First day live on Blogger

"Why the switch to Blogger? What's wrong with MySpace? Now I have to update my bookmarks again!"----Say you want to find that incredibly witty thing I said sometime in January 2005. You can find that post very easily under the "Archives" section on the right-hand column. Try to do that with MySpace. I bet it loads faster, too, for those of you with a 56k connection.

Moving to Blogger soon

I am moving this blog to Google's Blogger service. It's slightly better, and without product placement. More in the coming days...

Spotlight on Neil Diamond

While our friends at Pitchfork listen to the latest Sub Pop record with a few hundred copies in circulation, we pay tribute to one of the best selling singer/songwriters of all time: Neil Diamond, who has sold more than 120 million records worldwide.

He started his career writing hit songs for The Monkees, like "I'm a Believer." Other songs that are still playing on oldies radio include: "Cracklin' Rosie," "Solitary Man," "Sweet Caroline," and "Cherry Cherry."

On "Cracklin Rosie," he manages to stay on the same chord (D) for four whole measures of the verse, before repeating the feat with the G chord.

The Tonics sort of do that on the chorus of "The Clapping Song," but, in general, they are currently not as good as Neil Diamond.

More work on "Save the Day"

Steven removed an extra bar in the first verse, added a bass slide, and did some other miscellaneous fixes to the instrumental.

"What does Mark say at the end of 'Distance?'"

----"I buried Ian." Look in the lyrics artwork for more clues.

"There are rumors that The Tonics are switching over to jazz, and considering the addition of a jazz trumpet player. I even heard reports that Arta recorded a trumpet solo on his cell phone, for inclusion on the new album."----Those rumors are untrue and probably started by someone who's had a bit too much to drink.

Play the Tonics' slider puzzle

...by clicking on the graphic on the front page.

Hint: solve the top two rows first before working on the bottom two.

In other news, Steven programmed the drums for "Save the Day" and mixed a new version of "Lucy Tricked Me Into Something."

Sculpted Static flashback of the day

The Tonics have a lot of great songs that are out of print or never released. Today, we focus on "No Logo," an example of good shit that became a victim of The Tonics' own laziness.

Blog exclusive! An excerpt from "No Logo"

"No Logo" is based on Naomi Klein's book of the same name. It features lyrics like:

The field where you stand, you're making a stand--for corporate
And run with the wind, you're making a swoosh--to whore for it

"No Logo" promised to be the flagship title of summer '04. It got through the whole recording process--Ian even drummed on it. Several listeners called it an "anthem," due to the global message and the catchy, three-word mantra of a chorus.

So, what went wrong?

First, Steven and Arta didn't really think about the arrangement. The result was a really loud, really noisy song with guitars all over the place. Steven even played rhythm guitar for some reason, despite the fact that Arta could do it better. Add in some keyboard parts and harmonies, and you have a production that sounds like shit.

For a while, Elisa Morimoto (who sang on "Follow The") was slated to re-sing the lead vocal in order to avoid the awkward octave switch at the beginning of the chorus, necessary to accommodate Steven's voice. But that was cancelled when Steven and arta decided to have Elisa sing on "Pixies," another unreleased song that's practically finished.

The rest of the summer, the band tried to think of ways to arrange the song. But with a history of poor arrangements, they weren't likely to pull anything out of the bag for this one. And they didn't.

The fall came and went. When Sculpted Static reconvened in December 2004, they disbanded, and the remnants formed The Tonics. This new band preferred to deal with songs about depression, existentialism and self-deprecation, so "No Logo" (a song about branding and capitalism) suddenly had no place among the rest.

"Is rock dead?"

----Everyday in every way The Tonics are getting closer to their new album.

"Explain the new front page."

----We all like to change our wallpapers once in a while. It's part of being human. Even our ancestor, the caveman, often scrubbed off his cave painting and replaced it with something else.

"Is that a reference to your old song 'Neanderthal?'"----No! Why does everything have to be something else?

On a random note, did you know that Anne Bancroft is sampled in the familiar remix of Los Del Rio's "Macarena?" She is heard saying "I'm not trying to seduce you" from The Graduate.

"Telegraph Avenue"

...is the most played song at Tonics/Sculpted Static concerts. Here's the evolution of the song:

Dec. 2001 - Arta records a demo called "shmalifornia." Steven turns it into "Telegraph Avenue."
Jan. 2002 - Sculpted Static play "Telegraph Avenue" at their first concert, with Alex on backing vocals and Steven on fake drums.
Spring 2002 - They record the song.
May 2002 - "Telegraph Avenue" gets played on KALX Berkeley.
July 2002 - "Telegraph Avenue" is played in Nicole's backyard. Mark is on backing vocals, Steven plays fake bass, and Ian drums for the first time.
Fall 2002 - Steven records less British vocals. The song is rereleased.
Jan. 2003 - The song is played in Steven's garage. No backing vocals, Steven is on real bass.
July 2003 - No Future Cafe concert. Tristan sings backing vocals. Steven plays bass.
April 2005 - Berkeley concert. Mark sings backing vocals. Steven plays a keyboard solo. Other musicians are recruited from Project X. G plays bass. "Telegraph Avenue" becomes the most played Sculpted Static/Tonics song, breaking the tie with "Star Ferry" and "Agoraphobia."

"Who is Neon Phosphor?"

----I am Neon Phosphor.

"How many kids have you tricked lately?"

----478

"Who is Lucy?"

----Lucy Pevensie is one of the major characters from C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia. According to Lewis' timeline, she was born in 1932. She is the youngest of the four Pevensie children, and the first to find the Wardrobe entrance to Narnia in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Her siblings Peter Pevensie, Susan Pevensie, and Edmund Pevensie do not believe her at first, but later they all find their way to Narnia. She again travels to Narnia with her three siblings in Prince Caspian, and with Edmund and Cousin Eustace in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Lucy tends to be the first one to see Aslan when he appears. She symbolises the Christian expression of the natural virtues of humankind, whether manifested as "childhood innocence" or in its more mature forms as depicted in the later stories.

"You cut and pasted that, didn't you?"----Oh, fuck you.

Washington, DC, interview

"Here I am surrounded by Tonics and I don't feel a thing. Fellas, how does it feel to be in the United States?"----I think you've had a drink too many. And Ian is actually in China.

"What have you seen that you like best about our country?"----Our government issued passports allow a quick and painless way to get out.

"Now, do you have any plans or any arrangements to meet the Bush girls [the President's daughters]?"----Where did that question come from?

"They may come.... Are they coming to your show tonight?"----What show? What are you talking about? And why would they want to see us performing music that talks shit about their father?

"You and the snow came to Washington at the same time today. Which do you think will have the greater impact?"----It's the middle of the fucking summer. What the hell are you smoking?

"Have you ever heard of Walter Cronkite?"----Yeah, he spoke out against the war and appeared on the Outfoxed documentary speaking against FOX News. But why did you have to hear that from us?

"What do you think of your reception in America, so far?"----I'm not terribly fond of it.

"What struck you the most, so far?"----What if the scaffolding falls on us during a show? Where's our universal healthcare? Are we covered?

"In spite of the snow, you still got a good crowd?"----I don't think the snow at the Sierra Nevada really affected our show at Berkeley.

"Tell me this. Why do you think you're so popular all of a sudden?"----We're not. Arta refreshes the page, like, 20 times a day.

"Where did you get the idea for the haircuts?"----We're poor and we can't afford it. And we're too lazy to cut it ourselves.

"You save on haircutting, at least?"----Each haircut amounts to ten packs of Ramen, probably.

"Well, where do you go from here?"----The words are coming out all weird, where are you now?

"Are you still number one in Europe?"----It's not one country, man. Funny, that's also how John Lennon answered that one.

"Where are you number one then?"----In the hearts of our countrymen, or something like that.

"You call your records 'funny records'?"----No, we don't. They're totally serious.

"But, what I'm saying is-- Do you think of your records as funny records?"----Why, do you?

"Do you feel they're musical?"----Huh? Why the hell not? They have chords and melodies and rhythm.

"OK. Have a good time in America."----You lie.

"Agoraphobia" press conference

"Mildred Spencer from the Gazette. Mark drops the f-bomb on 'Agoraphobia.' Are you concerned that family-friendly places like Wal-Mart might not carry your album?"----Fuck families. The cruelest thing is to let a child into this world so cruel. That's from an upcoming song, by the way.

"But isn't it wrong to be alone?"----What, and the walls here are made of holes? It's reporters like you who give me agoraphobia.

"Hi, this is May June from the New York Times. Can you elaborate on this upcoming song that you just mentioned?"----No, you're obviously just trying to make conversation. And what kind of name is that? Next question.

"This is Julie Casana from the Tribune. Agoraphobia is a mental health condition..."----No shit.

"...are you trying to raise awareness for agoraphobia among the record-buying public?"----No, we stopped trying a long time ago. As Thom Yorke once said: in songwriting, if you try, you're fucked.

"Tom Englebert from the Daily Herald. I was wondering if any of you are actually agoraphobia sufferers."----This press conference is over. I'm getting out of here.

Mass e-mail sent today

Hello from The Tonics, the band consisting of Arta, Ian, Mark and Steven!

We are happy to announce the release of our new mini-EP entitled "Minds of Broken Plastic." It includes two new recordings "Elegy For Anne Bancroft" and "Agoraphobia." You can download them for free at http://www.popgothetonics.com/music.html

"Elegy" is a tribute to the Oscar-winning actress Anne Bancroft, who died on June 6. She is best known for her role as Mrs. Robinson in *The Graduate*.

"Agoraphobia" is a new recording of an old song that's been around since 2001. It first appeared on our album *Sound Check* as a waltz, but it is now in 4/4 time.

Our publicist Neon Phosphor has been keeping a daily journal since late-December! Read entertaining Q&A's, music recommendations, and keep track of our creative process here: http://blog.myspace.com/neonphosphor

Hope you're having a great summer! Rock the box,

The Tonics
http://www.popgothetonics.com/

Ask Neon

"I heard that Arta and Mark are meeting in davis next weekend to finish some more tracks"----Yeah, right. They're probably just going to finish off a few bottles of Carlo-rossi... you know, like "now they're just spilled bottles."

"Yo, Neon. What's the next number in this sequence: 14, 18, 23, 28, 34, 42, 50, 59, 66, 72, 79, 86, 96, 103, 110?"----The answer appears at the bottom of this blog.

"Who should know better than me what I should do?"----Not baby.

"Who is Lucy?"----How many times do I have to answer this question??? Lucy is the Quake III Arena bot, the big-ass biker chick who ducks a lot. Are you happy now?

Answer to the brain teaser: get a life, you sick fuck.

Ghost World

ENID
Do you have any old Indian records?

SEYMOUR
Indian records?

ENID
You know, like weird 1960's Indian rock n' roll music.

SEYMOUR
I don't have anything after about 1935. I may have one Hindu 78 from
the twenties in my collection, but it's not really for sale. I don't
really collect "foreign."

Enid wanted something like the opening credits of the amazing film Ghost World. The song was Mohammed Rafi's "Jaan Pehechaan Ho" and the music video came from Gumnaam (1965).

"Jaan Pehechaan Ho" itself is an amazing song with a horn section and a lead guitar like Eddie Cochran.

Here is a fan page that has a lot of other "weird 1960's Indian rock n' roll music" that enid was looking for.

The Ghost World DVD contains the complete music video of "Jaan Pehechaan Ho."

Neon Phosphor takes a break

Nothing happened today.

Impossible to see the future is

"So what happens if Steven stays in New York?"----Same thing that's been happening for the last four years. You have to coordinate everyone's schedules. We are also very good at faking a live performance on tape, so we can have Steven record a backing track with guide vocals in 2005, Arta and Mark's guitars in 2006, Ian can drum in 2007 (if his drumming hasn't already been artificially created), and more detail/bass work in 2008. Keep in mind that we've managed to create an EP and many other songs and promote the band through two concerts, despite the fact that all four of us haven't been in the same room since December 2003. And that was filming the "Distance" video. You'd have to go back to July 2003 for the last time we played music together, which I believe was at the No Future concert. Still, we have done more than many bands, so we are not concerned.

"Why are you putting your personal careers ahead of the band? Don't bands usually have to at least play live in order to move up in the world?"----As we proved in Berkeley, The Tonics will not hesitate to get local musicians to cover the missing instrumental parts. Hell, we could probably license this franchise to musicians all over the country, maybe even play multiple cities at once. That's what they mean by "covering" your band. They're covering for you in your absence. Of course, we hope it doesn't come down to that... we expect telecommunication technology to improve so that we can have a holographic image of whoever's performing, like on the Jedi council.

The Graceful Accident

I just got word that Alan Lawrence will be using Sculpted Static's "Salvo Social" in his upcoming film The Graceful Accident, which has been in development for years. Alan, as you may remember, did music videos for the Sunny Ash versions of "Apart" and "Distance."

A few years ago, we donated a bunch of instrumental scraps (and even a couple of real songs) for Alan's cinematic endeavors. Exclusively for readers of this blog, here are some examples of that stuff.

Minds of Broken Plastic EP released

I'm not sure it can even be called EP, which I think stands for "extended play." Our EP is actually 5 minutes long. I guess it's about the right length for a 45 single. Head over to the music department to download.

A mass e-mail will go out as soon as we're sure there are no problems with the website, the mix, etc.

An exclusive interview with Steven Chow

SC: yeah, what do you want?

NP: HOW DO YOU LIKE NEW YORK?

SC: if by new york you mean the view of campus from my 6th floor dorm room, and the 5 blocks down broadway i walked to the nearest rite-aid... the answer to your question is: living my kind of life is not the way to like new york.

it's not my fault. i have summer school all day and night.

NP: HAVE YOU BEEN TO CBGB? HAVE YOU SEEN THE STROKES YET?

SC: like i said, i'm in a fucking lecture hall 7 to 8 hours a day, with two meal breaks. i'm learning how to publish things. so that one day i can publish the tonics anthology. or the blogs of neon phosphor. you know, like the journals of kurt cobain? he shot himself, by the way.

NP: HOW ABOUT THE STATUE OF LIBERTY? OR WHAT'S LEFT OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER?

SC: okay, so imagine having to wake up at 8 in the morning to go to a continental breakfast. see, i'd have to imagine that, because i've decided to sleep through that one for the rest of my time here. then you have a 3 hour lecture. followed my lunch. another 3 hour lecture, maybe throw in an activity here and there, dinner, and yet another 2 to 3 hour lecture, before you're dead tired and want to go to sleep. they don't call it publishing boot camp for nothing. what was your question, again?

NP: HOW'S ANNE BANCROFT AND AGORAPHOBIA?

SC: bancroft's dead. as for agoraphobia, you just gotta deal with it. i'm boycotting our group breakfast, but with lunch, you simply have to eat lunch with them, otherwise you'll starve. and that's not cool. i missed dinner today because i had to go to rite-aid to pick up some bottled water. sometimes, a few drinks such as vodka and TONIC can cure agoraphobia. or make it worse. it depends on the person and their mood.

NP: SO, ARE YOU GOING TO WORK IN NEW YORK?

SC: a-ha! i brought my dynamic mic. i can actually work on the album in new york. i even found a piano in one of the buildings i have access to. it's not a good piano, the G key doesn't work, and the sustain pedal doesn't work. still, i can work around it. it's reasonably in tune. relatively speaking.

the worst piano i have ever played is at the salvation army store in pasadena. 1/3 of the keys are completely broken.

NP: SO WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO AT THE END OF THE SUMMER COURSE?

SC: die. eventually.

"Anne Bancroft"-"Agoraphobia" release imminent

I can't give you a date, but soon.

More mixing

Steven did some mixing work at the Las Vegas airport. "A big, open space inside the terminal. It's got great acoustics, and slot machines to liven things up."

Last recording session for at least 6 weeks

Arta recorded a new guitar part for "Agoraphobia." Steven recorded the piano part. Arta added a guitar solo to the end of "Lucy Tricked Me Into Something."

"Anne Bancroft" will be released without Ian's drum part, which he did two years ago without knowing. Arta: "This is not 'Fake Plastic Trees.' It shouldn't turn into a rock anthem."

Steven is going to New York tomorrow, so all the recordings will come to grinding halt for the next six weeks. Mixing work will continue as usual. "I will have my laptop and I hope I can get my internet connection set up quickly."

We wish Steven a safe journey, and we hope that he will develop a deep hatred of "the Big Apple" so that he may return to the west coast to help the Tonics project continue.

More work

Steven finished "Anne Bancroft" with more vocal tracks and a bass-keyboard track. Here's Steven to explain what happened next: "I really wanted drumming on certain parts of this song, but Ian is currently in China. But here at The Tonics, we have our own patented method of dealing with this situation, by going back in time and telling Ian, circa 2003, to drum on this song. He has since done so splendidly. Good job, Ian."

After this bizarre chain of events, he produced a mixdown of "Anne Bancroft" and a newly-restored "Agoraphobia."

Phantom power

Arta and Steven recorded a new acoustic guitar, piano, and tambourine track for "Anne Bancroft", using the new condenser mic powered by 48 volts of phantom.

"What is phantom power?"----Surely the biggest scam to hit the recording industry since "Magic" Alex poured millions into a non-functioning studio for The Beatles. As far as we can tell, the phantom power box (and the extra mic cable), costing over half the price of the mic itself, has no function except to ensure that we got ripped off to the fullest extent possible, and has a green light to certify our ripped-offness. Should a box that delivers a little bit of power to a mic, a box that is probably nothing more than a modified AC adaptor, really cost $40?

Thanks to all the people who actually paid for the CD they ordered. We hope you feel good in your hearts that your $8 maximum went towards phantom power.

In other news, Steven says: "I don't like my lead vocals on 'Anne Bancroft.' This new mic is only making it easier to hear the problems in my performance."

List of songs for the new Tonics album, part 2

This is a continuation of the list started yesterday. Blog exclusive! for audio clips, download montage2.mp3 and montage3.mp3.

Songs finished (extra work still possible):

"Distance"----Indie oldies pop song. What's hot: Beach Boys harmonies. What's left: still some room left for pitch-shifting, especially in the ooh-ed last part.

"Sad"----Ancient Sculpted Static track resurrected for the album. What's hot: 3/4 keyboard against 4/4 guitar. What's left: nothing.

"Lucy"----Opener of Sunny Ash, our old Sculpted Static album. What's hot: solid, reliable song, good melody. What's left: the vocals sounded better on the original.

"Lucy Tricked Me Into Something"----An experiment in modular songwriting. What's hot: in conversation with the other song "Lucy." What's left: could use more guitar at the end.

"Thank You"----Penultimate track of Sunny Ash. What's hot: bass and guitar. What's left: more vocals, perhaps.

Songs being recorded:

"Save The Day"----80s dance pop song. Instrumental pretty much done. What's hot: harmonizing guitars, synth part. What's left: needs a new electronic drum track, mark's lead vocals.

"Apart"----Like the one on Sunny Ash. What's hot: fan favorite from Sunny Ash. What's left: overdone production will probably need to be cleaned up. Arta vetoed his guitar solo, but we may still record it because of the lack of other ideas.

"Agoraphobia"----First appeared on Sound Check. This one's in 4/4. What's hot: withstood the test of time. What's left: not much, really. It may be good to go already.

"You're Only Human (Do You Know What You're Doing?)----War-themed song not originally planned for the Tonics album, but it would be a shame to waste that excellent instrumental track. What's hot: Arta's lead guitar. What's left: could still end up on the album with new lyrics.

"Greenback (Blank Page)"----New Mark song with a cool guitar riff. What's hot: lead guitar on last verse. What's left: more instrumental tracks to fill in the verse, harmony vocals, additional percussion.

"Elegy for Anne Bancroft"----Simon and Garfunkel-esque song. What's hot: Anne Bancroft. What's left: vocal tracks.

"The Clapping Song"----Happy, bouncy Mark song. What's hot: amazing performance at 155 Dwinelle. What's left: needs a new lead vocal, more percussion.

Songs that we have started recording, but will probably need to be re-recorded:

"Portrait (London Bridge)"----Originally released back when we were Sculpted Static. What's hot: one of the more emotional pieces on the album. Issues: arrangement is boring at the moment. Steven wants it to sound more like Coldplay. Would probably require full band rehearsal.

"Crowds Of Nervous People"----A slow, piano song by Steven. What's hot: excellent melody, tempo change. Issues: like "Portrait," needs a better arrangement. The recordings from the winter sessions are too boring, not always in tune, and not done with the metronome.

"Hamlet----Written by Steven, sung by Mark. One of Arta's favorites. What's hot: depressing lyrics. Issues: current recording not really in tune. Does not sound enough like The Smiths. Ian's drumming sometimes off.

Songs vetoed:

"Tonight"----Unloved song most likely to get the axe. What's hot: lyrics fit the theme of the album, has a great bridge. Issues: current recording overproduced. It may be converted to different time signature. But we're not sure if the real problem comes from Steven's songwriting.

"Opium"----The original version (on Omer's Odyssey) is still the best. Sculpted Static made a mess of it during summer 2004. It was dropped in favor of "Lucy Tricked Me Into Something" at the last minute before scheduled recording started.

So that's, what, 20 songs towards the album plus 2 vetoed ones. From that, we want to trim it down further to 15 songs or 45 minutes, whichever comes first.

List of songs for the new Tonics album, part 1

Over the next few days, I will provide a rundown of all the songs in consideration. Today, I focus on the songs that we have not yet started recording.

Exclusive to readers of this blog!! A montage of demo clips to listen to, as you read the summaries below. Download here.

"Mean Song"----Late contribution to the album effort, written by Mark after winter recording sessions. What's hot: amazing chorus. Issues: Mark took out the lyrical/melodic hook of the song in a recent revision. Arta and Steven would like him to undo the changes.

"Sunday Night"----Solid song. What's hot: excellent lyrics. Remarkably catchy and flows well. Issues: written so recently that only Mark has ever played it.

"Alpha/Alpha (Alpha And Omega)"----in constant development since a year ago. What's hot: killer verse melody, harmonizing guitars. Issues: the song's taken forever to write. Will it lose its freshness? Chorus-to-verse switch not quite worked out.

"Therefore Play Music (The Spanish Song)"----By Steven, the version on Omer's Odyssey is the only one currently in circulation. What's hot: popularity at Stebbins Hall, melodically tied to end of "Tonight." Issues: Arta hates the E to F chord progression and violin part ("sounds too Spanish"). An acceptable version already exists, reducing motivation to record it again.

"Amaj7"----Slow piano song along the lines of "Crowds Of Nervous People." What's hot: great lyrics, one of the songs partially written at the "Davis summit" by Steven and Mark. Issues: unconventional song structure. Steven's piano songs are notoriously difficult to arrange ("Opium," "Radio," "Shoes," "Hamlet," "Crowds Of Nervous People").

The album is delayed again

The new mic's not going to arrive until Wednesday. Steven's leaving on Saturday. This gives us about 3 days to do something before rock dies indefinitely. we may still finish a song or two, but the complete album is not coming out this summer.

Amaj7 demo

Steven recorded the Amaj7 demo. "I think it'll sound better with the full band." Translation: "It'll be years before anyone else hears it."

"According to the hit counter, there have been 207 accesses to this blog, including 27 today."----The only hit counter we pay attention to is the Billboard Top 40 singles chart, which we will get on in due course.

Amaj7

Not just a great chord, but a new song. Steven wrote lyrics and added extra melodies to a song fragment originally written by Steven and Mark.

"Why are you so mean to your fans?"----What the fuck are you talking about? Neon Phosphor updates everyday. Uncut and uncensored. Normally you'd have to wait for the special edition DVD to come out.

Sculpted Static flashback of the day

Star Ferry, known affectionately to the band as "Star Fucker," was the first song Steven ever wrote. It had all the elements of a real song: an introduction, verse 1, verse 2, chorus, bridge with a time signature switch, instrumental break, verse 3, chorus, and an outro. Few other Sculpted Static/Tonics songs could boast that kind of completeness.

Mark added a busy, but melodic, lead guitar part. Arta played the guitar solo and flanged rhythm guitar. All of this, combined with the keyboard and a synthesized "jazz" drum part, created a dreamy musical texture different from anything they had done before. Apparently a success with the band and their listeners, "Star Ferry" was played at every Sculpted Static concert.

Steven: "When I wrote 'Star Ferry,' I had very little clue how to write a song. It just kind of happened. I didn't really think about it at all. In fact, of all the songs I ever wrote, this one probably makes the most musical sense, too. A very satisfying melody. Lyrically, a sort of an interesting take on a love song. It really went downhill from here.

"They say the music you write reflects your mental state. Maybe 'Star Ferry' was the last song I wrote before I went insane. I guess it was. I was happy at the time."

Our favorite keyboardist, of course, went on to pen depressing shit like "Hamlet" and mean-spirited jibes like "Therefore Play Music" and "Lucy Tricked Me Into Something." God knows what happened to him after the bright and sunny days of early-2001, when everything seemed possible.

"To the neon god they made"

"I read on Pitchfork that"----Fuck you. Go shove your pretentious indie rock collection up your ass.

"But I was going to say"----No. Go to hell, where you can enjoy being impaled by Satan's pitchfork for all eternity.

"Aren't you also"----No, we're pop go the tonics. Read the sign... pop-go-the-tonics. We're not indie. We're pop. We have better melodies.

"But you played The Strokes once"----See, but they actually went mainstream. And that's where we're going to be, someday.

In other news, Steven ordered a condenser mic from Musician's Friend. We will be recording some high-quality vocal tracks, at last.

"Anne Bancroft" recording: Day 2

Steven wrote the lyrics, melody and recorded a demo take for the Anne Bancroft song. When finished, it'll sound like 1967.

Late in her life, Bancroft complained that she will mainly be remembered for her role as Mrs. Robinson, despite a lengthy career of television, film and stage work. One of her more outstanding roles (and one she is much prouder of) is her portrayal of Helen Keller's teacher in The Miracle Worker.

"Neon Phosphor" recording

Today, Arta and Steven started recording an acoustic version of "Neon Phosphor," an old Sculpted Static song that I am named after. When completed, it will have a new melody and lyrics about actress Anne Bancroft, who died yesterday. May she rest in peace.

An exclusive interview with Steven Chow

NP: I AM NEON PHOSPHOR

SC: ha! i am neon phosphor, too!

NP: NO YOU'RE NOT. I AM NEON PHOSPHOR

SC: i know that, and so am i.

NP: NO YOU'RE NOT. I AM NEON PHOSPHOR. NEON PHOSPHOR TYPES IN ALL CAPS. NEON PHOSPHOR'S COMMENTS ARE PRECEDED BY "NP:"

SC: you got me there

NP: SO, WHAT'S IN THE PIPELINE?

SC: music. that's what we do.

"What's going on? Why isn't anything happening?"

----You can blame Elliott Smith's friends and family for demoralizing us by releasing From a Basement on the Hill, which can't be topped.

"Is rock dead?"----Yes, Elliott Smith stabbed it in the heart.

"Seriously, explain the situation."----We have a lot of songs completely written, but they still need to be arranged. Mark's not in South Pas, which is a problem, because we don't even have the basic tracks to "Alpha/Alpha," "Sunday Night" and maybe something else I'm forgetting. Steven and Arta may record a song in the next two weeks. If so, it will be a completely new song that has yet to be written.

The problem with taking a long break during the recording is that months later you think your stuff is shite and you want to quit working on it.

"So how do you convince yourself to work on old stuff?"----Turn on KROQ. Chances are, they're playing shit a lot worse than ours. That helps take some of the pressure off.

A warm up

Arta and Steven practiced at Garfield Park. Nothing tangible was really accomplished. Steven learned how to play an aug chord.

The stunning lack of output

...continues. It's as though rock is dead. "The devil will find work for idle hands to do."

Nothing to report

"Then why do you update this blog?"----Because Neon Phosphor updates everyday.

History is made

Steven records a demo of "History1," a song based on "Idea11c."

What's going on??

"Are you going to play shows in South Pas?"----If by "show" you mean practicing our new songs at Garfield Park or at the sound bowl at the Arroyo, then maybe.

"As one of the leading bands of the South Pas scene, explain your snubbing of the 'Decline and Fall of the South Pas Civilization' rock festival a few years ago."----First of all, Ian was there. I think he played, too. Secondly, the rest of us were too busy at our respective colleges, "getting smart," as Mark would say.

Another slow day

"Will this album come out in summer 2005, after all?"----No, the end of the universe comes after all.

Greatest moments in rock and roll, part 10

Human-manipulated lead synthesizers

Theremin

A theremin is an instrument that you can play without touching it. You control the pitch by moving your hand towards and away from an antenna. That's why you can do pitch bends. you can hear the theremin in action on The Beach Boys "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times" and "Good Vibrations."

Ondes martenot

It's sort of like a theremin, except with a keyboard. Apparently, it is easier to play than a theremin. Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood used it on several tracks on Kid A, most notably on "The National Anthem" and "Optimistic."

Musitron

This homemade synthesizer is used on several Del Shannon songs, including "Runaway", one of the greatest songs ever written. Here's all you need to know about the song. And you can read about the musitron.

The musitron has the same function as other early synthesizers like the theremin (used mostly as a lead instrument), but has a sharper sound.

Alas, we do not have any of these cool instruments. We have tried to get Steven's keyboard to do cool things, like the octave bends on "You're Only Human (Do You Know What You're Doing)."

What kind of sixties person am I?

Like I really want to know. Here's what they asked:

"First, the inevitable. What's your favorite color?"----Well, this one's easy. BLACK. As in "my dark lord the cube is blacker than the night sky."

"Which 60s person is your idol?"----JOHN LENNON, because he wrote some of the greatest songs ever. Like "This Boy" and "Help!"

"Others see you as..."----KINDA SCARY.

"You see yourself as..."----SMART. I'm a genius.

"When it comes to music, you like..."----I couldn't select The Tonics, so I had to go with ROCK AND ROLL.

"In High School, you were..."----The OUTCAST, of course.

"Which of these problems is the worst(to you personally)?"----I live on the fucking internet, so how do any of these problems affect me personally? I answered POVERTY, which is really less a problem and more a symptom of the greatest problem: capitalist greed. But I couldn't select that one.

"Fill in the blank: ________irritate you."----I couldn't say existence, so COPS it is. We had a song about cops. It's called "Narc."

"Which of these objects most appeals to you?"----It was between gun and guitar. I chose GUITAR.

"Pick a pattern:"----UNION JACK. It's a Sculpted Static/Kris song.

"When it comes to hair..."----"I PREFER SOME OUTLANDISH COLOR, SUCH AS PINK OR BLUE." Notice the hidden political message in there: pinko and blue (as in democrat blue).

"You'd most like to visit..."----LONDON, the site of Abbey Road studios.

"What are your thoughts concerning the current war in Iraq?"----It ANGERS me, especially knowing that some people taking the test would answer "I support it wholeheartedly."



You are a Mod. Yeah baby.

What kind of Sixties Person are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

OK. Well it could be worse. Today's album recommendation is from a band closely associated with mod culture. The Who Sell Out. I think it's better than Who's Next. More clever. And it has one of John Entwistle's best moments, "Silas Stingy." Bless his soul. Petra haden did an a cappella version of it. I heard some 30-second clips off Amazon. Interesting.

This subject line is

mandatory, but it makes for some interesting enjambments. Today is day 2 on myspace, the archive is up (see top of the page). I've made some friends. Don't know if some of them are fans previously unknown to us, or if they just stumbled across my profile.

Now on MySpace

"[shock] [disbelief] etc..."----Well, think of the advantages. I can now update myself anywhere, anytime, whether I'm in LA, or New York, or aboard a transatlantic flight. I'm doing what I can to ensure the daily updates.

"Can I be your friend on MySpace?"----Hmm... you want to befriend me? That means you can't possibly know me. That's from a Morrissey song.

"What happened to all the old posts?!!!"----They're still around. I'll soon set up an archive for the pre-May 14 posts.

An exclusive interview with Mark Williams

NP: I AM NEON PHOSPHOR.

MW: hey there, guy. been a while since we last talked

NP: WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY TO THE WORLD?

MW: i've got a question: does king lear's expectation of unconditional, uniquely intense love from his daughters indicate some kind of retardation in his development? namely, is he trapped for most of the play's action in an infantile pre-Oedipal state? if the world will answer that, we'll make a deal and i'll write songs full time. oh, and by the by, Sunday Night's second verse has the best lyrics i've ever written

NP: LET'S TALK ABOUT SUNDAY NIGHT, THIS NEW SONG OF YOURS. HOW DO YOU IMAGINE THE ARRANGEMENT? WHAT'S IT GOING TO SOUND LIKE?

MW: hmm. harmonization is what everything's about. i've been working on a rhythmically off-kilter interplay between the guitar and bass. so, you know, more glam rock. bowie & bolan remade R&B throughout the 70s. guess i want to try my hand at it

NP: SO YOU'RE TAKING ARABIC THIS SUMMER. IN AN EARLIER INTERVIEW, ARTA CALLED IT "BULL" AND SAID "as for arabic, as-salaam aleikum wa rahmatollah wa barakatoh." WHAT IS YOUR RESPONSE TO THAT?

MW: i doubt that's really arabic -- the kid's completely immersed in star wars right now, to the painful exclusion of all else. makes me think i should go see it. so i guess we're all sunny-side up

Neon Phosphor's mailbag, part 2

"the pun about fame [from 5/16] didnt even make sense"----Well, maybe your PUNy little mind can't handle puns and the other masterful wordplays that Neon Phosphor contrives.

Neon Phosphor's mailbag, part 1

"how much time before the raveges of the popular music world turn you guys to drugs? I mean you guys gotta already be hardcore alchoholics."----Who is this? I wish we didn't have a "your name is optional" policy. To answer your question, it's already happened. Did you know that many romantic poets, especially Coleridge, composed some of the greatest English poetry while on an opium high? Or that Radiohead recorded "Planet Telex" while pissed out of their minds. And to quote Emily Dickinson:

I taste a liquor never brewed --
From Tankards scooped in Pearl --
Not all the Vats upon the Rhine
Yield such an Alcohol!

Inebriate of Air -- am I --
And Debauchee of Dew --
Reeling -- thro endless summer days --
From inns of Molten Blue --

When "Landlords" turn the drunken Bee
Out of the Foxglove's door --
When Butterflies -- renounce their "drams" --
I shall but drink the more!

Till Seraphs swing their snowy Hats --
And Saints -- to windows run --
To see the little Tippler
Leaning against the -- Sun --

Steven churned out another demo of Idea11,

but tinkering around with it seems to be making it worse: "Let this be a lesson to songwriters everywhere. If you couldn't do it in 5 minutes, don't bother."

Steven recorded a demo of a new song called "Idea11"

"neon phosphor wants me to comment on my new song but all i have to say is, if you haven't seen the new star wars, you have to see it. it's an instant classic."

Nothing important happened today

Neon Phosphor takes a break.

"What do you think of the new Star Wars movie?"

----Who do you think we are, movie critics? Go read this instead.

Mark writes a new song called "Sunday Night"

"Are you sure you can deal with fame?"----The real question is, can fame deal with us? Because we're pretty much out to revolutionize the music world, and culture in general.

"Why are you so arrogant?"----We are given one lifetime to change the world. Fame is how you can make the most of it. Aim any lower than fame, and you're probably not giving your art enough respect.

"But aren't you just going to sell out in order to get to the top? How would that rest with your conscience? And wouldn't that compromise the integrity of your art?"----No. Our art is by definition to communicate to the masses, enacting social change in the process. Try doing that out of a garage or in a small club. Frankly, I think people will be interested in what we have to say. Good, honest art doesn't have to be unintelligible, pretentious and badly arranged (i.e. much of indie rock). Our music will be catchy, the lyrics simple, but informed by actual thought and complex, reality-based feelings.

An exclusive interview with Ian Asbjornsen

NP: I AM NEON PHOSPHOR. I AM EVERYWHERE, EVEN IN CHINA, WHERE I HAVE TRACKED DOWN OUR DRUMMER.

IAN, WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN CHINA?

IA: Studying Art History, Language, Modern History, and Traveling. I have only been here 4 days, but so far the astro turf surrounding the hotel pools has been spectacular. It's really foggy all the time.

NP: HOW'S THE FOOD? MUSIC SCENE?

IA: The food might be the best part, but my first bite of my first dumpling had a metal shaving in it as a surprise for me. Traditional Chinese instruments abound, also I just got back from a night club in Xian called "1+1" and almost got in a fight with a crazy guy who kept touching the girls in my class. We danced to remixed Communist songs. I read that there are over 300 rock bands in Beijing, where I will be staying for over a month. Much more on that later.

NP: HAVE YOU SEEN THE GREAT WALL?

IA: We took a ski lift up to the wall, climbed around on it, and slid back down on a tobbaggan.

NP: UMM... I MEANT, PINK FLOYD'S "THE WALL"

IA: I've never seen it although I love psychedelic cartoons.

Ian Asbjornsen, missing in action

Rumors are that he is in China. If you are Ian or know what his summer plans are, please e-mail info@popgothetonics.com.

"Will you be famous?"----That's a good word. Not only will it happen, but we *will* it to happen. I am certain that we will be famous simply because we have decided upon it. It's in the name of our EP: 'pop' go the tonics. That doesn't mean we'll sit back and let it happen to us. Frankly, there's a lot of room for improvement, but that's really tied to how much time we actually get to work on music.

Copies 16 and 17 built

Steven built and mailed copies 16 and 17 for two of his housemates. "I want to know what they look like after going through the postal service."

"So you consider yourselves an indie pop band."----Not really. And I don't like where this is going.

"Are you influenced by other groups in your genre, such as The Shins or The Postal Service?"----They are not of our genre. We have changed the meaning of 'indie pop band.'

"Rumors abound that the Tonics album will never see the light of day"

----True. The album will be released to meet the prince of darkness.

"Interesting. Is this album going to sound like Black Sabbath? We know that Mark was in a Black Sabbath tribute band before he joined Sculpted Static, and he is currently playing for a Davis-based classic rock cover band."----What the hell? Now you're just making shit up. What kind of journalist are you? Go listen to "Distance."

"What have you been putting on the Pop Go The Tonics EPs?"----Ah, a good question at last. The last few EPs have featured a cool 37c stamp of R. Buckminster Fuller (architect known for his geodesic domes), a 37c stamp of a snowy egret (a kind of heron), and a 23c stamp featuring Wilma Rudolph (triple Olympic champion).

"Why is it 'Pop' Go the Tonics?"

----Because we slaughtered and ate the weasel? Well, why not?

"I heard that Steven is going to New York to pursue a career in publishing. How will that affect the band?"----It's all part of a grand scheme to install him in an editorial position with RollingStone and get us a feature-length article or two.

"Do you have stage names?"----What an odd question. Well, when we do get around to acquiring all that scaffolding, lighting, backdrops, speakers and shit, we'll probably call the whole assembly 'that multi-million-dollar setup better not collapse on us during a show.'

"So, who or what is Lucy?"----I'm kind of worried that you think Lucy could be a what. Talk about the objectification of women! She did trick me into something, though.

Copies 14 and 15 mailed

We finally mailed out copies 14 and 15 to paying customers in So Cal. Our goal is to get to 100. Remember, we expect most people to have downloaded our mp3s off the web site, so it's hard to tell how many copies of Pop Go The Tonics are floating around.

"Seriously, are we going to see a new album this summer?"----In a parallel universe, the answer would be yes.

"Um... sure. So, what does the new 'Alpha-Alpha' song sound like? And why the change in song title?" ----Well, if you must know... signs point to yes.

"Excuse me?" ----You heard me the first time.

"What's with this hostility? Don't you respect your fans?" ----Performatively speaking, I am entertaining them as we speak. Next question.

"Do you believe rock stars should take advantage of their position in society to promote social causes like Free Tibet, cancelling third world debt, and increasing awareness of depression?"----Concentrate and ask again.

Some notes

Over the last week or so, Mark wrote a new verse for "Alpha-Alpha," formerly known as "Alpha and Omega."

Where do we go from here? Ideally we should finish the new album this summer, but as usual our summer plans are scattering us all over the country again. Steven and Arta will have about 3 weeks at the beginning of summer to record.

Special dinner concert

Yep, it went well. Thanks again to all those who made it possible...

The setlist was:

Soundcheck... John Nepomuceno's "Still As The Night"
1. Distance, 2. Lucy, 3. The Clapping Song, 4. Lucy Tricked Me Into Something, 5. Morning Bell.

Stebbins concert tomorrow

Very little preparation is going into this concert. Hopefully, it'll go smoothly.

Mass e-mail sent today

THE TONICS AT STEBBINS HALL

The Tonics will be playing at Stebbins Hall's end-of-semester talent show this Saturday at 9PM! Stebbins (2527 Ridge Road, Berkeley) is a co-op on the north side of the Berkeley campus. It's also where Steven lives. To gain entry, you may have to say that you are Steven's guest.

JOKE TIME

What did the Beatles say when they were caught in a rockslide? (answer below)

DOWNLOAD OUR MUSIC!

If you haven't already, we invite you to download the Pop Go The Tonics EP from our website: http://www.popgothetonics.com/
It's free.

ANSWER

Watch out for the Rolling Stones!

An exclusive interview with John Nepomuceno

NP: DESCRIBE YOUR MUSICAL HISTORY.

JN: Me llamo, Juan. I played piano at the age of 5, quit at 9...but I still tickle the ivories from time to time...I've been playing guitar since I was 14...i am 22 so that makes that...wow 8 years? I play bass sometimes....drums sometimes...i started learning how to play the Koto (a Japanese lute instrument of some kind) when I was in high school and wish i pursued that longer...shrug...i like working the drum machine. I sing. I dance. I rap too, no bullshit mang.

NP: HOW DID YOU GET THIS GIG TO PLAY WITH THE TONICS?

JN: Bless Steven Chow's heart, he asked Project X: The Radiohead Tribute Collective to play with The Tonics...I was much obliged to do so. He is the facilitator of my Radiohead DeCal class which totally blows...i mean rocks.

NP: YOU ARE ARTA "HARD ROCKIN'" KHAKPOUR'S SUBSTITUTE. AS SUCH, YOU ARE PLAYING THE PARTS THAT HE PERSONALLY WROTE. WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY TO HIM?

JN: Hahaha, I think he's an extremely gifted musician. It wasn't easy figuring out his parts but I would say that they are indeed "hard rockin'," awesome riffage. I would like to meet you some day dude, you rock.

A most excellent cover

The purpose of this post is to call attention to Ben Folds - Bitches Ain't Shit. Please acquire that song.

Two quotes

Steven: "I don't like the way 'Tonight' sounds. We will have to re-record it. This time, I think with a faster 6/8 rhythm instead of 3/4."

Mark: "We should get a 4-track and re-record the whole Sculpted Static canon in a weekend."

Neon Phosphor's mailbag

'I want to purchase "Sound Check". I let my friend borrow it and it came back scuffed and sticky...unplayable. I will pay any price!!!!' (name and contact info withheld)

Unfortunately, we do not have any copies of Sound Check. In fact, we cannibalized our leftover Sound Check jewel cases into Sunny Ash cases. But we don't have any more Sunny Ashes, either.

Those interested in our past should visit our old soundclick page.

The Tonics bootlegged

John Nepomuceno built a bootleg CD containing the Pop Go The Tonics EP and our concert recordings, among other things. Steven: "When I saw it, I was like, holy shit, it looks better than the official CD. It's actually got a jewel case and liner notes, and the cover is a picture of that girl from our lyrics web pages."

Good news

It looks like we are going to play.

Neon Phosphor's mailbag

"your punning is getting out of control. i am shocked and a bit offended by today's 'summer' pun. wtf? says arta."

NEON PHOSPHOR EXCURS TO THE RAGGED EDGE OF OUR LANGUAGE, AND BEYOND.

Special dinner gig confirmed, sorta

The Tonics will play at the special dinner at Stebbins Hall, but only if we can get our Bay Area cast together again. We are currently in the process of looking at our respective planners.

Concert recording

Steven finished editing the concert recording: "The best part is hearing that you actually hit the right notes, something that doesn't always happen in the heat of the moment."

Copy 13 is mailed to the piNoisepop festival, which we qualify for because we have at least one Asian bandmember.

"What are your summer plans?" ----That question leaves out a lot. My TI-85 is also a differencer, producer, and a quotienter.

"Are we to expect this kind of wordplay on the album?" ----Sure, if you stack the works of Shakespeare on top of our CD. Did you know that Shakespeare was such a master of the language that he invented hundreds of common words and sayings still used today?

Concert to be mixed

Today was pretty eventful. Steven got a copy of the concert recording (recorded by Morgan Wadsworth and Matthew Siemonsma). He will attempt to mix out a metronome track that was accidentally recorded on top of the whole recording.

"This is the ultimate challenge for a waveform manipulator. I should earn a merit badge for this."

Obviously we cannot expect this to have the same fidelity as, say, The Who Live At Leeds, but you will still get a very good feeling of the energy from this concert.

Today, Mark recorded a new demo of "Alpha and Omega" with a cool harmonized guitar part.

Greatest moments in rock and roll, part 9

The Rolling Stones arrangements

They're really geniuses at producing a rich sound without sounding overproduced, probably better than The Beatles. Today's spotlight goes to "Memory Motel" by The Rolling Stones. Piano, organ, acoustic guitar, a bit of electric, bass. That's the kind of the sound we're going for, I think.

Other great songs by the Stones: "Brown Sugar," "Wild Horses," "Let's Spend The Night Together" (for the doo-wop backing vocals), "Ruby Tuesday," "Miss You" (containing probably Arta's favorite spoken word passage) and "Gimme Shelter."

I don't know if we can sing like Mick Jagger, but there's still a lot to learn from "the world's greatest rhythm section."

This Be The Verse

I don't really have much to say today, either. Here's a poem by Philip Larkin:

This Be The Verse

They fuck you up, your mum and dad.
They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with the faults they had
And add some extra, just for you.

But they were fucked up in their turn
By fools in old-style hats and coats,
Who half the time were soppy-stern
And half at one another's throats.

Man hands on misery to man.
It deepens like a coastal shelf.
Get out as early as you can,
And don't have any kids yourself.

Nothing to say today

Neon Phosphor takes a break.

Arta: "We need to make music that will destroy the world"

Speaking of apocalypse, it's time for a Sunny Ash moment.

As some of you may know, we released an album called Sunny Ash back when we were Sculpted Static. In fact, Thank You (on our EP) is the same version from Sunny Ash, only touched up a little.

Here are all the references to the sun in Sunny Ash:

"the sinking sun face the smile of the moon" (Lucy)
"sleep on a bed of nails to see the sunrise" (Apart)
"soaking the warmth from the rays of the sun, he takes in some heat" (Follow The)
"so he follows the sun round corners and trees" (Follow The)
"early morn the sun is in my room" (Haste)
"the sun will burn off the day all day" (Nothing)
"the sun is just as big or small" (Nothing)
"he tried to blot the sunlight" (Refrain)
"marisol" (Refrain, we think this means "sunny sea")

Could the sun be a metaphor for a nuclear bomb?

On a side note, the word "no," "nothing" or "not" appears in every song except "Apart."

Greatest moments in rock and roll, part 8

(Happy 4/20, folks. Copy 12 will be mailed tomorrow.)

Today's spotlight: the beginning

This is a particular weakness of ours. We don't usually give our songs their proper introductions. Let's look at a sampling of good intros, particularly those that aren't just the first chord played for 2 bars.

Intros that appear nowhere else in the song

The Beach Boys - California Girls (it keeps building: piano and guitar, bass, then horns, then the organ)
The Beatles - If I Fell (intro verse)
The Beatles - Michelle (guitar part)
The Beatles - A Hard Day's Night (chord)

The intro is also a between-verse link

Elliott Smith - Everything Means Nothing To Me (brief piano flourish)
The Beatles - In My Life
The Smiths - There Is A Light That Never Goes Out

One song or instrumental track introduces the next

Blonde Redhead - Equally Damaged/ In Particular
Van Halen - Eruption/ You Really Got Me
Queen - We Will Rock You/ We Are The Champions
Brian Wilson - Our Prayer/ Gee/ Heroes and Villains

I'm sure there are many other excellent intros out there. This is just what I can come up with off the top of my head.

Honorable mention goes to The Offspring - Pretty Fly (For A White Guy) for a spectacular multi-part intro:

Sample: "gunter glieben glauten globen"

Female vocalist: Give it to me, baby
Male vocalist: uh huh, uh huh
x3

Spoken: And all the girlies say I’m pretty fly for a white guy

Guitar riff

Spoken: Uno, dos, tres, quatro, cinquo, senco, ses

Greatest moments in rock and roll, part 7

(Produced and mailed copy 11 for a customer.)

Today's spotlight: pop songs with totally different movements

This is a tricky category. How do you work with sudden shifts in music without it turning prog rock? Let's try to find out:

The medley

The Beatles - Kansas City/Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey (1:12), the Beatles experimented with medleys as early as 1964. Just put two songs with the same key.

The 5th Dimension - Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In (The Flesh Failures) (2:18), The 5th Dimension are one of the best pop groups of the 60s, no question about it. Here, they accomplish the switch by splicing two songs into a medley.

The cut up and splice method

The Beach Boys - Good Vibrations, this is an example of how you put completely different sections of music together and still have one of the most popular records ever.

Brian Wilson - Heroes And Villains (2:17), the switch to the "in the cantina" section is borderline prog rock, I think. By that, I mean it doesn't work as well as some of the other songs, perhaps too self-consciously a sudden switch. A successful switch should sound smooth and natural.

Petula Clark - Don't Sleep in the Subway (0:51), she is best known for "Downtown" but this one is a really good song, too.

The Beatles - Happiness Is A Warm Gun, brilliant. My favorite sections are "I need a fix" and "mother superior" with that weird time signature.

Radiohead - Paranoid Android, inspired by the Beatles song named above.

The "different" coda

Madonna - Vogue (4:50), new lyrics and melody for the end: "ooh, you got to..."

The Beatles - Ticket To Ride (2:46), the "my baby don't care" section with a new beat and guitar solo.

So.... how are The Tonics responding to all this? "Lucy Tricked Me Into Something"

We want photos or recordings

If you have any photos or recordings of the show, we'd love to see them! E-mail info@popgothetonics.com.

The Next Big Thing

According to the website for "The Next Big Thing" (KALX), which played Sculpted Static two years ago, they have not yet played us. The next chance is tomorrow (Monday), so tune in on http://kalx.berkeley.edu/ at 6:00pm Pacific, and hope for the best.

Harmony work on "Tonight"

Harmony vocals on "Tonight"'s (very intense) last verse. "It's getting very near the end."

Mixing "Tonight"

Steven did some more mixing work on "Tonight."

"I got rid of the piano in the beginning because it was too much, also the french horn had to go because it was really doing the same thing as the harmony vocals."

An exclusive interview with Steven Chow

NP: HOW WAS THE GIG?

SC: we played to about 300% more people at this gig than the last. at this rate, we're 4 gigs away from playing the berkeley greek theatre, which has a max capacity of 8000.

NP: ARE YOU MAKING ANY PROGRESS ON THE ALBUM?

SC: we've sort of taken a step back because we'll probably have to record some of the songs again. like the clapping song, for sure, and crowds of nervous people. on the bright side, i think we have a better idea how to arrange them. also, i would like to bring back shoes because it's a good song. we can do that one with just piano, acoustic rhythm guitar, one lead electric guitar, bass and drums. in fact, i'd like to see that arrangement done more, it's basically what we had during the concert. mark pointed out that my piano-based songs usually sound complete as they are, and if the band can just play around the piano instead of overwhelming it--like on radio--it could work really well, like karma police or pyramid song.

NP: HAVE YOU WRITTEN ANY NEW SONGS LATELY?

SC: been working on one, yeah. it's another depressing one on the piano.

Nothing really interesting happened today.

Neon Phosphor takes a break.

Greatest moments in rock and roll, part 7 1/2

Here's another brilliant one, courtesy of Ringo.

The Beatles - I Feel Fine (1:24)

Concert report

It really was an awesome concert, and we don't normally feel that way about our concerts. Mark's really improved his stage presence from playing with a cover band in Davis. You should've seen him freaking out during the interludes of "The Clapping Song." "The Clapping Song," by the way, went sooooo well that we have to re-record it.

Here is the complete setlist:

Soundcheck: Lucy. 2nd soundcheck: Airbag (partial), The Clapping Song, Cosmic Dancer, True Love Waits (partial).

Show: (John addresses the audience), 1. Distance, (Mark introduces G the bassist, then a tuning break), 2. Telegraph Avenue, (Mark introduces the rest of the band), 3. Lucy, (Mark introduces the next song), 4. The Clapping Song, (Steven talks about the web site), 5. Lucy Tricked Me Into Something, (Mark talks about the next song being a Smiths cover), 6. There Is A Light That Never Goes Out.

Thanks...

Neon Phosphor took a break on 4/9 to celebrate the successful gig.

We would like to thank Joanna Wisniewski, John Nepomuceno, Matt Siemonsma, and G for playing with us. Thanks also to the people who put the concert together and the people who came to see it. Finally, thanks to Sarah Accomazzo and Binh Au for loaning us equipment.

Rehearsals for the big show

The first rehearsal happened today. Amazing to hear the songs live. We are still short on equipment and hoping to borrow some by tomorrow. Mark arrived in Berkeley after the rehearsal.

Ad campaign for The Tonics

After hearing the promoters' modest expectations of a half-house at 155 Dwinelle (max capacity: 300), Steven took it upon himself to design and post nearly 200 flyers on the Berkeley campus. "Just for the record, I spent $8.70 today on copies. We're gonna exceed that 30 person attendance at the No Future Cafe."

Personnel issues

We are facing a bit of a crisis as our bassist has pulled out due to an emergency. Now we will see just how good Craigslist is. Also, our second electric guitarist can't do it anymore, but we won't bother replacing him.

Greatest moments in rock and roll, part 7 1/3

Arta: "you missed one of the greatest drums attacking moments. i'm very disappointed in you"

Radiohead - There There (3:57), after nearly four minutes of timpani, Phil attacks with his regular drumset, signaling the beginning of a brief, but kickass, guitar solo

Greatest moments in rock and roll, part 7

"When drums attack"

Not just when drums come in, but includes examples where drums build tension (usually by an extended drum roll or hammering out the quarter notes) and release into a normal rock and roll beat. I don't know what the technical terms are---I'm no drummer!

Blonde Redhead - Kazuality (3:09-3:14)
The White Stripes - Hypnotise (0:59-1:15)
Led Zeppelin - Stairway To Heaven (4:17-4:19)
Pixies - Rock Music (0:04-0:21)
Broken Social Scene - KC Accidental (0:10)
The Beatles - The End (0:19-0:34)

We sorta do this on "The Clapping Song."

We don't have an update for you today

Sorry, man. Neon Phosphor needs a break.

Greatest moments in rock and roll, part 6

Today we focus on instrumentals that "preview" an upcoming vocal melody, often as a turning point in the song.

Blonde Redhead - Misery Is A Butterfly (2:48), guitar anticipates "Misery is a butterfly"
Radiohead - Where I End and You Begin (2:53), bass anticipates "I will eat you alive"
Radiohead - Sit down. Stand up. (2:25-3:03), piano chords in the rhythm of "rain drops, the rain drops"
The Beach Boys - You Still Believe In Me (0:00), the intro melody, made by simultaneously playing and plucking the piano strings, doesn't return until the coda (1:37 onwards)
The Beatles - You Never Give Me Your Money (0:00), the intro melody is the same as the verse
Blonde Redhead - Melody (0:00), keyboard intro anticipates the verse melody, ironically the keyboard starts playing something else once the singing starts

The Tonics used this technique on "Lucy Tricked Me Into Something."

Lineup determined

The Tonics have decided on the lineup and the setlist (Distance, Telegraph Avenue, Lucy, The Clapping Song, Lucy Tricked Me Into Something, There Is A Light That Never Goes Out), but we will hold off on the mass e-mail and announcement until things are more set in stone. Keep your schedule open for next Saturday, April 9, 5:30pm, if you're in Berkeley.