Another California Review

Here is another review of the classic American Music Club album California. It seems to be the critics choice as it has a nice selection of sounds and lyrics to anlyse. Having said that, I was raised on the CD version which came with the "United Kingdom" album tacked on the end as bonus tracks. The two are merged into one for me. It's only now I have my iPod that I have separated them out. This review is by Tony Heyward at the HighwayFive music blog. Tony is a regular contributor to the FireFly mailing list.

Universal Audio Ad

If anyone was wondering what the story behind the video of Mark Eitzel extolling the virtues of the new DCS Remote Preamp are, then head over to here. It is an interview with him on the makers web site. He mentions the "MacArthur Park Music Club" and his favourite producers and engineers.

Details Of New AMC Album

FROM MARK EITZEL
June 20, 2007

American Music Club has a new line up.
Vudi - guitar
Sean Hoffman - bass - vocal
Steve Didelot - drum vocal
Mark Eitzel - guitar vocal

AMC moved from the Bay Area to Los Angeles. The original members Danny Pearson(bass) and Tim Mooney (drums) still work in San Francisco and perform in various bands. Danny is releasing a solo record by the end of the year. Mark and Vudi started working with Steve and Sean about a year ago. The chemistry was great and so they continued with the project and called it the MacArthur Park Music Club but this work eventually became the new AMC record.

Members of the band:
Vudi lives in LA, drives a city bus and also plays with the popular rock band Ariel Pink.

Sean Hoffman is a producer, commercial music maker, ex skate punk and plays all the shredding guitar that you enjoy whilst watching Fox Sports. He also plays guitar in a band called the Larks.

Steve Didelot is a songwriter, drummer, surfer, and a Mathematics teacher in the LA public schools system. He also plays in the Larks

Mark Eitzel still lives in San Francisco, loves the Bay Area but spends a lot of time in Los Angeles. He says he 'loves all the trees' and says Los Angeles is "so "triumph of the will"'.

The new album:
Tentatively called MacArthur Park because Vudi lives in that neighborhood and because we all enjoy the original song by Jimmy Webb. It will be produced by expert producer Dave Trumfio at his studio called King Size. We are very excited by this....

The overall sound is lighter than on previous AMC recordings. Of course there are many reasons why. 1) AMC refutes the label of 'Emo Pioneers'. For the record they hate Emo and have never been on the soundtrack for any W.B. network show. (yet) 2) Dark music is for people who are healthy enough to take it - and AMC want to appeal to all people - including the sick. 3) Mark Eitzel comments: "What will my neighbours in my retirement community think? How will I charm the nurse that tends to me? I want to fill my mouth with sugar and spit it on everyone when I talk. I want to cover the world with chocolate cake icing."

Yes there is a song about the World Trade Center. But such controversy is nothing new for this 'Right On' political band. Sean (bass) is a right leaning liberal texan who hates NPR and is the proud owner of a Segway. Vudi (guitar) dreams of an imperialist world of powdered wigs and waltz's in ballrooms. Mark (vocals) is a gay communist who once wrote an article: 'How Secure Will Your House Be During The Apocalypse'. Steve (drums) is a Christian activist who only plays in this band because the end times are upon us and what the fuck.
Plans.

The new album should be released in early 2008. When the ice and snow is thick and heavy. When your winter depression finally kicks in. No Christmas or New Years to look forward to - just the iron grip of the cold and the bleak endless news reports on the death we bring to the middle east and to ourselves. Perfect. Merge did much market research and focus group after focus group said this would be the perfect time to release our new record. Of course it will be. After that we tour and bring our own version of American Freedom to a waiting and willing world.

Kiki & Herb: Alive from Broadway

A show called Kiki & Herb : Alive from Broadway is currently playing in Boston. It is a cabaret type thing and features amongst many pop tunes a version of "Patriots Heart". It runs through to the 30th June and you can read a review here. The mind boggles but having seen their MySpace page it sort of makes sense.

Updated: Guest Appearances

Down the side now you will see that I have added a list of compilations and guest appearances that Mark Eitzel has made over the years. I have included links to the tracks, the CD or (in some cases) the only references I can find. There are still a few more to add but there are a few mentioned there I haven't seen anywhere else. The Mitchell Froom one sounds interesting from the two words you get in the sample clip.

• Cane 141 - New Day Parade EP
• Congo Norvell - Abnormal Anonymous
• Mitchell Froom - Dopamine
• Pine Valley Cosmonauts - The Executioner's Last Songs: Volumes 2 & 3
• Sonny Smith - One Act Plays
• The Shallows - Crooked Rain
• Toiling Midgets - Son
• Tuatara - East Of The Sun
• V/A - Acuarela Songs
• V/A - Clubbo Sampler Vol. 1
• V/A - Comes With A Smile #8,#12 & #16
• V/A - Esopus Magazine 1
• V/A - New Sounds of the Old West Vol.3
• V/A - No Alternative
• V/A - Offbeat A Red Hot Soundtrip
• V/A - Shanti Project Collection 2
• V/A - Sigmatropic : Sixteen Haiku and Other Stories
• V/A - You Can Never Go Fast Enough
• Virgil Shaw - Still Falling

Have I missed any others?

Heart And Soul Video

Here is a another clip from the recent tour of Mark Eitzel performing Joy Division's 'Heart and Soul' live at Edinburgh Cabaret Voltaire. The video doesn't quite make it to the end of the song but you get most of it. Thanks to the Perspective blog for this one.

American Beauty Recording

There is a recording of the Grateful Dead tribute show that took place back in Jan in New York. I only menton it as Mark Eitzel took part covering "Friend Of The Devil". He is on track 2.

KCRW Radio Sessions

It seems there is a nice archive of Mark eitzel and American Music Club related stuff here at the website for the KCRW radio station. There are interviews and songs from "60 Watt", "West" and "Patriots". I believe Mark as already released one of these as a CD.

Obscure Compilations

Seems there are a couple of obscure CDs out there with Mark Eitzel contributions that I had never heard of before. First is "Dopamine" by Mitchell Froom. Mark contributes the track "Watery Eyes". Second is something called "One Act Plays" by Sonny Smith. I can't find much trace of it on the net anywhere but he is a fellow performer from San Francisco and chums with Mark. Supposedly it is 10 one act plays written for his friends in the form of songs.

Video from Loppen

The tour may be over for Mark Eitzel but the videos keep coming in. Here is one from Loppen where "Johnny Mathis' Feet" get rewritten as "Robbie Willams Feet".

Norwich Review

There is a review of Marks gig in Norwich on the BBC web site.

Couple More Videos

Lets see. Today we have the original promo video for Rise. It features a relatively young and clean shaven looking Mark Eitzel.



and then a couple more live clips of the American Music Club.

A shot of the back of the band ?!?!


Jesus' Hands


I thought I had had a lot of hits recently. That is probably something to do with the mention over at indiefolkforever, a lovely blog about all things indie/alternative.

Musical Differences???

In shock news it seems that the American Music Club are down to a duo consisting of Mark Eitzel and Vudi. The official word is that the band will be based in LA from now on and as Danny (Pearson) and Tim (Mooney?) have families they won't be able to make the commute from SF. Presumably Vudi has given up his job on the bus' to go full time now.

However, the unofficial word in a posting from Danny on the Firefly mailing list is that;

"tim and i never left amc, we were not invited to continue! I WOULD JUST LIKE IT ON THE RECORD THAT I HAD NEVER THOUGHT OF NOT PLAYING IN AMC, I DID NOT QUIT. danny pearson"

So there you go. It cold be San Francisco all over again. For me Danny has always been as much of the Club as Vudi or Mark.

"Ten Years of Tears" Review

My copy turned up in the post today, #260 of 500. It is a white CDR with a rubber stamp on the front. It does actually say Vol.2 which implies Mark may have released a Vol.1. If he has then I have missed it. The front cover is a portrait of a small uni-browed child who might possibly be Mark.

So, what does it sound like? It is all good quality recordings. Mainly all originals except for his covers of Joy Divisions "Heart & Soul", Springsteens "My Fathers Place" and a couple of tracks from the solo albums.

It starts with 4 Music Club tracks with the Undertow Orchestra and then jumps back 10 years to a couple of "60 Watt" tracks. Next there is a track from "West". I don't know if that is Pete Buck on guitar is it? Then comes my fave bit, 3 tracks with the band that toured "Invisible Man". They only played one gig in the UK supporting J Mascis and they rocked. Big time. Next come the covers and finally there are 3 of the old classic.

It could easily have been an hour of Mark and his guitar so it is good to hear a nice selections of bands playing on there. At 64 mins they could have stuck some auidence banter on there or possibly a couple more unreleased tracks. Still, worth getting as a document of the man in his prime.

New Live Videos

A couple of clips of Mark on his current tour have appeared on YouTube.

Zagreb


Cardiff


With added audience singing.

Interview From Ireland

There is an interview with Mark in the Galway Advertiser. He touches on his relationship with Vudi and how the new songs he is currently doing are for the next American Music Club album. He says there will be some recording in May with an eye to a January release.

"Ten years of Tears" Available

Marks new live album is available here. It looks like a few tracks from a radio show from around the time of "60 Watt ..." as well as a few tracks with the Undertow Orchestra. That means that half of it will be with a band of some sort and half will be solo strumming. As they say in the Jazz Club, Nice.

Update. Not shipping to North America. You probably want the bands web site for that.

Edinburgh Review

There is a review of Marks gig in Edinburgh on Thursday here.

"Mean Mark Eitzel Get's Fat" - BitTorrent

It seems there is a FLAC torrent of Mark Eitzel: 1981, "Mean Mark Eitzel Get's Fat" 4 track demo out there in BitTorrent land. Unfortunately you have to be a member of dimeadozen.org to see it.

New Live Album!!!

It seems Mark has a new limited edition live cd coming out soon. It is called "Ten years of Tears" and features live recording made over the last ten years. It will be available on his current tour or shortly from his website. There are only 500 copies available so be quick.

Tracklisting is
1.Ladies and Gentlemen
2.St Michael My pet rat
3.Sleeping Beauty
4.Home
5.Mission Rock Resort
6.Aspirin
7. In You Life
8. Greeting Cards
9. To The Sea
10.No Easy way Down
11.Rehearsals For Retirement
12.My Father's Place
13.Heart and Soul
14.Blue and Grey Shirt
15.I've Been A Mess
16.Jesus’ Hands

More details as they emerge.