The Physics of Meaning Tour Blog #1

The Physics of Meaning are out on the road all over America. Here's an account of what they're up to in the recurring The Physics of Meaning Tour Blog.

our first tour blog by our own dear Wil Wright

Hey everyone.

If you have been keeping up with physics for the last couple of years, you may have read some of my accounts of our adventures. If not, I'm Wil Wright. I play the bass and am the youngest (barely) and usually live in Knoxville TN and don't ever drive the van because I drive like a mamaw. Instead of driving, I try to keep an blog of the funny or interesting things that happen to us along the way. Or at least the gross things that happen to me....which are ample.

This trip will deliver me into things that I don't like.....Tuscaloosa, AL for example. And the desert. Ugh. But it's a small price, as the trip will also deliver me into the arms of my favorite people. My tour calendar revolves around the folks that are waiting a few days away. Touring has stretched my community all over the country, and these trips are the only time I get to see almost any of it. It's an endless pleasure to play a concert every day with physics, and those concerts acting as a vehicle to land me in that arms of so many people I love is amazing. Every day promises some celebration or long-awaited reunion. Having that, non-stop, for 2 months is pretty unreal and the sacrifices, be they massive or invisible, are more than worth it. Every time. This tour comes to a grand finale, too, with a big show in Knoxville and a trip to SxSW in Austin! I can decide what to look forward to first.

I am currently in Chapel Hil for 2 full-band rehearsals, (last night's rehearsal found us digging through new songs that I am fairly sure will blow at least 65% of the minds that we share them with. The other 35%* are assholes who cannot be impressed). Friday, we're off on our fororeverevertour. I'm really, really excited about the show here in Chapel Hill. We're playing with Lost In The Trees, who I like a whole lot but haven't ever seen, and also with Albina Savoy, who I love! I imagine that it'll mean seeing a ton of my triangular friends, too, which is too rare and always so nice.

These rehearsal days are long ones...today, I am at Dylan's house, because he is nice enough to let me stay here while I am in town for shows or rehearsal. I haven't got a car here, because I don't like leaving my car unattended for 2months at somebody who won't be home's house. That means these days are full of self-entertainment. Today, I wrote a song called "I went through all of your things (you're boring)".

So, I hope you enjoy the stories. These tours never leave me short on things to relay, good or bad. And please comment, so that we can stay in touch as the band and I make our way around.

ready to begin,

ww

*it's never too late to change, even if your parents are assholes.

Embarrassing Fruits have a new album!

Embarrassing Fruits follow up their critically acclaimed The First Time EP with their first full length album, Community / Exploitation. To celebrate the release there will be an amazing
CD release show at Local 506 in Chapel Hill, NC, with Sorry About Dresden and Blag'ard on March 20, 2009. The album will be out 03.24.09 but listen to a free song right now:

MP3 | Embarrassing Fruits - Corner [from the upcoming Community / Exploitation LP]

Lost in the Trees and Endless Mic in Local Top Ten Lists

2008 was a great year for us here at Trekky Records. We released five very different and very special albums and EPs. What's more, those releases were in amazing company, with the dozens of other amazing albums released by North Carolina artists in 2008. With such capable "competition" we were happy to see some TRK releases included in some Top 10 of 2008 lists.

Raleigh radio station WKNC included Lost in the Trees' All Alone in an Empty House in their Top 10 Daytime Albums of 2008, in humble company with some of our favorite bands from all over.

The Daily Tar Heel also published their Top 10 North Carolina releases of 2008, which included Lost in the Trees' All Alone in an Empty House at number 5 as well as Endless Mic's The All New Super Exclusive Al Gore Bongwater Club Mixtape Volume One at number 10.

Thanks to everyone who listened in 2008, and here's to a even more fruitful year in 2009.

The Physics of Meaning embark on US Tour

The Physics of Meaning are circling the States in support of their new concept album, Snake Charmer and Destiny at the Stroke of Midnight, so make sure to check them out in a town near you!

02-05 Chapel Hill, NC - Nightlight
02-06 Greensboro, NC - Green Bean
02-07 Easley, SC - Steddy's
02-08 Athens, GA - Farm 255
02-09 Tuscaloosa, AL - Egan's
02-10 Baton Rouge, LA - Red Star
02-11 New Orleans, LA - Circle Bar
02-12 Austin, TX - Hole in the Wall
02-13 McAllen, TX - The Incubator
02-14 Dallas, TX - Evan's Place
02-15 Dallas, TX - The Cavern
02-16 Lubbock, TX - Rocky La Rue's
02-18 Tempe, AZ - Chyro Arts
02-19 Los Angeles, CA - Senor Fish
02-21 Long Beach, CA - The Prospector
02-22 San Francisco, CA - The Hemlock
02-23 Portland, OR - Ash St. Saloon
02-24 Seattle, WA - High Dive
02-25 Nampa, ID - Flying M Coffeegarage
02-26 Provo, UT - Velour
02-27 Denver, CO - Lion's Lair
03-01 Chicago, IL - Darkroom
03-02 Bloomington, IL - Art Hospital
03-03 Pittsburgh, PA - Brillo Box
03-05 Brooklyn, NY - Union Hall
03-04 State College, PA - Bar Bleu
03-06 Philadelphia, PA - Green Line

The Year in Photos 2008

We had an amazing year here at Trekky Records. Here's a little chronological evidence:

01.07.08 - Our first Adopt-a-Highway cleanup. This year was our first of four years of cleaning North Greensboro St. in Carrboro, NC.
Photo by Emma Nadeau.

01.23.08 - We found out just how beautiful our backyard is when it snows.
Photo by Heather Tunnell.

02.20.08 - Joe Norkus of Embarrassing Fruits at Local 506 in Chapel Hill.
Photo by Allie Mullin.

02.22.08 - The Owl Room Recording Cooperative was formed in Trekky House. Here we see Jonny working on an Andean flute piece.
Photo by Martin Anderson.

03.01.08 - Trekky Records held its first Yard Sale Fundraiser. Yard Sale people are vultures! Beautiful vultures.
Photo by Martin Anderson.

03.05.08 - Auxiliary House joined These United States for a joint set at Nightlight. This was part of a tour that These United States did in which they had a band in each town they went to learn some of their songs and play with them that night. A wonderful experience.
Photo by Jordan Lawrence.

04.13.08 - As a fundraiser for Project Symphony, we had "A Classical Garden Party" at Fearrington Village in Chatham County, NC. Here a string septet played selections from Ari Picker's Symphony No. 1 in C Minor.
Photo by Will Hackney.

04.14.08 - A particularly rainy Adopt-a-Highway Cleanup ended up being more fun than the dry ones.
Photo by Jonny Tunnell.

04.17.08 - Will Hackney of Lost in the Trees at the Shakori Hills Festival.
Photo by Brian Vetter.

04.19.08 - The Never performed yet again at the Shakori Hills Festival.
Photo by Brian Vetter.

04.20.08 - In addition to their regular set at Shakori Hills, The Never did an acoustic set augmented by readings from their book, Antarctica.
Photo by Brian Vetter.

04.30.08 - The Trekky Records Screen Printing was in full force in 2008. Here's a batch of 7 color screen printed posters for a show The Never played with Snowden and Colour Revolt.
Photo by Will Hackney.

05.31.08 - TRKfest was an amazing all-day music festival that we held at Piedmont Biofuels in Pittsboro, NC. Here's Joe Norkus of Embarrassing Fruits. There was no smoking on the grounds since there was biofuel everywhere that could explode.
Photo by Brian Vetter.

05.31.08 - Will Hackney doing sound at TRKfest.
Photo by Brian Vetter.

05.31.08 - Endless Mic at TRKfest.
Photo by Brian Vetter.

05.31.08 - Megafaun & Friends performed at TRKfest with members of Megafaun, Akron/Family, Midtown Dickens and The Future Kings of Nowhere.
Photo by Brian Vetter.

06.06.08 - Jonny Tunnell of The Never enjoys a beer in the hammock at one of the summer cookouts at Trekky House.
Photo by Laura Taylor.

08.24.08 - The Physics of Meaning played a small acoustic show around the Trekky fire pit in honor of Daniel Hart's birthday.
Photo by Lara Khalil.

09.01.08 - Daniel Hart of The Physics of Meaning playing with John Vanderslice at the Bumbershoot Festival. Repping PIM!
Photo by Paul Gibson.

09.12.08 - Emma Nadeau of Lost in the Trees at Cat's Cradle for Lost in the Trees' album release show.
Photo by Danielle Harris.

09.12.08 - Butterflies opened up the Lost in the Trees album release show at Cat's Cradle.
Photo by Ryan Sweeney.

09.16.08 - Lost in the Trees played an instore at Schoolkids Records in Raleigh, NC.
Photo by Kevin Norris.

09.24.08 - Assembling Lost in the Trees records at Emma's house.
Photo by Martin Anderson.

10.24.08 - Ari Picker works on his new guitar pickup on the Lost in the Trees Fall Tour.
Photo by Alyssa Reichardt.

10.24.08 - The Physics of Meaning played live on KEXP at the CMJ Music Festival in New York.
Photo by Doron Gild.

10.26.08 - Embarrassing Fruits played at one of the first shows in the new renovation of Nightlight, one of the best small venues around.
Photo by Zoe Litaker.

10.31.08 - The Never played at Evening Muse in Charlotte, NC for Halloween. Here's Jonny Tunnell as Roy Orbison. The Never dressed as The Traveling Wilburys. Not pictured: Joah Tunnell as George Harrison and Noah Smith as Jeff Lynne.
Photo by Steph Burdoff.

11.01.08 - Project Symphony was a huge event held at Hill Hall on UNC campus. Phil Cook of Megafaun played classical piano pieces, Lost in the Trees played and Ari Picker debuted his first symphony, Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, played by the Project Symphony Orchestra, an assembly of over 60 volunteer musicians.
Photo by Jeremy M. Lange.

11.07.08 - Lost in the Trees performed at Durham Central Park as a part of the Troika Music Festival.
Photo by Jordan Lawrence.

11.21.08 - Embarrassing Fruits performed at Armadillo Grill in Duke's Student Union.
Photo by Jordan Lawrence.

11.21.08 - We had so many great releases this Autumn that we had to pull an R. Kelly and double up. By that I mean we had a joint CD release show for both The Physics of Meaning's Snake Charmer and Destiny at the Stroke of Midnight and Butterflies' Nothing's Personal. The show was at Duke Coffeehouse and both bands performed with larger line ups than they usually do. Here's Daniel Hart of Physics.
Photo by Jordan Lawrence.

12.15.08 - Christmas at the Cradle, our annual benefit holiday show, returned for its third year and was better than ever. Here's The Trekky Yuletide Orchestra's Drew Anagnost, as Santa.
Photo by Agatha Donkar.

12.15.08 - Brad Cook of Megafaun at Christmas at the Cradle.
Photo by Shannon Vetter.

12.15.08 - Ari Picker of The Trekky Yuletide Orchestra at Christmas at the Cradle.
Photo by Shannon Vetter.

12.15.08 - Ivan Howard of The Rosebuds made a surprise appearance with Megafaun at Christmas at the Cradle.
Photo by Shannon Vetter.

12.15.08 - Sorry About Dresden brought their kids outto sing "Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer" at Christmas at the Cradle.
Photo by Agatha Donkar.

Have an amazing photo that we missed? Comment or email. Thanks everyone for a great 2008!

Triangle's 40 best songs of 2008: Lost in the Trees and The Physics of Meaning

The Independent has released their list of the Triangle's Top 40 Songs of 2008 and we are happy to find our own Lost in the Trees and The Physics of Meaning on the list. Here's the nice things they had to say:

LOST IN THE TREES

Download "Walk Around the Lake"

(from All Alone in an Empty House; Trekky Records)

Much like Thad Cockrell's "Pride (Won't Get Us Where We're Going)," Lost in the Trees' "Walk Around the Lake" reflects the realization that the world is bigger than one's own woes and will. Ari Picker—formerly of The Never and now the leader of the more orchestral-minded Lost in the Trees—not only admits his problems and the pain they've caused people, but he also thinks about what he can do to help the next generation skip his steps: "Late at night/ I stay up and write a book about my life/ So no one would ever make all of my mistakes." Picker's sentiment is a welcome break from the oft-solipsistic perspective of orchestral indie rock this decade. Another welcome diversion comes with the strident strings that cut across this acoustic jangle. Much like Bowie & Eno's use of strings in Berlin (see "D.J."), they bend a pop moment just enough to eliminate any sense of listener listlessness. —Grayson Currin

THE PHYSICS OF MEANING

Download "Why Can't We Fall in Love Forever? (Anything is Possible)"

(from Snake Charmer & Destiny at the Stroke of Midnight; Trekky Records)

What makes Daniel Hart's new record so enjoyable is in part what it isn't —no conspicuous Eastern exotica, no round-the-clock ragas, no enigmatic yogi bromides. This mid-record cut is instead rooted in chamber rock's tradition of indie exuberance-meets-actual chops. That's what tethers Snake Charmer's ambitious musical conceits to our own worldly experiences, even as the novella-inspired concept threatens to soar off with our disbelief. On this song, these charging guitars, gypsy strings, thumping kicks, cymbal explosions, dustings of glockenspiel, and "Clap your hands/Stomp your feet" imperatives all rush toward an out-pouring of choral joy—a wish fulfilled, love's promise invoked. "There's more to us than just surviving," Hart sings. Halleluiah for that. —John Schacht

Photos: Christmas at the Cradle

These photos by Agatha Donkar.



These photos by Shannon Vetter.

Christmas at the Cradle this Monday!

We are proud to present our 3rd annual Christmas at the Cradle concert. The show is an excercize in excess, with too many amazing bands, too many amazing activities and too much holiday cheer. As always, the show is a benefit for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and is held at the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, NC. Expect to get your photo taken with Santa, see some classic holiday movies, win some raffle prizes from wonderful local businesses, drink some free coffee, eat some free sweet treats and generally explode with Christmas delight. The Trekky Yuletide Orchestra will return to the stage in a larger and more grand form than ever before, with a dozen more string, horn and woodwind players in tow. And of course, stellar Christmas sets from some of the finest bands in North Carolina, who are:

Megafaun
Sorry About Dresden
The Future Kings of Nowhere
The Scene of the Crime Rovers
North Elementary
Rock & Roll Elf (Clarque Blomquist of The Kingsbury Manx)
The International Grapevine
Hosted by Billy Sugarfix

It all goes down Monday, December 15 at 7PM. Order tickets here.

Listening with The Physics of Meaning + Brooklyn Vegan Photos

The Independent recently sat down with Daniel Hart of The Physics of Meaning for their "Listening with..." column, in which they play various songs and get artists' reactions to them. Click here to read Daniel's thoughts on Rufus Wainwright, Sigur Ros, Steve Reich, Ben Folds, Dave Matthews Band, Joanna Newsom and more.

Also, Brooklyn Vegan recently posted some photos of The Physics of Meaning playing at The Bell House in Brooklyn, as a part of this year's CMJ Music Marathon. Also a couple here of Daniel playing violin with our dear friends Pattern Is Movement at that same show.

Check out The Physics of Meaning's CD release show tonight at Duke Coffeehouse in Durham, NC, with Butterflies. Starts at 8:30!

Video: Butterflies - "Mind Games"

Here we have a music video for "Mind Games", the first single off of Butterflies' newly released Nothing's Personal album. The video was shot by Brett Mullen of Keuka Film in Bynum, North Carolina, at the Bynum General Store. We get to see a fiddler on the roof, a humanized beast, an intense checkers match and Josh Kimbrough doubled up Multiplicity style.

Don't forget to find yourself at Duke Coffeehouse tomorrow (Friday, November 21) for the joint CD release show for The Physics of Meaning's Snake Charmer and Destiny at the Stroke of Midnight and Butterflies' Nothing's Personal. You're going to see a six-piece string section, horns, an oboe, reunions of old friends, a sitar, art from the people who did the art for the records, members of the Trekky Mafia playing their favorite vinyl records and so much more.

Also, read this review of the new Butterflies album from The Daily Tar Heel. Cheers!

Videos: Cosign Presents Lost in the Trees

Cosign is a wonderful blog based out of Chicago that recently asked Lost in the Trees to film some videos while the band was rolling through "The City of Wind" on tour. The band found a lovely alley with a very euro vibration and played three songs from their new album, All Alone in an Empty House. See the videos below and check out other stuff from Cosign here.

"All Alone in an Empty House"

"For Leah and Chloe"

"Wooden Walls of This Forest Church"

Butterflies album out today!

Butterflies' Nothing's Personal album is out today! You can get it at a variety of places:

Buy from Triangle Record Stores.
Order from Trekky Records.

Download from Trekky Records.
Download links for iTunes and Amazom MP3 Store coming soon!

Butterflies have a new album

Butterflies present their debut album, Nothing's Personal for your listening pleasure. To celebrate the release, there will be a joint
CD release show with The Physics of Meaning on November 21 at Duke Coffeehouse in Durham, NC. The album will be out 11.18.08 but listen to a free song right now!:

MP3 | Butterflies - Mind Games [from the Nothing's Personal LP]

TRK Press Round-up

Another good couple of weeks of generous press for the artists of Trekky Records. I wanted to share a lot of these individually, but there's a bunch, so read away!

- "Embarrassing Fruits recall their heroes" (The Daily Tar Heel) - An interview article with Joe Norkus of Embarrassing Fruits. Money quote: “This sure ain’t Brooklyn, but it’s not some hick town either.”
- "Fresh off the vine" (The Daily Tar Heel) - Pictures from Embarrassing Fruits' recent show at Nightlight.
- "8 Days a Week" (The Independent) - A show preview for Embarrassing Fruits upcoming show at Local 506. Money quote: "[Embarrassing Fruits] distill some of the best indie rock lessons of the late '80s and early '90s—Dinosaur's bleary jangle and Pavement's askew constructions—into a charming, ramshackle presentation."
- "Embarrassing Fruits - The First Time EP Review" (Shuffle Magazine) - Review of the Fruits' latest. Money quote: "Though the songs are glazed with nostalgia, their directness lends freshness to their tried, but still true inspirations."

- "Ari Picker and Project Symphony" (The Independent) - An amazing live review of Project Symphony, and the debut of Ari Picker of Lost in the Trees' Symphony No. 1 in C Minor plus photos. Money quote: "The night's success was foundational in every way for Project Symphony, one of the most exciting new artistic possibilities to surface in the Triangle this decade."
- "Overgrowth of ideas" (Shuffle Magazine) - Article on Lost in the Trees from a great magazine. Money quote: "With All Alone, Picker finally finds his voice, fusing elements of Appalachian folk with lush orchestral passages."
- "Finding a New Direction with Classical Collaborations" (Southeast Performer) - Nice article on Lost in the Trees plus photos. Money quote: "[All Alone] takes the musical inventiveness displayed on Time Taunts Me and adds the depth of hauntingly personal lyrics and stripped-down, acoustic songs."
- "2008 Troika Schedule" (The Independent) - Some nice words about Lost in the Trees. Money quote: "Alternately precious and powerful, Lost in the Trees is consistently charming and imaginative."
- "Lost in the Trees - All Alone in an Empty House Review" (Shuffle Magazine) - Review of the Trees' latest. Money quote: "Surrounded by rich, orchestral arrangements that vary between gorgeous shimmers and unsettling bursts of shrill fury, [Picker] paints heart-wrenching portraits of a person abandoned by love and family."

- "A Serpent's Tale" (Shuffle Magazine) - Awesome feature article on The Physics of Meaning, Daniel Hart and snake charming. Money quote: "Hart may drive a mean "J" route, but music is his obvious calling."
- "The Physics of Meaning CMJ Diary" (Stories in High Fidelity) - A 5 part diary of Physics' experience with CMJ this year. Money quote: "I actually almost threw up in the taxi on the way to NBC because I was so fried and the jerking, jostling motion of morning traffic was too much for my fragile little body to absorb."
- "The Physics of Meaning - Snake Charmer and Destiny at the Stroke of Midnight Review" (Shuffle Magazine) - Review of Physics' latest. Money quote: "The Physics of Meaning aims for a grandiose display, and delivers".

Video: Lost in the Trees on WSOE

Here's a fine video of Lost in the Trees (stripped down string version) playing "Tall Trees" off of the wonderful Time Taunts Me EP on the air on WSOE, the student radio station at Elon University in Elon, North Carolina.