mishimastrange - Tumblr blog

[mishimastrange]

Mishima Strange// Radio Impossibilia #6

After a long time, here's another ten songs that have lately been floating around in the air surrounding Mishima Strange.

Some newer stuff like the bleep-bloop of POW!, and the moody, "Sex Prayer" by White Denim, and then some late-70s punk standouts, "Outdoor Miner" by Wire, and "Action Time Vision" by Alternative TV.

Rounding out the mix is your usual mish-mash of things, a track off Kraftwerk's Computer World, an excellent underrated by gem by the Pretty Things from S.F. Sorrow, the ever wonderful New York Dolls' "Trash," and more.

[mishimastrange]

Mishima Strange// Rehearsal Session Collage 10/13/13

Excerpts from October 13, 2013 Rehearsal at Greenhouse Studios in Signal Hill, CA. Excerpts from: "Through and Against" "Saboteurs and Spies" "Escape Route" "The Cycle" "The Public Demands a Buzz" "Strum Or Run" "History of the World."

http://mishimastrange.bandcamp.com/ www.Facebook.com/MishimaStrange www.twitter.com/MishimaStrange

[mishimastrange]

Mishima Strange// Practice Session 10/13/13

"Arthur's California." Recorded Live on October 13, 2013 at Greenhouse Music Studios in Signal Hill, CA.

[mishimastrange]

Mishima Strange was chosen as a selection on AbsolutePunk.net's Free Music Friday.

Thanks guys!

[mishimastrange]

Mishima Strange// Track by Track: Escape Route

21. Escape Route

This is one that bounced around in the ol' noggin for several years, although it was always in tact, save for the lyrics. When it came time to record this one, I wanted to get an blatantly fast punkrock track that was inspired by all the early-1980s punkrock I had grown up on.

For the vocal I wanted it to be manic, so it was left to end of one of the vocal tracking days so that it would have a level of desperation. Again, there were moments when I thought I wouldn't be able to make it through a certain take because I was pushing the vocal chords pretty hard, but I think the results speak for themselves.

Also, even though the results are marble-mouthed to some, I think these are some of the best lyrics on the record.

I wanted a compact, very tightly wound sound for the main sections of the song, so the transitions from verse to chorus are very chaotic. However, I must say that little section where the wobbly Ginn-esque solo transitions into  the second verse with a yell is a little slice of heaven to my ears.

The coda section is very inspired by the Pixies, and is just a simple but effective shout along piece. "Be, or be nothing," came to me one day while I was driving, and I thought it was a very powerful disconnected kind of phrase. It found a good home here in the coda.

To hear this song and the rest of the twenty-two songs from the album visit the Mishima Strange BandCamp page or SoundCloud. If you like the music, be sure to like the Mishima Strange Facebook page so as to receive every updates about new shows, releases, and everything else.

[mishimastrange]

Mishima Strange// Influenz-a: Stanley Kubrick

How can you not respect such a singular approach to making art? I haven't seen every Kubrick film, or taking any film studies classes so as to dissect his work. However one can still gain that awe that one often gets when viewing his films in my opinion. Here's a nice documentary on him:

[mishimastrange]

Mishima Strange// Track by Track: Witchdoctor

20. Witchdoctor

One influence that might not be all to apparent amongst the rest of the tracks here is delta/acoustic blues. Although I can appreciate electric blues playing, I have always had this specific taste for the simple, grainy recordings of people like Skip James, Charley Patton, and especially Blind Willie McTell.

With the latter, I remember listening to a four disc box set of his stuff religiously, and just absolutely being enthralled by the energy, playfulness, and melody of his guitar playing. The little hooks and details of his strums and runs were just brilliant and his acoustic tone was impeccable.

In tribute to those formative years listening to those 78rpm to CD transmissions, there is "Witchdoctor," a simple fingerpicked thing I played around with for years. It even had lyrics at one point (A couple people in the world probably have a scratchy mp3 version of it somewhere) but here has a direct and unassuming aura. It was played on a sturdy sounding Martin acoustic which has an inherent warmth to it. I particular like the chord changes at the "chorus" section of the each repetition. Engineer Bryant suggested the fade in, which I think gives a little sense of continuity with the previous "Tons of Snakes" which of course is also acoustic.This tracks signals the home stretch of the album, and I wanted something a little low-key to provide one last bait and switch for the apocalyptic duo that were to follow and end the album.

To hear this song and the rest of the twenty-two songs from the album visit the Mishima Strange BandCamp page or SoundCloud. If you like the music, be sure to like the Mishima Strange Facebook page so as to receive every updates about new shows, releases, and everything else.

[mishimastrange]

Here's a convenient embed player of the album from BandCamp: Listen/Download: Mishima Strange by Mishima Strange

[mishimastrange]

Mishima Strange// Influenz-a: "Our Band Could Be Your Life"

This is a tremendous book by Michael Azerrad, which covers many factors of the independent music scene from the mid to late-1980s: the lifestyle, the participants, and the ensuing impact it all had.

[mishimastrange]

Mishima Strange// Track by Track: Tons of Snakes

19. Tons of Snakes

One of the quieter and more assuming of the tracks here, "Tons of Snakes" is really a simple song that grew out of a particularly confusing and depressing time around later 2008. Many demos of the song were recorded and tossed in the intervening years until Engineer Bryant and I tried it one last time for the record.

I feel like it has a good balance between sounding slow and fast at the same time, as the picking patterns are a little jerky while the lead guitar lines in the background really sound like they're pulling the rest of the song to slow down. There are no drums here, but I think the percussive quality of the picking suggests a rhythm anyway.

The vocal is very subdued and reminds me a little of Beck's phrasing on his little known release One Foot In the Grave. The lyrics, like many of the songs from the record and many of the songs I have written in my life, started with the first line. It is often a struggle to tie down the rhythm and phrasing of an opening line, but once I have it, I feel as though the right lines just shoot straight into my head with little trouble. "Gone to the well too many times for bucketsful" reads a little odd for so much importance to be put on it, but I really feel it even to this day, and even with mangled word that ends the line.

To hear this song and the rest of the twenty-two songs from the album visit the Mishima Strange BandCamp page or SoundCloud. If you like the music, be sure to like the Mishima Strange Facebook page so as to receive every updates about new shows, releases, and everything else.

[mishimastrange]

Mishima Strange// Influenz-a: Beck

I blame Beck a great deal for my warped view of music. After I heard him, I couldn't think of music the same way again. It shaped and sparked not only my own creativity, but also shaped what kind of music I wanted to listen to or liked (which inevitably would play a big part on the former anyway.) It's the reason that I couldn't listen to very much JFA once I heard the Dead Kennedys, why I couldn't give the Byrds a fair shake because I already knew about Arthur Lee and Love, and how I couldn't listen to Popular music the same way again, when I heard something like Devil's Haricut, or one of the other several tracks on Beck's Odelay. I was exposed to Beck in the same way I was exposed to a lot of music early on, through my father's music collection. He actually had owned Odelay at one point, but had gotten rid of it, so I first saw the name scrawled on cassette tape insert, with about six song titles under it, the songs that he figured were worth keeping. I exhausted those six songs, and inevitably went looking for the rest. It was the first album I can remember buying on my own, and with each successive release, including an odd Christmas present experience of receiving Midnite Vultures from a godmother, my wonderment at the cult of Beck grew.

The funny thing is, I would see his name or picture in a magazine, or in the newspaper, and I was never thinking that I was "in the know" or knew about something special. I would always just think, "Wow, other people think this guy is great too? Cool!" But it would never gel with my social circles. I remember one time trying to put on something from Midnite Vultures on at a little classmate get together in middle school, and it was given about twenty seconds before people looked at each other  laughing and thinking, "What is this?" It was another early time in my life when I realized that it was just fine to be a little bit different. I knew it was good, and even though I wanted other people to enjoy this amazing music with me, I felt that it was okay for them not to like it. Beck now occupies a cozy little niche as a extremely creative and evasive eccentric, happily on the borderline between mainstream acceptance and outsider curiosity. but I do think that one day he will be vindicated in the same way someone like Bob Dylan or Jimi Hendrix is vindicated, because not only did he pave his own path, but also pave tributary roads off his own path while still remain consummately "Beck." To me his influence is massive, and though you might not "hear" Beck as a blatant influence on modern records, you can feel it there, and that in truth is much more important if you ask me.

[mishimastrange]

Mishima Strange// Track by Track: Through and Against

18. Through and Against

  This was the first song that really catapulted the project from a four track EP to a 22-track album. Coming at the head of a big songwriting flurry, this one was a statement of purpose both sonically and lyrically.

There are always going to be barriers, and bad days, and these idea that there's nothing for you to do. However, everything and everyone that has inspired you ran up and against (nonetheless through) those same thoughts and discouragements at one point or another. They dealt with being different, or strange, or absurd.

This is a very simple, shout-along song. The verse is three chords, the bridge is one chord, and the chorus is four. I have no qualms about simple songs, or a straight ahead beat. And it's not because I don't respect expert musicianship, because I do, but because at the end of the day, you have to do what the song demands.And if it demands vocals cracking, red decibel volumes, and a neanderthal beat, so be it.

Engineer Bryant often reminds me that he got this track's vocal out of me, as after a long day of tracking vocals for two different songs, we decided to go for a trifecta. Being the most intense and demanding of the trifecta, I was initially suspicious that my throat could take it. Early takes seemed to prove my suspicions correct. However, after a couple good sounding takes stopped half way (because they "could be better,") Engineer Bryant pushed me to my limit. When I listen to the tracks now, they don't seem like I was death's door, but I sure felt like it heading into that last chorus. At the end of the day, it of course was what was needed, and I am glad that I had him there to push those buttons.

To hear this song and the rest of the twenty-two songs from the album visit the Mishima Strange BandCamp page or SoundCloud. If you like the music, be sure to like the Mishima Strange Facebook page so as to receive every updates about new shows, releases, and everything else.

[mishimastrange]

Mishima Strange// Practice Session 9/13/13: "The Cycle" Live and Complete

"The Cycle" Recorded at Greenhouse Music Studios in Signal Hill,CA September 13th, 2013.

[mishimastrange]

Mishima Strange// Practice Session 9/13/13

Photo from Mishima Strange Practice Session 9/13/13 at Greenhouse Music Studios in Signal Hill,CA.

[mishimastrange]

Mishima Strange// Public Service Announcement #1

Dearest Friends,

First of all, thank you for your support of Mishima Strange. The messages and comments are greatly appreciated and I do my very best to respond to each and every one of them.

Also, if you're wondering what the hell is being sung or yelled on some of these songs, all the lyrics are available at the top here, so dig in there as well.

Of course, if you have not already, be sure to listen to or download the album completely free so you can take it with you wherever you go and  like Mishima Strange on Facebook. Word of mouth is so important for this sort of project, and with the magic of the internet, Mishima Strange can touch from the very toe of Italy's boot, to the dusty trails of El Paso,TX and the southern reaches of Dunedin, NZ with only a single click of the button.

Shows will be coming up soon, and the thinking is that by mid-October, things should be in proper show shape. There is a lot of pent up energy that is ready to be expended in that avenue, so undoubtedly these shows will be well worth the wait. Now go and create as well!

with regards,

MISHIMA STRANGE

[mishimastrange]

Mishima Strange// Radio Impossibilia #5

For the fifth installment of Radio Impossibilia, the sounds that made Mishima Strange, we have a salad of things as usual. A personal favorite but rare Devo track is here, "Plan For U" that is just downright disconcerting. Also a highlight is a poem by e.e. cummings. To listen to playlist, make sure you download Spotify here.

[mishimastrange]

Mishima Strange// Track by Track: Fortune Teller

17. Fortune Teller

This one goes back to a little before "Modern Mythical" so it's also a pretty early one. It had an original working title of "The Buddy Holly one" in that the simple strummed chords reminded me of Mr. Holly. A chord sequence of Emaj-Amaj-Dmaj-Bmaj just seems like the kind of progression that Holly of Eddie Cochran would have usesd It's a pretty straightforward song musically, with the little diddley-doo guitar figure bridging the verses to the choruses. Somewhat unintentionally, even though the chord sequences for the verses are identical, the two verses are sung differently, with the second being more "sung" and the first being more monotone. I always laugh at the line in the second verse which goes, "makes you feel so sore" because I feel like it's an unconscious nod to Tom Verlaine's way of phrasing. As proven customary for the album,  Engineer Bryant provided a fine lead guitar part that has a decided playfulness while still maintaining a primarily blues base. Initially, we weren't completely happy with the way the track turned out, as it felt like it lacked some of the power and dynamics that the other tracks have, but after repeated listens,we came to the conclusion that we did in fact like that this simple fuzzy acoustic-led ditty broke up the crunchy garage-rock tracks it invariably is sandwiched between,.

To hear this song and the rest of the twenty-two songs from the album visit the Mishima Strange BandCamp page or SoundCloud. If you like the music, be sure to like the Mishima Strange Facebook page so as to receive every updates about new shows, releases, and everything else.