it is june

Hi everyone! Okay, So I am going to try to be back. I know I haven't updated in MONTHS but there were finals and moving and all of those things. Let me tell you a little bit about my life right now just so you get an idea of what I've been up to:

I recently returned from California where I visited my good friend Austin and the excellent city of San Francisco. I'm now living in Cambridge in Central Square with my friends Pat and Kallie. I am working at the hipster empire known as American Apparel on Newbury Street in Boston (thats 330 Newbury, not the other one...yes there are two of them...I know, it's dumb as hell). On the creative side of things the ska-punk band I'm in called Interrobang!? is recording it's second release, a full length produced by Jeff Rosenstock (Bomb the Music Industry!) and Steve Foote (Big D and the Kids Table). So thats pretty exciting! 

Just after moving to the city I started working on some new solo stuff but faced a few technical issues with recording problems and have sort of let it go for a bit, but I'm feeling inspired and I'll start working on that stuff soon. I've also been making lots of food and ice cream which is really awesome, I began my record collection, and have read lots of comic books.

That's that!

the brave little abacus - the split (2008)

The Brave Little Abacus is an awesome band from Southern New Hampshire that are good friends of my band Interrobang!? The trio is made up of Adam Demirjian on guitar, Zach Onett playing keyboards, and Andrew Ryan on Bass, although all three members prove themselves to be competent multi-instrumentalists as well as vocalists. Their music sounds like a more lo-fi, noisy, and experimental Cap'n Jazz, but with just as much emotion. BLA really traverse all sorts of musical territory, from mathy, complex passages to ambient, layered soundscapes, all piled high with samples from Yoshi's Island and a bunch of other Sega Genesis games. Brave Little Abacus play some serious music, but still manage to not take themselves too seriously. For their live show the group play the drums, samples, and other sounds from a small TV equipped with the ever useful Sega Dreamcast. The show is one very cohesive experience; with songs connected by samples, dance party segues, and ambient sound, and it's also a ton of fun.

Download The Brave Little Abacus' half of the split they released with Matt Aspinwall in the winter of 2008 below. Also be sure to visit their myspace to hear other excellent songs not included on the album such as "The Buffalo" and "You're Not Me But Neither Am I," both excellent tunes.

www.myspace.com/thebravelittleabacus

for fans of: modest mouse, cap'n jazz, animal collective

The Brave Little Abacus - The Split

the tallest man on earth - shallow grave (2008)

The Tallest Man on Earth is the moniker of Kristian Matsson, a folk artist from Sweden. His second release "Shallow Grave" has recently garnered some attention in the states and so here it is for your enjoyment. 

The singer-songwriter genre is often a stale one, but every once and a while a gem emerges. I need to give this record a few more listens but so far I like it, and I'm sure a lot of people will like it much more than I do. The album has very minimalist instrumentation, usually just acoustic guitar and banjo, but Matsson's interesting vocal melodies make up for it.

for fans of: the mountain goats, bob dylan, dirty projectors

the tallest man on earth - shallow grave

ponytail - ice cream spiritual (2008)

Ponytail are a noise-rock band from Baltimore, Maryland.  They play really fun, mathy, noisy music. Their signature sound is defined by trebly fuzzed out guitars and screeching inhuman wails from vocalist Molly Siegel. I really like the songs "Beg Waves" and "Late for School" check, check 'em out.

for fans of: deerhoof, lightning bolt, abe vigoda

ponytail - ice cream spiritual

virgin soil at "this is what I do when I'm not with you"

On Friday Virgin Soil performed at Emerson Experimental Art's hiatus show titled "This is What I Do When I'm Not With You." Here are some photos taken by Dan Muchnik. I also performed a spoken word piece called "So Sick." 

MissingNo. - The Clatson Winic (2007)

I linked to this band's myspace from my friend Harrison's, they are very, very cool. MissingNo, yes named after the "pokemon" we all know and love, create cool electronica, IDM, lo-fi stuffz, whatever you want to call it. Their stuff is pretty damn catchy and I love it.

sounds like: the books, dan deacon, prefuse 73

MissingNo. - The Clatson Winic

owen - at home with owen (2006)

Owen is the musical project of Mike Kinsella, you know, brother of Tim Kinsella. 

He has been in bands like Cap'n Jazz, Joan of Arc, Owls, American Football, blah blah blah, you get it. You know that Kinsella brothers. You probably know Owen, or you should. 

Owen is a singer songwriter project, but trust me, it's so much different than that! Owen's music really relies on really lush, interesting instrumentation and honest lyrics. A lot of Owen songs have these really interesting acoustic guitar hooks that just get me so excited! Mike Kinsella's voice is soft and fluid (unlike his brother, el oh el!) in fact though, his voice is almost too perfect. Generally I don't like vocalists as much that sing too well, I prefer imperfections as they seem more honest. But Owen's music is already so honest anyway, I can look past that, and I mean, Kinsella is a VERY good vocalist. 

Just listen to the lyrics of "The Sad Waltzes of Pietro Crespi" or "Bags of Bones" and you will know what I mean. Even the tiny guitar solo on "A Bird in Hand" has SO much feeling to it. You can feel Mike Kinsella in every saturated note.

sounds like: owls, kevin devine, copeland

Owen - At Home With Owen

things i do when i'm not with you

moar black thunder!

Here are some more photos from the Black Thunder and Da Naughtiez show, these are by Dan Muchnik.

It's good to have friends that take such sick photos.

black thunder and da naughtiez secret show

Last night Black Thunder and Da Naughtiez gave an impromptu performance. Here are some photos taken by Kallie Tiffault: 

shelby

norwell massachusetts, i don't remember when

by nicholas tamburo

lunch

So for lunch I made this awesome grilled cheese with tomato yummm

pelican - city of echoes (2007)

So I've been feeling kind of not so great the past day or so. Yet today, when just being, I started listening to the latest album by Pelican. I've heard it before and it was good, but I realized that it is VERY good. Listen to it!

for fans of: mono, isis, russian circles

pelican - city of echoes

honesty

I've always thought that honesty was important, and I consider myself to be an honest person in many aspects of life. Sometimes maybe I can be too honest. I recently realized that it is important to be honest in art as well. 

Shit, maybe thats obvious, maybe I was the only one that hadn't realized that by now. Well I realized it, I just didn't recognize how important it truly is until now. 

Lately I have been listening to mostly emo music from the early 90s, what gets more honest than that? When you can hear a person in their music, or see them in their art...I think that's really amazing. Some artists that are really honest:

barr

braid

conor oberst

bomb the music industry!

tim kasher

kanye west

The new Kanye West album has been a huge influence on me as an artist, I don't want to go on and praise it forever and ever right now, I think you know what I think of it by now hah.

Maybe the only way for me to make something valuable is to have it be as honest as possible. 

I'm gonna work on doing that.

black thunder and da naughtiez - tingling sensation (2009)

Here is the new EP from comedy-rap trio Black Thunder and Da Naughtiez. This release marks a new direction for the group, Black Thunder has strayed from its old-school style to a more polished sound similar to modern hip-hop from the likes of Kanye West and Lil' Wayne.

for fans of: 2 live crew, the cool kids, mystikal

black thunder and da naughtiez - tingling sensation

albert camus takes pills

I apologize for not updating the past couple days, I've been slacking off. Well here's a still from a film I made a while ago called "Discovering" this is Zach as Camus.

boston massachusetts, october 2007

by nicholas tamburo