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On a Wednesday night in March 2004, I walked into an open mic in Cambridge, Massachusetts, went to the back of the room and slid my guitar case underneath the foosball table. I introduced myself to the guy standing next to me.
Paul Sentz and I became quick friends.
Three years (and many drinks) later, 5 unfalse dudes rolled into the revered Inner Ear/Silver Sonya studios in Arlington, Virginia and began recording Smile When You’re Alone with T.J. Lipple (Aloha).
This Car Up - Smile When You’re Alone
We only made this one record: 10 songs, 2 bonus tracks (including a 28 Degrees Taurus cover) that were put together with the help from some good friends, cheap dranks and big fun.
We had a great time making this album and being this band.
For the first time, a making-of video documents the 2 weeks in 2007 that we spent creating a body of work that found it’s way to Japan, still gets spun in dark Brooklyn bars and also moved a few units for Tide.
Members of This Car Up now currently play in Boston bands Slowdim, Amoroso, Stereo Telescope, and The Hush Now.
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For years, I lived in a house in Lower Allston that had a revolving door of castmates and castaways. All traversing our lives in a hazy daze, we created some good times, endured through the rough ones, and generally just held our shit together as a unit of friends would.
While doing some recent surgery on my hard-drive, I uncovered all the old footage that was taken during that time. In an effort to clean it up, I’ve put together a nostalgic dvd compilation that highlights 4 years of the housemate’s creativity and debauchery.
Above is the trailer for The 21 Easton Reels.
if you’re looking for the full dvd, that shit is mail-order.
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February 2.0
I wrote/recorded an album last month.
for songs about non-principle characters on LOST, grocery shopping and traversing the subway (in Greek), take a listen.
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my parents are cooler than your parents.
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taking a time-out to free up the cloud of frames and noise
I poured a shot and headed off into the night.
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1992 or Bust.
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rinse and repeat.
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solid.
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I made these gems in a month.
I spent February writing and recording an album of music. I’m always working on music at home, whether its in the kitchen, bedroom or bathroom. problem is, I never release anything. I’ll work a song to death for months. I’ll get a new idea and dump the former in the trash. on the last day of January I stumbled upon a website devoted to starting and finishing an album in one month. I took the challenge. over the next 4 weeks I wrote 9 songs (actually about 13, but those other ones were absolute rubbish).
now, I know I don’t have a Grammy winner on my hands. but I’m happy that I took the challenge and completed it. it was difficult to not repeat myself, lyrically or musically. in the end, the track listing stayed in order with how I wrote the songs. it became my month. the feeling of dread when I take the train to Williamsburg, the Patriots losing another Super Bowl, the assaulting smells of the city, idiots on the internet, my sister being pregnant, staying home to make music, staying home to do the dishes, an episode of Doctor Who and the fact that I can’t get a decent night’s sleep in my apartment.
there. I gave it away.
there’s a sense of relief, knowing that I can actually put something out, on my own.
and I’ll probably do it again next February.
until then..
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Watch out for Hurricane Earl.
