Weekly music for your ears

I thought I would jot down the music I'm currently listening to this week. I feel I'm into a lot of different stuff. It's really what kind of mood you're in I suppose.

Here we go in no particular order:

The National- "Boxer." I just started getting into this album, and the track "Fake Empire" is very cool.

Aesop Rock- "Nike Mix." Just a random mix which sounds like a hip hop dj of some sorts just throwin' down beats and Aesop samples. Good stuff.

Bon Iver- "Blood Bank." I know, I know. Who isn't into this guy these days? Great music to chill to or go to sleep to. I mean that in a good way.

Pretty Lights- "Filling up the City Skies." This is pretty much music you would throw in at a party. Pretty glitchy and in-yer-face beats. Ryan and I got the chance to see this guy throw down a late night set at The Loft last year. Good times.

P.O.S- "Never Better." Great album! I especially love the track "Purexed." This album is very percussion heavy, which works out for me.

The Prodigy- "Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned." I got this from a friend a few months ago, and the production on this album is insane! Half of the time I'm thinking to myself, how is he making those sounds?

Outkast- "The Love Below/Idlewild." Wow, these are very smart albums musically. The layouts and arrangements are very fun to listen to. I like to listen to either of these while walking places. :)

Miles Davis- "Kind of Blue." I love anything Miles Davis really.

Madlib- "Shades of Blue." My personal opinion is that Madlib is one of the hardest working and talented "dj's" around. I love most of the stuff he puts out.

Nat King Cole- Great late night background music. It's also fun mixing records to, especially "Unforgettable."

MF DOOM- "Mmm...Food." Mmmmm, I'm hungry.

Well, I could go on and on and on and on but I think this will be good for now. Feel free to comment back! I always love checking out new music or hearing what other people get down to.

Cheers!
-Joe-

What kind of world would this be...

I wait tables at a semi-posh restaurant in Lowertown Saint Paul...it is located in the Galtier Plaza, which has its own security office...yesterday during the lunch hour, the main security lady (name to remain unknown) approached me with a very angry look on her face...my immediate thought was "ok, which kitchen staffer is out smoking pot by the loading dock again?"...she then says "hey, there's a bum sleeping in your Atrium, want me to kick him out?"...now the Atrium is a part of the restaurant, but not really...it is more of a food court type area that nobody ever uses, unless we have a big party booked for the night...I look out and see a man sleeping at a table, and he looked quite comfortable...not bothering anyone, not drunk and stumbling all over, not asking anyone for money...just sleeping...safe from the frigid temp outside, enjoying a nap for an hour or so...I told the security guard, who seemed extremely bothered by this blatant display of anarchy, that I didn't mind in the least bit if he slept there all day long...I think she tried to find a manager after that but luckily they had left for the day.

I know, not the most exciting story...it just made me think...I dont want to be someone that finds fault with a sleeping bum...I think we spend too much time worrying about what everyone else around us is doing wrong, and that says a lot about our own insecurities.

Thoughts???

Fresh out of the studio!

Wow! Just got back from the Essential Sessions Studio in St. Paul. What a day this has been. We were recording drums, and got through seven tracks. There were 14 mics set up in the room, so the sound quality is superb. I'm really feeling this new batch of songs, and I hope everyone soaks it in and loves them once we are finished.

Hold on, I think Ryan wants to cut in........

Hey there, I guess Joe is too exhausted to finish this post! He did a great job knocking out some good beats today...this time around we're going about things a bit differently...in the past I've always put the lyrics and melodies to each song together first, and then added the drums and other elements...but for this record, I'm allowing a lot of Joe's loops and percussion to lay the foundation first, and then letting the vibe and mood of his creations inspire where the song goes from there...it's very exciting, and we'll have a preview for you very soon.

In the meantime, enjoy the pics from the studio today...thanks again to our AWESOME engineer, Matt Freed!

be good,
ryan and joe

THE ILLNESS PROJECT IS THROWING A PARTY!!!

This weekend is the St Paul Art Crawl, in Lowertown Saint Paul. If youve never been, it is a great chance to tour the lofts of painters, sculptors, musicians, photographers and many other artists in the Lowertown area. The mission of the Saint Paul Art Crawl is to create an artist-run venue which facilitates a mutually beneficial and meaningful interaction between the arts community and the public. There is usually free food and wine as well!

ST PAUL ART CRAWL WEBSITE


To coincide with this event, we are co-hosting PARTY IN THE ATRIUM , A celebration of independent artists and their creations. We are teaming up with 3AM PRODUCTIONS, which is a local theater company, opening their new play, SKIN TIGHT, on October 17. The night will include music from The Illness Project, Ticket Giveaways to the aforementioned show, live painting by local artists, a fresh DJ, HAPPY HOUR SPECIALS and whatever else we can think of to make the night a blast! The atrium space we are using is beautiful, so gather some friends, go see some art and then join us for a great evening afterward.

Details:
PARTY IN THE ATRIUM
A celebration of independent artists and their creations
Friday, October 10, 8:00pm
LoTo Life Cafe, 5th and Sibley, Lowertown Saint Paul
VENUE AND DIRECTIONS
FREE, with HAPPY HOUR SPECIALS ALL NIGHT!!!

I think thats all for now, take care and well see you on Friday!

JULY 31ST AT CLUB UNDERGROUND (FLYER INSIDE)!

Here is all the info for the 31st! Mark it on your calendars and bring some friends. Our last Club Underground show was an epic night, and we're very excited to return with our friends The Sunny Era http://www.myspace.com/thesunnyera and a new band from Duluth, Gleam. http://www.myspace.com/gleammusik

This show will feature a light show and live visuals done by Dave Eller! Also, we have some new tracks we'll be breaking out for you! See you there....

June 13th @ The Nomad!

Holy Smokes, I think the roof came off First Ave. last night! I'm still amped from that.



We have a very special show coming up on Friday, June 13th at The Nomad! It is our "video release party" and also the debut of our new light show (hopefully, Dave).



Other great Minneapolis bands will be joining us for the evening as well!

I'll let you know more details as they occur.



L.Y.E.
-Joe-

After the weekend...d

Check...check... is this thing on?

Wow, what a long weekend! Well, I think my weekend started more on Thursday, though. I saw a sweet show on Saturday at one of my favorite venues in town, The Kitty Cat. Bella Koshka played their hearts out with Hilary shredding on her violin. Also, Painted Saints played after them and I was quite impressed. But I'm a sucker for stand up basses.

What am I doing today, you ask? Ryan and I are going to purchase some new lights and visuals for our future shows. Dave Eller will be our "light guy," so we're very excited about this new direction.

Other than that, I'll be working and practicing all week and looking forward to Soundset '08 this Sunday!

-Joe-