Into the Woods

First Taste | Guantanamo Baywatch

Wed, 16 May 12 07:18:55 -0700

A scuzzed-out, surf-sex track from their new LP Chest Crawl, out next week on Dirtnap Recs.

And from the archives: “They Don’t Believe You” (Feels Like Home #23).

Guantanamo plays a free release show on May 23rd at Club 21.

Guantanamo summer tour dates:

6/14 - White Horse w/ Chuck Chuck & the Chuckleberries, Courtney & the Crushers
6/15 - LA, CA - Blue Star with LADrugs
6/16 - San Diego, CA - Tower Bar with The Gears
6/17 - Tucson AZ - The Pound (house show)
6/19 - El Paso TX - M’s Lounge
6/20 - San Antonio TX - at the ten eleven
6/21 - Dallas TX - at the double wide
6/22 - Denton TX - House Show
6/23 - Austin TX - at the spider house
6/28 - Memphis TN - the bucaneer
7/1 - Tallahassee FL - Retrofit Records
7/2 - Gainesville FL - Loosey’s
7/3 - Tampa FL - Crowbar
7/4 - Orlando FL - The Sandwich Bar
7/5 - Jacksonville FL - Burro Bar
7/6 - St Augustine FL - Nobby’s
7/7 - Charlotte, NC - The Milestone
7/9 - Boston, MA - Charlies Kitchen with Nice Guys and Surf’s Up, Spiccoli
7/11 - NYC - at The Cake Shop
7/13 - Philadelphia PA - Perry Shall’s house
7/14 - DC - Comet Ping Pong with Blankus Larry
7/15 - Cleveland OH - Now That’s Class
7/18 - Madison at Mickeys Tavern
7/19 - Milwaukee - Quarters
7/20 - Minneapolis - The Turf
7/21 - Chicago - Township
7/22 - Lawrence KS - The Replay Lounge with Lazy
7/23 - Denver, CO - Old Curtis Street
7/24 - Provo UT - Music Music
7/26 - LA, CA - Redwood Bar

The Donut Man

Tue, 15 May 12 11:50:28 -0700

In the early 90’s, my mother took me to several entertainment events designed to evangelize and indoctrinate kids like me into Christianity. These were full-scale productions, touring the church and school circuit across the country, performing for packed houses of families on a regular basis. There was Colby’s Clubhouse, hosted by a Christian supercomputer, Psalty’s Little Praisers, led by a personified Bible, and, most memorable to me, The Donut Man. The audience was entertained for an hour of feel-good praise songs, but the big surprise came at the end, when we were given the opportunity to invite Jesus into our hearts by joining the “Donut Repair Club.” On the way out, mom made sure to buy a couple VHS’s, and she probably wore them out playing them for me and my brothers.

I’ve long since abandoned whatever belief system the Donut Man intended to teach me, but the memories stuck around, and I couldn’t help but ask after so many years what he was really all about. You know, I just assumed that racket was dead by now, or that he’d at least retired. But it turns out he hasn’t stopped since.

To some, it might seem an unusual career choice; but for Donut Man Rob Evans, it’s a matter of divine fate.

Who is the Donut Man? What do you do and why?

My name is Rob Evans, and I am a donut repairman. It’s a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it. Seriously? I am a children’s ministry that writes songs and produces videos with my sidekick Duncan, the talking donut. Children in my videos enter situations with me that require that we help people, sing songs about Scripture, and “repair donuts” to remind people that God sent Jesus to fill up the empty place in our hearts and in our lives. I have been doing this for thirty years and have produced dozens of CD’s and DVD’s that we sell at donutman.com. Come visit, and give it a listen!

It’s interesting—evangelism doesn’t typically incorporate these art forms, so your productions in effect take the forum to another level. What do you think of the interplay between evangelism and art, and how that dynamic affects the audience?

All art has an agenda. All artists do as well, be they comedians, writers, graphic artists, musicians, speakers, etc. Everybody has a worldview and a morality that they advance. I renounce vain-glory that musicians many times cultivate. I simply don’t see music as an end; rather, as a means to an end. When I pray, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done,” I hear that as a call to marshal all of my God-given resources as a pledge to seeing that prayer realized. In my particular case, with my skillset, I use my gifts and resources to present Scripture studies in songs that help children get to know Bible characters and their stories from the first-person perspective. In other words, rather than telling people to have faith the size of a mustard seed, I have the mustard seed sing about it. This approach animates like a cartoon, stimulates the imagination, rhymes, repeats, and invites so that children climb into the skin of all sorts of Bible stories. Hopefully, to enter into a relationship with the God who inspired it in the first place.

Walk us through your creative process. How do ideas get translated from your mind onto the stage? You’ve been in action for many years now, care to comment on what’s kept you going all these years?

I have read the Bible through many times, but before you think I am a very spiritual man, I have also watched the Three Stooges many times as well. I have a very restless imagination, work ethic and angst. I am a child of divorce, with my mother in her fourth marriage. I grew up with extremely happy younger years, followed by a profound sense of abandonment as a result of my parent’s separation. My “clock stopped” at the age of 6 due to the inevitable emotional injury that accompanies parental dysfunction. I must say that our family did attempt to put the “fun” back in dysfunctional, but in my world, that included step-families coming and going in and out of my life. Drugs and rock and roll were inevitable, right? By the time I became a Christian at the age of 19, I was a very old man. That is why I always write and communicate with an emotional urgency. Jesus Christ, worshipping Him in His Church, and meeting the living Saints who inhabit heaven is a matter of spiritual life and death to me. On the surface, I am a large man in a brightly colored repairman’s uniform who sings to children about Jesus in funny ways. Be assured, I am very sober and serious about the importance of reassuring young children of God’s design for their lives and deep love for their souls. My wife and I have been married going on forty years. We have six kids, and eight grandchildren. When my inspiration starts to wane, their love and enthusiasm never fails to re-ignite me. I also feed deeply on classical music, my favorite being Beethoven and Mozart. I go often to the Kimmel here in Philly to hear the orchestra play live.

The song “The Donut Man,” with lyrics like “Life without Jesus is like a donut,” has become a theme for you - what is it that you’re trying to get across here? Are you a big donut fan? Why donuts?

Perhaps I have already answered that question. I would add that I also charge my young friends to consider that now it is their turn to “repair others.” If Jesus has touched your heart with faith, hope, and love, then you are now a member of “The Donut Repair Club.” It’s time to pass it on! Every one of my CD’s and videos amplifies God’s character using a Bible-based word-picture describing God’s indwelling Spirit and agenda. God is a King, a Father, a Soldier, a Farmer, a Shepherd, a Builder… the list goes on and on. When you invite Him into your heart, he not only forgives you for your sinful rebellion that produced the “hole” in your heart, he then undertakes to fill that void with Himself, and all of His wonderful characteristics.

I’m wondering what Rob Evans, the regular guy, does with his spare time. Any hobbies unrelated to your ministry?

I am a builder, plumber, and scuba diver. I just spent a couple of weeks forty feet down in the Caribbean, on an island called Bonaire. Cactus, donkeys, solitude and scuba. My idea of a good time.

You just returned from a trip overseas. What were you up to?

My wife and I met with a French schoolteacher, Jean Pierre Lagnel in the shadow of Notre Dame, Paris. We are helping him translate my work into the French language, as he is quite passionate about sharing Christ in French Guinea. I also love French fries, so I wanted a pilgrimage to pursue that.

Plans for the future of Donut Man?

I am mixing two new albums of songs as we speak.

Finally, the question everyone’s wondering the answer to: Do donuts go to heaven?

Only good donuts go to heaven. Krispy Kreme? Definitely!

10 Songs To My #25: Prescription Pills

Mon, 14 May 12 10:46:23 -0700

10 Songs to Myspace

There are a shitload of bands in Portland. Some of these bands are
great, some terrible and while some of these bands stick around, for
better or for worse, a lot of them disappear as quickly as they are
invented. I made this list of 10 of my favorite disbanded Portland
bands. Bands that for whatever reason just had to call it quits. A
lot of these bands only made a handful of recordings, many of which I could only find through Myspace, a weird electronic time capsule
forever preserving the songs, images and pictures of a 2004-2010
Portland. While scavenging through this graveyard I had a great time
listening to old recordings on profile pages, revisiting old show
flyers, and even lurking my own, embarrassing Myspace page. I can
still remember religiously checking Arya Imig’s calendar to find out
what shows were happening, posting bulletins, and searching for html codes to hide all comments. The good ol’ days. So here is “10 Songs to Myspace,” 10 of my favorite bands who I wish would get back together.

Cole Browning, Prescription Pills

Guidance Counselor - “Life Is Glass”
The Hunches - “As the Droning Fades On”
Whips and the Whales - “The Crusader”
Eat Skull - “Oregon Dreaming”
Hurah Hurah - “Lady”
Dinner and the Main Course - “The Religion Test”
Flaspar - “Self Described”
Breakfast Mountain - “Gunnz”
Explode Into Colors - “Train Station”
Fall of the Bastards - “The Day the Sun Went Cold”

First Taste | Stay Calm

Fri, 11 May 12 00:03:30 -0700

Stay Calm - “Let Me Clear My Throat”

Claudia from Stay Calm was kind enough to share this new track with us - a psychedelic duet featuring Zac Pennington.

No details yet on a release, but we’re kinda foaming at the mouth over here.

Stay Calm = Claudia Meza + Angela McIlvain + Benjamin Tyler

Remember when we took Explode Into Colors to a cabin in the woods? Neither do we.

STAND YOUR GROUND #2:

Thu, 10 May 12 23:33:42 -0700

Video: Stand Your Ground - #2

In honor of US Student Debt reaching 1 trillion dollars we present Stand Your Ground #2 “What Happens When You Sing In A Chase Bank”
For More Information On Student Debt Please Visit FinAid.Org

For more information on Peak Intern, please visit peakintern.tumblr.com

Leave Your House #54: May 11th-13th

Thu, 10 May 12 12:54:07 -0700

Bim's Graphs

Thu, 10 May 12 10:19:44 -0700

Like a Villain

Wed, 09 May 12 02:29:57 -0700

Video: Like a Villain - May 1st

Holland Andrews, Like A Villain, performs at the end site of the PDX May Day March.

10 Songs To My #23: Chrome Wings

Mon, 07 May 12 12:00:00 -0700

10 Songs to My Solar Party

As we cruise through 2012, the end of the Mayan calendar and countless predictions of the end of earth as we know it, solar flares continue to come dangerously close to our atmosphere awaiting the big hit in January of 2013.

Fear’s gone and only joy remains. Grab the bubbly and your 3D glasses.

Here’s 10 songs to swim in before the blackout…

Jon Jurow, Chrome Wings

Tom Tom Club - “This is a Foxy World”
The Cleaners From Venus - “This Rainy Day”
Chromatics -“Kill for Love”
Punks on Mars - “Showers of Pain”
The Chills - “Pink Frost”
Run DMT - “Richard”
OMD - “ABC Auto-Industry”
Co La - “White Silver Sands”
The Durutti Column - “Sketch for Dawn”
Brian Eno - “St. Elmo’s Fire”

DJ Secret Kebab

Fri, 04 May 12 14:30:02 -0700

Audio:DJ Secret Kebab - “ITW Quarterly May 3, 2012”

Original audio from Alparslan’s DJ set last night for the Into the Woods Quarterly at Holocene.

Leave Your House #53: Into the Woods Quarterly

Thu, 03 May 12 12:23:13 -0700

DADCHELLA

Wed, 02 May 12 11:21:00 -0700

Video: Dadchella 2012

Why do dads even go to Coachella?

Dads mostly seem to be interested in doing three things all weekend: Ignore the show they’re attending, leave the show they’ve been ignoring, or pack in some light reading. Coachella could truly be a dad heaven, but let’s face it, they’re killing the energy with every absentminded check of cargo pockets and fake-wisdom glare.

Yes, Dadchella offers a vast range of dads. This dad-pile can be loosely framed into three major groups. Most dads fit into this first category: Tuckered dads. By 2pm on Friday, these dads have been standing and walking for longer and farther than it takes to play 18 holes, and are desperately in need of some rest. In most cases, Tuckered’s will find safe, shaded reading areas, or expertly plot out the fastest route back to camp using their military training and an enlarged home-printed map of the grounds.

The second dadagory: Cool dads. Cool dads are just that – they’re people who go to Coachella to see shows. They know good music and rarely purchase hype. Usually you can pick cool dads out of the crowd by their semi-clever joke shirts, and their knowing goofiness.

The last category of dads brought their fucking infant kids. I will need a full research team and many more years of intensive study to feel comfortable making any assessment of the motivation behind these dad’s actions.

First Taste | Death Songs

Tue, 01 May 12 01:00:03 -0700

Death Songs - “Water in the Eyes of Man”

From the self-titled 7”, out on Exploding Green Records.

Feels Like Home with Death Songs, coming soon.

Leave Your House #52: April 27th-29th

Fri, 27 Apr 12 12:12:26 -0700

STAND YOUR GROUND #1:

Wed, 25 Apr 12 01:07:50 -0700

Video: STAND YOUR GROUND - #1

What Happens When You Sing Inside Of A Wells Fargo.

Demand A National Moratorium On Foreclosure

We shot this session a month ago in SF but we’re releasing it today in honor of the 300+ citizens who stood up and disrupted the Wells Fargo Shareholders meeting on April 24th, 2012.

Download MP3
STAND YOUR GROUND #1