Those of you listening to Ben’s album Limitations may notice that track 1 is labeled “Words,” but is actually the track “Logos,” and track 8 is labeled “Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep,” but is actually “Invisible Children.” Lastly, The Boundary Waters does not actually have track 10, “Logos.” That’s what happens when you put an album together blindfolded with one hand tied behind your back while fighting a dragon…

“Words” and “Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep” are now available for download in the discography, as well as the Boundary Waters version of “Logos.” Thanks for listening.

If you need anything, I’ll be under a rock somewhere.
-Robert

The albums will each be $5, so bring a few to support Ben. He’s hoping to give some of the money to a North Park mission team.

A song from Limitations and a few off of The Boundary Waters are up in the discography.

Go to the Facebook Event to read more.

Three songs from the album are already downloadable in our discography.

Check the Facebook Event for other details (you’ll have to log into Facebook).

It started like this: way back in April of 2009, Ben Bruckner recorded an album with me, Mr. Eisenbraun. It was OK, but it didn’t quite hit the level of ability we were hoping for–on his part or mine. I graduated from college that spring and we both became very busy; Ben went off to Alaska and broke a number of his bones, and things stagnated. We restarted recording this January, and now, with a little rearranging, we have a second whole album of music, with a different quality and tone to it. Ben was inspired. That’s what happens when you break a lot of bones.

“Limitations” is the old album and “The Boundary Waters” is the new album. Both are very close to being done. We don’t have the packaging, strategy, or an ETA on their releases quite yet, but we’ll let you know with a couple weeks’ notice. It’s possible we will release them separately, but it’s more likely that we will have a dual-release like we did with Joe Davis’ “Goodbye, Babylon” and “Fireflies.”

I will put a few songs from each album up in Ben’s Discography section in the next few days. [Edit: songs are up for Boundary Waters]

P.S. iTunes is a pain to work with! Independent publishers have to pay third parties to publish albums and “maintain” them from year-to-year. For this reason I will probably not be putting them on iTunes. Sorry, iTuners. You’ll have to import them yourselves.

Robert Eisenbraun has been recording a five-song album with them over the past month, which will be done very soon. Release isn’t decided quite yet.

We are not yet sure what will happen October 22, but likely someone will open for Joe at 9:30pm, and Joe will take the stage and perform afterward.

Fireflies will have five songs and will sport a packet design made from one piece of paper. Goodbye, Babylon! will be twice as long as Fireflies, and will be in a standard jewel case.

Go to the discography for more details on Goodbye, Babylon! and Fireflies. After release, they will be available for free download.

Joel Schuman and his band, Project Stinkeye, will be joining the label with an unnamed release still being recorded by Mr. Eisenbraun.

Our table was next to a man selling frames and across the aisle from a woman selling lotions with her toddler son.

We released our first sampler at the block party, too, giving away all 64 of them for free, and meeting many good people–some of whom may join the label in future endeavors. The sampler was a single-page packet design and most of the tracks were from our four upcoming albums. We will be making many more samplers in the next week and anyone we see will be welcome to them.

This is the sampler’s track list:

1. Project Stinkeye – Time
2. Joe Davis – Goodbye, Babylon!
3. Joe Davis – Fireflies
4. Ben Bruckner – Speak A Word
5. Ben Bruckner – Logos
6. Electrohome – The Places I’ve Been
7. Men of Easy Company – Ideal Darling

North Park University Homecoming Schedule

The block party is on Carmen Avenue between Kedzie and Sawyer, in Chicago.

View Larger Map

Once Bruckner returns from his youth work in Alaska, we will tackle his baker’s dozen songs.

Davis and Robert Eisenbraun recorded over a dozen tunes in the last two weeks, and Eisenbraun is in the process of mixing and adding colour to them. The CD designs need to be worked out, as well, and we will plan a release date and show to go with them soon.

There is also another secret release in the works… Right now it’s on a need-to-know basis, folks!

Speaking of short films and polar changes, LONYM has Eisenbraun’s recent 13-minute short film “Polar Change.” Joel Schuman from the Men of Easy Company is the lead actor.

The setting: the electromagnetic polar north and south of the Earth have begun to reverse, leaving the planet almost completely dead. Timothy Roberts (Joel Schuman) is alive–in jail.

Check out LONYM for details.

Thanks everyone for coming to the show. The audience was very attentive, and it was a great time. Makes a person want to play more often.

If you want a CD, you can E-mail us to order a physical copy with all the artwork and liner notes for $1 (boy, it’s cool!). That, and our releases are available in the Downloads section for free.

By the way, the SideDistro has been refined, and has a new song up by Joel Schuman, his brother, and his brother’s friend. [Edit: SideDistro is at http://lonym.net/]

Thirsty Traveler Gospel Songbook

The Men of Easy Company are hard at work duplicating CD’s for their long-awaited release of “Thirsty Traveler Gospel Songbook” on Sunday, April 19, featuring nine and a half songs:

1. Coming To An End
2. Plastic Surgery
3. How I Fall For You
4. Time To Spare
5. Wrong Way Home
6. On Down The Road
7. Going On A Trip
8. Working Man’s Dreams
9. Ideal Darling

Joel and Robert will be performing at North Park University’s Java Haus, in Chicago, IL, at 6:30 PM. Bring a buck for the CD and a dollar for a soda and two bags of animal crackers. Hope to see you there!

P.S. This has nothing to do with April Fool’s Day. This is actually, really happening.

“Spring” is a 10-song album, backed by Allison Crino (BGV), Andy Carlson (solo guitar), and Brandon Weberg (bass). The album will be available for download both as individual MP3 files and one single .iso file to burn to CD on the Downloads page–as well as a real, physical album to buy, if you like; $1 each to cover materials. Its cover art, while simple, is painstakingly assembled by hand by yours truly. Initially there will be 50 numbered physical copies. For details on getting one, E-mail us. This is the first album the label is selling materially at-cost, and absolutely free online. We’re very excited.

Go download download download on March 22!

We don’t have a title for the album, or titles for all the songs even, but it is well underway. Also remember that Joe Davis’ album will be released this spring! So many good things…

Until next time-

There are a few housekeeping notes to be made:
Though it may not look any different, I made a slight overhaul of the website, and now you folks with WordPress blogs (and without) can make comments on posts. Because of the change, our RSS feed is located at http://lonelymonster.com/feed/ now, so if you were subscribed then you’ll want to switch it over.

We changed our contact info/location, since my wife and I are now, erm, married.

Let me tell you what I’ve been up to since May. The Men of Easy Company have been planning on releasing an album for a while now, but we’ve run into a problem. My hard drive died. A week later… my other hard drive died. The specifics are interesting, but I won’t go into them here. The important thing is that I have a copy of the album still, though it was not finished. It has been existing in a perpetual state of incompleteness. I’ve begun again on the cover art, and it will come out, but not for a while still. It looks like the track listing will be revised and new songs should be added by the time it is done, so it will be for the better, in the end. I look forward to its release, and will keep you up to date on any more changes.

In other news, I’m still on the hunt for new blood to join our ranks! Stay tuned.

As the director of the short film “The Canberra Night Fighters” introduces his film:

This short film was made for school. Look for skewed Vietnam War references and pay attention to the black and white values. They always mean something. It was inspired by stories of the Vietnam War and “8 1/2.” Thanks to all those involved; the actors would help with sound and lighting when not in scenes, and spent hours in two nights (and mornings) filming it.

The short also ends with the Men of Easy Company’s “Coming To An End,” unreleased as of yet.

The new album doesn’t have a name yet or a release date. We’re getting close to finishing the music, but we’ve still a few more points of contrition to work out.

Because of the college semester system, we’re looking at an official Christmas or January release. While you wait for the album, go read his bio. We also put one of the songs we’re working on in the Downloads section.