Thursday, March 9, 2023

Album Review: Everybody Wants Control Of You


Artist: H.M. Johnson
Title: Everybody Wants Control Of You

Label: Trashmore Records

Year: 1994

Genre: Jazz, Blues, R&B
Condition: CD case/insert very good, disc very good (no skips)

Compact disc found in Centerville Turnpike DAV Thrift Store in Chesapeake, Virginia. H.M. Johnson is a prophet. In this 1994 album, he is warning us that "Everybody Wants Control Of You". Listening in 2023, one cannot deny the prescience of his call to the citizens of the world. We are not in control. Our lives are not our own. Who is "Everybody"? According to H.M., it's the government, the preachers, and rock stars. We, the common folk, are all merely blind puppets. We are pawns in civilization's cruel game. Big banks and big media rule us. We are slaves to everything and everybody. There is no hope. We're born suckers and we'll die suckers. Smooth, crisp jazz scale guitar solos take the listener on an adventurous roller coaster ride over the course of this album. Strap in because it's a thrilling ride.


According to his website, H.M. left a band called The Rhythm Kings "to play the music he really wanted". Thank God for that realization. Here is a song by the band called "Baby Take It Easy" that clearly shows us that H.M. was bogged down with a clunky horn section and cluttered bass/drum combo. The unnecessary sax solo is oddly placed and goes on for too long. Annoying brass punches startle the listener. Worst of all, where's the guitar solo? Thanks, but no thanks. Very glad that H.M. left this mess of amateurs to start his own thang. He still regularly performs in Virginia, wowing crowds of all ages with his laid back vocals and big hollow body guitar gymnastics. Watch this remarkable clip of H.M. performing a one minute jazzy blues ditty from February 2023. With jazz cap placed perfectly askew on his head, H.M. Johnson's fingers effortlessly dance on the fretboard to create a minuscule masterpiece.

Best tracks are "Everybody Wants Control Of You", "Song For Barf", "Movin'".

CD Track Listing - You're Always There, You Move Me, Everybody Wants Control Of You, I've Never Been So Lonely, The Most, One Woman Man, Movin', Song For Barb

Check out the H.M. Johnson Band's Facebook page to see if they're playing soon.

Friday, May 6, 2022

Wednesday, December 29, 2021

"The Bottom Of It" - Craig Moorhead


"The Bottom Of It" is the 6-song EP by Craig Moorhead. He answered the following questions by email via computer less than five minutes ago...


How did you make “The Bottom Of It”
?

Most of 'The Bottom Of It' was recorded using Vegas Pro, a Ray Cameron 86 mic, a blue telecaster loaned to me by Dave Ries of Kentucky Avenue (you should check them out), a Mackie mixing board that was large enough that I only needed about 10% of it, and a Line6 amp modeler to... model some amps.

This was all done in a studio at a place I used to work and I could have the run of it in the off-hours. 'Nothing Rhymes' was recorded in the basement of my house, though, with a microphone, an Ibanez guitar, and fingers crossed. After the recording was done, it was all mixed and mastered in Logic Pro.


Weezer
or Deezer?



Weezer ON Deezer. Gotta Deez that Weez.

Was it easier to start “The Bottom Of It” or complete it?

It's always harder to complete. All the recording is fun and the first few mixes are really fun to listen to, and then the 39th mix is like "Why was I born?" and then you let it sit for a decade or two and start that whole process over again. So, yeah, much easier to start. 



Kurt Cobain or Kurt Russell?



I mean, it's gotta be Kurt Russell. Snake Plissken is Santa Claus now. You can't compete with that.


What’s an old email address that you don’t use anymore? Why did you stop using it?



tthhoossee@yahoo.com - Witness protection made me give it up.


Frank Black
or Frank Drebin?

Wow, there are no softballs in this interview! But it would have to be Frank Black. Drebin is fine, of course, but let's face it, he got a little silly the more time went on. Frank Black remains deadpan and that's what I like about him. His songs are okay, too.

What are you going to do next?



Next year I'll be releasing, probably, two songs a month leading up to the release of an album I call '26% Rock n Roll Solution'. It's the one everyone's been waiting for.

Wilco or “Sgt. Bilko”?



What a softball. Wilco, of course.

What is something that you would like to say to the you of five years from now?



Stop it! Now go.


What's some stuff that people should check out?

Podcast: a-ha Ha Ha - a podcast consisting entirely of knock-knock jokes based on the popular 80s band. Example: Knock-Knock. Who's There? Ah. Ah-Who? No, a-ha. Really good stuff.

Book: Stop Doing That by Aesop Semple. Oh, that Aesop. What a talent.

Movie: When Did This Happen? written and directed by Tiffany Chandelier. This is a first-person account of a third-person account of a true story that never happened. A revelation.

Album: Slip Into The Night by Pale Brother. This is real. Do it.



Listen to "The Bottom Of It" Now!

Craig Moorhead's spotify & youtube
& soundcloud


Saturday, November 6, 2021

Stiflesun

UPDATE: As of March 2023, Jme Ggg's youtube channel is no more. Go to Internet Archive instead - Stiflesun

Listen to What we ‘blim’ and what we’re opposed to and OHAOMID & ircucird'ld lues.

Voice dwellings, string scrape, clock fall, deep slime, wide egg birth slices of sound in concise public video waveform.


Listen to nvy Premieinserted c/take or Vani (takesufficient).

Go to Jme Ggg's youtube channel. There is stuff from today and stuff from several years ago. They exist now, but might not exist for long. When there is nothing there, refer to Discogg's Stiflesun
and a Stiflesun in the Archive of The Internet or the Last.fm Stiflesun (1,756 Scrobbles as of November 2021).


Have you heard th sleepin' Pantycope or th cibrual Samwich (peoples is Oblivious)?

Which one is the best? It is either agmograpfi TonePil sses what • ub EYE or PLACATOR. Listen to both now at the same time or years apart.


Tuesday, January 12, 2021

"Death Cell" - Joshua Cotterino

"Death Cell" is the 9-song album by Joshua Cotterino. He answered the following questions early on Christmas morning 2020...


How did you make “Death Cell”
?

Hardware: Squier Strat, SX VTG bass, Yamaha YS-100, CH-1, RP3 multi-effects, DD-7, Roland Rubix 24 usb interface, Shure PG48, Shure SM57, Olson MK-175, Tascam 424 MKII Portastudio, Behringer Xenyx 802 mixer

Software: Garageband 6, Reason, OBXD, Song-Finisher 3000, and synth1

Hi-Fi, Lo-Fi, or Wi-Fi?

Yes.

Was it easier to start “Death Cell” or complete it?



Easier to start. Is anything ever really finished??


Robert Smith or Will Smith?



Robert Smith, but I would love to hear them collab.

What are you going to do next?



Record a black metal EP.

Love Will Tear Us Apart” or “Love Will Keep Us Together”?



That's a tough one... Imagine if the production and mixes on those two songs were switched.


What’s an old email address that you don’t use anymore? Why did you stop using it?

walkingahead@yahoo.com - Did you ever use to play yahoo pool?

"Enjoy the Silence" or "Silence of the Lambs"?



"Enjoy the Silence"

What is something that you would like to say to the you of five years from now?



Keep it real.

What's some stuff that people should check out?

I've had the movie "Cabin Boy" playing a lot in my recording space lately. Also check out hotoffthepressrecords.bandcamp.com, my friends Hugo and Matt have been recording some of the best underground pop you'll ever hear. A few of my favorite albums on there are "Campus Slump OST", "City Nights", and "Pap".



Get "Death Cell" HERE

Friday, January 1, 2021

E-Z Food Mart (location unknown)

Monday, November 30, 2020

"Exactly Where You Are" - Human Pippi Armstrong

"Exactly Where You Are" is the 9-song album by Human Pippi Armstrong. He answered the following questions in November 2020...



Pip Pip. How did you
make "Exactly Where You Are"?

(the drum machines:)
Roland-Tr-626, Tr-8, Boss-DR770, DR202, Teenage Engineering Po-12

(the synths:) Yamaha-TQ-8,Cs1x,DX-21. Korg EX-800, Minilouge, Duotron, Microkorg. Paia-Fatman. Arturia Beatstep-pro, Microbrute:::all connected to a Robitussin DXM Head-Buzz Unit


Louis Armstrong or Louie Anderson?



Louie Anderson belongs behind bars. That's all I'm gonna say. Louis Armstrong all day.


Was it easier to start "Exactly Where You Are" or complete it?

It was easier to complete than to start for sure.

I was still using Vegas 7.0 for multitrack recording when I started (in 2018). I was really unhappy with the way it sounded. So I restarted it in January of this year on Ableton and that has helped quite a bit with the labor intensive editing. I write it all as I go, so however long it takes is however long it takes. As long as I get something done everyday, no matter how small a task, it adds up.

Lance Armstrong or Lance Crackers?

Lance Crackers, specifically "TOASTCHEE"
crackers, those I can stomach even when I'm nauseous, I don't know what it is... Now, Lance's "Gold-n-Chees" are not okay. They are disgraceful.

"ToastChee", "Gold-n-Chees"?
Why won't they finish the word? What are they hiding? I have a feeling they are hiding all the boxes of Nabisco Cheese-Nips. Why is it so hard to find a box of Nips? Food Lion removed the price tag and filled the empty space with the generic penguin crackers... like they never existed..."Oh, go with one of the 50 different flavors of Cheez-It".

You can put all the dressing and Old Bay and chipotle sriracha you want on a Cheez-It. They will NEVER be a true Nip.


What are you going to do next?

Gotta get my saxophone fixed, start wearing casual vests, learn how to enjoy seltzer-water, release a few EPs... basically, I plan on living the rest of my life like Jerry Garcia at his heaviest, minus the heroin.

One Small Step or One Giant Leap?




One! Step! Beyond!

What’s an old email address that you don’t use anymore? Why did you stop using it?




HaroldRamis666@hotmail.com - hotmail is long gone.
RIP hotmail and your endless ENZYTE emails...

Billy Joe Armstrong or Billy Joel’s Arm Is Strong?



Billy Joel is really 'swole'
But Green Day's riffs, Billy Joe stole
Billie Eilish is really stylish
Not to be confused with Billy Childish
I'm part Irish.
Be more Billy idol-ish.


What is something that you would like to say to the you of five years from now?


Hey it's... you, I have nothing to say to you! You think you're so much smarter and wiser now! Oooh "you've grown sooo much..." GAH! We are down here in 2020 and you're up there chillin', being all like "yep, i knew the whole time." well guess what Marty McFried? If they have a time machine app in 2025, I need to know a few things.
Sincerely, You. November 31, 2020...


What's some stuff people should check out?


books:

"How to POP! Popcorn (The Chris Carol Way") - by Fred Whiskuns

"Squirt Cobain: My Mother Was a 90's Pornstar" - by Teegan Funt-Garber

"I May Have Christ on My Side, but I Also Have What They Call 'Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms'" - by Ret. Sgt. Bogue Willington


albums:


Nigel Peppercock - "Fresh White Reeboks Kickin Your Ass"

Fred $avage - "He's Dat Wonder-boy Mixtape Vol. 3"

Karen Kryscztolek with Chris Michaelson (of Crush Metal Water) - "The Seattle Tapes"

movies:

Chucky vs Problem Child (2019)

Hip Hop Rapture (starring Corbin Bernsen and Bizzy Bone, 2004)

This Old House: The Movie (1990)


Get "Exactly Where You Are" HERE

Human Pippi Armstrong's soundcloud, facebook, instagram, youtube,
ToastChee