tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42381999666958825052024-03-14T00:06:59.889-07:00The Multi-Purpose SolutionPete Prochilohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11071453177683930557noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4238199966695882505.post-14960360577443432482013-11-11T03:48:00.000-08:002013-11-11T03:48:02.820-08:00'Sloop Jambi'<a href="http://www.tinyurl.com/mint400pet" target="_blank"><img alt="Pet Sounds Mint 400 Records" border="0" src="http://www.fairmontmusic.com/1/PSweb.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Hey! The bands of Mint 400 records did the songs from the Beach Boys "Pet Sounds" record. The mps, of course, took that drinking-and-sailing Bahamian number, "Sloop John B." Pretty much the first time the mps ever played a tune we didn't write ourselves. Download the entire thing FREE from <a href="http://www.tinyurl.com/mint400pet" target="-blank">http://www.tinyurl.com/mint400pet</a>.Jim Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11028399238353985357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4238199966695882505.post-8998112970234880232013-10-04T16:06:00.002-07:002013-10-04T16:07:58.821-07:00Two Shows!The mps cometh.
<br />
<br />
<b>November 1st </b>we will be in Philadelphia playing a private party. E-mail therealjimteacher at gmail for more information.<br />
<br />
<b>November 2nd</b> we are in North Jersey kicking shit with our labelmates from Mint 400. <b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/172668439591702/?ref=3&ref_newsfeed_story_type=regular" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a></b> for that shit.<br />
<br />
Hope to see you at one (or both) shows.<br />
<br />
JTPete Prochilohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11071453177683930557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4238199966695882505.post-39341110013970043402013-02-14T08:09:00.001-08:002013-02-14T08:09:32.621-08:00Olden DazeHere's a review of our first record from the distant past by the glorious <a href="http://trismccall.net/" target="_blank">Tris McCall</a> (he makes us feel good about ourselves):<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Thursday, March 04, 2004</b></span></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4238199966695882505" name="#016540"></a><b>The Multi-Purpose Solution</b><br /><b>Title</b>: <i><b>The MPs</b></i><br />
<br />
<b>From</b>: Essex and Passaic Counties. That's what it says on the
album, anyway -- the address listed in in Clifton. I know the guitar
player was living in Newark at the time of release, but he's not there
anymore.<br />
<br />
<b>Format</b>: Full-length LP.<br />
<br />
<b>Fidelity</b>: Jersey indie. Jersey independent studios and engineers
have a tendency to want to isolate instruments when recording even the
most ferocious rock bands, or, when isolation isn't available, to still
chase after the clean sound of isolated instruments. More on this in the
"what's not so good" section, but now let's get to what's good.<br />
<br />
<b>Genre</b>: Post-punk/indie-rock. Multi-Purpose Solution
shares many formal features with the turn-of-the-decade New Brunswick
coterie of groups that spent Saturday nights at the Court Tavern and
Melody Bar, and late May at the Wilmington Exchange. Think Aviso'Hara.<br />
<br />
<b>Arrangements</b>: Two guitars -- one distorted electric razor of an
instrument playing big chords, and another scrawling single or
double-note lines over the top. Rock and roll bass and drums, some
guitar processing (including a particularly effective phaser on
"Combiner", and a great sci-fi sound effect at the tail end of
"Superman's Flying, The Guns Are Shooting"), and backing vocals on a
song or two. <br />
<br />
<b>What's this record about?</b>: Lots. Destructive relationships,
bodily functions, weapons, automobiles, capitalism and culture, the
liminality of the artist. The Multi-Purpose Solution can't decide if
their artistry and passion makes them criminals, or if it's the other
way around. The lyrics spring out of the speakers with the chaotic
urgency of internet rants: words are coined ("insanefulness",
"sansparachuting", "freeopoly"), syntax garbled to liberating effect,
screeds suddenly break into articulate Italian. Singer Jim Teacher
swears, gets sarcastic, intentionally misquotes classic rock songs,
talks about his major and ponders slitting his own throat. If he's
wallowing, he's having a great time doing so: trying to figure out
whether to participate in the modern culture or to tear it down, and
letting us all in on those ruminations. "It would be so much fucking
simpler/just to be criminal", he ponders, before declaring himself and
his peers "jackals or businessmen", anyway. The individual tracks have
the feel of open-ended intervierws with a loose-lipped poet -- clearing
his throat, speaking his piece, enjoying the cadence and feel of his
prose even when he's saying the most desperate things, periodically
pressing "pause". Inspirational verse for all you Jersey cats: "Life's
not like the Hackensack/where all the human shit gets dumped and don't
come back/Life's not the Passaic/just rooting around for its own
sake/there's a little American Revolution in everything we do." <br />
<br />
<b>The singer</b>: Aggressive music requires an assaultive tone by the
frontman. Yet I don't think I've ever heard a singer take the path Jim
Teacher does. He attacks, for sure, but not in the time-honored K-ROCK
fashion. Instead, he presents his narratives in a voice somewhere
between a punk-rock Louis Armstrong and Tom Waits committing hari-kari. I
don't know whether or not he gargles with ground glass, but Teacher's
guttural ranting sounds positively painful. Did I imply I didn't like
it? I <i>love</i> it. It makes the listener sit up and pay attention to
the stories; it's ugly, fascinating, and it suits the songs and subject
matter perfectly. Jesse Fuchs used to say that the trick to singing is
to create a vocal sound that matches what you have to say. Jim Teacher
has done that. If his performances make you think the Multi-Purpose
Solution routed an articulate street crazy out of Washington Square
Park, stuck him in front of the microphone, and let him do his thing,
well, they've probably made their point. <br />
<br />
<b>The band</b>: The guitars scrawl and stutter while the rhythm section
sticks to the basics. The bass guitar plays eighth notes on the roots,
the drummer keeps four-on-the-floor, and the lead guitar shoots
oscillating sixteenth-note patters through the fog like signal flashes.
Cymbals: big, splashy, and frequent.<br />
<b><br />
The songs</b>: Unusual; songs without a clear center but never without
musical focus. Many of these compositions feint toward verse-chorus
structure, but substitute tag lines for releases. Teacher's narratives
don't move forward in even paces, and the music follows suit: guitarrist
Brother Stephen likes to introduce musical themes and then develop them
and frequently works with reoccurring patterns, but they don't always
develop according to expectation. Multi-Purpose Solution songs build
toward foci rather than resolutions -- toward moments of heightened
intensity. Sometimes these happen at the intersection of a repeated line
and a harmonic resolution, and sometimes they don't. My favorite:
Teacher breaking from a black meditation on a woman's breasts to count,
gruffly, from one to forty-eight. <br />
<br />
<b>What distinguishes this record from other records of its genre?</b>: "Phagocyte", "scholastomy", "ontology", "trilobite": <i>The MPs</i>
has got more ten-cent words than the last Decemberists record. The
drunken, shambling intellectual is not an unusual figure in certain
forms -- the blues, for instance, is loaded with them -- but there
aren't many in indie rock. And there are even fewer musicians willing to
follow down the thicket-filled paths Jim Teacher is determined to
travel. <br />
<br />
<b>What's not so good?</b>: I strenuously doubt that these drums were
close-miked, but they still feel awfully separate from the rest of the
group. They're either too quiet, or they hit with that "ping" so
characteristic of Jersey rock production. The electric rhythm guitar and
bass are often <i>way</i> too sludgy: they don't exactly melt into each other, they're just occasionally diffuse. <i>The MPs</i>
is a long album -- fourteen tracks, many of which break the four-minute
mark -- so a little arrangement variation would also have been useful.
Hey, I'm not asking for calliopes and optigons, guys; a simple acoustic
track would probably have sufficed. <br />
<br />
<b>Recommended?</b>: Is there any doubt? Could I hear a stanza like
"last night, everything sixty-nined/last night, all the vegans stepped
in line/and I was not unkind" and <i>not</i> want to share that with the rest of the world?<br />
<br />
<b>Where can I get a copy/hear more?</b>: Alas, the Multi-Purpose
Solution no longer exists. The group called it quits in autumn 2003, and
North Jersey lost one of their most interesting and unique projects.
The website is still up, though, and you can download several of these
songs (plus a surprising number of remixes) <a href="http://themultipurposesolution.com/" target="_blank">right here</a>. Drop them a line at your own risk. </span>
Jim Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11028399238353985357noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4238199966695882505.post-20924826529593644192012-10-31T11:47:00.002-07:002012-10-31T11:47:58.410-07:00In Vino VeritasThe veritas being that alcohol makes people stupid. <i>-- Jim Teacher, "Sage Wisdom for the Ages"</i>Jim Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11028399238353985357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4238199966695882505.post-13450387693615238042012-05-17T08:04:00.003-07:002012-11-25T16:31:28.096-08:00The Essentials, Part 2: Brother StephenBrother Stephen beat me to the punch with his album list. It has more records on it than mine, to be sure, and he is characteristically eloquent about it. Read the entire jam over at his blog on stereophile.com <a href="http://www.stereophile.com/content/101-albums" target="_blank"><b>HERE</b></a>.<br />
<br />
Interesting overlap: He and I both chose records by The Boss, the Stones, the Beasties, Belle & Sebastian, and the Pixies, but only in one case (Bruce) did we choose the same record. I guess that's as close to consensus as the band's gonna get (though I too would've throw Prince/M.J./The Lemonheads and some others on mine, were I more thoughtful and less capricious).<br />
<br />
Read it at <a href="http://www.stereophile.com/content/101-albums" target="_blank">http://www.stereophile.com/content/101-albums</a>.<br />
<br />
<i>Posted by Stephen Mejias</i>Jim Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11028399238353985357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4238199966695882505.post-65045478616924225732012-05-16T10:51:00.002-07:002012-11-25T16:33:38.312-08:00The Essentials, Part 1We here at the multi-purpose solution hate lists. Making a list of the "best" of anything is the most facile way of imagining the universe--structured, hierarchical, orderly, sensical. But fuck it, we're gonna make some lists anyway.<br />
<br />
In this case, we're making lists of the records each member of the group things is essential. One surprise: Some band members, such as Jim Teacher, listen to some real crap, and it will probably turn you off to the mps as a band if you learn this information. But as with Judgment Day, the truth must out, so here you go.<br />
<br />
<b>TOP 10 OR SO RECORDS TO USE IN ORDER TO BECOME JIM TEACHER</b><br />
<br />
1. <i><b>Iggy & The Stooges, "Raw Power"</b></i> -- This one was a toss up between this record and "Fun House." I settled on "Raw Power" because of the sheer insaneness of some of the beats. I habitually listened to these albums during my senior year of high school, and, since I am a regressive fuck, this occupies my number one spot.<br />
<br />
2. <i><b>The Stones, "Exile"</b></i> -- A great album to listen to while drinking and dancing with the pretty girls. Sounds like a bunch of abusers making blues-like music in a basement, which is pretty much what it is. Never gets old.<br />
<br />
3. <i><b>Hellacopters, "By the Grace of God"</b></i> -- What the fuck? Why is this so high up? Because it's awesome, that's why. Shredding riffs, weird musings about God and drunkeness.<br />
<br />
4. <i><b>Urge Overkill, "Exit the Dragon"</b></i> -- Again, a battle between this and "Saturation." I don't know why I can't shake this group, as some of their songs sound lazy, as if they couldn't be bothered to finish them. Opted for "Enter the Dragon" because of the dope song "And You'll Say."<br />
<br />
5. <i><b>Hot Snakes, "Suicide Invoice"</b></i> -- Like cutting through shit. Utter destruction.<br />
<br />
6. <i><b>RFTC, "RFTC"</b></i> -- This one's in just because of the monkey-beast on the cover.<br />
<br />
7. <i><b>Pixies, "Doolittle"</b></i> -- I sometimes wonder if this band deliberately tried to make this album so awesome, or it just happened that way. I prefer to think the latter, because it's more magical.<br />
<br />
8. <i><b>Beastie Boys, "Check Your Head"</b></i> -- Yeah, I listen to this shit way too much. Still have the cassette tape. "Stand Together" is some shit.<br />
<br />
9. <i><b>Alice Cooper, "Billion Dollar Babies"</b></i> -- Oh Alice. This album smells like high-school vengeance.<br />
<br />
10. <i><b>Ramones, "Rocket to Russia"</b></i> -- Another one of those things I included because I was obsessed with it in high school. Drama. "I Don't Care."<br />
<br />
11. <i><b>The Slackers, "The Question"</b></i> -- If you can't get the awesomeness of The Slackers because "<i>They're a ska band</i>" (barely), you've missed out on life. This record, and "Redlight," contain some glorious songs. Ruggiero and Co. know what the fuck is up. Check "Knowing."<br />
<br />
12. <i><b>Bruce, "Born to Run"</b></i> -- It's illegal to not love this album and live in Jersey.<br />
<br />
13. <i><b>Blur, "Parklife"</b></i> -- I'm a sucker for some of this Brit pop shit. Again, a demonstration of how my infantile mind has never really emerged from the '90s.<br />
<br />
14. <i><b>The Clash, "London Calling"</b></i> -- When I first heard this, I thought it kind of blew. But then I listened a second time, and, Oh Snap! "Jimmy Jazz," fuck you!<br />
<br />
15. <i><b>Tom Waits, "Small Change"</b></i> -- One of those records that makes me feel deranged. Makes me think of Flannery's on 14th Street and Elmer T. Lee and elegant melancholy. Ugh. Did I just write elegant melancholy? See what I mean.<br />
<br />
16. <i><b>Belle & Sebastian, "Boy with the Arab Strap"</b></i> -- Another example of my sad, strange love for Britpop. I blame my girl. Still, "Dirty Dream Number Two."<br />
<br />
17. <i><b>T Rex, "The Slider"</b></i> -- This don't count as Britpop, right? Holy shitmother!<br />
<br />
And that's it. Listen to these records ad infinitum (and throw in the Ghostbusters soundtrack for good measure) and you are bound to turn out a Jim Teacher.<br />
<br />
<i>Up Next: The rest of them</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i>Posted by Jim Teacher</i></span></i>Jim Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11028399238353985357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4238199966695882505.post-55949435715452856992012-02-23T11:02:00.004-08:002012-11-25T16:31:14.953-08:00The MPS in StereophileI've worked as an editor at Stereophile magazine since 2000, and it's long been a goal of mine to get the band into one of our monthly issues. I was finally able to achieve that goal with the February 2012 installment of my column, "The Entry Level." It's nice when different worlds come together. You can read about the MPS in Stereophile <a href="http://www.stereophile.com/content/entry-level-14">right here</a>.<br />
<br />
<i>Posted by Stephen Mejias</i>Stephen Mejiashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17414614274062601631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4238199966695882505.post-47389949725626111162011-11-07T07:51:00.000-08:002012-11-25T16:33:51.550-08:00Thank You + AwesomeA million thanks to all our fans, friends, and family who came out to the mps reunion at Maxwell's the other night. It was a triumphant night. Cheers to la familia Mejias, the Circle, and the various crews from Philly and New York City (and Staten Island, even) who made this the awesomeness that it was.<br />
<br />
If you couldn't attend, get a sampler of the magic courtesy of the Indomitable Phil Ritz, who selflessly took video of some of the songs (see below).<br />
<br />
Until next time, perhaps...<br />
<br />
<b>50 Bullets</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="259" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/BG5jBIoTX4c" width="450"></iframe>
<br />
<b>Superman</b><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="259" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/q8qnf8zhhEU" width="450"></iframe>
<br />
<b>How Can a Man Be Tougher Than the World?</b><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="259" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/IdvOjvhRkrM" width="450"></iframe><br />
<br />
<b>Jackals</b><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="259" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/JENtl7izlUM" width="450"></iframe>
<br />
<b>Rivers of Water, Rivers of Mud</b><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="259" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Az46krlAiEs" width="450"></iframe>
<br />
<b>Bitch, Why?</b><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="259" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ErR2hfKFADI" width="450"></iframe>
<br />
<b>Good Thing</b><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="259" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/fWJVBU1p4dY" width="450"></iframe>
<br />
<b>Running Away from Melissa</b><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="259" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3CEUcde4vy8" width="450"></iframe><br />
<br />
P.S. We love you all.<br />
<br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i>Posted by Jim Teacher</i></span></i>Pete Prochilohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11071453177683930557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4238199966695882505.post-34103705344065279582011-10-28T06:55:00.001-07:002012-11-25T16:34:04.045-08:00Media DarlingsOur reunion show is just a week away, and Hoboken's local paper did a neat piece on the band and our Jersey City roots that you can read <a href="http://www.nj.com/hobokennow/index.ssf/2011/10/band_with_jersey_city_roots_re.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>. The show is next Friday at <a href="http://maxwellsnj.com/" target="_blank">Maxwell's in Hoboken</a>; show starts at 8:30 PM and is a mere 8 bucks.<br />
<br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i>Posted by Jim Teacher</i></span></i>Jim Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11028399238353985357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4238199966695882505.post-17822276797848766462011-10-23T15:20:00.001-07:002012-11-25T16:35:17.672-08:00Tiger Lady!That horror in Zanesville got me thinking...there's a "missing" mps track that few people have out there. Listen to and download a rarely heard track from the rarely-found <a href="http://weirdnj.com/" target="_blank">Weird New Jersey</a> <i>Local Heroes, Villains and Artists</i> compilation--gratis!!<br />
<br />
<br />
This was recorded during our second session with King Django, maybe around 2004, and would have been the last song on <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/in-bed-ep/id404434650">"In Bed."</a> For completists, consider this the final, missing tune from the <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/in-bed-ep/id404434650">"In Bed"</a> EP, which you can <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/in-bed-ep/id404434650">buy on ITunes</a>.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://susanorlean.com/articles/lady_and_tigers.html" target="_blank">Tiger Lady</a>! <a href="http://soundcloud.com/jimteacher/tiger-lady" target="_blank"><b>CLICK HERE</b></a> for the tune.<br />
<br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i>Posted by Jim Teacher</i></span></i>Jim Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11028399238353985357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4238199966695882505.post-585405166716221772011-09-21T11:25:00.001-07:002012-11-25T16:35:29.789-08:00MPS Reunion ShowThis shit is on. We'll be playing at <a href="http://maxwellsnj.com/" target="_blank">Maxwells in Hoboken</a> on November 4, as part of <a href="http://fairmontmusic.com/" target="_blank">Fairmont</a>'s 10-year anniversary show. Get your dancing shoes out and start saving up those tips for the bartender.<br />
<br />
Friday, 11/4/2011<br />
<br />
with<br />
<br />
Those Mockingbirds<br />
<a href="http://www.myspace.com/theodoregrimm" target="_blank">Theodore Grimm</a><br />
Fairmont<br />
<br />
Time: Late-ish P.M. Cost: $Cheap-ish<br />
<br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i>Posted by Jim Teacher</i></span></i>Jim Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11028399238353985357noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4238199966695882505.post-40527571346713007632011-09-13T08:01:00.001-07:002012-11-25T16:31:57.348-08:00The Last Show at Maxwell's<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/mX9qXM9x_g8" width="420"></iframe><br />
<br />Video footage by <a href="http://www.batona.com/atwork.php">Brother Todd</a>.<br />
<br />
<i>Posted by Stephen Mejias</i>Stephen Mejiashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17414614274062601631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4238199966695882505.post-64094415924122715722011-09-13T06:26:00.001-07:002012-11-25T16:32:15.983-08:00Easy Lover<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="345" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/O1kDmnHyOBg" width="420"></iframe><br />
<br />
<i>Posted by Stephen Mejias</i>Stephen Mejiashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17414614274062601631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4238199966695882505.post-58263484605346994492011-07-02T16:58:00.000-07:002012-11-25T16:35:49.914-08:00MPS Tribute Band?<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="330" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/wirHx2_k0aU" width="400"></iframe><br />
<br />
This is the first I've heard of this...seems like a bunch of poseurs from Nutley are trying to put together an MPS cover band. Here's some footage we unearthed of one of their 'practices.' Good luck, fellas.<br />
<br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i>Posted by Jim Teacher</i></span></i>Pete Prochilohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11071453177683930557noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4238199966695882505.post-64731958188186709172011-05-11T08:00:00.001-07:002011-05-11T08:04:18.675-07:00An Interview with David Caldwell, Part 3<i>By <a href="http://themultipurposesolution.blogspot.com">Jim Teacher</a></i><br /><br />JT: Favorite <a href="http://themultipurposesolution.com">MPS</a> show? Tell it.<br /><br />DC: Oh man....there have been a lot of memorable shows for a lot of different reasons. shows that we totally rocked, and shows that totally sucked! We had them all! <br /> <br />All the shows down in bucks county were awesome....the first rock and roll basement show we played in bensalem is one that sticks out - was our first show down there, and we met some great folks who just wanted to rock. The shows at <a href="http://www.SacredGroundsPA.com" target="_blank">sacred grounds</a> were also pretty amazing....again, met some really nice people and were always well-received. <br /> <br />Shows at <a href="http://www.maxwellsnj.com" target="_blank">maxwells</a> in hoboken were also excellent...we always ate for free, and the food was good...and we actually got paid well to play. We opened for some awesome bands at maxwells, and I'll always be grateful for those spots.<br /> <br />I would have to say, though, that the show that I will always remember was down in philly...not sure when it was exactly, I'm not really good with remembering dates....we were invited to play this basement show by some friends, and the place was totally packed. I remember playing through the set, and it was hot as balls down there! we played hard, and folks were dancing and having a great time. then, out of nowhere, I look up from behind the drum set, and who comes down the basement stairs.....NAKED GUY! dude just comes running in completely nude and starts dancing his bare ass off, and then a few minutes later, he was gone! I was like, "holy shit....naked guy!" <br /> <br />....have to say that that's probably the show I remember the most...completely random and absolutely awesome.Jim Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11028399238353985357noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4238199966695882505.post-2307232471453211272011-05-05T18:34:00.000-07:002011-05-05T18:36:53.372-07:00An Interview with David Caldwell, Part 2<span style="font-style:italic;">By <a href="http://themultipurposesolution.blogspot.com">Jim Teacher</a></span><br /><br />JT: What else have you been up to lately, musical and otherwise?<br /><br />DC: Haven't been up to much musically, to be honest. I played for a friend's band, Vida Meets the Van, for a little bit and helped them record an album before they moved out to the west coast. Other than that, I've picked up my acoustic guitar here and there to play a little. I haven't played drums in a really long time, aside from playing once or twice with the MPS crew. Both time and space restraints and my recent back troubles prohibit me from having the drums and playing lately. Kind of sucks, but at the same time, I think I'm OK with it. I was just thinking the other day to start an acoustic 80's cover band, and play Pat Benatar's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot", Kenny Loggin's "I'm Free" from the Footloose soundtrack, and also "Cherokee" by Europe. If anyone has other requests, let me know.<br /><br />I actually just got into listening to music again recently, since my lovely wife got me an IPOD for X-mas this past season. I know what you're thinking....and yes, I was also one of the last hold-out's to get myself a cell phone, and I have only owned my own computer for about a year and change....again, thanks to the mrs.! What can I say? ,,,I'm a bit slow. Getting back to the point, the concept of "shuffle" has blown my mind...it's really given me the opportunity to re-introduce myself to music and fall in love with it again. It's like the best radio station ever without any dumb commercials and dj's.<br /><br />I've been pretty busy with other things aside from music lately. I graduated with my MA in Counseling in 2008 after spending four lovely years working and going to school....that was fun. I'm working now as a therapist...I like what I do most days. As per the above-mentioned gift-giver, I got married in April 2009 to a wonderfully insane girl who makes my face hurt with laughter and smiles, and creates butterflies still in my belly when my phone rings and it's her...she's really something special - and I mean that exactly the way it sounds!<br /><br />Someone awesome once said "Life is gay, and I'm a homophobic" ...as much as I love that single lyric, I can't say I can relate to it much these days. Life is good, and I'm happy.Pete Prochilohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11071453177683930557noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4238199966695882505.post-73198138323748820892011-03-31T14:27:00.001-07:002011-03-31T14:28:52.090-07:00An Interview with David Caldwell, Part 1<span style="font-style:italic;">By <a href="http://themultipurposesolution.blogspot.com">Jim Teacher</a></span><br /><br />JT: What influenced your musical stylings?<br /><br />DC: I've always had a love of music for as long as I can remember. I guess my first musical influences came from the little radio that would play in my kitchen when I was eating my cereal before school. My parents would always have CBS 101.1 on, and I would be sipping the sugar-milk out of my bowl listening to the likes of Stevie Wonder, James Brown, the Beatles, the Temps, Cream, and tons and tons of great music. <br /> <br />My sister was also a pretty big influence, as in the day, she was all about the 80's...R.E.M., the Cure, Duran Duran....loads of stuff that I can't even start to list. I made fun of her for some of it back then, but I now look back and realize that these bands have totally molded the way I look at music, and I have many of the cassettes she had on CD now, so I guess the joke's on me now.<br /> <br />Somewhere in middle school, I started listening to a lot of hip-hop....don't ask me how, but it just kind of happened. Groups like De La Soul, Tribe Called Quest, Pharcyde....pretty amazing beats and a ton of originality....DEFINITELY had an effect on my drumming style. <br /> <br />A few years later, I met some rather unique guys ...yes, I'm talking about the MPS crew, to name a few....and had the opportunity to play drums for about five or six bands. While learning how to play, I was surrounded by various rock influences, with everything from Metallica to Rocket from the Crypt to the Bosstones....so many bands, so many great guitar licks, so many awesome drum fills.<br /> <br />People ask me a lot about my drumming influences..."who's your favorite drummer??".....I guess I can't start talking about drumming without talking about Rush....Neil Peart is amazing....Dave Grohl is also a big influence on me...he played hard, and he didn't make it look easy. I used to get mad at some of the drummers I would see live....drummers who would struggle but still try to make it look simple...drummers that smiled a lot.....don't do that. Don't try and make it look so easy, because I know better. <br /> <br />I think what's been the best influence on my music is not being closed off to different styles. I can appreciate an Iron Maiden guitar solo as much as a Slick Rick break beat. I can zone out to Coltrane one minute and rock out to Weezer's first (and best) album the next. I love music, and I think I take it for granted a lot. Answering this question tells me that, and I miss playing right now more than ever.Jim Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11028399238353985357noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4238199966695882505.post-37823587551054207382011-01-21T08:57:00.000-08:002012-11-25T16:36:51.922-08:00A ReviewFrom <a href="http://trismccall.net/">our man in Chilltown</a>:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
<b><a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/how-can-a-man-be-tougher-than/id404448198">How Can a Man Be Tougher Than the World?</a></b><br />
<i>The Multi-Purpose Solution (<a href="http://www.fairmontmusic.com/1/m4r.html">Mint 400</a>)</i><br />
Mint 400 is a Clifton-based record label with a roster of some of the Garden State’s most underappreciated and challenging bands (Fairmont and Any Day Parade, just to name two). So it’s a natural fit for the Multi-Purpose Solution, a Jersey City art-punk outfit fronted by a near-madman whose voice sounds like a cross between Tom Waits at his most inebriated and an avalanche in the Appalachians. The label is making MPS recordings — including <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/how-can-a-man-be-tougher-than/id404448198">“How Can a Man Be Tougher Than the World?”</a>, the group’s moody, deranged magnum opus — widely available for the first time. Guitar riffs seesaw, scrape and elbow for position, song sections shuffle, rhythms start and stop abruptly, and the irascible Jim Teacher bellows about Sonic Youth, crucifixion and the Texas border patrol. Initially given a limited release in 2005, this album garnered a cult following among the musically courageous and fans of general Jersey weirdness. At once spontaneous-sounding and as meticulously mapped out as a math-rock set, “Tougher” is the work of true originals — pub crawlers burdened by obsessions and prone to blinding flashes of clarity.<br />
— <i>Tris McCall</i></blockquote>
<br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i>Posted by Jim Teacher</i></span></i>Pete Prochilohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11071453177683930557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4238199966695882505.post-19670011611717886842010-12-07T07:11:00.000-08:002012-11-25T16:37:06.382-08:00the multi-purpose solution on iTunesYou can now get <a href="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZSearch.woa/wa/search?term=the%20multi-purpose%20solution">all our records on iTunes</a>, thanks to <a href="http://fairmontmusic.com/">Neil Fairmont</a> and <a href="http://www.fairmontmusic.com/1/m4r.html">Mint 400 records</a>.<br />
<br />
Just <a href="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZSearch.woa/wa/search?term=the%20multi-purpose%20solution"><span style="font-weight: bold;">CLICK HERE</span></a> or <a href="http://ax.itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZSearch.woa/wa/search?term=the%20multi-purpose%20solution">search for the multi-purpose solution in the iTunes store</a>.<br />
<br />
Dance like it's 2005.<br />
<br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i>Posted by Jim Teacher</i></span></i>Jim Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11028399238353985357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4238199966695882505.post-47353047893384171702010-12-01T13:13:00.000-08:002010-12-01T13:15:53.393-08:00An Interview with Stephen Mejias, Part 3<span style="font-style: italic;">By <a href="http://themultipurposesolution.blogspot.com/">Jim Teacher</a></span><br /><br />JT: What projects are you working on?<br /><br />SM: We just redesigned the <a href="http://stereophile.com/">Stereophile website</a>, and that’s been taking up most of my time and energy. I am just starting a monthly column for the magazine, and I’m very excited about that. The column is called “The Entry Level,” and will focus on lower-priced hi-fi components, while also attempting to explore how and why people become audiophiles. My blog on <a href="http://stereophile.com/">Stereophile.com</a>, <a href="http://blog.stereophile.com/category/stephen-mejias">“Elements of Our Enthusiasm,”</a> continues to do very well, also.<br /><br />I find that if I’m listening to music, I’m not playing it. And the case is now that I’m listening to tons of music, but I haven’t picked up my guitar in weeks. That’s okay, though. I’m generally happy and feel extremely fortunate to be doing what I’m doing. I get paid to listen to music and write about it. How awesome is that?Jim Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11028399238353985357noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4238199966695882505.post-38639299001856761632010-11-30T09:08:00.000-08:002010-12-01T13:16:25.943-08:00An Interview with Stephen Mejias, Part 2<span style="font-style: italic;">By <a href="http://themultipurposesolution.blogspot.com/">Jim Teacher</a></span><br /><br />JT: What are you listening to now?<br /><br />SM: Through my job with <a href="http://blog.stereophile.com/category/stephen-mejias">Stereophile</a>, I’m constantly introduced to new music and to people whose musical knowledge is far greater than my own. So, my taste in music and my desire to explore new forms has grown immensely. I listen to much more music these days than ever before, and it’s everything from classical to country to folk music from around the world to experimental – a perfect circle, really; it’s all connected.<br /><br />This year, I count three very important personal music discoveries: John Prine, Delbert McClinton, and Robert Wyatt. With all three of these artists, I felt an immediate emotional connection, and it’s amazing to me that I lived 32 years without exposure to their music. Robert Wyatt’s new album, <span style="font-style: italic;">For the Ghosts Within</span>, with Gilad Atzmon and Ros Stephen, is especially beautiful. It does one thing better than any other album in my experience: I can’t listen to it without falling deeper in love with life.<br /><br />Seriously.<br /><br />In addition to <i>For the Ghosts Within</i>, some of my favorite records from this year have been:<br />Four Tet: <i>There Is Love in You</i><br />Roky Erickson: <i>True Love Cast Out All Evil</i><br />Damien Jurado: <i>Saint Bartlett</i><br />Julian Lynch: <i>Mare</i><br />Grinderman: <i>Grinderman 2</i><br />Sophie Hutchings: <i>Becalmed</i><br />Daniel Higgs: <i>Say God</i><br />Bushman’s Revenge: <i>Jitterbug</i><br />Oneohtrix Point Never: <i>Returna</i><span style="font-style: italic;">l</span><br />Mark McGuire: <i>Living With Yourself</i><br />Sun City Girls: <i>Funeral Mariachi</i><br />Gil Scot-Heron: <i>I’m New Here</i><br />Hauschka: <i>Foreign Landscapes</i>Jim Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11028399238353985357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4238199966695882505.post-306196666485330402010-11-24T12:42:00.000-08:002010-11-24T12:47:43.286-08:00An Interview with Stephen Mejias, Part 1<span style="font-style:italic;">By <a href="http://themultipurposesolution.blogspot.com/">Jim Teacher</a></span><br /><br />JT: What influenced your musical stylings?<br /><br />SM: Well, early on, I listened to a lot of Top 40 stuff because that’s all my mom ever listened to. I spent lots of time in cars with my mom, so I heard a lot of Top 40 radio. I also remember spending many weekend mornings listening to Casey Kasem’s Top 40 Countdown. I was into the stuff that was playing on Z100 and Hot 97. My dad’s family, being Puerto Rican, listened to a lot of salsa, and I can clearly remember the many awesome album covers from bands on the Fania label. Much later in life – just a couple of years ago – I gained a new appreciation for all of that NYC salsa, but I think aspects of the music (especially the choppy chord progressions, which are evident in the piano vamps of most salsa) are also evident in the MPS. <br /> <br />I think growing up in Newark, a very urban environment, also influenced my taste in music. Throughout most of my high school years, I listened, almost exclusively, to R&B and hip-hop. It’s sort of weird to think of now, but those were great times for hip-hop. You had Black Sheep, A Tribe Called Quest, Leaders of the New School, Pete Rock and CL Smooth, KRS-1, the Pharcyde, Digable Planets, De La Soul, and lots more. <br /> <br />The big transformation for me came during the summer before my senior year in high school. I spent a couple of weeks in Puerto Rico with my cousins, who were into a very different sort of culture, and I was happy to soak it all up. They introduced me to Dinosaur Jr, Pavement, the Pixies, Mercury Rev, and several other indie bands. The most influential of all was <a href="http://www.sonicyouth.com/">Sonic Youth</a>. I don’t know why exactly, but Sonic Youth really touched me and I devoured everything I could. I guess I always had something of an outsider’s mentality, and Sonic Youth’s experimentations brought that aspect of my character to the fore.<br /> <br />In college, then, I met Maya Moksha and Todd Steponick. We played together in a band called Genie Boom, and created an independent study course in “experimental music.” We researched guys like John Cage, La Monte Young, the entire Fluxus movement, and we made lots of noise around campus. We were fortunate to have professors who allowed us to indulge our curiosity. <br /> <br />Also around this time, I got into Jon Spencer’s band, Pussy Galore. Through Pussy Galore, I got into Royal Trux and the <a href="http://thejonspencerbluesexplosion.com/2008/">Jon Spencer Blues Explosion</a>. Through the Blues Explosion, I got into <a href="http://www.fatpossum.com/artists/rl-burnside">RL Burnside</a>. And through RL, I got into a lot of the old Delta Blues guys. Now, I think this bit was very important in defining my own guitar style, which is basically a combination of Delta Blues single-note riffage and Sonic Youth’s repetitive, phased-out melodies. Also, all of this music has deep grooves – it’s all dance music, ultimately – and I liked that a lot. I think you can hear a deep groove in much of the MPS. <br /> <br />It wasn’t until our final year in college that I really got to know Jim Teacher. Jim Teacher introduced me to Fuzzy and Dave, and we formed the MPS. For the next five years or so, my musical stylings were really formed around the band. I learned to play with other people. Fuzzy was a huge influence. Basically, I wanted to create stuff that he’d be able to use – I just wanted to hang the framework which would hold his masterstrokes. Similarly, hearing the words that Jim Teacher brought to our music was an incredible joy.<br /> <br />Much later, when Alan joined the band, I learned to do less and listen more, which I think is not only a huge part of being a good musician, but a huge part of being a good person.Pete Prochilohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11071453177683930557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4238199966695882505.post-85324517837077959132010-10-29T15:31:00.000-07:002010-10-29T15:40:16.781-07:00An Interview with Jim Teacher, Part 3<i>By <a href="http://themultipurposesolution.blogspot.com/">Jim Teacher</a></i><div><br /></div><div>JT: Speaking of playing live, which shows were your favorites?</div><div><br /></div><div>JT: Well, apart from some classics at <a href="http://maxwellsnj.com/">Maxwells</a> and the now-defunct Uncle Joe's, we got our best reception and had our best times in the Philly area, specifically Bucks County, more specifically Bensalem (though we did play the ultimate show in Philly, a basement show--great time). New Jersey was hard, because if you didn't sound like you were derived from Lifetime (and hey, I like Hello Bastards as much as the next guy), the kids didn't give a shit. And New York was no fun, as New York sucks balls in many ways. But for some reason, Philly-area kids were down, they didn't seem to have any preconceptions or prejudices, and they loved to dance. Maybe they were just crazy, but that's all right. We were crazy, too.</div><div><br /></div><div>Like I said before, I think our sound benefitted in small spaces. We played outside in Jersey City one time, and although it was wild and weird (I think some old guy bit Stephen), I don't think it sounded so hot. But man, when you get like a shitload of people packed into a tiny basement just dancing, it is magical. The music sounds tight, everything comes together. The mps sound was made for that environment, I think, and smallish clubs.</div><div><br /></div><div>JT: I'd have to agree. So what's it all about then, the music? What drives it?</div><div><br /></div><div>JT: Women, of course. Women are the only reason men make music. Anyone who tells you otherwise is a liar.</div>Pete Prochilohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11071453177683930557noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4238199966695882505.post-6208097144253411382010-10-27T05:52:00.000-07:002010-10-27T07:53:18.198-07:00An Interview with Jim Teacher, Part 2<span style="font-style: italic;">By <a href="http://themultipurposesolution.blogspot.com/">Jim Teacher</a></span><br /><br />JT: I was just relistening to some old mps (something I really rarely do), to <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#%21/pages/the-Multi-Purpose-Solution/288212837110">"Rivers of Water, Rivers of Mud,"</a> and damn, my vocal chords tense up just listening to that shit. Like they're afraid they're gonna have to try and make those sounds again!<br /><br />JT: Mine too! Speaking of recording, can you talk a little bit about the early trepidation you had in recording any music for the band whatsoever?<br /><br />JT: Ah, you had to ask that one...the fact is that my early insistence on this might have somewhat sabotaged the band early on. But I was crazy, crazy, at the time, so, you know. We actually played a pretty large (for us) gig with this emo band the Juliana Theory and kids were all like "Where's your record" and we had to be like, "Surprise! WE DON'T HAVE ONE!" Which is sort of a career stopping idea.<br /><br />Look, we live in an era of recorded music. Apart from some nursery rhymes and <span style="font-style: italic;">maybe</span> some folk songs, we have no common, remembered music, at least not in American culture. Much as writing is sort of an external memory drive for deep thoughts, so recording is that for music...it no longer has to reside in your heart and brain. And for the idealistic Jim Teacher of 1999, that was disturbing.<br /><br />Inevitably, the artifacts--the records, the paintings, the writings--become fetishized and no longer track with or represent the original ideas or emotions that inspired them, which is, you would think, utterly against the artist's intentions. It's the museumification process. So I wanted to somehow resist that, by fighting the impulse to record altogether. I wanted a return to memory. Life ain't nothing but remembering.<br /><br />Obviously, this didn't really gibe with the times, and was not great for the band's popularity (such as it was). And of course I eventually broke down and we recorded some pretty awesome shit, first with <a href="http://kingdjango.com/shows.php">King Django</a>, then with the awesome Mike Olear. Still, I remain fascinated by improvisation and forgetfulness, and was always amazed at how bands like the Stooges in the '70s, you'd get these live recordings with songs that they just made up on the spot, never to record...it was kind of mind-bending. And I wanted the recordings to retain that element of live-ness...I still think we often sounded better live (in certain venues) that we ever did on record.Jim Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11028399238353985357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4238199966695882505.post-78830959609530501972010-10-26T08:42:00.000-07:002010-10-27T05:51:30.483-07:00An Interview with Jim Teacher<span style="font-style: italic;">By <a href="http://themultipurposesolution.blogspot.com/">Jim Teacher</a></span><br /><br />JT: So what type of things contributed to your musical stylings?<br /><br />JT: Well, first of all, church music. Fuzzy and I were brought up in a hyperreligious environment, so that's where Fuzzy gets his aficion for those type of baroque guitar riffs. Lots of old hymns and such. Growing up like that we really didn't get exposed to a lot of pop music, and although you'd catch snippets of it from TV and movies, we still tend to have gaping holes in our musical knowledge.<br /><br />So then when I finally started listening to music it was your basic shit on the radio, Peter Cetera type of shit, until my friends got into rap and metal. So there was this time where basically all I listened to was <a href="http://www.metallica.com/">Metallica</a> and some <a href="http://www.megadeth.com/">Megadeth</a> and G'N'R and old <a href="http://www.aerosmith.com/">Aerosmith</a>, and I tried to be metal and hung around with that crowd. But I still relished pop-like things. So that was when my friend Richie B. told me I ought to check out this band the Ramones, so I did and that was the end.<br /><br />I could get away with this idea in my mind that the Ramones were somehow metal 'cause of how they dressed and shit, but the music itself was a throwback to '60s bubblegum pop, which, in retrospect, was the shit I really liked. By the end of high school that's pretty much all I listened to, the Ramones and shit like <a href="http://www.iggypop.com/">Iggy Pop</a> and old <a href="http://www.alicecooper.com/">Alice Cooper</a> (the latter two on the recommendation of my friend Black Metal Mike, who I worked with at a bookstore and who I guess took pity on me and introduced me to the writings of Lester Bangs.)<br /><br />Then I sort of segued into the whole pop punk and ska scene of the late '90s, although in general I was not into the music, more the idea of playing shows, do-it-yourself, on the fly. <a href="http://themultipurposesolution.com/">The mps</a> was never fully accepted in those scenes, later on, I guess 'cause we didn't conform with the three-chord shit. At the same time, I just never got into hardcore, 'cause it was so musically uninteresting. Again, looking back, the main shit I liked at the time was I guess what you would call post-hardcore: <a href="http://www.dischord.com/band/fugazi">Fugazi</a>, <a href="http://www.dismembermentplan.com/">Dismemberment Plan</a>, etc. And I got into ska by way of the <a href="http://www.bosstonesmusic.com/">Mighty Mighty Bosstones</a> [<span style="font-style: italic;">Stephen winces and shudders</span>], which, at first, I basically assumed was metal with a horn section, but that introduced us to ska and superior products like <a href="http://www.theslackers.com/">the Slackers</a> and the <a href="http://www.stubbornrecords.com/">Stubborn All-Stars</a>, which hearken back again to '60s pop and especially soul. Besides borrowing the vocal stylings of Dicky Barrett (who does the Cookie Monster but in a way that suggests the blues and soul, which is something I wanted to exploit), I also took from them and the ska scene in general this idea of dressing up. I guess I just liked the idea that, you know, you were stepping out, getting dressed up to go out and dance, and so on, which is a throwback to an older era of American music. And at the time I liked the irony, of this ferocious sounding band that is lead by a guy who is suspiciously overdressed and maybe even ritzy looking--but yet there was still this solid dance aspect to it all, like big bands and jazz.<br /><br />Then in the early days of the mps we started really listening to shit like <a href="http://www.rollingstones.com/">the Stone</a>s and <a href="http://www.brucespringsteen.net/">Bruce</a> and <a href="http://www.acdc.com/">AC/DC</a> and <a href="http://www.tomwaits.com/">Tom Waits</a> and <a href="http://urgeoverkill.com/">UO</a> and the Smiths (I told you there were huge gaps in my music knowledge) and especially soul, which I had unwittingly always loved, but had no idea that it existed as a separate genre altogether. When I was a kid on the playground I used to run around and sing in my mind that "Na na na na" from Wilson Pickett's "Night of a Thousand Dances." Although I didn't know the name of the song, I would say that was one of my favorite songs on earth at the time, it played in my head incessantly, along with shit like "Stand by Me" (for the obvious reason, the time period). So later, finding shit like Otis Redding and Bill Withers and James Brown and Stevie Wonder, was like unearthing this treasure you had been looking for your whole life. And that obviously influenced the mps a lot.<br /><br />So when you look back, you really find all these elements flowing into the mps: the metal riffs, the complex chordage a la classical music-cum-post-hardcore "angular" guitars (Stephen brought the whole <a href="http://www.sonicyouth.com/">Sonic Youth</a> thing in there), the '60s bubblegum pop and punk and a little '70s glam-like shit, and of course the dance aspect and the beats of soul and the blues. All rolled into one.Jim Teacherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11028399238353985357noreply@blogger.com0