Just tossing around ideas. All plans are carved into chocolate in the hot sun.
What if The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets put out two albums in the year 2007? One circa January and the second one in August with a big CD release concert at the Penny Arcade Expo (what I call the P.A.E.). Polling various nerd experts gets a figure of about 20,000 attendees to the last one, with the next one to double. If even one percent of that number purchases some variety of Thickets merch, we could do well. We just need some kind of trustworthy, hardworking rep down there to prep everything for our arrival. That gives us almost a year to get our byakhee in a row with regards to merchandise.
One of the albums would be The Shadow Out of Tim storyline. The second would be just a collection of songs, with a DVD retrospective of the band (the one Ive been planning for years and which almost happened this past winter). Dont know what order theyd be released. Each album would have at least 9 songs on it.
Heres a question for you if we were to include a remix (aka do-over) of one of our older songs, which one should it be? It wouldnt just be a re-recording, wed want to alter the song, do it in a different style, or otherwise make it unique. It shouldnt be one of our most popular, polished ones, because a song like The Math Song or Burrow Your Way To My Heart doesnt need fixing.
Weve got an Eastern sounding song coming down the wire and I had an interesting thought. A la Dies ist Unverschamtheit, what if we did a song in ancient Egyptian, or Coptic, possibly about Nyarlathotep or Irem, City of Pillars. Ive composed an email to Stuart Tyson Smith, noted Egyptologist from University of California who was a language coach for the Stargate and Mummy films. Forgot to send it last night in all the gaming excitement but Im hopeful. Turning now to The Shadow Out of Tim, I had an interesting idea for a song this afternoon. As mentioned in a previous blog entry our marine biologist protagonist retraces the voyage he has made while his mind was possessed by a Yithian, taking his boat, the R.V. Steadfast, far out to sea in the Indian Ocean. I think it would be fun to have a song that just illustrates all the terrible way his various crew members meet their respective demises one fateful night. Kind of like a Gashlycrumb Tinies set on a boat.
Oh and weve got a show at The Vault in Chilliwack on the 30th, and Im working on a Halloween one here in Vancouver (any suggestions?).
Two CD’s and a DVD next year! Hellz ya!! That was easy.
As for the questions about which song, that’s a toughie I’m going to have to think about….. still thinking…
It’s tough to pick a song for do-overs. My favorites are obviously perfect as is. Well, for better or worse, I pick “Protein”, “Unstoppable”, and “Tarred and Feathered”.
And if you want any comments on potential lyrics, etc., I’m only an email away.
Who’s taking over on guitar for Warren? Kind of curious.
Want to see a Thickets show someday, but want the first experience to include the two founding members. The Thickets without Warren and Toren is like Pink Floyd without Waters (in my opinion, being a huge Waters fan.)
i’ll be coming back to record the albums if all goes well. as for live shows, not sure if i’ll be around for those but if i’m back and a show is happening, i’m in.
warren
Cheers for the Gorey reference – I first saw his work as a child reading my mother’s copy of Murder, Ink. That started a lifelong love of his works. Good and not surprising to see you like him too! Can’t wait for the new album, and definitely keep us informaed about who’s playing where and when. If I am coming from SC to hear you play, I want the REAL Thickets, banks and all!
If you all were committed to the 2007 PAX, I would honestly try to drag my pasty New England self over there. And an ‘Eastern’ song sounds fabulous…I’m a big Nyarlathotep fan (if such a thing exists…for long.)