January – Happy Happy Birthday to Me Volume 2 compilation features tracks by The Late B.P. Helium, Scott Spillane, Fablefactory, Dixie Blood Moustache, and more.
January 9th – of Montreal: The Early Four Track Recordings. From the band’s press release: “Kindercore Records will…release an album of older [Kevin] Barnes compositions, simply titled The Early Four Track Recordings, on January 9th, 2001. This record explores Barnes’ early songs recorded before forming of Montreal. As is the custom with this humorous outfit, a bizarre tale has surfaced alluding to the fact that all of the songs on Four Track were inspired by actor Dustin Hoffman, who Barnes claims was the man who turned him to music in the first place. A look at a few of the song titles on the upcoming disc confirms this. ‘Dirty Dustin Hoffman Needs A Bath,’ ‘Dustin Hoffman Gets A Bath,’ ‘Dustin Hoffman Thinks About Eating The Soap,’ ‘Dustin Hoffman Scrubs Too Hard and Loses The Soap’ and ‘Dustin Hoffman Does Not Resist Temptation To Eat The Bathtub’ are just a few of the songs to be included on the record.”
January 24th – Rolling Stone reports, “XTC architect Andy Partridge doesn’t get out much, so for him discovering and jamming with another musician means listening to a CD in his living room and strumming his guitar into his telephone receiver. This is exactly what he is doing with Robert Schneider, fellow bespectacled alterna-popster and de facto frontman for Denver’s Apples in Stereo. Partridge got his hands (and ears) on the Apples‘ catalog and was so impressed that he contacted Schneider, and now the two are writing songs together. ‘They work together a few times a week and are on the phone a couple hours at a time . . . sometimes more,’ says a spokesperson for Partridge. The fruits of Partridge’s and Schneider’s transatlantic labors will appear on Schneider’s debut solo album, which is expected in the spring.” Robert Schneider, interviewed by Jud Cost for Terrascope:
I’ve been recording this Orchestre Fantastique album, the new Marbles record but it’s not going to be called that. I thought that for some of it I might want to collaborate with some of my heroes. Rather than a solo record I wanted it to be a fantasy band. Maybe I could send Chris Knox something. So, I started with the hardest to get because I had some time. The first three people I thought of were Paul McCartney, Brian Wilson and Andy Partridge. I thought, wow, probably impossible, but it would really be cool if I could work with any of these people. Spinart sent Andy the record because we were on the same label in England, Cooking Vinyl. So he got the records, but they had gotten shoved under his bed. Then he found the records and he really, really liked them. He called Spinart and said he was definitely interested in collaborating, and he told Spinart to have me call him. I was really nervous and didn’t call him for three weeks. I couldn’t get my nerve up and kept wondering was it worth it? Maybe Spinart was just blowing smoke up my ass, telling me he was interested. Nobody wants to have pie in their face, especially from a hero. But it was great. He was just so friendly, right off. He was real talkative. It was good that he broke the ice. Our personalities meshed very well and then we engaged in songwriting – it just happened so easily. We’d talked for an hour and then he’d ask me what I had. He turns the tap on really quickly, not one to sit around and mull over the first creation of a song. …I’ll sit in the kitchen with the phone and play him my ideas on acoustic guitar or he’ll play me his ideas. He uses two phones, one to talk and the other by his guitar – and it sounds great. One time he called me up and says, ‘OK, I want to write a song with two bridges and all sevenths chords.’ And it was a great song, such a rocker that we’re going to play it in the Apples. Then I’ll have song ideas I’d never been able to get anywhere with, and he’d take them off into a chorus, or he’d add some transition. In a three-hour conversation we’ll usually write three songs. And we can make changes really quickly without pissing anybody off. He’s a real tweaker and he goes from his gut. He’ll just launch right into a melody.
February 4th – WORLD OF WILD BEARDS/WALKING WALL OF BEARDS, INC., King’s Arms, Auckland, NZ – Jeff Mangum performing with Laura Carter and Chris Knox. From 33 1/3: In the Aeroplane Over the Sea by Kim Cooper: “In early 2001, Jeff and Laura [Carter] took a restorative trip to New Zealand that culminated in a live performance in an Auckland pub with their friend and host Chris Knox. At this show, Jeff played Neutral Milk Hotel songs and spoke frankly about his recent breakdown.” Neutralmilkhotel.org: “Chris Knox, of the influential New Zealand-based band the Tall Dwarfs, was able to talk Jeff into slipping back into the public eye, if only for one show. Said show took place on February 4th, 2001 at a venue called King’s Arms in New Zealand. Jeff and…Laura Carter were there on vacation, and Chris already had a show booked for himself, and suggested the performance. Jeff agreed, but for one reason or another, didn’t want to be billed as ‘Neutral Milk Hotel,’ or even ‘Jeff Mangum.’ Instead he chose the moniker Walking Wall of Beards, Inc. (but it was mistakenly promoted as World of Wild Beards, Inc. by Chris Knox), in tribute to a company by that name out of Philadelphia in the early 1900’s that produced sound devices that apparently brought hair to life! Though the ‘band’ was pretty much just a front for Jeff to play NMH songs solo in relative anonymity, it can somewhat be thought of as a duo, with Laura sitting in on a few songs. Chris joined in a bit, too, but was considered more of a guest than a full-fledged WWoB, Inc. member.” This would be the last live performance by Jeff for several years.
February 14th – Ben Crum of the Great Lakes writes on his website, “To those of you who would have come to the shows in the U.K., we sincerely apologize. Our record label, La Suprette, is no more. We’re now looking for a label to release our record in England. We apologize for any disappointment. We’re bummed out too.”
March 20th – The Minders: Golden Street. From a profile in In Music We Trust:
‘We’re going to CMJ this year and while we’re in New York we’re going to track some songs for our next album,’ Rebecca [Cole] says excitedly. Up until now the band has recorded all of their albums at The Walk-In Closet, their home studio which consists of two eight-track reel to reel recorders and one four-track machine in an upstairs room. ‘It will be the first time we’ve recorded at a studio that wasn’t at someone’s house or practice space,’ elaborates Martyn [Leaper], the main songwriter, producer, and engineer of the band. ‘The label wants us to release an EP in the fall, but I’m not sure we’ll make their deadline. But they want us to track some songs while we’re in New York for CMJ, and since they’re paying for it we’ll do it.’ The Minders earned a tremendous fan base recording and releasing several 7″ records on the now defunct 60’s-revisited pop label The Elephant Six Collective, which received widespread critical applaud and a legion of loyal followers. However, the band is trying to move away from the Elephant Six tag and gain a following for themselves on their own name. ‘I don’t think we’re an Elephant Six band, if we ever really were,’ says Martyn. ‘Elephant Six doesn’t really exist anymore, but I don’t think we ever really fit in, besides working with Robert [Elephant Six mastermind and Apples in Stereo front man] and being friends with him…With Down In Fall we did a lot of experimentation,’ Martyn informs me. ‘We had a lot of ideas and a lot of stuff we wanted to do, so we toyed around with it. I think we’ll do more experimentation on our next EP…With Golden Street, though, we stuck with what we do normally, but still brought in a lot of new ideas and things we wanted to try. We added violin and trumpet and used instruments in new ways.’ As for the band’s current plans? ‘We’re going on tour with this great band called Mates of State, you should really check them out,’ Rebecca tells me.
The Minders (Martyn Leaper, Joanna Bolme, Rebecca Cole) performing Take 1 of “Golden Street/Light”
The Sixth Great Lake – Up the Country
March 27th – The Sixth Great Lake: Up the Country. Originally the “country” alter egos of the psychedelic Essex Green, by 2001 they were two distinct entities, encompassing The Essex Green’s Chris Ziter, Sasha Bell, and Jeff Baron, and adding Michael Barrett (ex-Essex Green) and Zachary Ward. Shortly after the release of this album, Sasha and Jeff left the band to concentrate on Essex Green.
Spring 2001: Andy Gonzales posts on the Marshmallow Coast site:
Andy G. of Marshmallow Coast will compose and record a song on 4 track using utmost care and consideration for any one who sends in 150 dollars. Please submit lyric ideas and style preference (if any) or subject matter or name dedication. I will return two cdr copies of the song, which you will be the soul owner of, within 4 weeks of receiving. I will pay shipping and handling out of the 150 dollars. I will re-think and re-record the song one time if the first is not to your satisfaction…Thank you for playing. ANDY
This project, which included providing the soundtrack for a short film and an unpublished novel as well as a birthday tune for the mother of Julia Rydholm (The Ladybug Transistor), was undertaken during the recording of his album Ride the Lightning. Similarly, a few years later Keith John Adams would commit himself to writing a song for a select amount of people who pre-ordered his album Unclever, and authored a total of 43 original songs. He toured with Andy Gonzales (then billing himself as “Andy from Denver”) in spring 2008.
of Montreal – Let’s Do Everything for the First Time Forever
April 23rd – of Montreal: Coquelicot Asleep in the Poppies – A Variety of Whimsical Verse. March press release from of Montreal, written by Kevin Barnes:
Coquelicot Asleep in the Poppies: A Variety of Whimsical Verse is the first true ‘band’ record we have ever made. I say this because it is the first time we have all collaborated together during the writing and recording process. We took our time (a year and a half) and really labored over every detail. Derek has truly blossomed as a recording engineer and his contribution was invaluable. The songs on Coquelicot aren’t a departure from those on our previous albums but are instead a mix of our favorite elements of the past. We tried to combine the intimacy and sweetness of A Petite Tragedy and the kookiness and color of The Gay Parade. Although the album is a concept record it isn’t necessary to know the concept to enjoy it. We avoided turning it into a straight narrative because that sort of concept record always becomes annoying after the fifth time you hear it. There is a story included in the artwork that ties everything together for those, like me, who are interested in that sort of thing. David (Barnes) created the illustrations for most of the songs and there is also a fold out poster that illustrates the 18-minute piano epic ‘The Hopeless Opus.’ There’s something for everyone on Coquelicot. Slow moody numbers, zany tunes with dialogue, up tempo madness pop, a song about a wax museum, the piano piece, a detective story, a story about three-legged hyena cicadas, visions into a pure and maniacal love affair and most importantly many songs of escapism. I think music should offer people an opportunity to escape into a different world. Coquelicot is a world without logic or consequences. A world of absurd beauty where even ugliness is made charming by its depth.
In an interview to the American zine ZUM, Kevin Barnes explains the album’s ambitious concept, “Coquelicot is an Efeblum. An Efeblum is a fairy-like creature who is employed by the Efeneties (loving spirits) to place bells inside people’s hearts. When a person has a bell in their heart they are able to create works of art, fall in love and feel at peace with the world. Coquelicot, during one of her trips to Earth, decides to discard her bells and experience life as a human. Instead of living in ‘reality’ she decides to experience life in a sleeping unconscious/conscious state. It is in this subconscious world that she meets Claude and Lecithin the inventor. They do all sorts of crazy stuff together like having incredible battles with evergreens and satellites, getting chased by psychotic zombies, playing with Lecithin’s inventions and eventually moving away together to a deserted frozen island. In time, Coquelicot feels remorseful about neglecting her responsibilities as an Efeblum and decides to return to her work. She can’t bear the thought of leaving her two new best friends so she invites them to come along with her. They happily accept and join her as honorary Efeblums.”
May 14th – Orange Twin Records issues their first release, Elyse Weinberg’s 1968 debut album, Elyse. Andrew Rieger of Elf Power wanted to see the neglected gem brought back into the spotlight: “As an enthusiastic record collector, I often find myself searching through stacks of records at thrift stores and yard sales, always hoping to come across the ‘Holy Grail,’ some amazing psychedelic record from the late 1960′s by some long forgotten obscure artist. Over the years, this ‘Holy Grail’ had eluded me, until one day in 1999, while on a cross-country trip, I was rummaging through a box of records in a thrift store in Missoula, Montana and came across a record cover featuring a beautiful and strange drawing of a knight kneeling beside a maiden on her deathbed, with a dragon watching over her. The title simply said ‘Elyse,’ and the price was one dollar. I felt compelled to buy it, and when I got home and gave it a listen, I knew I had finally found my ‘Holy Grail.’” Orange Twin Records was started as an offshoot of the Orange Twin Conservation Community project. Jeremiah McNichols interviewed Laura Carter about Orange Twin for Farming for Artists:
Laura Carter is one of the three founding members of the Orange Twin Conservation Community, a 155-acre eco-village in the making five miles outside of Athens, Georgia. The three women — Carter, Laura Glenn, and Barbara Denvir — are all participants in the Athens, Georgia independent music scene; Laura Carter began her own band, Elf Power, in 1994 with guitarist/songwriter Andrew Reiger, and the two run Orange Twin Records, an independent record label that releases a half-dozen albums a year. Carter, Glenn and Denvir scraped together their personal savings, cashing in inherited stock at what would turn out to be the perfect time, and during a three-month window found seven more people to join them…The group of eco-villagers and a cadre of musician friends and other community volunteers are working to clear land for gardens, planting vineyards, setting up water catchment systems and establishing recreational features… ’I hope by the end, it will look as cool, as [Antoni Gaudí's] Park Güell in Barcelona, but I’m sure that will be long after my lifetime. Mostly, I hope we can experiment with alternative ways of doing things. Hopefully we can create a balance between living in touch with nature and also in a community of people. We want both the farm life and the village life…All of us [Carter, Glenn, and Denvir] scraped together all the money we had and that’s how we set the share price. Laura Glenn had an aunt who died and I have a grandfather who gave me stock — we both had stock. We were so scared when we sold it. We’d been given it as a nest egg for our old age and we were just calling them up and cashing them in. Mine was in Chrysler, and I hate Chrysler — I couldn’t believe I owned stock in an oversized automobile thing. On the same day we both called up and said, ‘Sell!’ and the guys were like, ‘Do you guys even know what you’re doing?’ and we said ‘We don’t care, we just want the cash.’ I sold mine right when Chrysler merged with Mercedes-Benz so it was higher at that point than it ever was after that. This was in 2000…The [Orange Twin] website was originally supposed to be a little online village store that everybody could live there or was part of the community could sell their wares on, but it kind of grew before the village grew. It was a good way to do it, we definitely need the money it generates. We sell CDs by Neutral Milk Hotel, Orange Twin bands, jewelry, purses, we have a whole series of purses with Circulatory System and Elf Power and of Montreal embroidered on them, like patchwork I guess, and quilts, paintings by Will Hart and Hannah Jones — we pretty much sell anything. Then that money goes to projects that we want to do.’
Major Organ and the Adding Machine – His Mister’s Pet Whistles
Shipping at the same time as Elyse is Major Organ and the Adding Machine, an Elephant 6 concept album years in the making, and a truly collaborative effort among multiple E6 artists. Previously the only officially released track from Major Organ was created for the 1997 Kindercore compilation Christmas in Stereo: a cover of “What a Wonderful World” (with vocals from Thimble Circus‘ Jill Carnes). The full-length features a variety of different vocalists (including a distinctly recognizable Jeff Mangum on “Madam Truffle,” as well as Andrew Rieger and Julian Koster), and sonic compositions both abrasive and delightful (often both at once). The press release from Orange Twin gives about as specific a description as ever offered:
What is the Major Organ? Or rather who is this elusive character? Well let me tell you. The “Major” as he is referred to by friends and family resides in a small town just outside of Denver, Colorado. After many years of wandering and travels the Major started to compose his thoughts and dreams onto sheet music. For many years the Major searched for a suitable vehicle to carry out his musical transmissions. Lacking the ability to play these notes on musical instruments, he acquired the help of the Elephant Six Orchestra. Now, for the first time, the Major’s music has been documented on CD. With help from members of Neutral Milk Hotel, The Olivia Tremor Control, Elf Power, of Montreal, and many other friends, the Major’s music has begun to be cataloged. So far The Elephant Six Orchestra has recorded nineteen of his transmissions. Listen as the Major spins his delicious tale of Madam Truffle and her pastry making art (consumed by the town’s more tasteful pastry connoisseurs). Rejoice as Francisco the angel comes to release the town’s children from their beds (You’re free to go, you’re free to go!). So take a journey when your mind is not quite fit (and father is away) with the Major and his Orchestra!
April/May- Jeremy Barnes self-releases an experimental album under his Bablicon moniker Marta Tennae called Excerpts from a Janitor’s Almanac, 2000.
May – Michael Barrett: Couches and Carpet. From Splendid’s review: “This is a very accomplished solo project from Michael Barrett, a busy young guy who’s been drummer-songwriter-singer for Guppyboy, The Essex Green and The Sixth Great Lake, as well as a touring bassist for Ladybug Transistor. Against the rest of the Elephant 6 Collective, his outfits have been among their least hyped, but they are fabulously unpretentious, fun and worth checking out — especially if you’re a fan of the Kinks‘ Village Green phase. With Couches and Carpet, Barrett has made an epic Donovan throwback that works, like Donovan’s music, as a counterpoint to Bob Dylan, Lou Reed and other poets of the street.”
May – Marshmallow Coast covers “Never My Love” for Intertwined: I Hope This Helps in Some Way, a compilation of American artists covering classic British pop and psych songs. It’s only after Andy Gonzales submits his track that he realizes The Association was an American band.
The Ladybug Transistor – The Reclusive Hero
May 22nd – The Ladybug Transistor: Argyle Heir. The Orange County Register: “Stuck in a time warp, and better for it, this Brooklyn band makes dreamy `60s pop with as much intelligence as attention to detail. Traces of The Byrds, The Mamas and the Papas and The Zombies in almost every track; they use horns and woodwinds as superbly as the High Llamas; and Gary Olson’s sonorous voice is every bit as appealing as that of the Magnetic Fields‘ Stephin Merritt. Buy now for later rainy days.”
June 3rd – Bill Swan posts on Beulah’s website: “For those of you who were worried that Beulah got caught in the all-too-familiar merger madness… worry no more ’cause everything’s fine. Beulah’s new LP The Coast Is Never Clear is scheduled to be released September 11th on Velocette Records. What happened to Capricorn you ask? Well, Capricorn is longer in existence. The company, along with bands like 311, was sold to a bigger company earlier this year. The only bands that weren’t sold were Beulah, The Glands, Jucifer, and The Honeyrods. Anyway, seven former employees of Capricorn decided to start up a brand new indie label called Velocette. So, those of you waiting to hear Beulah’s major label debut, don’t hold your breath. P.S. Miles let me listen to it and it’s super-cool. You’ll love it, I promise.”
June 18th – Orange Twin Records releases Orange Twin Field Recordings Vol. 1, recorded and compiled by Jeff Mangum at the Koprivshtitsa Festival in Bulgaria, August, 2000. Bablicon releases A Flat Inside a Fog – the Cat The Was a Dog and Summer Hymns releases A Celebratory Arm Gesture (both Misra Records).
August – Elephant 6.com launches, with detailed band biographies, rare MP3s and live show downloads. Run by Kelly Ruberto, the website begins as an “unofficial” Elephant 6 website (an “official” one had been online some years before), but soon enough is upgraded to “official.” Sticklers note: Optical Atlas is and always will be unofficial.
August 9-10th – Emmaboda Festival in Sweden features of Montreal, Great Lakes, Gerbils, and Marshmallow Coast.
Circulatory System – The Lovely Universe
August 28th – Circulatory System: Circulatory System & Jeff Mangum: Live at Jittery Joe’s are released on E6 offshoot labels Cloud Recordings and Orange Twin, respectively. Cloud was the new record label begun by members of CS. Orange Twin also re-releases Neutral Milk Hotel’s Everything Is EP with a bonus track, “Tuesday Moon,” from the Hype City cassette. Homemade releases from Cloud include Lorkakar’s The First of the Lost Signals, and W. Cullen Hart’s Inside Views (Circulatory System remixes), Circuits (sound collages), and Silver (an ambient track recorded by burying a tape recorder underground). Pitchfork names Circulatory System the #5 best album of 2001: “With the release of Circulatory System, one of the greatest minds in pop music turned inward. Will Cullen Hart, who had explored the farthest reaches of chopped-up, texturally sophisticated pop music with The Olivia Tremor Control, brought a new level of emotion and beauty to his work, resulting in the most affecting album he’s released to date. The beautiful, lush orchestration, inventive instrumentation, and fanatical attention to sonic nuance are still in full form, but now serve as extensions of Hart’s inner quest to discover the nature of time, existence, and the universe. Rather than addressing these topics with far-reaching metaphors and generalizations, Hart shares his observations candidly and gracefully, resulting in an album every bit as sincere as it is profound.”
Pipes You See, Pipes You Don’t – Million Pieces
August 29th – The Olivia Tremor Control’s Pete Erchick, as Pipes You See, Pipes You Don’t, self-releases Individualized Shirts, an album which features contributions by Eric Harris, Heather McIntosh, John Fernandes, Scott Spillane, W. Cullen Hart, Jeff Mangum, Barbara Denvir, J. Kirk Pleasant, and Andy Gonzales. In 2003 the album is re-released on Orange Twin.
August 29th, September 1st – Great Lakes, Late BP Helium, and Scott Spillane play Athens and Atlanta.
September 11th – Beulah: The Coast is Never Clear. While some fans express displeasure at the new “polished” Beulah sound, the band wins more mainstream accolades than ever before. Entertainment Weekly: “Rarely has such a meticulously constructed album sounded so effortless.” The Onion AV Club: “Of the many experimental pop bands that have recorded, at one time or another, under the umbrella of the Elephant 6 collective, Beulah remains one of the least known and one of the best. That’s impressive on two fronts. Bands like Neutral Milk Hotel, The Apples In Stereo, Elf Power, Olivia Tremor Control, and The Minders aren’t exactly household names, but those who have heard them know just how good they can be. An even-better follow-up to Beulah’s excellent 1999 album When Your Heartstrings Break, the new The Coast Is Never Clear features the San Francisco band running through a set of songs every bit as lovely as they are unpredictable, with tracks as likely to throw in a banjo as a Moog. Beulah’s trademark is its ability to wed catchy songs to an expansive sound. Fronted by chief songwriter Miles Kurosky and made instantly recognizable by the trumpet work of Bill Swan and the twin keyboards of Bill Evans and Patrick Noel, The Coast Is Never Clear features a seven-piece band filled out by more than a dozen guests. For all its expansiveness and eclectic instincts, Beulah never loses its identity on Coast, which works from the homebase of ’60s pop while suggesting an array of other sources…Coast stops at a mere 12 tracks, but 57 more would have been welcome.”
Beulah – “Gene Autry”
ajviolet | MySpace Video
September 16th – ofmontreal.net offers the chance to purchase your own portrait as painted by David Barnes (aka “The Bee with Wheels”), in the style presented on The Early Four Track Recordings.
October – The Minders tour with The Apples in Stereo; The Visitations release their self-titled CD.
October 9th – The Gerbils‘ second and final album The Battle of Electricity is issued on Orange Twin. Joining the band (Scott Spillane, Jeremy Barnes, John D’azzo, and Will Westbrook) are Kevin Barnes, Bill Doss, Pete Erchick, Eric Harris, Heather McIntosh, and Christina Hogan. It’s the last record to feature the Elephant 6 Recording Company logo for the next six years. From a 2002 Flagpole preview of a Gerbils concert: “Now that the Athens/Ruston, LA collective Elephant 6 has become a shadow of its former self, a lot of folks have asked, ‘what happened?’ Well, nothing, really. The whole idea was a group of friends that made music together and kept evolving. However, now that Neutral Milk Hotel is on hiatus and Olivia Tremor Control has morphed into Circulatory System, people have felt somewhat nostalgic for the ‘classic’ Elephant 6 sound. Enter the Gerbils. While never being the most commercially successful or recognizable of the clan, the Gerbils were one of the few E6 bands that could function perfectly well as a self-contained unit. Whereas a lot of the other bands continually mucked up their sound with too many instruments and way, way too many people improvising onstage, the Gerbils could spin a pop song in perfect fashion without extraneous accouterments.”
October 10th – The Essex Green track “Sixties” is featured on TV’s Felicity.
The Sunshine Fix – Hide in the Light
October 30th – The Sunshine Fix: Age of the Sun. Jonathan Perry interviewed Bill Doss for the Boston Globe:
[Olivia Tremor Control's] two albums, Music From the Unrealized Film Script `Dusk at Cubist Castle’ and Black Foliage: Animation Music by the Olivia Tremor Control, stand as sprawling landmarks of [the Elephant 6] mini-movement. Now, with OTC on hiatus, [Bill] Doss has a new project called The Sunshine Fix and a new album to go with it. …Like OTC’s efforts, it is a work of blissfully cracked pop marked by loopy multilayered melodies, harmonies stacked as high as fluffy flapjacks, and odd sonic touches (the album credits list, among other instruments, ‘froggy synths’ and ‘imploding, throaty, and gelatin guitars’). Unlike Doss’s old outfit, The Sunshine Fix is mostly a solo venture fleshed out by talented musical pals, including Hayride’s Kevin Sweeney, Japancakes‘ Heather McIntosh, and of Montreal’s Derek Almstead. ‘It’s always good to be like Ringo and surround yourself with amazing musicians,’ Doss says with a laugh. ‘Whatever you do, it can’t be all that bad.’ The Beatles and Beach Boys are obvious touchstones here, but other more obscure treasures, such as The Electric Prunes and The Nazz, also peep from the prisms. Doss says that The Sunshine Fix is a way for him to stake out new creative territory. His new enterprise, he insists, does not mean he and Hart have had a falling-out or that OTC has called it quits (contrary to much fearful fanzine and Internet chat-room speculation). If anything, Doss says, the temporary break will probably invigorate their partnership… ‘The thing about Olivia Tremor Control is that most everything we did was based around Will Hart and his ideas,’ Doss says. ‘Will and I have known each other for 17, 18 years, and we’ve played together forever. But he does all the artwork [for OTC's CDs], and he had most of the songs on the records. And I’d spend a lot of time helping him flesh out his ideas. This project is good for me because I got to do exactly what I wanted to. I love working with Will. But at the same time, after years and years of that, I felt like I just needed to make some records on my own as well, to say this is what I do. We’re definitely going to be doing stuff together – we just needed some time.’
November-December – The Minders tour with professed Minders fan Elliott Smith (who was given to covering “Hooray for Tuesday”).
November 8th – At the Flicker Theater in Athens, a benefit show is held for artist/musician Jill Carnes (Thimble Circus), which includes performances from Kevin Barnes, The Late B.P. Helium, Marshmallow Coast, and The Lovers.
November 12th – Limited edition of Montreal/The Late B.P. Helium split 7” is released on Jonathan Whiskey records – within a short time it becomes one of the most hotly sought-after of Montreal rarities.
November 20th – Dean Quixote soundtrack, featuring music by The Olivia Tremor Control, Orchestre Fantastique (Robert Schneider), The Minders, and The Apples in Stereo, among others. Although Robert had announced that Orchestre Fantastique would be a collaboration with XTC’s Andy Partridge, in fact his track here was an instrumental assembled with the participation of Denver’s The Perry Weisman 3.
December 17th – Rolling Stone profile on Hedwig and the Angry Inch director John Cameron Mitchell states, “In the coming year, he’ll focus on two projects: an animated film with musician Julian Koster of the indie-rock group Neutral Milk Hotel, and a movie with ‘lots of sex’ in it.” Guess which one got made?
