It’s been the busiest month in recent memory, but I’ll do my best to re-cap. Please forgive me if I miss anything!
First, thanks to everyone who came out to the show at El Corazón this past Saturday. It was our first all-ages show in years, it seems, so we weren’t quite sure what to expect, but it ended up being a great night, with lots of new friends made and CDs sold…so thank you all! Special thanks to Teitur and Jessie Baylin for having us on the bill! It was great to get back onstage.
We’d spent the three weeks prior in frenetic rehearsal mode, leading up to a whirlwind six-day session at Soundhouse Recording in Ballard, wherein we tracked all ten songs that will comprise the next Red Jacket Mine album, masterfully assisted by producer Ken Stringfellow and engineer Kip Beelman. The objective: track all ten songs to glorious, exorbitantly-priced two-inch tape, recording all instrumental tracks live in the room (with few or no overdubs, just like Grandma made) and tracking the vocals immediately afterward, also to tape. Our modus operandi left little room for error and/or indecision, but that was the idea.
Lucky for us, we had good help! The best, even. Ken pitched in on keys (also tracked live with the band…so nice to have a fifth Beatle…or Ian Stewart!), background vocals, and frighteningly-good tambourine, while Kip handled most of the knob-twiddling and Facebook-prowling. Our good friend Ian Moore even dropped by with his ‘56 Les Paul Junior and a crusty, lovely tweed Deluxe to lay down some ferocious guitar licks and spook-tacular background vocals.
It was a daunting task, but we did it! And we simply could not be happier with the results. Seriously—I know this kind of bravado is expected any time a new album is in the works, but I truly believe that we’ve got something magnificent on our hands. Everyone was on top of their game, and we are extremely proud of the result. Immense thanks are due to Messrs. Stringfellow and Beelman, without whom this surely would not have been possible. We can’t wait for you all to hear their tremendous craft(s) at work!
I intend to post a characteristically-verbose account of the session in the next week or so, but feel free to consult Ken’s blog in the interim for his take on the proceedings…we’re in there, amidst tales of the Posies‘ 20th anniversary shows and other highlights of his Seattle visit. Thanks for the kind words, Ken! We can only hope you enjoyed the session as much as we did!
We’ll spend the remainder of the summer licking our financial wounds and chipping away at the album’s loose ends (a few string arrangements from our pal Eyvind Kang, et cetera).
We’ve also got some incredible shows coming up, the first of which will take place on Thursday, June 26 at the Tractor Tavern. We’ll be sandwiched between the lovely Miss Kristen Ward and our aforementioned pal Ian Moore, who will be playing a very rare (around these parts, at least) full-band show. Advance tickets are available from TicketWeb. Get ‘em while you can!
In site news, I’ve updated the Press page to include a recent review of Hello, Old Cloud from Hugh Miller’s excellent Unfinished web zine. I’ve also updated the Favorites page with nods to my recent obsessions…dig!
Speaking of obsessions, everyone go out tomorrow and buy the new Centro-matic/South San Gabriel split-double album, Dual Hawks. These kind-eyed Texans continue to inspire and excite me about the prospect of making American rock & roll music, and this album promises to be their best yet. So check it out—you won’t be disappointed.
Me, I’m going to tuck into this bottle of Punto Final malbec and enjoy an evening of hard-earned quietude. Thanks, as always, for listening and caring about what we do. Hope to see you all at the Tractor on June 26th!
xo
LB
June 2nd, 2008
Warmest thanks to all who came out the Sunset on Saturday and helped us celebrate the release of Hello, Old Cloud. Despite a number of unanticpated technical issues and a surplus of spilled Maker’s Mark (fine bedfellows if ever there were such), it was a great show, if a bit more Replacements-like than usual.
Regrettably, due to poor planning on our part, it seems that many of the show’s attendees didn’t get the free CD they were promised. For this we sincerely apologize. If you can be counted among this number, please get in touch with us. We appreciate your support and we’d love for you to hear the album.
Alternately, the particularly generous and/or wealthy among you might be interested in purchasing a copy of the album on CD Baby and iTunes. For the Seattle folks who’d prefer to keep it local, the album is available at all locations of Easy Street Records (Queen Anne, West Seattle) and Sonic Boom Records (Ballard, Capitol Hill) for the low-low price of $8.99.
Wherever you choose to buy, we thank you for listening and hope you enjoy the album very much. Please take a moment to post a review on CD Baby or iTunes—they really do help all the prospective listeners out there! Besides, they make us blush…
Now that we’ve finally let go of Hello, Old Cloud, we’re wasting no time getting started on album #2. In late May, we’ll kick things off with a whirlwind six-day session at Soundhouse Recording in beautiful Ballard, WA, joined by Messrs. Ken Stringfellow and Kip Beelman. They’ll be handling production and engineering duties, respectively, and we couldn’t be more excited to be working with such talented and charming individuals.
You all may know Mr. Stringfellow from his band the Posies, now in their 20th year, as well as his stellar solo career (recommended listening: 2001’s Touched and 2004’s Soft Commands) and his integral role in the re-formed Big Star. He’s also spent the last few years touring and recording with a little band called R.E.M.. These days, he’s most excited about his Oslo-based rock troupe the Disciplines, slated to release their debut album later this year.
On the production side, he’s probably best known for helping out our pals the Long Winters on their 2002 release (and our personal favorite), When I Pretend to Fall. Needless to say, we’re huge fans and very much look forward to his contributions.
Mr. Beelman’s name might not be as common, but if you’ve paid any attention to the records coming out of Seattle for the last 10+ years (particularly those that Ken has been involved with), you’ve surely been privy to his mastery. He contributed some stellar mixes to the aforementioned Long Winters album, engineered the last Posies album, Every Kind of Light, has generally produced, engineered, and mixed his way into our swollen little hearts (via our ears). He’s also a fine photographer. We’re very excited to have him aboard!
We’ll forego live performances in May to prepare for the album sessions, drink yerba maté, and listen to the Band, but June will find us back in the saddle, opening for our very good friend Ian Moore at the Tractor Tavern on Thursday, June 26. Advance tickets are available right HERE.
Once again, we’d like to thank all of our friends for their help and support. We hope you all enjoy Hello, Old Cloud, however you may find it. Here’s to the future!
xo
RJM
April 28th, 2008
Just a reminder: we’ll be celebrating the release of our new album, Hello, Old Cloud, this Saturday, April 26 at the Sunset Tavern in beautiful Ballard. We hope you all can join us on this joyous occasion!
We’ll take the stage second, around 10:30pm, but you’ll want to come early and stay late for our good friends Burning Rivers and North Twin. Cover is $8, and paid admission gets you a copy of our new album! Oh, the value!
This show will very likely sell out, so don’t say we didn’t warn you. The more prudent among you may purchase advance tickets right HERE.
In other news, we’re very happy to announce that Hello, Old Cloud has been added to rotation at our favorite radio station in the whole-wide world, KEXP 90.3FM, and we need YOUR help make sure it stays there! Please give them a call (206-903-KEXP) or email (dj@kexp.org) and request your favorite tunes from Hello, Old Cloud!
More exciting things coming very soon! We’ll see you all this Saturday at the Sunset!
xo
RJM
April 21st, 2008
Hello, friends!
It gives me great pleasure to announce that we’ll be celebrating the long-awaited release of our debut studio album, Hello, Old Cloud, on Saturday, April 26 at the Sunset Tavern. We’ll be joined on stage by our good friends Burning Rivers and North Twin, and we’re very happy to have them along on this joyous occasion.
Cover is $8, and your paid admission includes a copy of the CD! Now that’s value. See? We love you. This show will very likely sell out, so keep an eye on the Shows page and the Sunset Tavern site for details on advance tickets!
In the meantime, we’re hard at work preparing for the album release. The CD (and digital download, for you 21st Century types) will be available online (CD Baby, iTunes, etc.) and at local stores (Easy Street, Sonic Boom, etc.) in April. We’ll post details on how/where/when to buy as they materialize.
We’ve also undertaken some major site updates of late. Check out the fancy new Bio page, featuring promotional photographs taken by our good pal Seth Wonner (more photos here). The Music page has also been updated with details on Hello, Old Cloud, including a link to the album lyrics, for those curious listeners among you who’d like to know what I’m on about. Other updates, too numerous or too trifling to mention, abound…so please take a look around!
Finally, I’d be remiss not to mention our upcoming show at the Doug Fir Lounge in Portland, Oregon on Saturday, March 15. We’re very excited to be playing again with our good friends Chris Robley & the Fear of Heights, and we’re very much looking forward to meeting the folks in Jonah, who will close the show. This show will double as our Portland CD release party, so if you live in Portland (or you live in Seattle and just can’t wait), please come out to the very cool Doug Fir and take home a copy of Hello, Old Cloud.
That’s all for now. We look forward to seeing each and every one of you at the Sunset on April 26. We’ve worked on this album a long time, and to say that we cannot wait for you all to hear it would be an understatement. As always, thank you so much for listening. Stay tuned for much, much more!
xo
RJM
February 27th, 2008
Greetings,
It’s been just over a month since we’ve spoken, and my, how you’ve grown. Things have been all a-flutter here at RJM HQ, with last-minute preparations/weeping/gnashing-of-teeth leading up to the release of our debut long-player, Hello, Old Cloud in April. Keep your eyes peeled for an exact release date (coming very soon), along with all of the accompanying ‘promotional materials’ (branded buttons, tell-all biopics, Tiger Beat centerfolds, canned hams, custom-embossed Books of Mormon) you’ve come to expect.
In the meantime, we’ve got some shows coming your way. First, we’re playing at the Sunset Tavern in beautiful Ballard this Saturday, February 9. The festivities begin at 10pm with our very good friends from Portland, Chris Robley & the Fear of Heights. Chris is an outstanding vocalist and pop songsmith par excellence, and fresh off a West Coast tour, he and his Rose City Sound Machine are sure to impress. RJM will play the middle slot (get ready for some new tunes, guaranteed to stimulate), and Ballard revelers the Maldives will take you down easy with their gorgeous, bourbon-soaked ballads. We defy one stage to contain them!
In fact, it’s rare that RJM feels like a small ensemble, especially when you take into account our space station’s worth of guitar gear and extensive wardrobes…but this Saturday, our little-old four-piece will do its best to hold its own among these six- and seven-piece behemoths! We may have to rope in some fly-girls…
At any rate, we encourage you all to come out and enjoy the wonderful night of music in store. More news on the way, including out-of-town shows (Doug Fir in Portland on March 15, plus a rescheduled date with the Yakima Sports Center) and those ever-imminent Exciting Announcements about RJM album #2, which we’re set to begin recording in late May. Keep an eye on this site and the RJM MySpace page for updates.
We’ll see you pretty ponies on Saturday!
xo
RJM
February 5th, 2008
Imagine my surprise when my wife received a message from a friend this morning directing her attention toward the January issue of Seattle Metropolitan magazine. In the On the Town section, on page 129, I found this edifying little nugget:
Jan 4 at 9 | Red Jacket Mine | The local gang is on the cusp of releasing debut album Hello, Old Cloud, but their confident alt-country orchestrations sound like they’ve been around for much longer, as do songwriter Lincoln Barr’s mature lyrics and smooth delivery.
Aw, shucks…thanks, whoever you are! I hope you (and your readers) know that we’re now playing at the High Dive this Friday, January 4. We’re up first, at 9pm. Hope to see you all there, and with any luck, meet the kind-but-anonymous author in question!
Happy new year, kittens!
xo
Mr. Smooth
December 31st, 2007
As I’m sure all of you Seattle-ites have heard by now, our beloved Crocodile Café has closed its doors, apparently for good, effectively cancelling our hotly-anticipated show there on Friday, January 4. Fortunately, our buddy Greg Garcia at the High Dive came to the rescue, and we’ll now be opening the show there the same night, followed by the sure-to-be-kind folks in Stella by Starlight and Reed (who’ll be celebrating their CD release).
We’re very sad about the Crocodile, as it had come to feel like home to us, but we’re very excited to get back in the saddle and play for you kind people! Many bitchin’ new tunes are in the works for RJM album #2 and we’re sure to debut a few at this show.
We’ve got many more shows in the works for early 2008, at home and abroad (Bellingham, Yakima, Portland, etc.)…keep an eye on the Shows page for up-to-the-minute details.
See you all at the High Dive! Happy holidays, sexies!
xo
LINCOLN
December 23rd, 2007
Things have been entirely too quiet around these parts lately…or we realize it must seem that way. Rest assured we here at RJM HQ haven’t been resting on our laurels. We’re changing jobs, going back to school, getting haircuts and moving out. A new record is being written at an alarming pace. Exciting news about that very soon.
In the meantime, plans are under way to release our debut long-player, Hello, Old Cloud in March 2008. I know, we’ve been threatening to release this supposed album for months now, but we promise it’s going to happen this time. The world simply can wait no longer.
And just to prove that we mean business, we’ve decided to exploit our MySpace player’s spacious new digs and post another tune from the record, a honky-tonk circus nightmare lovin’-and-leavin’ number titled “Jesus’ House.” A longtime staple of the RJM live set, this sprawling studio creation finds the RJM core crew augmented by the following star-studded cast:
Paul Hiraga - pump organ
Eyvind Kang - violin, viola, cello
Keith Lowe - upright bass
Ed Vance - tack piano
Nathan Wade - singing saw
We’re proud to call them friends, and we’re sure you’ll all agree that they’re the bee’s knees. So what are you waiting for? Head over to the RJM MySpace page and have a listen. Digest and discuss!
Finally, we’re all raring to return to the stage on Friday, January 4 at the Crocodile Café, joined by our Seattle pals Pickwick and San Francisco pop dynamos (no foolin’) the Botticellis. This show is not to be missed!
Keep an eye on the Shows page for many more dates at home and abroad in early 2008…and stay tuned for exciting news about Album #2!
Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season, filled with love, wine, and whiskey,
xo
RJM
December 11th, 2007
Please join us this Thursday, October 11 at Ballard’s Sunset Tavern for a lovely evening of rock and roll music.
RJM will kick off the proceedings at 9pm sharp, followed by Port Angeles wunderkinds The Lonely H and veteran rockers To the Glorious Lonely.
This will be the last Red Jacket Mine show until after Thanksgiving, as resident axeman Patrick Porter will be off touring our great nation with buddy Andrew Norsworthy for much of November. So come on out and rock with us!
Hope to see you all then!
xo
RJM
PS - In site news, I’ve uploaded four live mp3s from our September 25 show at the Crocodile Café, including the brand-new song “Deseret News,” to the Web Exclusives page. Download away, and enjoy! More news and updates forthcoming…
October 10th, 2007
Hey!
We’re back in Seattle, enjoying a rally of late-summer sun and resting up from a couple of late-August shows, including our triumphant first headlining appearance at Ballard’s Tractor Tavern and our madien voyage to the wild borderlands of Moscow, Idaho. (The curious can pop over to the Past Shows page for more details.)
We’ll lay quiet for a couple of weeks now, but don’t you think for a second that we’re shirking our duties…many lovely things are in the works:
First of all, I’m busy writing the next Red Jacket Mine album, which is tentatively scheduled to commence recording in May 2008. Those who attended the Tractor show got a first taste of the new material, in the form of the high, lonesome, LDS-obsessed “Deseret News.” More exciting announcements are coming soon, but rest assured that we’re all very excited!
Second, we’re very proud to announce that several songs from our new album, Hello, Old Cloud (release details coming soon!) are slated to appear in Miller’s Tale, the debut feature from Schrader-Turner Films! STF is the brainchild of my good friend, filmmaker Steve E. Turner. Miller’s Tale is currently making the festival rounds, and with any luck, will appear in next year’s SIFF (Seattle International Film Festival). In the meantime, check out Schrader-Turner Films’ new website for more information, and be sure to view the trailer!
Finally, we’ve got two great shows coming up at the end of the month: on Monday, September 24, Patrick & I will be playing The Round at the Fremont Abbey. For those of you who haven’t checked out the Round before, the concept is simple: 3-4 songwriters (and usually at least one local poet) take the Abbey stage, trade tunes and stories, accompany each other, and generally have a grand old time, while local painters do their thing and a rapt audience of real music fans takes it all in.
In addition to Patrick and I, this edition of the Round will feature our good buddies Ben London & Joshua Medaris from Burning Rivers (longtime Seattle-ites may remember these gentlemen from the bands Sanford Arms and Citizens’ Utilities, respectively), plus poet Karen Finneyfrock and painter Victor Ramirez. This is sure to be a wonderful night, and we’re very honored to be a part of it.
The very next night, Tuesday, September 25, we’ll be back at our favorite stomping ground, the Crocodile Café, opening up a bill that may induce a bit of déja vu in the RJM faithful. See, last year around this time, we made our debut at the Tractor Tavern, opening up for a killer NYC band called Oakley Hall and a great local act, Whalebones. Well, since that time, the Oakley Hall crew has gone and gotten itself signed to Merge Records (home to Spoon, Neutral Milk Hotel, Destroyer, and many other brilliant acts), and with a great new record, I’ll Follow You, out this week, they’re hitting the road again! Whalebones will accompany them on a string of West Coast dates, and we’re proud to once again open the Seattle show. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door, and the show starts at 9pm. Be there!
Stay tuned for more great things in October, album release news, and more!
xo
LINCOLN
September 12th, 2007
Previous Posts
