Saturday, May 12, 2012

The Mad Skeleton Album Review


The Mad Skeleton, is the very wonderful world of Michael Fleming shown through song. With a unique style of music he conveys different stories that can only be seen through the eyes of one who was there. His songs are his songs alone, and cannot be duplicated because I believe only he can play music such as this, such wonderful music it is. This new album, New Highway, is a telling of pain, of happiness, of something that you have been longing for but once you get it, you cannot have it. These seven tracks each share the views of Mr. Fleming, and how he sees the world and everything around him. It is a wonderful album one to enjoy sincerely.

Spirit Night

(this is nice)
(see into this world)
(with the sweet sounds)
(of spirit night)

Monday, May 7, 2012

Freudian Slip


(great band)
(great friends)
(great tunes)
(great interview)


Brandon Beglin
Okay we have James, Drew, Brendan, and Marty, from Freudian Slip here to do an interview with me on Facebook chat! So guys where did you come up with this name?

James Colin O'Callaghan
the garage

Brendan Smyth
yeah, my garage
my very very cold garage

Marty Silha
great answer

Brendan Smyth
in the dead of winter

Brandon Beglin
give me a fucking story

Brendan Smyth
well early winter

James Colin O'Callaghan
Im sure we all can agree that we wanted a name that described our sound like every other band...

Marty Silha
i wasn't even there for that, so i can't say anything

Brendan Smyth
yes, well said

Brandon Beglin
So then what would you describe your sound as?

James Colin O'Callaghan
i had the word freud floating around and drew mentioned the phrase "freudin slip" and it worked because our sound is somewhat of an accident

Marty Silha
That's so hard to answer from the inside.

Drew Erickson
"king crimson"

Brandon Beglin
Youre gonna have to give it a try!

James Colin O'Callaghan
i think we have a pretty distinct sound. the math rock is there with a great deal of pop

Brendan Smyth
yeah, very spontaneous, lots of unexpected bursts of various genres

Brandon Beglin
Okay what do you see people doing at a show when they hear your music?

Marty Silha
Thinking.

James Colin O'Callaghan
leaving

Brendan Smyth
booing

James Colin O'Callaghan
haha jk
i agree with marty

Brendan Smyth
lots of dancing, and staring

Drew Erickson
a little head nodding

Marty Silha
lotssss of staring

Brandon Beglin
haha What do you guys have in the works right now in terms of music?
or a tour
whatever yo uwant to say

James Colin O'Callaghan
big plans

Drew Erickson
we have a rerecorded tube tied coming out some time within early 2012

Brendan Smyth
yeah, it should be out within a month or so
hopefully we'll be able to do a little tour this summer

Marty Silha
on a label this time around, so we'll have some tools for proper album promotion

James Colin O'Callaghan
show on friday which should be sick

Brandon Beglin
Where would you guys want to tour at?

James Colin O'Callaghan
japan

Brendan Smyth
anywhere on the east coast

Marty Silha
anyone who would respect us

James Colin O'Callaghan
dude japan liked us, lets hit em up.

Brandon Beglin
Who would you guys want to play with?

Marty Silha
and maybe do a little less staring

Drew Erickson
sugar ray

James Colin O'Callaghan
uhhm like famous bands?

Brendan Smyth
i would like to tour with one of my other bands (water house, nervous passenger) and one of our friends bands (para-medics and/or options)
and like famous bands too
dats just me though

Brandon Beglin
haha i interview options! Did you see that

Brendan Smyth
i did! haha

James Colin O'Callaghan
i read it

Brendan Smyth
we're all friends with seth

Brandon Beglin
Awesome! How has your sound changed at all from like your first jams to the new stuff?

Brendan Smyth
definitely poppier
right?
no?

James Colin O'Callaghan
id say groovier

Marty Silha
def
that too

Drew Erickson
i'd say a bit simpler too

James Colin O'Callaghan
the first album was pretty spontaneous and and progressive. this one is much smoother
yes simpler

Brendan Smyth
yup yup

Brandon Beglin
Damn did you guys all know eachother before you started?

Drew Erickson
yeah we were all in bands with each other before

Brendan Smyth
yeah, my very first band was with jamie when we were like 12
lost autumn
we covered all american rejects

Marty Silha
same for drew and I

Brendan Smyth
me n jamie went to elementary grammar and high school together

Brandon Beglin
haha Well do you see this one lasting alot longer?

Brendan Smyth
n we all went to the same high school
haha most definitely

Marty Silha
yeah, people take this one seriously

Brandon Beglin
haha do you guys not?

Marty Silha
we've taken it seriously since day one
pretty much one of the only things i DO take seriously...

Brendan Smyth
ditto
music is a very very important part of our lives

Brandon Beglin
Well what were you guys trying to do when you first started out?

Marty Silha
not be bored and entertain others in the process

Brendan Smyth
im not sure exactly what our goal was in the beginning..
jamie might be able to give u a good answer for that

Brandon Beglin
Where he be

James Colin O'Callaghan
we were so bored we just wanted something productive to do

Brendan Smyth
we were trying to make a new kind of sound as well

Brandon Beglin
Where are you guys based out of? Is your music accepted there?

Brendan Smyth
we're all from oak forest (a south suburb of chicago)
we play alot in the city as well as the suburbs
and yes, it seems that we are accepted everywhere we go

James Colin O'Callaghan
ofo il. yes. we were accepted.

Brendan Smyth
we get alot of compliments, so i guess alot of people like us

James Colin O'Callaghan
as if we were a boy in world of wolves.

Brandon Beglin
everyone loves something to dance to i think! What has been the best show youve played to date?

Drew Erickson
i still the first show we everplayed was my favorite becasue all the bands we played with were so good
i still think***

James Colin O'Callaghan
agreed

Brendan Smyth
i agree too

Marty Silha
..

Brendan Smyth
the big show is a very close 2nd though

Brandon Beglin
Who were they?!

James Colin O'Callaghan
or the ashburry with waterhouse

Brendan Smyth
yeahhh that was a good one too
this is a hard question haha

Drew Erickson
para-medics, cage match, sauk bother and another that i can never remember the name of

James Colin O'Callaghan
uhhh the first show was with..sauk brother..paramedics..uhh and three others

Brendan Smyth
there was only 1 other band
that was chi's band

James Colin O'Callaghan
oh the idiosyncratic method

Brendan Smyth
yeahhh
the para-medics are like the best/funniest band around here
u should interview them

Brandon Beglin
Damn, it sounds like a pretty good line up, I actually am pretty certain I already talked to thema bout it just waiting to hear back haha
like so i can send questions

Brendan Smyth
yeah theyre my favorite band to play with, hands down

James Colin O'Callaghan
what did you think of tube tied brandon?

Brandon Beglin
ive only seen one video but they looked pretty fun to play with why dont you tour with them?

Brendan Smyth
we might do that! summers pretty far away, so we got time to plan

Brandon Beglin
I though tit was pretty great, its such a fun album and different than what i normally listen to but it definitely  makes me want to dance

James Colin O'Callaghan
yeah tits are great

Brandon Beglin
i meant it damnit

Marty Silha
they really are

Brandon Beglin
okay we can all agree tits are great haha, and titties is fun to say, but that is beside the point, will you send me a copy of your cd? and a band shirt to wear while i sleep?

James Colin O'Callaghan
we get one first. they still dont exist

Brendan Smyth
haha if we had shirts, we'd totally send u one

James Colin O'Callaghan
but the cds do.

Brendan Smyth
the new recordings will be ready in a month or so, so we will make sure we send one your way

Brandon Beglin
and i mean just the shirt when i sleep, just. the. shirt. thats awesome of you guys though, and im sure you will sell out, why no shirts yet? because of funds?

Brendan Smyth
i know its gunna be available for digital download, but we can send u a hard copy if you'd like
yeah, funds pretty much

Marty Silha
funding is a reason a lot of things don't happen

Brendan Smyth
im broke as a joke, so thats definitely my reason

Drew Erickson
i think we all are

Marty Silha
yep
james probably isn't, but he is holding more weight than his own...

Brandon Beglin
have a fundraiser and throw an awesome show haha

Brendan Smyth
thats not a bad idea..

Marty Silha
everybody is broke so we don't ask for money

Brendan Smyth
lets do that fellas

Marty Silha
we did, it's called "the big show"

Brandon Beglin
I mean like you have a show, and all proceeds go to funding your shit ya know, this band, The Bulletproof Tiger, they are math rock, and they did that and funded their new album its great

Brendan Smyth
yeah i dont see why we dont try it..

Brandon Beglin
im sure the paramedics would be down

Brendan Smyth
and the big show wasnt a fundraiser for US, it was for the people that spent money on all the shit that was there
yeah they would be
they could use some merch as well

Brandon Beglin
yeah it could be a duel fundrasier and very big depending on the venue you get really

Brendan Smyth
yeah we'll have to chat with them for sure

Brandon Beglin
I think we have gotten a little off topic haah, but do you feel you have done a great job with your music so far? or do you think it could be better? rate yourself

Marty Silha
everything in life can always be better

Brendan Smyth
^yup

Marty Silha
the goal is to keep on getting better

James Colin O'Callaghan
yup

Brendan Smyth
i feel like we've done a pretty damn good job thus far though.. i know we all have many ideas for the next album and ideas for how to improve our sound.

Brandon Beglin
awesome answer haha, what are you gonna try new on your next release, are you still writing new songs?

James Colin O'Callaghan
we gotta few riffs brewin.

Brendan Smyth
yeah, we usually work off of what jamie brings to the table

Brandon Beglin
How did you get the idea for such a great album cover with tubes tied

Drew Erickson
jamie wanted the name to be tube tied because we all have tube amps
and i remembered, from our old band, that we had a bunch of rope lights left

James Colin O'Callaghan
and we hate having children

Drew Erickson
so i figured we should just bury ourself in them
that too
ourselves
WHIOOPSPSOF

Brendan Smyth
yeah, kids are dumb

Marty Silha
i don't even want to get into that topic

Brandon Beglin
Do you feel that your previous bands help with your music that you work on now or is it like two different spectrums?

Drew Erickson
nope

James Colin O'Callaghan
all the old bands taught us how to function as a band but it didnt influence the sound

Marty Silha
of course, it is what initially brought us together and got us making music and building chemistry amongst all our instrument playing
and that ^

Brandon Beglin
What were your influences starting out then?

Brendan Smyth
pat mitchell made me a better drummer, thats all i can really say

James Colin O'Callaghan
smyth made me a better guitarist.

Drew Erickson
smyth made me a better person

Brendan Smyth
u dont gotta lie guys, c'mon

James Colin O'Callaghan
no lies broski

Marty Silha
smyth is the first drummer i could match mental metronomes with

James Colin O'Callaghan
starting out as aband we really didnt have any bands we wanted to sound like.

Marty Silha
yeah, it's dumb to want to sound like someone
just sound like YOU

James Colin O'Callaghan
we influenced each other as lame as that is. It was a democratic process composing the songs.

Drew Erickson
besides system of a down

Brendan Smyth
yeah, and alien ant farm

Marty Silha
i was thinking more along the lines of creed

James Colin O'Callaghan
and the all american rejects

Brendan Smyth
i think nickleback has always been my biggest influence

Brandon Beglin
you guys have such love for eachother its great! and you can really tell youre all good friends, it really makes the band better and the music better id say! Wanna end this thing with one last question?

James Colin O'Callaghan
do it

Brendan Smyth
we suuure do!

Brandon Beglin
Alright! You guys have known each other for a long time, some till grammar school when you were very young, and played in a good number of bands together, what have each of you learned from all of your experiences that changed your music, how you saw things, or who you are?

Marty Silha
it's that oak forest blood, man

Drew Erickson
that's a toughy

Marty Silha
the power of the individual, and especially a group of individuals

James Colin O'Callaghan
i learned that community is everything.

Brendan Smyth
marty said it best
and jamie

Drew Erickson
smyth said it best

James Colin O'Callaghan
you need to bond with your crowd and demographic.

Brendan Smyth
if u find musicians that fit your style of playing, the possibilities are endless

James Colin O'Callaghan
for sure smyth.

Marty Silha
i think it's also fucked with my circadian rhythm which kind of sucks

James Colin O'Callaghan
wa wa wa.

Brendan Smyth
i dont even know what that means

Marty Silha
sleeping pattern

Brendan Smyth
oh
u wanna talk about fucked up sleeping patterns?
look who ur talkin to

James Colin O'Callaghan
hahahahahah

Marty Silha
right

Brendan Smyth
i dont think sleep has anything to do with writing music

Brandon Beglin
haha wow guys, you really gave me a great interview! and alot of insight on you guys and your music, thank you for giving me the chance to interview you all!

James Colin O'Callaghan
if you dream it, you can do it.

Brendan Smyth
JUST DO IT.

Marty Silha
^ that's why i wear nikes

Brendan Smyth
thank u for this oppurtunity good sir!
it was fun!

James Colin O'Callaghan
thanks dudeski.

Playlounge


(i miss you)
(ghosts and)
(kickball)

Smoother


(tasty jams)
(for young sams)
(and their mams)

The Ant Hill Kids Commune


(i dont)
(hope you like it)
(new or old?)

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Jacques Rocque


(ill write alot)
(well alot for me)
(jacques rocque)
(under a tree)
(with me)
(so nice)

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

New Start

I'm changing up my blog,
I don't use Facebook anymore,
But I will try to do interviews if you would like,
I'd just need you to send me an email,
the blog will look different,
and have a new name,
thats all.