The Silent Comedy is hitting the road again in North America! This summer, the boys will be hitting the entire US, and a wee bit of Canada. Many of the dates they will be joining good friends, The Heavy! Check the show schedule for more details because new dates are still being announced!
We are extremely happy to be joining our friends The Heavy for a tour of the UK in March! We've been wanting to get across the pond for a while, and this trip is going to be great. Check out the dates below, and get tickets now, because they're going fast!
We recently worked with the History Channel for their new show, The Men Who Built America. We were happy to work with the History folks for the second time this year, but were presented with a challenge. The History team thought our song, Blood On The Rails, fit the tone of the show well, but it only existed in the form of a rough recording that wasn't suitable for a wide release. We decided to re-record the track during a small break in our tight touring schedule, and try to create the best version possible with limited time. Our friends at Lost Ark Studio in San Diego came to the rescue, and got us in the studio on short notice. The experience at Lost Ark was very special for us. Producer Mike Butler helped expand our creative horizons, and got us to use some creative techniques to achieve the sounds and textures that we were looking for. Our good friend Rebecca Joelson was on hand to document the experience, and we are happy to share some of those photos with you here!
A lyric/chord sheet from the Blood On The Rails recording session.
The session starts with the entire band playing to capture bass and drums.
Chad Lee sits behind one of the many drum kits at Lost Ark.
Joshua Zimmerman works out his headphone mix.
When tracking gets intense, the hats come off.
After bass and drums are laid down, Jeremiah Zimmerman starts working on the guitar tracks.
Following guitar, Jeremiah lays down several types of keys.
When cabin fever strikes, you just have to let it out. Chad Lee engages in primal scream therapy.
Eventually, Justin Buchanan is able to lay several tracks of banjo down.
Many layers of percussion were recorded for Blood On The Rails. Chad Lee is seen here recording tambourine.
Now for the most nerve-racking portion of the session: lead vocals. Joshua Zimmerman mentally preparing to tear his vocal chords up.
Mid-song, Josh does his best Christina Aguilera impression.
Finally, the whole band comes together to add group vocals as a finishing touch. Here, Jeremiah Zimmerman talks through the vocal parts with the rest of the band before a take.
The final step: a listen through with producer Mike Butler before the track is sent to mixing.
Huge thanks to Mike Butler and Paul Cavanaugh at Lost Ark Studio, Rebecca Joelson for documenting, and Brian Malouf for mixing.
Check out the final product on iTunes!
We're excited to announce that our song Blood On The Rails is being used for the new History Channel show, The Men Who Built America! The show is a look at some of the pivotal heads of industry in the early days of the United States, and we are really happy to be a part of it. Check out the trailer, and lyrics, below and pick up the song on iTunes!
Click Here to buy the full song!
Lyrics:
Callin’ all agents, the seven have split
Villains and vagrants, are killin’ our conscience
Call it contagious, the shutters’ll click
Fillin’ up pages, and give ‘em the opposite
Yeah yeah
Cross off the basics, a cut and a stitch
Trial by patience – admitted –
Cause I’ve got, common frustration
A seminal shift
Piles of papers are hidden in offices
Someone’s gotta’ tow the line
Someone’s gotta’ make it right
Someone’s gotta’ throw the fight
Someone’s gotta take it
You gotta’ fake it
Call it amazin’, we’re gonna’ get it rich
Figures and failing are given up partly
Settle our savings, a seventies schtick
Someone’s gonna’ tow the line
Someone’s gonna’ make it right
Someone’s gonna’ throw the fight
Someone’s gonna take it
Not gonna’ take it
I won’t take it
Blood on the rails
A few years ago, I was introduced to the work of International Justice Mission through Jim Palmer’s book, Divine Nobodies. A friend had given me a copy of the book, and one chapter detailed a trip that Jim took to Asia to join IJM on an undercover fact finding mission. The account is absolutely heartbreaking as he details visiting multiple brothels that offer girls as young as 10 years old to western sex-tourists. He goes on to tell about the emotional impact of talking to a girl, now in recovery, who had been rescued from a brothel under a hail of gunfire, and how thankful she was to be free. These accounts were all the more gut-wrenching because of how similar these people and locations are to my childhood memories of living and traveling through Thailand, India, and Nepal. The girls Jim was describing were identical to my friends in these areas. Many of their families were so poor and desperate, that they may have eventually suffered the same fate as well.
(My Nepalese friends and I in Pokhara, Nepal - 1996)
Shortly after reading Divine Nobodies, I discussed this issue with my dad. The non-profit that he was working for at the time partnered with IJM on fundraising and other initiatives, and he encouraged me to look into the issue more extensively. I went to IJM’s website and read through a handful of news updates and case studies. The stories are both horrific and hopeful to an extent that I was completely overwhelmed. My mind was so full of compassion, horror, hope, and desperation that the only thing I could do was pour these feelings out on a page. The result of that outpouring was a song called Exploitation. As a musician, sometimes the only way you can deal with an overwhelming issue is to stomp/sing about it.
I hoped through singing this song, and having it on a record, I could do a small part to raise awareness for this issue. At the same time, this didn’t seem like enough. The problem is so vast that simple awareness seems completely useless. Through my dad, I ended up contacting IJM and letting them know that I would like to do more to help the cause in whatever way possible.
Fortunately, this coincided very well with IJM’s 15th anniversary year (2012). The organization is looking to expand its operations throughout the globe, and needs grassroots support to help fund these new programs. Toward that goal, I decided to take the month from May 16th to my birthday, June 16th, to try and raise $1,800 for IJM. This sum seems small in relation to the problem, but with enough partners working for similar goals, IJM can actually fund eight of their new initiatives.
In today’s economic climate, money is difficult to come by for everyone. Small amounts of money mean a lot in the lives of most Americans trying to survive day to day. As a touring musician, I completely understand this. One thing that I also know is how much good a small amount of money can do in the lives of people around the world who are alone and helpless. If you can find an amount of money that you are able to give, please visit my campaign page and donate. This money will make an impact that is so much greater than the dollar amount you can personally give. As an individual, it is hard to know what you can do to fight such a terrible injustice. Many individuals together, however, can cause massive change in the world around us. Please donate and be one of those people today. Thank you.
If you are unfamiliar with our song, Exploitation, you can see a live video and read the lyrics below.
Exploitation
Contessa, little darlin’, they’re gonna’ love your limbs
So feeble, so flawless, you will be broken
They’ll dress you in violet, they’ll touch your tender hair
Those demons, the silence, you’ll learn to block them
So pick a spot on the wall, stare at it with all the strength you’ve got
And if the lighting’s right, seein’ shapes so you won’t think at all
In the dark, wide awake when all those men have gone
You cry for mother’s God, swear at him and say
“I’ve had enough”
The pressure, it’s risin’, to let the shadows in
The face of your father, is in the darkness
You’ll fake it, you’ll fight it
You’ll scrape and scrub your skin
The stain and the fire, your fate’s decided
So pick a spot on the wall, stare at it with all the strength you’ve got
And if the lighting’s right, seein’ shapes so you won’t think at all
In the dark, wide awake when all those men have gone
You cry for mother’s God, swear at him and say
“I’ve had enough”
Click here to donate.
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