New AMC Side Project

While they are waiting for Mark to write the next American Music Club album, the rest of the band have been keeping themselves busy. Former American Music Club member Sean Hoffman has a new band called Loch and Key.

"(Along with visual artist Leyla Akdogan) they just finished their record called "Jupiter's Guide For Submariners". Vudi plays guitar on "In the Town of the Queen of the Angels", "Maybe", and "Helixes". Steve plays drums on "Apis Mellifera", "Moon Angel", and "Helixes"."

It sounds a bit like The Bird and The Bee with a jazzy vibe and breathy female vocals.

Singing On Lisa Papineau Album

It seems Mark Eitzel is putting in a guest appearance on the new album by Lisa Papineau. She has previously worked with Air and M83 and the album Red Trees is out on May 4th.

Marine Parade - Details

Details of the Marine Parade performances have finally reached the Brighton Festival website.

18 May 2010 to 23 May 2010 at Tue 18 & Wed 19 May, 8pm. Thu 20 & Fri 21 May, 6pm & 9pm. Sat 22 & Sun 23 May, 3pm, 6pm & 9pmThe Old Market£12.50, Festival standby £10

Get booking them tickets now.

On The Road again

It looks like Mark Eitzel is out on the road in Feb/March as the US support for The Magnetic Fields. It is more than likely solo shows and not the AMC as suggested.

Vic Chesnut- R.I.P.

I have been meaning to blog about the passing of Mr Chesnutt for a while now, as I was a fan. I had a few of his albums and had seen him half a dozen times, including once with the Undertow Orchestra. While life was never easy for him he seemed a fighter and as long as there was the promise of some weed at the end, he always put on a good show. The Undertow Orchestra gig was special as Mark and Vic and the others all played as each others backing band. The hi light for me was Vic singing "In My Way, Yes" with some beautiful harmonies behind him. As a new recording of them seems to have turned up now seemed a good time hear it again. Enjoy.

Mark Eitzel in May

It is a bit late to do anything about it now but Mark Eitzel has been added to the line up for the Pavement curated ATP festival in May (honestly). Unfortunately it sold out months ago.

The main reason Mark will be over here in May is that his musical Marin Parade will be premièring in the Brighton Festival down here on the south coast. For those of you interested in going the festival is split into the main festival and the fringe. The main festival programme comes out the end of Feb/beginning of march and the fringe one a bit later. Not sure which part the show will be in. I think it runs for the last two weeks in May.

Mark may also be doing a few solo shows while in between rehearsals during the start of the month.

Marks Best of 09

Merger records has a blog post from Mark listing his musical hilights of the last year.

In no particular order:
Scott Walker – The Drift

Peter Broderick – Home

Tim Fite – Fair Ain’t Fair

Samuel Barber – Songs

Carletta Sue Kay – Live at the San Francisco Eagle

Christopher Wheeldon - Within the Golden Hour – War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco CA

The Wrestler – Movie

Mahler: Symphony #5 In C Sharp Minor - 4. Adiagietto

Kath Bloom – various songs

Joe Henry – Blood From Stars

Into Great Silence – Movie

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas all and a happy new year!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Christmas Benefit Show

It looks like Mark (and Marc) will be taking part in a benefit show at the Make Out Room in San Francisco tomorrow (tuesday 22nd) night.

Performing originals, holiday classics and kooky covers will be: Jonathan Richman, Chuck Prophet and Stepahnie Finch, Mark Eitzel and Marc Capelle, CVS, Jill Olson and Smelly Kelly of Red Meat, Carletta Sue Kay, Tim Mitchell, Kristen Sobditch and the Hollyhocks, Phil Crumar, Paula Frazer and Patrick Main, Sandra Mello, Jen Sands, Bob Conlon, Poontang Wranglers, Touch Me Nots and many more guests and surprises.

Yes, thats Jonathan Richman!!!

More Reviews

Here are some more reviews of the album, tour and even the bootleg.

The forum seems to be slowly taking off. I am still planning on writing a decent review of Klamath at some point. Unless anyone else want to have a go?

Concert Recording

Someone of the Firefly mailing list has made a recording of the recent Copenhagen concert available here. I haven't listened to it myself yet but it is aparrently very good.

More Kalmath Reviews

There are a few reviews ou there courtesy of Drowned In sound, the BBC, the Independent and the German edition of Rolling Stone.

There is also a very revealing interview with the Scots Herald.

Brannan St CD Finally Available

Mark Eitzels other new album "Brannan St" is now available in the UK on Decor Records. I quote ...

The new tour/mail order only cd to accompany Mark's new release Klamath. The cd was recorded in San Francisco Sept 2009 and contains all new material including a few reworkings of songs from Klamath. Many of the songs are acoustic based demos with just Mark and his guitar. It is limited to 250 in the US
(available directly from Mark's new site soon) and 500 copies in the rest of the world available here Oct 21, 2009. The cd is in a PVC sleeve.

1.Friends (Instant Song)
2.There's Someone Waiting
3.Please
4.Winners Always Win
5.It's Never Over
6.ssssss
7.Ramblin' Man
8.Your Heart
9.Eva
10.Corny Spaceship Song
11.Tori
12.River

Only £10 so get it while its hot.

Misc Appearances

According to a Facebook group, there will be an interview with Mark Eitzel in the Octber issue of Acoustic Magazine. The Klamath should also be getting a feature in the next issue of Uncut magazine.

There is also some new YouTube footage from the current tour.

www.markeitzel.info is up!

Marks Eitzels new website MarkEitzel.Info is now up and running and presumably taking US orders for the new album. It says it will be a personally autographed copy and it won't be available on iTunes.

Klamath - Review

Yep, I got my copy of Klamath from Mark at his Brighton show last night and have given it a couple of listens. What's it like, you are all wondering? Well, I have played it a couple of times and here are my initial impressions.

Stylistically it builds on albums like the "Invisible Man" and "Candy Ass" however it benefits from a couple of guest appearances and a much better use of Pro-Tools (or whatever it was recorded with). It is essentially an album of nine songs (bracketed by a nicely atmospheric intro and outro) and what should be a hidden bonus track at the end. I think at least one or two of the tracks are from the forthcoming musical "Marine Parade". The songs have the familiar rhythm track sounds from those albums but it is a lot more organic sounding these days. There are a couple of guitar numbers on there but there are just as many synthy ones.

Standout tracks are
The blood on my hands. Interesting one as it sounds like it is sung from a females perspective.
I miss you. Another Kathleen song?
I live in this place. One of the songs from the musical and about a prostitute looking back at their life.
Why I am bullshit. Typical Mark title. A song sung to someone he may have let down. A few San Francisco and religious images thrown in for good measure.
Remember. A nice slow one.
Ronald koal was a rock star. The token upbeat rocker all about his meeting with the singer(?) Ronald koal years ago.
Buried Treasure and Antennas. These are the moody instrumental intro and outro. They work quite well and don't break up the flow of the album.

Guest appearances are by Marc Capelle, Franz Nicolay and Dave Douglas (not the trumpeter).

All in all, a good little album.

European Tour Started

Anyone been yet? Should get a copy of Klamath (and the other tour CDs) tomorrow so will post a review Friday (with a bit of luck).

New Forum

In an attempt to drum up a bit of community spirit, I have added a forum to the blog. It lives at

http://theinvisibleblog.forumotion.net/

and is somewhere where you can share reviews, stories, photos, and all that sort of stuff.

**EDIT**

You can actually post on the forums now! I had them all set to read only. Doh!

Vintage Live footage

Tom Mallon, the drummer/bass player in the American Music Club and owner of the rights to a couple of their early albums has put some old archive footage of the band up on YouTube. Click on the list of Uploads on the right. There is a few tunes from the California era band filmed at the Hotel Utah. Back when they were all looking very, very young. I won't list embed them all here as there is about ten of them, but here is one to wet your appetite.

Cool T-Shirts

There is a cool t-shirt doing the rounds that makes no bones about which was the best American Music Club line up.