Lisa Savidge

The Official Release Show Post

All righty,

With info spread all over the web and social networking (and with the show date drawing near) I figured I’d consolidate this all in one place.

First of all, we might be looking at a sold-out crowd. It’d be pretty rad if that happened, but we also don’t want to leave any of our OG fans out in the cold, so we set up online ticketing here: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/149279
Feel free to grab some ahead of time if you like.

Now, the details go something like this:

What: Lisa Savidge CD Release AND Necronauts West-Coast Tour Kickoff – Featuring Dry River Yacht Club. Lisa Savidge will be playing the ENTIRETY of their new CD from start to finish, and you get your very own copy for free with paid admission. Oh, and it’s all ages.

Where/When: Thursday, Feb. 17th at the Rhythm Room, 8pm (sharp-ish. We don’t wanna run too late for all of you weirdos who have “jobs” and stuff the next morning and like to “sleep” at night).

How Much: These CDs are super-awesome and would be a bargain at any price, so figure the show is a super-double-mega-ultra bargain at $10.

If you still aren’t totally convinced, you can dig all of the sweet reviews/features we’ve been getting lately, plus some preview tracks and video over at: http://www.blackcactusrecords.com/lisasavidge/

Also, if you do the Facebook thing, you can jump on it here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=111048602300302

In any case, we hope to see you there! We’ve been working long and hard on this record (plus our live show) and we think you’ll really like it!

Posted in Lisa Savidge/Lisa Savidge, Phoenix Friends · February 3rd, 2011 · Comments (0)

Getting the new vid up…

I just wrapped up editing and rendering on the new Appalachacha video last night (well, early this morning, technically) and set it to upload to YouTube as I headed off to slumber. Now it’s sitting there, hanging at 99%… Mocking me. Bastards!

Anyway, it’ll be up soon, one way or another. In the mean time, why not join us on Facebook or Twitter (links in the top left corner)? Surely, there’ll be an announcement when it’s ready. Also, if you’re new to the band and are looking to get a sense of the basics, why not swing by our label’s page (also in the corner), where you’ll find some cool info, and a good selection of tunes for your enjoyment.

Alternatively alternatively, you could check back here later this evening, where I’ll be posting the video once it’s up

Posted in Lisa Savidge/Lisa Savidge, Video · January 28th, 2011 · Comments (0)

Java Interview, Lyrical Content

Nick and I met with Mitchell Hillman from Java Magazine a while back to do an interview for their January issue about the new record.  Man, that guy is on the ball…  He had something like 10 pages of questions, all taken from actually listening to the record, and it took 4 hours to go through it all.  I’ve got to say it was a great conversation, and especially nice to get to delve into all of the little details that crept their way into Lisa Savidge/Lisa Savidge.

This has always been something of a concern for me…  You see, we are probably about as far from a “jam band” as you can get.  Everything on this record is there for a reason:  Each word obsessed over, each note, beat, tone, and composition checked and tweaked until it conveyed exactly what we wanted.  Every song was learned, rehearsed, recorded, mixed, rewritten, and repeated until it was done.  I’ve always felt that most of the records I’ve truly loved over the years have been done that way, and it was always so rewarding to listen to (let’s say) Dark Side of the Moon for the hundredth time just to catch that brilliant little detail that had eluded me previously.

This goes back to the aforementioned concern, which is whether or not anyone was going to listen to our record the same way I had listened to those others and find all of the bits and pieces we left behind.  The fact that I know at least one person has at this point – and the release date is still nearly six weeks away – well…  It’s a nice feeling.

Look, I know how this sounds…  But let me assure you that there’s no value judgement attached to this.  It isn’t a “high art/low art” thing.  I hold that a punk record that’s just raw energy blasted out and not over-thought – or a pop song who’s catchy, infectious hooks unite all who listen in a synchronized head-nod – are equally valid creative expressions.  It’s just different from what we did here, and it calls to be listened to differently…  Something I hope people will try.

Anyhow, the Java article is out now and it’s really great.  Hell, it was extremely informative to me, and I am more than a little bit familiar with the subject matter.  If you see one on the newsstands be sure and grab a copy, and if you aren’t somewhere where they’re available, we’ll post when the online version comes up (I’m sure it’ll be soon).

And now for something completely different:  My sister-in-law distributed a whole case of Elk Cloners out in Berlin, and she dropped off this totally groovy photo collage when she came through town for the holidays.  Check it out!

Posted in Lisa Savidge/Lisa Savidge · January 4th, 2011 · Comments (0)

Just a quick update…

Just a quick update to say that we’ve created an official event for the Lisa Savidge/Lisa Savidge release show on Facebook.

You can find it at: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=111048602300302

Also, have a flyer:

Posted in Lisa Savidge/Lisa Savidge · December 14th, 2010 · Comments (0)

Art ‘n Stuff

It’s been exciting times over in ‘Savidge land lately.  Review copies have started to go out to our favorite local publications (Java, Yab Yum, Electric Mustache, New Times, Silver Platter, etc.) with national to follow.

The one thing we keep hearing before anyone even listens to the record is how much everyone likes the art.  I’d have to agree…  and I think you will too once you get one in your hands.

First of all, the folks over at Oasis did a bang-up job with the printing – 4-panel digipacks with clear post-consumer trays and 8-panel inserts.  I really am a big fan of digipacks (those hard cardboard cases) as opposed to jewel cases, as I think they really let the artwork shine through and don’t have that cheap plastic feel.  Very reminiscent of those old vinyl sleeves that you could study as the record played.  A bit of an anachronism, I know, but what can I say – I was born too late.  Anyway, definitely not the cheapest option, but I don’t see working as long and hard as we did on the songs, performances, recordings, production, etc., just to skimp at the last minute.

Of course,  the real credit goes to Patrick Leahy for the actual art that’s printed on the cases.  We wanted to take a different approach when it came to the design of this record:  Free it of any existing baggage/preconceived notions that we might have had about the band and let the music dictate the art.  As such we sought out an artist who could be our counterpart in the visual world – someone who is local, but doing a lot of interesting stuff and is (hopefully) headed for bigger things – to give free reign.  Then, once we found our guy, we simply gave him a copy of the audio and told him to draw whatever he hears.  The result is the art on the new album, some shirts and posters you’ll be seeing soon, and the design of this very webpage.

I think that it is a great fit, and that it is extremely interesting to see someone else’s take on something you created expressed in a completely different medium.

Later on, Patrick and I got to talking about what specifically he heard in the music that inspired him to take this particular direction.  He noted a kind of grand scale that runs throughout the record, combined with a very structured approach to the arrangement, dark undertones masked by light on the surface, and a somewhat surreal quality.  Hence, the warped, monolithic architecture with a sort of ominous feel.  I like to think that if I were to walk into the buildings Patrick created for the design, that I would find a very beautiful and serene environment, while coups and manufactured wars were being created in dark, smoky rooms somewhere in the basement.

Pretty much exactly what I was going for, really.  All in all, it’s been a very rewarding experience to collaborate outside of our usual medium, and I think that it has created a whole that is much greater than the sum of its parts.  I’ve already got an idea I’ve been working on for a while which involves collaborating with a variety of independent filmmakers (more on that when it’s done), but I still want to do more.  Wouldn’t it be cool to have some kind of project where visual artists express what they hear in some song or another (maybe from a band they’ve never met/heard before) in a picture?  Or something where musicians would create songs based on paintings/photographs/films that other independent artists had created?

Man, if I could find the time, I’d totally love to get something like that going.  Sort of like a review site, except with pictures instead of words.  Anyone care to help me get that going?  I can provide the musicians if you can provide the visual artists…

Posted in Lisa Savidge/Lisa Savidge · December 10th, 2010 · Comments (0)

Update on the Lisa Savidge Release Show

So, we’re at the Black Cactus Records meeting yesterday evening looking over the fancy new webpage that I was just getting put together for the label, and Billy points out that we booked our CD release show opposite the Necronauts tour kickoff show.  Oops…

Well, it turns out The Lost Leaf (where the Necros show was going to be held) was a little concerned about the loudness factor of having the tour kickoff show there, so we all agreed that it would be best to just combine the shows and have a super-huge party at The Rhythm Room.

Thus:  You are cordially invited to the LISA SAVIDGE/LISA SAVIDGE CD RELEASE AND NECRONAUTS TOUR KICKOFF SHOW at The Rhythm Room on February 17th 2011.  Besides the two bands already mentioned, Dry River Yacht Club is on tap to round out the bill for the evening.  We are super-stoked about this lineup, since all three bands on the bill are totally awesome, while covering a wide enough range to keep things interesting all night long.

Stay posted for more news as it becomes available.

Posted in Lisa Savidge/Lisa Savidge · November 30th, 2010 · Comments (0)

Information on the release of Lisa Savidge/Lisa Savidge

So, the new records are on hand now (and they look FANTASTIC!) and we’re nailing down the details on the release as we speak. News so far:

-The “street date” (when the album will be available in stores and online) is going to be February 11th, 2011. In other words: 11022011. Oooh! Cryptic!

-The release show will be taking place on February 17th at The Rhythm Room in uptown Phoenix. We’ll likely be booking two other bands to support, the event will be all-ages, $10 at the door (includes a free CD), and starting at 8pm.

We’ll keep you updated as more information becomes available.

Posted in Lisa Savidge/Lisa Savidge · November 26th, 2010 · Comments (0)