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| About Us: yeah, that's right. actually, i didn't mean anything by that, i just figured that since we're a young rock band, we're supposed to be "punk." or at least we'll call it punk so we can sell it. we are, in fact, "francophone," a rock band from here. if you live close enough to us that you know where "here" is, then great. if you don't, tough luck; we don't care if you hear us or not. we play an ecclectic blend of agitated guitar music, with influences ranging from acts as mainstream as the mighty mighty bosstones of boston, massachusetts to as obscure as the minutemen of san pedro, california. between the four of us, no musical genre is left unlistened, and therefore a wide range of tones, tunes, and ideologies permiate our music and the way we conduct ourselves. one thing that we do have in common is that we are lutheran. ELCA lutheran to be exact, which means that we belong to a church that leaves it up to its individual congregations and members to decide their feelings on issues such as abortion, gay rights, gun control, and war. it is that very open-mindedness on which we were raised that developed our tolerence of human differences, and of course, our affinity for punk rock (after all, martin luther's rebelliousness makes johnny rotten look like bono). we may not necessarily agree on everything socially, politically, musically, or even lyrically, but our resolute "live and let live" attitude has kept us close as a group of friends literally a decade prior to our musical endeavors. religion has also helped us to realize a definite need for human rights action, from the lyrics to our song "stacked" to our involvement in voluntary community service. from this idea also stems our generally anti-violent/anti-moshing stance. we're fully aware that moshing is cool, and we're fully aware that we're not popular for not liking it. but we're also fully aware that the very flagrant, macho pose of moshing is the same that has resulted in the world's hatred of america. we feel that each human being who attends our concerts should have every right to enjoy our performance without having to worry about being kicked in the head by some belligerent "punk" kid with something to prove. listen: if you're looking for a mosh pit, don't come to see us, because we WILL stop playing if we see one, and we're ALWAYS looking for one. just because we're the entertainment doesn't mean we lose our voice and our opinions when we play. this television talks back, and articulately! now, a summary. *punk rock is a marketing ploy designed to make you think you're doing something wrong. *we listen to a wide variety of music you probably wouldn't like. *we're lutheran. *we're pro-human-rights. *no moshing. thank you and rock on. dave. 7.23.04 |
| From the Menu liner notes: Ian MacKaye of the band fugazi once said that "the records are like the menu and the shows are like the meal." Quite honestly, it is impossible to replicate the intensity of a live music experience in any recording. At the best shows (the kind you see in a friend's basement, not in a stadium) there is a push and pull--a reciprocating energy--between the performers and the audience. It creates a remarkably moving, pwerful atmosphere that simply cannot be replicated on Compact Disc (or even vinyl) because listening to a CD is not a communal experience; there is no give and take, just "take" on the part of the listener. I'm not saying this because I want to pump the extra five bucks out of you to see our live show, but instead because I am firmly convinced as not only a performer, but an avid music fan as well, that music cannot be experienced alone; and if it is, the experience of a single person pales in comparison to that of a community. We said many times while we recorded this that we were basically just replicating our live sound--that this is our best documentation of what we sound like so that if you should choose to come see us, you won't be disappointed. This is what you buy so that when you come see us, you know the words to the songs, and it is nothing more than that. dave. 10.07.04 P.S.--we're real, approachable, normal people. If you choose to come see our show, talk to us. We like feedback; even negative feedback, if it's intelligent. Don't ever let anyone tell you that a performer is more important and/or better than you, the listener. You are the reason the performer is there, and if they think they're too good to talk to you, then they're an ungreatful schmuck. Rock on. |