Tapes by Vincent

Tapes by Vincent

So who here read Fangoria magazine when they were a kid?

Do you remember a large ad for Tapes by Vincent? Not by Vincent Price, but by someone else.

Did you order one?

I did and it was just a home made cassette tape of a kid making sounds with his mouth while the classic Disney Halloween album played in the background and occasionally he said stuff.

I can't find much of any info about this online.

Did I imagine it?

Yes, I've Googled and haven't found anything.

Yours in possible hallucination tapes,

Count Robot

Jimi Hendrix

 

Today is the anniversary of the passing of the legend that was Jimi Hendrix.

My favorite guitarist is Jimi Hendrix.

Long may his purple haze reign.

Yours in guitars,

Count Robot

Maudlin

Maudlin

I can’t always be who I wasn’t

I can’t always care because I wasn’t

Broken down totality, hypnotic pseudo-reality

My haunting haunts me

My haunting haunts me

It’s all that’s left of me

Finite within the finite

We are no more than another beginning of another ending

yours in strange maudlin poems,

Count Robot

Sonic Ritual: Ode to a Bridge (NYE) an album by Tim Mungenast & Astro Al

Sonic Ritual: Ode to a Bridge (NYE) an album by Tim Mungenast & Astro Al

Almost the entirety of the album was recorded on New Years Eve 2021 both during the day and at night. 

This album is also a hybrid. Some of it was recorded at the amazing Echo Bridge in Newton Falls, which is a glorious space to record in as the echo is fantastic. The cover picture is an FX altered picture taken beneath Echo Bridge. 

Amplissima also recorded the album Hemlock Echoes at Echo Bridge. 

Credits:

Tim Mungenast: Electric guitar, effects boxes, vocals, spring drum, goat toy, samples

Astro Al is:

DNA Girl: Vocals, mandolin, bodhran, percussion, FX

Count Robot: Monotron, bass, Aztec death whistle, FX, bell, slide whistle, duck call, stylophone

Track by track summary:

1. Somewhere in Tibet 6:44 -Screaming goat toys and an out of synch track really help this one. This one was recorded at our home studio. I really got it out of synch to make Tim's voice say twice, twice in the beginning. This tune really takes off around the 4 minute mark. There's some empty space at the end of the track. I think sometimes that silence is as important as filling up the void.

2. The Secret Garden of Echolocation 5:13 -This track was recorded at Echo Bridge. Listen to the amazing sounds of the water. Tim does some nice subtle guitar stuff. Pastoral and relaxing after the build up of the prior track. Title by Tim.

3. The Old Busker and his Dancing Baby Goat 6:20 - This track has a voice over by Tim that was recorded later and added to the track. Tim created a nice story. This track was recorded in the studio or as Tim calls it "the Magic Basement". 

4. Beyond the Valley of Silly Sounds 3:41 - Recorded at Echo Bridge. Lots of vocal sounds. DNA Girl goes full silly. She does some fun percussion on this one too. Fun vocals by Tim as well.

5. Duckulon Gamelan 7:47 -This track was also recorded at the studio. Tim's transcendent story was added later. Some lush tones and stylings by the mighty Tim. Lots of DNA Girl percussion in this track. I think the duck call is an underrated musical instrument. The voice part of Tim is repeated just to fill out the track as it got a little too sparse at the end. Psychedelic ducks!  Good spaced out guitar by Tim.

6. Bounceback Ritual 4:40 - Recorded outside. Echo Bridge sounds beautiful. Guitar ripping by Tim! Guitar sounds offered as a sacrifice to the River Goddess. Nice vocals by DNA Girl which are paired well with Tim's goattar. 

7. He’s So Beautiful 5:06 - Recorded in the studio. Well matched guitar/mando jam. Tim's screaming goat toy is heavily affected here and spread throughout the track.

 

8. Gurdjieff Addresses the Mountains of Madness 3:49 - Another one at Echo Bridge. The echoes love Tim's guitaring on this one as much as I do. The sonic richness of this location can not be overstated. DNA Girl brings the percussion. Eep eep!

We tried to spread the outside and inside tracks out. We started with an indoor track and we end with an outside one.

Recorded at Echo Bridge in Newton Ma and at Robotzilla Studios in Weirdfield MA on New Years Eve 2021

Written, recorded, engineered, produced, mastered by Tim Mungenast & Astro Al. The album was mastered in the style of a hard rock album to help bring out some of the strength of Echo Bridge and to punch up the string sounds.

Copyright 2024 Tim Mungenast & Astro Al

Yours in album write ups,

Count Robot

Some Day

Some day the art you created might be forgotten or revered more than ever

Either way the good things you did will last

Yours in philosophy,

Count Robot

Altered State & 73

 There's two parts to this blog.

First up, our new audio project Altered State had our first recording session this past Saturday afternoon. Here's some behind the scenes pics.

Our cat Twink supervised the sessions and she really had issues with my Zoom recorder placement! I had wanted to put one on the stairs (its a great spot of capturing the sound of the basement and I have used that spot on prior recordings) but she kept batting at the Zoom so I moved it to another spot and she didn't like that either. Finally I put it in the laundry room and she seemed ok with that spot. She had no issues with any of the other Zoom spots.

The mighty Tim Mungenast is part of the band. There's his Gibson guitar and banjo/uke. Both sounded fab. Thanks Tim!

I used the Sonic Springboard on the first jam and some jams later on. I ran it through the Ghost Rain pedal. The Ghost Rain pedal is very inexpensive and very awesome!

Later I used the electric kazoo run through the Two Timer pedal.

Mesa Boogie!!!!!!!! Tim's heavy amp sounded heavy and groovy which is how Tim's guitaring always sounds!

My rig as things got crazier. I had a couple of tape recorders running through fx pedals.

Some of the pedals for our mysterious bass player!

DNA Girl's set up! Electric mandolin, drums, pedals, and more!

The bass belonging to our talented and awesome bass player!

So the band line up is:

Tim Mungenast, DNA Girl, Count Robot, and our mystery bass player. 

We recorded for about 4 hours. All guided improv. All bliss.

Our wonderful and creative bassist is going to mix the album. 

We're already discussing our next session!

I am happy and humbled to be playing with such great musicians!

Ok so what is the 73 all about in the title of the blog?

Well, I am on 73 albums/EPs!!! I recently did the math on it. Realistically I'm on even more but I'm going to have the count as 73 for now. My personal goal is to get to at least 100 before I drop. I think it can happen.

It's good to have goals.

Yours in new music creation,

Count Robot.

Spaceslug

Spaceslug

On a recent Bandcamp Friday, I discovered a band called Spaceslug.

I am so impressed by the awesome rock value of that band name.

It’s one of the best band names ever!

Lemanis is the name of the album.

It’s full of fun space/psych/stoner rock jams.

The riffs this band generates are enough to launch them through hyperspace. 

Dig these tunes!

Yours in riffage,

Count Robot