024 Mp3 Coins in a Fountain

...each one seeking happiness, come on you know this one...

First things first, the goods. I promised some 54-71 mp3's and i'll deliver. A quick note though. You will never ever find these records in the US and that's a real tragedy because i'm sure they'd have a nice cult following, no more or less than Melt Banana, perhaps. If I understand the situation correctly, they are on a major label in Japan and thus, any indie label here interested in distributing or re-releasing the record would be in for quite the uphill battle. Another thing... you will not find anything online about them that is not in Japanese... (Sarcasm On!) Luckily we have options like "translate this page" on Google to make this interview a very easy read in English. (Saracasm Off!) I just can't make heads or tails out of any of that. But I think it's best this way. 54-71 is just so intriguing to me as an enigma. A drunken hallucination at 4 am in Japan. A rappin', interpretive dancin', hip hop hallucination...

"69 My Pheremone Up," which sounds like a Google translated title, could very well have been played that night in Tokyo. "Fire Fever" is on their newest record caled EnClorox and is more of a pop departure.
a. Which one do you like better?
b. The lyrics are in English. Try and figure em out!

... and then I had to throw in my favorite Melt Banana jam. Mmm... banana jam....



MP3: 69 My Pheremone Up - 54-71
MP3: Fire Fever - 54-71
MP3: Stick Out - Melt Banana

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The Hayes / Rhodes 1954 compostion, "A Satisfied Mind," has been covered by Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Joan Baez, and a slew of country artists, some of which rode the song's simple beauty right to the top of the charts. True, such a confessional folk number would turn to gold in most hands, but when Jeff Buckley sang it... and most certainly when his version was played at his funeral, it took the song to an indescribably divine level. And thus, it is Jeff Buckley's version that lands on my 100 favorite songs of all time list. Number 48 to be exact. I feel as though I jipped you by posting my cover version and not his. All in good time...

MP3: Satisfied Mind - The City On Film

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Things are really rolling into high gear for me right now. It looks like i have a job lined up for the next few weeks, shows for the US and UK tours are getting confirmed, the artwork and mastering of the “In Formal Introduction” LP/CD are being finalized... but I can’t forget.. number 5 of 5 memorable Hey Mercedes moments. This “moment” lasted two months and goes by the name of...

05 Summer Vacation on Planet Zebus

What the hell is that supposed to mean? I think Mike may have been referencing Pink Floyd’s “Live In Pompeii” film when he coined the phrase “they were on Planet Zebus” meaning that they were “stoned out of their gourd.” (who coined that phrase?) And chances are that phrase is not a Shumaker original, but to me, it was. I had never heard it before. Who coined the phrase “coin a phrase?” FU, bob.

The Summer Vacation Tour was a two month trot across the US, mostly with Piebald, Koufax, and Audio Learning Center. But what made this tour so special was that it was going to be our first full headlining tour on... ta-da... a bus! Now, i have to say that today, 4/29/05, we would all agree that taking a bus on that tour was the absolute worst (read: costliest) decision HM has ever made. Way worse than going to The Price Is Right. But we didn’t really care, now did we, as we had our pre-tour meeting at Botana’s Mexican Cabana, chomping on burritos & nachos, throwing back cervesa.

It was the night we were to leave and while we were wating for the bus to arrive at our practice space, we ate some dinner and talked about the tour to come. All Mike cared about was the possibility of an obnoxious airbrush job on the side of the bus. You know what i’m talking about... desert scenes and the sort. We were all pulling for the same. Shehot, 2 months on this thing, it better be stylin'. And wouldn’t you know it, as we rounded the corner by our practice space, she was there waiting for us....



It’s Planet Zebus!! And away we go... (As we walked through for the first time, it was painfully obvious that Zebus was one of the low-end planets.) Now I’ve often said that, with a little corroboration, I could probably write a paragraph or more about every single show i’ve played. My long term memory is a blessing because my short term memory is surely a curse. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve misplaced my glasses in the span of 2 minutes, but if you want to know who played with Friction in the basement of a house in Morristown, NJ in 1994... well, it was the Yahmos & Current.



The point being, this was an amazing tour and probably holds about 40 really great memories within that 2 month span, for instance, my 225 bowling score in Boise, our dance party in Worcester that is caught on video somewhere, our back lounge party in Chicago whereupon if you said the phrase “ding dong” you’d have to drink Jim Beam, our bus driver which for obvious reasons, we nicknamed “wrong way Dave” and so many more... Maybe I should write a book. I’d need a pretty good editor though, to weed through all of the rambling.



And now we ramble on...

(above thumbnails can be clicked for the big pic - thanks ryan for the photos!)