Fear Of A Red Planet

Urban Outfitters Music Shop Promo Video

joesmiley — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 02:27:50 +0000

A couple of months ago I was asked by Urban Outfitters to come down to their headquarters to mix production audio for a promotional video and provide a small pa as monitors for the performance. The video was to promote the fact that Urban will now be selling instruments from Korg and Moog; synthesizers, drum machines and a theremin, specifically. They also hired the band Neon Indian, who had performed at the First Unitarian Church the previous night, to play the instruments as a demonstration. The actual shoot lasted about 2 hours. The band had to improv a piece of music over and over again as the directors shot different angles. They maintained a certain amount of continuity in editing by having the same drum machine pattern play though each take. The shoot was a little hectic because there were 9 different instruments, all with different audio connection types, so adapters had to be purchased at the last minute. Well, there were 9 instruments originally, but one of the drum machines was broken by Neon Indian while they were testing out the instruments during set up. Also,the band had limited time because they were squeezing the shoot in before having to leave for D.C. for that night’s show. All things considered, I think it turned out well.

Neon Indian Plays The UO Music Shop from Urban Outfitters on Vimeo.

Video Of Mose Giganticus At The Milestone

joesmiley — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 16:42:49 +0000

Here are some more videos from that same tour last year. These were taken at a show we played at The Milestone in Charlotte, North Carolina on May 16th, 2010. Other bands who played that night include Hectagons and The Emotron.

Video Of Mose Giganticus At Rad Fest

joesmiley — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 00:30:47 +0000

Last year Mose Giganticus embarked on a 2 (or 3? I can’t remember…) week tour down the east coast. One of our stops was Rad Fest which was held on May 14th and 15th 2010 in Wilmington, North Carolina. On this tour the band consisted of me, Matt, and Andy Kohler on drums. Here are a few videos from that show.

Cosmonaut – Dreadlord 2011 Remix

joesmiley — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 18:10:35 +0000

Something I’ve been wanting to do with this blog for a while is to post updated mixes of older projects I have worked on. As time goes on and you look back at things with a new perspective, you see and think about things differently. I’m sure many artists must feel the same way about their past work. It’s hard to not look at something you’ve made and not think about what you would have done differently, or could have done if you’d had the knowledge and skill that you posses today.

You may call me a revisionist, but nothing posted here is meant to replace the originals. I don’t think there is anything wrong with going back and honing your skills on older material, applying the tools you have now to a work that was created a long time ago. Besides, audio engineering is a compromised art. Many times, I’ve had to sacrifice what I want to hear in favor of what the band wants. And to be fair, it’s their band, their music, they cut the check. I work for them. This is not to insinuate that I have major disagreements with any particular bands I work with, I just mean in general.

But in the case of this blog, it exists to satisfy my own auditory desires.

So here I sit, a selfish revisionist, posting the first remix in what I’m sure will be a series of many more to come. This song is by a band I worked with several years ago called Cosmonaut (not to be confused with another band called Cosmonaut). They came into Red Planet in 2006 to record 4 songs that had a limited CR-R release. I think. I never actually got a copy of it. The band broke up pretty soon after and I’ve gone on to work with some members of the band in projects they’ve done since (as recently as last week, actually) including Barlights, Stay Sharp, and Ex Rev. I enjoyed their band and it’s a shame they didn’t last very long. Also, it’s safe to say that I enjoy any music that gets posted on here, or else why would I bother to put all this work into it? I hope if anyone is listening that you enjoy it too.

Dreadlord by Cosmonaut

Video Of Seafrost And Stephen Brodsky At The North Star

joesmiley — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 15:49:20 +0000

Back on April 1st I had the pleasure of doing sound for Seafrost and Stephen Brodsky at the North Star Bar in Philadelphia. Harry performs Seafrost songs solo so they sound somewhat different from the record. These are definitely cool alternate versions of his work. Luckily, a friend of his took video of the show and he shared the links with me.

Seafrost – Hallucinations

Seafrost – Rainbow Static

Seafrost – Daydream Routine

Seafrost – Navigator

Seafrost – Waves

Seafrost – March Away

Stephen Brodsky – Muddy Jar

Stephen Brodsky – Reanimation

Stephen Brodsky – Everest

Stephen Brodsky – The Calypso

Stephen Brodsky – Sometimes

Stephen Brodsky – The Gnome

Stephen Brodsky – Here’s To The Future

I, Fanblades Release New 12″: In Retrospect

joesmiley — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 00:56:18 +0000

As I mentioned in a previos post, I had some difficulties with my web site in the past and have also been pretty busy. As a result, a lot of news was never posted and I’ve got a lot to catch up on. So, in further (not new) news, I’m happy to announce that I, Fanblades released their new 12″ In Retrospect not too long ago (well, not too, too long ago…). Recorded almost entirely live in the studio, In Retrospect is the band’s first vinyl release. It features 4 songs, a hand screened cover, comes with a digital download, and is limited to 200 copies. Hopefully, as of this writing, they still have copies left to sell and you can get one for yourself. If not, you can always check out their Bandcamp page and stream the record there. Here’s a preview:

This album marks a significant milestone in the i, fanblades career. Between adding new instrumentation, adopting new writing methods, and finding new and better ways to record in our favorite studio to work in up til this point… In Retrospect is simultaneously the best representation of i, fanblades to date, and also the summation of an age that ties together literally all of the styles, methods, themes and ideas of the past recordings. It is also the first release put to vinyl. We certainly hope you enjoy.

Throw These Little Teeth Away, For They Are Not Your Pretty Smile by I, Fanblades

Seafrost Releases Physical Version Of Waves In The Atmosphere

joesmiley — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 16:09:53 +0000

It’s almost been a year since Seafrost released Waves In The Atmosphere as a digital download. Well now we finally get a physical release on CD. Check out the screen shots below. Visit the Bandcamp page to purchase the album which also comes with a bonus disc of loops and demos called Extra Textures.

Gholas release Загадка

admin — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 21:49:24 +0000

This is old news by now, but I had been having problems with my web server for quite some time and am just now able to announce that Gholas have released their new full length Загадка on CD. Music blogs have been praising the album, both for the dense doomy sound that explodes on their speakers and also for the amazing artwork and packaging. Check out pictures of the physical release below as well as a stream of the song “9000 Reasons.” To hear the entire album, visit the band’s Bandcamp page.

9000 Reasons by Gholas

Dangerbird/Gholas Tour Dates

joesmiley — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 18:03:44 +0000

I will be filling in on guitar for Dangerbird for a four day stint in August. We are touring with Gholas. The dates are:

Friday, August 6th @ Secret Art Space, Bethlehem, PA
Saturday, August 7th @ New Wave Cafe, New Bedford, MA
Sunday, August 8th @ The New Hawaii, Southington, CT
Monday, August 9th @ The Lit Lounge, Manhattan, NY

“Gift Horse” Deluxe Digital Download Available On iTunes

joesmiley — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 02:48:11 +0000

I neglected to include this in the previous blog post because I wasn’t sure if it was happening or not, but after seeing a tweet from @RelapseRecords I checked the iTunes store and sure enough you can buy the deluxe version of Mose Giganticus’ Gift Horse. What’s included in the deluxe version, you ask? It includes the entire demo version of the album that I recorded at Red Planet before the signing to Relapse, plus the Japanese bonus track and a digital booklet. The entire package is $11.99 for all 15 tracks. If you’ve already purchased the standard version of Gift Horse, you can purchase each bonus track individually for $0.99 each. The track list is:

01. Last Resort
02. The Left Path
03. Demon Tusk
04. Days Of Yore
05. The Great Deceiver
06. White Horse
07. The Seventh Seal
08. Aftermath (Japanese Bonus Track)
09. Last Resort (Demo)
10. The Left Path (Demo)
11. Days Of Yore (Demo)
12. Demon Tusk (Demo)
13. The Great Deceiver (Demo)
14. White Horse (Demo)
15. The Seventh Seal (Demo)