Good Friends and Grizzly Bear

If you tune yourself just right..

the universe has an interesting way of exposing opportunities that we allow ourselves to be open to..

Yesterday at work, I found myself thinking of two bands that my friend (one of the physical therapists that works for my mom), Carlo, could appreciate. I turned the corner, into the break room and wrote the two names down so that I would remember to mention them when I saw Carlo next.. I wrote "Grizzly Bear" and I wrote "Band of Horses" down on the note pad I keep handy.

Maybe I was just thinking of good harmonizing vocals or maybe I was covertly receiving and translating a message.. who knows? What I do know, is that within the next half hour my phone relayed to me the rest of the information that I may have been picking up on. The text was from Colin. Said he had an extra ticket for Grizzly Bear, at the Palladium! Crazy!

So I take off early from work and pick up In and Out on the way. And after a short nap, I'm on my way to the Palladium to meet up with the Long Beach posse. Colin hands me the ticket at the door and we walk inside to greet Dion and Mendee..

[Mendee is the singer in Colin's roomate's (Ikey Owens) band, Free Moral Agents. They are really good, you should check 'em out. Also DJ Nobody's band Blank Blue is in the same circle of friends.. A great act as well]

It was a night of Jim Beam and coke with lime.. where we could sway and watch our shoes catch slivers of the stage lighting and listen to Beach House open the evening up.. Grizzly Bear was an amazing and at times a chilling reminder that the most captivating instrument of all, is the human voice. Swelling and sprawling, the human voice.. when it moves through the room like fog or like a mountainscape, calls to a unique rib in your chest. Makes you swallow differently, y'know? Makes you want to call back from that same rib, in that same tongue..

Grizzly Bear was very good! And after a lost walk back to my car, the four of us were good.. 'cause we were Canter's Deli, eating halves of pastrami sandwiches and matzoh ball soup. Actually, I just had the soup. And Dion ordered an eggplant pita wrap. Colin got a bowl pesto penne and we all shared an order of fries. For which Colin would soon proceed to pour out an entire bottle of ketchup onto the pickle plate and the remaining pair of halved pickles.. Dion had to wipe some of that ketchup from his neck and shirt (which, fortunately was reddish to begin with). The ketchup that was flung from Colin's fork. Then we split the check, bid each other farewell and headed back south to our respective homes.

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Fantastic Mr. Fox, November 3, 7 P.M.
Q&A with director/screenwriter Wes Anderson, voice actor Jason Schwartzman, interviewed by Patrick Goldstein.



Some think Mr. Anderson is a genius, others think he's out there...

Count me in the former.

...in my car CD changer (II)

1. The Dodos - Time to Die

2. The Ruby Suns - Sea Lion

3. Mogwai - Mr. Beast

4. Some Flying Lotus album

5. Deastro - Keepers

6. Peter Bjorn & John - Their most recent release (don't remember the name)

Breaking News

December 8th.

All I know is that it costs $11.

And I'll probably be dying to hold it on December 7th.

When the Wind has your Back Everyone looks Familiar

It started last Monday. The Culver Den: Sleep gets a call from his sister. Thom Yorke tickets are going on sale at ten o'clock Tuesday morning..

Sleep: Whoa! This is gonna be crazy! I don't think Thom ever toured for his solo project [The Eraser].

Justin: Yeah! Sounds like fun! ..too bad I'm broke.

Sleep: Just try to get some tickets! You know how anything related to Radiohead sells.. you can put it on my card.. Don't worry.

Justin: okay.. if you say everything'll be alright..

Anyway, the next morning, Justin wakes up ten minutes after Sleep calls from an unfamiliar number, and seven minutes before tickets go on sale to the general public. Justin tries and fails to get ahold of Sleep. He tries and succeeds at getting ahold of Thom Yorke tickets, panics, then proceeds to finish purchasing the tickets with money that he'd reserved for food and shelter.. only to find that, due to a paperless ticket procedure, Justin was now obligated to show up in person on the night of the event (sun. oct. 4) to claim the two tickets.

At this point, now, I have two seats at the Sunday night Thom Yorke show and one hundred forty less dollars in the bank.. So I do the only appropriate thing there is to do: call another starving musician, who also happens to be a die hard 'Head' fanatic. In hopes that instead of only one, there would be two morons wallowing in their irresponsible, but everso chivalrous decisions.

Long story, short.. I spend Sunday recuperating from a Saturday night out on the town with the fam.. Croby, Stills and Nash at the Greek.. And after a very frustrating time with the old voice, I meet up with Sleep, Jon (Stinky Pinky), and The Doctor, Chris Yenny back at The Culver Den. We spend some time talking about the possibility of future independent publication endeavors and synthetic opiates. We talk about the moment and maybe making some beats to trade for rent.. And we enjoy Downtown and The Orpheum Theatre. And we enjoy Joey Waronker on drums, Mauro Refosco (percussion), Radiohead producer, Nigel Godrich (utility), and Flea on bass.. And we enjoy Thom Yorke and the band playing The Eraser, in its entirety (not to mention some rare solo performances of old and some new Radiohead songs). I enjoy bumping into Edward Norton and Jon could hardly pull himself together after shaking hands with Colin Greenwood.

It was a night of running, with the wind at our backs. One of those nights when everyone looks familiar and you're just trying not to order another bacon wrapped hot dog freshly grilled on someone's newly converted shopping-cart-stove. And you're doing your best not to order another whisky..

inspiration

"I was scared to see if people were going to embrace the idea of a whole shitload of sounds on one album,"

- Broken Social Scene's Kevin Drew a couple months after You Forgot It In People was released in October 2002

shows

Last 3 shows attended:

Bat for Lashes
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
The Dodos

...I am a spoiled brat.

...in my car CD changer

1. The Wave Pictures - If You Leave It Alone

(found in my living room. I think Sleep must've left it)

2. Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca

(Fingerprints, LB)

3. The Dodos - Beware of the Maniacs

(Amoeba Records, Hollywood)

4. Wells - 8/5/09 Live @ The Shore

(The Shore, Hermosa Beach)

5. Elliot Smith - New Moon

(don't know where I found this one. probably from Sleep)

6. UP1 Mix

(a nokiss made mix ranging from Tokyo Police Club to Dosh. from M.I.A. to Ghostland Observatory. and from LCD Soundsystem and The Rapture to.. well, you get the idea)

Buttons!!

So..  Ann came over yesterday.  And she brought pieces enough to make probably over a hundred buttons.. and she brought over her very own button press! and she brought pens and a little watercolor kit.. and she done strained us some kava, yo!  Wow.. it pretty much goes without saying, but "We like Ann!"

"I just ordered a thousand more of these guys.." she squeezes through a mischievous grin.  "Let's make some Wells merch!"

 And make, we did.. About a handful of buttons.  Although, I feel it is safe to say that the quality of the buttons far exceeded the quantity.  The most important thing here, is that we all enjoyed ourselves.. in the company of ourselves, while creating.. art?  Right?  Right.  So, be on the look out for Eyeball Burp! and Wells of People buttons!  And once you get your hands on some.. you can pin them on your bookbag, or your favorite hat!  Use one to mend a broken zipper or a relationship on the rocks! ..well, probably not a relationship on the rocks.. but maybe..

Geography

I'm in the business of creating geography.  Well.. really, we all are.  And capturing topography in moments in moments. Of movement. And, in time.. memory.

"Things ain't what they used to be.."

They always were.  And when they went and changed, we wondered what they always were.  All along.  Along the coasts and plains. The crests of mountains and the lows of valleys that made lakes. We've camped out and trained trails into the wild. We've given names to the places we've seen.  We've sounded them out and we've woven them into a familiar fabric.  Where there were holes, we stitched seams.  We took care of the connections we made between things.  We waited for physics.  And sometimes, when we thought no one was watching we'd believe in magic.  And we'd lean ourselves against the wind. Lend our eyes to the sky.  We'd keep our ears to the ground.  And wait for physics.  To run its course. To give us a sign.

Need Music

I need it in my car.  in my head. Sleep! Help!

los angeles

Okay, I just checked out a movie called 500 Days of Summer...

Sure it's a crazy love story-drama, but it's also a fantastic movie that shows how awesome Downtown LA has become. I've grown to love Downtown for all of its craziness and occasional sketchiness, especially because something amazing is always just around the corner.

The movie captures some of the best parts of Downtown...Bunker Hill, the Ahmanson Theatre/fountain area (props for not cliche-ing it up and showing the Concert Hall, since the Ahmanson was there first...plus it was in Iron Man already), views of the Historic Core, the Old Bank District... and fuck yeah for avoiding effing Nokia/Staples.

I saw the Redwood, Broadway Bar, and that DVD shop in the Bank District...but for those who don't hang out in Downtown, there are a crapload of other great places to check out that weren't shown in the film. Restaurants like Nickel Diner (bacon donuts), Bottega Louie, Wurstkuche, anywhere in Little Tokyo, that taco stand across from the Broadway Bar, Phillipe's and Cole's are all amazing...and that's just to name a few. Bars like Seven Grand (whisky/whiskey!), Golden Gopher ($3 Hoegaarten on Tuesday), La Cita, and the Association are super cool places to lounge. And you really can't forget places like the Orpheum, which hosts live music and a great sound setup.

It was a good movie, full of cool little things (she likes Magritte! and he sings the Pixies!) but an even better opportunity to see what's just up the 110. Especially you, South Bay folks, Downtown is way closer than Hollywood or even Echo Park/Silverlake (which I also strongly suggest checking out - gelato, anyone!?).

The art walk is this Thursday...and is the perfect chance to take a look around.

I promise it will be worth it.

Micachu & The Shapes

I've been listening to Micachu's new album, Jewellery, lately...

Non-stop, actually... It's really good!

if man is five...

then the devil is SIX...

US 'DOOLITTLE' TOUR DATES ANNOUNCED!

PIXIES ANNOUNCE U.S. "DOOLITTLE" TOUR DATES
LOS ANGELES, CA - July 28, 2009

In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the release of their classic 1989 album Doolittle, the band - Black Francis, Kim Deal, Joey Santiago and David Lovering - will kick off the very special US "Doolittle Tour" at the Palladium in Los Angeles on Wednesday, November 4.

On this tour, the Pixies will perform all of the songs from Doolittle and its related B-sides, "Weird at My School," "Dancing the Manta Ray," and "Bailey's Walk" among them. Doolittle, the band's third album and the first to chart on Billboard's album charts, includes classics such as "Debaser," "Wave of Mutilation," "Here Comes Your Man," "Hey," and "Gouge Away. "

"We wanted to do something special for Doolittle's 20th anniversary," said Black Francis, "and we thought his was a good opportunity to play all of the songs from that album, something we don't normally do at a regular gig. "With the first date in the UK still three months away, the band is brainstorming on Doolittle-related surprises that will also comprise the nights' entertainment. The US dates will follow the seven-city/12-date "Doolittle" trek of the UK and Europe. Kicking off on September 30 in Dublin, most dates have already sold out, including a four-night stand at London's Brixton Academy, where some 20,000 tickets vanished in about an hour. In addition, on August 29, the band will perform a straight-ahead Pixies set of their classic songs spanning their entire career at the Virgin Festival at Burl's Creek Park outside of Toronto.

The Boston-formed Pixies have been acclaimed as the most influential pioneering band of the late 80s alt/rock movement. Their five studio releases and six years together effectively blazed the path for groups like Nirvana, Radiohead and Pearl Jam to rise to superstardom. They disbanded in 1993 and launched their reunion tour in April, 2004 when virtually every, single date sold out within minutes and fans traveled hundred of miles to attend a show. In post-Pixies years, Black Francis has enjoyed a successful solo career as Frank Black, Kim Deal went on to form the Platinum-selling band the Breeders, Joey Santiago started the band The Martinis and has carved a career as a music composer for film and TV, and David Lovering performs as a magician and continues to drum. The US "Doolittle Tour" will be the band's first American trek since 2005. The "Doolittle Tour" will coincide with the release of the ultimate Pixies Collector's Set, Minotaur, which ships to purchasers in early October and will hit stores around the same time.



Hooray!

Like Life

...it's like a teeter-totter, you know?

except there's more than two sides of the fulcrum..

and everyone's moving around..

Reason Well

Reason well it ain't that easy, does it?

A picture perfect timing is everything going to be ok?

Well, yes and nobody's gonna do it for you

have to be patient...

You have to keep yourself open and closed case

if you know what I mean,

you know,

open up

and down the line is thin between art and life...

One moment it's there and the next minute

It's all good

and gone

with the wind

patterns and pressure systems.

Wane with the want and the like

and you'll be one with the light

and you'll finally be able to let it in.

Let it go

and watch yourself in the world

run with it inside:

out of luck

out of chance

out of love.

Animal Collective

Tonight. Animal Collective. Wilshire and Western.

Attention!!

Not that I'm expecting anyone (besides the few who already know) to read this, but it's always better to just get these things off of your chest and out into the world, whether it be in the wide web or the actual(?) one...

Anyway, something bigger is beginning to happen. It's the type of thing that makes you wanna believe in magic again.. on par with a spread seed of the dead dandelion or watching the arriving flights line up on your way home on the 405..

So... ATTENTION!!! Stinky Pinky, Big Moke, Gnarle, Jubien, DJ Heartbreaker, Eyeball Burp! Magazine, Ten at Raize Collective, Free Moral Agents, Blank Blue, Up Above Records, Second Thought (if you MFers still think you can rap), Harsh, Jupiter Ignition, Gray, Sal, Omar, Paradigm One, The Big Spank, Markisa, Gardena, Mingo, Tomorrows Bad Seeds (if you're all not too busy..) and anyone else doing work in the South Bay:  WELLS NEED YOUR HELP!!

I figure, if everything continues to go better than what I admit to dreaming of, then there is a very big splash to be made.. there will be lots of eyes too! ..and hearts to be taken!  So stay tuned!  And tuned! Because although none of us can presently afford to dream, I assure you our time is close!

If we keep moving like this, like something's after us, I think we'll be ok..

..or like we're after something...

Something IS after us.

Some things were before us.

And something will come after us once we're good and gone..

Luckily, what we're after is right before us

Or at least it feels that way..

Rant II

I won't love what I do

until I do what I love...

When will...

when will...

when will...

upcoming

upcoming
5/16 Mogwai - Orpheum
5/19 Decemberists - Palladium
5/20 M83 - Glass House
5/22 Obits – Spaceland
5/27 Thermals - Troubadour
5/28 Passion Pit - Troubadour
5/28 St Vincent - El Rey
5/29 S7B - Troubadour
5/29 Passion Pit - Echoplex
5/29 Animal Collective - Wiltern
5/30 S7B - Detroit Bar
5/30 Passion Pit – Glass House
6/5 Clues - Echo
6/6 Holy Fuck – Troubadour
6/8 Metric – Wiltern
6/11 Handsome Furs – Echoplex
6/11 Camera Obscura – Fonda
6/12 Ray Lamontagne - Bowl
6/12 Neko Case – Greek Theatre
6/12 Love is All - Echoplex
6/13 Datarock – Key Club
6/16 Bat for Lashes - El Rey
6/16 1990’s – Echo
6/17 Viva Voce – Echo
6/18 Chairlift – Echo
6/19 Grizzly Bear – Wiltern
6/20 Chairlift – Getty
6/21 Chairlift – Detroit Bar
6/21 Femi Kuti/Santigold - Bowl
6/23 Sunset Rubdown – Echoplex
6/22-25 Wilco – Wiltern
6/26 Grace Jones/Of Montreal - Bowl
6/27 Explosions in the Sky – Palladium
7/3 NPSH – Spaceland
7/5 Death Cab – Hollywood Bowl
7/10 Andrew Bird – Greek Theatre
7/20 Pains of Being Pure at Heart – Echo
8/8 The Dodos – Getty
8/12 NASA – El Rey
8/22-23 Sunset Junction
8/26 Cake – Fonda
8/28-29 Street Scene
8/29 Band of Horses – Fox Pomona
8/28-30 Outside Lands
9/24 Beastie Boys – Hollywood Bowl
10/2-4 ACL
10/16-17 Treasure Island

Who's down?

Safer - Animal Collective

Why am I so scared

that there're shadows on the walls from yesterday?

I turn and tell my dad

I saw ghosts in the park wooing girls with cakes.

Their moms are scared

cause they haven't been home in two or three days.

The wind blows trees though the tops of my hair

I saw wolves in the fog, I can see through the rain.

Oh, many things have changed

in the snow filled lakes where there used to be waves.

I feel deranged.

They're building beaches inside, so it's sunny on me.

I don't know. I think it's strange

cause I know we met before, but I cannot place it.

I don't know if there's any real danger,

but the creatures all know that it's safer in the dark.

Why am I so scared

of explosions going off in just any old way.

I turn and ask, "Is it really that bad?"

They say we've much bigger problems.

We've got wolves on the plain.

And they left their den

cause of cracks in the pipes through the murky graves.

They're runnin' just as fast as the hares.

They say you shouldn't leave a place if you can eat there.

Oh, man and things have changed

in the snow filled lakes where there used to be waves.

I feel deranged.

They're building beaches inside, so it's sunny on me.

I don't know. I think it's strange

cause I know we met before, but I cannot place it.

I don't know if there's any real danger,

but I'm alright, if you're alright.

Rant I

When your heart jumps from out of your mouth

and fumbles it's way into the wavy world;

and once a string of shiny moments makes

you trace the day from behind its horizon;

And then, day

breaks again,

You'll remember December.

And you'll wonder what rain is:

The sky or the water.

And you'll remember why.

Bet you can't play better than him...

This kid is amazing.



and then check this, he'll be here Dude:

http://www.lebowskifest.com

    So, there's been some talk... and yes, we've already begun to finish what we've started.

It looks like we're all feeling the (unfamiliar, yet oddly natural) emergence of a record label.. one that will be born out of its very first product!  With our debut EP materializing just under our fingertips and the production almost wholly under our direction, it seems we have little choice but to open an umbrella under which our first (and most official) release may rest.

 

  There's also been future wind of solo releases from Wells members and collaborations with friends of Wells that will most likely lead to a compilation mixtape of some of the more rooted members in the South Bay Movement that presses itself onto us and into the big, scary world..

...trading hours for minutes

fingers not working...

..brain    tiring

need help

sometime

soon

naked

With the studio relocated to Culver, the reason well takes on a different feel. Can you spare change?

wells of people

recording...

after a couple of unforgettable shows, it's time for the studio.

uncle miles: hey, you guys should get a video camera and document some of the recording process. you can always look back to a certain day and work on something you might have otherwise forgotten...
us: hey, that's a great idea.
blank stares around
us: where do we get a video camera?

a blog will have to do.

the gear has been on the move recently. after a few weeks in the south bay, the show has moved up the 405 to record in a new space. two mixes of the museum have emerged, one each mixed by kenneth and justin. kenneth's mix has flowing instrumentals, a wide variety of effects, and has a moodier feel. justin's emphasizes the vocals, almost a spoken word piece with intricate instrumentals. i anticipate a problem with having to choose one...maybe we'll just go with two. b-sides, anyone?

work on 'catch 22' has picked up...hopefully with the 'muesum' work under our belts, the catch will come a bit easier.

also, we just finished an interview for EyeballBurp, a magazine set to debut in the next month...

exciting!