featuring Woody (acoustic guitar) and 5-Track (acoustic guitar)

1A

3

1B

click here to listen:
http://www.archive.org/details/5-Track2010-03-05.VientoYAguaglassgoblins

For the evening of March 4 we assembled a group including Jef Hogan (electric bass), Jon Franco (drums), Jennifer Ng (percussion), Woody (acoustic guitar) and myself (acoustic wah-wah guitar).

I had one rehearsal with Jef and John (who also play bass and drums for Greg Franco’s Rough Church), one run-through with Woody, and a loose jam with Jennifer, in the few days before the show. Many of the band members had not met each other until they arrived at the venue. This is less unusual for me than might be suspected.

Viento y Agua in Long Beach is a “coffee house” with wonderful energy, constantly changing art on the walls, the occasional model skeleton, many books, and a warm and inviting stage (and sound system) which was conceived and assembled by Angie Evans. I’ve played a few shows there, by myself and also with Cricket and with Amanda, and every time I’ve felt good and played well.

This was the first time I’d played some of this material in a long time, and the first time I’d ever played some of it with a band. The two acoustic guitars kept the energy closer to the ground than usual, and the songs and improvs worked together for a change instead of fighting for space. The existence of dual percussionists also contributed to the effortless momentum of this group’s sound. We had momentum without frightful velocity.

Good show. Hope we do it again.

I am greatly honored (again) to have my work listened to, dug, and raved about by the Arch-Drude himself, Julian Cope. You can read his rant here, about 2/3 down the page:

http://www.headheritage.com/addressdrudion/129/2010/

Among other things, he says that this disc “showcases both 5-Track’s role as natural instrumentalist freebluesman, but tends to overlook/underplay his excellence as a singer of freaked out-yet-enlightened field holler,” which is a WONDERFUL thing to hear. He also says, and this might even be better: “What I rarely get sent – and what makes 5-Track so unique – are songs of such calibre as ‘Floating Around’, ‘It Could Be Time’, ‘Hot Potato Pie’ or the be-all-and-end-all epic ‘He’s not Dead, He’s Just In Texas’.”

As it happens, I got another review today, as well, for the same disc. Here’s a link if you’re curious:
http://babysue.com/2010-Feb-LMNOP-Reviews.html#anchor41664

Otherwise still nothing much:

http://www.cosmicprimitive.com/

did I mention I was in a Dave Matthews video? as a guitar-playing extra… it doesn’t embed, but here’s the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kD9CrZODlNA

you can see me for about half a second roughly 3 minutes and fifteen seconds into the video. Enjoy!

Good morning!!

Today I am officially releasing a cd. In truth, I sold one and gave one away as far back as last week … and a pre-mastered edition made it to Vermont over a year ago… But for most of you, I have held off until the time was utterly, utterly ripe. Here it is:

“BACKATCHA, POD PEOPLE!!” was recorded in Echo Park, Los Angeles, California, Earth, in a big empty house in the spring of 2008. The emphasis of this disc is on songs and singing, and also on what may be my oldest love, loud and gnarly guitar sounds.* The songs were mainly current to the time of the recording, but some of them also dip back a bit in my catalog: “Floating Around” and “Lummi” and “Toad” were all written in, um, 2000? I think?

More recent tunes on “Pod People!!” include “Blues For Horselover Fat“, “Texas”, “Hot Potato Pie”, and “It Could Be Time”.

Besides the analog-tape-and-tube driven tone and the lyrical and melodic spotlight, this disc is about at-odds-ness with one’s surroundings.

So far people seem to be responding well to this music, and I hope you enjoy it, too. More is always on the way.

Love,
5

*In the Rudy Rucker sense of the word “gnarl”

Not so often I get to play with a really good band to a packed room of muy enthusiastic dancing fools. This was a highlight of my musical life, so I’m passing on to you THE ENTIRE SET, in no particular order. If the footage from Boyd’s camera, whenever it turns up, has better sound, I will post that as well (or instead or something). Z took these. Enjoy!

…

and here’s a picture or 3:

pics of me by AJW, band pic by Daiana Feuer

This was fun. A lot.

Basement Jamz from Zlicious Productions on Vimeo.

5-Track guitarz, Amanda Jo Williams drumz, Crooked Cowboy keyz … September 17 2009 in Amanda’s basement, Echo Park, Earth