http://www.alibi.com Music from the Alibi en-us http://www.alibi.com/rss PHP webmonkeys@alibi.com http://alibi.com/index.php?story=25723&scn=music Screen Name: pathless Real Name: Mark Fischer Age: 33, Cancer Day Job: Medical student going into Family and Community Medicine Winning Earwig Mix: "I Touched Her Thigh And Death Smiled" Hear It At: alibi.com/earwig What do you do when you're not at school? Study! Write poetry, attend our awesome poetry slams, check out live music, host "Overnight Freeform" on KUNM [Saturdays from 2 to 6 a.m.] and suspend with Ascension Suspension. What are you reading? The Practice of the Wild by Gary Snyder and The Gum Thief by Douglas Coupland. What was the best concert you ever attended? The Allman Brothers Band at Red Rocks. It’s difficult to find more stunning natural beauty to complement the earthy and ethereal jams of The Allman Bros. The description of your playlist is "Flirting with a girl at La Montañita Co-op on a Sunday afternoon in October." Did you ever ask her out? Perhaps the opportunity will manifest in the near future. The mix starts out jangly and upbeat but quickly gets kind of introspective and soulful. Why? The course of the mix reflects the initial excitement of the connection and playful conversation. It progresses through my consideration of how available I could make myself while wading through the rigorous demands of medical education. It concludes with the reminder that to be able to provide quality care for others, one has to take time to focus on self-wellness. Do you happen to be a musician of some sort? I practice didgeridoo and can play a mean iPhone Ocarina! What are you into locally? The Albuquerque Poetry Slam Team, Ascension Suspension, UHF B-Boy Crew, Kobold, Bellemah, Mystic Vision, Sina Soul, Smoke Rings, Concepto Tambor, Aaron Trumm, Ecliptic Gruv, Diverje, Felonious Groove Foundation, The Rip Torn, Icky and the Yuks, Mantis Fist, Fast Heart Mart, Kaotic State, The Old Main, Trilobite, Black Maria, Black Tooth Grin, Grave of Nobody’s Darling, Dirty/Birdies, The Ya Ya Boom Project ... Anything else you'd like to share about yourself? Be mindful ... be well ... BE ... Do you have a website? Folks can say howdy if they like at myspace.com/pistielpizoagapo. Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:41:40 -0700 alibi.com - 2008-11-20 - record 25723 http://alibi.com/index.php?story=25733&scn=music And bring me the passengers--I want them alive! Hit By A Bus, The Big Spank, Sector 5, Seis Pistos and Felonius Groove Foundation have the death sentence on 12 systems. Friday, Nov. 21, at the Launchpad (all-ages, $5). (LM) Thu, 20 Nov 2008 10:46:19 -0700 alibi.com - 2008-11-20 - record 25733 http://alibi.com/index.php?story=25706&scn=music For seven years, Jim Ward tinkered with an Americana album. The guitarist for defunct post-hardcore band At the Drive-In and lead singer of alternative rock outfit Sparta finally saw West Texas get pressed this spring. Sleepercar is Ward’s very own project. He recruits a band to play on tours and gathers musicians (including his father) to play in the studio. Whether the group lives or dies depends on him. “It’s the band I get to have forever,” Ward explains. “Nobody can start or stop it, except for me.” Ward eases fans of his other work into his roots-wrapped debut. West Texas is only partially deep-fried, with plenty of alt. stirred into the country. But unlike Sparta or At the Drive-In, it comes as no surprise the man behind Sleepercar hails from the Lone Star State. Pedal steel, deep breathing melodies and unrestrained fervor form the backbone of the record. Female vocals are always welcome, and Ward can play the hardboiled cowboy and the mushy malcontent equally well. Ward spoke with the Alibi about completing West Texas , playing with his father and his hidden confidant. What influences got you into playing Americana? I don’t initially know what made me want to start doing this. I guess the Old 97’s were kind of my gateway drug, and then from there, it went on to, like, the Flying Burrito Brothers and stuff like that. What about that brand of music attracts you? There’s a point where you start maybe getting a little burnt out on what you’ve done. I’ve been in bands since I was 12 and I’ve made a lot of records. I sort of got to this point where I found writing these songs was exorcising some sort of demons inside me. Do you ever find Sleepercar influences coming into Sparta songs or vice versa? It’s pretty hard to contain any of me from me. Stuff spills over. I don’t really put too many limitations on it. There were songs I showed the guys in Sparta that they were not into. So I just kind of left the tape on the shelf and went back at it later. During the early recording sessions for West Texas , you played with your dad for the first time. What was that experience like? It was awesome, man. It was as emotionally connecting and wonderful as anything could be. It’s something you get to share with somebody you look up to and has been a huge part of my life. To be able to share something and have him be so stoked about it is great. It took seven years of working off-and-on on the album before West Texas was finally completed. How did it feel to finally get it done? The first time I listened to the final product, it was very emotional. The first notes were written when I was 23 years old, and here I am at 31 finishing a record. That’s a long time. What kept you coming back to it? It’s my safety. It’s my friend and my confidant. It’s a place where I can go and not feel like anyone’s gonna get pissy at me, or judge or whatever. Before it was released, it was great to come home from tours and chip away at this thing nobody knew anything about. Do you think Sleepercar is still somewhat private, even though people are now aware of it? Sure. Sure. It’s private in the sense that I have this limitless control over how much I let people see. Do you think people are surprised by what Sleepercar sounds like? People see my name attached to it, and assuming they know who I am, they sort of assume what it sounds like. If people even cruise by the MySpace, they’ll realize that it’s really a completely different bag of tea or whatever. That’s not the right term ... cup of tea. I don’t even know what a bag of tea is. Thu, 20 Nov 2008 10:42:29 -0700 alibi.com - 2008-11-20 - record 25706 http://alibi.com/index.php?story=25735&scn=music One must appreciate the vital significance of a soundtrack, especially when the maestro is The Flaming Lips. This is no regular Flaming Lips album. The band directed, filmed and starred in a science-fiction film with an indie-budget feel, almost seven years in the making. The package is an epic score to an instant cult classic--that is, if you’re a fan of The Lips’ psychedelic lushes. Put it on the wish list and check it three times because the CD/DVD bundle comes in three differently decorated packages. (JH) Wed, 19 Nov 2008 17:46:09 -0700 alibi.com - 2008-11-19 - record 25735