ChrisMcKay.net
PRESS RELEASE – CHRIS MCKAY & THE CRITICAL DARLINGS
Date: May 19, 2004
“A good composer does not imitate; he steals.” Igor Stravinsky
Sir Issac Newton expressed the same concept when he spoke of seeing further on the shoulders of giants. Still, while violin virtuosos and fathers of physics have little trouble remembering to be humble, that's not so for rock and roll musicians. History has proved this time and again.
Enter Athens, Ga. based Chris McKay, a musician who fears not the recrimination of those who believe only ego fuels creativity. McKay chooses instead to honor the great bands who contributed to his love of sound by taking their work, adding to it, stripping from it and making it something new and original. “Do you hear that? It's (Prince's) “Purple Rain,” McKay said with aplomb recently at a rehearsal for his new band, The Critical Darlings. The song in question, which did, after repeated (and slowed) listen, bear a resemblance to the Purple One's opus, was the newly-penned “Taking Its Toll,” a version of which will be audience tested at upcoming shows in Athens rocker haunts Tasty World and during AthFest at The Roadhouse.
“Taking Its Toll” is part of a set-list that is largely comprised of material taken from McKay's newest solo effort The Towel Cape Album. After recording several of the album's songs last year and subsequently playing tracks for friends, McKay released the album with the caveat: “Don't expect this to be the last you hear of these songs. When I get the band together and tightened up, we'll go in and do a real album and this version will be phased out. Some of the songs may even go away all together.”
McKay is on the second stage now as the band, comprised of Tom Bavis (recently of Twain) on drums and Frank Defreese (formerly of Star Zero) on bass, has been officially pulled together and is in the process of tightening up. If rehearsals can be used to dictate the flavor of future live shows, audiences can expect music evocative of everything from Brian Eno-inspired trippy riffs to great anthemic guitar solos. Or, more appropriately, all of what McKay and his band love to listen to themselves.
And audiences will also get the privilege of supporting a guy who gave co-production credit on his album to his pet hermit crab, Admiral “Pinchy” Von Pinchenstein, who apparently contributed his opinion on songs by either staring or burying himself in the sand. How's that for humble?
• Sarah Lee
January 13, 2004
The Towel Cape Album Released!
On January 13, Athens, GA based Chris McKay released The Towel Cape Album. The recordings were originally done as home demos, but after coaxing and encouragement from those who heard the tracks, McKay decided to go ahead and release them. "Who am I to dictate when the songs are done? If people like the recordings as they are, why should I second guess? Plus...it saves a lot of bucks that would go into a studio," the singer-songwriter laughed. "Don't expect this to be the last you hear of these songs. When I get the band together and tightened up, we'll go in and do a real album and this version will be phased out. Some of the songs may even go away all together."
The songs for the record were chosen by a voting process. McKay recorded the songs at home, uploaded them to a page at his website, www.concertshots.com, and asked for unadulterated critiques of the material from any and every one that would participate. Surprised by the overwhelmingly positive responses, he decided to release a limited edition version of "the demos." About the process, he says: "I was completely blown away by the insight and ideas that people were willing to give me regarding my silly little songs. The input was incredible. I even remixed a few tracks in ways that I never would've thought of...just from ideas received by people online."
McKay didn't limit input to humans either. "One of my pet hermit crabs, Pinchy, seemed to really like the song "Impermanence." I watched his reaction as I was tracking the song. When I would do some things, he would bury himself. I took that as a bad sign. When I would do other things, he'd come out and stare toward me. I figured that was good. I learned that apparently, Pinchy thought distortion was a ruiner on that song, so I took it off and put a 12-string electric track on instead. Looking back, the crab was right. I gave him a co-production credit on the insert." Maybe The Towel Cape Album will go into the history books as the first recording to feature production from a crustacean.
You can order a copy of The Towel Cape Album online by clicking here!
