Cover design by Byron Scott
Head
Shop - Sounds of Everywhere
Mike
Alvarez: Guitars and vocals
Matt
Jansky: Guitars and vocals
Bill
Dumas: Drums, percussion, backup vocals
Joe
Gilroy: Bass, Vocals on "stopyourbellyachin"
Recorded
in Bill's garage in 2001.
Mixed
by Derek Vanderhorst.
Produced
by Mike Alvarez and Matt Jansky
for
Not Records Tapes, Los Angeles, CA.
TRACK
LISTINGS
Click the links for free MP3
downloading
and playback
1. Top
of My Line (Mike Alvarez/Ken Jones) 3:11
2. Prairie Rose
(Mike Alvarez/Carlton Buck) 3:15
3. Don't Fall Down
(Roky Erickson/Tommy Hall) 2:54
4. The Bridge (Mike
Alvarez/Ken Jones) 1:39
5. Unbeing House
(Mike Alvarez) 4:12
6. All Day All
Night (Mike Alvarez) 2:07
7. I'll Come For You
(Matt Jansky) 3:23
8. Love (Mike Alvarez)
5:25
9. stopyourbellyachin'
(Joe Gilroy) 0:20
***SUPERCHAGED
60s PSYCHEDELIC
***SPECIAL APPEARANCE BY TEXACALA JONES
***STRONG 13TH FLOOR ELEVATORS INFLUENCE
Click
HERE to view video
Don't Fall Down
Produced and
directed by Mike Alvarez
Don't
panic: Psychedelic rock is alive and well in the 21 st
century. You don't have to explain that to lead
guitarist and vocalist, Mike Alvarez, who is also the
founder of the renegade indy label Not Records Tapes.
Even in the '80s, when Mike's band Max
and the Makeups was opening for such acts as Oingo
Boingo, Snakefinger and Sparks, he was weaving wild, hypnotic
sounds into the band's new wave roots. Which isn't
surprising, considering how long Alvarez would later work
creatively with Roky
Erickson, co-founder of the seminal '60s psychedelic
band The 13th Floor Elevators. Mike was also an
important influence in Austin rock 'n roll, and before
he moved to L.A., he figured heavily in producing several
well-known Austin bands and promoting and organizing the
famous Woodshock music festivals in Texas between the
years 1983 and 1987.
At
the same time on the other side of the country, rhythm
guitarist Matt Jansky and drummer Bill Dumas were moving
in a similar direction, playing in the psychedelic punk
band Vacant Lot. Bill founded Vinyl Siding Records,
and Vacant Lot's "Athena" was the first cut
on "A" side of The Towers of New London, the
best-selling album by any Connecticut label at the time.
But after their vocalist committed suicide, Bill
and Matt lost touch as they branched out into composing
and producing. Bill continued with several successful
releases for Vinyl Siding, and Matt turned his energies
to writing soundtracks for experimental films, industrials
and educational videos.
When
Matt had earned enough cash to get out of New York, he
moved to L.A. and bought a house with his girlfriend in
the Hollywood Hills. He had no idea that Bill was
living right down the road, less than five minutes away,
until they ran into each other at a local video store.
Bill immediately introduced Matt to Mike, a longtime
collaborator of Bill's on a variety of music and film
projects. After the first time the three of them
jammed, it was pretty clear that they had to play live,
and had to record.
But
they also had to find a bass player, and they were very
lucky that singer-songwriter Joe Gilroy was available.
Joe was earning his living playing in cover bands
on Catalina Island, but he rarely had a chance to help
develop original material. But after he jammed
with the other guys, they assured him that this situation
was about to change. Bill soundproofed a shed in
his backyard, and tape started rolling. Naturally,
Bill's dorky, conservative neighbors raised hell, and
his landlord made Bill demolish the studio--by himself,
with a sledgehammer. But not before HS finished
recording the tracks for their debut CD, Sounds of Everywhere.
Alvarez also produced a music video for the HS
project, "Don't Fall Down," a cover of the Elevators
song by the same name. For several years during
the early 2000s, the band played at clubs such as Moondog
Café, The Joint, The Cat Club, The Rainbow Bar
& Grill and several other clubs in Southern California.
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