...

and if you need more proof of the folly of faith:

"A 23-year-old journalism student has been sentenced to death by an Islamic court in Afghanistan, charged with blasphemy after downloading a report from a Farsi website that stated that Muslim fundamentalists who claimed the Koran justified the oppression of women had misrepresented the views of the prophet Mohamed. This man's efforts to provoke debate on the matter at his university by distributing the report to fellow students and teachers ended in his arrest, a trial by religious judges is is not Taliban times, mind you) without legal representation and his death sentence."

The Independent newspaper is launching a campaign today to secure justice for Mr Kambaksh. You can sign their petition here:

Link

Dookie

The Sad Fate Of The House Of Satan

I had the opportunity/luck to visit Anton LaVeys home in the 1980's. It was a unbelievable home, filled with mystery and beauty. Sadly it went the way of cheesy city condo grabs and was bulldozed in 2002.

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Recording Diary v21

Last night was the first time back to the studio after a couple of weeks break due to illness.

We had a listen to "Cause and Effect" and decided that it's just not working. Sometimes a song just "fights" you and I'm usually never willing to focus energy arm wrestling a pop song. Just write another one! So away it goes, to the "Home For Wayward Sucky Songs". I think we will try the song in it's original form soon (this version was a faster/harder take of the original that I wrote on an acoustic).

So we started a new song "Catch" that I wrote a few days ago. This is a slow number.

We first found a tempo that seemed to work and I played a scratch guitar part on my Les Paul Standard via the Eleven plug in, which is quite nice. Craig then wrote a great bass part and put down a few tracks, each differing slightly in note choices.

Then it was time to go home, I expect we shall finish this one up (or come close) on Thursday. I'm tired, still sickly.

Starman

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The Johnny Cash Show

Their are so many reasons to buy this DVD right now: the music, the outfits, the stage sets..so many reasons.

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Dave Solo Vocal

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Gone For Good

Here's the Shins playing one of their best ever songs "Gone For Good" in the streets of Paris.

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MBO Book of The Day: Rock On

I just burned thorough Dan Kennedys "Rock On" last eve (coughing the whole time..fuck being sick is getting tiresome). What a fun/funny read. If you ever wanted to know what working for a soul sucking, ideal shattering corporation is like, then this is a must read. This story is made all the more fascinating as Kennedy was working for Atlantic Records during a particularly dire period in their history. His documenting the "Lets Reinvent Jewel" campaign is absolutely priceless.

Scary Bugs and Super Creeps

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US Wiretapping

Via House

"Our civil liberties are at stake.

I've just emailed the three Senators who are also presidential
candidates to see if they'll return to Washington and defend our
civil liberties. The Senate is preparing to give President Bush
unprecedented new wiretapping powers AND retroactively excuse
past acts of warrantless and illegal eavesdropping.

You can take action on this action alert from CREDO Action at:"

Link

Unlimited Wishes

Snapper

If your on a Mac and looking for a cool audio "Swiss Army Knife" then check out "Snapper" from Audio Ease. Looks cool.

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NAMM Update.

Well NAMM was just as dumb as ever. This year the metal bottom feeders seemed to be out in fine form, or maybe it was the parties that I went to, none the less I really hope I never see a "Black Label Society" jacket again.

Their was some cool items though. The guy at the Memotron booth (the Memotron is a beautiful Mellotron recreation) played me "all" of the Genesis tune "Watcher Of The Skies", which ruled. I got some hands on with the Machinedrum, which was fun but I need a manual to really dig in, and the Moog Theramin was a joy to play, even though I was faking it.

I saw Duff, and he looked like a happy mummy, and Yngwie Malmsteen was signing autographs and looking really pissed, it ruled.

It's easy to get cynical about NAMM, so I look at it as a place to people watch. You cant beat it for that. Fun!

Disneyland ruled of course. We did Indiana, Splash Mountain, Pirates and Tower of Terror all at night. All them super fun. Being a Disneyland freak I was boring everyone with my Disney trivia/notes/insights: "You see that window over the firehouse? That's Walts apartment!", "Notice the change from minor to major after the drop on Splash Mountain" "The Indiana line is really the best part of the ride", "California Adventure failed because.....".

The picture above? That's Brain having Breakfast with a Raccoon at The Grand Californian Storybook Cafe. The Mickey Waffles rule!!

Here's some picks that someone else took of NAMM...

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NAMM. Stupid.

To continue my campaign to prove just how stupid things can be, I'm flying down to LA today to check out this years NAMM show. This yearly pilgrimage of self loathing is really just an excuse to go to Disneyland, a place that I adore and can get into for free! I'm all about the Haunted Mansion and to see if they still are anally sodomizing Space Mountain with a "Red Hot Chili Peppers" soundtrack. Who ever made that decision should be sterilized.

At NAMM I will be checking out the Elecktron booth and will be looking into finding an Acoustic guitar, even though I'm pretty sure I want an old Gibson Hummingbird. I'll take some pictures to remind the musicians who visit this site how appallingly stupid this industry is. At least Craig, House, Bryan and Brain are with me to keep the dumb alive.

The Fucking Fucker!

Ladies and gentlemen here it is, the guitar amp to end all guitar amps. Built by those face smashing degenerates over at Metasonix, the Fucking Fucker looks to be everything a budding guitarist could ever possibly desire.

This simple description from the Fucker web page should sum it all up:

"The G-1000 consists of two totally independent amplifiers, with very different preamp sections. One channel is called the HAPPY channel. The other is called the ANGRY channel.

For damn good reason. One sucks your face, the other gnaws your foreskin off"

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MBO iPhone Home Screen Icon

Have an iPhone or iPod Touch? If you add the MBO site as a webclip to your iPhone's home screen, you'll now get the MBO long faced mascot "Buddy Hinton" on your iPhone's home screen.

If you dont own an iPhone...Thank you very much, please drive through.

Airking/Hog Blog

MBO's very own keyboardist Thomas "The Tech Hog" has just started his very own Blog which will cover: thrift store organ hunting, old records, gear, tunes, mountain living, fermented foods, making bread, pastured eggs, grass finished beef and other relevant information for the modern mountain dweller.

Check it out!

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Machinedrum

I'm getting one.

Rubber Johnny

Plastikman

Now you can be just like Plastikman

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If you don't know Plastikman's stuff, then go out and buy Consumed. It rules.

Two Eggs. Same Basket.

Tom Cruise wants to save you, and the rest of the world too! I'm not sure what is better, Tom's hubris or the cheesy Scientology/award show production values.

And my favorite thing is to see Christians, Jews etc call him "crazy".

I think this link makes you watch a dumb add, but it's kinda worth it.

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And, in the same spirit, here's another delightful indication of Presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee's plans for America:

“I have opponents in this race who do not want to change the Constitution. But I believe it’s a lot easier to change the Constitution than it would be to change the word of the living God. And thats what we need to do is amend the Constitution so it’s in God’s standards rather than trying to change God’s standards so it lines up with some contemporary view of how we treat each other and how we treat the family.”

Recording Diary v20 (01/15/08)

Last night we dusted off "Ambian". The Hog showed up and played some Kimbal Organ over the background vocals in the chorus. This took about 1/2 hour and then we loaded in a Reason Grand Piano and placed some piano parts. We tried a rhythmic part but then scrapped it for a more chordal approach. After about an hour of fussing around we found a direction which worked grandly.

"Ambian" is complete

We then had a listen to "Nice To Know You" and added an accordion part for the outro. Craig and I will overdub a Melodica/Trumpet combo next session to finish out the song.

That's it. Nothing too exciting, just getting work done!!

Kucinich

Apparently many of these answers were cut and or edited down for this original debate broadcast. Here they are in full, unedited form. I dig what the man is saying.

Goldbaby: Cool Samples!

Goldbaby has an amazing assortment of retro drum sounds that have been run into an Ampex 351 1/2" valve 2 track tape machine and then sampled. This makes for a "warm" tape sound that adds character etc. Or at least it looks good on paper!

"That's not all... We also put the 808's through other vintage gear. Plus we recorded the 808's naked into a Metric Halo ULN-2 firewire audio card. Then we chose the best samples."

All kinds of cool retro sounds abound..and free crud as well.

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MBO Broadcast v3: Those Meddling Greenwoods

Cool Things To Make You Sound Fuzzy.

The "Lastgasp Art Laboratories 88-Super Oscillo Fuzz" looks like a worthy addition to the MBO bank of effects. I'm looking to try one at NAMM later this week.

And "The Truly Beautiful Disaster" is a must have. A feedback looping fuzz box. Ripping.

All this may be found at "Analouge Heaven". A wonderful music/electronics store based in LA. I will haunt them soon.

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Yayyyyyyy

Happy Birthday to MBO's very own Craig McFarland. An extraordinary Bass player and a human being of exceptional qualities. Happy B-Day Craig!!

Hitting A Drum: 1-100

Film Reviews!

Being shut in from illness is cause for much movie watching. So today I'm going to force my opinions of recently viewed films on all of the unsuspecting readers who come here to learn about a pop band. March of the Ego! Hear me roar!

First the Good/Great.

Capturing The Friedmans. I've blathered on about this film before but I'll say again that "Capturing The Friedmans" is by far one of the
most engaging documentaries ever made.

"Capturing The Friedmans is nothing short of the most riveting, provocative, and hotly debated films of the year. Despite their predilection for hamming it up in front of home-movie cameras, the Friedmans were a normal middle-class family living in the affluent New York suburb of Great Neck. One Thanksgiving, as the family gathers at home for a quiet holiday dinner, their front door explodes, splintered by a police battering ram. Officers rush into the house, accusing Arnold Friedman and his youngest son Jesse of hundreds of shocking crimes. The film follows their story from the public?s perspective and through unique real footage of the family in crisis, shot inside the Friedman house. As the police investigate, and the community reacts, the fabric of the family begins to disintegrate, revealing provocative questions about justice, family, and -ultimately-truth."

The Bad

The Simpsons Movie. Sometimes it's fun watching a train wreak sometimes it's merely nauseating. This is a bad idea, followed by a failed execution. I sat and silently cringed....Then I watched a few episodes of the vastly superior "Family Guy" to nullify the lingering taste of excrement that "The Simpsons Movie" had left in my mouth.


The Ugly.

The Notebook. Ok. I adore well made "emotional" films. "Sense and Sensibility" is one of my all time favorites, I loved Eastwood's "Bridges of Madison County" give me any Merchant Ivory film and I will sit in weepy attention. Being that a Cassavetes spawn made this film (and it featured Gena Rowlands) was enough to get me to watch "The Notebook" while imprisoned with illness. Sadly I remembered to late that I had already seen this fucking thing months ago, but like the forced anal evacuations in a damp/cold basement at the hands of a silent, fishy smelling uncle, I had purged this nightmare from my consciousness.

"The Notebook" makes me pine for the made-for-television films of my youth. It made me pine for the commercials broadcast in the made-for television-films of my youth. It made me desire a slow death by water boarding. It made me appreciate splinters. This film features the singularity most annoying person to be ever committed to celluloid: Rachel McAdams. My only hope is that Ms McAdams has found Jesus, has moved to a Promise Keepers compound somewhere in Nevada and has altogether given up her Thespian yearnings in favor of silent prayer and sexual servitude.

...Well, More Promotion Actually...

MBO_Broadcast v2: "Ring Tone"

Paul Interview

Here's a fairly comprehensive interview with Dr Paul. I'm not sure how much of an interest this will be to visitors of this site who live outside the US, but I'm finding his stances resonate in many ways.

Rule of Thumb!

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Fuckin' Cat Wigs!

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I Couldnt Say It Better...

Pepper Multi-Tracks

I "may" have heard these Pepper Multi-tracks before. I'm kinda sad that the secret files are out, and I cant imagine Apple are very happy about this, but nothing is better.

Scotch Mist

Radioheads live 08 gift. I like the songs better live..fer sure.

Hmmm....word has it that we (MBO) are trying to sound like Radiohead? I'm pretty sure we are not trying to sound like anyone, but influences being what they are I'm sure Radiohead will be evident in our DNA. The Beatles and Tom Waits will show up as well. Lots of people will show up. Ok by me.

End of the day...I just write songs for myself. Honestly I'm always happy (shocked) that anyone likes em at all. It's all just lovely icing on the cake yah know?

And I thought we were trying to be the American Nickleback! We better work harder.

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MBO_Broadcast v1: "West Grand"

Recording Diary v19

More work on "Cause and Effect".

We stripped out the drums on the chorus and tried a synthetic simple drum machine part that I cobbled together in Reason.

Next we added a processed Wuri tone on the chorus that will support the vocal melody. I played through all of the chorus' which took 1/2 hour or so.

Be then tried a bass part with the 8 string bass. This was ok but didn't excite us to much. This experimentation lead to trying simple piano bass note hits with the Mrs Mills piano, which sounded good, but seemed to "normal". Killed it.

...Which lead to putting down a syncopated "buzz bass" synth line from Reason. This sound has character, esp after being distorted. I ran through all of the chorus without too much trouble.

We will do vocals next as it's dangerous to start overdubbing before the main vocal line is solidified.

Then our Pal Tim showed up and we moved around piles of gear to make room in our storage area.

The US Candidate Meme

Until recently American politics required the distillation of a candidate into an easily digestible "Sound Byte" ("Read My Lips") but now it seems these little chunks of persona have been reduced even more. I'm calling this "Distilled Politics" where the only thing that matters to the voters is the easily identified "personality meme". Here's my stab at the current line up and what they want us to believe they represent.

Obama: Change
Huckabee: Jesus
Giuliani: 911
Paul: Honest
Hillary: Experience
Edwards: Populist
McCain: Patriot

Ok, maybe I'm off here. What's your take?

True Films eBook. Free!

This wonderful collection of documentary film recommendations is a perfect partner to your NetFlix account. Real cool and free!!

Link

Recording Diary v18

We started work again on "Cause and Effect", a song that I was sure was lost, but is being revised. It originally had a four on the floor pumping feel but is now more lilting and textural. Go figure.

Our pal Brain came in and played some rhythmic piano and Glock parts, which took to most of the eve. His skill as a drummer pays off on the rhythmic piano parts!

We used the Abbey Road "Mrs Mills" and Reason Glock sounds.Playing simple melodic parts can actually be very difficult. Simple does not mean easy.

I then put on some Melotron Choir sounds and laid down a simple piano hit on the verses. Craig played with a vibrato delay that is working wonderfully against the fuzzed out bass through a wah. Cool bed of rhythms.

Then we went home. It's raining hard.

NIN Digital Distibution

Here's a interesting story via Trent Reznor from NIN on how he decided to digitally distribute one of his artists latest album, and the stuff he learned.

MBO gives our music away for free. I expect we always will. If we ever become big enough I'm hoping that we will make our money from external sources:

1. Merchandise (T shirts etc)
2. Specially packaged CD's
3. Live revenues

Maybe this is a gimmick. Maybe I'm just naive. But I do think that it's due time that the world starts recalibrating the idea of "value" when it's associated with music.

Thanks Lukas for link!

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I Want Someone To Eat Cheese With

Just watched this lovely character study made by Jeff Garlin. It rules and also has scenes with two of my favorites: Sarah Silverman and Amy Sedaris. Funny!

A Splended Time Was Guaranteed For All

Well, we had a delightful eve at the Filmore last night. Thanks to all the wonderful people in the crowd, it was very nice to play our music for you. And thanks to our crew, the Filmore and Les for having us along. The Absinthe was poured, the Machine Elves were born and MBO ushered in a new chunk of time. Onward!


With Love

MBO