Mt. Gigantic-- Old Smiler CD (FCH027)

Mt. Gigantic-- Old Smiler CD (Harlan Records #27)
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7 songs.
Recorded June 2003 by Mike Dixon in Bloomington IN.
First released on a tour CDR, December 2003 (100 copies made).
LP released by Friends And Relatives Records in May 2004 (600 copies made on grey trash vinyl).
CD is a split release with Friends And Relatives Records. 1000 copies, November 2004.

Credits:

Ben Bussell-- drums, keyboard
Mike Dixon-- bass, voice
Megan Downey-- keyboard, voice, tambourine
Justin Vollmar-- guitar, air organ, bells, voice
Jason Williams-- voice, guitar
Greg Dixon-- guest violin
John Ringhoffer-- guest slide trombone
Ryan Stearman-- guest sleigh bells
Erin Tobey and Torlando Hakes-- claps

Track Listing:

1. Bring Back The Healthy
2. Dip Into My Daddy
3. Grandpa Plays The Drums
4. Raechel And Her Children
5. Bells
6. Hey There Is No Birthday Party For Me In Here I Want To Punch You
7. Making Time For/ It Is Time For

Notes:

* Shortly after the recording of this album, Mt. Gigantic's lineup shifted to Jason Williams, Justin Vollmar, and Megan Downey, with Matt Tobey (drums, melodica), Erin Tobey (bass, voice), Dorey Fox (violin, voice), and Justin Clifford Rhody (inaudible tiny acoustic guitar, voice). This lineup existed in some form from fall 2003 to 2005, when Megan and Dorey each left.

* Members also in Lougow, Vollmar, Memory Map, Prayer Breakfast, Rep Seki, Ooga Booga Caveman Sabertooth Tiger Band, Homecomings, Rapider Than Horsepower, Sump Pumps, Good Luck, Matty Pop Chart, Kimya Dawson, Erin Tobey, Fat Shadow, Pink Razors, Abe Froman, Usurp Synapse, Candidate.

Mt. Gigantic @ SuperHappyFunLand. Houston TX, January 2004. Photo by Nate Powell.

Mt. Gigantic @ NBA Jam house. Bloomington IN, December 2003. Photo by Nate Powell.

Mt. Gigantic @ NBA Jam house. Bloomington IN, December 2003. Photo by Nate Powell.

Mt. Gigantic @ SuperHappyFunLand. Houston TX, January 2004. Photo by Nate Powell.

Soophie Nun Squad/ Abe Froman-- split LP (FCH022)

Soophie Nun Squad/ Abe Froman-- split LP (Harlan Records #22)

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13 songs.
SNS side recorded October 2002 by Tim Scott at ElectricLeedyLand in Kansas City MO.
AF side recorded July 2002 by Fred Thomas at the Tobey house in Lansing MI.
1000 copies pressed (900 black, 97 opaque purple, 3 black/purple starburst), April 2003.
CD version released by Plan-It-X Records. 1000 copies pressed, November 2003.

Credits:

Soophie Nun Squad:
Maralie Armstrong-Rial-- voice
Dustin Clark-- guitar
Mark Lierly-- drums
Mike Lierly-- voice, talking guitar on "Headbangin' In LR", body percussion
Eli Milholland-- bass
Mike Motley-- percussion
Asa Newell-- guitar
Nate Powell-- voice, piano
Tim Scott-- voice, keyboards, production, samples
Alan Short-- voice, percussion
Mikael Wood-- voice, keyboards

Abe Froman:
Ryan Batkie-- bass, voice, acoustic guitar on "July 1998"
Erin Tobey-- guitar, voice
Matt Tobey-- drums, voice
Fred Thomas-- steel drums on "Fair Friend"
Nate Powell & Art Middleton-- extra voice & percussion on "Walking Distance"

Track Listing:

SNS side:
1. Maybe You Heard
2. Hemispheres
3. Headbangin' In Little Rock
4. You're Too Young For The Living Dead
5. Snap, Crackle, Props
6. The Extreme Discomfort Dance

AF side:
1. Willing Suspension Of Disbelief
2. Droppin' Like Flies
3. Hobbit Hole
4. The City That Never Wakes Up
5. Fair Friend
6. Walking Distance
7. July 1998 (Old Style)

Notes:

* Abe Froman recorded one unreleased song from this session, "The Guerrillas", which Ryan Batkie's subsequent band Hissyfit rerecorded and released on a split 7" with The Reflectors in 2004.

* This record was initially to be an Abe Froman/ Boomfancy split LP, but when the time came to record, no Boomfancy was even remotely in sight. Attempts were made at assembling Boomfancy 2.0 in Providence RI, which turned into the short-lived band Braids To Your Ass (Nate Powell, Sara T Huber, Natalja Kent, Peter Woods, Daniel Pastrana) with one show and two songs to their name. Fortunately, Soophie had a multitude of song ideas for their fall 2002 recording summit, and this split LP fell into place perfectly. It holds Abe Froman's best and most intimate recording for sure, and personally represents the merging of my two family units spread across the map.

* Folks from SNS also in Humanbeast, V Manuscript, Bloodhuff, Sand City, Deadbird, Zucura, Holy Angell, Universe, Pallbearer, R.I.O.T.S., The Evelyns, Divorce Chord, Wait, The Insides, Tem Eyos Ki, Sugar And The Raw, Big Boots, Rainy Day Regatta, Boomfancy, Gioteens, Shake Ray Turbine, Revolver Red, William Martyr 17, and K.

* Folks from AF also in  Fat Shadow, Erin Tobey, Pink Razors, Mt. Gigantic, Hissyfit, Memory Map, Good Luck, and Canine Sugar. 

Abe Froman's last show @ Plan-It-X Fest. Bloomington IN, June 2004. Photo by Mark Novotny.

SNS @ Plan-It-X Fest. Bloomington IN, June 2004. Photo by Ginger Alford.

Abe Froman-- LP (FCH020.5)

 
Abe Froman-- LP (self-released; Harlan Records #20.5)

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ORDER LP from Houseplant Records here!

15 songs.
Recorded May 2001 on 4-track by Mike Reid at Erin & Ryan's house in East Lansing, MI.
1000 copies pressed, November 2001.
CD released by Plan-It-X Records, April 2002. 1000 copies pressed.

Credits:

Ryan Batkie-- bass, voice
Erin Tobey-- guitar, voice
Matt Tobey-- drums, voice
Lisa Bennett and Mike Reid-- backing voice on "Mayday"

Track Listing:

1. Citizen's Arrest
2. I Got Sick Of Waiting For You
3. After The Fact
4. Mosquito Season
5. Burgess Shale
6. Treadmill
7. This Dense Life
8. Dear Mr. Elliott
9. Mayday
10. Mom, I Want To Move
11. Pothole Luck
12. The Most Beautiful Sight
13. "You've Got Good Style."
14. Back Outside
15. Soup Can Phones

* Members also in Fat Shadow, Erin Tobey, Pink Razors, Mt. Gigantic, Hissyfit, Memory Map, Good Luck, and Canine Sugar. 

Abe Froman @ Mr. Roboto Project. Pittsburgh PA, June 2002. Photo by Nate Powell.

Abe Froman somewhere in Florida, 2003.

Abe Froman @ Clunk. Fayetteville AR, January 2002. Photo by Nate Powell.

Abe Froman-- "Baltimore Is Scum" 7" (FCH019.5)

 
Abe Froman-- "Baltimore Is Scum" 7" (self-released; Harlan Records #19.5)

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6 songs.
Recorded fall 1999 on 12-track by Scott Flaster in East Lansing, MI.
500 copies pressed, spring 2000.

Credits:

Ryan Batkie-- bass, voice
Erin Tobey-- guitar, voice
Matt Tobey-- drums, voice

Track Listing:

1. Russian 101
2. Wet Newspaper
3. MSNBC
4. Finnegan Royce
5. Rex
6. What's Your New Address?

Notes:

* This 7" was self-released by the band, and kicks off a precedent I set with Harlan Records carrying/handling distribution duties for a handful of friends' DIY releases. I ordered this record in October 2000 from No Idea's distro while going through a rough patch in life, and constant listens to these songs helped pull me out of my hole, reminding me that new things are always unfolding, and that it's possible to put one's faith in other people again. I wrote Abe Froman a love letter explaining how they'd moved me, and got a phone call from Erin a few days later. It turns out that both of our bands were booking tours in the same general area over the holidays, so we teamed up and booked a leg of tour together without ever having met. Our bond was so immediate and powerful that, upon Boomfancy's return from that tour, Abe Froman called me up inviting me to move into their house in Michigan. I packed up my stuff, settled into my new northern home, and life has never been the same.

* Members also in Fat Shadow, Erin Tobey, Pink Razors, Mt. Gigantic, Hissyfit, Memory Map, Good Luck, and Canine Sugar.

Abe Froman @ Secret Sailor Books. Bloomington IN, May 2001. Photo by Nate Powell.

Abe Froman @ Secret Sailor Books. Bloomington IN, May 2001. Photo by Nate Powell.

Abe Froman (plus Lisa Bennett). Bloomington IN, January 2001. Photo by Nate Powell.