Recently, I have found privilege in a life of music and constant merriment here in beautiful Portland, Oregon. However, despite its utopian charm, such indulgence has not been without its challenges: Depression, doubt, confusion, loneliness; all the things that fuel the songwriting fire for sure like an ancient sacrifice ritual over an angry volcano. It also goes by another name and a different character known as unemployment and for someone like me, not working the grind is an opportunity for shamanistic immersion into the netherworlds of chord configurations, daydreams, and exorcisms.
Class M Planets is the newest offspring of this prolific and fruitful time. For years I have been playing a random smattering of acoustic gigs as an active incarnation of thebrotheregg big band, perhaps as a way of getting the songs out there still by whatever means necessary when the big band could not make the trip (or the club could not afford our exorbitant fees!) Recently, I have decided to make a different thing of playing acoustically, trying to get a foothold on my own musical life to some degree. thebrotheregg has also recently become a well-oiled song factory and does not need as much of me. It has finally achieved effortless experimentality and constantly renewable vision as an organic pop group. Twinklelingus has re-emerged from whatever has survived the library of Alexandria, reinvigorated with Kenneth Cole post-Goth goodness and has asserted itself as a truthfully healthy and spirited endeavor. Today, as I write this, I am actually happy and everything makes sense. It’s a good time to put recent happenings into proper articulated perspective.
The new folk thing has been quite healing. It started this last decade with me latching to other tours and shows, riding the coat tails of great artists like Wow & Flutter, the Bevis Frond, Mary Lou Lord, the 1090 Club, Larry Yes, and VI Ft. Sloth. I got to travel abroad, and see places in this very country I would have never ventured to otherwise. As “thebrotheregg acoustic” I opened for punk bands, death metal groups, did Humane Society fundraisers, coffee shops. I remember the sound guy at Jay’s upstairs in Missoula, Montana was on hallucinogenic mushrooms while he was running sound and I was once offered $20 in Spokane, Washington to stop playing by some redneck. I also had to hitchhike in Wyoming at 5 A.M. (Yes, Triple A is not there when you need them.) In place of not making any sort of living doing this work, I look for payment in these other ways, finding satisfaction in free beer, gas money, making amazing personal connections, and having weird stories. Oh, and getting to step off this rock once in awhile and explore the physical and psychic universe isn’t bad either.
So, this summer I have two new songs so far that are folky “Class M Planets” songs. “Glossolalia” and “Heart Thing” are done and they will be their own thing with hopefully many more to come. Jairus from thebrotheregg has been on board as a second guitar, Casio keyboard, and other vocalist and he has been amazing to work with as usual. We constantly debate the uncertain world of creativity and inspiration along the many miles of hiking or gigging. Recently, Sam Ross has joined our ranks as well on cello and hopefully vocals and other noisemakers. I am quite excited to announce the manifestation of this project which was struggling to find its persona for the longest time. If you look at the www.classmplanets.com myspace thing, you will see a variety of electronic music and dreamy shoegazing that has lead up to the more acoustic manifestation. In fact, there is probably an entire album of this eclectic sonic buggery in the archives. These efforts were originally titled “Gomads” or “the Gomads” and it basically described whatever project I was working on. The video for “the Chase” was originally a Gomads experiment and that evolved into what later became the Buttertarts (see the side link and it will lead you there.)
Anyhow, recently transforming from thebrotheregg acoustic to Class M Planets is a fun step forward and these different musical identities are taking shape in a healthy and positive way. It gives me great pleasure to announce the existence of this new project even though I am a firm believer of the “Stop starting bands” mentality. I’ve had a lot of free time lately, watching Doctor Who, drinking beer, trying to pay the bills…. An immersion in music before a return to the practical life of civilization and labor for the betterment of community and country.
Please come out to see Class M Planets Friday December 4th at Kelly’s Olympian in downtown Portland, Oregon.