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Also, we will be performing live at T.T. the Bear's Place in Cambridge on April 27th. We go on first, so get there early.

After many weeks of unexpected detours (both personally and musically), "Esses", our lullaby EP is now in production and should be arriving any day now. We will have copies at our show; if you can't make the show email me and I can send it to you electronically (ccundari@gmail.com).

Sleepy?

Although our blog will at times remain dormant, I assure you we are up to many wonderful things here in "Coo & Howl" land. All of us are beside ourselves with excitement as we head back into the studio this weekend to begin recording our first full-length album. It will comprise somewhere between 10-12 songs (a nice mix of electric/acoustic material) and should be available by the end of summer 2010.

For those of you who cannot wait that long, never fear, on February 6th we will be mixing/mastering a three-song EP of Coo & Howl lullabies. Inspired by the birth of my first niece, Isla Grace, this EP is chock full of nighttime imagery of sleepy fishes and oh-so-tired dinosaurs (not to mention the first Coo & Howl song written on a ukulele!). A sneak peek at the cover:

Look for it in a few weeks!

Blast from the Past

Long before Matt and I stumbled upon the Coo & Howl concept, he was singing in the band Joy (with current Coo & Howlers Matt Dodge and Dan Madri). Joy caught the eye of Jonathan Bekemeier (director of music videos for the Pixies and Buffalo Tom) who generously offered to shoot/conceptualize a video or their song "Tiger's Paws". The band offered me the opportunity to edit the video, which I very graciously accepted. It's a great song, and quite frankly, it's a pretty damn good video. I thought it would be fun to share this, so let's reminisce! Watch the video by clicking HERE.

Holiday Update

(photo: Tyler Pollard)
Hello friends. The following gratitude is way overdue, but the trivialities/realities of the working life have prevented me from devoting much effort to the band and/or blog. Nonetheless, I would like to extend a heart-felt "thank you" to all who attended our live performance a few weeks ago. It was great to see so many familiar, and even unfamiliar faces in the crowd. The band had a great time and have already begun musing over the possibilities of another show in February or March. Look for a video clip of the show to be posted soon.

And it seems more kind words are being shared about our record: NEW REVIEW

For those of you interested in some new material, we have already put down guitar tracks for an upcoming, acoustic, top-secret EP. And if that weren't enough, as soon as Matt Dodge returns from fixing bridges in the Bahamas, we will begin basic tracks for our first full-length record! Indeed.

Guten Tag! & Self-Promotion

As we prepare for our first live performance (tomorrow!), I thought it would be fun to direct you to our first international review. Common Folk Meadow is a German blog discussing "fine acoustic folk & some alt. country & some dream pop" and they have reviewed our EP Water Came and Cooled Us All. Want to read it? Click HERE.

Did you know we have a MySpace page?! Yup. There are even some "bonus" tracks which do not appear on any of our (one) recordings that you can listen to/enjoy. Link: Coo & Howl MySpace

We hope to see some of you tomorrow at our show (PAs Lounge, 345 Somerville Ave., Somerville, MA. Show starts around 9, Coo & Howl hits the stage around 10:30 or so). We've "electrified" our set, so get ready for some grit. And scotch.

LIVE!

CDs A-Plenty

It's official. We finally have copies, in hand, of our first release Water Came and Cooled Us All. The box is in my dining room waiting for dispersal. Want one? Just ask, we'll be more than happy to hand one over. If digital is your game, you can go here to download the record in it's nineteen-minute entirety: http://amiestreet.com/music/coo-and-howl/

If you do want to download, do so quickly. Although initially free, our "success" has the price per track jacked up to 9¢ at the moment; price increases happen with higher viewing/listening numbers. Tomorrow, it could be as high as 11¢, you never know.

Where's Matt Dodge?

Matt Savage, Ben and I performed a make-shift version of a yet untitled song we've been kicking around for the past few weeks. Although I would hardly call this version complete; it is a fun, short take of a future Coo & Howl classic. Matt Dodge is in Chicago.

For the Die-Hards: A Rehearsal Video

Ever wonder what it'd be like in a world with no cameramen? Ever wish Coo&Howl would plug in some instruments and write a pop song? We've managed to combine both fantasies into a four-minute long video clip. Sure the video is hard to see, the camera never moves and the guitar is too loud; but with a sweet opening logo effect, we've managed to create a window into the future of Coo&Howl. This song is yet unnamed (as far as I know).

Guitars-A-Plenty

Guitar/Coo & Howl enthusiasts rejoice, what you see above is a line-up of all the "six-strings" used in recording of Water Came And Cooled Us All (clicking on the picture will give you a much higher-res image). Leftmost is my Hagstrom, used to record "The Fish" and some other ancillary electric parts around the EP. Next (from left to right) we have a spiffy Ovation donated by my friend Sir Dennis Harrington (shout out to Schenectady). We used that little beauty to record the main guitar on "Halo, Wings & All". Moving along, we come to the Cordoba. Ah, the Cordoba... so many contributions to the record; pretty much the main guitar on every track except "Big Blue Heron" & "The Fish". Matt Savage was often spotted recording his parts with the Cordoba.

Halfway point.

Onward to the Stratocaster. Minimally used, but did play a riff on "Halo, Wings & All", so we find it included here. Next up is everyone's favorite, *Bang-Bang*; lent to me by the infamous, side-car driving Scott Eddy. *Bang-Bang* not only looks great with its western motif, but sounds great too. You can confirm this by listening to the first song of the EP. Last, but not least, is my steel-string, acoustic Yamaha. "Sea Dragon-Shaped" has bluesy accents in the second verse which, as you may have guessed, were recorded using the Yamaha.

So there you have it. The guilty parties. This post may seem like bunch of useless information, but it is a damn nice looking collage.

I am going to Japan now. Bye.

Here Comes Madri

Special thanks to Dan Madri who helped us out by recording some guitar for our nearly complete EP. Dan brought his spiffy Gretsch, extensive effects board and Rollie Fingers-esque mustache (not pictured) to lay down some unique sounds which, incidentally, blend beautifully into the existing songs. Dan is 50% of the amazing Gondoliers, but is also known for his time spent as a member of The Jack McCoys (link somewhere below). Matt (pictured) conducted Dan through the tormenting task of learning a song in three minutes, then writing/recording a part. Sadly, due to some technical concerns, not all of what Dan recorded could be used. But I assure you, what we were able to use makes a dramatic difference. So, thanks Dan!

What the hay, here's one more picture of Dan in his element:

Portraits of MD

Stoic, good with tools, unknowable.

Sometimes keeps a steady beat on the hi-hat.

Mixing This Weekend & We Rehearsed!

This Sunday, Coo & Howl are headed back to New Alliance to continue mixing with our pal Nick Zampiello. Oh, here he is:

Nick has worked with all four of us in the past on various, older projects such as The Jack McCoys (Christian and Matt S.), Joy (Matt S. & Matt D.) and The Vital Might (Ben). We stare at the back of his head. He makes our music better.

In other news, since the video of "Up & Shining" seems to be making so many people happy, there are plans for a full band video in the near(ish) future. In preparation, we rehearsed what we lovingly refer to as "The Slidey/Bluesy Thing" in hopes of having that ready for documentation on this here blog. Oh, here we are:

It's a Short Song

A one minute-long video of Matt & Christian performing "Up & Shining" from the upcoming EP "Water Came and Cooled Us All". Thanks to Ben for being camera guy.

Band = Band

Start with something fundamental, a given. Use it as a reference point for everything that comes next. Expand on it, make it better, debate the details.

Build! Build! Build!

(Today we posted a blog.)

MS

Fish, Skyline, EP Cover?

Possible/probable artwork for "Water Came and Cooled Us All".
Pretty snappy.

Finally: The Final Cut

Although the EP recording is still ongoing, I assure you that it is quite close to completion. But as with any obsessed musician, we are eager to start the next project as soon as possible (despite not wrapping up the current one). Thus, we have already recorded the basic tracks for a song called "Copper Sea", to be part of a full length record coming some time in the future.

If that weren't enough, it has been agreed by 50% of the band that it would be a good idea to pay tribute to Pink Floyd's "The Final Cut". We intend to take some liberties with the original songs, putting our special stamp on them. Some basic tracks have been recorded, final songs will be posted on our website (coming soon) for download as they are completed. Recording will be done chronologically according to the original record.

You can't wait and neither can we.

Water Came and Cooled Us All

With most of the songs on the EP essentially done, the final track listing is ready to be presented to the public and/or our adoring fans. The name of the record will be "Water Came and Cooled Us All", the track listing is as follows:

1- Big Blue Heron (Parts 1-3)
2- Halo, Wings & All
3- Sea Dragon-Shaped
4- No More Letting Off Sparks
5- The Fish
6- Up & Shining

We Don't Really Need Bass, But...

We are thrilled to announce that Ben Didsbury (formerly of The Vital Might) has joined in on the fun as our long-awaited bass player. I've always been mesmerized by his abilities and we have all been blown away by his contributions thus far. Ben came in and knocked out bass parts for the EP at a lightning pace, making the rest of us look like hacks.

Anyway, thanks Ben. Welcome.



(p.s - Ben is the one being pointed to, not the one doing the pointing. I "borrowed" this photo from The Vital Might site, link above)

Recording Our Little Hearts Out

We're now a few months into the recording process, we have most of the basic tracks down while Matt works out lyrics and we all write extraneous, ancillary pieces. We've been coming in on most Sundays, drinking Red Bull, learning as we go. Matt Dodge has give us the initial kick in the pants we needed, teaching us about mic set-up, pre-amps, etc.

Slow and steady wins the race. More to come...