Happy Xmas and Drinky New Year!!!

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

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

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

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

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

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

"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!

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!!!

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

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!

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)

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

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

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.

Don't Let Go: Slowcore Pictures

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"

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

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

Quickie

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!

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!!!

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

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

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

New Favorite!!!

What can I say? This kicks ass.

Shabazz Palaces in the Stranger

Looks like Seattle's most mysterious MC is getting some well deserved attention.

Read the article by clicking HERE.


If you want to check it out before it blows the fuck up, get your ass to Retail Therapy (905 E Pike at the corner of Pike and Broadway) and pick up both CDs. Trust me, you want to own that packaging. Someday, I hope to see a thousand people in close quarters sporting their Shabazz Palaces badges (designed by the geniuses at Dumb Eyes.)

Speaking of Dumb Eyes, I hope to see any and all of you reading this at PENETRATION tomorrow night at Bus Stop.

xo

Sore knees and kind words

This running thing is great, but I'm worried it might be for people with better knees. Or maybe my knees are about to become bionic and I'll be able to run slo-mo but faster than everyone else (I don't know how to type the Bionic Woman sound effect, but I did want to be her when I was a kid.)

Hobbling from my bed to the computer this morning, I received this review in my email.

http://spectrumculture.com/2009/06/erik-blood-the-way-we-live.html


What carries The Way We Live is that producer's ear, which enables Blood to beautifully craft the arrangements of each song. Whether he's detailing urban frustration on "Home & Walk" or attempting a new beginning on "Broken Glass," it's the punchy guitar that initially snags the listener's attention, while Blood bricks up a wall of sound behind that. Sometimes it's strings, sometimes it's layers and layers of sighing vocals, but always it's a juggernaut of sound that demands attention.

Then I discovered that "To Leave America" is featured on John Richard's "Summer Songs" podcast. You can subscribe to his, and many other amazing podcasts at KEXP.ORG.

So despite the pain and limited mobility, today's turning out to be a pretty good day.

P.S. Happy Gay Pride Month! Do something gay, like going to see me at the Tractor on the 16th.

xo

New Music

New Music: part one (iPod)

I lost my iPod last week, terribly frightened that it had been left at Chop Suey after our show with Foreign Born (who were fantastic, I might add.) Luckily, my band is not only pretty, they are also considerate and stashed away my favorite little device in a safe place to be returned to the practice space so I could continue to drink. It would have been even better if any of us remembered that little factoid before I went on a depressed rampage searching for it in my apartment, car, and even the practice space (it was in a REALLY safe place.)


During this time, I kept getting new music, which I only make time to listen to while walking, reading, or writing, and it's almost always listened to from my little black 80 gig best friend! What was I to do? To listen to my stereo with all windows and doors open (it's really hot here right now) could cause trouble with my neighbors, especially since I'd have to turn it up rather loud to hear it from the deck or the office. And I refuse to listen to music for the first time on computer speakers. The new Jarvis Cocker, Camera Obscura, Neko Case, Phoenix, etc. would just have to wait.

One new release that I just couldn't wait on though is the new J Dilla collection "Jay Stay Paid" which was released on Tuesday. Neighbors be damned. After spending Monday afternoon listening to some trashy gay disco with my partner in crime Phil (research for a Partman Parthorse remix, I swear) he reminded me of it's release and I later made him promise to bring his copy over right after he'd listened to it (I can't afford to buy it right now.) Wednesday morning, I met him at Bauhaus Coffee on his route to work and he handed me the CD, saying I was in for a treat. That was no lie, honeys.

Moving my speakers a little further away from the wall (a little tip for my loud music listening apartment dwelling friends) I dropped the CD in the player and turned the volume up to my favorite level of loudness. Doors open, food cooking, sweat pouring, I made my way through the 28 tracks of amazing music brought to us by the legendary J Dilla (by way of another legend, Pete Rock, and Dilla's mother.) Standout tracks thus far are 16. On Stilts, 26. Coming Back, and 27. Mythsysizer, all of which are instrumentals. Not to say some of the vocal tracks aren't amazing, particularly 15. Reality TV featuring Black Thought, 6. Smoke featuring Blu, and who can deny the masterful presence of DOOM on 17. Fire Wood Drumstix. As you can see, picking favorites is kind of ridiculous when the entire piece of music is worth several listens a day.

As fate would have it, last night at around 9pm, Will texted "I found your iPod!" and all was right with the world. Today has already been a wonderful return to my musical walks around the neighborhood. Another spin of Dilla's latest, followed by 2 times through Jarvis Cocker's "Further Complications" which I must say is fantastic. He's washed that Pulp right out of his hair and lost none of himself in the process. As the day continues, so will my adventures in new music. I'll keep you posted.

xo

It's true. I need a day job.

Ever since being "dissolved" from a wonderful day job at a little software company, I've been steadily searching for a new regular source of income. At first, I spent a lot of time looking for something as perfect as the last job. Then, as the months passed and the money went away, I started looking at jobs I would rather not do, but wouldn't be too depressed to perform. Months after that, anything will do. And to make matters worse, it seems that anything will do for EVERYONE in Seattle.


I'm constantly looking for more work in the studio, but this economy is effecting bands and artists just as hard, if not harder than everyone else. Paying the bills is becoming a nightmare reminiscent of my early 20's when I accrued so much debt I had resolved myself to a life of bad credit and creditor calls. I got myself out of that mess (with a little help from Amazon.com) and now I fear it's coming back to get me.

My dear friend, Ma'Chell Duma-LaVassar has taken it upon herself to make a public plea for my employment on Seattle Weekly's music blog Reverb. Click HERE to see it.

I'm very serious about this! If you're in a band and you want to make a record, hit me up! Otherwise, until music starts paying the bills, I need to get my ass in someone's office, warehouse, or delivery vehicle STAT!

xo

The Ballad of California

Some are shocked, some just surprised, and some saw it coming a mile away. To the 18,000 couples who are still legally married in the state of California, keep up the fight with the rest of us. To the people who feel like we're losing the battle, don't lose heart.

When you fight on the side of equality, you always win. It might take a while, but we will win.

Any day now.

xo

SUCCESS!

I know this is kind of tacky, but it made me smile! This is an email I just got from my best friend.



This really happened.>


It brings me great pleasure to be considered mediocre Motown. Hey, white people, Beach Boys are great but Motown is where it's at (and always has been.)

See you tonight at Chop Suey!

xo

Work vs. Sun

Being a producer in the Pacific northwest, you have to sacrifice a lot of beautiful days to sit in a dark, smelly, windowless room staring at monitors and pushing buttons and moving faders and remembering to stand up and stretch. It's worth it when the music comes out good.


Today, final Black Daisy mixes were completed while the sun gave a new life to Seattle residents who suffered through last week's horror and a couple of nasty storms earlier this week. Next up, I will be hiding out in the studio to tweek the fuck out of the new Lights album. So close, by the way. KEXP apparently has some secret leaked mixes (I'm not even sure they have titles) that get played every once in a while. Like I said before, the mixes we did when we left the studio were great, but they will soon be spectacular.

This summer, I will be heading into the studio with Redwood Plan to make my contribution to their upcoming album. Not sure who else they're working with, but I'm sure it's going to be a fabulous record. Haven't set dates with Devices yet, but I'm hoping that happens sooner than later.

During all this, I will also be working on new Erik Blood material and a collaborative effort between me and Altspeak. Speaking of Altspeak, if you haven't downloaded "It's Up to You" yet (it's fucking free!!!) you better get your ass to www.altspeak.com and download it. That's one slept on record, my friends.

Tonight at Lo-Fi in Seattle, Andy Rourke from The Smiths is DJing after performances by Romance, Altspeak, Coulter, and Pedestre. That's quite a line-up and well worth the price of admission, whatever it is. I'll be there until I go celebrate a certain awesome-colored friend's birthday.

More to come...

New favorite blog

http://musselsoppansvanner.blogspot.com/2009/03/danish-70s-interior-design-porno-style.html

More kind words and a free download!

Something tells me this guy from The Finest Kiss likes me.

http://finestkiss.wordpress.com/2009/05/08/erik-blood-one-more-time/

I like him, too.


Also, if you head over to The Color Awesome, you can download my demo for "Jet Inside You" which me and the band performed at the Chop Suey show. I hate it when bands play shit that you can't get for yourself, so I decided to offer up the demo now so I won't feel guilty about playing it live more often.

Just wanted to clear up two small miscommunications on my part.

1) The porno album has not been scrapped. I'm still writing songs around the theme, but it might not really be a "concept album" about pornography as much as an album about sex. Would that be disappointing?

2) I noticed a blog post that mentioned that I produced the Shabazz Palaces albums. Not really the case. My hands and sounds are all over those records, but I couldn't dare claim I "produced" them.

That's all for now. I'll do my best to come up with some more stuff to talk about this week.

xo

E

"The Way We Live" is now available!

First off, thank you to everyone that made it to Thursday's show with The Hotels. It was a very good time, if I do say so myself.

Second, and more importantly, my debut album "The Way We Live" is now available! You can download it from iTunes (anywhere in the world), Amazon.com, eMusic, Napster, Rhapsody, and a few other download services. If you have your heart set on a physical CD, you can get it at Sonic Boom, Easy Street, and Wall of Sound in Seattle. If you're out of the area and really want a physical CD, you can order one from Sonic Boom very soon.


Thanks for listening!

xo

Coulter's "Sent to Coventry" Free Download

Click here to download Coulter's "Sent to Coventry" for free.

It's December 17th and the wind is creating a huge racket with the metal garage door at MRX. Coulter and I have just finished bouncing the final mixes (or so we thought) of his new album and are about to race back to Capitol Hill before it starts snowing. Just like on previous mixing days, we immediately listen to the opening track "See You Next Tuesday" in the car. We can't help but giggle and dance around in our seats, very happy with how it turned out.


It wasn't until much later that night that the snow began to fall, successfully shutting Seattle down and trapping us on our hilly snow covered island for nearly a week. This was also around the time that I had my first serious listen to the final mixes and began making my notes. Little things I hated, loved, couldn't put my finger on, all immediately came forth in red ink on a small sheet of paper: more of this, less of that, pleas for help, occasional pats on the back. My favorite note is "The Path of Most Resistence - needs to be more awesome."

Luckily, after the snow melted and mobility was restored, we'd have a chance to address all of my issues while recording trumpets (courtesy of the amazingly talented and lovely Peter Lynch) and inserting an upright bass track recorded long distance by Gary Day. Once that was done, we polished off the rest of the mixes and called it "Sent to Coventry". Ten songs that range from white boy soul (a la Orange Juice or dare I say Wham!) to new romantic disco to lush orchestral pop all bound by Coulter's songwriting in peak form. My personal favorite is, of course, "The Path of Most Resistence" which I think we managed to make more awesome.

Stranger Feature and Show Tonight!

Dave Segal wrote a feature on me for The Stranger. Click here and read it.


Love the title, but my favorite part is this line:
The 10-track album reflects Blood's love of MBV and the Jesus and Mary Chain's clangorous melodic efflorescence, but it's enriched by a patina of romanticism that evokes John Hughes's '80s films.
I'm pretty sure I never mentioned John Hughes during the interview, so I'm really glad that influence comes through. Seriously.

And wow, I sure do cuss like a sailor. Sorry Mom and Dad, (though I secretly blame my mom.)

Thanks Dave! And I hope you, and everyone else in Seattle, comes to the show tonight at Chop Suey! DON'T BE LATE!

xo

The Rundown: currently rocking...

In my more productive times, the only music I get to listen to is music I am working on. Right now, it's The Lights and Black Daisy that are in complete control of my iPod, car stereo, and mind. That said, sometimes an album or a song comes along that breaks through my little shell. Here are some of those things for you.



1. The Horrors - Primary Colors
Gothy, punky, poppy, shoegazery greatness. Didn't really get the first two records, but LOVE LOVE LOVE this one. Favorite track is "Who Can Say", but this is definitely the best album I've heard in a long time.



2. Dead Mellotron - Ghost Light Constellation EP
I mentioned this EP in a previous post and it's still a front runner for my late night wine drinking soundtrack. Every song sounds different, but is still contained within the Dead Mellotron aesthetic of fabulous melodies, perfect lo-fi production, and a MASSIVE fuzzed out sound that isn't unlike New Order as heard through a failing PA in the belly of a battleship. PS Don't forget to download "Shame" from their Myspace page. Amazing.



3. Hudson Mohawke - Polyfolk Dance EP
Heavily manipulated samples and a touch of ADD (when I first heard this, I called it Jay-DD) this EP is another great addition to WARP Records' catalogue. I can't get enough of "Polkadot Blues" which is almost as heartbreaking as it is frenetic. And check out that album cover! Love me some WARP.



4. Flying Lotus - (unknown)
A friend dropped off a CD of Flying Lotus stuff with nothing written on it. I have no idea what album I'm listening to, but I have a feeling that everything he's released is good. Similar in style to Hudson Mohawke, but darker and a little smoother. The sample from the end credits of Tim and Eric Awesome Show...Great Job (abso-LUTELY!) make me smile.



5. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - self titled
I found these guys on Myspace around a year ago and told everyone I knew. Now they're the next big thing. Did I do that? Probably not. I think it's their super catchy Sarah Records inspired pop music. The Pastels come to mind, too. A good mesh of old school indie cute (not the new crop of children's music masquerading as "indie") and the lighter side of shoegazer. "Everything With You" is my favorite.


I've got some more new albums that I like, but these have been listened to more than once. There's also a lot of old shit that I listen to regularly, but that's a whole different post.

xo

Homemade Buttons!

I spent a few hours today making buttons for the show on Thursday. Michael Ellsworth provided the design and the button machine stuff. I found the activity extremely pleasing.


In case you didn't know, this Thursday, May 7th, is my album release party here in Seattle. The album will be available on CD at the show and will be available for download from several places on May 12th.

I'm pretty sure the show will be really fun. The Hotels are headlining, which is always a pleasure, and this will be my first time seeing Silver Teeth (which contains two ex-Divorce members.)

I'm still trying to book some more shows this summer, in and around Seattle, with the hopes of heading down the coast as soon as possible. I promise to keep very up to date info here for everyone.

"Death to God" on iTunes and Amazon MP3!

Just noticed that Travis DeVries solo album "Death to God" is available for download at iTunes and Amazon MP3! Go get it!

xo

More Tea Cozies!

It's full on Tea Cozies mania today! I love it! This is from KEXP's blog:

Tea Cozies’ new album, Hot Probs is a perfect pop record for the nice weather that comes with the summer. It’s just made for driving or walking around in the sunshine with your shades on because it’s loaded with sugary pop music. The songs are fun, catchy and upbeat and at times they bring to mind The Beach Boys, Imperial Teen, The White Stripes, The Go-Go’s and Dick Dale.


Ya damn right! Read more by clicking HERE.

Tea Cozies also did a damn fine job at the KEXP in-studio performance today at noon. Go to the streaming archive and check it out, or just come to High Dive tonight for their CD release show. I heard there might be a guest tambourinist on "Pretty Pages".

xo

Tea Cozies CD Release Show THIS FRIDAY! (May 1st)

Remember to head out to the High Dive this Friday night to celebrate the release of Tea Cozies "Hot Probs". Here's what Seattle Weekly has to say about them and their album.

http://www.seattleweekly.com/events/tea-cozies-cd-release-the-ironclads-katharine-hepburns-voice-637235/


It’s natural to expect bouncy, upbeat pop music from a band with an adorable name like the Tea Cozies, and the band’s brand-new record Hot Probs—produced by local pop music savant Erik Blood—delivers just that. But while bright ditties like "Pretty Pages" and "Corner Store Girls" share a lot in common with the sweet, summery songs Michigan band Saturday Looks Good To Me does so well (“Underwater Heartbeat” comes to mind), the Tea Cozies aren’t all cotton candy and rainbows. Numbers like "Huffy Walrus" start out like a cleaned-up Bikini Kill demo, with screaming vocals and lots of distortion. But the band doesn’t sustain that hard edge; later on, the song breaks out into a chorus of “oh ah ohs,” a shtick that’s just about as pop as it gets. It’s a deliberate, exciting juxtaposition that proves the Tea Cozies’ three founding ladies (and their lone bass-playing gentleman) know exactly what they’re doing. - Sara Brickner

awww...I blush

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO SOME TEA COZIES

Black Daisy vs. Swine Flu

This past weekend, while everyone around the world was dusting off their SARS masks and preparing to be ravaged by a new scary disease, I was inhaling the deadly fumes of Black Daisy. Will I survive this?




Those of you not familiar with Black Daisy, I would highly recommend check out their videos here. This isn't our first interaction, either. I had a nasty hand in the recording of this song.



Because I know you're wondering, yes there is a new Voltage Periscope song on the upcoming Black Daisy album. I also believe that some pretty funny footage from the sessions will make it's way to the interwebs shortly. Enjoy.

MBV: Everything and More

I had the extreme pleasure to see My Bloody Valentine live for the first time last night. If I ever needed to validate their slot as my favorite band ever, I got every bit of proof necessary.


Being a nerd about MBV, I went down with fellow nerd Phil Pickens (www.thecolorawesome.com) at around 3 in the afternoon. Phil had the good fortune to run into Deb Googe on Sunday afternoon and had a drink with her at 6 Arms. Since he's got excellent band meeting karma, I was happy to follow him to the venue early for a chance to rub elbows with these magical people. Sadly, our early arrival yielded no meetings, unless you count a stuttering bartender at a sport's bar and a group of cute kids humming the oh so familiar bendy "flute" melody from "I Only Said."

Sufficiently tipsy, Phil and I (who were now joined by our friends Xin Wong and Scott Kennedy) wandered into WAMU Theater and quickly bought t-shirts and buttons. We were given earplugs with a kind "warning" about the band's levels while we entered the show room, which was nowhere near full at this time. While more and more people came in, Phil and I began to get more and more giddy about the show. As we had assumed, we knew a large portion of the early crowd, and more friends and like minded music nerds filed in continuously until Kurt Heasley's AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL acoustic set (really an unexpected highlight for me.)

Quick side note: Phil and I yelled out "Won't Make You Sleepy" (our favorite Lily's tune) after Kurt's second song, to which he replied "That's a good idea!" but when he began to play it, he broke a string and went back to "Plan A".

Kurt was done, everyone was excited, earplugs were in. My favorite four musicians wander on stage and began blowing me away from the first chords of, believe it or not, "I Only Said." Phil and I quickly realized that the earplugs weren't really necessary at that time. I thought to myself "They must say this for people who aren't in bands." But two songs in, I had to reinsert the earplugs which made the songs come more into focus, oddly enough. I did alternate throughout the set, one song without plugs, one with, but decided during "Soon" that it would just be a better idea for me to keep them in. In several small fits of joy, I would hug Phil or Brian (my baby) and pogo like an idiot to "Thorn" or "When You Sleep", while other times we would just marvel at the spot on performances of "Cigarette in Your Bed" and "To Here Knows When".

You'll read a million posts about last night's "You Made Me Realise" so I'll just add a quick note about my experience during the 18 minute maelstrom in the middle of that 3 minute song. It begins and even with my earplugs in I began to have aches in my eardrums. Then, slowly but surely, my chest began to vibrate. The more violent low end got, the more my chest shook. I looked around at the 50 people I could see around me, all of whom were clutching their chests or jamming their fingers in their ears. Then my nose started to tickle, which seemed odd to me. I noticed that when my nose tickled, it was almost impossible to breathe through it. Were my nostrils flapping open and shut??? If I lifted one leg off the ground, I would feel the sole of my shoe vibrating. My skin tingled all over and I started feeling slightly euphoric. Not an unfamiliar sensation, or an unpleasant one, I have to say.

Walking out of the venue (which proved to be difficult) the crowd communed in this shared experience and you could hear a chorus of "WOW"s and "FUCK"s. Everyone I stood with agreed that it was the most satisfying show we could have hoped for. Every expectation of mine was met and exceeded. My favorite band is still my favorite band.

After that, we headed to Bus Stop for "My Bloody Afterparty" where Phil and I played music for a bar full of awesome people, most of whom were at the show. A perfect ending to a perfect day.

Remixes

I just finished a remix of "The Bird in the Ice" by The Milling Gowns. I've posted it to my new REMIX page, along with the SloAsions mix of "Big Action" by Ursula and the Androids and "All That Anyone Asked" by The Pica Beats.

If you're wondering who or what SloAsions is/are, please stay tuned...

No Excuse

I have an amazing band. In my band, almost everyone is in another band or three.

I received this little ditty from my bassist, Andrew. "No Excuse"

Next up for Andrew? World domination. I just hope he still wants to play with me after he tours with Beyonce.

xo

New Stuff

I just posted a couple of things on the PRESS page. You can go straight to the source below.

http://www.earcandybeat.com/?q=node/75

http://thenewgay.net/2009/04/4309.html

More to come soon. I've been having a very busy and interesting time, musically speaking. I'm looking forward to telling you all about it.

xo

Easter with The Lights (or "it's not you, it's me!")

Thankful for a lack of religious and or familial obligations on Easter, I spent that rainy Sunday at Mysterious Red X with three of my old friends. After two rounds of coffee, a cookie, a trip to Uwajimaya's food court, and three (or four) trips to Shell for potato chips and beer, thirteen hours passed and an album was completed. Technically...


Not yet titled, though several hilarious options were tossed around, there's a new album by The Lights that's basically done and ready to be mastered. Alas, I don't feel like I'm done with it yet. I'm being an overprotective mother. "It's cold outside and this album ain't got no gloves on!" I can't help but be like this when I think the songs are so amazing. So I'm going to sneak off into the studio over the next couple of weeks and try to complete it to my satisfaction. I'll let you know what comes up once I get started.

Go listen to their live performance from April 11th on KEXP's Audioasis by clicking here and selecting Saturday April 11th @ 8pm. It's a pretty amazing performance, and they play all new songs from the album of which I speak.

Travis DeVries' album "Death to God" Coming Soon

Though the release date is yet to be official, Travis DeVries' debut solo album "Death to God" is starting to get some airplay on KEXP. I am assured by my friend at Noise on Noise Records that it will be released this spring.


Some may find it funny that once Travis and I decided to make solo albums, we also decided to have the rest of The Turn-ons perform on them, but can you really blame us? You can hear me, Corey, Will, and the magnificent return of Sharon Oshima on "Death to God" filling out Travis's strongest song writing to date. Travis told me he's got a band together in NYC and the show dates are starting to pop up on his Myspace page (you want to go to there).

This album took a really long time to finish, mainly because of the wealth of material Travis presented for consideration. Travis's sometimes overwhelming desire for perfection added a few weeks to the process, but always for the greater good. In the end, I think we put together a beautiful and haunting piece of music that's going to demand recognition.

OUTRAGED!!!

I just read of the tragic suicide of Eric Mohat, a 17 year old Ohio high school student who was bullied daily in front of teachers who did nothing.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/MindMoodNews/story?id=7228335&page=1

I’m heartbroken and furious!

If there are any gay teenagers in similar situations who happen to read this, HIGH SCHOOL ENDS AND YOU CAN LIVE YOUR LIFE AWAY FROM THOSE ASSHOLES! DON’T LOSE YOURSELF TO THIS BULLSHIT! YOU AREN’T AND HAVE NEVER BEEN ALONE!

Porno Music

Right after “The Way We Live” was mastered, I started writing new songs for another album. I was, for some reason, inspired to write about some of my favorite figures in 70’s pornography and for a while considered making the album entirely about porno. This proved to be more difficult than I had expected, but in the spirit of a challenge, I did a lot of research.


In my viewings of good, bad, straight, gay, boring, and nasty porno from it’s “Golden Age”, I found a little film called “Gladys’ All Girl Rock Group” on a compilation of no budget Super 8 flicks all involving rock music called Rock-O-Rama. The content was nostalgic at best, but not really inspiring by any sense of the word, but there amid the silly dialogue and forced eroticism was this brilliant piece of music.

Gladys' All Girl Rock Group (click here to listen)

Amazing! I haven’t been able to find out who this is, but I keep searching. Anyone have any ideas? I can’t get over how much it sounds like a 70’s Boards of Canada.

...and we finished.

Just got home from MRX where Coulter and I put the finishing touches on his up-coming album “Sent to Coventry” which should be available this spring.


My favorite Chameleon Labs 7720 was back in action, which brought joy to our ears. Up next, a CD makes a trip to Florida and gets fondled by Kramer. This will be my 4th project that he has mastered for me and I can’t wait to hear it. I think I might be able to get Coulter to let me post a song here for yall to listen to. I’ll get back to you on that.

Tomorrow is a preproduction meeting with Altspeak to determine what’s going on with his next album. Stay tuned for more info.

xo

Pinwheel

Just had a crazy shock to the system while digging around YouTube. This is most likely the reason I was so immediately taken with Belle & Sebastian.

Movies, Murakami, and Mailing

During these days of opening CDs, removing bar codes (so old school), and stuffing envelopes with said CDs and letters, my mind can wander. It may be the reason I’ve always loved clerical busy work. The trance you go into after the first hour of repetitive motion can bring about some wonderful ideas, or just make you question everything in your entire life. Love it!


The first thing that went through my head as I unwrapped CDs from their incredibly snug cellophane was “Do I like movies more than music right now?” Occasionally, this is how I feel when I haven’t heard a new band that I love in a long time but I’ve seen some fantastic films. Such was the case a few months ago after seeing “Rachel Getting Married” and “Vicky Christina Barcelona” in a relatively close proximity. But then I got a friend request on Myspace from a band called Dead Mellotron and their free EP, coupled with a reemergence of The Supremes and Smokey Robinson on my iPod, brought me back to the music side. Also, seeing Paul Verhoeven’s “Flesh + Blood” made me realize that the reason I think about this occasionally is because I don’t know how to make movies.

While folding and stuffing letters into padded CD mailers, I chide myself for not reading more often. Maybe it’s all the movie watching. Since finishing everything I could find by Raymond Chandler and Arturo Perez-Reverte, I picked up “Don Quixote” and got halfway through before being distracted by “Twilight”. I think I got 50 pages in before I gave up completely and lost interest in reading. Then I was given three books by Haruki Murakami which has slowly brought me back into the literary fold. I finished “The Elephant Vanishes” and am now on “The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle” which I will follow up with “Kafka on the Shore.” His style is completely blowing my mind. He makes me want to write.

But I don’t write well and I don’t know how to make movies, so I’ll leave that to the pros and keep on making music and mailing it out to unsuspecting writers, program directors, and listeners while hoping for some sort of success. Something has to come of spending this much money on postage, right?

Introducing the Band

I have added a BAND page to the LIVE SHOWS link. My live band is far too pretty and way too talented for me to ignore them on this site. I’ll probably add more detailed information later, but for now you can pick pick your crush.


I’ve also moved the DISCOGRAPHY and SOUNDS pages under PRODUCTION.

Upcoming studio projects include polishing off new albums by The Lights, Coulter, and Black Daisy. More details when it starts going down.

xo

E

Tea Cozies "HOT PROBS" Drops May 5th

It feels like it’s been forever since being in the studio with the wonderful ladies and gentleman of Tea Cozies, but in actuality, this may be the shortest length of time that has passed between final mix day and CD release. Normally, a good year goes by before I get the invite to the CD release party, but I guess you can’t keep a hot thing down. I am partially referring to the sweltering heat at MRX that August day when the final mixes were bounced, but I’m really talking about their music.

The first full-length release from Tea Cozies called HOT PROBS will be in stores May 5th, and the CD release show will be at High Dive (in Fremont) on May 1st. Do people traditionally get drunk on May Day? Let’s start that one together.

You may be tempted to download this one instead of getting the CD, but I have to say that you’d be missing out on some slick ass packaging. Also, kudos for the nod to my favorite call-in radio show, cozies.

Greetings!

And welcome to my new and improved website. My lovely friends and I are continuing to make little changes, big changes, add stuff, take stuff away, and try to make this the most useful resource on all things Erik Blood.

Keep coming back to this page, though. It’s going to be the best place to keep up with when shows are, release dates for Erik Blood material, as well as the projects I am involved in. Sometimes I might just rant about something. Occasionally, I might upload a song or two. Anyway, I think you get the picture.
Oh, and hello. I’m Erik. If you need anything from me, click the contact link.
xo
E

New Site

New Site!
ErikBlood.com is reborn! We’ll be tinkering away for awhile, but we’re getting the bones up!