TO THE NECK "Podcast" Mix 3

James Brown "Down And Out In New York City"
Animal Collective "Summertime Clothes"
Food For Animals "Shhhy"
Passion Pit "Sleepyhead"
Bat For Lashes "Siren Song"
Deerhunter "Nothing Ever Happened"
Jaguar Love "Bats Over The Pacific Ocean"
Melt Banana "Cat In Red"
Teeth Mountain "Keinsein"
Lil Wayne "Where The Cash At"
Next Life "Sol Blade"
Dan Deacon "Wet Wings"
Deerhoof "Sunny Side"
Ty Seagall "The Drag"
Foreign Born "Vacationing People"

TO THE NECK “Podcast” Mix 2

Huun-Huur-Tu “Prayer”
John Zorn “Virgin Sacrifice”
Björk “Where Is The Line (Fantomas Mix)
Death Ambient “Thermohaline”
Bonnie “Prince” Billy “The World’s Greatest”
Tanya Tagaq “Construction”
Dirty Projectors + David Byrne “Knotty Pine”
Tripping Daisy “Waited A Light Year”
Brian Eno + Robert Fripp “The Heavenly Music Corporation”
Dälek “Street Diction”
Atlas Sound “Children's Hospital (Screaming in the Face of Death #2)
Area “Gerontocrazia”
Fever Ray “I’m Not Done”

2009 Announcements

Hello again, friends.

As you may have noticed, most To The Neck projects have gone underground for the time being, pending my return from studies in Indonesia. However, you can rest assured: many, many exciting things are brewing.

We have a handful of new releases slated for 2009 [including -I promise- the eternally-delayed SLs LP.] Once I return and have access to the archives again, we’ll also be putting the entire To The Neck “catalogue” online, for all those unfortunate souls who missed out on Shoot Straight, Conserve Ammo, And Never Ever Cut A Deal With THE DECKERS the first time, along with some other unheard/forgotten gems.

For now, though, enjoy the first of what’s likely to be many podcast-style mixes posted here, featuring recent favorites from myself and –eventually- other contributors:

1
Fucked Up “No Epiphany” (Daytrotter)
John Zorn “Almadel”
Crime & The City Solution “All Must Be Love”
Miss Murgatroid & Petra Haden “Fade Away”
Björk “Naturra”
Kristin Hersh “Juno” (Daytrotter)
Caribou “Desiree”
The Microphones “The Pull + Ice” (April 27, 2003)
Tripping Daisy “Mechanical Breakdown”
Einstürzende Neubauten “Weil Weil Weil (Kurt Sweil Remix by Jochen Arbeit)”
The Qemists & Mike Patton “Lost Weekend”
Dälek “2012 (The Pillage)”
School Of Seven Bells “Conjjur”
Dragging An Ox Through Water “Not Harping On Powers”

The SLs at Holocene - August 13th!

This will be the "farewell" show, our last for at least a year. It should offer a fitting conclusion to what we've been doing recently.

Be a friend. Come say goodbye.

Hello, friends.

1) In case you hadn't heard, I -Justin- am moving to Indonesia at the end of August, to study wayang for a year at ISI Yogyakarta. When this happens, productivity on new SLs material as it's existed up until now will most likely grind to a halt. However, these studies are part of my master plan to drastically expand the way in which the songs and the "band" are presented and performed. It's going to be a long wait, but trust me.
It will NOT disappoint.

2) I'll be finished with the new SLs EP before I leave. I'm calling it A Diamond Eye Shines In Failing Light. This will be the first real To The Neck release in a couple years, so I will do my best to organize a suitable release party some time toward the end of August. I'll let you know about that.

SLs show!

SLs show!

Our so-called better days

I uploaded the rough draft of a new song to the SLs myspace. Recorded Summer-Fall [or is it Winter now?] 2007 [referenced in the August 6th post here]. I will probably end up sticking with the default title, AKA the first line: "We're sweating and dirty..."



The Basement phase of recording for the Animal Beard full-length continues with positive results. One of these days we'll post some clips or something instead of me just saying "It's going really well, I swear!" over and over. But it really is going well. More soon.

Somewhere it's not dark.

Animal Beard recording has resumed. Results have been fast and pleasing. ["Runways" is the first of the new bunch to adopt the affable "shuffle" beat. Its flute interlude might deter some less-adventurous listeners.] As the AB full-length lurches toward completion it promises to be an odd, messy, but undeniably lovable affair. Sound examples very soon!

"cracked sand and dying trees..."

SLs recording progresses slowly. My recent process of re-approaching old songs I had started and inventing new parts to complete them has been frustrating but rewarding. Like grafting fresh living limbs onto a rotting zombie torso; when it works it breathes a new vitality into the whole thing.

Anyway, the new piece should be somewhat presentable soon, the full-length comes next. Updates soon.

SLs recording continues.

Recording continues, but you can listen to a rough mix of a new SLs song called "Doomed Lovers Fleeing" here. More soon.

Big big big big big big big big big.

SLs recording has begun again: Once again I am occupied. Results have been favorable and will be available for your consideration soon.

It's too important.

Yes! Recording continues on the new Animal Beard full-length. So far the results are very, very exciting. More soon.

Long time no talky-talky.

We've been laying low recently, but there are rumblings...

Animal Beard has been recording in Jevon's Pearl District studio. I have learned not to make promises about specifically when the long-delayed full-length will be finished + available, but rest assured that it is coming.

More news as it happens...

Animal Beard at Berbati's Pan on September 13th.
Photos by Tony Vu.

We were offered this show at the last minute and I forgot to post this before the show actually happened. Oops! Just so you know, it was one of our best shows in recent memory with unbelievable attendance and positive response. In fact, the Time To Bleed release party might be the only time that came close in terms of "They liked us?!"

Also, Tony Vu has posted some pictures of Animal Beard at Berbati's on his Flickr account. They look pretty good!

ANIMAL BEARD at BERBATI'S

Get ready! On September 13th you will get the chance to witness Animal Beard at Berbati's Pan, featuring the hotly-anticipated North American return of James Edwards. Also appearing: AristeiA and The Every Thing [actually their first show!].

In case you don't know: Berbati's is located at 231 SW Ankeny. This show should cost $5. It should also rock to a considerable degree.

This is exciting since the current Beard arrangement sounds really good. As pretty and weird as you've come to expect, and part of it looks like this:

Also, there are new photos at the SLs myspace. They were taken by Tony Vu.

Boro at the Funky Church, Friday August 4th.

I am not dead / This is how rumors get started

Not a lot of action recently, but major action soon to come. Animal Beard recording starts in August and a new house studio setup will soon make productivity the only option. If I'm not pimping CD-R's on this site in a couple of months, I hope I am distracted enough to not be totally depressed by how my plans fell apart.

THE STEVEN LASOMBRAS and NOT YETI - June 23rd!!!

On June 23rd (that's next Friday for you kids without calendars), The Steven Lasombras join friends Not Yeti (and maybe some other, as-yet-unnamed friends?) at Ground Kontrol. You know Ground Kontrol, they've got the old video games and they're at 5111 NW Couch...? And they're having Not Yeti and The Steven Lasombras play...? What am I talking about, of course you know.

Jevon and Buddy are out of town, so we're exploring alternative percussion sources. Come for new arrangements, new songs, old video games... and for Not Yeti, who, from what I recall, can really tear it up. Who here is excited? I'm excited!

THE DECKERS - LIVE DEBUT?!!1!!

Thursday, June 22nd. Food Hole. Fuck the competition, this is THE DECKERS*, exploding like a motherfucking cranial bomb.
NO GUITAR MERCY!

*as much as it can be without Jim. In other words: not completely.