Download Days 1-30

I've recompressed and remixed all thirty tracks and have made them available for download!
You're welcome.

Days 1-10
Days 11-20
Days 21-30

I also wanted to take this moment of bloggery to say thank you to (in no particular order) Kristina Collantes, Ryan Beal, Adam Elabd, Travis Farwell, Dustin Krapes, Omar Jamal, Sergio Camerena, Dave Gasper, Bill Davies, Kyle Souza, Ramiro Zapata, Jon Harvey, Morgan Gee, Lou Anda, Ryan Bergmann, Chelsea & Justine Brown, Marcio Rivera, and Danny Delgado.
I've never been more honored to work with such fine musicians!

Going into the project I thought I would end up succumbing to lunacy, and honestly I do feel a little crazy, but I discoved that's the price one pays for true clarity and peace of mind. Some of these songs have been brewing in my head for so long, it's just nice to have them out and in solid form, leaving my mind empty and serene, like going on vacation to a deserted island.

Many more things to come though!
My band Mothers of Gut is releasing a vinyl pressing of UNKING in a week, on FAMILY TIME, and soon after we will be touring our way to SXSW in Austin, Texas!

I'm also going to record Ryan Beal's next epic installment of geometrik world musique NORSE HORSE, which will be released via TAPE, on Bridgetown Records.
In addition to this, I've spoken with Sergio Camerena and Ramiro Zapata (both from JESUS MAKES THE SHOTGUN SOUND) about individually recording material for some unknown, newer projects that will undoubtedly blow the lid off everything we cherish and hold dear.

So, I bid you adieu and thank you for listening.

-AF

Day Thirty - Por Que Te Vas

Por Que Te Vas by mothersofgut



This is the only cover song I decided to work on, though there were a few candidates (Townes Van Zandt being one), and Kristina performs this so well, I figured it's the last day so I get to do whatever the hell I want.
The original was recorded by Latin pop queen Jeanette, in case you want to check it out (I highly recommend it).
Also, I've uploaded the last ten days into a folder, like the other twenty.
You can download it for free HERE.
Thanks for listening. Maybe tomorrow when my brain isn't scrambled eggs, I'll post some thank yous and such.


Lyrics:
Hoy en mi ventana brilla el sol
Y el corazón se pone triste contemplando la ciudad
Porque te vas

Como cada noche desperté pensando en ti
Y en mi reloj todas las horas vi passar
Porque te vas

Todas las promessas de mi amor se irán contigo
Me olvidaras, me olvidaras
Junto a la estación lloraré igual que un niño
Porque te vas, porque te vas

Bajo la penumbra de un farol se dormirán
Todas las cosas que quedaron por decir se dormirán
Junto a las manillas de un reloj despejarán
Todas las horas que quedaron por vivir esperarán

Day Twenty Nine: Creationism

Creationism by mothersofgut

Started from scratch with this one, and it really kicked my ass!
To me, it sounds like Steve Hillage and Robert Wyatt driving through Malibu with the top down.
Only one more day to go!

Day Twenty Eight: Fortune Flakes

Fortune Flakes by mothersofgut



Another amazing recording sess with Kristina Collantes, my companion and soulmate.
Our pup Shoobee by our side the entire time rooting us on, I think the end result almost touches on Augustus Pablo status; the buildup is so smooth and dubby! Also, Kristina tells me this is a demonstration of what's to come for her long-anticipated Lwords with Swords EP, so look forward to that!

Day Twenty Seven: A Warm Desert Wind (Live)

A Warm Desert Wind (Live) by mothersofgut



Since Mothers of Gut is playing tonight at Joey's in Pomona, I decided it would be appropriate to record a song from our practice and share it as a preview for tonight. Due to the live nature of the event, the recording itself isn't too great, but it is oddly sufficient in my mind.
This is actually a pretty old one from back in 08', recorded with Adrian Laguna and Sergio Camerena from Jesus Makes the Shotgun Sound. You can listen to that right here.
Since the lineup is totally different, I thought it best to rework the song according to each members' potential. I hope you like it.

Day Twenty Six: Masters of Con and Sea

Masters of Con and Sea by mothersofgut



Truly a beautiful day, here with my dear friend Lou Anda, of Voice on Tape fame!
We didn't have a ton of time to work on this puppy, since Lou couldn't get off work until 3, and especially since we wrote it from scratch, but I still think we managed to create a beast of a beast.

Day Twenty Five: I Won't Cave

I Won't Cave by mothersofgut



My good friend from Riverside, Jon Harvey came by way of train this morning, to work with me on this song he wrote, and things turned out great! We realized that we would need an expert slide guitarist, so I called Ryan Beal and he came right over. He even gave me time to go to the grovery store and cook dinner, while he laid down his tracks. All of this on top of the fact that I paid a bill today! Feelin' mad productive.



Lyrics:
And the waters that mixed under creek beds asleep
tasted just like the times, but without all the grief
and the lies that you told lay starving in the streets
like every other man
you kissed so sweet.
I won't cave.
I won't cave to those singing hills
sounding over every retreat.
So come on you grateful, and come on you dead,
living and able, to wake up the rest.
Heart-felt and used up, and drunk off your cause
the worst of your nightmares
has forever begun.
I won't cave.
I won't cave to those singing hills
sounding over every retreat.

Day Twenty Four: Inking from Your Head

Inking from Your Head by mothersofgut



Travis came back for round two today, proving to the world that our chemistry is a force to be reckoned with!
Hopped up on spaghetti and cheese ice cream, we hammered away at this lament for many hours, so I hope you like it.

Day Twenty Three: Wife Styles

Wife Styles by mothersofgut



What a day! Ramiro woke me up this morning, insisting on joining me in recording, and the results I think proved to be tremendous!
He describes this song as an "unrelenting glimpse into the ah-ah-- exploration of repressed masculinity, as defined by 21st century Western standard."

Lyrics:
More figures are earned
from this preoccupation with sex.
Twixt mountains erected mid-19th century
Your prison: being trapped forever in flesh.

Day Twenty Two: Dick Tales

Dick Tales by mothersofgut



Today I was joined by a most reputable chap, Sergio Camerena of Jesus Makes the Shotgun Sound, and together we concocted what I consider to be a wonderful monstrosity!
The theme behind this one is that the future depicted in the 50's became a reality, and our protagonist feels the weight of technology looming over him, pushing him to the brink of madness and ultimately to self-inflicted death.
Fun stuff!

Lyrics:
Cars are flying overhead
Tomorrow came and never past.
Who am I to blame for this
ordinary lunacy?
Photographs are meaningless;
misdirected synergy.
Running on the waterfront,
the only way is out for me.

Day Twenty One: Old Woman Smiling

Old Woman Smiling by mothersofgut

This song features an excerpt from "Old Man Smiled" by Throbbing Gristle, off their album Heathen Earth, which to this day remains one of my favorite industrial records.
To me, the result sounds like Panda Bear and Blonde Redhead in a threesome with Genesis P-Orridge.

Download Days 1-20

To commemorate the 20th day of this project, I went back and remixed/recompressed all previous tracks and have made them available for free download. They are seperated into two folders.

Days 1-10
Days 11-20

Only ten more days!

Day Twenty: Talk Less

Talk Less by mothersofgut

The other day, my friend Ryan Bergmann showed me The Music Machine's "Talk Talk," and it moved me so much that I felt compelled to remix and mash it up with my own material. I figured the only way to do it any justice was to make it as raw and grinding as possible, so I hope you dig the sleaze.

Day Nineteen: See Your Face

See Your Face by mothersofgut



Today, I recorded this lovely bout of riffery with my dear friend Marcio Rivera from the Summer Twins. We got started a little late, but luckily Marcio had all the ideas ready when he got here, and we hammered them all out fairly quickly. I love the simple, punchy straightforwardness of this one, and as it turned out I didn't have to do much since Marcio knew his way around Logic better than me. He even showed me some cool new plugins to use, so expect recordings that don't suck in the future.

Day Eighteen: Church of Applebees

Church of Applebees by mothersofgut



Today was seriously incredible!
Ryan Bergmann, of Duhkha fame, laid down a super slick bassline for this one, and even lended his superb crooning.
I feel like we've created a mutant. A glorious and magnificent mutant!

Day Seventeen: Love for You to See

Love for You to See by mothersofgut

Today I had the pleasure of recording The Summer Twins!
I toyed around with some effects on the girls' vocals, but quite honestly they're so good they don't even need it.
This has been the easiest and most efficient day yet!
I actually lost count of the days earlier, which I think is a good sign that this whole thing is evolving from work into play.

Day Sixteen: New Grids

New Grids by mothersofgut





This basically started as what I planned to be the friendliest and most welcoming song ever.
The parts fell together so quickly and organically, with hardly any obstacles. I showed Ryan Beal the initial loops taken from a Sublime Frequencies comp I'd rediscovered last night, and he started coming up with parts immediately. He even let me take a 5 minute nap while he mixed the drums.
Our good and dear friends Ryan Bergmann and Amanda Martin paid us a visit, and we discussed the finer things in life like having puppies and the various ways of getting them to stop peeing in the house.

Lyrics:
Please stay, you're always welcome.
Please stay, you're always welcome.
My home, I open to you.
Rest well: Forget tomorrow.

Day Fifteen: Ping Pong Pong Pong

Ping Pong Pong Pong by mothersofgut





Today, I was visited by two lovely young chaps, Kyle Souza (Narhwal Party/Stab City) and Bill Davies (Duhkha/Mothers of Gut), who lended their superb guitar abilities to the making of this track. Inspirations include Achim Reichel and Manuel Gottsching, amongst other notable Germans. Enjoy!

Day Fourteen: The Turquoise in Water

The Turquoise in Water by mothersofgut

This song turned out way better than I anticipated! Wrote it from scratch this morning.

Lyrics:

A boy swinging on a rope,
a slow descent into the lake below.
Blue waves begin to fold,
earth pulling down to meet him there.
Soon, suspension in the air
gives heed the depths alone,
Trying and trying and trying and trying
to just let go.

I'm running forward and backward to find the piece of the puzzle.
The tragedy of a diaromic mind is the turquoise in water.

Day Thirteen: Mind Beach

Mind Beach by mothersofgut

Last Summer we went to the big island of Hawai'i for a week. The long car rides around the island were quite possibly some of the most breathtaking moments of my life, thanks in part to our musical hosts, Roedelius' "Wenn Der Sudwind Weht" and Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Stone Flower." When I think of those two albums together, I picture an analog paradise, and that's kind of what I was trying to emulate here. As it happens, this is the first recording where I played all the drum parts live with all 4 mic tracks running at the same time, so that feels good.

Day Twelve: Polymyth

Polymyth by mothersofgut

A little proggy fun for the kids!
Recording this one really tired me out. I seriously can't understand how Yes recorded their albums so immaculately. They must've been snorting something good.
There are several more parts to get down, but the first minute and 1/2 took all day, so I'm giving myself some time to breathe.

Day Eleven: Beards

Beards by mothersofgut



Morgan Gee arrived at my house shortly after noon, and we came up with this song together.
We were going to add a spoken incantation, but both agreed that it would sound campy.
I love the nature of the recording, personally.
It just doesn't get much better than doomy viola. In fact, I might name my first kid Doomy Viola.
Near the end of the song, to me, it sounds like beards everywhere, like falling into a chasm of raw beard, like when Gimli is drinking malt beer and gets it in his moustache.

Day Ten: Helicopters Everywhere

Helicopters Everywhere by mothersofgut



My good and dear friend Travis Farwell from Hello Astronaut, Goodbye Television/Travisaurus/Slumber Beast fame wrote this wonderful piece of music!
I feel like this is a precise example of what it sounds like when our styles become literally mixed together. So cool!

To celebrate the 10th day of this project, I'm offering up the first ten songs for free download HERE. I hope you enjoy it!

Day Nine: The Last One is Al Green

The Last One is Al Green by mothersofgut

This is an Aphrodite's Child remix/mashup.
If you haven't listened to 666, I highly suggest it, at the very least as a reference point.

I've been doped up on Ibuprofen all day, so you'll have to forgive the teetering off of ideas near the end of the song. I usually am against crescendos simply for the sake of crescendoing, but it just seemed like the first minute and 1/2 served as the crux of what I was trying to accomplish.

Day Eight: Awake in Light Years

Awake in Light Years by mothersofgut

Today was chillax'd out, on account of twisting my neck in my sleep last night.
This song turned out much nicer than I intended.
The theme behind this one involves a group of astronauts who wake up after many light years of hypersleep, who come to the cold realization that their world is gone forever and they exist now as merely remnants of a forgotten dream. Y'know, pretty much like my life.

Lyrics:
Dreaming of crysanthymums
in pouring rain, where
silk is raw, the untroubled man
is floating on.

Day Seven: Blick Sibbith

Blick Sibbith by mothersofgut

The idea behind this one was to take what I considered to be arguably the greatest moment in Black Sabbath's career- Hand of Doom 3:38- and remix it.
The result is a surprisngly rewarding blend of hard rockery and congotronique.

Lyrics:
They hear footsteps, coming from a distance.
Echoes spilling on oceans, pulling them closer.
Maddened by a whisper, the silence approaching,
whipping in a frenzy, washing away the summer.

Day Six: Opportunities

Opportunities by mothersofgut




This song was a doozy! Learning it from scratch took literally all day and all night, but I think the outcome was worth the hassle. As fortune had it, my good friend Adam Elabd was able to come over later and lay down a nice clarinet part. I hope you like it.

Day Five: Bird or Beast

Bird Or Beast by mothersofgut


Built this one frome scratch today. At first it was a bit challenging, but I love how it turned out. The ending reminds me of Conflict's "Whichever Way You Want it" for some reason.
I'm finding the days seem to be getting more and more rewarding, and I'm so grateful for that, to finally feel the effects of productivity. It's like going to the brain gym every day.
Tonight I will be housing my good friend Adam Elabd, and tomorrow hopefully we'll have something worked out with a clarinet in the mix! I'm very excited for that.

Lyrics:
To know without knowing is the best.
A riverbed awaits that weary traveler.
Suffering the void until there's nothing left,
just fragments of a boy who's lost his way.
No one can find him anywhere.
An inconsequential glow is keeping him at peace.
To live until he dies is long enough.
And he has never come across a bird or beast
who ever felt regret for not asking questions.
Your words won't get you anywhere.

Day Four: A Man of Science

A Man of Science by mothersofgut



Today was excellent!
Things fell together so nicely; I hardly had any issues. What a relief!
A good friend of mine and fellow connoisseur of the musiks, Dustin Krapes, singer for Halloween Swim Team, whose music you can check out here, arrived at my house later on- via bicycle- and laid down some killer textural scapes. To me the result is a liquid metal orgy.

Lyrics:
No more running
No more running away from the pain
that I suffer all alone.
There're so many
There're so many roads I could take,
but I walk alone with you.
I have never
I have never meant to be a brutish man,
but a man of science.

Day Three: Please More Scary

Please More Scary by mothersofgut



Kristina wrote this song, and I love it!
I think the allure to her songwriting is the simplicity. When I first met her in 2005, not only was I enamored with her brilliant artwork, which you can check out here, but I couldn't get over that soft spoken yet truly beautiful voice. Listening to her sing is like watching the Nature Channel or something, like a primordial force. We both agreed this song reminds of the 90's, and that kind of triggered some self-inquiry, in that even though I lived through that decade, my memory of it is convoluted, much like how in the 90's our collective memory of -say- the 70's was distorted and skewed. I think it's that our memories carve out particular shapes and when we try to reconstruct them, we end up with a kind of psychedelia. Go figure.
Anyways, ENJOY!

Lyrics:
We walk these steps all night
we're on our own.
These stalks we see they're ours
we're on our own.
And when the bottle comes
you'll be a different man.
You'll say a lot of things,
you'll write me a song.
And when the day is empty
you'll drown in all the lead.
You'll say a lot of things,
you'll write me a song.
And when the curtain's holy
you'll want to burn the stage.
You'll say a lot of things
you'll sing me a song.

Day Two: Parallel Fringe Seekers

Parallel Fringe Seekers by mothersofgut

Woweewowow what a day!
We had a great time recording this one.
Today's guests were Omar Jamal from Brother Mitya fame, and my wonderful companion Kristina Collantes.

Lyrics:
Look behind the sun
to the dark eyes of a deeper sun
bound to bright fangs.
His last breath was a whisper,
falling far into a canyon.
Echoing in my mind, haunting my thoughts.
Achingly small and feeble,
a silence that could open any door, lead me into any room.
A passage through violet verdure,
her distance calling out to me.
I'll take off my shoes and stroll into her garden,
and swim in her oceans of black hair and seasons.




Check out Omar's music here!

Day One: Dog Cologne

Dog Cologne by mothersofgut

Lyrics:
Still my visions drag me down into the fray,
but I wouldn't have it any other way,
and my love for you grows stronger by the day,
but still my visions drag me down into the fray.

The first day is done!
It only took eleven hours too. Hopefully, tomorrow I'll have some spare time to at least wash or feed myself.
Today I subsisted solely on Filipino cheese ice cream and Soba noodles w/ fishballs. Yes, I shop at Seafood City and I love it.

This song was sort of a sketch I'd been working out in my head, and it turned out pretty nice, though I had quite a few problems getting the ball rolling this morning. Trying to set up drum mics is fairly nasty by one's self. Ryan Beal came over a little later and laid down some super sweet lead guitar, so thanks to him for that.
I predict that in 29 days I will be either dead or a raving lunatic. We will see.

This is my music room. Much of the recording/power napping/eating will take place here.



This is Shoobee. Incidentally, she was born on exactly 10/10/10, so tomorrow she will be three months old.



Tomorrow I plan on waking up at 8 and getting started, and by midnight I will have a song posted. See you then!

WHAT EXACTLY AM I DOING?

Beginning January 10th, 2011, I will be officially quarantined in my home for no less than thirty days, with one goal in mind: To write, record, produce and release a song a day, and the results will be posted on this blog by midnight of each night, whether they're done or not.
The purpose of this assignment is multi-faceted; on the one hand, I will be pushing my creative abilities to their limits (perhaps further), and on the other hand I will be that much closer to mastering the forms in which I approach songwriting and composition. Also, this project is meant to be collaborative, in that I will be inviting musicians who I know and trust to come over on scheduled days to lend their creative abilities.
Following each released song will be its theoretical summation, having been prior discussed between myself and the collaborators present, and of course all comments and criticisms are welcome.
See you all in ten days!