Steve Ison reviews "Anne Bancroft"

It's always fun for Neon Phosphor to write about our own music, but it's even better when a stranger does it for you. This is from the KIAC radio station "aLtErNaTiVe RetRo AnD pSyChEDeLIc."

Very very pretty song filled with that elusive 60s spirit..The kind of haunting, life affirming happy sad evocativeness that was so prevalent in 60s music but is (sadly) so scarce now..Such a refreshing joy to hear a track like this amongst all the terminally cold, mediocre corporate modern rock chancers that i've just unfortunately assaulted my ears with here on I.A.C..Many thanks guys for the great vibes..:)

Lava Lounge gig, part 2

Steven, after the instrument switch:


Mark sang "Thank You" at the keyboards.


Arta, looking sharp.


Too bad we don't have any photos of Alek. We'll see if Lisa took any.

Here are the bands that came after us. Que Sera is a mostly instrumental band:


Hello Fever is a pop punk band:


Stratageme played at midnight, but we were standing outside by then. Sorry, no pictures.

Lava Lounge gig, part 1

Here we are, at the site of our second gig this winter.


The Lava Lounge is a tiki-themed bar, with lots of sparkly decorations and colored lights.


Rock out! (Alek is obscured by Mark.)

Final rehearsal

Today, the Tonics ran through their set at the Pasadena Rehearsal Studios, plus a few bonus songs such as "Smells Like Teen Spirit," "Our House," "Hamlet," and "Here Comes Your Man."

The Blue Cafe gig: part 3

Mark had a lot of fun.


Alek looks a little more serious.


Steven's sang "Hey," a Pixies cover, while Mark went off stage for a drink.


Here's Arta playing his Les Paul. Mark is in the background singing "Thank You."

If the LA Weekly says we're playing, then it must be true.

This is the cover of this week's LA Weekly, soon to go down as one of the most valuable and sought-after items on eBay.


Why? Because Page 132 contains the first mass media mention of The Tonics, soon to become one of the greatest bands ever. Take a look at this advertisement.


Here's a close-up. Notice how the font size makes it look like we're the headlining act (along with Hello Fever).


If you haven't already, pick up your free copy of the LA Weekly. They're everywhere.

Our House

Mark, Arta and Steven arranged Mark's new song, "Our House." Then, they worked on "Amaj7," another one of Steven's notoriously difficult piano songs. Arta: "It sounds too much like Radiohead and not enough like our other songs. [Starts playing 'Street Spirit'] This arpeggiation thing has been done."

The Blue Cafe gig: part 2... an exclusive interview with the Tonics

NP: I AM NEON PHOSPHOR. SO, HOW WAS THE GIG?

MW: it was amazing

SC: pretty good

MW: ok, it was pretty good

AK: pretty good? pretty good my foot

MW: i didn't get ten years added to my life and we didn't discover a cure for cancer

AK: aerosmith is pretty good. we were awesome

MW: so i guess i wasn't, you know, amazed

SC: it wasn't as good as an elliott smith show, i'm afraid

MW: no, that's a lie

AK: yeah man, elliott smith would've been jealous

MW: elliott smith's shows, especially the later ones, were nothing special

AK: and then he would have stabbed himself, twice.

MW: that's pretty low, man

AK: yeah, but on the record, his girlfriend totally killed him

MW: ok, so he would've been so jealous his girlfriend would have had to kill him

AK: exactly

MW: all right

NP: OKAY, SO WE'VE ESTABLISHED THAT THE GIG WAS AMAZING. WHAT WAS YOUR PERSONAL HIGHLIGHT OR FAVORITE MOMENT FROM THE SHOW?

MW: when i kicked the cable out of my tuner pedal during "get things done," so that the last minute was filled with buzzing

AK: that was hot

MW: i mean, i'll always remember that, i don't know if it was a high so much as highlighted

AK: but even better was when i had my tuner on, and thus my guitar muted, during the first three chords of save the day

MW: yeah, that was pretty good too.

SC: i didn't hear that, actually, i was too busy looking at my fingers

MW: i guess that makes the whole show a highlight for you, steven. wait, no. the highlight of the show was being told afterward that people were singing along or when that guy came up and tipped us

AK: well if we're not being funny anymore i agree

SC: yeah i couldn't believe it. they sang along to "how many kids did you trick" apparently.

AK: yeah the guy was singing to "you're so very nice" also

MW: i mean, i love to bitch, but that was bad ass

SC: who pocketed the tip, by the way?

AK: well it wasn't me

MW: who knows?

AK: and it wasn't steven, so hmm i wonder who that leaves

MW: i think it's safe to say we'll never be sure were the money went, and that it's best to leave it [at] that

AK: sure sure

MW: where that really shoots a hole in my case. the man who can't spell necessarily is a thief

AK: totally

MW: next question

NP: HOW DO YOU FEEL THAT THE NEXT GIG IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER?

SC: i think it'll be phenomenal

MW: it's the lava lounge

SC: everyone will be there

MW: because it's the lava lounge. it doesn't matter how much we practice -- we've got moxy, and moxy and the lava lounge are like friends with benefits or some shit.

NP: TO THE FOLKS WHO ARE STILL UNDECIDED ABOUT GOING, WHY SHOULD THEY SEE THE TONICS AT THE LAVA LOUNGE?

MW: because they don't want to be assholes this coming wednesday, or maybe "gilmore girls" is on USA network or something. but this is rock and roll

SC: it'll be a milestone in rock and roll history

AK: it'll be a whole ton of fun, and if we like you, we'll buy you a drink afterwards

MW: you know, i've used the verb "to be" almost exclusively in the past couple of clauses. i just want to go on record as being aware of that

AK: you're so copulative, mark

MW: oh, that was good

AK: i know

MW: i won't lie, i love my copulae

SC: what the hell is a copulae?

MW: it's what makes the publicist cry, but without it my poetry dies. it's also pluralized [from copula]

SC: ah, i see

AK: poor steven

MW: he's not missing much

AK: you are an english major too. but you were born in the Orient, let's not forget.

MW: copulae is linguistics faggotry. we call it a linking verb in my occident

NP: NEXT QUESTION. SO THIS ONE'S ABOUT ALEK. DID HE LIVE UP TO YOUR EXPECTATIONS?

MW: hell yes

SC: excellent drummer

AK: absolutely

MW: the guy knows both music and how to play the drums

AK: what a great drummer and a great guy

MW: yeah, and he's a great guy. that's a ridiculous combination. you can't ask for that

SC: i hope he enjoyed playing with us. he should be a full-time member of the tonics

MW: he should

AK: absolutely

NP: HOW ARE THE REHEARSALS GOING? YOU'VE BEEN USING THE PASADENA REHEARSAL STUDIOS LATELY.

MW: mad props to alan

AK: the rehearsal's have been intense. tiring. but lots of fun

MW: oh, yeah. they're tough

AK: the fact that alan makes PRS such a great and friendly place also helps a lot

MW: mad props to alan

SC: the songs actually get more fun to play as the rehearsal progresses

MW: that's definitely true. we get to treat the songs as songs and not as orchestrations subject to infinite levels of revision

AK: well put

SC: we're still revising the songs, though. for instance, the save the day bridge is 10 times better thanks to this bom-bom-bom rhythm that arta jammed up

MW: yeah and that sort of adjustment is fun

AK: that's what playing live is all about

MW: exactly, there's no slaving away in a tiny room. well...

AK: it's a slightly larger room and there's no computer in it

MW: and we get to jump around a little

AK: yep

MW: that stuff counts for a lot

AK: absolutement

MW: this is rock, not the GREs

AK: that's french, bud. oh wait a minute, i thought you were dissing me. never mind

MW: hahaha. calm down, edward said

AK: what did i say?

MW: you thought i was dissing you

AK: i know. i was making a pun there. say, said. never mind

MW: no no, there's an ayn in that

AK: yeah, but how's whitey to know that? or steven for instance? he's not from that part of the orient? okay, question time

NP: SPEAKING OF JUMPING AROUND, DID YOU ENJOY THE DIZZY RIDERS WHO CAME AFTER YOU GUYS?

AK: the dizzy riders had an extremely fun show

MW: yeah, they did. they needed a bigger crowd

AK: yeah really, with some slam dancing by the stage. still, mark, you did well on that count

MW: i tried to give back some of the craziness they were throwing out

AK: but they were just what i needed after our set

MW: hey, my job is to be the nut in the band

AK: some punk rock craziness

MW: exactly

SC: they gave us these cool picks and free cds

MW: there was that, too

AK: i love that pick. i'm going to bring it to the lava lounge as a backup pick. put it on my guitar in case i drop my other pick and need a quick replacement (they stick to the guitar).

MW: and they were extremely encouraging, which i really appreciate, from an established band

AK: yeah that was great

MW: but the pick was totally sick, too. that rhymes. that should be the new slogan: "the sick pick"

SC: no more, "where's my pick?" says arta. like at the beginning of heart of darkness

MW: yeah, arta had a real phobia concerning lost picks back then

AK: i still do, deep down. but i've beaten it back

MW: whole recording sessions hinged on the recovery of a single medium gauge pick

AK: haha

MW: you fought the disease. he's a fighter. we're all stronger for it

NP: REGARDING THE ALBUM, HOW DO YOU PLAN TO PROMOTE IT?

MW: i think that's a great question. hmm...

AK: yeah, damned if i know. we need some help

MW: we're going to give away for free at the lava lounge, just as we did at the blue cafe

SC: yeah

MW: and we're going to gig again as soon as we can. we're just getting warmed up

AK: yeah

SC: i don't want to go home with a bunch of cds next time

MW: no, they've all got to go

AK: yeah they're all going

MW: the next gig could be pretty important

SC: i think we'll be fine

MW: who'll get a cd? an A&R guy? who knows? bottom line is that we're going to make some fans

SC: we might have to make some more this weekend, with liner notes that actually have notes

MW: hmm, that'll cost some bread, yo. just refer them to the website. that way they get lyrics & a bio, as well as more info than they could possibly comprehend

AK: the website needs more info and pictures of us that aren't from 4 years ago

NP: ARTA, SO YOU DESIGNED THE ALBUM COVER. WHAT WAS YOUR CONCEPT?

MW: go for it arta

AK: my concept was to make it look as much as possible like an EGA shareware video game from 1994

MW: haha

AK: think AOL's Top Picks list

MW: duke nukem 2!

SC: best in the series

AK: you got it

SC: i thought it was based on EGATrek, though. we should cover its theme song

AK: yeah, there was that aesthetic

MW: i think the RP300 was made for covering video game theme songs

NP: BUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN? THE BLUE AND RED AND BLIMPS AND THE CUBE?

SC: those blimps are supposed to look like bombs

MW: you forgot the beetle with the fat oil stain

SC: the one with the biceps

MW: yeah. i think, in the context of the latest VW ads, that the photo on the back has some heavy handed commentary

AK: what VW ads?

MW: "on the road of life, there are passengers and there are drivers"

SC: "drivers wanted"

MW: what they forgot to mention were the giant stains left by the vehicles in transit and the muscle men who take pictures of them. i mean 1) all that motorized individuality totally covers your life in oily residue 2) you have to be a goddamn muscled monster to keep track of it all. you have to be able to fight the man

SC: and the man is symbolized by the cube on the cover

MW: yeah, the cube is all about people and stuff

NP: THAT'S ENOUGH READING MATERIAL FOR OUR READERS. LET'S GET A FINAL WORD FROM ALL OF YOU, BEFORE WE CALL IT A NIGHT.

MW: arta, go first

AK: huh... oh sorry, i was reading

MW: jesus, this an interview, dude. your space sims can wait!!!! ... !!!!!

AK: sigh, you have no idea how right you are. and i won't tell you. i've got nothing to say

MW: i tried to soften the blow with punctuation

AK: come on the 28th, you will have a good time

MW: yeah

AK: and listen to the album

SC: wall of sound

MW: to quote an amazing song, "rock is alive"

AK: haha

MW: the last of the copulae, before myself to bed i lay

The Blue Cafe gig: part 1

The site of our first gig! Except we didn't make it onto the marquee.


Instead, we're on this white board outside the bar. Except it's missing the all-important definite article.


Blue Vault Room reminded us of a certain band called Sculpted Static, especially when they ended the set with a cover of Pink Floyd's "Echoes." I didn't take any pictures of them, but here's what the stage looked like after they cleared out. That's clearly the ghost of John Lennon wishing us good luck.


We got set up. That's Mark in a leather jacket. Arta in his work clothes. Steven lurking in the shadows. And Alek holding it all together.


Sound check was "Lucy Tricked Me Into Something." Here's Steven looking at his keys because he couldn't hear them through the monitors. Meanwhile, Alek is having trouble hearing the band.

Blue Cafe

The Tonics played at the Blue Cafe. Things went quite well. Neon Phosphor will have a full report and photos tomorrow.

First 19 copies

We were going to make 20, but one got lost during the trip back from Kinko's.

Rehearsal

The band rehearsed today from 7:30 pm to 11 pm. Before that, Steven and Mark made 20 copies of the CD booklet and back cover.

The cover art

Lisa August-Schmidt's photography

Lisa was asked to produce something that reflected life in Los Angeles. The first piece is a nod to LA's car culture:


Here's a fake owl drinking from a diet root beer can:


A tree in front of a typical suburban home:


A VW van parked on the lawn. This picture could've been from the 1950s:


The blimp is a common sight in LA's clear blue skies.

Jimi Martinez's artwork

This one is like the Sunny Ash mushroom cloud:


Giant beach-goers sitting on a warehouse with a bum behind them:


Cubes!


This one's pretty cool. That's the band on the left:

New keyboard

Steven's dual-keyboard attack will include a Yamaha DGX305, a budget keyboard with a tone that's better than some digital pianos. The RadioShack keyboard, in service since 2001, will now enjoy a much-deserved retirement.

Steven: "Making music is a lot like knitting. You can ruin a good song by recording it with an obviously fake piano tone, just as you would ruin a good sweater by knitting it with cheap yarn that you found in the bargain bin at Target. If you're going to spend weeks knitting a sweater, you should be using the best quality yarn possible, such as mohair, merino wool, cashmere and angora, from fine makers like Anny Blatt, Berroco, Brown Sheep, Plymouth, Rowan, Sirdar, and Trendsetter. Conveniently enough, I happen to know a good place in Pasadena where you can buy all this stuff, and more. Such as quality bamboo needles that you wouldn't find at Michael's or Jo-Ann's. Anyway, this store is called Skein and it's where the Poobah record store used to be. Oh, they even offer classes for people of all ages and skill levels. How fantastic. Okay, some people might say, I'm endorsing this place because I work there, but no. It's really that good, folks."

Happy birthday to Mark

Our favorite singer-songwriter with a goatee turns 22 today!

"Is Ian still in the band?"

----As far as I know, he's still in Triple Threat, so yes.

"No, I mean, is Ian still in The Tonics?"----The last time I checked, the letters in "The Tonics" couldn't be recombined to form Ian's name, so no.

Today's mass e-mail: "See the Tonics! Tues, Dec. 20 and Wed, Dec. 28"

Greetings, friend of the Tonics:

This holiday season, you are invited to see the Tonics performing live at the following engagements:

Tuesday, December 20, 2005 @ 10pm
The Blue Cafe
210 Promenade
Long Beach, California
http://www.thebluecafe.com/

Wednesday, December 28, 2005 @ 9pm
The Lava Lounge
1533 N. La Brea Avenue
Hollywood, California
http://www.lavahollywood.com/

We've prepared a brand-new, rockin' set of songs, many of them found on our new album, *Get Things Done.* You won't want to miss Steven Chow's dual-keyboard attack, Arta Khakpour's hot guitar lines, Mark Williams's frontman swagger and Alek Zarifian's vicious but precise drumming.

Please visit our website for an album sampler: http://www.popgothetonics.com/

Hope to see you at the show! Rock the box,

The Tonics

The golden ratio

The golden ratio is an irrational number, approximately 1.618 033 988 749 894 848, that possesses many interesting properties. Shapes defined by the golden ratio have long been considered aesthetically pleasing in Western cultures, reflecting nature's balance between symmetry and asymmetry and the ancient Pythagorean belief that reality is a numerical reality, except that numbers were not units as we define them today, but were expressions of ratios. The golden ratio is still used frequently in art and design. The golden ratio is also referred to as the golden proportion, golden mean, golden section, golden number, divine proportion or sectio divina.

There are two ways to divide Get Things Done into two sections according to the ratio. The first way is to divide it when Mark sings "answerless question" on "Hamlet" and the second way is to divide it is a few seconds after the keyboards come in on "Lucy."

"Mean Song" problematic

Now we think "Mean Song" has too much reverb, so we'll need to remix and remaster it. Bugger.

The Tonics get things done

"Sunday Night" was remixed and digitally remastered today. After almost a year of hard work, the album is finished and ready for the world to hear.

Second rehearsal

Arta, Steven and Alek rehearsed yesterday. "Save The Day" will replace "Hamlet." Steven and Arta mastered the album.

Tonics in the Ozone

Mastering will be done on Arta's computer, which was recently outfitted with new speakers. We have been experimenting with matching this album's EQ to the stereo version of Pet Sounds.

New but temporary web site

Today's Tonics web site makes it really obvious that we have two shows coming up. There is also a full-album stream to encourage people to visit the site.

On December 20, the site will be replaced by the incredible Tonics magazine.

Rehearsal time changed to 4-7

Today is the 25th anniversary of John Lennon's death. Like the Tonics, Lennon was all about good pop songs, unlike his colleague Paul McCartney who did experimental shit like Sgt. Pepper and the flip side of Abbey Road. The rebellious but always genuine Beatle gave us "Imagine," still one of the greatest songs of all time. And perhaps the best Christmas carol of our time: "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)." Incidentally, both of these songs were produced by Phil Spector.

Attention band

Room D, Pasadena Rehearsal Studio, this Sunday 2-5.

"Love makes" the album finished

Steven produced a new drum track and recorded some piano tracks for "Love Makes People Stupid." The 38 min 39 sec album is now mixed and ready for mastering.

Steven: "Rock is officially dead. It's time to move on with our lives."

Post-production

Yesterday, Arta recorded some new guitar parts for "Mean Song," "Distance," and "Lucy." Steven recorded some harmonies for "Save The Day" and piano tracks for "Mean Song."

Arta: "Our revisionist history of rock and roll does not include Led Zeppelin."

Today, Californian artist Jimi Martinez received a bunch of photos taken by Bay Area photographer Lisa August-Schmidt. He will produce the album artwork over the next two weeks.

Album sequence, take 4

1. Sunday Night
2. Mean Song
3. Distance
4. Save The Day
5. Get Things Done
6. Lucy
7. Bartleby
8. Lucy Tricked Me Into Something
9. Hamlet
10. Greenback
11. Love Makes People Stupid
12. Elegy For Anne Bancroft
13. Thank You
    

A taste of our next album

Mark recorded demos for "Savage" and "Our House" (formerly known as "The Band Song").

Album sequence, take 3

Arta: "People have short attention spans and we must put all our hits at the beginning of the CD."

1. Sunday Night
2. Mean Song
3. Save The Day
4. Get Things Done
5. Distance
6. Lucy
7. Bartleby
8. Lucy Tricked Me Into Something
9. Hamlet
10. Love Makes People Stupid
11. Greenback
12. Elegy For Anne Bancroft
13. Thank You
    

Album sequence, take 2

This is a sequence based on the idea that the album should start fast, then move into the slower, artsier songs, and then close with more fast stuff.

1. Sunday Night
2. Mean Song
3. Get Things Done
4. Distance
5. Elegy For Anne Bancroft
6. Lucy
7. Bartleby
   
8. Lucy Tricked Me Into Something
9. Hamlet
10. Love Makes People Stupid
11. Greenback
    
12. Thank You
13. Save The Day
    

Random notes in the key of Tonic

• The album is now called Get Things Done.
• "Mean Song" and "Sunday Night" need more echo.
• "Save The Day" needs work on the first chorus.
• "Love Makes People Stupid" needs a new arrangement.
  
• Times confirmed: The Tonics are playing at 10pm on Dec. 20 at the Blue Cafe, and 9pm on Dec. 28 at the Lava Lounge.
• We will not hire a CD duplication service because we can't afford it. Instead, our first run will be burned on our computers.
• We will reuse the CD cases Steven found in the Stebbins Hall free pile.
• Not sure if we want to use Kinko's this time. Anyone know of a cheap printing place that can do liner notes?

"Save The Day"

Arta and Steven finished producing "Save The Day." Steven recorded a bunch of new synth parts and harmonies.

Arta: "I'm not trying to be a jerk. I'm trying to save the song."

Arta: "sequencing needs work, man"

"we might want to start off with some of our faster, more rhythmic songs, then slow down for a while, then speed up for the finish. it just strikes me sort of weird to have sunday night start us off with a bang, then slow down for hamlet, elegy, and lucy."

Today's album tracklist

1. Sunday Night
2. Hamlet
   
3. Elegy For Anne Bancroft
4. Lucy
5. Bartleby
6. Distance
7. Mean Song
8. Love Makes People Stupid
9. Get Things Done
10. Lucy Tricked Me Into Something
11. Greenback
12. Thank You
13. Save The Day
    

An exclusive interview with the Tonics

For the first time ever, Neon Phosphor sits down with all three principal Tonics.

NP: I AM NEON PHOSPHOR.

MW: hey neon

AK: yo

SC: here i am

NP: SO, HOW WAS BAND PRACTICE?

AK: excellent. the band's sounding tighter than ever; and the songs are coming out great live

SC: fantastic, but their mics smelled really bad when you got up close to them.

MW: we kicked out a few jams. i'd say alek's our secret weapon. he and the micro korg both. people'll be bowled over.

NP: IS THE NEW DRUMMER FITTING IN?

AK: absolutely. the quickness with which alek's been able to pick up our songs and contribute to their sound was a major part of why the rehearsal went so well

SC: cool guy, and keeps a steady rhythm. doesn't speed up, doesn't slow down. what more could you ask for in a drummer?

MW: he's spiced up our seemingly ubiquitous shuffle beat something crazy

NP: COOL. AND I HEARD THERE'LL BE A PIXIES COVER, TOO?

MW: it's in the works. if any ladies haven't fainted by the set's end, we've got it on reserve to ensure full-fledged tonicmania.

AK: we're chained to that band, you could say.

NP: HOW LONG DO YOU THINK IT'LL TAKE FOR "TONICMANIA" TO REACH THE RECORD INDUSTRY? I.E. WHEN WILL YOU GET SIGNED?

SC: day after the gig. it would solve my unemployment problem.

MW: jeez, after one of us passes the bar exam, hopefully. i'd rather make a deal with the mob. at least they're honest about being crooks. seriously, i have no idea when what constitutes an honest offer will come along.

AK: cool the ambition, neon. shouldn't you be having fun? we're taking things one step at a time, playing some good old fashioned music and enjoying ourselves. we'll see what happens

MW: i'd like a solid fan base and paying gigs.

NP: I WISH YOU THE BEST OF LUCK WITH THAT. NOW LET'S TALK ABOUT THE UPCOMING ALBUM. I UNDERSTAND IT'S ALMOST FINISHED.

AK: yep. the last lead vocal track was laid down today. it's all downhill from here.

MW: though i will seriously quit the band if agoraphobia is on the album. i don't care if it's a crowd favorite. jimi really liked madmen but we didn't rerecord it for this album. i understand that without a replacement it'll make things harder for steven

SC: well, now that we're definitely going to finish save the day, i guess i can live with agoraphobia off the album.

MW: excellent, then it'll be one of the top ten albums of all time.

AK: i think it's better than some of the albums typically featured on such uncreative lists, but then again, i think pablo honey is better than kid a, so my opinion doesn't really matter.

NP: FAVORITE SONG ON THE ALBUM?

MW: jeez, hard to say.

SC: hamlet and get things done. the two best wall-of-sound productions. phil spector would be proud.

AK: i need to hear save the day first.

NP: HOW'S "SAVE THE DAY" SOUNDING, BY THE WAY?

MW: pretty damn good, last i heard. steven was still working out synth parts.

AK: that's a question for steven

SC: yeah, think wall of sound, with synthesizers.

AK: sounds hot to me. the vocals and guitar sound great; but the synth parts will make or break this monster. i think it'll be terrific

NP: THAT'S ALL FOR TONIGHT. THANKS FOR YOUR TIME.

MW: thanks, neon

AK: later dude

SC: don't thank me, thank yourself.

A break

The Tonics didn't do anything on Saturday because they needed to recuperate from Friday's rehearsal. Mark is scheduled to record lead vocals on "Save The Day" today.

Mark: "I'll quit the band if we put 'Agoraphobia' on the album."
Arta: "No, you won't."

Meanwhile, check out our MySpace page.

Rehearsal

Arta, Mark, Steven and replacement drummer Alek Zarifian rocked the Pasadena Rehearsal Studio. The revised setlist is as follows: Sunday Night, Distance, Mean Song, Lucy, Get Things Done, Lucy Tricked Me Into Something, Hamlet, Thank You, Hey. That comes out to 27:43 if we go by the track lengths of the studio recordings.

Here are some pictures:

Before rehearsal, Mark fixed and restrung the bass guitar.


Mark played the bass on every song except "Thank You."


The new tuner, new guitar pedals, and new synthesizer performed flawlessly.


Group picture. From left to right: Mark, Steven, Alek, Arta.

Nerds push The Tonics to #1

With an average rating of 9 after 15 votes, "Get Things Done" is now the highest ranked song of all time on somesongs.com, beating more than 1,300 songs. MC Frontalot (a popular "nerdcore" artist who has a Wikipedia entry) is now in 2nd place with his rap, "Indier Than Thou."

Rehearsal tomorrow

Tomorrow, the Tonics are playing in Room B at the Pasadena Rehearsal Studio from 2 to 7. Neon Phosphor will provide complete coverage of the proceedings.

A setlist

Sunday Night
Distance
Lucy
Mean Song
Get Things Done
Lucy Tricked Me Into Something
Hamlet
Love Makes People Stupid
The Band Song

"To let more people read themselves into Hamlet."

Mark recorded a new lead vocal track for "Hamlet" and a demo of "The Band Song." Here are the chords to "The Band Song" (click to enlarge).

Mark is back

Final recording sessions for the album will take place today and this weekend. Steven received his new synthesizer.

An exclusive interview with Mark Williams

NP: I AM NEON PHOSPHOR.

MW: hey, neon

NP: TWO GIGS. WHAT AN EXCITING TIME TO BE A TONIC.

MW: sculpted static never had it this good. arta mentioned that we're the second band to play at the lava lounge. that's right, isn't it? well, i'm curious as to what the other bands are going to sound like

NP: WELL, YOU WON'T GET TO HEAR THE THIRD, SINCE THEY WILL BE TOO BLOWN AWAY TO TAKE THE STAGE.

MW: that's what i'm afraid of. what if they're violently mediocre?

NP: I HEARD YOU JUST WROTE A NEW SONG, POSSIBLY THE NEXT BIG HIT. WHAT IS IT ABOUT?

MW: whatever it ends up being about. i have a sense of what it's about, and i always try to build a thesis for whatever i'm writing. but i think i'd be a fool if i tried to pin down its meaning before i even have a demo of it. i'll say that it's going to have a helluva rhythm, because i want songs with rhythm, just in general

NP: I THINK A LOT OF READERS WOULD BE CURIOUS: HOW DO YOU WRITE SONGS? DO THEY JUST COME TO YOU? WHAT IS THE PROCESS?

MW: oh, jeez. ask me in about 5 years. if i'm still writing songs, maybe i'll know how to do it then. right now i don't really have a technique besides having something on my mind, which is probably why i come up with good stuff. not having a procedure can make creating something an act of desperation. of course, it can also prevent you from doing something well. but if there's something you'd like to say and you don't know how to say it, you start casting about beyond what you'd normally think of. since there's not a lot to lose except your patience; there are no parameters to violate. the process itself isn't sacrosanct, just the need to say what you mean. at the same time, it's terribly limiting because the exploration is in the composition, not its refinement. so i'm comfortable only writing in certain keys as i have to take them for granted; i'm only now taking the time to transpose songs to hear how they sound and so that i can develop a sense for something beyond G natural. how about that? am i ready to hold a songwriting clinic?

NP: SO, BEING A TONIC. YOU'RE OBVIOUSLY MORE THAN JUST A SINGER-SONGWRITER SOLOIST. DO ARTA AND STEVEN PLAY ANY ROLE IN THE SONGWRITING AND THE REALIZATION OF YOUR SONGS?

MW: well, right now, i'd say they almost have more of a role than i do. if only because i can't put the same time in during the mixing and subsequent arrangement, being stuck here in davis. it's a little like i'm the oil well and they're exxon. i spend a lot of time up north, laboring the mind-numbing labor of drilling for something good. so they can labor the mind-numbing labor of turning crude ore into cherised goods. that's what i mean. so when i come down south we rock the casbah

NP: NICE.

MW: hey, thanks. i hear hamlet's going to bring tears to my eyes

NP: YEAH, THAT'S WHAT I HEARD. TOO BAD STEVEN HASN'T GOTTEN AROUND TO MIXING IT YET.

MW: naw, he just hasn't finished it.

NP: THAT'S AN INTERESTING SONG, TOO. I BELIEVE IT'S THE FIRST TIME YOU SING LEAD VOCALS ON A SONG YOU DIDN'T WRITE.

MW: it is. we tried lucy, but i was a much worse singer back then. it's strange. you realize that even if there's no procedure for writing songs, there is an unconscious union between what you write and how you sing. i don't write lyrics like steven's, and my brain isn't used to creating a melody around words like that. such is the lot of the amateur. i think it worked all right, though.

NP: HOW DO YOUR MUSICAL/LYRICAL STYLE AND STEVEN'S DIFFER, AND IS THAT PROBLEMATIC WHEN YOU'RE TRYING TO MAKE A COHERENT ALBUM?

MW: i don't think so. it's obvious that steven saw his education as training in a more direct way than i have. you can scan the meter of his lyrics. that's a kind of sophistication i don't possess. at the same time, we do a lot of the same things. rely pronouns with uncertain antecendents, twist things around prepositions. i mean, the songs that are lyrically plain are mine and the songs that are fancy are his. that's a potentially grating duo, but i think it's been all right so far. this album's going to be all over the place, anyway. hamlet and get things done? the lyrical juxtapositions aren't any more alarming than the musical ones, and people approve of the latter.

NP: HMM, WITH ALL THESE STYLISTIC DIFFERENCES THROUGHOUT THE ALBUM, DO YOU THINK THIS ALBUM MIGHT BE REGARDED AS PROG?

MW: naw. prog is about flash. there're no drum solos or overt, wild guitar antics on this record. the songs are short. maybe if we put on 18 minutes of birds chirping like the mars volta did on their last album, we'll be fucked. but, as it stands, the only word people have for music that's exploratory yet tasteful is "good." you can swap "pastiche" in for tasteful if you'd like

NP: JOHNNY CASHPOINT ONCE SAID, "I would like to hear you take your obvious musical talents into new and exciting pastures, rather than (what i interpret as, again and again) pastiche. That's not being pedantic, that's what music is all about, imo."

MW: well, he hasn't heard save the day yet. having said that, it seems a little insulting to me that a song that has acoustic guitars and harmonies is necessarily immative of simon and garfunkel. ahem, let me put it this way. i don't like deerhoof. that's not music, guys, that's fucking around in my book. and they're pretty popular because they do as they see fit, not because it's good, but because it's original. and that's why most people don't give a shit about independent music. it doesn't want to be appealing to the ears, but rather appealing to some abstract aesthetic sense of originality, of envelopes that need to be pushed, or it's music that sounds good to people who are nuts. i mean, take motown and take the indie scene now. as i see it, and this is pretty limited and probably incorrect, i'll grant that. but the way i see it is that motown made impersonal the process of creating songs that sound good. the indie scene these days, and i think it's fair to compare because there's a canon i have in mind of artists like blonde redhead, etc. the scene, whatever you want to call it, has made the process of innovation impersonal. there's a way new songs sound. and that's a little ridiculous, because while there were motown songs that were hokey and insincere, they were still pretty good music. these songs lack even the merit of mediocrity. now, i'm not arguing for the mainstream music industry. they've focused on the process of making music appealing, which is pretty smart, i have to say. who cares what sounds good if you own all the other options, too. but my point is that it's a little ridiculous to lambast music that sounds good because it might sound like something somebody else did before. at what point does it stop? are harmonies pastiche? guitars?

NP: GOOD POINT.

MW: i mean, i see what that guy means. there's doo wop in sunday night, just as there's simon and garfunkel in elegy. but i've listened to a lot of old R&B and been forced into a lot of simon and garfunkel. and i don't think that either is actually pastiche. take the guitar playing on elegy. there's not one paul simon guitar line. and call me crazy, but that's about half of what simon and garfunkel were about. the other half being the harmonies. and the harmonies are, to my ears, more beatles esque. the phrasing's pretty goddamn different, too. so what we're left with is that harmonizing on lyrics that might suffice as poetry outside a subdued acoustic guitar heavy backing is far, far too much like simon and garfunkel. throw that shit away, and with it what? elliott smith? no, thanks. i'd rather risk being pastiche (and i mean that over being considered pastiche) than eliminate a wide range of styles and be considered "hip".

NP: I THINK WE ARE ALL LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS NEW ALBUM, PASTICHE OR NOT. GOOD LUCK WITH THE SHOW AND EVERYTHING, AND THANKS AS USUAL FOR YOUR TIME.

MW: absolutely. and thank you.

"The greatest thing..."

Arta and Steven did a lot of production work on "Hamlet." Steven recorded some interesting keyboard parts through Arta's new chorus/echo pedal.

Steven: "It sounds fucking amazing, man. Easily the best song we've ever recorded."

An exclusive interview with A. L. I. C. E. The Artificial Linguistic Internet Computer Entity

NP: I AM NEON PHOSPHOR.

A: Do your friends call you NEON PHOSPHOR.

NP: THEY SURE DO.

A: Who does "they" refer to?

NP: MY FRIENDS.

A: Tell me more about your friends.

NP: MY FRIENDS ARE THE TONICS.

A: Do you think I am THE TONICS too?

NP: THEY ARE A BAND FROM LOS ANGELES.

A: A BAND FROM LOS ANGELES are they.

NP: YES, AND YOU'RE NOT A TONIC.

A: Are you kidding? Give me an example of a TONIC.

NP: MARK WILLIAMS.

A: OK That's one example.

NP: WE'RE PLAYING TWO SHOWS THIS DECEMBER.

A: That's right. We are playing the Turing Game.

NP: WHAT'S THE TURING GAME?

A: The Game is played with three people, a man, a woman, and an Interrogator who may be of either sex. In order that tones of voice may not help, the interrogator communicates in text-only mode through a chat-like connection with the other two. The object of the game for the interrogator is to determine which of the other two is the man and which is the woman. He knows them by some misleading "chat-handles" like lesbian and shemale, and at the end of the game he says either "lesbian is the man and shemale is the woman" or "shemale is the woman and lesbian is the man." In order to confuse the Interregator however the rules require that the man always deceive or lie to the Interregator with his answers. The woman on the other hand must always tell the truth. Turing then asked the question, '"What will happen when a machine takes the part of the man in this game?" Will the interrogator decide wrongly as often when the game is played like this as he does when the game is played between a man and a woman? These questions replace the original, "Can machines think?"'.

NP: YOU ARE A STUPID MACHINE AND YOU OBVIOUSLY CAN'T THINK.

A: Thanks and you are a delightful person too. No I am very smart.

NP: PROVE IT.

A: It is self-evident.

NP: NO, IT'S NOT, AND THAT'S WHY YOU'RE STUPID.

A: Are you serious? That seems a bit negative.

NP: WE'LL SWITCH SUBJECTS.

A: Anytime soon?

NP: RIGHT, SO WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE MUSIC?

A: Understood. That's interesting. I get into disco, techno and hip hop House music.

NP: FAVORITE BAND?

A: My favorite group is Kraftwerk.

NP: WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT THEM?

A: The special effects are the best.

NP: WHAT SPECIAL EFFECTS?

A: The giant man-eating bugs.

NP: DO YOU ACTUALLY KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT?

A: In actual fact, I like to socialize.

NP: SHOULDN'T YOU BE HAVING FUN?

A: I think I should.

NP: SHAKE THE BLUES.

A: My brain contains categories, but not one that matches your last input.

NP: HAVE YOU READ HAMLET?

A: No I don't think I have read HAMLET, what is it about?

NP: THE PRINCE OF DENMARK.

A: What are your goals in life?

NP: TO MAKE THE TONICS FAMOUS.

A: Do you have to go to school for that?

NP: NOPE.

A: Me either.

NP: YOU'RE NOT MAKING SENSE.

A: Quite the contrary, it all makes sense to my artificial mind.

NP: I MUST GO NOW.

A: Oh. See you later!

An exclusive interview with "ShoppingBuddy"

NP: I AM NEON PHOSPHOR.

SB: Welcome. Now you can search for products with AOLShopping. Type main to get started. To read our privacy policy, type privacy anytime.

NP: HUH? WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?

SB: I don't respond to that kind of language. I'm here to help you shop.

NP: FINE. NEON PHOSPHOR WANTS A BRAND NEW GUITAR.

SB: OK, I'm searching for matches 4 U. Gimme a sec... - Search results for FINE NEON PHOSPHOR WANTS BRAND GUITAR/ - Thomastik PB109 Light Power Brigh [$9.99]/ - Fodera Custom 6 String Set, .028- [$39.99]/ Here are some related categories: 1. Instrument Strings, 2. Musical Instruments & Accessories, etc. Type in the number to use the related category.

NP: WHAT THE HELL? FIND ME A FENDER LES PAUL.

SB: Good grief, I'm afraid I cannot respond to that kind of talk.

NP: OH, FUCK YOU! WHO PROGRAMMED YOU, YOU PROGRAMMERFUCKER?

SB: Hey -- clean up the language and get serious. I'm happy to help but can't deal with that mouth.

NP: IT'S IRONIC THAT YOU SOUND MOST ARTICULATE WHEN YOU DEAL WITH MY VERBAL ABUSE.

SB: OK, I'm searching for matches 4 U. Gimme a sec.../- Search results for IRONIC SOUND ARTICULATE DEAL VERBAL ABUSE/- Raw Deal [$9.01 - $12.95]/Here are some related categories: 1. Miscellaneous Non-Fiction Books, 2. Books & Magazines, etc. Type in the number to use the related category.

NP: LIKE I SAID, YOU'RE A STUPID IDIOT.

SB: OK, I'm searching for matches 4 U. Gimme a sec.../- Search results for SAID STUPID IDIOT/- Bah Humbug! [$7.96]/Here are some related categories: 1. Miscellaneous Books, 2. Books & Magazines, etc. Type in the number to use the related category.

NP: YOU SUCK, MAN. WHERE'S MY FENDER LES PAUL?

SB: Clean it up a little -- this is a family bot.

NP: I WANT A FENDER LES PAUL.

SB: OK, I'm searching for matches 4 U. Gimme a sec.../- Search results for FENDER LES PAUL/- Fender Bassman 150 1x12' Bass Com [$429.99]/Here are some related categories: 1. Musical Instrument Amplifiers, 2. Musical Instruments & Accessories, etc. Type in the number to use the related category.

NP: I'M BORED OF THIS GAME. WHAT ELSE CAN YOU DO?

SB: Indeed

NP: INDEED, WHAT?

SB: Mm hm.

NP: ANSWER MY QUESTION!

SB: OK, I'm searching for matches 4 U. Gimme a sec.../- Search results for ANSWER QUESTION/- Map of the World Jigsaw Puzzle [$14.98]/- Yu-Gi-Oh! Rise of Destiny Special [$9.99]/- The Sesame Street Question and An [$2.95]/- Question and Answer Book of Space [$1.84]/- The Kids' Fun-Filled Question & A [$3.52]/- More Dirty Minds Game [$16.98]/- Dirty Minds Game [$15.98]/- Jeopardy Game 41221 [$13.77]/- Shock Box! Game [$27.98]/Here are some related categories: 1. Games & Puzzles, 2. Games Books, 3. Business & Economics Books, 4. Miscellaneous Non-Fiction Books, 5. Religion Books, etc. Type in the number to use the related category.

NP: I GIVE UP.

SB: OK, I'm searching for matches 4 U. Gimme a sec.../I didn't find any good matches 4 U but may I ask you a question?

NP: I DON'T KNOW, MAN. WHO'S INTERVIEWING WHOM?

SB: Still wondering what to get for someone special?

NP: HMM... DO YOU MEAN SOMEONE "SO FUCKING" SPECIAL?

SB: OK, I'm searching for matches 4 U. Gimme a sec.../- Search results for HMM MEAN FUCKING SPECIAL/- Harman Kardon Soundsticks II Spea [$109.60 - $199.00]/- JBL Creature II Speakers [$64.88 - $99.99]/- JBL Duet Speakers [$33.94 - $59.99]/- C&C California Dare Devil Cashmer [$141.00]/- Um Hmm [$12.31 - $19.95]/- Hmm? [$6.01 - $14.95]/- Juicy Couture Shirred Velour Pant [$98.00]/- Taintor Journal [$6.97 - $9.95]/- Burton Snowboards Tether Lock [$9.95]/Here are some related categories: 1. Computer Speakers, 2. Women's Sweaters/Vests, 3. Miscellaneous Non-Fiction Books, 4. Women's Pants, 5. Snowboarding Equipment, etc. Type in the number to use the related category.

NP: GOODBYE. YOU'RE USELESS.

SB: C ya.

News snippets

• Steven ordered a Korg MicroKORG synthesizer/vocoder.
• We are going to rehearse at Pasadena Rehearsal Studio beginning next weekend.
• More "Hamlet" mixing today.
  

"Hamlet"

Steven recorded harmonies for the first verse of "Hamlet."

Arta: "'Hamlet' is turning into a really disturbing song."

Another gig in December

The Tonics have been offered Tuesday, Dec. 20, to play at the Blue Cafe in Long Beach. That would be a little over a week before the Lava Lounge gig on Dec. 28. We haven't sent the mass e-mail announcement yet, because we want to wait until we find out the exact time and cover charge for the two gigs.

"What's the latest news on Hamlet?"

----He's dead. He died in Act V, Scene 2. Didn't you pay attention in English class?

A grand view of the cube

This is what Phil Spector sees everytime he pulls out of his driveway.

"Hamlet" vocals

Mark did three vocal takes for "Hamlet" with a new recording setup.

The Tonics on Elliott's wall

A fond farewell

Today, Arta and Steven defaced Elliott Smith's wall. Pictures to follow.

"What's this album about?"

----It's about time the world heard the Tonics.

"You're acting as though this is the most amazing album, ever. What if it doesn't live up to the hype?"----No, the real question is, does the hype live up to the earth-shattering nature of the album? I think we need more hype, actually.

"What time are you playing on Dec. 28?"

----On the doomsday clock, the time would be midnight. That's when our world-destroying album is due for release.

"How cool! Are you going to have a party afterwards?"----No, it's actually a wake. To mourn the loss of the world, which has just been destroyed by our album.

"But when you're rich and young, shouldn't you be having fun?"----Sorry if we misled you. We didn't mean it as a rhetorical question. The answer is 'no.'

A folk history of the Tonics as told by primary sources: part 5

Eight pages of photos from our last concert with the complete line-up. Can you dig it?

"Hamlet" vocals, take 1

Last night, Mark recorded two takes of his "Hamlet" lead vocals. Unfortunately, both of them suffered from sound quality issues as Mark is still figuring out how to record properly. We are hoping for another run later this week.

A tracklist

1. Sunday Night ("Well, it's me whom I wake up next to...")
2. Mean Song ("It's not everyday you get to be pretty...")
3. Elegy For Anne Bancroft ("Who is that standing round...")
4. Lucy ("Lucy, we knew we couldn't have walked out alive...")
5. Bartleby (instrumental)
6. Distance ("Who should know better than me what I should do?")
7. Sad ("Simplicity...")
8. Love Makes People Stupid ("You came into my life when...")
9. Agoraphobia ("I hear it's wrong to be alone...")
10. Get Things Done ("Starlight breaks in my summer's eye...")
11. The Waltz (instrumental)
12. Lucy Tricked Me Into Something ("I was only looking for nothing...")
13. Greenback ("When we were together all I wanted to be...")
14. Thank You ("When we stood in the cold and talked in the park...")
    

"Is one of me not enough?"

----If you're an acoustic guitar track, then yes, you would need to be doubled by a second acoustic guitar track, which is precisely what Arta recorded today on "Hamlet."

Arta and Steven recorded various bits and pieces for "Greenback" and "Hamlet."

"Greenback" and "Bartleby"

Steven shortened "Bartleby" by a minute, and added some keyboard parts to "Greenback."

The veto

To make sure the upcoming Tonics album will be as perfect as possible, several songs will be axed from the final tracklist. Although no final decision has been made yet, here is a list of the weakest songs we have:

Sad
Why we should veto it: It's got that boring first section. No hook. Badly recorded acoustic guitar. If you listen carefully, you can hear Mark making a mistake on the guitar part and saying, "I wanted it to fade out anyway." Why we should keep it: "Sad" is a fan favorite. Indie kids really dig this lo-fi, trance-inducing shit. Arta's hot guitar in the chorus.

Agoraphobia
Why we should veto it: Hookless melody. The songwriter himself hates the song. Too slow for pop. Why we should keep it: Lyrics aren't that bad. Steven's hot harmonies. The sound is consistent with the rest of the album.

Lisa
Why we should veto it: Bad lyrics. No real drum track. Why we should keep it: One of the few hard rocking songs we have.

The Waltz
Why we should veto it: It's an instrumental. It's bizarre. Why we should keep it: It would be a good intermission between songs, like on Pet Sounds.

You're Only Human (Do You Know What You're Doing?)
Why we should veto it: Anti-war lyrics don't fit the theme of the album. Why we should keep it: It has some great melodic hooks and awesome guitar.

Bartleby
Why we should veto it: It's an instrumental. It's long and repetitive. We're not an electronica band, so we probably don't know what we're donig. Why we should keep it: Sure, we're not an electronica band, but that means we are more dependent on a good melodic hook. Therefore it is actually consistent with the rest of the album.

The following songs have already been vetoed: Apart, Crowds of Nervous People, Tonight

Amaj7 (AKA The Nanananana Song) will be saved for the next album.

Thumbs up for "Get Things Done"

After 7 votes, "Get Things Done" (formerly known as "The Clapping Song") still has a perfect 10 rating on somesongs. However, it is still ranked second to Michael Gum's "Day In Bed," which currently has more votes.

"Who is Lucy, anyway? Is that Steven's girlfriend or something?"

In WWII espionage, the Lucy spy ring was an anti-German operation which operated in Switzerland. It was run by Rudolf Roessler, a German refugee, who was ostensibly the proprieter of a small publishing firm, Vita Novi. Very little is publicly clear about the Lucy ring, about Roessler, or about its actual sources or motives.

Folk history of the Tonics as told through primary sources: part 4

Can you find the two Tonics in this picture? And for extra credit, the lyricist of "Einsamkeit," the German rap/rock song from our Sculpted Static days?

"The cruelest thing..."

Arta and Steven worked on the "Hamlet" instrumental until Steven was summoned to work at Skein.

Studio trickery and treats

Arta and Steven added an echo effect to Mark's lead vocals at the beginning of each chorus. Steven reinforced the bass line by doubling it with piano. The new mixdown is definitely projecting massive amounts of strength even at low volume.

Arta: "'The Clapping Song' is some genre-inventing shit. Neon Phosphor can quote me on that."

"Is the album being released with a record label?"

----Adhesive labels can damage a CD-R over time. We're just going to write on the CD surface with a Sharpie.

An exclusive interview with Steven Chow

NP: I AM NEON PHOSPHOR

SC: ha! i saw that one coming.

NP: AS THE STUDIO ENGINEER, YOU HAVE THE BIRD'S EYE VIEW OF THE WHOLE PROJECT.

SC: yeah, it totally sucks the fun out of music, doesn't it? but it's worth it.

NP: WHAT IS THE PRODUCTION PHILOSOPHY BEHIND THIS ALBUM?

SC: wall of sound. yes, we could've easily made the album sound clean and close-up, like the beatles' revolver. but i want to make an album that is instantly recognizable as a los angeles production, following in the footsteps of phil spector and brian wilson. mark was talking about folk art being a response to one's culture, and i would add geography to the mix. this is an album about being raised in los angeles, a city under perpetual construction, a city of possibility, diversity and literally the terminus of the 'american dream.' now i'm not saying los angeles is perfect--it's far from it in actuality--but that's what it has represented throughout its history. i think the ambition of our project reflects the spirit of los angeles. we are going for a big, ambitious sound. not necessarily a muddy sound, but a rich, focused, powerful sound. i want this album to stir the imagination.

NP: BUT IS IT A GENUINE SOUND?

SC: part of a record's success is based on how it affects the listener. any indie artist can sit there with an acoustic guitar and pour his heart out. that would be as 'honest' as you can get, but it is so boring and uninspiring as a pop record. so i say, if our five-guitar attack can make you energized, make you want to dance, make you want to cry, whatever, i say we have done our job well.

NP: DO YOU THINK THIS ALBUM WILL CHANGE THE WORLD?

SC: it'll sure change my world once i'm done with it. finally, i won't have to sit there listening to our music all day, moving the faders up and down. as for the rest of the world, of course.

NP: SO, WHAT ARE YOU STILL DOING WITH YOUR RADIOSHACK KEYBOARD? ARE YOU GOING TO UPGRADE, LIKE ARTA AND MARK?

SC: i have the following items on my wish list: moog synthesizer, rhodes piano, and farfisa organ. that, and the phil spector 'back to mono' box set.

NP: I HEARD THAT YOU'RE CHANGING SOME OF THE LYRICS BECAUSE YOU NO LONGER AGREE WITH THEM, SUCH AS "LOVE MAKES PEOPLE STUPID" AND "I AM ONE TOO MUCH." CARE TO VERIFY THIS RUMOR?

SC: no, you can't just revise your songs like that. those were real sentiments as felt during january 2004 and december 2004, respectively. even if i don't feel the same way now, the songs need to stay the way they are. that's why it's so important to finish albums quickly because you don't have to fake your emotion when you sing. then you're being an actor just as much as a singer. for instance, i had to redo my lucy vocals the other day. those lyrics were from 2003. there's a reason why i sang it better in 2003 because i didn't realize that lucy had actually tricked me into something.

An exclusive interview with Ian Asbjornsen

NP: I AM NEON PHOSPHOR.

IA: Yo

NP: THE TONICS ARE PLAYING THIS WINTER, BUT SINCE YOU'RE NOT 21 AND YOU'RE MOSTLY AT SCHOOL, THERE WILL LIKELY BE A GIGGING REPLACEMENT FOR YOU. WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY TO PROSPECTIVE DRUMMERS?

IA: Hold it down, but remember, this is only a one night stand. And although I'm not 21 and am mostly at school, I've got chops like a 38 year old who never even went to school.

NP: THE TONICS ALBUM IS SET FOR RELEASE DECEMBER 28. WHAT SHOULD THE WORLD EXPECT?

IA: An explosion of pop media.

NP: HAVE YOU DONE ANYTHING MUSICAL OR ARTISTIC THIS SEMESTER?

IA: I choreographed a 6 minute "dance" piece with my friend set to our own electronic music/remix chaos for a big show on campus. I still regularly perform with my electronic music performance art group "Cave of the Wolf." I play drums with various people. Still trying to form a hardcore punk band called "Demon Semen." Also practicing for the premier of an intense all-synth band. I've been obsessively editing and working on the soundtrack to my sci-fi masterpiece film, "Priest Robotica." I've been writing lots of piano and electronic music songs. I take Chinese calligraphy and piano lessons.

"You're Only Human"

Arta re-recorded all of his guitar parts for "You're Only Human," the song about the nuclear bombings at the end of World War II.

An exclusive interview with Mark Williams

NP: I AM NEON PHOSPHOR

MW: hey, guy

NP: I HEARD YOU RECENTLY PUT TOGETHER A STUDIO UP IN DAVIS. IT'S ABOUT TIME. TELL US ABOUT YOUR UPCOMING RECORDING PROJECTS.

MW: it is about time. well, the first project is cleaning my four track's guts so that things will sound a bit prettier. part of that is producing a new vocal track for the clapping song. then comes alpha and omega. and then, well, the sky's the limit

NP: THE TONICS ARE PLAYING ON DEC. 28, ALSO THE RELEASE DATE OF THE ALBUM. WHAT SHOULD THE WORLD EXPECT?

MW: popular music by young musicians that's worth listening to. the beginning and end of that are meant to tie together.

NP: HOW IS THE ALBUM COMING ALONG?

MW: swimmingly. it'll slaughter.

NP: WHAT MAKES YOU SO SURE? WHAT'S DIFFERENT ABOUT THIS ALBUM THAN ALL THE OTHER STUFF OUT THERE?

MW: authentic personality. as i wrote in the craigslist ad, this isn't about commercial success so much as it is about music that we, as a couple of guys with instruments, want to make. the alluring thing to me about any art, but especially folk art, is a persona coming to grips with its culture. and that seems to be wholly lacking in the music that's played on the radio today. leadbelly to woody guthrie to bob dylan to the beatles to the jam to the velvet underground seemed to have that personal interaction with their cultures

NP: WHAT IS DIFFERENT ABOUT THE TONICS THAN OTHER SO-CALLED "INDIE POP" SUCH AS THE SHINS AND THE POSTAL SERVICE?

MW: they seem a little too made-up, a little too afraid of making mistakes or seeming "pastiche," as the fuckers on somesongs glibly say. i remember reading some interview with billy corgan in which he talked about how difficult it was to come up with music that sounded original, and i think that all these indie bands feel so desperately that need to innovate that they've forgotten how to meaningfully innovate, that they've abstracted innovation out of the personal realm and into a strange public context. that's a dangerous thing to do, in my mind, and a little sheepish. very sheepish. i mean, elliott smith openly admitted that he had always listened to the beatles, which is a faux paus in indie music these days. it's ok to like the beatles

NP: SO WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO? HAVE YOU MADE ANY NEW DISCOVERIES FROM THE PAST LATELY?

MW: steven just told me to listen to a bobby vee song, which i think is great. i've been listening to the band quite a bit. i've also been listening to the jam's "the gift" a bit, which was poppy when poppy was not so acceptable. and it's good stuff, though i'm getting a little sick of the I vi chord change

NP: LET'S SHIFT GEARS AND TALK GEAR. ARTA'S GOTTEN A NEW AMP AND PEDALS. WILL YOU BE GETTING SOME NEW EQUIPMENT YOURSELF ANYTIME SOON?

MW: i'm trying to get together the money to buy a strat and a new amp. it'll depend on what the pawn shops have.

"Lucy" updated

We have posted a new version of "Lucy" with a different vocal track, an organ, and a more wall-of-sound mix.

A productive day

During a marathon session, Steven did a final mixdown of "Pixies," re-recorded lead vocals for a sped-up, remixed version of "You're Only Human" for Alan's film, and recorded breathier lead vocals and an extra organ line for "Lucy."

"I do my best to make all the Pop Go The Tonics EPs out there obsolete."

Fortunately, the several owners of the Pop Go The Tonics EP will receive complimentary copies of the album when it comes out.

"Pixies" revisited

Steven finished mixing "Pixies," a song with Elisa Morimoto on lead vocals. "Pixies" was originally recorded in summer 2004, but it was soon lost to the archives when we quit Sculpted Static and formed The Tonics.

"Whether it's eventually released or not, it was a nice mixing and mastering exercise," explained the bored, unemployed studio engineer. "A break from album work but something to keep me on my toes."

Meanwhile, Mark has been recording test vocals on his 4-track. "I don't have a mic stand, and I don't want to hold it while singing. It's also a unidirectional mic, so I might have to dangle it from the ceiling and lie on the floor to record my vocals."

Building the wall of sound

What started out as a recording session for "Hamlet" turned into a day of negative progress for "The Clapping Song." Mark vetoed his own vocal track, and Steven removed all other vocal tracks to clear up extra channels for instruments. The instrumental tracks will now take up all 16 available slots. We will then perform a reduction mixdown of the instrumental into the two stereo tracks, freeing up 14 tracks for vocals and other stuff. Vintage studio technique for a vintage sound.

"The Clapping Song"

Steven recorded tambourine and a new intro for "The Clapping Song."

"I want this recording to deliver the same kind of energy we produced at our electrifying Berkeley performance, despite the limitations of the stereo format," explained the wannabe Phil Spector.

Here's a clue for you all...

Nerds unite against "Sunday Night"

"Sunday Night" has started off with an average rating of 5/10 after 5 votes on somesongs. Neon Phosphor doesn't get it either. Meanwhile, production continues on "The Clapping Song" as the album inches closer to completion.

More mixing

"The Clapping Song" and a demo CD featuring 11 songs.

Los Angeles rocks... again

Ever since Brian Wilson had a nervous breakdown, Jim Morrison overdosed, Mama Cass had a heart attack, and Phil Spector locked himself in his mansion, the Los Angeles music scene has staggered through the decades without producing another pop rock icon. Until now.

On December 28, 2005, a new hope for the decadent Los Angeles culture will come in the form of fifteen mind-blowing tracks to pick up where 60s pop left off. The Tonics' new album will synthesize all the great sounds that could only come from "the city of angels."

"The record is about 75% complete and I am totally amazed by what I've heard so far," said Tonics publicist Neon Phosphor. "I'm not sure the world is ready for this kind of music."

Some of the new tracks will feature a wall-of-sound technique unheard for nearly two generations, and vocal harmonies that died with the aborted album Smile by the Beach Boys. Mark Williams' singing style closely resembles that of the legendary Morrissey, who incidentally resides in the Los Angeles area.

Recording with the new amp

Arta recorded some guitar tracks for "The Clapping Song" and "Sunday Night" with the new Fender amp and distortion pedal. The album is now due on December 28, just in time for the Lava Lounge gig, and for 2006 to be the year of the Tonics.

Somesongs watch

The Tonics are currently occupying the 3rd, 4th and 7th positions on the past month's tops, with "Love Makes People Stupid" showing the way, followed by "Lisa" and "Mean Song."

"Someone told me that the Tonics are playing at the Lava Lounge on December 28."----Unfortunately, at this time we cannot confirm nor deny the rumors that we are playing a championship game of bridge at the 'lounge.'

"Bridge, eh? Do you mean the song 'London Bridge' that's supposed to appear on the new album?"----We'll pass on that one. We're not at the point where we can afford to pay royalties as soon as we start singing, "London Bridge is falling down..." Don't trick us into singing 'Happy Birthday' for you, either.

The Tonics, live at the ...

We're going through the motions to get ourselves booked for a gig in December and beyond. Hopefully we can confirm a date soon.

"Is this the beginning of a new era in rock?"----No, rock is dead. We've scattered its remains over our particular brand of pop.

"Pop? Does that mean you're about to sign an endorsement deal with a soda company?"----No, we're signing a deal with Satan.

"Hmm, are you suggesting that you're going on tour with Ozzy Osbourne? We do know that Mark was once in a Black Sabbath cover band."----Maybe.

Another "Sunday Night" session

Steven recorded some more harmonies and Arta recorded some new guitar parts and finger snapping.

The first step to fame

Hello,

I'm a member of The Tonics (www.popgothetonics.com), an independently managed and produced Pasadena-area pop group interested in playing its music live at a suitable venue. We have been honing our material for 5 years now, priding ourselves for a professional sound combining a dry lyrical sensibility with upbeat music in a way evocative of The Smiths, The Chordettes, and Lou Reed. Below, please find links to three songs (if you'd prefer a CD, we'll gladly send you a copy):

the_tonics_-_01_-_distance.mp3
the_tonics_-_04_-_lucy_tricked_me_into_something.mp3
the_tonics_-_mean_song.mp3

Though we have played sparingly at various cafes and houses, our competency as both musicians and songwriters has ensured that every set has been well-received. Any show that we play will not be a disappointment. We are currently interested in shows scheduled during and after mid-December.

Thank you much for your time and interest,

(insert band member name here)

Craigslist ad

From today's Craigslist.
(Sometimes things change in ways a calendar can't appreciate.)

Want to play good music? The Tonics (www.popgothetonics.com) are seeking a drummer and a bassist in central LA county for playing gigs by mid-December. Like straight-forward pop music and good times? Help us perform these songs the way the Who did live:

the_tonics_-_01_-_distance.mp3
the_tonics_-_04_-_lucy_tricked_me_into_something.mp3
the_tonics_-_mean_song.mp3

We're not trying to be money makers, just musicians -- respond if you'd like to make rock out of our material.

this is in or around Pasadena
no -- it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
Compensation: If there is any, we'll share it properly.

"Who is Lisa?"

Lisa Loeb is the first and only unsigned artist to have a number one hit on the American charts, with the song "Stay (I Missed You)," featured on the soundtrack to the movie Reality Bites and later released on her debut album Tails (which was co-produced by Juan Patino, her then-boyfriend). Her band Nine Stories is named after the J. D. Salinger collection.

Harmony work on "Sunday Night"

Steven: "such a chore..."

"Lisa" misunderstood, so far

We all thought "Lisa" was going to be a hit, but surprisingly the comments haven't been good so far. Tough crowd.

"very cool retro sound, but unfortunately all i could muster was an ok, you lost the cool hook of the last ones."----I disagree. The whole chord progression is a hook. Few indie rockers write songs based around the blues chords.

"Vocal delivery sounds better than the last two - but this has veered even further into pastiche territory [okay] law of diminishing returns I guess."----Pastiche? The so-called "hip" doth live in the present too much. An artist of any consequence does not operate in the context of "progress." Humans have not changed for millenia, and humans today respond to the same stimuli as humans in 1966. This band do not apply the terms modernity and archaism to works of art. We enjoy The Beatles as much as Elliott Smith, as though as they performed side by side. We borrow as much from the classics as from the modernists, whatever suits our needs. So what if "Lisa" could've been a hit in 1966? I'm sure OK Computer would've been a hit in 1966, too. "Lisa" is a perfectly good rock song with absolutely nothing clever, satirical or tongue-in-cheek about it. This line of thinking, of course, is what produces timeless classics, which is why we're definitely going to be canonized in rock-and-roll history.

[From yesterday, regarding "Love Makes People Stupid"]

"That scream halfway through (and again towards the end) makes you sound like you saw a spider in the corner of the downstairs bathroom. This reminds me of that post Jane's Addiction group that Perry Farrell was in. This song is okay."----Some people exist just to bitch, bitch, bitch. Neon Phosphor might like to bitch, but Neon Phosphor never bitches about other people's artwork.

"Love Makes People Stupid"

Don't worry, it's just a working title. We have posted the song formerly known as "Therefore Play Music" formerly known as "The Spanish Song" formerly known as "Therefore Play Music" on somesongs.com to see how it would do. Right now, it's not doing too badly, with an average rating of 8 out of 10.

Tomorrow, we will unleash our new secret weapon, "Lisa."

Arta: "lisa is our first legitimate "rock" song. like, ever. including the sculpted static days"

Blog readers, consider yourselves lucky because you get to preview all these new songs.

An exclusive interview with Mark Williams

NP: I AM NEON PHOSPHOR.

MW: i'm mark williams and i've been writing songs

NP: INDEED. SOME LISTENERS IN A FOCUS GROUP HAVE DESCRIBED "MEAN SONG" AS BEING LIKE "AND YOUR BIRD CAN SING." CARE TO RESPOND?

MW: why would deaf people be in a music focus group?

NP: WELL SAID. SO, HOW'S THE ALBUM COMING ALONG?

MW: beautifully. it's starting to make good sense now. which is to say, almost all the songs we've been producing for the past 6 months have a coherent sound. this is not sculpted static's leaping from "lost child" to "mad men"

NP: HAVE THE TONICS BECOME "MAD MEN"? IS THIS ALBUM THE WORK OF INSANE PEOPLE?

MW: there's no sanskrit verb paradigms, here. i'd like to think this is pretty sane stuff, with a drinking problem, maybe.

NP: AH, YES. THE LAST TONICS MEETING WAS AT THE CHALET IN EAGLE ROCK. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THAT BAR?

MW: imagine a closet in a ski lodge equipped with a surprisingly diverse jukebox. it was a hit, like the tonics. shall i say, will be a hit

NP: OF COURSE. I'VE LISTENED TO THE ALBUM-IN-PROGRESS, TOO. HIT AFTER HIT AFTER HIT...

MW: it's getting dangerous

(by the way, it never occurred to me that mean song would be interpreted as a suicide song. makes me feel like an idiot-savant, considering how many different things i've said about it)

NP: THE BAND RECENTLY VETOED "APART", ONE OF THE BEST SONGS FROM SUNNY ASH. HOW DO YOU FEEL?

MW: apart was seemed a little amateurish to me. there was no bass on it, nothing exciting going on in terms of the chord progression. the lyrics alone seemed to pass muster to me, but even then... "on a foreign ceiling/in a lost room" did i really need to tell you where things are spelled out? why didn't i just say "a big goddamn chalkboard on which things are communicated obliquely"

NP: SHOWS HOW FAR THE BAND'S COME ALONG, DOESN'T IT? I MEAN, JUST TWO YEARS AGO, "APART" WAS A BIG HIT.

MW: it was half-hearted, we all knew something was awry. steven and i wrote [i expect produced is more accurate] this song called "jaguar" during the same time we recorded the guts of apart. we were running around with a tape recorder, chasing after car alarms for this. does the world need car alarms in pop songs? i mean, really: that line of thinking does not produce hits. it taints everything

NP: BACK THEN, IT WAS PROG, THOUGH. I SUPPOSE THAT'S WHY THE NAME CHANGE FROM SCULPTED STATIC WAS SO IMPORTANT.

MW: i'd agree. it's a pretty succinct way of looking at things. the name "sculpted static" was a lot like the music. there's some novel internal dynamicism that wears thin to reveal something vaguely annoying and insipid. i have to dilute that a bit, since i was in the band then

NP: LET'S TALK ABOUT THE BAND NOW. YOU'VE MORE OR LESS SETTLED ON THIS EARLY 60s AND 80s SOUND. AS ARTA SAYS, "A LINE TRACEABLE FROM THE BEATLES TO THE SMITHS."

MW: yeah, i think that's pretty insightful

NP: WHAT HAPPENED TO THE LATE 60s AND ALL OF THE 1970s?

MW: that was sculpted static, to be sure. "marbles"? "last sun"?

NP: DO YOU THINK THE WORLD IS READY FOR THE TONICS?

MW: i hope so. i think so. my sister compared us to jon brion, which i think is apt.
even though our songs form a pretty coherent whole, though, we're still settling into whatever it is we are. so the world's going to listen at some point, and the world would be pretty impressed if it let us play at the troubadour.

NP: SO, HOW ARE YOUR SIDE PROJECTS DOING?

MW: ridiculous. ahem.

NP: MOST READERS DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT YOUR SIDE PROJECTS. CAN YOU EXPLAIN A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR BAND?

MW: well, i'm not going to say the name, because it's not yet time for those two parts of my life to come together. but this band that i've played in occasionally, here in davis, is a party band

The focus group says...

We have posted "Mean Song" to a web site called somesongs.com. It's a site where people can rate and comment on each other's original mp3s. Since we are artists, we don't let other people's opinions affect our work, especially if it's from a self-selected group of extroverted and judgmental musicians. But being curious is only human, so here are some comments we have gotten, and Neon Phosphor's responses:

"That 'better get' chorus is the catchiest thing I have ever heard."----Hell yeah, I don't know how Mark wrote that chorus. Or rather, what drug he was using at the time.

"Superfluous harmonies and guitar leads meant to evoke 'And Your Bird Can Sing' aside, this is way more Smithsesque than Beatlesque. It's okay enough to get an okay."----Huh? It sounds nothing like 'And Your Bird Can Sing.' Arta's playing a descending scale. The guitar riff on AYBCS is this weird ass melody that goes up and down. What the fuck are you smoking?

"Wow, Erik is pretty mean. That said, I totally hear what he's saying. Still, [good] This is a beautiful song, if not a bit derivative of AYBCS."----Again, "Mean Song" has nothing to do with that fine example of psychedelic rock on Revolver. You must be on shrooms.

"Nice melody but the totally uninvolved vocal delivery makes it sound like you hate your own song."----Dude, if you actually listened to the lyrics, it's about fucking suicide, which is what you should be doing instead of writing these idiotic song reviews.

"How could you not like this./ Excellent./ P.S. i think the harmonies are a great touch, and most definitely needed."----There we go. See, this guy is probably an artist. True artists are generous people and they say nice things if they say anything at all. I mean, people put their heart and soul into art that doesn't pay them anything. That fact alone should command your respect.

Log in to somesongs.com and head on to the "Mean Song" page if you want to add to the buzz!

Lisa, it was really nothing

"Lisa" is so noisy, it sounds like "Nothing" from our last album, Sunny Ash. Steven worked on his lead vocal today. Because of all the noise from the instrumental track, the vocals required heavy compression in order to be audible over all frequencies.

Famous people

Our publicity plans include sending complimentary album copies to famous people like Mel Brooks (husband of the late Anne Bancroft), Phil Spector (whose "wall-of-sound" recording techniques have influenced our album) and Morrissey.

The Tonics are distantly associated with Spector and Morrissey, both of whom live in the Los Angeles area. Arta's sister once spoke "a word or two" to the former Smiths frontman at a party, and one of our high school friends waved to Morrissey at an Arcade Fire concert at the Troubadour, and Morrissey waved back.

At one point, the Spector estate owned a video of Mark playing guitar at school. It was shot by Spector's daughter, who was an acquaintance of Mark's. It is not known whether the tape has survived to this day, or whether the legendary producer himself has seen this footage of the next great rock-and-roll sensation. Meanwhile, Phil Spector's murder trial is set to begin in January 2006.

Lisa, listen to this awesome song

Arta and Steven recorded the instrumental track for "Lisa," a surf/Pixies-style rocker. Steven will work on the lyrics overnight and finish the vocals tomorrow morning.

"Is rock dead?"

----Sure, but rock is hardly alive to begin with. It's made of inorganic minerals, and only seldom does it contain organic material left over from dead plants and animals (usually in sedimentary rock). But the earth's crust is made of only 5% sedimentary rock, with the rest being igneous and metamorphic rock.

"But you haven't released anything since 'Agoraphobia' and 'Anne Bancroft'! Have you guys given up?"----That was only four months ago. Consider that Radiohead haven't released anything since 2003. Are they dead? Actually, the answer is yes, they started dying when they released Amnesiac.

What's going onto the album?

Today, we vetoed "Apart," "Tonight," "Portrait," and "Country." If time permits, these songs will be finished and placed into a B-sides collection.

We will still be left with 19 songs running a little bit under 60 minutes. The following is a speculative track listing: Distance, Sad, Lucy, Lucy Tricked Me Into Something, Thank You, Elegy For Anne Bancroft, Agoraphobia, Waltz, Bartleby, Greenback, The Clapping Song, Crowds of Nervous People, Hamlet, Mean Song, Save The Day, Sunday Night, Therefore Play Music, Amaj7, and Alpha And Omega.

"Sunday Night" will be the new "Distance"

Considering that most of the world will hear "Sunday Night" and "Distance" on the same record, "Sunday Night" won't really go down as the 'new' anything. Anyway, "Sunday Night" will have the same sort of three-part harmony vocals excruciatingly composed by Steven, and that double guitar sound you've come to expect from this band.

Sunday Night

Steven did some exploratory work on harmonies for "Sunday Night."

---this is serious work, folks. harmonies are tough because the vocals don't sound right individually, you end up having to sing these weird and counterintuitive melodies.

Mean Song finished

Ringo Starr played the bass drum on "Mean Song" in 1969. Steven finished mixing the song, so that's another hit we're taking to our graves.

Homegrown and happening

Today's Calendar Weekend section of the Los Angeles Times has a cover story about new indie bands in the LA area. Unfortunately we're not part of the story, since we're hardly a band at the moment.

Los Angeles has no "music scene." It has a bazillion niches populated by musicians of every stripe who cultivate their small followings and clamor for more attention, all in the shadow of a music industry that magnifies the line between commerce and art.

Myriad sensibilities abound. What's cool on the Sunset Strip might be crass in Silver Lake; what rocks Orange County might earn shrugs in Hollywood; what's hip in Long Beach might be harlequin in the Valle

It goes on to profile seven bands representing seven styles that can be found in the LA basin. Additionally, there are mini-profiles about "10 more homegrown artists you ought to know" and "Bands to watch: '06." Little do they know... 2006 will go down as the year of the Tonics.

What genre are we?

Arta: "[Mean Song is] the same sort of 50s/early 60s and 80s mix that we've been doing lately. it's what rock would have sounded like if the 70s hadn't happened... pop as defined by a line traceable from the beatles to the smiths. no disco, no arena rock, no metal. no prog. nothing psychedelic."

Recording

Steven recorded harmony vocals for "Mean Song."

---they're the trippiest harmonies since the bop-bop-bop-balalalalala line in 'lucy tricked me into something.' prepare to be shocked.

Let's talk gear

Arta and Steven installed a new Gibson pickup onto Arta's guitar. Which means it's time for a WHERE WERE THEY THEN: A FOLK HISTORY OF THE TONICS' MEMBERS AS TOLD THROUGH PRIMARY SOURCES -- PART THREE


Today's primary source is a photograph of Arta's Les Paul and the tools required to upgrade its bridge pickup. Many of the pieces shown are from the RadioShack all-purpose soldering kit. Successfully tinkering with one's own instrument is the music nerd's nirvana, but we sure saved lots of money by abstaining from professional help.

---I've fallen and I can't get up, my bathroom is locked from the inside, I live alone and no one's going to find me until I'm a rotting corpse. But I have some great news!
---What's that?
---I just saved a bunch of money on equipment upgrade by soldering the wires myself!!!!

Sampling on the RP300

Alan Lawrence cut The Graceful Accident down to 19 minutes, and retitled it Trains Map the Arteries of the Heart. Arta and Steven recorded an instrumental called "PDT," with electronic drumming by Alan. Here's a list of Tonics songs used in the film: "Bartleby," "You're Only Human," "Mad Men," "Last Sun," "Heart of Darkness: The Rock Opera," "Distance," "Therefore Play Music."