This elates those of us at Get Help HQ for [...]]]> http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2009/10/get-help-gets-on-tv/feed/ 2 We're proud to announce that two of our songs, Carne Asada (available on our album) and SPF 45 (available above) will be on the TV! Both songs will appear in the PBS series Gourmet's Adventures with Ruth, episodes "Seattle" (airing this weekend! We're proud to announce that two of our songs, Carne Asada (available on our album) and SPF 45 (available above) will be on the TV! Both songs will appear in the PBS series Gourmet's Adventures with Ruth, episodes "Seattle" (airing this weekend!) and "Mexico". This elates those of us at Get Help HQ for several reasons. When Get Help originally kicked off, the idea was to sell jingles and cash in. In pursuit of that end, we named all of our songs after Mexican menu items, a market slam-dunk. It was partly self-effacing, partly laziness, but still, we figured at best we'd get picked up by Dr. Scholl's Odor Eaters or this generation's Pet Rock. So a Conde Naste show about food on PBS...? Wow. We couldn't have asked for more. We're like six degrees of sep from Bill Moyers! We're bona fide! This is the first posting of SPF 45, so listen to it here, and then listen for it on Gourmet Adventures this weekend. You can find local listings here. Get Help no 2:12 http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2009/10/yelling-theater/ http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2009/10/yelling-theater/#comments Sat, 17 Oct 2009 21:05:45 +0000 mike http://www.gethelpmusic.com/?p=129 Somewhere in this apartment, on the back of an unused band postcard was a list of 10-12 things to do that I was supposed to do the next morning, no doubt scratched out with a nearby marker found late the night before. Pretty simple stuff. A sample: (1) buy soap, (2) wash dishes, [...]]]> http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2009/10/yelling-theater/feed/ 0 Somewhere in this apartment, on the back of an unused band postcard was a list of 10-12 things to do that I was supposed to do the next morning, no doubt scratched out with a nearby marker found late the night before. Pretty simple stuff. Somewhere in this apartment, on the back of an unused band postcard was a list of 10-12 things to do that I was supposed to do the next morning, no doubt scratched out with a nearby marker found late the night before. Pretty simple stuff. A sample: (1) buy soap, (2) wash dishes, (3) find jeans (4) finish new song. The first three are confidently crossed-out with a much more indelible marker, but #4 was going to take a little more time. By design, of course--items 5-12 would require some serious effort, and we procrastinators make lists like this all the time so we feel like we're accomplishing something. But I had real ambition to finish this song. After coming up with the simple portamento synth part and mining Garageband for a drum beat, the bass line wrote and played itself. This was the point in that afternoon when I made that list. When I got to "(4) - finish new song", I was going to try and come up with some sort of vocal, but decided to plug in the pedals and add a little noisy guitar. I recorded three tracks in three takes, with the idea that I'd listen to the parts later on and pick out my favorite bits. Walking around with it 8 weeks later, I realize that listening to music to pick out your favorite bits. After 20 or so listens to this one, I realized I enjoyed looking around for them as much as I did hearing them. I think I lost that list long before I got to #12. But I never got to vocals, and I like it just fine. Most importantly, now I can cross 'post song' off today's list. Get Help no 3:55 http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2009/08/big-mistake/ http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2009/08/big-mistake/#comments Thu, 27 Aug 2009 04:21:06 +0000 mike http://www.gethelpmusic.com/?p=128 It’s been a really nice summer. Not too hot. A bit more rain than usual, but that hasn’t hurt anyone. Down in Virginia where my parents live, they finally got the lawn green. I don’t know how the tomatoes came out, but the string beans from their garden were absolutely delicious.

I [...]]]> http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2009/08/big-mistake/feed/ 2 It's been a really nice summer. Not too hot. A bit more rain than usual, but that hasn't hurt anyone. Down in Virginia where my parents live, they finally got the lawn green. I don't know how the tomatoes came out, It's been a really nice summer. Not too hot. A bit more rain than usual, but that hasn't hurt anyone. Down in Virginia where my parents live, they finally got the lawn green. I don't know how the tomatoes came out, but the string beans from their garden were absolutely delicious. I cat-sat this weekend. He sleeps 18 hours a day, yet can effortlessly jump 4 feet into the air onto a windowsill between the 5" gap between the window bars. We had a rousing game of shoelace, which he won. I rode the Cyclone at Coney Island yesterday. I love that thing. Things are going pretty well. So I'm not quite sure how this power pop throwaway 2 1/2 minute summer song I threw together tonight ended up with a title like 'Big Mistake' and a decidedly bitter lyric. But it's definitely a summer song, with a catchy melody, sweet bird-chirpy acoustic guitars and what Tony secretly refers to as my 'Neil Diamond voice'. This one has a badly played noisy guitar solo that I should probably take another stab at instead of writing about weather, gardens and housepets, but that's what fall and winter are for. Get Help no 2:38 http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2009/07/crooked-streets/ http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2009/07/crooked-streets/#comments Sat, 25 Jul 2009 04:33:27 +0000 tony http://www.gethelpmusic.com/?p=127 Getting a new song in under the buzzer, and on the tree of life, it’s a tortoise. Or perhaps, a glacier. Something about the continental crawl of this one resonates with me. It came about from some lazy playing, putting the capo bar all over the neck of the guitar, rambling into the mic, dropping [...]]]> http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2009/07/crooked-streets/feed/ 0 Getting a new song in under the buzzer, and on the tree of life, it's a tortoise. Or perhaps, a glacier. Something about the continental crawl of this one resonates with me. It came about from some lazy playing, Getting a new song in under the buzzer, and on the tree of life, it's a tortoise. Or perhaps, a glacier. Something about the continental crawl of this one resonates with me. It came about from some lazy playing, putting the capo bar all over the neck of the guitar, rambling into the mic, dropping from F to F minor. I really need to change my strings. Anyways, sometimes you're a big rush to get somewhere, sometimes, you're definitely not. Sometimes you don't think it's ever gonna see the light of day, and sometimes, it definitely don't. Once in a while, however, it do. Or does. I could noodle about with a tremely acoustic guitar for hours before I even noticed my foot fell asleep. This song reminds me of Boston, particularly the North End. I am pretty happy with the lyrics. Get Help no http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2009/06/i-guess-but-you-know/ http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2009/06/i-guess-but-you-know/#comments Thu, 25 Jun 2009 19:16:09 +0000 tony http://www.gethelpmusic.com/?p=125 Finally, something new for the blog. But we have not entirely been sitting on our buttocks lo these many weeks. As enjoyable as that activity might be, we’ve been working on our live act. Our handful of loyal readers know that Get Help’s recent history saw the induction of Gene and Brian into the band, [...]]]> http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2009/06/i-guess-but-you-know/feed/ 0 Finally, something new for the blog. But we have not entirely been sitting on our buttocks lo these many weeks. As enjoyable as that activity might be, we've been working on our live act. Our handful of loyal readers know that Get Help's recent history... Finally, something new for the blog. But we have not entirely been sitting on our buttocks lo these many weeks. As enjoyable as that activity might be, we've been working on our live act. Our handful of loyal readers know that Get Help's recent history saw the induction of Gene and Brian into the band, thus ending our long-distance, illicit affair with Will and Dan from Boston's Spanish Armada. I also got married to a lovely gal and had a wedding and a honeymoon on a faraway island and all that stuff. Somehow amidst the transitioning of these epochal mile-markers, Get Help has managed to squeeze in some truly enjoyable rehearsals and shows. And we have more coming up, most notably an end-of-summer show with Doug Gillard, who among other things was a long-standing guitarist and collaborator in the greatest band that ever lived. In short, things are going well. And you? Now, there is a story behind this latest posting that has nothing to do with Doug Gillard but everything to with getting married. As a wedding gift, my wife and I received some kitchen knives. As I quickly discovered, these knives are very sharp; so sharp, in fact, they can slice your middle finger open just by sneezing in their direction from across a kitchen. There was copious amounts of blood and stitches involved, etc., etc. I don't want to ruin the ending, but everyone lived. To compensate for my inability to strum with a giant metal splint on my finger, I started messing around with thumb and first-finger picking, and after a week of this developmentally disabled guitar-playing, it got somewhere nice enough to record. I am pretty happy with this one overall, more so than most, just because it seems to stand on its own without any backwards guitars, cathedral-setting reverb, or multi-layered, pitch-shifted, auto-filtered, repainted Garageband samples that took 5 days to line up correctly. Not that I didn't try any of that stuff, mind you, it just didn't seem to add anything. Perhaps someday Mike, Gene, Brian and I will do a "get help" on it and turn it into a New Order song or something. Until that day, the only sound effect is the bird, that frickin bird, which was all too real and just outside the window for the whole frickin session. The knives were no where to be found. Get Help no http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2009/05/the-first-song-on-the-next-get-help-album/ http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2009/05/the-first-song-on-the-next-get-help-album/#comments Thu, 14 May 2009 03:15:39 +0000 mike http://www.gethelpmusic.com/?p=124 Good morning. I was going to start this post with the disclaimer that it’s been way too long since I contributed a post to our site here, but I have the sinking feeling that if I went back and looked at my last couple, they’d start the same way. Instead, let me start [...]]]> http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2009/05/the-first-song-on-the-next-get-help-album/feed/ 1 Good morning. I was going to start this post with the disclaimer that it's been way too long since I contributed a post to our site here, but I have the sinking feeling that if I went back and looked at my last couple, they'd start the same way. Good morning. I was going to start this post with the disclaimer that it's been way too long since I contributed a post to our site here, but I have the sinking feeling that if I went back and looked at my last couple, they'd start the same way. Instead, let me start by saying it's been extremely, graciously recent since my last post, and hope you don't go back and check. I'm happy to announce that since the last post, things of consequence and good fortune have happened: namely, Tony got married this past weekend. We also introduced a new song and a reworked version of 'Town Fires' at our last show, which is something we haven't done in many a moon. That felt good. Anyway, I'm saluting Tony's recent wedlock with one of my trademark gloomy songs about a woman and a relationship that ended less than favorably. So much for timing. In my defense, I wrote it months ago and only put the finishing touches on it recently. So I guess my defense is that I have bad timing and chronic procrastination syndrome. The tongue-in-cheek title is definitely a working one; it has that opening of a record feel but really I couldn't come up with a better title from the lyrics I had, which means I'll be rewriting a few of them at some point. But the music is there in spades. This one started with a loop I built on my trusty Boss Loop station which opens the song. It was going to go in a completely different direction; I had a pretty chord progression all picked out and suited up for gameday when I had a change of heart. Standing in my bedroom with the loop coming through headphones, I started playing the chugging guitar and took it in a completely different, much simpler direction. Every now and then it feels really good to strangle the guitar neck and pound out chords that don't require moving the hands around a lot. It worked out fine in the end because the loop, a synth and two Tony guitar parts later, it's pretty drenched in sound. Enjoy. I definitely owe Bob Pollard a taco after this one. Get Help no 4:02 http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2009/03/safe-as-it-ever-was/ http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2009/03/safe-as-it-ever-was/#comments Mon, 30 Mar 2009 00:29:14 +0000 tony http://www.gethelpmusic.com/?p=119 A new song for the blog. February and March seemed to go by in a whirlwind: I was busing my butt up to Providence and back every weekend to record with The Beatings during February, crashing on sofas and floors in a manner that no longer suits the mid-30s man all too well. But the [...]]]> http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2009/03/safe-as-it-ever-was/feed/ 2 A new song for the blog. February and March seemed to go by in a whirlwind: I was busing my butt up to Providence and back every weekend to record with The Beatings during February, crashing on sofas and floors in a manner that no longer suits the mid-... A new song for the blog. February and March seemed to go by in a whirlwind: I was busing my butt up to Providence and back every weekend to record with The Beatings during February, crashing on sofas and floors in a manner that no longer suits the mid-30s man all too well. But the good news is that The Beatings have a new album just about in the can, all that's left is to jump up and down on top of the lid and close it. But the Get Help machine never stops working, not unlike the Air Force or the Marines: Mike, Gene, Brian and I are rehearsing regularly, getting ready for our free-beer hour at the Trash Bar, trying out new songs, acquiring mood lighting, navigating the bowels of Jersey City.  Mike and I may finally be ready to put behind us the long drives through Connecticut, the mid-morning gigs at the Bridgeport Veterans Association Pancake Breakfast, where winning a gaze from a bingo card was equally as important as finishing the set, and who knows, it could all happen to you, too, if you want it bad enough. But I must admit, sometimes, it feels like it was but a dream. Which brings us, in non-linear fashion, to today's post, which I consider a hastily-built-but-charming plywood cabin of a song. The rhythm guitar part was recorded over a year ago, on a Danelectro with rusted strings that has STRIKES AGAIN emblazoned on it in sparkly type. I affectionately call it the "typhoid guitar". There is something so wonderfully brutal about its sound I may never sterilize it or change the strings, and just let them oxidize into sand. Gene and Brian have not yet hooked up their kit and bass rig to Garageband, so I had to use samples, digital typing plus extensive cut-and-paste to get the bassline and drums. The lyrics didn't fall into place until last month, for some reason. But Mike fortunately had one of his patent-issue excellent guitar lines at the ready, and it all came together. The synth part, well, we had to make some adjustments, and may have some more down the line. Enjoy. Get Help no 2:48 http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2009/01/so-slowly-she-goes/ http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2009/01/so-slowly-she-goes/#comments Wed, 28 Jan 2009 22:25:25 +0000 tony http://www.midriffrecords.com/gethelp/?p=105 While going through my Garageband folder, I rediscovered this tune. It wasn’t entirely forgotten; it’s been sitting around for a long time, on and off the ipod, and I’m not sure why the reluctance in posting it. One day I didn’t like the lyrics, the next day, I did.

Technically, the genesis for this song came [...]]]> http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2009/01/so-slowly-she-goes/feed/ 1 While going through my Garageband folder, I rediscovered this tune. It wasn't entirely forgotten; it's been sitting around for a long time, on and off the ipod, and I'm not sure why the reluctance in posting it. One day I didn't like the lyrics, While going through my Garageband folder, I rediscovered this tune. It wasn't entirely forgotten; it's been sitting around for a long time, on and off the ipod, and I'm not sure why the reluctance in posting it. One day I didn't like the lyrics, the next day, I did. Technically, the genesis for this song came about from noodling on the classical guitar; I did some detuning and finger picking on the open mic, and managed to get the sounds out of it you hear here. I'm not quite with it enough to classically noodle and competently sing, so I just looped all the parts in a certain order, picked up an old lyric about barrel laughs and black lungs, and went off into the land of going slowly. When I first wrote it I wasn't confident in any aspect of this song at all. But now I find the lyrical imagery pretty satisfying, not obscure for obscurity's sake, and the classical guitar and RV-3 combo complement each other nicely. The lo-fi nature of the track doesn't hurt, as I am still a sucker for that stuff. I could be rationalizing a great deal here unnecessarily. The long and the short of it is, there is much joy to be found in digging up an old, quasi-forgotten song and finding out it isn't total crap. Thank you. Get Help no http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2009/01/labor-day/ http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2009/01/labor-day/#comments Sun, 04 Jan 2009 06:25:49 +0000 mike http://www.midriffrecords.com/gethelp/?p=83 Well thank Prince that year’s over. It’s 2009 and I hope to write more songs than I did last year.

Probably the crown prince of the short ’08 pile was this Labor Day track, which grew out of an obsession with ‘Les Yper Sound’ from Stereolab. Off Emperor Tomato Ketchup, it’s the perfect example [...]]]> http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2009/01/labor-day/feed/ 0 Well thank Prince that year's over. It's 2009 and I hope to write more songs than I did last year. - Probably the crown prince of the short '08 pile was this Labor Day track, which grew out of an obsession with 'Les Yper Sound' from Stereolab. Well thank Prince that year's over. It's 2009 and I hope to write more songs than I did last year. Probably the crown prince of the short '08 pile was this Labor Day track, which grew out of an obsession with 'Les Yper Sound' from Stereolab. Off Emperor Tomato Ketchup, it's the perfect example of their catchy sound + Marxist lyrics. This here track is instrumental, so you'll have to come up with your own Marxist lyrics for the time being. The real draw for me lately is to write songs without guitars playing power chords. I feel like the best those have probably already been written. So it was fun to vamp on some keyboard chords. It's got a little bubblegum to it, but that just makes it more fun to record. As I've gravitated to lazy, I realize that ending songs is my weak point -- like someone once wrote about the novel, there's no good way to end it, so writers end up either killing everyone off or having the hero & heroine ride off into the sunset. But after awhile, I've grown accustomed to not ending songs. When you wake up from a dream, it swirls around in your head for a minute. No one's ever had a dream that ended "and they lived happily ever after". At least not in New York City, with obscenely early garbage truck service. Get Help no http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2008/12/the-pedestrian-song/ http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2008/12/the-pedestrian-song/#comments Mon, 08 Dec 2008 00:31:47 +0000 tony http://www.midriffrecords.com/gethelp/?p=77 I am happy to announce that Get Help is now in possession of its very own Yamaha PSR-E413. What this means to the world at large is probably insignificant, but I find these instruments to be a great source of fun and inspiration. And it keeps me off the streets at night.

This particular tune was [...]]]> http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2008/12/the-pedestrian-song/feed/ 0 I am happy to announce that Get Help is now in possession of its very own Yamaha PSR-E413. What this means to the world at large is probably insignificant, but I find these instruments to be a great source of fun and inspiration. I am happy to announce that Get Help is now in possession of its very own Yamaha PSR-E413. What this means to the world at large is probably insignificant, but I find these instruments to be a great source of fun and inspiration. And it keeps me off the streets at night. This particular tune was written during a drunken jam session with E.R. from The Beatings, a session which also produced this entertaining variant on one of our live favorites. I'm working on getting the synthy MIDI sounds to come across as slightly more authentic with Garageband filters, which may be a fool's errand but it's good to have a purpose in life. For the additional examples of the fun a 500-sound dial can bring to your life (and mine), take a little trip down Get Help memory lane, here, here, and here. Get Help no http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2008/11/freezing-point/ http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2008/11/freezing-point/#comments Mon, 24 Nov 2008 03:59:05 +0000 mike http://www.midriffrecords.com/gethelp/?p=76 Since the album came out, I have found little time to make music. Life kicks in, and months pass by.

A sedative is to take a beloved song and reexamine it. This song is from arguably the best indie rock EP ever released — Archers of Loaf, “vs. the Greatest of All Time.” [...]]]> http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2008/11/freezing-point/feed/ 1 Since the album came out, I have found little time to make music. Life kicks in, and months pass by. - A sedative is to take a beloved song and reexamine it. This song is from arguably the best indie rock EP ever released -- Archers of Loaf, "vs. Since the album came out, I have found little time to make music. Life kicks in, and months pass by. A sedative is to take a beloved song and reexamine it. This song is from arguably the best indie rock EP ever released -- Archers of Loaf, "vs. the Greatest of All Time." Will from Get Help told me this was one of the 5 best covers he's ever heard. How could he be wrong? Come to think of it, the mid '90s produced the greatest of all time glut of indie rock EPs. I don't know what was in the water, but if you're missing any of the following releases, expect karmic issues. (1) Archers of Loaf--vs. the Greatest of All Time. Not only the best EP of all time, but by far the best release by this formidable North Carolina band. Catching fire in a bottle is a once-in-a-lifetime feat. (2) Pavement--Watery, Domestic. I'm an enormous Pavement fan. Malkmus reaches Lennon-McCartney status. But 'Texas Never Whispers' is probably the best Pavement song ever. This release is necessary. (3) Guided by Voices--The Grand Hour. Featuring 'Shocker in Gloomtown'. The most explosive 10 minutes ever. When my ex-wife used to walk the dog in the morning, I'd blast this to get psyched up for my shit-on-a-stick day job. (4) Spoon--Soft Effects. I can't believe this is 4th in the list. 'Mountain of Sound' is the response-to-call of 'Kashmir', and 'Waiting for the Kid to Come out' is Britt Daniel's RILF (Rockers, etc.) resume builder. Tucked in the end is 'Loss Leaders', one of the most unheralded country-rock gems. (5) Guided by Voices--Static Airplane Jive. Alright, I ran out of bands and am showing my hand. But Robert Pollard's got a genius certificate for a reason. 'Big School' is one of his most anthemic songs. And to go into detail of any of the other songs would be criminal, because they're all just as good. I will say that RP apes McCartney better than anyone else has with 'Hey Aardvark'. Get Help no http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2008/09/little-symbols/ http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2008/09/little-symbols/#comments Sat, 06 Sep 2008 02:13:55 +0000 tony http://www.midriffrecords.com/gethelp/?p=56 One of the greatest listening experiences in the world is We’re an American Band by Yo La Tengo. There are days when it is, without question, the greatest listening experience in the universe — even without headphones — and nothing else, not even Dave Atell’s “Skanks for the Memories”, comes close. Tied for first is [...]]]> http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2008/09/little-symbols/feed/ 0 One of the greatest listening experiences in the world is We're an American Band by Yo La Tengo. There are days when it is, without question, the greatest listening experience in the universe --- even without headphones --- and nothing else, One of the greatest listening experiences in the world is We're an American Band by Yo La Tengo. There are days when it is, without question, the greatest listening experience in the universe --- even without headphones --- and nothing else, not even Dave Atell's "Skanks for the Memories", comes close. Tied for first is Visions of Johanna. If Jimi Hendrix did to Visions of Johanna what he did to All Along the Watchtower, there would be no need for a top 10 songs in the world, because it would be all ten. Probably more. Top twelves would need to be invented. And Mike and I would probably have to shut down the blog, because, why bother? None of this has anything to do with anything, but every so often I hear Yo La Tengo in the right light and it makes me very happy. Thank you. Get Help no http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2008/08/a-brittle-world/ http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2008/08/a-brittle-world/#comments Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:59:38 +0000 tony http://www.midriffrecords.com/gethelp/?p=58 The building I work in is about the size of a city block, and we share it with a lighting design company. While venturing into the beeping nether regions of our castle in my quest for snail mail, I heard through the walls a repeating bassline from some mix tape one of the lighting design [...]]]> http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2008/08/a-brittle-world/feed/ 0 The building I work in is about the size of a city block, and we share it with a lighting design company. While venturing into the beeping nether regions of our castle in my quest for snail mail, I heard through the walls a repeating bassline from some... The building I work in is about the size of a city block, and we share it with a lighting design company. While venturing into the beeping nether regions of our castle in my quest for snail mail, I heard through the walls a repeating bassline from some mix tape one of the lighting design people was playing. Through walls, the guitars, bass and vocals of familiar songs can take on quite enjoyable alien forms, especially when combined with unseen motors, roaring exhaust fans, and the continuous renovation of a workplace's life-support system. Whatever the song was, I went away humming its bassline, which over the course of the rest of the work day evolved into what we have here for you today. Headphones are recommended, but you should really be a room apart from this one to stay in its spirit. Enjoy. Get Help no http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2008/07/a-plug-a-song/ http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2008/07/a-plug-a-song/#comments Tue, 15 Jul 2008 04:26:59 +0000 mike http://www.midriffrecords.com/gethelp/?p=55 We recently got a nice couple of mentions from Ryan of Ryan’s Smashing Life. He plugged our recent Boston show and posted Red Jacket Orchards (from our upcoming record) as, well, a song to listen to, over at his recent guest spot at The Plugg.. Thanks, Ryan.

I’m a big Fugazi fan. Not [...]]]> http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2008/07/a-plug-a-song/feed/ 0 We recently got a nice couple of mentions from Ryan of Ryan's Smashing Life. He plugged our recent Boston show and posted Red Jacket Orchards (from our upcoming record) as, well, a song to listen to, over at his recent guest spot at The Plugg.. Thanks, We recently got a nice couple of mentions from Ryan of Ryan's Smashing Life. He plugged our recent Boston show and posted Red Jacket Orchards (from our upcoming record) as, well, a song to listen to, over at his recent guest spot at The Plugg.. Thanks, Ryan. I'm a big Fugazi fan. Not because of the $5-$7 show thing; that was just an excuse for men who were 36 to keep dressing like 18-year olds. Believe me, I'm 36. Those baggy shorts and 20 year old t-shirts prolong your life. In this song's case, I was drawn to a Fugazi song lyric from 'Red Medicine': "It's cold outside and my hands are dry Skin is cracked and I realize That I hate the sound of guitars A thousand grudging young millionaires Forcing silence sucking sound" Yeah. That line's been stuck in my head for a long time--long enough to realize that you could build a song around a piano riff without sounding like Billy Joel, Elton John or Wayne Hornsby. At times, the piano can sound sinister. PS Oh, and there's a piano coda on this one, which was a complete accident. But I like to include these for my parents, who paid for piano lessons. Mom & Dad, if you're reading, I wanted to play Sonatas for a living, before it became economically unfeasible. Get Help no http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2008/06/general-winter/ http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2008/06/general-winter/#comments Sun, 08 Jun 2008 16:02:46 +0000 tony http://www.midriffrecords.com/gethelp/?p=52 This song was originally conceived one day on the Light Rail when I decided I was going to go home and write an entire concept album in one sitting. If there is anyone left still reading after that sentence, let me just say that I didn’t even come close to achieving this goal. Not even [...]]]> http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2008/06/general-winter/feed/ 0 This song was originally conceived one day on the Light Rail when I decided I was going to go home and write an entire concept album in one sitting. If there is anyone left still reading after that sentence, This song was originally conceived one day on the Light Rail when I decided I was going to go home and write an entire concept album in one sitting. If there is anyone left still reading after that sentence, let me just say that I didn't even come close to achieving this goal. Not even an EP. It was a complete disaster, both in terms of matériel and morale, not unlike the German invasion of the Soviet Union. It was dead on arrival. Fortunately there were no witnesses and I had an alibi. Possibly, I might be exaggerating. Let's just say if I were going to compose a concept album, this is how it would begin. General Winter appears on our new album in a somewhat abbreviated form, pretty much as is. In fact, several songs on the new record are supported with the original audio files from either Mike's Pro Tools or my Garageband recordings. Our producer, Chris Pace, is a madman. A more selfish or less enthusiastic producer would probably insist on re-recording our lo-fi elements. But Chris's mania for Get Help extended back to the original tracks. The record would have been a completely different beast without his input, ideas, and mixing, and much for the worse. Digression aside, after I began this song and struggled over the course of a few weeks to envision how it would end, I would joke to Mike about how the next Get Help album would be a concept album with no concept. Or vice versa. Neither joke was particularly funny. That's why the truth hurts. Get Help no http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2008/05/eric-lang/ http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2008/05/eric-lang/#comments Sat, 17 May 2008 01:10:03 +0000 tony http://www.midriffrecords.com/gethelp/?p=51 Mike and I have finished recording an album. Our friend Eric is mastering it, and doing a superlative job at that. His enthusiasm for the record, thus far, has only been matched by Chris and Ted, who engineered it. I’m not sure even Mike and I are as excited about the welfare of this album [...]]]> http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2008/05/eric-lang/feed/ 2 Mike and I have finished recording an album. Our friend Eric is mastering it, and doing a superlative job at that. His enthusiasm for the record, thus far, has only been matched by Chris and Ted, who engineered it. Mike and I have finished recording an album. Our friend Eric is mastering it, and doing a superlative job at that. His enthusiasm for the record, thus far, has only been matched by Chris and Ted, who engineered it. I'm not sure even Mike and I are as excited about the welfare of this album as these guys are. Anyways, I was headed over to Mike's apartment one night when Eric called to discuss his first roughs of the album, and vent about some technical difficulties that were plaguing us (which later proved to be my fault entirely). He was understandably frustrated. He concluded with the request that since Mike and I were going to be meeting that evening, we write him a song. It was less a request than a sandwich order, actually. I like to think that by saying "yes", I alleviated his aggravation and made him feel all better (but I really don't understand Eric all that well). So we hotwired a keyboard with an air conditioner, gave the singer some 3D glasses, tossed in a drunken master guitar solo, and voila. This is what happens when Get Help drinks and drives. Enjoy, if you can. Get Help no http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2008/04/eyes-swim/ http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2008/04/eyes-swim/#comments Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:59:12 +0000 mike http://www.midriffrecords.com/gethelp/?p=50 Months ago, I saw a motorcycle cop wipe out on First Avenue here in New York.

Ever been walking down a street with your iPod and heard some city sound that infiltrated the song, and weren’t sure if it was a part of the song? This happens to me all the time. Usually construction [...]]]> http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2008/04/eyes-swim/feed/ 0 Months ago, I saw a motorcycle cop wipe out on First Avenue here in New York. - Ever been walking down a street with your iPod and heard some city sound that infiltrated the song, and weren't sure if it was a part of the song? Months ago, I saw a motorcycle cop wipe out on First Avenue here in New York. Ever been walking down a street with your iPod and heard some city sound that infiltrated the song, and weren't sure if it was a part of the song? This happens to me all the time. Usually construction noises, as my east village turns into a skyscraper Epcot, but on this day, I distinctly heard the Doppler siren in my ear as I walked up. It turns out that some sheepishly-dressed maggot on a cellphone didn't, and was crossing the street as this 5-0 tore up the street. There would've been a head-on collision, and the cop had two choices: ram into the back of a cab, or lie down and slide. Somehow, our wayward pedestrian didn't get arrested, only chewed out. But it made me realize that all it takes to beat a cop in this city is crosswalks, and impeccable timing. Dystopia isn't nearly as scary when it has a beat to keep time to, or I've found, when I'm trying to describe it lyrically. But at least we aren't writing songs about 'The Hills'. Get Help no http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2007/07/new-low/ http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2007/07/new-low/#comments Tue, 10 Jul 2007 01:17:13 +0000 mike http://www.midriffrecords.com/gethelp/archives/41 We conclude today’s Sasquatch sighting with a new track, ‘New Low’. This is the Get Help wheelhouse of distorted reverb guitars, this is a back-to-base guitar anthem, something you might have heard on a mid-90′s Matador sampler.

This was my first blow-through with my shiny new Pod, a wonderful tool for making music late at [...]]]> http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2007/07/new-low/feed/ 1 We conclude today's Sasquatch sighting with a new track, 'New Low'. This is the Get Help wheelhouse of distorted reverb guitars, this is a back-to-base guitar anthem, something you might have heard on a mid-90's Matador sampler. We conclude today's Sasquatch sighting with a new track, 'New Low'. This is the Get Help wheelhouse of distorted reverb guitars, this is a back-to-base guitar anthem, something you might have heard on a mid-90's Matador sampler. This was my first blow-through with my shiny new Pod, a wonderful tool for making music late at night in an apartment with paper thin walls and, uh, thinner-than-paper floors and ceilings. Everything about this track was invented from finding the guitar sound. I've noticed that once I get a particular sound, in this case the distorted-reverb rhythm track, song ideas from my memory banks are triggered, and the song writes itself. Writing in this method usually presents the uncopyrightable danger of completely ripping off a song without realizing it. But in this regard my memory is much like the squirrel's in autumn, who hides food in multiple locations so that their winter pantry isn't decimated by a single winter theft, yet inevitably ends up forgetting where they hid 10-20% of their spoils. In the squirrel's case, these lost acorns grow into oak trees. In my case, it remains to be seen. Get Help no http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2007/06/early-hours/ http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2007/06/early-hours/#comments Wed, 20 Jun 2007 16:12:23 +0000 tony http://www.midriffrecords.com/gethelp/archives/37 Every once in a while I still manage to delude myself into thinking I can encapsulate, in a single song, my obsession with the mnemonic redshift that comes with “growing older”. Once the earth has cooled after such an attempt, I consider myself lucky if I have scraped off something akin to lemon zest. But [...]]]> http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2007/06/early-hours/feed/ 0 Every once in a while I still manage to delude myself into thinking I can encapsulate, in a single song, my obsession with the mnemonic redshift that comes with "growing older". Once the earth has cooled after such an attempt, Every once in a while I still manage to delude myself into thinking I can encapsulate, in a single song, my obsession with the mnemonic redshift that comes with "growing older". Once the earth has cooled after such an attempt, I consider myself lucky if I have scraped off something akin to lemon zest. But there are worse places to start from. I think this tune has a lot of zest. It is a salty salute, soundwise, to REM and the Rock*A*Teens, the former a part of my DNA; and the latter one of the bigger muses to my post-doctorate work here at Get Help U: dark, elegiac, inscrutably uplifting. I can't get enough of those guys. I spliced a buttload of Garageband drum loops putting this together, and used the Yamaha for the bassline. Reverb makes everyone get along. Get Help no http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2007/01/it-begins-well/ http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2007/01/it-begins-well/#comments Tue, 30 Jan 2007 22:04:17 +0000 mike http://www.midriffrecords.com/gethelp/archives/28 The Loop Station is a great tool for making a Get Help song, which features layers and layers of sound, like so much paint on a 50 year-old building in the East Village…say, mine. Paint so thick that you know the building will never fall.

Starting with a harmonic track that you can kinda hear [...]]]> http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2007/01/it-begins-well/feed/ 0 The Loop Station is a great tool for making a Get Help song, which features layers and layers of sound, like so much paint on a 50 year-old building in the East Village...say, mine. Paint so thick that you know the building will never fall. The Loop Station is a great tool for making a Get Help song, which features layers and layers of sound, like so much paint on a 50 year-old building in the East Village...say, mine. Paint so thick that you know the building will never fall. Starting with a harmonic track that you can kinda hear in the back of the left side of your head, I built all these sounds rather quickly and then set to give them a decent recording. When I was most of the way through, I realize why it came so easily; it was very closely based on another song, a song whose name I won't mention, so you can guess if you like. It's kinda obscure, but I realize I'd heard it within the week, and that took a little joy out of piecing it together so quickly. So I guess this is from our Subconscious Cover Song files. The line 'missing man formation' was the basis for the song; I think that's something they fly at the end of Iron Eagle. Remember when hating Middle Eastern despots was easy? Get Help no http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2006/12/a-lost-wars-victory/ http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2006/12/a-lost-wars-victory/#comments Mon, 01 Jan 2007 04:19:42 +0000 tony http://www.midriffrecords.com/gethelp/?p=12 I was spending a Saturday in, preparing mentally for New Year’s Eve, determined to finish Light in August. I did. Makes a guy want to populate a small fictional world with gamblers, reluctant widows, and old folks full of quiet mystery. Not to mention hills and valleys of tremelo. Enjoy.

As is [...]]]> http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2006/11/red-jacket-orchards/feed/ 1 Bought some delicious juice at a local farmers market from a place called 'Red Jacket Orchards'. Growing up there was a 8-foot fence that separated my backyard from an expansive orchard, and all I could see were the tops of trees. Bought some delicious juice at a local farmers market from a place called 'Red Jacket Orchards'. Growing up there was a 8-foot fence that separated my backyard from an expansive orchard, and all I could see were the tops of trees. I always wondered what it would be like to live there. As is often the case, the lyrics don't mean anything, but it's always nice to have words prepared when there's a microphone in front of me. The music does a pretty good job of describing the terrain on its own. Get Help no http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2006/11/i-dont-have-the-stomach-for-it/ http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2006/11/i-dont-have-the-stomach-for-it/#comments Mon, 27 Nov 2006 04:02:39 +0000 tony http://www.midriffrecords.com/gethelp/?p=10 Mike wrote the music, I wrote the words. The fair-trade deal with Carne Asada. He sent me the original audio while he was undergoing some gastrointestinal distress, hence the title. So of course after you look at something for a few weeks you can’t imagine it being called anything else, and you’d break the legs [...]]]> http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2006/11/i-dont-have-the-stomach-for-it/feed/ 0 Mike wrote the music, I wrote the words. The fair-trade deal with Carne Asada. He sent me the original audio while he was undergoing some gastrointestinal distress, hence the title. So of course after you look at something for a few weeks you can't ima... Mike wrote the music, I wrote the words. The fair-trade deal with Carne Asada. He sent me the original audio while he was undergoing some gastrointestinal distress, hence the title. So of course after you look at something for a few weeks you can't imagine it being called anything else, and you'd break the legs of someone who would suggest such a thing. Fortunately, it never came to that. I think Mike is much better now. The lyrics to the song have nothing to do with being physically ill. Something to do with yo-yo-ing bus rides from Boston to New York and the better-off-unpondered ponderables one ponders upon. Get Help no http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2006/11/dream-deep-of-you/ http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2006/11/dream-deep-of-you/#comments Mon, 27 Nov 2006 04:00:02 +0000 tony http://www.midriffrecords.com/gethelp/?p=9 The aftermath of Punishing Good Deeds. Took about 1/8 the time. I originally amused myself by thinking of this as the fallout of an 80′s style-conflagration, sort of like Nightranger, Loverboy, and REM going up in a hot air balloon and getting plowed into by Def Leppard in a Lear, but now, I’m not really [...]]]> http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2006/11/dream-deep-of-you/feed/ 0 The aftermath of Punishing Good Deeds. Took about 1/8 the time. I originally amused myself by thinking of this as the fallout of an 80's style-conflagration, sort of like Nightranger, Loverboy, and REM going up in a hot air balloon and getting plowed i... The aftermath of Punishing Good Deeds. Took about 1/8 the time. I originally amused myself by thinking of this as the fallout of an 80's style-conflagration, sort of like Nightranger, Loverboy, and REM going up in a hot air balloon and getting plowed into by Def Leppard in a Lear, but now, I'm not really sure what it is. But then again I had very little idea what was going on in the 80's when I was actually there. Listen closely and you can hear Sonny telling Michael to try and get Luca Brasi on the phone. Get Help no http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2006/11/punishing-good-deeds/ http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2006/11/punishing-good-deeds/#comments Sun, 26 Nov 2006 03:28:19 +0000 tony http://www.midriffrecords.com/gethelp/?p=8 Entering the acoustic phase. Mike and I recorded what seemed to be about ten hours of guitar lines, bass lines, tremelo guitars, solos…Jesus. I think we had an oboe player come in off the street at one point. We were incubating a Bohemian Rhapsody Jr. And we didn’t even get to vocals. Anyways, point is [...]]]> http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2006/11/punishing-good-deeds/feed/ 0 Entering the acoustic phase. Mike and I recorded what seemed to be about ten hours of guitar lines, bass lines, tremelo guitars, solos...Jesus. I think we had an oboe player come in off the street at one point. We were incubating a Bohemian Rhapsody Jr. Entering the acoustic phase. Mike and I recorded what seemed to be about ten hours of guitar lines, bass lines, tremelo guitars, solos...Jesus. I think we had an oboe player come in off the street at one point. We were incubating a Bohemian Rhapsody Jr. And we didn't even get to vocals. Anyways, point is I took home an intimidating mass of unsynchronized audio files that we probably could have labeled better, and did the intelligent thing and let them sit on my hard drive for about two months so I would forget everything about them and lose all my notes. At some point I actually erased all the files, so I had to find the original CD-R under my sofa and cobble it all back together. A lot of stuff hit the cutting room floor, so to speak; Mike laid down some beautiful guitar lines that I just couldn't fit into place, literally. Kinda heartbreaking at points. I know John McTiernan went through the same thing making "Predator". Get Help no http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2006/11/get-helps-first-live-show-all-else-fails/ http://www.gethelpmusic.com/2006/11/get-helps-first-live-show-all-else-fails/#comments Sat, 18 Nov 2006 15:32:25 +0000 tony http://www.gethelpmusic.com/?p=113 The second song from our first live show, ever. Full post can be found here.