Words from the artist :

Sad Stories & Cautionary Tales is an album of ten songs, originally conceived on a back porch in Alaska in fall 2008. I had a batch of freshly written, handmade songs, that wanted a home. The idea was to make an old-fashioned album, that you'd want to listen to all the way through and then start playing at the beginning again. One that had a sound and a soul and a rise and fall and a climax and a resolution, like the albums we grew up with.
Now, almost two years later, this dream of an album is completely recorded and mixed. You can listen to the opening and closing songs here.
Over the last year and a half, I rented and borrowed microphones, sound cards, instruments, and learned how to engineer recordings. I gathered many of my favorite musicians to play on sessions in Los Angeles, Oakland, and Virginia. If I could get into a studio it was late at night, but more often it was living rooms and practice spaces. None of the people I knew who mix music were available, so, lacking the money but utterly determined, last summer in Hawaii I decided I was going to have to learn how to do it myself. Many a moon waxed and waned while I mixed and listened, sent out mp3's for feedback, invited people to private listening parties. I moved from place to place, but kept working, and now the music is in its right place.
I am very proud of what this album has become. It tells stories of love, mystery, longing, sadness, nature, friendship and memory. Tales of the desert and the mountains and the ocean, and bears the fingerprints of all the people who sang, played and helped me record. It is the culmination of my musical pursuits up to this moment, and is by far the clearest reflection of my musical soul I've yet achieved. It's an old-fashioned kind of album, and it's time to get it out to the world.
Here's where I need your help. So far I've been able to make this album on borrowed equipment, much free consultation and tutorials, paying the musicians in pots of gumbo, grilled sandwiches, beer and mulled wine. But to get this music out, it's going to take more than home cooking.
I have commissioned Zach Holtzman to make a series of woodcut prints and drawings for the album art. The talented folks at Monkeyclaus are set to do the final mixdown and mastering. Owen Gjertesen-Troy at Des-Troy Designs is a genius at graphic design, and Sire Press makes these amazing cd packages with all-natural ink, 100% post-consumer-waste chipboard, with silk-screened art.
My plan to release this album as a short-run deluxe CD with a booklet containing art, lyrics and more, and as a digital download.

This (Kickstarter) is a very exciting and democratic evolution of the creative process. The way I see it, this is a lot like a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). You contribute a share, the farm gets to grow things, and during the harvest season, you get fresh homegrown tomatoes. More tangibly, a musician gets to put out a dream album, a visual artist gets to make wood-cut prints, and an inspired recording studio and a graphic designer get some good work. Hooray! Help the Economy! Help the cause of Art! Support real non-commercial homegrown Music!
Thank you much,
Gabriel

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Features:
- Support Various Popular Formats (MP3, WAV, WMA, M4A, AC3, etc);
- Support Various Video Formats (MP4, MPG, MPEG, VOB, AVI, etc);
- Directly Connect with iTunes Library;
- Offer Trim Function to Make Ringtone;
- Add Fade in & Fade out Effect according to your need;
- Many more features.

What’s New in this Version
- Broke 60s time limit for iPhone ringtone

released 20 September 2010
Recorded and produced at Monkeyclaus Studio by Abel Okugawa
Mixing, mastering, and additional post production by Lance Brenner
Album art and design by Dan Zimmerman
Banner photo by Robin Macklin

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Listen to the 100 Hammers Drum Solo with Stuart Gunter

Master Kong October 17, 2009

Confucius, aka Master Kong, was born dead. The vet who brought him into this world resuscitated him with her own breath. He was a cat like no other from that day on. He acted more like a dog than a cat. He learned to come to a whistle and was the smartest animal we have ever known. He lived at Three Ridges Farm his entire life and saw the building of Monkeyclaus Studio. He was a fan of every musician who passed through the doors. Many journalists even mentioned him in the articles written about the studio.

Master Kong earned his nick name - the literal translation of Confucius, during the tenure of  the Cavesluts, the Chinese Rock Band that lived at Monkeyclaus during 2001 and 2002. [ From Wikipedia, Confucius (Chinese: ??; pinyin: K?ng z?; Wade–Giles: K'ung-tzu, or Chinese: ???; pinyin: K?ng F?z?; Wade–Giles: K'ung-fu-tzu), literally "Master Kong,"[1] (traditionally September 28, 551 BC – 479 BC)[2][3] was a Chinese thinker and social philosopher.]

Master Kong fell ill about 2 months ago with an infection in his inner ear. We knew it was only a matter of time before he passed on so as we nursed him back to health, we spent as much time as possible with the sweetest orange cat that ever lived. He ran outside before the thunderstorm that whipped through the Rockfish Valley last night and he rode out of this world in an unusual storm on the Autumn Equinox and Full Moon. It was a fitting exit for an extraordinary being.

Master Kong is buried on the land that he claimed as his own. He has a special spot next to a rock that he used as his perch to view his vast territory. We welcome flowers and prayers to be placed at his memorial over this auspicious weekend.

We are in mourning for now. He will be dearly missed by all who knew and loved him.

Loren decided to return to Charlottesville to spread the gift of Indian Music and open the Virginia Branch of the Taalim School. Loren returned recently to Cville to perform at the Indian Cultural Center on the UVA Grounds as a soloist and as an accompaniast to the Rhythm Riders Ensemble, Tabla Ecstasy, on their Tabla Tour around the United States.

Loren has been a friend to Monkeyclaus and has recorded many times with Monkeyclaus Engineer and Producer Abel Okugawa. We decided to share some of these recordings here. Loren is currently looking for students interested in learning the art of Tabla. Please contact him at lorenoppenheimer [@] yahoo.com, 434-882-1310 .

Keep your eye out for this rising star and look out for more recordings now that we have him back in the family.

Listen to 2 of the tracks and let us know what you think.

Red House

Nine Below Zero

You can check out more of Trashe Blues info on their Myspace site

Trashe’ Blues serves up a mix of Rock and Roll, Chicago Blues, and the driving spontaneous garage band sound of the sixties in keeping with their motto, “Never play it the same way twice.” An extensive song list includes originals and trashe’d standards from ballads to boogies, some up to twenty minutes long in true garage band form. The next time you have an opportunity to see them in action remember: “Life is short so get out and boogie.” Danny Murphy, guitar player/vocalist also wrote the band’s theme song, “Trashe’ Blues.” Originally from California, Danny is the offspring of professional musicians. His professional acting experience gives Danny an edge for stage presence and improvisation. Known for his ability at improvisation in the creation of new tunes and “Trashe’ing” traditional tunes on the spot, Danny is quick at remembering lyrics and is constantly adding new songs to the list. His accomplished guitar work uniquely blends his own style with that of his major influences, Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, Peter Green and John Denver. Andy Johnson and Danny have clicked musically since the first time they met at a jam session, they later teamed up to form Trashe’ Blues in 1998. Andy plays blues harp, pulling his own style from the masters. The major influences on his playing include Sonny Boy Williamson II, Little Walter, James Cotton, Snooky Prior, Paul Butterfield and Alfred E. Neuman. Whether playing rhythm under the vocals or wailing a solo over the rest of the band, Andy’s harp provides a dominant voice in the group. Mark Jackson (bass/vocals), originally from Alabama, made his musical journey through Chicago, New Jersey, and now Virginia, making his home in the Shenandoah Valley today. He comes to Trashe Blues Band after stints with other bands, including Blue Flamingos and Heeby-Jeebies.

A killer set of funky raw soul from the early 70s Norfolk, VA scene – literally Raw Soul – as the excellent group is at the heart and soul of all the material in the set! It features tracks credited to Raw Soul plus singers & groups Lanis Guess, Shirley Johnson, Sir Guy, Josephine Jones, Lee Fields, Page One and others – all heavy burners from the Virginia scene. The tunes are raw, soulful and tightly funky – with the guitar, bass and drums of Barry Saunders, Maurice Glass and Grover Elliot nicely gritty throughout and the excellent sax work of Dorsey Brockington all over the set. It ranges from hard and heavy funk to less frenetic southern soul. Totally excellent – here's hoping more compilations are coming down the road! Titles include "How You Gonna Do It", "Leave My Beat Alone" and "The Gig" by Raw Soul, "That Beat's Got The Devil In It" by Lenis Guess, "Feels So Good" by Shirley Johnson, "Candy Man" by Josephine Jones, "Wrong Crowd" by Prince George", "Thank Goodness Gotta Good Woman" by Page One and more.

This LP was mastered here at Monkeyclaus studio, and is an amazing project to be a part of. Brent Hosier of Arcania Records is a magical music finder and always puts together a full package with lots of information and the best most rare songs from Virginia. This is a testament to his craftsmanship, quality and respect the music deserves.

Available at these online retailers :

Groove Distribution
Dusty Groove
Turntable Lab

Talibam! is nearly impossible to pin down. Both men, drummer Kevin Shea and
Mottel, spend the majority of any given year on the road in the US and Europe,
whether it be with Talibam! or their various other projects. It is a metaphor
for their sound: it will never stay in one place, but will remain completely
recognizable and true to its spirit. It seems the duo has embraced flux as their
modus operandi.

Talibam! presents a collage of sounds, rapidly and fiercely, often not allowing
time for the listener's mind to adjust before moving on. Their show at the Echo
Curio consisted of 35 songs in 40 minutes.

The drumming is always "out", jazzy, freaky, and swinging, even when it settles
into a heavy, doom-laden groove for a minute. Shea is a skilled and formally
trained drummer who seems completely bored by conventionality and uses his
gift to forge a wild new style. His set up includes a Roland SPS drum trigger pad,
which he uses to introduce anomalistic sounds to his pallet. Shea is able to play
completely around the beat while keeping within it, creating very abstract beats,
which push the music forward always. Mottel is surely his equal in skill, fearlessly
shredding throughout gigs and recordings both. The curious thing about Talibam!
is that they have fantastic chops and pro skills yet they have decided largely to
deconstruct music to find a home for their talents.

Live, Talibam! comes across as an untamed beast of sorts. Mottel and Shea
fancy themselves a party band, which I can definitely see, but it seems that many
audiences don't know how to digest the music. Folks look dumbfounded. There is
definitely a good amount of smiling and head bobbing but also plenty of puzzled
looks. Talibam! is a band that I describe foremost as a free-jazz-punk-comedy
duo. Their set also encompasses elements of electronic and dance music,
trance, heavy sludge, pop, chants and cheers, and sing-a-longs. No matter
what, it always swings and is always high energy and kinetic. It is marked with
confidence, attitude, and elan, and often feels as if it is on the cusp of derailment.
I loved all of the 40-minute set, although there was about a 3-minute period of
ecstasy where I was overcome by the muse of dance and thrashed as if Talibam!
were my puppet master. It was serious.

Talibam's last proper studio release "Boogie in the Breeze Blocks" is a testament
to all the thoughts voiced above. It is mercurial and fanciful yet completely well
crafted and vastly enjoyable; its police scanner comedy sketches are hilarious
highlights; it has a heavy crew of collaborators; and it was released by the
legendary jazz label ESP. Their upcoming release is to be a hip hop foray
called "Puff Up the Volume". The direction of the album was forged by an odd
event, whereas a gong fell on and broke Shea's foot during a dance performance
in Europe, just prior to their entry into the studio to record. I can't wait to wrap my
ears around this one.

Enjoy the live recording presented here. Drink some Kombucha because
Talibam! would. Thanks to Grant from the Echo Curio for the recording
hook up!

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First I would like to Thank the Creator for lending me the creativity to make this happen. Also to my spirit who guides me through the trials and tribulations. This album is dedicated to all the fellow musicians, mc’s, singers, videographer's, and business people who help me through this journey of mine without you there is no Okai. Special thanks to Negus Maximilian from the RegimeChange set who has worked on putting the Okai’s Odyssey together. He Produced, mixed, Rhymed, and Engineered on this one. Thanks to my Diamond Shari for helping me with everything I do.

This album will be a free download for the summer for my avid devoted listeners, then for the fall it will go on for your purchase on RegimeChangeMusic website. If you liked the “Odyssey” so much that you thought I was crazy for making it free please support me and go check out “Dekonstruktion of the Mind” or “RegimeChange” project on RegimeChangeMusic.com and download some indigenous HipHop music. That is the category of music i put Okai, RegimeChange, NegusWorld, Bataka Squad in. We call it Indigenous HipHop.

In the future I am currently working on the BrownRiceFamily album that should drop this summer. BrownRiceFamily album will be a mixture of different Caribbean music and I am very excited about being in a band where i can express all my talents to the fullest. Also UnderGroundHorns are in the process of mixing all the songs we’ve recorded so look out for that instrumental album this summer as well. So as you can see its going to be a busy summer and I am looking forward to it. Once again i thank the Creator and my Spirit for providing me with the opportunity to stay busy doing what i love to do.

Peace and Give Thanks.