Grateful for the Dead

Grateful For The Dead

Grateful for the Dead is St. Paul artist and performer, Michael Donahue. His project is unique in that he is paying homage to artists who are no longer with us, exclusively, by sampling recordings of their musical output, and adding them to samples of recordings of other artists who have also shuffled off this mortal coil. Special attention is paid to partnering those artists who might not have thought to work together, while living.

He's been performing since 1984 with a variety of projects such as Primadonahue and Repulsar. He's also collaborated with a number of artists, and has worked on multiple projects with the Twin Cities' Bedlam Theater.

Without further ado, here's the SAR Q&A with Grateful for The Dead...


*Name: Grateful for the Dead

*Are there any additional names used to describe this project: Michael Donahue

*Do you use a pseudonym? DJ Squid Viscous. I also have a one man band called Primadonahue performing experimental Electronica.

*Members: Michael Donahue

*Founding Members: Me… but all samples are from dead famous musicians, so you can get the sample credits at www.myspace.com/gratefulforthedead

*Tape manipulations, digital deconstructions or turntable creations: Digital deconstructions (or “reconstructions”).

*Another genre descriptor: If you got a good name for it I’m all ears!

*Location: St. Paul, MN

*Original Location: Same

*What is your creative/artistic background: Visual Arts, Graphic Design, Theater Arts, Rock and Roll bands (Art Rock/Punk/New Wave/Punk Jazz/Electronica).

*History: I’ve been performing for less than a year in this project but have been publicly performing since 1984.

*Born: 1963, Minneapolis, MN

*Motivations: This was inspired by the idea of “Rock and Roll heaven.” If all the dead rock stars are jamming somewhere, what does it sound like?

*Philosophy: Using electronic sound shaping tools, I am producing audio collages that are comprised exclusively of sampled material from dead musicians. Any appearance from a living musician is purely incidental. I want to pay tribute to great musicians who have passed. I like the idea of combining the work of musicians who would have never worked together as living musicians.

*How would you like to be remembered: Frank Zappa once said that being remembered isn’t important. I would agree.

*Web address:
www.primadonahue.com
www.myspace.com/gratefulforthedead


www.some-assembly-required.net

Episode 220, Some Assembly Required

Episode 220, Some Assembly Required

01 The Illuminoids - “Lugosi's Mongoloid Loser”
02 Peanut Butter Wolf & DJ Design - “Phonies”
03 Donna Summer - “Heels Over Head”
04 Wax Audio - “Whole Lotta Sabbath"
05 John Oswald - “2 Net”
06 Think Tank - “Homefront”
07 Splinter Test - “Untitled (Track 45, Electric Newspaper - Issue Four)”
08 Go Home Productions - “Strung Out King”
09 Negativland - “Happy Hero: The Remedia Megamix”
10 Carl Stone - “Boo-dop”
11 Grateful For The Dead - “Just Believe”
12 The Tape-beatles - “Grave Implications”
13 Steinski - “Number Three On Flight Eleven”
14 I Cut People - “So Wrong/What”
15 team9 - “It's A Sweet Ghost Party”


Use this address, for your pod software:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/some-assembly-required/JSpD

Cast of Thousands

Cast of Thousands

Cast of Thousands is a band I put together in 1999, to perform live during the 2nd hour of Some Assembly Required (back when there was a second hour). Over the course of a couple of years, there were four or five members who showed up regularly to set up all the gear and warm up, while I played records by my favorite sound collage artists, and then we all worked together to create a live mix of sound collage to close out the 2nd half of the show.

Even after Some Assembly Required went to a one-hour program, we'd occasionally still get together, when invited out to play at art and music venues around Minneapolis. By this point, the roster had boiled down to just myself, Gregg Boullosa and Corey Hanssen (pictured: Hanssen, Nelson, Boullosa). I asked Gregg to fill out the Q&A this week, speaking for Cast of Thousands.

Our last performance as Cast of Thousands with Escape Mechanism was in 2001, at the Oak Street Cinema, but Gregg and Corey have continued to work together. I'm looking forward to hearing what they've been up to! Click HERE for more information about the history of Cast of Thousands with Escape Mechanism.

Without further ado, here's the SAR Q&A with Gregg Boullosa of Cast of Thousands...


*Name: Cast of Thousands

*Are there any additional names used to describe this project: Cast of Thousands with Escape Mechanism

*Do you use a pseudonym? Cutterhead / Sick Fat Retarded

*Members: Currently there are two of us (Corey Hannsen / Gregg Boullosa).

*Founding Members: Jon Nelson / Amirali Raissnia / Gregg Boullosa

*Tape manipulations, digital deconstructions or turntable creations: All of the above.

*Another genre descriptor: insterstudioishin or insterstudioteknition

*Why you use this descriptor: The approach of using the whole of one’s studio as a single instrument.

*Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota

*Original Location: Upstate New York

*What is your creative/artistic background: Curiosity

*History: Since 1999

*Born:
Gregg: 1971, Onondaga
Corey: Minneapolis

*Motivations: Create or suffer the consequences.

*Philosophy: If you can’t please yourself, you can’t please your soul.

*How would you like to be remembered: Phonically

*Web address:
Gregg Boullosa: www.myspace.com/sickfatretarded
Cast of Thousands: http://www.escape-mechanism.com/about/cast_thousands.html


www.some-assembly-required.net

Episode 132, Some Assembly Required

Episode 132, Some Assembly Required

01 Party Ben – “Radio Hollaback”
02 Brain Science – “Public Radio”
03 Tim Maloney – “Video Killed The Radio Star”
04 The Avalanches – “Radio”
05 Workeshoppe Radio Phonik – “Big Time Shopping”
06 Emergency Broadcast Network – “Station Identification”
07 Go Home Productions – “Radio Houston”
08 Laso Halo – “These high-frequency signals are then beamed out...”
09 Radio Jargon – “Radiobup”
10 The Tape-beatles – “Listen to the radio”
11 Cast Of Thousands with Escape Mechanism – “Radio Star”
12 The Button – “Broadcast service provided”
13 People Like Us – “Dead Radio”
14 Realistic – “Radio Document”


Use this address, for your pod software:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/some-assembly-required/JSpD

Cassetteboy

Cassetteboy

Cassetteboy are the UK's Michael Bollen and Steve Warlin. They've got three full length cut-up releases and a couple of singles, to date. I'm assuming the rest is like "The Parker Tapes," anyway (tape cut ups), because that's all I've got. Now that the truth is out, I guess I'll have to go and find some more... I really like the album I have, so I'd look forward to hearing more.

For the longest time, this was a group so underground that although their work has been well received, noone knew who the heck these guys actually were. That is to say, their online presence has been shrouded in mystery and misinformation. They've recently started giving out their real names, but alas, we have yet to see a proper photo. I like this one though (above). Perhaps it is a fair approximation of how they would actually appear in person. I just don't know.

Bollen is an author, as well. You can find out more about his satirical novel, Earth Inc. HERE. His brother (?), Warlin, is a musician and theatrical composer. Find out more at their Myspace page.

Without further ado, here's the SAR Q&A with Cassetteboy...


*Name: Cassetteboy

*Do you use a pseudonym? We used to be completely anonymous, for fear of being sued. With the release of our latest album we've revealed our real identities. This is mainly because one of us (Michael Bollen) (me) (hello) has written a novel, and I wanted Cassetteboy fans to know that it was by me. There's no way I was going to publish the novel under a pseudonym, it took too bloody long to let some made up name take the credit.

*Members: Michael Bollen and Steve Warlin

*Founding Members: Michael Bollen and Steve Warlin. It's always just been the two of us. Although sometimes other people join us on stage for gigs. Or fill in for one or the other of us. We did one gig once where neither of us was there - we were in Australia, and there was a Cassetteboy gig in London that was done by one of our mates and some bloke we've never met.

*Tape manipulations, digital deconstructions or turntable creations: None of the above. We started off with tapes, using old hi-fis and 'ghettoblasters' (anything with two manual pause buttons). That's how we did our first single Di and Dodi Do Die, and a bit of tape stuff made it onto The Parker Tapes, our first album. Since then it's been computers all the way, specifically Sound Forge, Acid and Vegas.

*Another genre descriptor: We used to use "Parker" but no one understood us.

* Is there a story behind your name? Unfortunately we can't remember. Cassetteboy evolved from Steve and myself making compilation tapes for our friends with tiny snippets of comedy or TV soundtracks between the music. These were known as 'Parker Tapes', each tape would be labelled with the word Parker and then a different number on each side. I think Steve's first one was Parker 81 and 91, mine was Parker 41 and 51. The first one we did together was Parker 211 and 221. I have no idea why the tapes were labelled in this way. Sorry, what a dull story.

*Location: Chelmsford, Essex, UK

*Original Location: Chelmsford, Essex, UK

*What is your creative/artistic background: Michael Bollen writes comedy. He's been spectacularly unsuccessful with a few sitcom pilots and sketches and the like, but has recently published his first novel, Earth Inc., which will hopefully make him mega rich. Steve Warlin is a musician. He has recently composed the songs for a stage musical about the board game Monopoly, called 'Free Parking!'. This combination of music and comedy creates Cassetteboy, although we both do a bit of both sides when writing our albums.

*History: The compilation tape Parker 211 and 221 was completed in the summer of 1995 I think. We've worked together ever since.

*Born: Chelmsford, Essex, UK, 1970s

*Motivations: Good question. It certainly isn't to make money - every album has sold worse than the previous one, despite a fanbase that is blatantly growing (curse you, internet). Cassetteboy grew naturally out of compilation tapes made to make our friends laugh, and I don't think much has changed. Also, because Cassetteboy evolved more or less by accident, I think we're quite interested to see what it will become if we just keep doing it. We only do it occasionally though, you'd go mad cutting stuff up like that full time.

*Philosophy: Making funny jokes is the main thing. And good music. With each album we try to change the way we work, in order to move on. The first album (The Parker Tapes) we didn't know what the hell we were doing, we never thought we'd do another album and so we chucked everything we could think of in there. The second, Dead Horse, is our more polished, immediate, pop album. And the most recent, Carry On Breathing, is our sprawling, slightly self indulgent concept album. We both think it's our best work though, it may take a few listens, but hopefully people will be playing that one for years to come.

*How would you like to be remembered: Hopefully not as those guys who got sued by pretty much every musician, TV channel and record label ever.

*Web address:
www. myspace. com/bloodycassetteboy
www. myspace. com/earthincbook


www.some-assembly-required.net