The League of Extraordinary Hub Caps

When Earwig is on tour we will occasionally get lost. It happens. While trying to locate the club one night near Cleveland, I was having no luck at all. I’m a big believer in synchronicity and intuition. So sometimes, when I’m in a pinch, I just leave it up to the universe to point me in the right direction. Lost and sitting at a random inner-city intersection, I decided to do just that. I wondered, should I turn Left or Right? I asked the universe for a sign. And then I noticed something shiny calling out to me from the parking lot across the street. It was a hub cap, gleaming in the sun. I took that as an omen and went to investigate. As I turned into the lot, I realized it was a gas station and so I decided to go in and just ask for directions. The gal behind the counter knew exactly where the club was and even ended up coming to see the show that night! I picked up the hub cap and brought it along on the rest of the tour for good luck. Ever since then, when I’ve been mulling over decisions or in need of direction, I’ll often see hubcaps on the side of the road that seem to help me resolve my problems or choose what to do. I started picking them up and have amassed quite a cool collection. I just mounted a bunch of my intuition hub caps on my garage to display them. Some of them are pretty cool looking. While we were working on Gibson Under Mountain, I collected a bunch of hub caps on my drives to and from Columbus. I would put them up in the studio in the vocal booth and even kept my favorite, one very special silver hub cap, up over the mixing board while working on the final mixes.

Want to win yr very own Earwig T-shirt? Well, just tell me what make of automobile my favorite hub cap comes from. You can tell from the picture and the image/character on it.
HINT: The hub cap in question is pictured in my last blog post from 2009.
Send the answer in an email to lizard@lizardfamily.com

Songwriting 101

Earwig is taking it easy this December so we can all re-charge our batteries, visit with our families, eat cookies and all that jazz. I’m using this time to write songs for the next record, which we’ll start working on next year. We’ve got a couple of new songs under our belt already, one of which “I Don’t Want to Go”, is performed live here (LINK). All of the songs on Gibson Under Mountain came to me in dreams. But when I sit down to write in a more conventional way it helps to have lots of inspiration laying around. Right now I’m reading The Tao of Physics by Fritjof Capra and Tertium Organum by P.D. Ouspensky. Just a couple of books to try and broaden my view of reality and hopefully influence some new hit Earwig songs in the process. In addition to having a guitar, Casio keyboard and hand held tape recorder all on standby, I usually fuel my efforts with a strong batch of coffee when I get up. I like being hyper in the morning.

Getting to Know Earwig

Earwig recently released their new album ‘Gibson Under Mountain’ to a small but eager fan-base. As the year winds down to a close, there’s a lot brewing at Camp Earwig and early 2011 will bring the release of another new 4 song EP entitled ‘North High Alumni’. If you live in the Columbus, Ohio area, you can look forward to a rare local show at The Treehouse on January 14th, 2011. If yr new to Earwig, or even if yr not, here are a few quick links to bring you up to speed.

YouIndie interview: Lizard discusses the past, present and future of Earwig.
http://www.youindie.com/?p=18035

Donewaiting Review: A track by track breakdown of the new album.
http://tinyurl.com/2a3ok9k

Outroversion: Respected British music blog reviews Earwig’s new album.
http://tinyurl.com/3ajjadv

Story behind Gibson Under Mountain: What’s in a name?
http://nightcusser.blogspot.com/2010/04/gibson-digital.html

A Twittered Dream (part 3)

The search for The Enigma Guitar continued. Along the way I picked up a few key allies and discovered that I was part of something called The Brotherhood of Zero. All of these dreams seemed so poignant and strong when I would first wake up, as the other reality lingered. And they contained some good advice and inspiration and helped me navigate a tough period after the album was complete but I was still struggling with what I was going to do with it. Finally, here's where this wacky dream sequence ended up.

7:43 AM May 12th
My brother/Alucard the assassin took me to see his Master who resides deep in the belly of a boiler room @ PS#111. Says they can help me.
His Master looked an awful lot like Bob Dylan in a Franciscan monk's robe. He had a bunch of really old Holy Books with Fantasy art .
They're both monks in something called The Brotherhood of Zero.


9:55 AM May 27th
Hanging out again last night with Bob Dylan/Master, looking at his old books of Fantasy Art.
He wants me to use the books to help me meditate about the E-guitar.
If I look hard enough, I can see the E-guitar in the background of paintings by Bosch, DaVinci
...and Frank Frazetta. It’s Conan the Barbarian with the E-guitar instead of a sword, serenading a scantily clad fantasy babe.
Bob/Master says that my snake tattoo proves that I am the missing link member of the Brotherhood of Zero.
He says I have the power and sends me off with a “special” pill that will help me meditate on the location of the E-guitar.

Wednesday, June 02, 2010 9:21:47 AM
Played a lot of dream golf last night in Snake Canyon. The balls had tiny little rockets that spit fire when you hit 'em. Then, floating on platforms like Discs of Tron, tried 2 drive golf balls into the spewing oil well a la Top Kill. Seemed like it was working
Bruce Willis showed up in a limo to take me for a ride. He was mega-dirty and his shirt was on fire...I went along anyway. Bruce had Animal from the Muppets in the back of the limo, chained to the seat. Animal is MUCH less cuddly and scarier in person. Bigger too
They offered to have Animal join the band, if I led them to the E-guitar. Wanted me to sign a contract...in blood. Animal was drinking whiskey from the bottle. Keep slurring "Anzimal EAT DRUMS!" Told them 'no thanks', George was animal enough for us.
Had them drop me off at the cross roads in the woods. Used the Sonic Maximizer to fold time-space and get back to the secret hidden fortress


Friday, June 11, 2010 2:24:39 PM
Speaking of Obama. I had some meetings with him about important stuff in my dream last night. Don't worry America, we got this.


Thursday, June 17, 2010 4:04:23 PM
Last night, I was hanging out with Kim Deal. Playing guitar and spitting in a wishing well.
Then we got corresponding tattoos on the soles of our feet. A series of letters & numbers.
She wouldn't tell me what they meant. Said I would find out later. And that it was important. Thanks Kim.
Then Kim & I led a band of feral Vampires in an attack against Evil TMNT and their Joy Division Cobra superiors. We controlled the Vampires by feeding them little pink pills that we kept in our utility belts. They go nuts, it's like Vampire Crack! We were ultimately victorious in our siege against the enemy. When they retreated, they left behind a strange device.
I took it back to the secret fortress to check it out. In my dream.


Tuesday, June 22, 2010 10:52:31 AM
Last night, I returned to the secret fortress to find a gift from the Brotherhood of Zero waiting for me on the table in the foyer. Two little blue pills. One says "Truth", one says "Lies". A note from my brother/Alucard assassin says that they'll help guide my meditation
I took the pill labeled "Truth" and drank what was in the bottle.
When I closed my eyes, I was flying, Superman style, above the woods of Southern Ohio.
I was using a joystick from an Atari 2600 to control my flight. I could also see green, digital 'matrix' read out code in my field of vision


Sunday, August 08, 2010 12:49:04 PM
Who was in my dream last night?
Zombies, a Minotaur and Sting. He was a Warlock. Who knew a lot about yoga.

Monday, August 09, 2010 11:23:00 PM
Went flying again last night over the haunted woods of Southern Ohio. There’s faint, tinkle-y music-box music up high above the clouds. It sounds very sweet. Mechanical and sweet.
The sky was black and neon-matrix green. I followed a floating light that guided me south.
I think the “Truth” pill that The Brotherhood gave me is working. The flying light landed on a glowing mound. The ground was swelling and pulsating with green light.
This place looks exactly like the tattoo that Alucard and I share.
This is what Kim Deal and I got tattooed on the soles of our feet.
N 39.02368 and W -83.431303N
It’s where the Enigma guitar is hidden.


Later:
I think I’m turning into a cyborg.
In my dream last night I had all sorts of electrical equipment surgically incorporated into my body.
I’ve got the Sonic Maximizer mounted in my chest. My vision is like a computer’s read-out.
Turns out that strange device the Vampires left behind is a Digital Echo Chamber. It’s now embedded into my forearm. I can use it to make a digital echo or exact copy of anything. Cool.
The sky was filled with giant Borg cubes packed with Evil TMNT troops looking for me.
They were sending out low frequency audio blasts, trying to disrupt reality and locate my hidden fortress.
I dressed in a black and blue spandex rock star outfit. It works like a stealth fighter to diffuse the TMNT’s audio blasts and keep me invisible.
I returned to where the Enigma guitar is buried and used the Sonic Maximizer to shift atom space and phase through the ground and into the main anti-chamber of the burial mound.
The Enigma guitar is there. I used the Digital Echo Chamber to make an echo copy of it.
I took the echo copy back to my hidden fortress and put it with the Magic Mono Mixer.
It’s my job to keep it safe and make sure that Drag King Queen and the Joy Division Cobra Nazis never get their evil hands on it.
I’m looking forward to using The Enigma Guitar, the Zombie Bass and the Magic Mono Mixer to make more music to save the world. Someone needs to bring Harmony to Chaos.

There’s lots of work to be done.

A Twittered Dream (part 2)

As things progressed with the making and mastering of Earwig's new album 'Gibson Under Mountain', details became intense and my dreams got even stranger. A nightly storyline started to develop centered around my quest to find an item called The Enigma Guitar. I faced down leagues of Evil Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Joy Division Cobra Nazis that were headed up by a mysterious figure called The Drag Queen King. He looked an awful lot like Tim Curry dressed in transexual garb from his Rocky Horror days. Trust me, it all made perfect sense in my dreams.

7:29 AM Feb 23rd
Finally saw the leader of the Joy Division Cobra Nazis. His name is Drag Queen King and he looks like Tim Curry in Rocky Horror Picture Show with fishnets/black lipstick...the works.
Snuck into a wolf pack enemy submarine base @ Volcano Island, the bad dudes have the Magic MONO channel strip with Majestic EQ. Can be used to make unstoppable mixes...
...for Good or Evil.
I must retrieve it to use it to mix the new Earwig record. And, um...for the good of all mankind! yeah, that's what I meant.
If dreams are like Avatar, while asleep there/I’m awake here, while asleep here/I’m awake there...then right now I'm taking a nap in an underground submarine base behind some boxes that say "Mega Turtle".
Drag Queen King is seeding the Pacific ocean w/ a powder that turns normal turtles into Evil Teenage Mutant Turtle minions that will try and stop me from finding the E-guitar.
I woke up too soon. I need to get back to sleep so that I can wake up in my dream and get the Magic MONO mixing strip.

4:05 PM Feb 23rd
@jentastic1204 I had more coffee, probably made things worse, made me more spaz. What I really need its the Magic MONO Mixer. Damn you Drag Queen King!

7:26 AM Feb 24th
In my dream, my deceased best friend gave me The Zombie Bass which is an old Fender Jazz bass that he had dipped in the river Styx.
If you play the right sequence of notes, The Zombie Bass has the power to bring inanimate objects to life.
So I used The Zombie Bass to animate a toy figure of Thing/Ben Grimm to be my bodyguard & help me build a secure fortress deep in the woods.
The Thing is now a massive/full-size behemoth and says he wants some "Clobberin' Time!" with the Evil TMNT that are after me now. Oh how he hates those evil turtles.

9:03 AM Feb 24th
I must've screwed up, now it looks like I'm on the run from Evil TMNT and Joy Division Cobra Nazis...in my Dream. They’re searching for the secret fortress. They’re getting close.

8:55 AM Feb 26th
There are wild vampires in the woods surrounding my hidden fortress. A pack of vampires hung out all night, scratching at my windows and clawing at my doors. I fed them garlic popcorn out the window. The loved it!
These Garlic Popcorn Vampires are just harmless woodland creatures in the forest surrounding my hidden fortress. I'm still hiding out.
I have to locate the Magic MONO Mixing board and the Enigma Guitar before the Drag Queen King and his evil Joy Division Cobra Nazis find me. They are closing in.
Young Orsen Welles Kenobi came back and tried to teach me how to tap into my ESP powers using the Zombie Bass. I just can’t seem to do it. It was exhausting...in my Dream.

10:38 AM Mar 22nd
Took some time off from the search for the E-guitar.
I was hired to be the ‘Fantasy Island’ style host for a new reality TV show called Ghouls Vs. Growlers
Famous vintage movie monsters are made 2 live together in a haunted castle in Transylvania. The Ghouls: Mummy, Dracula The Growlers: Werewolf, Creature from the Back Lagoon , Frankenstein
These retired monsters! They're all cranky old geezers that don't get along. I mediate/host & suggested that we bring in Bride of Frankenstein to spend the weekend on the island.
Frankenstein got REALLY jealous & tried 2 strangle Phantom of the Opera when he sang the Bride a song. He's a good organist, can't sing 4 shit. Frank was crying all night, Bride was being a big bitch. From there it devolved quickly into a geezer monster bitch fest. I had to jet.
The Thing and I are heading back to the secret fortress in So. Ohio woods.


12:50 PM Apr 22nd
Last night, a spicy meal kick-started my Enigma Guitar dream sequence again.
When I returned to my hidden fortress from Monster Island, Thing and I were ambushed by a platoon of evil Joy Division Cobra Nazis
My bodyguard fought valiantly but was destroyed and Evil turtles scattered Grimm’s stones/bones in a field
I escaped using a Sonic Maximizer to digitally delete the enemy and their knowledge of my secret location
My Sonic Maximizer is a little black box that can alter the vibrations of yr surrounding reality
Uses: Disrupt dimensional vibrations 2 destroy physical objects and/or adjust reality so that I can walk through walls and other cool stuff
After destroying the Evil Joy Division Cobra Nazis, I collected Grimm’s stones and stored them in the stasis chamber below the fortress.
Spicy food gave me these dreams? Or maybe it's just the new drugs I'm on...


10:01 AM Apr 23rd
Robert Downey Jr. came by and turned my magic orange singing boots into a sweet orange 1970 Chevy Nova.
We went driving down deserted Appalachian dirt roads. Stereo only plays Pixies songs. He quizzed me on Star Wars trivia to engage my E.S.P.
He was wearing a Jedi robe. This is Robert Downey Jr. in full make-up & fake accent from Tropic Thunder. Wanted me to play the Zombie Bass.
We looked up to see ‘The Catholic Mother Ship” cruising low over the countryside.
It's a huge triangular Star Destroyer, but with side rails and masts, like a pirate ship.
Drag Queen King and the Pope stood on the deck, searching the trees. The Pope is his boss? Luckily the secret fortress is invisible.
Back at the fortress, I used the Zombie Bass to see which hanger on Volcano Island the Cobra/Nazis are hiding the magic MONO mixer in.
In a huge hanger, just like in Raiders of the Lost Ark, the magic MONO mixer is in one of those crates. I know which one!
I used my Sonic Maximizer to fold-space and transport myself into the enemy hanger with the MMM.
But the evil Cobra Nazis had a shield up and I got booted to the vast deserts of the planet Dune. I was chased for hours by giant sand worms
Eventually found my lost Sonic Maximizer in the sand and set it to jump vibration-time & bypass the Nazi defense shield at Volcano Island.
I grabbed the magic MONO Mixer and brought it back to the hidden fortress. Those damn Cobra Nazis never knew what hit ‘em.
The MMM is a sweet channel strip that you operate using E.S.P. It has Majestic EQ & magic. I used it to mix 2 Earwig songs.
Trees and Shiny Morning were mixed using the magic MONO mixer and E.S.P. They now have special powers. In my dream...


9:41 AM Apr 28th
Mr T took me 2 the Ohio State fair 2 C a band called Rattlesnake that looked suspiciously like the Arctic Monkeys in Insane Clown Posse make-up
They sucked. But Mr.T (and the audience) loved them...go figure.
Mr. had a new inflatable plastic suit that you blew-up with yr mouth, like a beach ball. He wasn’t wearing his bling. Something was off.
He bought me some cotton candy and kept asking about the E-guitar. He was acting very strange, then I realized, they flipped Mr. T!
Drag Queen King had gotten to him and turned him into a double agent. Damn. So I ditched him and went to ride the Midway rides.
There was a huge jumpy-inflatable kids castle thing in the fairway. The sign said “Champion Ball”. I got a ticket and went in.
There was an awesome team dodge-ball game going on inside. @jfaller1 was there. We were on the same team! She/we kicked much dodgeball ass
Dream dodge-ball is fun. Because sometimes it’s in slo-motion.
Collected my trophy, said my goodbyes and split. Hopped in the magic orange Nova and headed home to the hidden Secret Thought Fortress.
Put the Nova on auto-pilot, hit the invisibility button and listened to the Pixies all the way home.


8:54 AM May 4th
You know those Black Helicopters that the Gov. uses for Secret Missions and Black Ops.? One landed in my yard last night.
It was w/ stocked w/ classified documents like some Night Mission flying Bookmobile w/ Top Secret books on Government Conspiracies & cover-ups
Took me for a ride over downtown D.C. and offered me a briefcase full of cash
They wanted me to tell them what I know about something they call the “Elektra Guitar” project. I had to laugh.
I didn't say shit. They dropped me off with a "warning". But I did snag a cool 'How To' book about Remote Viewing...In My Dream...
I was back at the waterfront, looking for clues. A skinny assassin dressed in a wide brim hat and trench coat got the drop on me.
Looked like that bad-ass Jap Anime vampire hunter Alucard from Hellsing. The government had sent him 2 get me. Reached 4 his switchblade...
...that's when I saw his tattoo. On the inside of his fore arm, a snake swallowing an egg. I've got the same tattoo.
I showed him mine. Turns out, we're brothers. Now he's gonna help me find the E-guitar. In my dream.

To be continued...

A Twittered Dream (part 1)

I’ve always had vivid dreams. Sometimes more than others, depending on what’s going on in my life and what’s stressing me out. And my dreams often have songs or crazy story-lines in them. In fact, every song on the new Earwig album has it’s start one way or another from one of my dreams.

While working on the new Earwig record, I went a little crazy and my dreams followed suit. As my waking hours were consumed with trying to record and mix the new Earwig songs just right, while asleep, I embarked upon a dream sequence that took my ambitions to their furthest conclusion...I must perfect these songs and mixes to defeat a world wide Evil and bring Harmony to the universe! As the mixing, mastering and production phases of the CD progressed my dreams got more intense. Along the way, they included many odd b-list celebrity cameos from the likes of Neal Patrick Harris, Prince, Mr. T., Michelle Obama, Jack White, Creepy Thin Man, R.E.M. and more. I mini-blogged about the dreams on Earwig’s Twitter feed and have collected them here for yr enjoyment.

2:41 PM Nov 17th, 2009
I've engaged the ire of the Producer. Things are going exactly according to my plans!

6:36 PM Jan 20th , 2010
I will dream of strange rock mixes tonight, of that I am sure. Not About You mix is done. Sounds fab.

10:03 AM Jan 22nd
Thank you Prince, for letting Earwig use yr warehouse rehearsal space & the Revolution's gear 2 practice...in my DREAM! I'm glad we're pals. You let us stay at yr mansion!
Yes! Even after the Apocalypse, Earwig will continue to rock...and need a place to practice.
Oh, and thanks also to the Mad Max/Eskimo war party for raiding my village last night. WTF?
You guys are freaks! Why'd you burn down my hut?

8:17 AM Jan 25th
Spent the night driving around in a top down Jeep with my good pals Mr. T & Michelle Obama.
Scouring the record stores, looking for obscure indie vinyl for Michelle.
We want to find songs and sounds that help solve multiple world-wide crisis.
My dreams keep getting better. Michelle O. is a sweetheart. And Mr. T didn't even recognize her!

10:58 AM Jan 26th
Last night Jack White & I argued about who "created" the 1st guitar riff.
We got into a mean fist fight about it. My mom had to break us up...in my dream.
It's cool though, we made up. After the fight, Jack & I wandered the beautiful Scottish country side and he told me of a "magical guitar" called the Enigma Guitar... in my dream. He said that I must find it.

8:29 AM Jan 27th
I spent the night working undercover in the Future as a secret agent.
I was searching for Evil G.I. Joe/Cobra looking bad guys that carry around huge Rickenbacker bass guitars. They are big, all-black robot/Nazi looking dudes. They play super-slow Joy Division tunes on the bass guitars & melt yr brain. I learned that they can trap U in yr sleep.
Then I found a small keyboard under a flap of skin on the palm of my left hand that can be used to "pre-program" or "re-program" the W.O.R.L.D.
So I re-programmed the W.O.R.L.D. to provide better more effective aid in Haiti and pre-programmed it to stop Global Warming...in my dream.

7:10 AM Jan 28th
Ha! I did wake up after all.
You see @cbusmom I was playing chess, drinking coffee and being lectured to about Physics by the Creepy Thin Man all night...in my dream.
We discussed and debated the Zen of quantum physics. He said to me "You wanna know a secret? Yr never gonna wake up!". He was wrong?...in my dream

10:44 AM Feb 1st
Spent 1/2 the night as Kevin Costner in The Bodyguard. Michelle Obama was Whitney. I had to make sure that the kids got to school safely and shit. Then we went record shopping again.

7:26 AM Feb 2nd
These bright orange combat boots R magic. I found them while record shopping with Michelle O. They can fly & they can also teach me songs that they stole from "that guy in the Pixies"...In my dream.

7:05 AM Feb 4th
Last night, I discovered that Neil Patrick Harris lives inside @madebyamyD 's refrigerator. Open the door, he's there- Dressed as Dr. Horrible. And she says that he's her 'House Boy'
NPH cries and asks me "R U trying to make my dad dance?" His dad, who also lives in Amy’s fridge, is Mel Gibson...and the answer is YES... Mel and I dance...In My Dream
Mel uses Nazi mind-tricks to try and melt my brain. It doesn’t work. I stuff him back in the fridge.
@madebyamyD With dreams like these..it's safer 4 EVERYONE if I'm awake. It was a nice diner party tho' (in my dream) I dig yr new mansion and HUGE fridge with people living in it.

10:33 AM Feb 5th
I escaped from the Klingon gulag on Rura Penthe by digging a tunnel w/ my detached left forearm. The tunnel came out into a Beastie Boys concert in 1986.
While there, I met up w/ Miss America in a wheelchair who could break-dance. And she did. In a wheelchair. My left arm was returned to me in a box. In my dream.

7:42 AM Feb 8th
Saw a great band last night. Luke Skywalker was rockin' out w/ Chewbacca on bass. It was completely awesome! ...In my dream.
Left the Star Wars concert in a jet black land-speeder. I picked up a young Orson Welles @ the Cantina. He was dressed like Ben Kenobi. He said that we must find the Enigma Guitar and he will teach me the way.
Beyond the Dune Sea, still searching for the Enigma Guitar, Orson and I were lured into the caves by beautiful dancing girls.
Beautiful dancing girls who then turned into giant spiders! We captured one, made her small and extracted her poison fang... In my dream.

10:51 AM Feb 9th
Last night, I sat in on 2nd guitar with vintage R.E.M. @ a club gig. We played the hits and encored w/ "Dream Police" by Cheap Trick. They did not know where to find the E-guitar.
Peter Buck told me that I should find the magic MONO mixer to mix the Earwig record.
I left to scour abandoned waterfront warehouses for the magic MONO mixer and a fabled magic talking Picasso painting entitled "The 4th Personality of Jim Morrison".
It’s a talking portrait of bare-chested Jim Morrison in a wedding dress. I found it, but talked all night to the wrong personality, did not locate Enigma Guitar.
But I learned many clues about it's location. There were also cute puppies...In my dream.

11:32 AM Feb 10th
Spent last night splicing in live human organs to fix my van so that I could get back to the studio to mix Earwig songs. Then I had bizarro holiday visits w/dead relatives. Took the night off from detective work and the search for Enigma Guitar.
President Obama was judging a skate-boarding contest. I entered and was catching super high air and flying around making surveillance maps of the area.
Still looking 4 the E-guitar. Obama was very worried I was going to crash land. Said he didn't want me to "make another mess for America".
And there was a flying squirrel who was helping me not get shot down by the Evil Joy Division/Cobra/Nazi dude's bass guitar blasts. They were trying to get me, in my dream.

To be continued...

Baby Snakes

Living in the country is great. I love it. No neighbors, yard golf and loads of wild nature to contend with. I've seen Bambi, tangled with wild boars and coyotes, seen strange lights in the haunted woods. You name it, we've got it. There are aspects to this lifestyle that others might chaff at, but not me. We live in Ohio's largest state forest and one of the many things we have to contend with by being so far away from civilization is that there is no water service out here. We drink delicious spring water and get the rest of the water for household use from rain collection off of our roof into a cistern. You have to watch out because sometimes critters get in the cistern and can cause problems. When I checked it last week, I found... a nest of snakes! This was a situation that needed immediate attention. My daughter graciously climbed down in to the cistern (it's underground) to collect them all. Did I mention that my daughter is FEARLESS & AWESOME?! Seriously, she went down into this dark underground lair, captured 6 snakes by hand and brought them out in a bucket. She rocks. If you look close at the picture, you might be able to see all six snakes.

So, if you need some snake wrangling, give me a call and I'll see if she's available.

Rock Star Moves

Last Friday Earwig played the CD101 Summerfest/Bacardi party at the Basement. We gave it our all and had a blast. Every time we have a show at the Basement all I can think of is when we played an Abercrombie & Fitch Xmas party there a few years back. I got pretty riled up and started working some “rock out” moves on the last song. I was fist-pumping and making faces. It was then that I noticed a heating duct that runs directly over the stage where I was standing. For some reason thought that it’d be cool to punch the duct with my fist during the solo for Rumplestiltskin. Big mistake. It was not a flimsy heating duct after all. It was solid concrete. I dislocated a knuckle and had to finish the song with a broken hand. All of my cries of pain and the awful faces I made were construed by my band mates and the audience as just more “rocking out”. Yeah. To cap it off, I ended that night with a gash above my left eye that required 6 stitches. Good times.

I guess that sometimes I just don’t know when to quit. But who wants to watch a band that just stands there and plays, right? The picture above is from Lobsterfest in Athens. I actually didn’t hurt myself at that show, but I came close. I’m wearing a brace on my arm because I had recently broken my elbow skateboarding. I had reconstructive surgery and now I have a titanium implant in my left elbow. Bionic elbow. Now that is sort of cool...

If you want to see me possibly destroy myself on stage for the benefit of public amusement, you can come see Earwig this month when we play the big outdoor show at the end party for the Pelotonia ride in Athens. I’ll be making sure that my insurance premiums are paid and up to date.

Gibson Acoustic

Before we started overdubs and mixing for Gibson Under Mountain, I sat down with the producer, Mike Landolt, and recorded quick acoustic versions of all 11 songs. We just set up one mic and I took one shot at each tune. The idea was to establish a point of reference for each song, a basic template. Then, as we worked on overdubs, I posted one acoustic song each week on this blog along with notes about what we were recording that week and maybe the story behind the song. We’ve collected all 11 acoustic versions, had them mastered by Steve Warstler and are offering them together as a FREE album download in exchange for yr email address to add to our email list. I thought it might be fun to re-visit the blog posts about each song, in case you missed it before.

You can download the full Gibson Under Mountain Acoustic album here for FREE:
http://earwig.bandcamp.com/album/gibson-under-mountain-acoustic

Here are the links to the blog posts for each song:

1. Trees - http://nightcusser.blogspot.com/2009/09/my-own-private-listening-party.html
2. Star Cross’d - http://nightcusser.blogspot.com/2009/09/baby-jesus-gave-me-hubcap.html
3. Not About You - http://nightcusser.blogspot.com/2009/09/i-have-not-yet-begun-to-sing.html
4. Her Heart - http://nightcusser.blogspot.com/2009/10/intuitive-golf-and-broken-hearts.html
5. Lovesong Cockroach - http://nightcusser.blogspot.com/2009/10/undecided-decisions.html
6. Sleepyhead - http://nightcusser.blogspot.com/2009/10/this-guitars-been-dreaming.html
7. Next Christmas - http://nightcusser.blogspot.com/2009/11/i-know-what-i-want.html
8. Glorious & Gloom - http://nightcusser.blogspot.com/2009/11/let-waiting-begin.html
9. Wicked - http://nightcusser.blogspot.com/2009/12/bring-on-dancing-keyboards.html
10. Shiny Morning - http://nightcusser.blogspot.com/2009/12/last-of-year.html
11. Rumplestiltskin - http://nightcusser.blogspot.com/2010/01/story-of-rumplestiltskin.html

Gibson Digital

“You’ve come to read my mind. Yes, yr in search of a subtle sign.“
-Trees

www.earwig.bandcamp.com
download/buy/listen to the new album here

You’ve been waiting patiently. We appreciate that. It’s finally here, Gibson Under Mountain, Earwig’s glorious new album. Eleven of yr new favorite songs, we hope. You can officially go and download it now at the above link. The physical CDs, with awesome cover art by Ohio’s own Katie Kempton, will be available from the Earwig website in early June, though the new website is currently under construction and won’t be up for another couple of weeks. In the meantime, please help us spread the word and get this music out to the masses. Anything and everything you can do will help and everyone you mention the album to will secure you a special place in our hearts. Nothing here goes to waste.

track listing for
Gibson Under Mountain
1. Trees
2. Star Cross’d
3. Not About You
4. Her Heart
5. Lovesong Cockroach
6. Sleepyhead
7. Next Christmas
8. Glorious & Gloom
9. Wicked
10. Shiny Morning
11. Rumplestiltskin

About this album: All of these songs came in some form or another from dreams. A melody, a title, a feeling or even a full on song with chords and lyrics. It seems that about half the songs I write come this way. I don’t know why. But when I had a dream (*see below) that told me to name my album Gibson Under Mountain, I decided to pay attention to the advice. And it seemed like a good name for an album full of songs that came from the same place.

* Gibson Under Mountain
“All of the songs on Gibson Under Mountain come from dreams. The album title came in a dream too. In the dream, I’m sitting in the center of a huge movie theater all alone. It’s an older, well kept theater with a balcony, very much like Cinema East. The screen is monstrously tall and wide with velvet curtains hanging on either side. The silence is broken by the familiar sounds of the film starting it’s roll through the projector as the house lights go dark. The film is running, but the screen is blank, no images. As I sit patiently, a white light glows through the movie screen, filling it with large block letters. They read “Name your album GIBSON UNDER MOUNTAIN.” Simple and direct, with no sound or other images, the letters hang on the screen. After a time they dissolve and I can hear the sounds of the film rattling into the take up real as the screen goes blank. Not long after this dream, I started dream-writing most of the songs that would become the new Earwig album.” - Lizard McGee

Porcupine Rust

People on the internet talk too much. I talk too much. It sucks the mystery out of life. Confusion is healthy. Why do we feel the need to critically dissect and explain everything to death? For some things, it’s not so much that they have no explanation, but rather that they might be better off left unexplained. I think that’s the case with this video. I will mention that it’s 8 minutes long. Enjoy.

Porcupine Rust
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lEo3qN5_dg

Short & Funny

Whoah! See you later February. I guess I missed a whole month. Not because I wasn't working, mind you. I was spending my time in nutty-nutcake land trying to make sense of the final mixes for the Earwig album. Well, it's done now. Don't hate me because my hair is delicious, okay? I'm working on the cover now and should have more news for you soon regarding the album release, the new single 'Trees' etc. Until then, enjoy my latest post with a downloadable song that you can sing-a-long to!

I think my daughter James has a wicked sense of humor. When her alarm clock would go off in the morning, she would always check the time and then go back to sleep for a little while longer. That eventually became a problem and she had to fix it. Her solution? Well, that's a picture of her alarm clock now. Problem solved.

My friend David has a crazy daughter named Emma. She's 8 years old, likes to wear costumes, dance and sing songs with her friends. Last year Emma asked me to write a song specifically for her and her friends to sing. I agreed and then promptly forgot about it. After a few months, I got a call from Emma "Hey Lizard, where's my song?". I told her I'd have it to her by the end of the week. When I asked Emma what she wanted the song to be about, she said that she didn't know. How about rainbows? Did she want a song about a rock and roll choo-choo train? The only direction she would give me is that she wanted it to be "short and funny". When I got off the phone I got right to work on the song. After racking my brain for a few hours and coming up with several lame ideas, I realized that nothing good was coming. Eventually, I asked my daughter's advice. What is short and funny? "That's easy" James said, "tiny clowns!" And you know what, she was totally right. I sat down and wrote this song in the next ten minutes.

Tiny Clowns

http://www.lizardfamily.com/mp3s/Tiny_Clowns

To download the MP3 go to File -> Save as and store the file on yr desktop

That's Matt Wagner singing back-up and playing the "Jesus Organ". We recorded the song at his place on his casette 4 track. The download includes a version of the song with lyrics and a version without lyrics, so you and yr friends can sing along. Have fun.

Kicking & Screaming / They have miniature ponies in England!

I’ve posted the last of the acoustic versions of songs from the album. What to do now? I don't know. I’ve realized that I don’t really know anything. Even at this late stage in the game, I’m still guessing. Making it up as I go along. It suits me, though the results are often debatable. My vague plan was to have the album ready by now and use these acoustic versions as a hook to lead-in to the finished product. No such luck. It seems that we’ve only begun to scratch the surface of mixing these songs. My time-line for planned promotions for this record is pretty much out the window at this point. Not that it matters much. I’m probably better off. As soon as I’ve got something solid, I’ll let you know and we’ll go from there. Okay? Keep in mind that I’m very open to suggestions…and donations. I’ve still got a little ways to go before I’ll have all of the funds I need to get this baby born.

Until then, here’s a brand new song to tide you over. It’s an acoustic demo of a song that I wrote a few weeks back and we’ve tried at Earwig practices a few times but with no solid results. This version was recorded by Steve from Mindfish in the studio at Ohio University. We’ll probably give this tune a shot live at our next show. For those of you that live in CBus, we’re playing a big Valentines Day show Saturday, February 13th at The Basement. Earwig is headlining the downstairs stage. The song is called “I Don’t Want To Go” and it’s alternately about being taken during the Rapture and/or not being there for someone you love. Enjoy it.

I Don't Want To Know
http://www.lizardfamily.com/mp3s/master_lizard

To download the MP3 go to File -> Save as and store the file on yr desktop

Now back to my previous rant. Why is everything so hard? Where does inspiration come from? Why can’t I seem to get anything done? I just mean, damn. Did you know that in England they drive on the Right side of the road, eat beans for breakfast and have miniature ponies in the churchyard at Castle Howard? English people still seem to get things done. Awesome inspired things. Shit, I don’t know. Maybe it will all work out. I can’t see that end result from here very clearly. Instead of relying on well laid plans, I continue to let intuition lead my way. Maybe I don’t need to know how it will all end. I’m glad that yr here for me to talk to about it. Maybe I’m just feeling restless. I do know that if I can just keep breathing, life will probably take care of itself.

I feel like a new born baby.

The story of Rumplestiltskin

Little people are always so special. Think about it. Leprechauns, Munchkins, Hobbits…the list goes on. They’re always working some sort of magic angle. Sometimes they’re devious too. As is the case with one of my favorite Grimm Brothers tales. I’ve been asking around and I’m startled by how many people claim to not know the story of Rumplestiltskin. If you are unfamiliar with him, here’s the wiki-link. For a long time I’ve been drawn to that story in particular. When I wrote this song, I was thinking about how Rumplestiltskin gets a raw deal. In every version of the story, he’s depicted as the bad guy. When, in reality, he’s doing some awesome magic to help out the miller’s daughter in her desperate time of need. She begs for his help, he gives it to her and all he asks for in return is her pretty necklace. And then her ring on the second night he helps her. With nothing left to give him on the third night, she offers him a bargain and agrees to give him her first born child should she marry the King. The little man bides his time and when the day comes for the new Queen to make good on her promise, she balks at giving up the child and he’s even cool enough to give her a game of “guess my name” as a way to possibly get to keep her baby. He gives her three chances to guess his strange-ass name and what does she do…she cheats! The little guy got so pissed that he stomps his right foot so far into the ground that it sank in up to his waist; then he grabbed his left foot with both hands and tore himself in two. Bitches, man, I swear. It’s not like he wanted to eat the baby. He just wanted someone to keep him company. I’d imagine that being a freaky little magic hermit can get seriously lonely. So, I wrote this song for Rumplestiltskin because I felt like he needed an advocate, someone to tell the story from his point of view.

http://www.lizardfamily.com/mp3s/RumplestiltskinMCHacoustic

To download the MP3 go to File -> Save as and store the file on yr desktop

Rumplestiltskin

I have waited such a long time for the promise that you made

You are mine to cradle, you are mine

I have waited such a long time and the Devil knows my name

You are mine to cradle, you are mine

You are mine

I have waited such a long time and the Devil told you that

You are my one time thing, you are mine

I have waited such a long time and the Devil told you that

You are mine to cradle, you are mine

You are mine

My name’s got a potion on it

If you can guess, I’ll tear myself in two