From Pillar to Post is alive! It's still a wee bit wobbly in places but it's actually turning out to be one of the more neutral and "radio-friendly" songs of the bunch, and has been a bit of a turning point on this album, as it's dictated the ushering in of Nickels and Dimes, once thought to be dead, making it a fat dozen song tracklist. That's right, it's a SUPERSIZED RECORD. That way, I can sell more records. That is, after all, my ambition (Mike, you'd better be fucking reading this).

So the record now explores a lot less and rocks a lot more. It's a cohesive unit. It plays nicely with others. It even has a spring rain fresh scent about it. So when, you may ask, will it be fucking recorded? Soon, very soon, as a matter of fact. Studio 47 will close forever as of May 15th, so at the very least, a majority of the guitars will be tracked by then. Hopefully by the end of May will also be the drums and a few piano bits here and there, if not then the album will see a slight delay in recording.

Also in the future is a resurfacing of the also-once-dead Repiphanies acoustic effort, this time with a new paint job and a vigorous 'How's your father?' There are a few songs that have no home other than random, slightly drunk acoustic performances that would feel right bloody cozy curling up on an album next to acoustic renditions of the electric full-band album I'm currently getting stuck in on. Repiphanies obviously has an album name, hence the italic font, but the electric full-band album does not.

Which means I need to name the new album. For Unknown Carnal Knowledge has already been taken.

Cheers, and keep your sticks on the ice.

Owen

Well, it's about that time, kids.

Crunch time for the album is fast approaching, and those last minute decisions that should've been made back in November are being made, well, NOW. With two new songs on the album there are a lot of kinks left to be worked out, but Glassjaw has made an entire career out of releasing albums that are nothing BUT kinks, so that's not the end of the world.

TWO new songs, you may ask? Yes, indeed. 'Alchemists Anonymous' replaced 'Ourselves Alone' on the album pre-demoing, and turned out to be one of the real diamonds in the rough. Now, 'Paris Hilton is Mantastic' is making a strong comeback, this time to replace 'Rome Wasn't Burned in a Day' on the album, as 'Rome' suffers far too much from "Which One of These Things Doesn't Belong?" syndrome. Lyrics are in their infancy right now, but are on their merry little way. Expect lots of depression.

Oh, well.

Murmurs of a live show are out there, as well. Perhaps? Maybe? We'll see. I'll have to make some sacrifices in order to do so (an easier-on-the-ear, song-oriented album being one of them over an artsier affair that would take WAY too long to learn), as will whomever I ask (and will probably say 'fuck no'), but the attempt will at least be made. Let's see how this goes.

Owen

Along the lines of 'narcisism', is it that bad if I've listened to nothing but myself for the past three days?

Oh, it is? Damn.

Oh, well.

Jon "Ow that hurts!" Hobarts again manned the helm for the second round of demoing, this time with raging guitars and the like. It was a live mock-up of the full album, day one purely guitars and day two purely vocals, and all in all the results suck ass. But the guitars sounded really badass, so all is not lost. I just need to figure out how to match the heaviness of the guitar tone in my vocals. Which isn't easy, considering I sound like someone removed my balls before I even thought about beginning puberty.

Standouts this time were the surprisingly good 'Alchemists Anonymous', the reinvigorated 'Away Tonight', a well-moving 'Advertising the Apocalypse', and a bloated and unconcentrated yet exotic 'Rome Wasn't Burned In a Day'. Pretty much everything got a little better in the week between demo sessions, but then again, shit just sounds cooler with heavy distortion. The second round has really exposed some wobbly moments (coming out of the first chorus in 'BYOB'), and some moments that need to be built around out of sheer kickassness (the end of the first line in the second verse in 'Heartbreak and Whiskey Chasers'), but most of all it's opened up the whole album in terms of establishing an arrangement identity that will both separate each of the songs in their own direction, but also unify the whole thing from one track to the next.

As an added bonus, it is glaringly obvious where I need to work on the placement, timing, and duration of my dipthongs.

In short, I'm pleased with the results of the process, I like the tracklisting I have on the Ears page, and I'm looking forward to getting cracking on the brainstorming that needs to take place now.

And thanks for asking, I had a great birthday.

Owen

So, I'm currently listening to demo versions of the album.

Yep, it actually happened. Master Chief Jon Robarts set up in the luxurious Studio 47 and just plain kicked ass. Ten demos in two hours. Not too shabby if you ask me. We're currently entrenched in the pre-production process with our own copies, trying to figure out the arrangements and additions we can make to everything. It's a shanked process as is because we're going to hit the harddrive for real on the 27th, but expect a lot of studio trickery.

Standouts from the recording process were most certainly 'Camera', 'Bananas', and 'First Day'. Songs that sucked were pretty much everything else. That's OK, though, because that's why we demo. In order to figure out what went wrong. And how to fix it.

Owen

'Ourselves Alone' out, 'Alchemists Anonymous' in.

What is the root of all this madness? Is it global warming? Is it a plot by the Jews? Or is the world's supply of chunky peanut butter running perilously low? Actually, none of the above (surprisingly, not even the Jewish plot affected this one). The crux of the entire thing is this: 'Ourselves Alone' was just too fucking complex to nail down at the moment. One moment it was this, the next it was that, and on top of it all it would've had by far the most instrumentation on it in terms of things I can't play, so to simplify the recording process this Christmas, and also to make the album sound a bit more cohesive, it's being left out in favor of the more bread-and-butter rock and roll of 'Alchemists Anonymous'.

Which keeps getting better and better. And also, heavier and heavier. The main riff may be the stupidest riff I've ever written, but it's fun to play and it's pretty catchy. As is the chorus riff, the riff is actually the hook in the chorus, NOT the vocal. Ebert and Roeper give the breakdown two thumbs up, it's "Fun for the entire family!" I disagree, to be fair, I think it's a little graphic at times to qualify for a PG rating, but hey... what more do you expect from me?

Owen

Hey the Bears beat the Fudge Packers by a lot. Fuck you, Brett Favre.

Hey does anyone remember that song I spoke about in the last update? I do. It just got good enough to include on the album. I don't know where or how it'll be on there, but it fits in with everything else and it's just plain good. The ending got changed up a bit, too, so it's got that kind of washing-machine relentless heaviness to it. Perhaps the heaviest eight seconds of music I've ever written. It'll be fun. For now we'll call it 'A Simple Life' just to name it something, but that'll change when the lyrics become more concrete. Also, it's really short, clocking in at a mere 2:51. Hooray for that, I guess.

Album recording sessions draw nearer... I'm excited, are you?

In other local band news, Passenger 37 no longer employs the orgasmic vocal talents of former Pinionite Mike Emerson, due to... Mike getting a different job. That's pretty much the crux of that one right there. They're on the lookout for a singer who is not a girly man, so don't even think about it, Jon Robarts.

Owen

So yeah, uh... the Bears won. That's pretty much the only news I have for you at the moment.

Mainly because, nothing got recorded today. No portable studio equipment means, no studio. D'oh.

That marks the 317th thing I've "announced" on this website that didn't happen. Don't believe me? Count.

In other news, there is yet another new song in the works. It's heavy, aggressive, and pretty fucking cool. With that said, however, I don't think this album can really fit another short, heavy, and aggressive song. In fact, I'm kind of bemoaning the loss of 'Without Metaphor' from the mix because it's the most relaxing song ever (until the middle eight, I suppose), and this album needs a bit of relaxing at this point in time.

Otherwise, it might sound like the new Sevendust album. Egads!

Owen

Ladies and gentlemen, barring a collosal collapse in my will to record and finally DOCUMENT this music which I have been writing since August of 2001 (mostly, however, since August of 2004), demos for the as-of-still-untitled album will be recorded Sunday the 27th of November, at the capable and school-trained hands of one Jon Robarts manning the engineering and co-production helm, at none other than the luxurious and spacious Studio 47, where I hope to also track everything minus piano, strings, drums, and every other instrument that I suck ass at for the actual album.

The demos will be very straight-up live performance run-throughs of all 11 songs from the album, so don't expect any of them to be posted. Mainly because, you shouldn't post demos online. However! I will post little samplers specifically meant for the website so that you can catch the gist of each song. Why? Because I care. Also, it'll be an enlightening process to distill each song down to a mere 15 second clip.

The album, as I repeat is still unnamed, will be recorded in the week preceeding, and the week following, Christmas, which, as you probably don't know, is the Christian holiday celebrating Jesus Christ's July birth (!?). Details on that are a bit more sketchy, particularly concerning the peripheral players of such instruments as the clarinet, trumpet, kazoo, cast iron skillet, female vocal chords, and bodhran, but nonetheless at the root of it all the parts I will be contributing to my own album (guitar, bass, and vocals... probably a bit of mandolin and keyboards, as well) will be tracked and ready for anyone else I can con into contributing for this project.

Now, a note about all of this: I can't find a bassist and a drummer that are talented enough AND have the drive and desire to be in a full-time band. They're just not out there for me, not at the moment. So this whole "Braintree" thing will come to a finite conclusion shortly after the recording of the album, and the birth of a new project will transpire shortly before the actual commercial release of the album under the new project's moniker, in the hopes that it will follow in the footsteps of Dave Grohl's "Foo Fighters", which started off as a solo project on the debut album, and then grew into a legitimate touring and recording rock band soon thereafter, starring the ingeniously named "Pat Smear" on lead guitar. In short, "Braintree" is now for all intents and purposes a solo project, starring none other than me, and will consist of me and my friends on a thoroughly-orchestrated and tediously-recorded DIY album. It's taken a while to get to this point for me, but I have the utmost confidence in the 11 songs I've assembled and pieced together for this project, and I hope that all in all, it can be a source of entertainment to those of you who still pay attention, and have actually awaited such a thing. Which is a grand total of *checks website stat report* four of you. Including my mother.

Thanks, and I hope this is good news for some of you. For the others of you... I'm sorry. It had to happen someday.

Owen

After a few complaints about there being no pictures of myself on the website (really), here is a (ONE) peace offering.

Owen

'Fool's Gold' has been sured up a bit more musically, now that my custom ABY boxes came in, thus allowing me to switch between multiple effects with one button instead of three. That helps out a lot when you need to go from a clean reverbed phase to just a plain high-gain at the drop of a hat. Also, the lyrics are done. I did it! I wrote a non-love song love song! And if anyone thinks that the song is honestly about Natalie Portman, then a) please click here, and b) please read the song title. Thanks.

Also, 'Rome Wasn't Burned In a Day' has been completely plotted out. Which is a big deal, considering there's a lot of varied screaming over a pantload of different riffs at the climax of the \m/etal coda. 'Rome' is the best thing I've ever written for a live audience because it integrates catchy melodic hooks, time changes, tempo changes, key changes, slow clean jams, screaming, singing, falsetto, whispering, widdly-widdly show-off lead guitar, guitar effects, and ballsy heavy mosh pit riffing. I consider myself a halfway-decent producer, but I have a hard time imagining the song within the parameters of a studio recording. I have yet to play the song the same way twice.

There is a LOT of things left to plot out and nail down with this album, in terms of harmonies, second-third-fourth-fifth-sixth-twentieth guitar parts, and other instruments. I have a pretty good idea, however, and the demos being recorded over the course of the next two weeks will help me out exponentially in hearing everything more clearly.

The track listing for the album has seen a recent dramatic shuffle with the inclusion of the former 'Demise of Solace', now 'Fool's Gold'. It's a more dynamic album now, and a more consistent one from start to finish (the uber-aggressive 'Heartbreak and Whiskey Chasers' working best second from the end). I still love playing 'Without Metaphor' during my more melon collie moods, but the song suffers from a severe case of "One Thing Is Not Like the Others" Syndrome, and, unfortunately, albums are all about cohesion.

So, the schedule: record demos. Work on alternative instrumentation/harmonies/background guitars/recording techniques for the next month. Track guitars, vocals, and bass for the actual album during the last week of Christmas. At that point the album will be ready for anything else I want to add, and the eventual demoing and tracking of drums in January.

Also, anyone remember 'Carol of the Bells'? I do. That was fun... *thinks* ...but enough for now. Hope everyone is healthy, safe, and inebriated without car keys.

Owen

I hope everyone's learned their lesson about drinking and driving without knowing someone who died at the hand of a drunk driver. I hope, hope, hope.

Owen

I love this album. I fucking LOVE this album.

Right, so now that's out of the way, I can get on with this update, eh? Right. 'Irish Eyes' has finally been renamed (as in, "final") 'Ourselves Alone', mainly because I felt like being geeky and less direct. Also, the words "ourselves alone" actually appear in the song, and it's been brought to my attention by a lovely lady that it's just a wee bit pretentious to name a song something that doesn't actually appear in the lyrics. Considering I'm staring at almost a whole album of songs like that... you get the point.

And if you don't? HawthorneHeights.com is where you should go. Stop reading this, RIGHT FUCKING NOW, and click on that link.

Once again, go Sox. You're cool shit. I'll always miss being a fan (1989-1999).

Once I figure out poll scripts, I'll put up a poll about Jameson, because it's good shit and I want to see who else out there drinks it. Emails are always welcome at my email address about said subject.

So by now, if you're still reading this, you know me and my absolute fucking TALENT at announcing things that never happen (this band?). But on that note, I want to say that I have an acoustic show in the works. Fuck, I've had the setlist for well over a year now. If it comes out well there will even be a CD release, because most of the songs I've written over the past two years were written as acoustic songs that needed to be heavied up, and not the other way around as most other bands/songwriters work (Staind comes to mind, which is why their acoustic shit always sucks ass). I hope to do a 90 minute set this winter (that can be whittled down to the 78 minute maximum for a commerical CD release) with a live audience in attendance that WON'T be prompted to "applaud" after the first 8 bars, and after the song finishes. Mainly because, if I suck, I want that to be on the record. I had an extreme aversion to any live releases back in the Mantra days (Justin and Alex can certainly agree), but now after the live music orgy that is Boston, I've warmed up to the idea of such a thing. So be on the lookout, because that may be coming earlier than the "studio" album. We'll see, though, because things change around here in Braintreeland on a fucking dime.

Like the band's name? Well, for starters, it's already been used by people that can legally claim it. But I've found a badass new band name that hasn't been used. That'll be a special surprise when I actually do something release-wise.

Lastly, thanks yet again for paying attention. I PROMISE you'll be rewarded for reading this.

Owen

Well first off, I'd like to thank Harriet Miers for being one of the most insulting presences in the US government, even if she won't get hired. And you know what? After careful review of the current administration, that's going somewhere.

Anywho, I have news for everyone who is interested! Which means a grand total of about two. But regardless, I'm interested so I want to mention it. 'Demise of Solace' has seen a face lift and a much-needed maturation, and is now known as 'Fool's Gold'. 'Fool's Gold' is as close to a love song as you're going to see from me, at least for a while. It's about love, but not a love song. It still has that trademark 'Demise' heaviness, but in new and exciting ways. The song now starts off very quietly, and then just before the second chorus, on a dime, turns into 'Demise' on steroids. Then it turns into a large man in a sky blue insect costume and calls itself The Tick, and, well... the rest is history. It's the most dramatic change in dynamics possible in rock, and a VERY exciting moment to experience. Lyrics are en route.

Other than that... Go (White) Sox. I'm not on the bandwagon, but I am from the area. Fuck everyone else that thinks they're a White Sox fan, because you're NOT! *points threateningly*

Owen

All right kids, things are starting to get serious here in Braintreeland. We're coming around the final turn of the horse track that is The Process to Album #1, and that big fat dude is getting ready to shout "...and DOWN the stretch they come!" Case in point: I just bought a totally badass six string bass that is by now a discontinued collector's item, and I'm in the process of playing through the album in its entirety, this time with bass and vocals. It's an interesting process, nonetheless, but in the end it narrows the need of studio musicians down to, basically, string quartet, and woodwinds. Oh, and a trumpet. And guest vocalists. And pretty much everyone else I can think of that I can pile onto this album. So if you can play an instrument and I know you, then let me know that you'd like to be on the album. Mike? Rich? This means you, if you feel so inclined. Handclaps, banging pots, there's a need for it all on this thing.

NOTE: If you are a world-class kazooist, PLEASE contact me at whore_knee4U@hotmail.com. Thanks.

So, anyway... this all means that we're not very far away at all from having an album. I may even make a few phone calls and start the demoing process next weekend, if all goes well. We'll see.

On an editorial note, FUCK iPOD. JESUS CHRIST, when will mp3s die the fuck off and disappear? They're inferior to CDs so why the fuck do they even exist? Your standard mp3 is encoded at 128 kbps. CDs are encoded at 1411 kbps. THAT'S OVER TEN TIMES THE AUDIO QUALITY. Fucking VINYL sounds better than mp3. On that note, here's a little video for everyone to watch via broadband internet connection: Introducing the all new iPod Flea! www.apple.com/itsnotreal No, seriously, fuck Apple, every last goddamn one of their products insults my intelligence.

That hypocryphal product is NOT to be confused, of course, with him.

Owen

Not much to report in Braintreeland, but there are a few other things to mention so I figured it's time for a What's Update.

In local music news, The Rotaways have a secret that I can't tell. It involves an uber-talented Travis Barker impersonator, a ham sandwich with extra mayo on lightly toasted wheat, and the color white.

Also in local news, Heavinsight is looking for a new rythmn guitarist. Act fast, as this offer won't last for long!!! *cue bearded Oxy-Clean dude having a stroke*

One last thing to gander: This is Natalie Portman with a motherfuckering mohawk. Fuck yes, might I add.

Owen

The joke finally got old, so I've posted the 'Heartbreak and Whiskey Chasers' lyrics. Enjoy.

Owen

A slight update for today on the happenings in Braintreeland. I've been obsessing over 'Irish Eyes' for the past few weeks and I've finally managed to find a sound and a direction for it beyond the original thrash metal-meets-quieter stuff idea. As the name change from 'Rubik's Cube' implies, I've been doing my Celtic music homework and have managed to find a female vocalist AND a Celtic fiddler who are excited about playing on the track when it eventually gets to the point of being recorded. It's the idea that will separate it from the rest of the album, but at the same time bring it up to speed with everything else that's going on during it all.

Speaking of which, I said 'record'. I've decided to go ahead with recording demos, sans drums and supplemental instrumentation (mandolin, violin/viola/cello, piano, harpsichord, Hammond B3 organ, sitar, and any more of a billion instruments I have parts written for on this), so as to at least have teaser snippets for anyone still paying attention to this, and also to be able to shop around online for a drummer good enough to play on this clusterfuck. If I can't find anyone good enough locally, the least I can do is still record the son of a bitch and have it done. It's an idea, and I'll be acquiring a massively-powerful recording laptop by the end of September, so regardless, I'll have music to post and share and prove that I'm not bullshitting everyone about it.

A drummer with technical prowess and imagination. There's plenty of 'em out there. Somewhere...

Can you fucking believe that Berklee of all places spewed out such commercial trash as The Click Five? Let's see some support for Joey, though, I got to jam with him because he was the obligatory "silverchair drummer" at Berklee... cool dude, minus the shit band.

Oh, and by the way, this year's suggested listening: Nickel Creek's Why Should the Fire Die? They're quite possibly the most musically intelligent and explorative act out there today. Thanks.

Owen

Still nothing to really update you about, so I'll write an update for the shit of it. Tony Cimino is a no-go. I swear to fucking God, the same gene that allows you to be a gifted drummer is the same gene that makes you play chick games in any given relationship of any extent or nature. Rebuttals can be mailed to ImAlwaysRight@theinternet.com.

In other news, uh, apparently Tim Donovan has left Heavinsight. Showing just how wisened these metal vets are, they've cited 'mutual differences' as the reason, which is of course second only to 'creative differences' in terms of cover-all popularity. If you'd like to talk to them about their rhythm guitarist vacancy, click here, here, or even here. I, however, am going to be contacting Mr. Seagram about producing the latest installment of my award-winning "Donoman Does Debbie" series.

Oh, and Magic Hat is brewed with the essence of apricot.

I'm pretty sure Tucker Carlson has just tonight said the most harmlessly ignorant thing I've ever heard. On his putrid MSNBC show, when a caller called him out for not loosening his ASSININE bow tie when on the floor for an after-hours financial news program (THIS is what his audience cares about?), he claimed in his defense that members of the Muslim nation never loosen their ties because they're clip-ons. According to him, that's because Muslims never learn how to tie their bow ties.

...?

That is all for now, I really have nothing constructive to say about my current musical situation, other than the fact that I play through each and every song currently listed on the album pretty much every other evening. It's nice to know I write shit that I don't tire of. Otherwise, I suppose, why would you write it?

Owen

So, uh, yeah... it's been a while. And, for the record, 'a while' is TWO FUCKING WORDS. I'm looking at YOU, Aaron Lewis. Ass hat.

So there really hasn't been a lot to write home about in the land of Braintree, hence me not writing home about much of anything since May. I'm still playing through the songs and making minor changes here and there where fit, just trying to keep the songs alive and growing so that 'that sounds stale' isn't one of the things running through my mind. All in all, this material kicks a lot of ass, and it boils my fucking noodle that no-one's heard it yet. And I mean... no-one. Talk about screaming lullabies.

The only significant change to the album is the inclusion of the newly-renamed 'Irish Eyes', and the very related exclusion of 'Nickels and Dimes'. 'Nickels' is unfortunately a good song, and definitely one I'd still love to play live, but it pales in comparison to just how fucking good 'Irish Eyes' has become since I wrote the bedrock for it and called it 'Ransom' for the time being, way back when. Now, 'Irish Eyes' is just a mindfuck of eight minutes, it's a challenge to play, a challenge to sing, and it still manages to suck in the way that only I can.

Lately I've called dibs on Tony Cimino to pound the skins. He's pretty much the only drummer I can think of, locally, that has both the technical prowess and the musical imagination to pull this kind of music off. I'm headed out there as soon as this update is finished to MoJo to jam with him, as a matter of fact, but they're busier over there than a $10 whore in SoHo, so you never know. I also had a brilliant idea for a bassist, so as soon as I can find his number, I'll let you know that he's in. He can also sing like a motherscratcher, so expect lots of harmonies not just on the recordings, but live, too.

Local music news! New band addition to my wall of shame over there on the right: The Rotaways! It turns out they're pretty much the best-kept secret amongst us older farts in the North Country, but they also happen to be the most accomplished. Case in point: they recently returned from a two-week tour down the eastern seaboard to New Orleans, and back up from St. Louis, all done by themselves. They even played a decent-sized show out in Cleveland opening up for The Adicts (thaaaaat's how it's spelled) in front of 3000+, which is a lot more than what Mantra or Guy Fox did, which was play in front of 100 friends and fuck up. A lot. So mosey on over to therotaways.com and buy their latest, 'Shoot 'Em Up'.

Speaking of Guy Fox, they're kind-of-sort-of-almost-maybe-perhaps together again! There's talk of a DIY LP due out when-the-fuck-ever, and I hope 'Time' is on it and rocks out. This, the third incarnation of the band, has Jon on guitar/vocals, Ty on lead guitar/vocals, Adam 'The Cowbell Guy' Donovan on bass, and The Andster on traps. I was trying to organize a show, but that idea has been shot down. We'll keep that on the back burner, however, because it'd be cool as shit to play with them again.

Passenger 37 has posted some news, finally, and uploaded the soundbytes of Songs 4 and 7, so check out their new site for that and info on their new bassist/resident rockstar, Chris Smith (anyone heard of him? The name's vaguely familiar).

And that is, well, that. Time to go make loud, loud noise with the Ant Man. Or not. Probably not, but I'm holding out hope. Have a wonderful Thursday, and I'll be back soon.

Owen

Don't worry, I haven't forgotten you.

So, what in the hallowed name of Wayne Gretzky has been going on with this music? Well, not a lot, but there have been a few changes. First and foremost, goodbye 'Music Box'. The album doesn't really work with that aboard, so 'Without Metaphor' has stepped up to the plate and hit a walk-off like Tek Money did yesterday. Well, no, not really, because a song can't hit a hanging slider, but it replaced 'Music Box' and sounds all badass. I'm not a real afficianado of minimalist songwriting, so this is my effort at it. It's a pretty weird song and it works well towards the end of the album, methinks.

Oh, yeah, and we may have drummerage. Not just a time-keeper, but a drummer. Stay tuned.

Other minor changes to the music in 'Ad', the third verse in 'Rome' got the 'Tubular Bells' treatment, and I'm probably going to post the lyrics to 'Vodka' soon enough, I've been milking it for too long. You can only annoy someone long enough with missing lyrics. Sorry.

In local music news, Fear Before the Fall broke the fuck up. From the sounds of it, Mario and whomever else left like music, and the other two like screaming. Go Mario. In case you like screaming, too, and play and sing that sort of thing, they're looking for musicians. I'd be more specific but their site isn't working so I can't really tell you more. I only have so many magical powers, my apologies.

Heavinsight have posted two new songs, it would appear. I haven't heard them, however, so I can't really say anything about them. Such is life when you don't have a computer and have to use someone else's shitbox. That's right, I said your computer was a shitbox. You know who you are.

You silly shitbox owner.

Owen

Thanks for the support in my continuing fight against System of a Down and their version of 'BYOB'. Johnnie Cochran was initially contacted, but unfortunately succumbed to brain cancer at the age of 68 this past week. Here's to you, Johnnie. *holds up coffee mug*

My 'BYOB' has seen a bit of a facelift. I guess it took System of a Down to remind me that I had a song called 'BYOB', too, and in a way I'm glad, because the new version is a lot "bigger". The new middle eight is a little wobbly in a few places, but that'll get fixed in time. All in all... a big difference.

Also on the chopping block were entire sections of lyrics. 'BYOB' again has seen changes, this time dramatically in the verses. 'Away Tonight' grew up a lot, and I'm happy with the results. And, just so everyone can get off my back about the missing middle eight in 'Green Bananas', that has been posted, as well. 'BYOB' needs to be reworded a tiny bit in the middle eight, 'Music Box' needs its middle eight slightly reworded, and I need to get around to posting the lyrics to 'Heartbreak and Vodka Chasers'. Eventually. So stop asking for them? Thanks. What little is up there should suffice for now.

With that said, I like this album. Sad, but true. I'm going to be making a few phone calls in a bit about drummers.

In other local music news, Fear Before the Fall have made liars out of me and taken down Mario's acoustic rendition of 'Cold Cash'. But not to worry, there's still some live goodness to be had, as a few live recordings from a recent performance have been posted in its stead. There are also more over at their My Space site. Hooray for melody.

And now for the news post finale, the editorial. So here's the editorial: former Korn guitarist Brian Welch is fucking crazy. And here is why. Enjoy, and be clean, ye children of God.

Owen

I've taken the appropriate legal actions against System of a Down in regards to them using my song title. Actually, no, I haven't. Instead I just listened to their three albums and after careful consideration decided they're better than me. I still want John Dolmayan to play on the album, though.

The album, speaking of which, keeps getting better and better. I used to hate my lyrics because they were stupid and simple. Now I hate my lyrics because they're overly complicated and make no sense. But at least they're not stupid and simple anymore, so I count that as a step forward. Case in point: Camera fucking Obscura. That song came out of nowhere and decided that it needed to be dramatically rewritten. So I dramatically rewrote it and gave it a trailer full of groupies, and now it's carved out of a block of The Shit. It's one of the heaviest on the album now, and I really like the lyrics. Definitely some of the crappiest work that has ever come out of me, let me be the first to tell you.

I'd like to make a point of clarification here that the elastic setlist located here via a link off of the live page is purely apocryphal, hence the review by Jesus and the opening act of Xtina. There was exactly one Braintree rehearsal in Lancaster back in early October, and there was a grueling series of several rehearsals elsewhere in December leading up to an unspecified purpose. The setlist on that page exists as kind of a one person's input rough draft of the setlist Braintree will run on its next concert, whenever the hell that will be. Check back every now and then because it changes pretty frequently. Or don't, there are more interesting things here and here.

It would also appear that Super Mario the Sex Machine has posted a rather well-done live acoustic cover of Thrice's BRILLIANT 'Cold Cash and Colder Hearts' on their Pure Volume site, which is located here, to sample what he can provide as a vocalist for Fear Before the Fall, seeing as how they lost the creative talents of Cookie Monster as their lead yeller. Really cool shit, I highly recommend skipping over there with flower petals flying and such and giving it a listen or three. Incidentally, the recording was made by Bathead Sound, which is none other than Ian fucking Jones of Pinion fame. If he gets a website, I'll post a link over -----> there so everyone can enjoy it in all its glory. If he already has one, then fuck me, I'm always the last to know.

And in conclusion, Giada live on September 19th and 20th in West Springfield, MA. Yep.

Owen

So it has recently come to my attention that System of a Down is also releasing a politically-charged song by the title, 'BYOB'. Let the record state that I named MY 'BYOB' way the fuck back in August, and that I was first. Thanks.

Hmmm... an anti-war song masquerading as a party song? Sounds familiar. It just goes to show that what I'm doing isn't completely shit. "Bring your own bodybags" is way better than "bring your own bombs" anyway, so fuck System. I should probably sue and see if I can get a studio drummer out of the ensuing out of court settlement. Having John Dolmayan on drums wouldn't be so bad at all.

In other news... One Last Regret have released their debut EP, Breath Before Descent, and I've got to say it's not bad at all. The production, engineering, mixing, and mastering all have some serious problems, but through the muck of the recording there's a goddamned rock band in there. Which is to say, they've run into the same problems Mantra ran into at MoJo Studios, and I'd like to say here that MoJo Studios is not at fault for the sound of Guy Fox's album, One Last Regret's album, or Mantra's album. They do good work out there and get some decent lively sounds out there that are more conducive to the Jack Endino/Steve Albini side of the production and engineering spectrum. In fact, I have no problem seeing masterpieces like Nirvana's In Utero being made out there. They're just really nice and knowledgeable guys that like to give the customer, i.e. the bands, what they want, and if they're not asked to mix, add a room mic in the drum room, or get a better kick drum sound, then they won't. The final product reflects the inexperience of the band in the studio, instead of a lack of ability in the guys at MoJo, namely Ant Cimino. Hopefully I'll be able to get Braintree in there eventually, when the band actually becomes "we" instead of "me".

With that said, Breath Before Descent is a good listen, and actually shows a lot more musical maturity than pretty much anything else I've heard come out of the area, which is surprising considering their ages (they're just widdle itty bitty sophomores! Except for Colt, he's old as fuck). After talking to some of them, I'm also impressed with the amount of artistic focus they have, and conversely, the disparity in tastes. With two more years of high school left ahead of them, and via that, two more years together, I'd be willing to put money on the fact that they'll be on a strong indie label like Victory or Equal Vision if they so choose, within a year of graduation.

Other than that... I have two albums' worth of material and no-one to play it with. I'm doing fan-fucking-tastic.

Owen

I've been updating the site this morning a wee bit to bring it up to speed with the current direction of things. The Song of the Week and the Picture of the Week have both become the Random Song and the Random Picture on various pages because, I don't have the patience and fairly soon, I won't have the time to sit down and change everything every week, so... there's that. 'Camera Obscura' is sounding pretty fucking cool if I do say so myself, so that will be getting its own Random Song picture and link fairly soon here. I'm also in the process of writing additional lyrics and changing some others, so when that happens you'll start seeing those changes (as 'Advertising the Apocalypse' has already been) soon enough as I gradually return to Normal Life.

It has become brutally obvious that I'm not going to get any help finding a drummer, and that placing ads in the arty rags down in Boston and putting up flyers won't yield anything either. Mainly because all anyone wants to play down in Boston is either a)death metal, b)crappy versions of early Cave In, or c)moronic and pretentious Mars Volta rip-off psychadelia. I guess thanks to anyone who has asked around or passed the website on to others, but I'm done with that. Phase Two of the Great Drummer Search is on because, in short, this is bullshit. Expect a live show by the time the last snowbanks melt. On that note, if you're a drummer, email me.

One Last Regret finally said 'fuck it' to waiting for their EP's cover artwork and apparently took a drawing off of one of their refrigerators for it. No, that's just a mean joke because I used to tell the artist to SWEEP THE FUCKING BARN. I actually like the cover. And stuff. Back to the point, by deciding to get the cover out of the way, they can now release their debut EP. And so, they are. Order it. Please? They're young.

Heavinsight have updated their... site... and it looks pretty slick. Freddy's mom says you should go there. They as well have a release out there that you can buy or order, and seeing as how it has 11 songs to One Last Regret's six, that means it has more songs on it. You can sample it here.

And lastly, what happens when you say you go to Harvard and actually don't?

Owen

I'm all right, albeit miserably weak and tired, but that should change because I'm slowly getting back to being up and around. By the end of next week I should be back to normal, and an actual functioning human being. Good riddance.

I've rewritten 'Camera Obscura' yet again, this time dramatically, and I'm really pleased with the outcome. It went from a so-so song with a great riff to a really emphatic show and album opener. It's very dramatic and dynamic, I'm happy that I still had another step forward to make on the album as a songwriter. In other material-related news, that progressive song that I wrote about in the last update is slowly solidifying, for now I'm calling it 'Ransom' as a working title. Another song in 6/8 time, called 'Rome Wasn't Burned In a Day', wrote itself in about four minutes, but as things stand now I'm not really excited about how it came out. I really like the lyrics for it, though, so I may end up combining the lyrical idea with 'Taste of the Morning' and rename the latter to be the former, because I like doing silly things like that. In fact that sounds like a good idea, so I probably will.

Still no update to provide in terms of personel changes in the band, it's still just me. It looks like I'm not getting any help from anyone or anywhere about drummers and bassists so when I'm more mobile I'm going to go on a few road trips and actively ask around for people. This is absolutely ridiculous that I'm sitting on this material with nothing to do with it but play it in my bedroom and let it get stale with repetition. Or "mature with refinement" if you want to put a positive spin on all this time spent with songs I wrote years ago. You'd think there were a few talented musicians out there but it looks like everyone plays guitar these days or nothing at all.

Passenger37 appear to have no problems finding people, however. Pinion's Mike Emerson has been formally announced as their singer, so keep on an eye on that site for demos and an upcoming show or two.

Daniel Johns dancing with a topless Anna Nicole Smith at the Australian MTV Video Music Awards. 'Nuff said.

Owen

I've had my surgery (finally) but thankfully I can't feel much pain because I'm on massive amounts of Vicodin. I'd like to thank the nice people at Weeks Medical Center for writing me a generous prescription.

So there's not a whole lot to mention in the land of Braintree. I've written a few riff sequences that are the bedrock for the most progressive song I've ever done... the time signature cheat sheet is going to end up looking like a phone number. I've been playing a lot of early Metallica, and a lot of Images and Words Dream Theater, and I've allowed those two to influence this song. It'll be interesting to lock the guitar part down and then start in on the melodies, I love doing my impression of a tone deaf castrati over ballsy frantic riffing.

In other news, a local band of the northern NH rock scene will be releasing their debut EP soon. One Last Regret has a media player and a download of aforementioned EP, Breath Before Descent, over at their website. They're a five-piece screamo band from my very own White Mountains Regional, so it looks like Fluesy, Guy Fox, and Mantra have some company, which is just as well. It's a shame to have 450 kids going to a school and have no decent live music. I'll be making some changes on the live section to reflect local shows involving the bands in the right side menu, because it's pretty boring right now as is. Considering Braintree is just me right now, and I'm not exactly doing much aside from giving guitar lessons, writing stupid little songs, and looking for drummers, anything would be more interesting.

On that note, the future of Braintree is still promising, don't get me wrong. I WILL find a drummer, which is the part I'm considering the most important right now for this band. I'm not getting much help from other people on finding them so it's pretty much just up to me right now, but so be it. I start singing again on March 22nd, when my month of taking it easy following this surgery ends. After that it'll probably take me another month to get my voice back in shape so that I can do a lot of the technical things that I've (unfortunately) written into the newer material. Once I've got it back, though, I'll be looking into every option I have available to me for playing a live show, and I'll be in a much better position to record some guitar and vocal demos, complete with fake drums and whatnot. I think that's the only way to really explain what Braintree sounds like, because everyone I've talked to so far is under the impression that it's just the better Mantra songs under a different name, which is noooooooot true at all. Thanks for your interest.

Oh, and one last thing: it looks like dearest Mark will be leaving the site. He's getting really hot and heavy with his graduate work, and seeing as how there's nothing really happening with the band, there's no need for two people working on this. In the beginning I just assumed that there were a few great drummers in the area, but I have yet to really find any. So the search continues: pass this site along to any drummers you know. Please. I'll give you a new car. Actually no, I won't, but I'll be very appreciative nonetheless. Again, thanks for your interest.

For reading this far, I leave you with this picture. Enjoy.

Owen

This is the last straw with GeoShitties. They've now changed the script on all of their integrated pop-up ads so that they all block the right-hand side of every free Yahoo! GeoShitties page. I'll be shopping around for a new location for this site.

Owen

Yahoo! GeoShitties has apparently found out about the jury-rigged pop-up blocking script. They've changed THEIR script so that each of the pages linked from this, the main page, will be split vertically, with the right side being dedicated solely to their pop-ups. They've kindly left the main page, www.oocities.org/braintreerock/, open. Fucking ass bags. Back to the drawing board it is! In the meantime, enjoy the pop-up-lisciousness of the other pages. Sorry.

In other news, I've learned how to post, and I'm alive and well. For now.

Owen