resident visual mad scientist fuegodamus, put together a few more videos showing highlights from the SXSW 2010. Collect all 4! Love ya'll.

PART 1

PART 2

PART 3

Desolation Show #1 - Caliphate: Skip The Bobcat Hunter Edition (Sedona, AZ)