Erik Blood's Blog

the worst blogger in the world...

2010-02-24T20:49:00.000-08:00

Somehow I'm going to get back into the swing of this, I swear.

Quick catch up, shall we?

The release party for The Lights new album "Failed Graves" is this Friday (Feb. 26th) at The Funhouse. The album will be available on vinyl and digital download from WANTAGE USA. Partman Parthorse opens. Oh, and I'm playing, too.

Click here are read what Hannah Levine has to say about it.

On March 4th, I'm doing my first headlining show at Neumos with Siren Sister, Exohxo, and Poland. Doors are at 7pm, so don't be late.

That afternoon, me and the band are hitting KEXP for our first in-studio performance. Tune in at noon to 90.3 FM in Seattle, or go to www.kexp.org to stream it from wherever you are in the world.

My next album is coming along in it's modest demo form (I think we're doing at least 3 songs from it at Neumos) and I'm getting pretty excited about it. I'm also very excited to be scoring a film by indie filmmaker Steven Richter of Portland via Sao Paulo called "Center of Gravity". More to come on that as it unfolds.

Shabazz Palaces is playing Sasquatch!

In the works are new The Little Penguins (who are playing the matinee show at The Comet this Saturday, Feb 27), new THEE Satisfaction, new Coulter, and hopefully a crazy ass art project with my wonderful friend and former collaborator on SloAsions, Phil. Again, when shit starts going down, you'll be the 2nd or 3rd to know.

xo

My Top 10

2010-01-19T18:16:00.001-08:00

My top 10 of 2009 just got posted to KEXP's blog. Too bad I didn't think to write anything qualifying my picks.

http://blog.kexp.org/blog/2010/01/16/northwest-artists-pick-their-best-of-2009/

A post of lists.

2010-01-08T12:39:00.000-08:00

2009 is over over over.

"The Way We Live" ended up #31 on KEXP's Top 90.3 of 2009, and made DJ Shannon's top 10.

It also got #22 on Sound on the Sound's Top 25 of 2009.

Nice, huh?

Happy Xmas and Drinky New Year!!!

2009-12-22T17:50:00.000-08:00

Finished up that pesky Moondoggies album (still some little noises and clicks I need to get rid of) and celebrated my 33rd year on Earth last week. Right after that, I started a day job that I don't want to talk about (but am totally grateful for.)

Whether you're celebrating a specific holiday or not, I hope everyone has a good time with friends, family, or strangers who aren't mean this coming week. If you're looking to hang out with some strangers who just might like you on New Year's Eve, come to Bus Stop for New Year's Council where we'll be ringing in the New Year (and your ears) Britpop style. Suede has won the honor of midnight's song by what I believe is a unanimous vote by our DJs Coulter, Up Above, Buttontop, and me. Come dance/drink the year away and wake up the next morning anew (and maybe with a new friend.)

Those lovely folks (or is it just a lovely folk?) at The Finest Kiss have honored me with a spot on their top 10 albums of the year. Check it out HERE!

My meager holiday gift for you is an outtake from "The Way We Live". Enjoy.

UNEMPLOYMENT

It's been a....year

2009-12-16T12:57:00.000-08:00

I did some stuff this year. I released my first solo album and started writing my next. I produced a lot of great music with bands like The Moondoggies, DeVries, The Little Penguins, The Lights, Telepathic Liberation Army, and Black Daisy. I nearly saw gay marriage become a legal reality. I gained a bunch of weight. I was severely broke (no change there.) And I managed to stay alive and relatively healthy. It's been a year.

If you liked my album, you should go vote for it as one of your top albums of 2009 at http://kexp.org/events/topsof2009/Top2009.aspx.

Also, my wonderful boyfriend updated my website. Ain't he great?

Thanks to all of you for hanging around, listening, playing shows, writing songs, uploading, downloading, paying for, stealing, eating, drinking, sleeping, and being there with me this year.

If you're in the Seattle area, you can celebrate the final moments of this year with me and my lovely friends Coulter, DJ Buttontop, DJ Up Above, and other guests at Bus Stop for THE COUNCIL NEW YEAR'S EVE. Should be a blubbery mess of fun.

xo

Call and Response

2009-11-19T12:37:00.000-08:00

To this: http://www.click2houston.com/news/21662619/detail.html

I say this: http://www.pinkpistols.org/

Don't be afraid to fight back.

Another November with The Moondoggies

2009-11-10T13:37:00.000-08:00

Two years ago, I spent nine days in November drinking cheap beer, smoking Camel Lights, and eating fast food while tracking a total of 23 songs with The Moondoggies. It was our first time working together and I always try to push a band to make as much music in the first few days as possible. What I didn't know was they were going to push back. 23 fucking songs! Really! And to make things even better, we finished them all. 13 of them found their way to the debut album "Don't Be a Stranger".

This Friday, November 13th, I get to revisit this experience (minus the cigarettes.) 10 days in November, plus 5 days in December will produce a brand new Moondoggies album which will include songs we've heard and loved at their recent live shows ("What Took So Long" and "Uncertain" spring to mind) and brand new material I just can't wait to commit to tape.

I'm just sayin'...

SISSYROCK

2009-10-18T09:28:00.000-07:00

Bring your ass to Brooklyn on Wednesday night. Gay ass DJ night at Blackout Bar in Greenpoint featuring me and the kids from Via Audio. Very fun, I promise.

xo

Meet Me in New York

2009-10-15T13:02:00.001-07:00

Come see me at Blackout Bar in Greenpoint Brooklyn on October 21st. I'm going to be DJing with my friend Frank and another guest as yet undetermined. It's a kind of pre-CMJ gay night or something. All I know is that I'll play some really good music for you.

http://newyork.metromix.com/bars-and-clubs/lounge/blackout-greenpoint/1437681/content

Wednesday, October 21st @ Blackout Bar

xo

See You Next Tuesday, Henleys

2009-10-14T11:56:00.000-07:00

"See You Next Tuesday", the lead off track on Coulter's SENT TO COVENTRY album, is being used by Henley's in the UK for their latest campaign. Well done, Coulter!

http://www.henleysclothing.co.uk/lifestyle-video

All of yall know that this album is available as a free download from his website which you can get to by clicking HERE.

Listen to me!

2009-10-13T17:35:00.000-07:00

I've been invited to be a guest on the air of DJ Tim's late night KEXP show on Wednesday November 3rd @ 1am. That's Tuesday night to me and most of you. If you're in Seattle and awake, tune me in while I play some of my favorite stuff. If you're outside of the Seattle area, you can listen in at www.kexp.org on one of their streaming players.

While I was in LA, I saw an amazing documentary called "Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation" about Australian exploitation movies. I have about a year worth of movies to queue up from this doc alone. Very worth your time.

I'll be posting details soon about my NYC trip. You can come hear/see me DJ at some bar in Williamsburg (you'll know when I know) on the 21st.

Still waiting on the new Dead Mellotron album that was supposed to be out October 8th. Anyone have any clue where that is?

Don't you forget about me!!!

2009-10-01T16:00:00.000-07:00

Driving it home, once again, BRING YOUR ASS to the Reverb Festival this Saturday! So many amazing bands, including mine! See what Seattle Weekly says about it.

7:30 p.m. ~ Erik Blood Erik Blood must have taken all this renewed Beatles fervor to heart, because he's getting by with a little help from his friends. In assembling his seven-piece backing band, Blood's swiped members from his former band the Turn-Ons, his current band the Little Penguins, a guy from Coulter, and another one from Altspeak. It seems the benefit of being a producer/artist is getting to poach your favorite musicians to work on your own project. This set will feature all the great tracks off his fabulous debut The Way We Live and a yet-to-be-recorded track about adult cinema, which promises to be the prettiest song about porno you've ever heard. MA'CHELL DUMA LAVASSAR

That's at The Sunset Tavern in Ballard, by the way. Right before me and my band is Telepathic Liberation Army who are not to be missed. Other suggestions from me are Brent Amaker & the Rodeo, Fresh Espresso, Levator, Cute Lepers, Tea Cozies, Coconut Coolouts, and Redwood Plan, all of which are kind of happening around the same time as each other so you can't lose, but you can never really win.

Also, my girls from THEE Satisfaction are back in town to perform for us at NY Fashion Academy at 9:30. If you haven't seen them, you really need to. They'll put a smile on the most sullen face and bring a sway to the most rigid hips.

Click HERE for all information about the festival.

Ladies and Gentlemen...Telepathic Liberation Army

2009-09-30T11:28:00.000-07:00

http://www.seattleweekly.com/2009-09-30/music/reverb-telepathic-liberation-army-rock-clairvoyance/

Make sure you're at my show at Reverb Fest this Saturday at the Sunset (7:30 sharp!!!), and as an added bonus, bring your ass at least an hour early so you can see Telepathic Liberation Army. Bad ass dark dance pop with shades of early 80's goth and new wave icons (Siouxsie comes to mind for me, Lene Lovich for some others) within deliberate angular melody play between each player is what you can expect. It was nearly impossible for me to not dance during the mixdown sessions, so you best believe I'll have my big ass on the floor at the Sunset this Saturday before my little dog and pony show hits the stage.

xo

Show Update!

2009-09-28T09:03:00.001-07:00

It's been a while since Erik Blood and the band have played a show, but to make up for lost time we've got a few in store.

Saturday, October 3rd for Reverb Festival (The Sunset Tavern)
$8 adv./$10 day of gets you in to every show and venue. EBX is at 7:30 sharp

Friday, October 23rd (The Sunset Tavern) with The Redwood Plan and Rosyvelt
$8 10pm

Saturday, November 7th (Bob's Famous Java Jive, Tacoma WA) with The Nightgowns, The Little Penguins, and Lesvosurf
Not sure of the cost, but it starts at 9pm and I guarantee this one will be very interesting.

Wednesday, December 9th (Chop Suey) with Stripmall Architecture (another band TBD)
$7 and show is at 8pm SHARP! Yall better remember that Chop Suey starts it's weeknight shows very early (or as they say, on time.)

October is also the month that I venture off to LA and NYC to do some vacationing, but it's also the month that Iggy (Altspeak) and I begin the demoing of what will be his new album. He's shooting for international mega-stardom with this one. Go big or go home, I suppose.

Still at work on demos for my new one while also coming up with ideas for our upcoming shows. Covers, costumes, colorful language...it's all up for grabs.

xo

I'll Never Stop Loving You: Vol 1 (Mondo Morricone)

2009-09-18T20:52:00.000-07:00

In the late 90's, my friends and I became obsessed with soundtracks to 60's and 70's Euro horror and smut. Record labels like Dagored and Crippled Dick Hot Wax were releasing tons of previously unavailable and unknown material by some pretty amazing composers and bands of that era. The album that started our particular craze was Mondo Morricone (originally released by Colosseum and later reissued by Royal Ear Force and Stereo Deluxe) which is a collection of arguably his finest moments from the late 60's and early 70's. Of course, Ennio Morricone was not famous in America for this work, but for his Spaghetti Western themes that are as recognizable as they are fun to whistle and sing. Those pieces are thankfully left off of this collection and the subsequent More Mondo Morricone and Molto Mondo Morricone.

On my first listen at the tiny but enchanting house of Mark Cuadrado (Slowcore Pictures) I was stopped in mid sentence by "Ritratto d'Autore" and forced Mark to repeat the song 2 more times and successively louder volumes. A shockingly simple piano melody, matched by a harpsichord, is soon backed by a painfully slow swell of strings before being joined by a bad ass but laid back drummer. And then he softly bludgeons you with the sweetest melodies arranged in brilliant crescendo to overwhelming climax. Thinking that the most memorable moment of my night had passed, we continued talking and smoking until I was again halted by what I believe is Ennio Morricone's most perfect piece of pop genius "Metti, Una Sera a Cena".

The theme song to a film of the same name (also released as Love Circle) this song is designed to make you want to stand up and cheer. Thankfully I had not, nor have I yet, seen this movie because I can't imagine the context the song is used in being appropriate for it's grandeur unless the main characters are suddenly transformed into beams of radiant light that cause the world to experience simultaneous orgasm.

The compilers of this collection are so brilliant that immediately after this song is "Sauna" and I tell you the name says it all. It is the sonic equivalent to afterglow, relaxation, and leisure. I want to live in this song.

I listen to this album almost once a week. Sometimes I will put it on and let it repeat endlessly, never tiring of it. It brings me up, it brings me down, it suits nearly every mood I have. Every road trip, every hangover, every pill induced opiate haze, every marathon of snowboarding videogames is scored by Mondo Morricone. I purchased several collections (More Mondo and Molto Mondo are totally worth getting), as well as the full soundtracks of many of the films featured on Mondo Morricone, most of which I adore, but the perfect balance of the material on Mondo Morricone will make it my favorite forever. I'll never stop loving Mondo Morricone.

also check out "The Smart Set" - Alberto Baldan Bembo, "Vampiros Lesbos: Sexadelic Dance Party" - various, and "Profondo Rosso" - Goblin

Welcome to Radio Hour

2009-09-16T13:24:00.000-07:00

I've complained before about being stuck in a place where the only things I'm listening to are things I work on. It's not a bad thing, since I tend to work on music I love and if it isn't I try to make it something I love. That said, I tend to lose perspective after a while and I always need someone to pull me out of that situation. This is why I was so excited to get an email from my friend Josh which included a link to his recent podcast on radiohour .org entitled "Josue is Okay".

I implore you to download it and any other Radio Hour podcasts from the archive. It's quite a scene. The creator of Radio Hour, the lovely and talented John Reed, has crafted over a dozen brilliant one-hour collections for you to check out, while his contributors add their own personal touch to their respective podcasts. It is one of those "from Captain Beefheart to Django Reinhardt" situations, but it works without alienating the uninformed listener. There's no obscurity for obscurities sake, only well crafted and totally listenable/enjoyable sets of new and old music.

Click HERE to check it out for yourself.

Back in the studio

2009-09-02T13:13:00.000-07:00

Back in the studio with my friend Travis DeVries starting tomorrow. His debut solo album, Death to God, is available on iTunes and if you're in NYC you can check out DeVries live. Go to his myspace page to find out more. The demos for the new material are fantastic so here's hoping I can do them justice.

Next up, I'll be in the studio with Telepathic Liberation Army. Holy hotness!

And when the weather's cold and shitty, I'll be warm and happy in the studio with The Moondoggies. Little glimpses at the new material at their summer shows have me salivating.

I'm also working on my next record. I'm hoping to have the material together in time to start recording early in the new year.

HAPPY DIRTY 30 to my guitarist Michael Ellsworth! You don't look a day over 29.

xo

John Hughes R.I.P.

2009-08-06T16:18:00.000-07:00

Don't Let Go: Slowcore Pictures

2009-08-03T19:21:00.000-07:00

SlowCore Pictures (a.k.a. Mark Cuadrado) has been blowing minds for years with his video collage stylings, including visuals for The Turn-ons, The Bran Flakes, Dirty Sanchez, SloAsions (of whom he is a member), and several club nights in the Seattle and Los Angeles areas. He's also the first to take a stab at a video for my tune "Too Early & Too Late".

Check out a bit of an archive of his work on You Tube by clicking HERE! The day he showed me the video for "Take Me Somewhere Nice" I burst into tears. No shit. But the majority of his work provokes smiles and laughter more than melancholy.

I'm hoping if I finish off my porn album, I can get him to resurrect some of his dirtier pieces which are both eye popping and mind altering. Stay tuned...

Erik Blood on "Lost"

2009-07-29T12:30:00.000-07:00

Just kidding, but one can dream, right? Maybe Ugly Betty could use some "Better Days".

http://musiclounge.abc.go.com/artist/9961

Quickie

2009-07-28T16:19:00.000-07:00

Can't stop listening to Gossip's new album "Music for Men" but when I do, I'm listening to Fresh Espresso's "glamour." and THEE Satisfaction's "That's Weird" so I just can't go wrong.

DJing tonight at The Eagle in Seattle from 10pm to 2am.

100 degrees outside and I'm dying.

The (kinda) one year anniversary of my live band performing out is coming up, and to celebrate, we're playing the same club with one of the same bands. August 7th at Kelly's Olympian in Portland with Charmparticles and The Ravishers.

xo

A new album by The Lights is going to hit you over the head with your own arm!

2009-07-10T14:00:00.000-07:00

Keep an eye out for what I believe is the finest musical moment of The Lights thus far. Everything I talked about in a previous post about the sound of this album has been rectified.

Now my only concern is the mastering. I'm hoping that Kramer gets the gig, but it's now in the hands of Wantage Records. Maybe we should start a letter writing campaign?

In other news, Coulter's album is starting to get some press overseas. How can I get on that boat?

From The Congleton Chronicle:

Coulter ‘Sent to Coventry’ The only one of this bunch of new releases you won’t have heard of, Coulter is pretty good in a low key way.He’s from Seattle but must know something about England because the album title is not a well-known phrase over there. He writes well crafted, gentle, atmospheric pop tunes that had strings that swell and choruses that echo.It took us a while to pin down the sound but eventually it clicked: Cosmic Rough Riders on a good day (though there are shades of Orange Juice’s “Rip it up” on the first track).First play through, you think it’s good enough to give a second spin; second time is enough for a third go and by about the fourth or fifth play through you’re hum-ming the tunes.Fans of The Smiths might liketo know that Gary Day, bassistwith the boy Morrissey, plays onthis. Out on 20th July.JMC

Word.

New Music: MISSING!!!

2009-07-09T14:11:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if everyone has heard the story of The Turn-ons last album "Curse" but I'm going to give you a quick rundown of the events that lead up to it's release. We tracked 16 songs and on the last mixing day, our hard drive died causing us to lose everything. Luckily, I'm analogue guy and all but four of the songs were still on the 2" reels at MRX. After re-tracking the 4 missing tunes and remixing the album for the second time, nearly two years had passed from the beginning of the process. I thought it would be a good idea to name the album "The Curse of The Turn-ons" but Singapore Sling apparently has dibs on that title, so "Curse" had to do.

Today I listened to that album again for the first time in over a year and I STILL hate that we lost those first four songs. If only we had backed up that hard drive...

Cut to one month ago.

My home computer is acting all weird and suddenly I'm unable to access certain files. Particularly my iTunes library. Normally, this would have sent me into a fit, but as I learned from "Curse" about backing up, I'm sure we only lost maybe a month's worth of input, which I could easily get. WRONG! Last back up was in January. FUCK! 6 months of music gone! And I don't know about you, but for me that's a hell of a lot of music.

There is a happy ending to this story, though. I'm now almost completely whole again thanks to a new Mac and my beautiful friends (who are also avid music geeks.) Here's some of the new shit that's making me smile on my earbuds...

1. THEE Satisfaction - Thats Weird
Okay, so this wasn't one I lost, but it is one I found at the Bend It! festival on Friday June 26th in Cal Anderson Park. I had gone there to see Redwood Plan and afterwards gone to get some food. On the way back through the park, my friends and I were stopped dead in our tracks by this amazing hip-hop duo. Brian and I dragged a few more people with us to see them at the Pride festival on the following Sunday (Oh, did I forget to mention that they're a couple?) Really looking forward to their upcoming "Snow Motion" coming soon.

2. Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career
This was my most treasured loss of the last 6 months. Every song makes me bliss out in a summertime Supremes style shuffle down the street. No shit! If I'm at home, I pair Camera Obscura with a Firefly sweet tea vodka and lemonade. Thanks to John for bringing this to me.

3. Hunx and His Punx - EVERYTHING
No albums yet, but I have almost all of his singles now. I've been obsessing over "You Don't Like Rock and Roll" and "Cruising" since I saw his videos on You Tube. Bubblegum girl group tunes done by a punk fag is kind of the best thing ever. His set at The Funhouse on Pride day was a very intense 20 minutes. Read more about this show HERE!

4. Micachu & the Shapes - Jewellery
Damn! This is some crazy great shit. I don't even know what to say about it except listen to "Calculator" and if you dig it like I do, buy the whole album. Thanks to Frank for bringing this to me!

5. Friendly Fires - Friendly Fires
When it comes to new music, I have a bunch of shit talking friends (and if you're friends with me, you know I'm one of them) but I'm happy to say that those who spoke ill of this Friendly Fires records are mistaken. The production is adventurous in cool way, the melodies are super addictive, and I've heard these boys are terribly cute. Thanks to Phil for bringing this to me!

SEE YOU AT THE COUNCIL!!!

XO

THE COUNCIL IS COMING

2009-07-08T13:17:00.000-07:00

Seattle used to have a really fun Britpop night called Top of the Pops where you'd go get wasted and dance like a fool to Pulp, Suede, and Blur. After that died, an even more fun Britpop night called "START!" begun which incorporated live bands with their exquisite DJ sets. When that died, we got the ultimate live music and dance DJ night called "Wire" which summed up all of the fun of it's predecessors. Sadly, the Britpop part of it fell by the wayside. And you couldn't blame anyone because let's face it. Britpop died.

It's been a while, and at the risk of sounding retro, I'm incredibly excited for THE COUNCIL. It seems that I'm not the only person who longs for those drunken evenings dancing to Pulp, Suede, and Blur, and as it turns out there's a whole mess of new music to dance like a fool to! Brought to us by Tif Vicious (an adorable moniker for an even more adorable lady) and hosted by Bus Stop, THE COUCIL will kick off Wednesday July 22nd and will feature the DJ skills of Coulter (yes, that Coulter), DJ Up Above! (yes, Phil), and DJ Cuddleup! Yes, that's me.

You'll definitely hear some old favorites from the 60's on, but be prepared to hear new artists coming out of the UK and some great UK influenced artists from around the world. I'm making a point to find a few choice newbies that hopefully will be your next favorite band.

Oh, and did I mention it's FREE? See you there!

xo

Back to Life

2009-06-24T19:34:00.000-07:00

It's been too long. I'm sorry for neglecting you, but computer failure (something I'm far too familiar with) has prevented me from making any updates. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

In the days to come you will read my musings on recording The Redwood Plan, trying to book shows, mixing The Lights new album, losing a few months of my iTunes library, and getting all gay and proud this month. Tonight, I just want to tell you all that I'm still around and not leaving anytime soon.

PS Keep your eyes peeled for THE COUNCIL.

xo