an introduction to worms

new ep.
some stuff that's been heard before in different forms. most of it was recorded on my handy little cassette recorder. a bit in ohio. a bit in seattle. a few songs and some random street noise stuff.

1. an introduction
2. a funny farm with your name written on it
3. secret songs
4. william of orange
5. once through the market

listen & download

coming soon (buy yourself some ear muffs)

updates from the place where i am:

1. a new ep - some recently recorded music and found sounds. primarily on handheld cassette.
2. a collection of outtakes and unused songs. these will range from pretty darn old to pretty darn new.
3. after i drunkenly fried my 4-track (not quite sure what happened, but it happened) i have purchased a new multitrack recorder. it should be waiting patiently for me in ohio when i return. after which, i intend to get started recording another ep of sorts that i have been wanting to get down for a while now. all songs written. just need to be recorded.
4. the split with Halaka and Pile Records now has over 300 downloads on archive.org. So thank you very much to everyone who checked it out. Also, thanks to those guys for including me in it. Go take a listen.

that is all.

you man the guns. i'll drive.

this is the last damn time i'm recording this stuff (i think). anyway, i just wanted to get this song(s) down with all the intended parts and whatnot.  it's a long one and it was recorded in a small bathroom, but not while the bathroom was in use.

secret songs:


also, this group-o-tunes has been listed under way to many different names.

1. light colored bulbs
2. the second part
3. the third part
4. you'll die as the rat you've lived
5. horses come down

alive inside a closet / i am a flea market man

while i am away from home, i will be posting random songs periodically.  these are mainly going to be outtakes and songs left off past albums, primarily ohio driver.  once they all get posted i'll go ahead and throw up a zip file of all this garbage.

i know you rider / where all of it crosses:

this was recorded live with the trusty old loop pedal, as i believe it is intended to be played.  i think i should give that pedal a name as it is a substitute for another [much needed] music/noise maker.

virginian (alternate):


some untitled song or whatever:


more soon.

silence

hello. i am currently out and about and will be for several weeks. when i return home, i plan on getting back to recording some stuff that i've been sitting on for a while. this of course is contingent on me securing a new 4-track as i seem to have fried mine.

despite my being away, i plan on posting up some random recordings and whathaveyou.


the shadow caster is wrapped in plaster.
my telecaster is going up in flames.

the ohio driver companion

earlier today i promised no one that i would put up the newest tape by the end of the day.  that minute has rapidly been approaching.  i  immediately regretted saying i'd get it online today. but by god, i did. 


UPDATE: the two tracks have now been split into separate songs.  they're posted both as individual tunes and as the complete sides over on archive.org.  


anywho, a lot of the recording of this was somewhat improvised and ultimately put together on my trusty handheld tape recorder.  much like the older cassettes, which was fun.  some folksy, some noisy. i think there are some good moments on this tape. also, i may end up uploading a higher quality version as well someday.  


side a:
i.
ii.
iii.
iv. the son of my father
v. hell is hotter than hell
vi. murder mystery pt. 1
vii. colors on the run
viii. fake accents
ix.
x. 
xi. virginian land
xii. a night for 
xiii. me on the run
xiv. murder mystery pt. 2
xv.


side b:
xvi. away from me
xvii. 
xviii. you on the run
xix. sobriety doesn't make you right
xx. ghost town high school reunion
xxi. acetylene flares
xxii. seattle's last song

DOWNLOAD

one year

wow. one year ago today i started this thing.  gee, i really feel like i've accomplished something.  thank you to anyone who is listening.  much appreciated.

so in honor of this momentous occasion (not just mere coincidence) i will be posting the newest tape-o-noise later on today.

update: the ohio driver companion

a little bit back i said that the newest installment of trash would be coming soon.  naturally, i was wrong and it's taken longer than i expected.  i can safely say now that progress is being made and it should be up within the next week or two (that sounds vaguely familiar).  be patient no one.

farm tape #3

handheld tape recorder folk jams. all recorded live. this was the very first time playing with a good friend on percussion and i think it turned out pretty darn good. pretty much all done on the fly. recorded as one long track. mightily fuzzy.

1. young/reckless
2. hidden tracks
3. castle
4. joe's song
5. on the road
6. song for sam
7. away from me
8. let you down (cuts off early)


listen

coming soon

hope to have this next tape finished up within the next two weeks or so.

in the same vein of the "william of orange" tape.  but "william of orange" was really recorded in only two days.  it was recorded in a rush to have something for a friend to hear before getting together to mess around.  don't get me wrong, this will be rushed too.

anyway, there will probably be some overlap in songs on the tapes.  i don't know, i've enjoyed recording it so far.

new stuff or something

here are some new rough demos or whatever. not sure where they're gonna end up.

i am getting tired of having to record this stuff in a closet, though.  i can't get loud.

fake accents:


ohio driver:


acetylene flares:

farm tape #2

finally getting around to putting this up.  this is the other side to the "farm tape" that got posted a few weeks back.  wasn't really even recorded on that farm, but it was recorded on the b-side of the same cassette tape over the following few days.

1. strange dream pts. 1&2
2. the shape of you
3. honey
4. you are a pine
5. everything is / april 8th
6. she's going away again
7. bones / dirty blonde (tape cuts off right towards the end)

"everything is" and "april 8th" are by jeff mangum. hey, how 'bout that new neutral milk hotel box set? exciting, huh?

bones / dirty blonde:


here's the first side of the tape.

listen and download at the archive.

if there's anyone that knows

is there anyone that cares?

if you like any of the music put up here and want a cassette or a cd or something (doodle, micro machine toy car etc.) let me know. shoot me an e-mail or leave a comment or something.  i'm curious to see if anyone responds.

william of orange

1. fake accents
2. honey
3. ruby lips
4. kim & karen
5. you are a pine
6. secret songs


download


listen

update: forgot to give some credit.  a few lyrics in you are a pine are written by david eugene edward, of 16 horsepower.  everyone go listen to them now. particularly the song dead run.


note: seeing as this was recorded over the span of about two days, it's somewhat of a stretch to call it an album. but for the time being that is what it is being called.  after all, it has a cassette cover.

farm tape #1

here are some songs recorded at the same time as the Halaka split album.

1. jane ponder
2. joyce's farm
3. this town is empty now
4. run mauro, run
5. naomi
6. engine
7. light colored bulbs
8. hidden tracks

naomi and engine are by jeff mangum.
git some.

the other side of this tape will be appearing eventually.  it too has neutral milk covers.

download


listen at the archive

joyce's farm:

hidden tracks:

new split w/ halaka

so the guys over the Pile Records recently asked me to take part in a new Halaka split album they'd been hoping to release.  this, of course, was pretty goddam exciting because i figured no one ever even listened to any of this stuff, let alone enjoyed it.  not to mention the fact, that their songs on the album are pretty damn good.

the timing was also fortunate because i was housesitting a farm (farmsitting?) down here, so i had a good place to spread all my cables and shit out and make a lot of noise without peeving the neighbors.  so, these songs happened over the last two weeks or so.

anyways, head over to the archive to check out the album.

it's the kind of music like theirs that made me start recording stuff in the first place.
bam.

much thanks to Halaka for including me in this.

side a (Halaka):
1. Like The Rain
2. Delia
3. Not Dead On The Sidewalk
4. Takeout Lunch
5. Fishing Line
6. Waves At The End

side b (Appalachian Yard Art):
1. Intro
2. This Town Is Empty Now
3. Jane Ponder
4. Run Mauro, Run
5. Light-Colored Bulbs
6. Down Still & On The Road
7. (untitled non-song)
8. Warmth
9. Bones
10. Hide Your Tracks

foolish

here's a favorite of mine being butchered over an 18 minute span. also, i think somehow the speed of the vocal track and the speed of the guitar track got thrown off each other.  i don't know if that's possible.

sorry superchunk.

foolish:



also probably the only time you'll hear a drum track. until of course i make a human friend to play drums with me.

UPDATE: here is another take.  it's still 20 minutes too long and doing the original an injustice.

handholder

handholder demos - appalachian yard art

all songs are solo/acoustic.  just banjo, guitar, & mandolin.  these are the first step in the direction of a "bluegrass" project.  or at least appalachian in some sense or feel.  i use the terms bluegrass/appalachian loosely.  they mean what i want them to mean.

1. milk chocolate
2. down in the still #1
3. song for sam #2
4. the son of my father
5. when you stole my heart, you buried my soul
6. union valley
7. hell is hotter than hell (desert song)
8. the medicine is all gone
9. loser (garcia/hunter)
10. black & blue
11 & 12. wasted (years of my life) #1 & #2
13. down in the still / hoofbite
14. away from me
15. on parade, now and forever (horses come down)

these are all working titles and a lot of repeat songs. just different recordings. more crappy demos coming soon.

handholder

stuff

without internet.

food supplies running thin.

had cookies for lunch.

hope to get started on next project soon.

yet to decide which project to go with. choosing from a few.

also, i reckon some handheld tape demos will be appearing soon. and a few other odds & ends.

seattle's last song

last song recorded in seattle.
now i'm doing math problems in ohio and missing my brother. 
but all is well and good.


30 minutes of noise:


seattle's last song

archive.org

hello folk(s).

recently started uploading a lot of this junk to archive.org (which is a pretty awesome source) and i will be adding more over time.

two reasons. one of which is to make some sort of attempt to get this stuff out there in another capacity.  two, yet another way to back up hard drives, cassettes, etc.

everything that will be going up on archive.org will be listed under "appalachian yard art" as the "creator." while this isn't really the case, i'll be using that name to keep everything grouped...i suppose i see "appalachian yard art" will be used merely to identify the collection of recordings, and the individual artist names used with each recording basically only serves as a personal shortcut for separating and categorizing the projects based on what i hoped to accomplish with each one (which of course is very little).

this probably seems stupid. it is.

p.s i am aware no one reads this or cares for that matter.

young/reckless

erie abdallah - young/reckless

1. i know you rider (intro)       (2:32)
2. angels' fight song             (5:53)
3. i sit down cool in the shade   (2:29)
4. i've seen your muscles slide   (3:34)
5. breathing machine              (10:08)
6. i know you rider (pts. 2+3)    (9:43)
7. the wilson machine works       (4:31)
8. light-colored bulbs            (5:15)
9. light-colored bulbs (repeater) (9:21)
10. here come the cops            (3:57)
11. kim & karen                   (2:50)
12. milk chocolate                (3:16)
13. young/reckless                (30:33)


this one is more towards the experimental side, at least opposed to the more folksy stuff that's been posted in the past.  there's no denying the fact that this album is a little bit self-indulgent with several songs stretching upwards 10 minutes, but it was certainly enjoyable to record.  i particularly enjoy the title track.

like all the other records, you set out with a particular idea/sound in mind and by the end, the finished product is nothing like that.  originally, this was planned to be an all-instrumental space-y one.  then after that, it was intended to basically be a dumping ground for songs that didn't quite fit the other projects being worked on. then, it was this.


young/reckless


p.s i do enjoy that photo. some old pinhole taken in high school.

light colored bulbs

erie abdallah - light colored bulbs


handheld recorder version


wilson machine works manufactures light colored bulbs.

made of wood, held together by strings

cassette covers

erie abdallah - two beasts / c.k - on parade, now and forever

have 20 some minutes free?

erie abdallah - american hollow (let it go)

erie abdallah - two beasts 
1. american hollow (let it go)
2. kim & karen

c.k - you're on parade, now and forever 
1. intro
2. where all of this crosses
3. pretty good kids
4. my sails have been stripped
5. magic music box
6. on parade, now and forever (medley)
     +divided in 9 in the hearts of a worm
     +my sails have been stripped
     +step right up, step right in
     +when the world comes undone
7. milk chocolate
8. train loop
9. milk chocolate #2
10. that could put an eye out easily

UPDATE:
side b:
1. light colored bulbs
2. angels' fight song
3. ruby lips
4. homeless man singing / s.e ohio

this is more unfinished demo stuff.

more and more

i know you rider


instrumental

kim & karen

badroom tapes

so, as stated earlier, this place is a good method of backing up random crap that i have. this stuff was recorded in my bedroom on a handheld cassette recorder.  rough demos, plenty of mess ups in there. mostly unfinished songs that i just wanted to get down before they were forgotten.

side a:
1. when you stole my heart, you buried my soul
2. when the world comes undone
3. path
4. she's going away again #1
5. she's going away again #2
6. divided in 9 in the hearts of a worm
7. virginia and back
8. i get it now
9. the trials of harrison hayes*
10. going hungry
11. the whole of the law**
12. shelter from the storm***
13. going hungry (again)

side b:
1. s.e ohio
2. one trick pony(lounge#)
3. the tide begins to turn
4. albert fish
5. song for sam #2
6. warmth(intro)(all around you)
7. warmth(yer not christ)
8. 2x2(my kingdom will come)
9. union valley


side a

side b 


* willard grant conspiracy
** the only ones (and of course yo la tengo)
*** bob dylan
#a little bit of "lounge" tossed in there. modest mouse.

song for sam #2


when you stole my heart, you buried my soul


warmth(yer not christ)


2x2(my kingdom will come)

angels fight song

little kids play baseball:


song for sam #2:



if, in the off chance, someone actually wants to download any of these songs, please just let me know and i'll post an easy link.

also, i don't know what the god damn deal is with the blips in all the songs. those don't actually exist... i need to take care of that.

new song

new song, trying a new approach on the next project. rather than actually writing a song prior to recording, just gonna record one layer at a time, more or less all on the first take, and see what happens.  everything was basically made up as it was played/recorded (crappy lyrics and all). it's nothing radical but it's different for me. doesn't matter much, they all kinda suck anyway.

here come the cops:

lost in space

another really early one.  all guitar. i had just managed to snag some old driver pedal from someone and had recently acquired my 4-track. also, couldn't really play guitar at the time.

it's all one track. space-y, as the name might suggest. i enjoy this one.

32 minutes.

lost in space 

wandering thoughts

so, i'm starting to see all of this as more of a storage/backup situation than anything else (lord knows no one is listening to any of it).  so on that note, i plan on uploading a lot more old stuff, as well as unfinished stuff, tape recordings, crap, etc.

this is an old one.  pretty much all instrumental, with a bit of everything. lots-o-feedback, banjo, geetar, stuff.  also all one track. there are some moments in here i do enjoy quite a bit. there are also some mess ups and not-as-enjoyable moments.

anyway, here's 38 minutes of noise.


wandering thoughts

who wants a cassette? - from congress st., with love

download

pinhole.

erie abdallah

"Troted in the fall of 1869 on the Mount Vernon half mile track under unfavorable circumstances in 31m and 9 sec.  Troting the 10th mile in 2 min. and 40 sec."

gene burgy

Gene Burgy, luthier and owner of Auburn Mandolins, in Newark, WV.  Gene has created some beautiful, great sounding instruments, so if you happen to be in the Ohio River Valley and you have a hankerin' for a nice, custom mandolin...

He's also a leading member of Union Valley and they do a mean rendition of Orange Blossom Special.

first multitrack recordings

a few years ago, a good friend was kind enough to lend me an old fostex 4-track.  and by lend, i mean he never got it back. my bad.

anywho, this is the first thing i ever recorded with it.  mainly instrumental.  i had recently acquired a shitty transducer for my banjo.  set me back a whopping $20 so you know it was high quality...  everything you hear (or don't hear because no one's ever gonna listen to it) is recording through that little contact mic on a banjo.

first multitrack recordings