Three Years

The release of our album Chicago Onion Farm ca. 1900, marks three years of releasing a new album every month. That's a grand total of 36 albums, just under 24 hours of audio recorded between August 2013 and November 2018. Why on Earth would we do that? Well it was a mixture of necessity and insanity.

First a little background; our music is almost entirely improvised, so the way we create an album is a little different than the average band. We'll get together, jam for an hour or so, then I go through trim things down, do some basic mixing and mastering, give it a name, and call it an album. Now for a stretch of several years I had fallen behind on editing, which resulted in hours upon hours of music just sitting on my hard drive. So I finally decided to tackle the massive project of editing everything into albums and releasing them online.

The first album in this series was Saturnine Frequency Noir, released in early April of 2016. Shortly after this I lost my job and was unemployed for about 4 to 5 months. I treated this as the perfect opportunity to fully commit to the project, and made editing these jam session my full time job. I would wake up everyday, eat some food, and then edit for 6-12 hours straight. Except on the weekends, which were spent drinking at the beach. It was honestly the best summer I've ever had.

 I didn't initially plan to do monthly releases; in fact originally I believe I was planning on quarterly releases. However, as I began to realized the scope of project it became clear that releasing a few albums a year was not going to cut it. Starting off I had enough recordings for about 12 -18 albums, at that rate it would have taken me at least 3 years to release everything, not counting anything new we would record during that 3 year period. So I figured why not try putting out an album every month.

Flash forward three years and we're finally all caught up. Now we can return to a more leisurely release schedule.

But before that, a quick wrap up of the past few albums.







California Knock Out Party, released in November and Four Star Luxury, released in January are both improvised live performances. In both cases we had a show to play and not enough time to learn and rehearse a set list. We figured we would probably give a better performance if we improvised on the spot with no restrictions, rather than trying to adhere to a set list we barely knew. Admittedly we weren't flying completely blind. I programed a couple beats and melodies in advance to give us a base to sculpt our music on, and to keep the performances flowing. I'm also realizing while typing this that I haven't upload video of Four Star Luxury to our youtube yet, so expect to see that very soon.




Veterans of WWIII I think was a short jam session before rehearsing for a live set. This was originally planned to be part of another split album, but scheduling conflicts with the other band caused that idea to fall through. This may be a relatively brief album, but it's packed with a lot of new experiments and musical motifs. Take for example the melancholy synth guitar and bass sounds of "Lost Islands," playing a some what Latin inspired melody. Then there's the high energy rave orchestra hits of "Show Down in Gamelan Town" and "Fury of the Volcano Goddess." Even the version of "No Body Knows..." that closes this album has a very unique arrangement, unlike anything heard on any previous renditions.



That brings us to the grand finale of this series of albums, Chicago Onion Farm, ca. 1900, a solid release that sets the stage for the future of The Brown Christmas' sound exploration. While not actually the most recent thing we've recorded (that would be our Christmas album, which was recorded 2 months after this) it is still a good representation of the current direction of our music. A further distillation of techniques and themes that have been present in our music for awhile; catchy melodies and gentle ambiences along side walls of noise, creating flowing stream of consciousness style music. Tracks are concise but full of textural and tonal shifts, all while being an interconnected part of a larger experience. There is perhaps more use of layered pads and arpeggiation than past albums, and ...I want to say 'solo' shredding? This album is spacey, spooky, playful, triumphant, melancholic, and the perfect place to end our three year run. Expect us to expand more in these directions on future albums, but more important expect the unexpected.

Christmas and 2019

So here's our Christmas album, a collection of classic Christmas covers and original instrumental bits.  It's a really good Christmas album and the material on it is brand new, recorded less than a month before it was released. This one is pretty self explanatory, so instead I'll be talking about what 2019 holds for The Brown Christmas.

First and foremost, we're just about up to date with releasing all the new albums we have recorded. This March will be three years straight of releasing a new album every month, and I figure that's a good stopping point. We no longer have piles of recorded audio backing up our output pipeline; so if we were to continue at this pace we'd literally have to be recording, editing, and making art for a new album every month. Truthfully we probably could do that, but I'm not sure for how long without loosing our minds. This isn't to say we will no longer be releasing new albums; we'll just be slowing down to maybe one every few months, or basically whenever we have new material and time to edit it.

Not having a new Brown Christmas album to put out every month will also allow me time to shift my focus to some other projects. I'd like to go through all the music we've release these past three years and make some weird music videos to accompany some of the tracks. I'm also hoping to get our really early albums cleaned up and made available on our bandcamp, along with some bonus tracks.

Aside from Brown Christmas related stuff, I'm planning to start going through the hours upon hours of solo material I have recorded as Chalk Harmonica Vibe and gradually start trickling out albums for that project. There are also several new side aliases and collaborations I hope to release as well, including my newage/ambient project Bathroom Plants. So clearly there will be no shortage of musical output coming this year.

Get ready for new, exciting, strange sounds coming your way in 2019!

Almost Live Volume 3: Stop Making Cents (Playing catch up part 6)

Here we are, finally all caught up! As with the other two volumes this is a practice session for a live set we played, so there's not too much that can be said about it. There are new versions of several tracks originally from our album Hash Not Hash, https://thebrownchristmas.bandcamp.com/album/hash-not-hash

The one unique thing with this volume is that it opens with some actually live, and completely new recordings. We were setting up to play the show and were just planning to do a quick sound check. Well that sound check started sounding so good that we just kept going, next thing you know we have almost 15 minutes of new music. The soundcheck was not recorded on video, but the main performance can be seen here.
https://youtu.be/IyptQVJUYgA

Too Christmases (Playing catch up part 5)

This is a first for The Brown Christmas; a split album with fellow experimental synth weirdos Too Dogs. Our half is pulled from two practice session for live shows, where we went off script and wound up with a few new tracks. These make heavy use of Joemazing's guitar mangling skills and the percussive synth patches of the Korg Wavestation. They tend to start as dreamy phantasms that build to triumphant climaxes. There wasn't quite enough material here to make a proper album, so the obvious solution was to round things out with fresh songs from the hottest dogs in town.

Too Dogs' half was recorded and edited by yours truly, and provides the first (somewhat) polished presentation of these crazed canines who have until now, been doing mostly zany live sets. Buoyant synths and twangy guitars pour through pedals, taking the listener on a whimsically psychedelic voyage. Frenetic percussion programming is punctuated by a booming live drum kit, acting as the wiggling spine that supports the wash of sound.

Enjoy these two distinct flavors or experimental improvisation!

Some Kind of Birthday Party (Playing catch up part 4)

Party animals rejoice, it's Some Kind of Birthday Party! There is indeed good reason to celebrate; this is my favorite album we've released this year, and probably a new high water mark for The Brown Christmas. You know you're in for something truly special as Al Santillo introduces the album with the words; "Every slice got something different on it..." Each track is a different experience, with different flavors of synth patches spread across the whole album.

Seamlessly we slip from the electronica infused melodies and shattering grooves of "Neon Glass," to the gritty lo-fi sizzle of "Crystal Shards," and  the silly chaotic panic of "Hyper Train Rail Workers." Dreamy guitar ambiences and soothing synth sax playing on "Lunar March," contrast the harsh walls of noise on "Storms of Jupiter." Deep rumbles of feedback attempt to smother the listener; occasionally allowing a pensive breath of fresh air before attempting to suffocate you again. There are absolutely no lulls on this album, it constantly pushes forward with the purposeful energy of a charging rhinoceros.

What really sets this album apart however, is that it rocks. It rocks earnestly, it rocks hard, and it rocks the full way through. The shredding solo on "Hard Nights, Harder Dreams" has no business being so hard hitting and emotionally charged. Revel in Joemazings ability to take his synth from sounding like it's on it's last breath short circuiting, to then emerge with a victorious crisp lead line. Feel the high energy orchestra hits of "Get Fucked or Die Frying" and prepare for a head to head battle in a cloud of synth drones. Wrap things up with the forceful growls of "The Last White Rhino" with it's weeping marimba-like solo, and you've got an album that's good to the last slice.

The art work on this album is also my favorite of everything we've released this year. A fun combination of several techniques that have been used on previous covers. Bright and welcoming, while also surreal and disconcerting; Michael Burke knocks it out of the park again.

This album is also available on KRXMA Records, be sure to check it out there as well. https://krxmarecords.bandcamp.com/album/some-kind-of-birthday-party

The Brown Christmas Vs. The Bored of Education (Playing Catch up part 3)

The Brown Christmas is the perfect cure for your boredom; with ten tracks covering everything from ambient, synth-pop, to sludge rock, you're sure to be entertained. Enjoy the loosely held together chaos that you've come to expect from The Brown Christmas. You'll find plenty of composed build ups and steep energetic slopes on this short rollercoaster ride.

The opening track "Raven's Talons" grabs the listener with piercing synthy claws, cascades through hazy drones, and drops you into a nest where you're devoured by abrasive chattering. As the anxiety of the first track fades away the tone shifts on "Leisure Speed" to a kind of triumphant yearning. This track is one of those catchy, almost pop tunes that seems to occasionally emerge from out murky slurry. A simple melody punctuated by a bouncy bass line, and gently fading away with a piano solo.

This leads to probably the highlight of this album; a slow droning version of "Cataract Jack" that is both ghostly and beautiful. What is normal a frantic, zany jig has been stretched out and melted. Deep percussive tones echo the main melody at a snails pace, while breathy textures create a sense of unease.

"Cataract Jack" is a delicate veil gently blowing in a dusty window; contrast this with bellowing heavy presence of "T-Boned Semi." Lumbering along powerfully, this track's defining feature is the sludgy distorted bass playing by Joemazing. I set a steady pace with the drums and then simply enjoy the ride as Joemazing pushes his mixer to the limit, turning it into a crunchy fuzz pedal.

From here things get kicked into high gear with the feverish "Scarab Outrun." We're skidding along barely maintaining control, kicking up plumes of dust, and quickly approaching a summit. With the toll of a bell we fall apart and gradually float to the ground with the track "Course Winds Blow Brittle Reeds."

The album ends with a short duet between the Roland D50 and it's modern recreation the D05. It's merry, light hearted, and the perfect silly goodbye.

Kings of Slop (Playing catch up part 2)

We here at The Brown Christmas pride ourselves on our sloppiness. It is only when you embrace the essence of slop, and reach deep into the viscous bubbling depths that you can find unexpected mixtures of accidental beauty. This album was recorded at the very beginning of January 2018, after not jamming for over a month we were fully ready to get sloppy again.

This isn't your average 'slop flavored fluid substitute,' this is quality pure distilled slop. Every minute of this album oozes thick, dense, textured, slop. Each track takes its time, slowly spreading and changing its texture, while also remaining concise and not overstaying its welcome. Most of the album keeps a fairly leisurely pace, allowing simple melodies to slowly reveal themselves over shifting ambiences, shining for a moment, then disappearing back into the sloppy ether. "Luck People" is a prime example of this; jovial arpeggios and Al Santillo loops provide a thin surface for mallet textures to knock on, eventually shattering the surface and dissolving.

The tempo picks up briefly as the monolithic "No Body Knows..." comes to an end and bursts into the frantic "Martini Rodeo." This is an all out assault of drums, synths, and guitar feedback; eventually falling apart, and leaving only a wiggly bass line. My favorite part of this album however, comes when the soothing lullaby of "Magic Mattress Bliss" shifts into the uneasy fever dream drones of "Starsand Hourglass." A heavy bellowing kick persuades the listener along a winding and unstable path of echoing bells, warbling ghostly howls, uneven synth pulses, and glistening rain textures.

The final track "Cyborg Vacuero" brings the tempo back to a frantic pace, closing the album with chugging guitar riffs and a squealing synth solo. This album demands several replays and deep listening; for just 30 minutes there's a vast variety of sound happening. At the time of it's release in June, Kings of Slop would have been my pick for our top album of the year. It has since been replaced by a different album, but is still a great listen. Check it out, taste the slop.