Frakes One to No One

Enjoy that band name before I use it, reading populace. Don't make me stare angrily at you electronically.

It's better than typing to you electronically, or at least it's easier. I have been remiss in handing out the bonus jams as of late. I apologize for this. As time progresses, they will ramp up.

I'd like to take this opportunity to remind you of the RRP, or Referral Rewards Program. Basically, it means that if you refer somebody to the site and they buy something, you get 1/4 of the value in credit. Of course, the purchaser has to mention that you did so. Nobody has taken advantage of this policy yet...

I'd also like to take this opportunity to let everybody know that sometimes it takes me a long time to ship stuff out (especially Grault Smixes, cuz I like to make them good)--if at any point you would like a refund for something you've ordered that hasn't shown up yet, simply e-mail smervice at Gmail and we will make sure that happens for you.

On top of that, it is Grausday, and I have chosen a song that is very appropriate given what I've been up to lately. I'll leave that up to y'all to decode, and leave it at that. Brief post, for me. Happy Grausday!

Kleenex Girl Wonder - "Coming Back"

Grold May Air

Ahh, can't you feel that grold May air making its way into your lungs? Damn, I can. It must be my mechanical arthronesia acting up again.

Grausday is here again. Art thou excited? This past weekend was recordo-town and boy howdy was it ever! I don't think I've been that productive since Novemeber, aka before this website domain even EXISTED. Actually come to think of it Internic was just one guy shooting at a bulletin board with potato gun. Technology is unbelievable.

Anyway, yous guys and gals don't get to hear any of those songs yet cuz they're not really finished. Even if some of them are, I'm going to hold off on going viral with this one until the book is closed. Blame the government and the media if it makes you feel better.

Today's Certified Graus Classic is called "I'll Be Back For You." I heard it recently and I enjoyed it for some reason. Plus "Sexual Harassment" has not be represented on this here page as of yet so now's the time. Get while the gettin's good! Old songs are starting to be taken down circa...now.

Kleenex Girl Wonder - "I'll Be Back For You"

Send your friends! Aloha no!

Grausday and a New Method for Success

Hey everybody involved, I decided to make a quick switch. Every Grausday you'll get one track from the Grault, picked by Dick of Dick's Picks fame (note: not the Dick's Picks you've heard about if you are a fan of the Dead).

Then you'll get a floating smong, to be delivered at some other point during the week. Sometimes I might forget the bonus. That's OK.

I will still run out eventually unless I throttle it, though I'm sure you guys thinking I'm a bottomless font. So I'll probably have to make new songs for this purpose. Win-win!

Anyway, today's song is a pretty mainstream choice, but whatever they can't all be "16-year-old Graham gargles into a microphone for 3+ minutes." This one is called "17-year-old Graham writes a song about the daughters from 'One Day at a Time.'"

Actually it's called "Julie & Barbara" and it's from an album called "Graham Smith is the Coolest Person Alive."

Kleenex Girl Wonder - "Julie & Barbara"

Since it really helped me out to hear people's comments about the duelling versions of LTNS (see below newcomers), I figured I'd pose another question for y'all to chew over:

People obviously like sloppy. It's at the root of a lot of the trouble I've encountered W/R/T the polished "Yes Boss" stuff.

Why is this?

Try to qualify the reason you enjoy sloppy (for lack of a better word--I guess I could use "inspirational," as in the process of perfecting a recording is not the focus, but rather the encapsulation of musical inspiration) music.

I like it too, and I have some theories, but maybe my case is way fringey.

Enjoy your Grausday. Stay upright!

Best Off, or Bobnannas

Hey everybody - yes you see comments means more stuff? I've been hearing a lot about this The Internet Part II Consortium and apparently it means that consumers have more power than producers. Well I think that's just great and as such have decided to start buying all kinds of shit, namely music. What an idea.

One of the things I bought musically speaking last year was entitled "Body Riddle" by Clark who used to be and I supposed still is a.k. as Chris Clark on Warp Records, basically the best label ever except 5RC. Anywho I hadn't listened to it fully until today, but it is, to use a word I just miraculously coined, bobnannas.

I bet you're wondering about stuff, stuff that you can buy to participate in the great Part II revolution net, but you heard about something called "Yes Boss," an album that was supposed to come out.

Well yeah, it still hasn't. I started writing the songs in the second half of 2004, before I moved to New York. I came out here, did stuff, got a band going (never once touched my per diem like Carl Weathers), recorded up some demos, then as a band we jammed out the songs on New Years Eve 2005->2006.

Worked on the stuff for a while, nobody really likes it. I'm pretty happy with it, and most of the people who have heard it have also heard the demos and thus are forever tainted with the Mark Pearsall of the Beast (sorry bebe Jesu), so whatever.

We are going to remix and redo (mainly add more acoustico gomezes) and do new vox since the vox may be part of the problem. You can hear one version in its current state if you watch this video which if you're here you've probably all seen. Share and embed links!!!! (RIP hot-licks.org)

Thanks to DOUGGPOUND who did this for free and who continues to be a positive force in my life and career, which I combine into one single entity and call a lifeer. Some portmanteaus don't come easy, so thanks Dougg for making it all happen.



For your ears only, here is a downloadable, saveable (passaroundable, but remember to send your friends DIRECTLY TO ME) demo of the same song. It is not that I am saying I am not tainted by the Mark Pearsall (aren't we all whom have gazed in to the light), I love the demo. I liked it so much I made a real version of it.

Graham Smith - "Long Time, No Sleep DEMO"

Voice your opinion now. Decide which you prefer. Note that I will not create a third version cuz it's boring, but I am going to be changing the polished version to make it better. Tell me how to make it better. Leave your choice nugs of wisd in the comments. If I get 10 comments on this post you get a free candy bar (purchase of candy bar wrapper required, Graham Smith not involved with transaction).

But yeah, so anyway "Yes Boss," whose title will not change will come out eventually though. Hopefully 2007? Clamor for it. Write a letter to your local Congressman of Music so he can stir up some noise in Nashville.

Right now though, I'm really excited about this other album that'll be good for everybody.

I'll post a demo of one of those songs soon enough.

Taters!

Friday Meets Tuesday

Hey everybody, sorry I missed Grausday this week. We'll do a big three just to make up for it. Comments are helpful to encourage me to continue putting stuff up. I don't fuck with SiteMeter so the Greeky wheel gets the squeeze.

So first up to bat is a song from the much-maligned "Smith" album that came out in the year 2000. It is based around a sample of a fire alarm and a tape recorder rewinding. It's actually one of my favorite songs from the record.

As a side note, the box set won't contain any of the Smith skits. I think that I will include them in a bonus CD with a handily attached rubber band so you can fling it out the window if you feel so inclined.

Kleenex Girl Wonder - "Hard World Flooring"

The next one is much older and it's called "Sneeze of the Flounder." I actually can't bring myself to listen to it because I'm sure it's fucking awful but I know that some people like it for some reason so maybe you will too.

Perhaps it has some anthropological value, in that by listening to its awful strains you can be magically transported back to my home studio when I was 15 or whatever and recording it, and be like (imaginally) "Wow dude, you are really annoying, I hope that changes somewhat eventually."

This also carries the added bonus of allowing you to make up my response, which can be as annoying as your heart can dream.

In reality though, it would sound like this song.

Kleenex Girl Wonder - Sneeze of the Flounder

Finally, I thought I would toss up what seems to be somewhat of an early favorite for the most likely single jam from the forthcoming NOVEMBER BRAIN LP, which is comprised of songs from the CMYK Box Set that me and my buddies recorded back in November.

It is called "We Enjoy Ourself" out of deference to the late, great Phish song "You Enjoy Myself" which I thankfully have never actually heard. I suppose in a certain sense it is about being indulgent in general but also self-indulgent.

It's really not about anything though, I just looped that little guitar wiggle and made Thayer sit around while I recorded the rest of it.

PASS IT AROUND! Also, tell people to come to cultureheart.com to partake of the marvelosity.

Graham Smith w/ Herbs - "We Enjoy Ourself"

Stay up!