Thursday, October 27, 2011

Band to Know: The Blank Tapes: Big In Brazil

I first came across The Blank Tapes through their connection with artists like Graves, Little Wings, Gift Machine, Lee Baggett, etc.
The West Coast Stoner-Surf-Lounge scene is an incestuous one. Everybody plays on everybody else's records, and most "bands" are really only a main songwriter (in the case of The Blank Tapes, Matt Adams), with a revolving cast of friends from other bands or projects who play when they can and don't when they can't. This gives every album and live show a spontaneity and uniqueness that you don't get from bands with set lineups (unless maybe that band is Fugazi). Every show has a different setlist, different instrumentation, and can go either way: utter brilliance or total trainwreck. It's that unpredictability that makes it exciting.
These bands also tend to be pretty prolific. It's easier to record when you don't have to actually work around 4 specific people's schedules or when you can play all the instruments yourself. The Blank Tapes are no exception. Not only have the they released 6 Albums (most clocking in at 20+ songs, a couple of EPs, and who knows how many random tape, Cd-r, and compilation releases (I highly recommend the FREE Adams curated Universal Western Attractions) in the last 7 years, but Adams also records, produces and plays in bands like Dirty Birdy, Collin Ludlow, Sleepy Todd, and Sugar Candy Mountain. On top of all that, 2012 is gearing up to be a ridiculously busy year. They've already got 5 releases lined up:
Invisible Colors - A Split album with Magic Leaves - a collection of older recordings too rocking and random for any other release
An all new split album w/ Sugar Candy Moutain is "being recorded in Brazil, featuring the newest batch of songs, sexy, funny songs if i (Matt Adams) dare say so".
Vacation - A new album recently recorded at New, Improved Recording (tUnE-YaRdS, Thao & Mirah, Deerhoof).
Geodesic Domepiece - a stoner concept album recorded to 2" tape which will come out on April 20th, of course.
A couple albums of new and old 8 track recordings called SHA-LA-LOVE & and yet to be named one along with a hodge podge of other random recordings.

CHECK OUT THE BLANK TAPES BANDCAMP FOR $5 (or less) MP3 albums.

Here are three exclusive demos of tunes that will be (or have been) rerecorded for Blank Tapes albums to be released in 2012.

The Blank Tapes - Exclusive Demos from PIAPTKBlog.com by PIAPTK

In a weird fluke that is the stuff that musician dreams (and jokes) are made of, a Blank Tapes song was licensed last year to be used in Brazilian candy commercial. The commercial and song were so popular, that a band that played house shows for 30 people in the US were soon on their way to Brazil to play large venues. They are currently in Brazil for the second time, check the dates here.

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