March 30th, 2013

PJs played live on Hollow Earth Radio last night – pretty cool. Phil was featured on cello. If they have a stream for it I’ll try to track it down and put up a link.

The Green Pajamas at Hollow Earth Radio

March 29th, 2013

1. Finish mastering The Colorplates.  Releasing next month.

2. Go to Magma Fest.  See PJs. Bliss out.

3. Master all-new album by King County Queens for release on Green Monkey pretty soon.

4. If I have time, master the Queen Annes stuff for GMR release soon.

5. Eat eggs.

March 29th, 2013

The PJs will be playing live on the damn internet radio tonight at 10 or so. http://hollowearthradio.org/ This is part of Hollow Earth Radio’s annual Magma Fest. They are actually playing at the station so it will probably be a little packed sweaty stinky place. Rock on brothers and sisters, that’s what I say!

March 29th, 2013

“Jim of Seattle will rekindle your spirit for melodic romanticism and ‘We Are All Famous’ will certainly be the strangest album you will hear this year. Sheer unfashionable bliss !” MOJOPHENIA. Yet another very fine review of Jim’s opus. Don’t you think it’s time to get on board, little children?

March 29th, 2013

On Monday, March 18, 2013 the following exact words appeared on Tom Dyer’s Facebook page.
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“I need your advice.

I’m thinking about doing a tribute album. To myself. You know, Tom Dyer plays the songs of Tom Dyer. Where I would interpret songs by Tom Dyer. In tribute. To myself. Maybe I could even write about how some song by Tom Dyer inspired me at a time in my life when I was down and when I thought all hope lost. Maybe how these songs inspired me to become the artist I am today. I am fairly sure no one has done this yet. At least not in such a patently and pathetically stupid way. This could be a first.

Please advise.”
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On Wednesday, March 20, 2013 the following words and video appeared on the same Facebook page. The person in the video purports to be Tom Dyer.
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“The real truth about phoney Facebook postings on my Tom Dyer artist page.”

There is something not quite right here. Who spells “phoney” with an “e”? English people? Is that the actual Tom Dyer or is is just Howie in an amazing Tom Dyer stunt double atomizer air bulb invention mask?

March 10th, 2013

Sigourney Reverb rehearsed for their first gig in over a year, following the two-weeks-in-a-van-to-California tour, which may have caused them to seek internal refuge. Details to follow.
In a nearly related note, I am mixing a single for Eric and Sari (yes, Sigourney Eric) which was recorded by Steve Fisk a couple weeks ago. Should be out soon.

March 5th, 2013

OKAY! 100% new video for Tom Dyer’s Smithsonian Institute Blues (or The Big Dig) up NOW, NOW, NOW. Shot in secret by Howie and Carlton IV at GMR Headquarters, edited by Howie, it Stars the Handsomest Man in Show Business today, as well as 100% real dinosaurs. After a scary video for The Witch, and a grim video for There Be Killin’ (In My Town), we figured it was time for something a little more goofy. That said, we do hew to the composer’s (Don Van Vliet aka Captain Beefheart) vision of eco-yipes if we don’t get our act together. So get it together!

March 3rd, 2013

Google Translate: “Jim Of Seattle ‘is the alter ego of a certain Jim Owen, one in his spare time besides family father being active composer and singer of songs. He lives in Seattle, Washington and wrote in the past a lot of music for theater and movies. But he has in recent years concentrated on composing simple songs he now presents itself to the outside world on a first studio album titled “We Are All Famous”.

His musical past is still clearly audible in the 19 compositions and music clips on this album he has collected. With bombastic and theatrical orchestrations around his lyrics as the songs “OK” and “Dear God,” he is clearly not aiming at the general public. To illustrate, you can look at the attached video to the song “Laboratory Rat” that sounds more like something from the British ska group ‘Madness’.

His daughter Madi Owen allowed two songs sing on this album with the traditional children’s song “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” (the recording of her childlike song dates from many years back) and by her self-written song “The Martians Are Going To Eat Us “. They indeed play along on the violin with a number of tracks on the album of her father.

Beside that, “One Beautiful Summer” a typical musical number where you hear the performances of performers only have themselves to invent. In some cynically titled “A Conversation” hear a completely instrumental and very beautiful, almost classical piece on piano. The piano plays the leading role in a number of other compositions, such as the three short pieces composed “Cloud Cuckoo Land” and “When She Landed” or the song “Welcome To Windows” which he described the world famous startup sounds of the “Microsoft Windows XP “System subtle in its composition has processed.

The title track “We Are All Famous” and closing song “ABCD Puppies” are actually the most commercial sounding songs on this for us somewhat exceptional and eccentric disc, which we dare to doubt that “Jim Of Seattle” a wider interested public will can find. Let it be awarded to him all the way.

(Valsam)

March 3rd, 2013

Honesty compels me to say that I so far have never heard of a band who went through life as “The Green Pajamas’. Yet this American band from Seattle, Washington since 1984 to be active and to date 22 studio albums to their name have to stand.

At that time, the group was founded by singer, songwriter and producer Jeff Kelly who along with his friend Joe Ross a first plate released under the title “Summer Of Lust”. Anno 2013, these two men are still the core of ‘The Green Pajamas’, but these days they are more musically supported by keyboardist Eric Lichter, Laura Weller guitarist and drummer Scott Vanderpool.

Getters when they are trying to ‘The Green Pajamas’ it again again with their latest album “Death By Misadventure”, a concept album which consists of two parts: the fictional song cycle “The Fall Of The Queen Bee” with eight songs and “Cruel Dreams, Cruel Things “with another eight more unconnected songs.

The most notable track is definitely “The Queen’s Last Tango” (see video) but this record contains a number of other recommended songs like opening track “You Can Look”, the epic “Ring Around The Sun” that brought with children’s choir, the accordion tune “The Queen Is Dead Bee” and pianopopballad “Wrong Home”.

In the second part of “Death By Misadventure” get we are impressed by the pop song “Carrie”, it refers to something of “The Kinks” beckoning “Beat Me Sally”, driving rock song “Super Virgin” and shit simple waltz “In The Moonlight Dim “that instrumental mainly by an old harpsichord is supervised.

We do not think you ‘The Green Pajamas’ soon will be able to listen to the charts, but their album “Death By Misadventure” is in our opinion still a very accessible album which became some excellent beckoning to Americana rock and pop will be heard. Sometimes it really is not for us anymore.

(Valsam)

March 3rd, 2013

Google Translate: Tom Dyer is a musical handyman and do-it-yourselver ‘who plays all the instruments himself, composing his own songs and she also provides vocals. His recent blues-inspired album “I Ain’t Blue Anymore” consists of thirteen songs including a traditional with gospel blues song “John The Revelator” and two cover versions, notably “The Witch” by ‘The Sonics’ (see video) and “Smithsonian Institute Blues (Or The Big Dig) “by Captain Beefheart from his album” Lick My Decals Off, Baby “.

In the summer of 2011 began Tom Dyer in his home studio in Seattle to the recording of this album which is now available in a fully finished version was released to the world. If he is not shooting himself cared he counted on the willing cooperation of his daughter Kat to the ‘on and off’ buttons to operate.

Some of the songs on this CD wrote Tom Dyer for more than thirty years ago, such as “There Be Killin ‘(In My Town)”, “Lizzy”, “Rollin’ On The Clay” and “Call On Me” that he has since already in a fourth version has re-recorded for this album. During the listening of “I Ain’t ‘Blue Anymore” you can not escape to the work of Tom Dyer comparable to that of someone like a chaotic Tom Waits, Nick Cave ran an experiment or even a psychedelic Frank Zappa.

This comparison we mainly because there is often very careless with sounds and snatches of music is handled, something we personally some difficulty with. Alternatively, it all sometimes very melodic sound, as in the instrumental piece “Pass The Jug” where he performed his tricks on ukulele let resound. Also on “I’m Fretless” is not sung but plays Tom Dyer mainly on psychedelic electric guitar. And the song “Walkin ‘In The Sky” we hereby officially proclaim to our favorite song on this album.

“I Is not Blue Anymore” is not an easy-listening music disc but may occasionally quite a bit more experimental sound and intensity and passion required to listeners.

(Valsam)