Every Good Bandit Lives by the Code

Into the summer we go with a new, but not unfamiliar purpose. I have accepted a challenge to produce ten new song demos before summer's end. Apparently, we can't get anything done without a deadline and furthermore, the suggestion to work isn't taken seriously unless it comes in the form of a dare. We are boys after all, we cheat, we lie, we steal, we accept dares and we seek danger. All of these things done in the most honorable of ways mind you, for we are not without virtue; every good bandit lives by the code.

To complete the ten I will take a few existing songs that have never been recorded and pass them off as new (you will never know the difference). I will sing of personal experience mixed with autobiography from a fabricated reality. We must perpetuate the mystery. Valid submissions will be in a form publishable on the internet, i.e. video or mp3. And I will remind you that the end of summer doesn't officially come till we are through the better part of September. It is attainable.

I will make a noble effort to post regular updates here, making songs available as I finish them and giving insight into the songwriting process as it unfolds. Jon Stone, the author of this challenge has likewise accepted it and it is expected of him to adhere to the code and make a matching noble effort.
The imaginary band has been revived yet again.

J. Thwaits

Summer 09 = MUSIC from the OA crew!

Howdy OAers! It's been several months since the last post. We've all been super busy with life. In the last year, I was accepted into my department's PhD program, Jon is pulling in scholarship after scholarship at ASU's engineering program, two of us labor in law school, and one of us made a major employment change.

If you are a member of the Imaginary Band Collective and are reading this, time to rev back into action. We got a TON of great photos in our last surge, but some of you are still sitting on your hands and haven't yet explored the dusty caverns of your basement. If you've done your photo duty, we now need short stories to go along with them and other non-pictured classic OA moments.

For all the rest of you, it's time to get some more content on. Here's what's on deck for summer 09:

Final show '97: Tribute to Weezer. We played several tunes by the =w= at that last show before I flew off to SF. I'm gonna work on getting the videos up for you.

Spacecapers: We have yet to get a digital copy of our second album up and downloadable. I think it represents the band at our best. Great songs, great theme, great cohesive composition. Watch for that.

Jon Thwaits solo work: Jon is an incredibly productive songwriter and has written a ton of songs in between actual band projects (which, over the years, has amounted to way more than actual band project time). I have two CDs full of these tunes and will make them available here in little chunks. We'll eventually get a new site up for him where these songs can go and live forever.

New Songs!!! We have stuff that we worked on last Thanksgiving during the Pie Tunes jams that haven't yet seen the light of day. I'm working on getting a few more of them up--
Additionally, I'm posting one new song I wrote last February when it was cold cold cold RIGHT NOW. It is a first attempt to map the feelings of a season and the story of another into a song of my own. I hope you like it. It's called "My Last Mistake". (right-click/save link as to download or just listen below)

In addition, Jon and I have issued a challenge to one another for the summer: write 10 new songs by the time that school starts in fall!!! We'll demo these songs for you as they surface. I'm really excited about this.

We've all but given up the dream of being famous musicians. But we just can't stop loving music and the song writing process. More and more, I find myself wanting to be better--in fact, I've practiced the guitar more in the last two weeks than I have in a long time. In addition to being a place to collect our musical memories and the friendships that surrounded them, this site will continue to be a place to share that love and our development as musicians and music lovers.

Enjoy!
My Last Mistake

Three Candles, Richins house, December 1995

Three Candles from Only Anything on Vimeo.

The awesomeness of this footage is marred by a few tragedies. First, it is one of only a few songs actually salvaged from the tape that this was on. Much of it was recorded over by an unsuspecting parent trying to capture hours of captivating backyard explorations by his then one-year-old (my sister).

The second is that the videographer of this particular clip was (and I don't remember who it was), um, creative. Lots of fast ins and outs which, added to the weird visual distortion that occurred sometime during my processing the video for online viewing, makes actually watching it a bit challenging.

But there are some really great things about this show that I am glad we captured. First, Mat is rocking it out! Second, check out those work suits! Third, said videographer got some really great shots of Joe also rocking it out. And finally, see if you can spot the Psychedeli-deck! (Oh, and my glasses are pretty cool too).

(Oh, and Mike Corcoran, if you're out there, you totally make a cameo on this.)

Blueprints

Blueprints from Only Anything on Vimeo.

This is a less-known OA tune--but I think we really rock it out here. I love that John's on lead vocals and I love that we are all singing back-up. If you wait till the end, you'll see some rump shakin' action.

This kicks!

Leland 1996

Leland from Only Anything on Vimeo.

preface to the *real* video archive

We're on our way folks. Here is India Ink from the 1996 show at John's house. Much much more to come.


India Ink from Only Anything on Vimeo.

End-of-the-break news

It's been a busy break for OA alumni. Though there hasn't been a ton of content posted here, that doesn't mean we haven't been busy in our laboratories working (or, as the case may be, actually working).

A few changes that you should be aware of are here on the Only Anything home site: We are working on getting everything in its right place and have created two additional sister sites for other work not directly related to OA, (but not unrelated, either). In the right menu, under Family Sites, you can find links to new Lancaster and New Moves pages. These will remain subordinate in emphasis to the main page content/project, but will be updated from time to time. Go ahead and subscribe to them so you don't miss out on stories or other content.

We are also talking about the best way to publish Jon T.'s prolific catalog of solo tunes. We figured out that he has at least two albums of music that he has recorded over the course of the last 10 years or so and at least 10 more songs that need just a bit more work and then could be recorded as well. Of the three new sites, this is the one that I am most interested in. Jon has some really great music that only a few of us have had the opportunity to listen to. That is all about to change.

Also, the three videos I have posted in the last few days (see below) document a bit more of what we did over Thanksgiving. Jon and I are working hard to have at least two actual songs completed and available for you very soon. We're very excited about these "Pie Tunes" and can't wait for you to hear them. I just posted some pictures from this weekend as well--check 'em!

Finally, as I mentioned in the "Breaking News" post below, during my vacation to my parents' house, I discovered nearly four hours of old Only Anything footage. It will be my goal in the next semester (sorry, you non-academics--I think in terms of semesters), to get highlights from this material (which includes live shows, "making-of" footage, and other hooliganisms) here and to archive the material in its entirety on our Vimeo site.

Oh, and if you got here by way of the Facebook group--thanks!

Jon demos some new song ideas

"Tell Me What To Do," "It's All Over Now," & "Tribute to Iha" (which is a tribute to this old SP tune which was a tribute to this dude. A tribute of a tribute of a tribute!)


Jon demos some new song ideas from Only Anything on Vimeo.

Interview II, Space Capers

Interview II, Space Capers from Only Anything on Vimeo.


There's a bonus at the end!

video blog: Pleasantly Surprised

This is the first in a short series of interviews/video blogs Jon and I put together during the Thanksgiving jam.

Here, Jon discusses some of the inspiration behind the songs from Pleasantly Surprised, released in 1995, including insight into the songs Six Inches and Snowman Ring (and others). Enjoy!


Interview with Jon Thwaits about Pleasantly Surprised. from Only Anything on Vimeo.