Mark Harvey's World

Rain Station albums NOW on iTunes, Amazon...

2012-01-25T18:25:00.000-08:00

Good evening everyone,

Well, I finally did it. I bit the (financial) bullet and got a bunch of Rain Station CDs up on iTunes, Amazon and other online merchants.
Digital downloads is the way to go and I hope that folks will unwittingly stumble upon the music, listen, like it and buy it. I feel really good about making this happen and soon enough I'm sure I'll do the same for my mopehead albums as well as my Halloween 'HauntScapes' (Pumpkinland I, II and III).

For now, go check out the music - tell your friends, neighbors, music lovers, lovers, whoever about this. Of course, it isn't like this music hasn't already been available for digital download, but I think having some new venues for the music certainly can't hurt.

Rain Station - we want to be EVERYWHERE! Put us on your iPod! Play us day and night! We want to share your life with you.

Rain Station - we love you...

OK, enough...

Mark Harvey
iTunes
Amazon
Google Android Market
last.fm
and also Spotify, Rhapsody and MySpace Music

The Life And Times at the Cafe du Nord

2012-01-24T18:12:00.000-08:00

Greetings friends and fiends,

Last night I saw The Life And Times at the Cafe du Nord. I'm still in awe as I write this...

Years ago I was turned onto The Life And Times by a fellow musician and friend. I instantly picked up every one of their albums (which is typically what I do when I find a band I really like). I had hoped they'd come to the Bay Area, but had heard they rarely did as crossing the Sierra Nevada is tough for a touring band. So I waited...

When they announced their tour in support of "No One Loves You Like I Do" I was very happy to see that not only were they coming to play San Francisco, but at the Cafe du Nord. Seeing a show on a Monday night isn't the easiest thing (I get up at 4:30 am each morning),but how in the world could I miss seeing these guys?

Upon arriving I picked up a t-shirt (gotta support the bands by purchasing merch).

The opening act was Time Spent Driving from Santa Cruz, CA.They played a very solid set. Bands like Time Spent Driving make me glad I get to shows early. They evidently haven't had a show in quite some time, but it didn't show. They mentioned an upcoming show in Santa Cruz so I'll be following them online to see when their next gig is. I'd like to see them again.

The Life And Times was up next. All I could think about when they were playing is how HUGE they sound. A three piece band isn't supposed to sound this big, right? Chris Metcalf is a monster behind the drums - solid, heavy and quite possibly one of the best drummers I've heard (and THAT is saying something) and with Eric Abert on bass they proved to be one hell of a rhythm section. Allen Epley's guitars, vocals, keyboards and assorted effects made for a dreamy wall of sound - a perfect cacophony that I can't seem to get enough of.

They played tracks from multiple albums and quite a bit of "No One Loves You Like I Do". I wanted more even though they played an incredible set. I could've watched this guys for hours.

I wish I could get down to San Diego to see these guys tonight. I'm telling you, if you are ANYWHERE near where these guys are playing... GO SEE THEM! Here is their tour schedule. I hope they make it back to the Bay Area. A band this incredible doesn't come along that often.
Check out some of their videos...you'll be a fan...

Find them on Facebook, MySpace, watch them on Guitar World or on Altpress.

They are HUGE and should be playing the largest venues out there. I feel fortunate to have seen them in a small venue. After the show I greeted Allen and passed along a greeting from my friend, Chris Frey. These guys are something truly special. Buy their music - merch and go see them live.

You'll be glad you did...

Mark Harvey

A Friend Of Yours

2012-01-23T18:01:00.000-08:00

Greetings friends,

I wrote "A Friend Of Yours" when my buddy Jay was living in New York. Jay has been known to travel and have amazing adventures. Since moving to the Bay Area decades ago Jay has left twice - once to New York and again to Maine. Each time he has returned. I believe the Bay Area has become his "home".

Yesterday he left for his third time - this time to the Philippines. I didn't get a chance to see him before he left. There were just too many obstacles that got in the way. Over the years it has become harder and harder to get together - kids, work, family. This fact was brought up in Rain Station's "Obstacles".

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://rainstation.bandcamp.com/track/obstacles"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Obstacles by Rain Station&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;
So now I'll wait - as Jay and I live on different shores until he returns to the Bay Area once again. Have a listen to "A Friend Of Yours"...
&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://mopehead.bandcamp.com/track/a-friend-of-yours"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;A Friend Of Yours by mopehead&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

I do hope he returns - the Bay Area isn't the same without him.

For now the Rain Station will be silent. No new music from the two of us, but I know "Underground" wasn't our last album. We've got a lot more to say and a lot more music in us. For now I'll have to be content with recording solo.

Travel safe, Jay E Moores and family...I'll miss ya!

Mark Harvey

Gravedigger

2012-01-18T18:57:00.000-08:00

Good evening,

I think about Halloween year round and I couldn't resist posting an old mopehead track called "Gravedigger" taken from an unreleased mopehead album. Of course, all of my tracks are available at Bandcamp (here).
Have a listen...get dark with me...
&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://mopehead.bandcamp.com/track/gravedigger"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Gravedigger by mopehead&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;
My intentions to record more music in 2012 has been a bit slow, but believe me...there WILL be more tracks. If you haven't already...check out the newest mopehead track...
&amp;lt;a href="http://mopehead.bandcamp.com/album/still-mopehead"&amp;gt;still...mopehead by mopehead&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;
Good night, friends and fiends...

Mark Harvey

OK, Android phone owners...this App is for YOU!

2012-01-13T18:13:00.000-08:00

Hello friends,

It is with great pride that I announce the launch of the Rain Station App for Android. Now both our Apple and Android phone fans can enjoy Rain Station wherever they go and the best part is the App is FREE.

Go get yourself some Rain Station here (for Android) and here (for Apple).

Thank you!

Mark Harvey

Happy Friday the 13th

2012-01-13T17:13:00.000-08:00

Friday the 13th is here again - the first of three in 2012. I've posted this in years past, but since the number thirteen is my favorite I can't promote the number enough...OK? So here goes (again)...
Is Friday the 13th unlucky? I've never thought so. Then again, 13 is my favorite number and I am no Paraskevidekatriaphobic. I read this article as well as heard a lot on my drive into work about the number 12 and how perfect it is and how 13 must be imperfect if 12 is.

People at work yesterday kept telling me..."Well, tomorrow is YOUR day!" to that I replied..."What, you mean Friday? Halloween is MY day!". I guess everyone thinks it is cute...the boss is a spooky guy...likes Halloween and 13. And who doesn't like Fridays?

Some time ago I found this interesting "info" on the number 13.

A Journey Into The Number 13

In The Great Seal of the United States, which can be found on the back of the dollar bill, the number 13 is used 13 times. The Bald Eagle was selected as a symbol for victory for two reasons: first, he is not afraid of a storm; he is strong and he is smart enough to soar above it. Secondly, he wears no material crown. We had just broken from the King of England. Also, notice the shield is unsupported. This country can now stand on its own. At the top of that shield you have a white bar signifying congress, a unifying factor. We were coming together as one nation. In the Eagle's beak you will read, "E PLURIBUS UNUM," meaning "one nation from many people." Above the Eagle you have thirteen stars representing the thirteen original colonies, and any clouds of misunderstanding rolling away (13 clouds around the stars). Again, we were coming together as one. Notice what the Eagle holds in his talons. He holds an olive branch and arrows. This country wants peace, but we will never be afraid to fight to preserve peace. The Eagle always wants to face the olive branch, but in time of war, his gaze turns toward the arrows.

They say that the number 13 is an unlucky number. This is almost a worldwide belief. You will usually never see a room numbered 13, or any hotels or motels with a 13th floor. But, think about this:13 original colonies, 13 signers of the Declaration of Independence, 13 stripes on our flag, 13 steps on the Pyramid, 13 letters in the Latin word "Annuit Coeptus" above, 13 letters in "E Pluribus Unum", 13 stars above the Eagle, 13 clouds around the stars, 13 plumes of feathers on each span of the Eagle's wing, 13 bars on that shield, 13 leaves on the olive branch, 13 olives on the branch, and if you look closely, 13 arrows. And the number of letters (13 x 3) in the title: "The Coat of Arms of the United States of America".

On Miles Davis's 13th birthday, his parents gave him a trumpet.

Thirteen is the death card in the Tarot deck.

The Friday the 13th club used to meet religiously in obscure places each and every Friday the 13th. The club was to self destruct in accordance with the wishes of it founder on last Friday the 13th in October of 2000. The club was founded in 1936.

Many hotels and apartment buildings do not have a 13th Floor.

People don't like to travel on any given Friday the 13th, and tickets are always easy to get.

13 Bloody Sunday. On January 30, 1972 (Bloody Sunday), 13 unarmed civilians were shot and killed in Belfast when British troops clashed with Roman Catholic demonstrators, causing retaliatory actions by guerrillas in Northern Ireland and demonstrations south of the border.

According to the American Mathematical Monthly, the 13th is more likely to fall on a Friday than on any other day.

In ancient times, Friday the 13th was a sacred and festive day celebrated by women before it was invalidated and condemned by the ancient patriarchy. Thirteen was the number of lunar revolutions in a year, thus a feminine number. And Friday, derived its name from Freyja, the Norse goddess of love and fertility, the Nordic Venus. Thus Friday the 13th was devoted to that goddess.

Napoleon, Herbert Hoover, and Franklin D. Roosevelt all would not dine with 13 at the table.
The most frequent explanation of the superstitions that sitting thirteen at a dinner table may prove unlucky or fatal is that it summons up the ominous memory of the story of Jesus and his twelve apostles at the Last Supper: "Jesus answered them, Have I not chosen you twelve apostles, and one of yours is a devil? He spoke of Judas Iscariot. For he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve" (John 6:70-71)

O.J. Simpson and the number 13. O.J. Simpson and Nicole Simpson were officially divorced on July 13, 1993. Nicole Simpson and Ronald Goldman each had 13 letters in their names. Their dead bodies were discovered in Brentwood on June 13, 1995.

The British Medical Journal released a study evaluating the number of hospitalizations on Friday the 13th. It found that falls, animal bites, poisonings, and car accidents were more numerous on that date. And the journal found it impossible to say whether the day itself was unlucky or that the psychological weight attached tot hat date made people more susceptible to those accidents.

Negative prophecies, after all, are always goads for dire consequences.
Many believe that 12 is the perfect number. It is often symbolizes totality, perfection, a completion: the twelve signs of the zodiac, the twelve gods of Olympus, the twelve tribes of Israel, the twelve Imams, the twelve Gates of Heaven, the twelve months of the year, the twelve hours of the day, the twelve-tone musical scale, the twelve subatomic building blocks quarks and leptons now believed to constitute all the material world. Into these systems, the number 13 brings a kind of instability, an element of intrusiveness, confusion, un-canniness and disorder.
In the Mo system of Tibetan divination, the number 13 is said to belong to Penden Lhomo, the Tibetan form of the Buddhist goddess Sri Devil, the fierce protectress of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan state. In this system of divination, three dice are thrown, which can result in numbers from 3 to 18. The number 12 is the unluckiest, the number 13 is the most favorable.
There are said to be 13 stages to Buddha hood consisting of ten bodhisattva stages and three additional pre-Buddhist stages.

"M" is the thirteenth letter of the alphabet and it also stands for marijuana.

The 13 House. In 1884, Sarah Winchester, the Winchester Rifle heiress, began constructing of her lifelong obsession, the 160-room Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California. Mrs. Winchester, who had lived in New Haven, Connecticut, was deeply upset by the death of her husband and daughter (he from pulmonary tuberculosis, she from marasmus one month after birth), and she consulted a medium. Supposedly the medium explained that the spirits of all those who had been killed by the rifles her manufactured had sought their revenge by taking the lives of her loved ones. Furthermore, these spirits had placed a curse on her and would haunt her forever. But the medium also stated that she could escape the curse by moving west, buying a house, and continually building on it as the spirits directed. In this way, she could escape them and perhaps find the key to eternal life.
One of the most extraordinary features of the house is the role that the number 13 plays in it. A partial list of the 13's in the house include:

13 cement blocks in the Carriage Entrance Hall.
13 Blue and amber stones in the spider web window.
13 bathrooms.
13 panels in the wall by the 13th bathroom
13 windows in the 13th bathroom.
13 steps to the 13th bathroom
13 windows and doors in the old sewing room.
13 hooks in the SÃ©ance Room.
13 Ever-Flow drain holes in the Italian Sink.
13 rails by the spy hole in the South Conservatory.
13 steps on the 1st flight to the fourth floor.
13 ceiling panels in the Entrance Hallway.
13 sub-panels in the ballroom ceiling panels.
13 glass cupolas in the greenhouse.
13 holes in the drain-hole cover.
13 gas jets on the Ballroom Chandelier
13 stones in the Oriental Bedroom windows.
13 squares on each side of the Otis Electric Elevator.

On April 13, 1984, the Winchester Mystery House officially celebrated on hundreds years of Mystery, with the help of the Mountain Charlie Chapter No. 1850 of E Campus Vitus, by unveiling a special 100th Anniversary Plaque commemorating Sarah Winchester and the Winchester Mystery House for "100 years of Mystery". At 1300 hours (1:00 P.M.), the bell in Mrs.. Winchester's bell tower was rung 13 times; and at the conclusion of the celebration, 1,300 balloons were released into the air. There are 13 parts to Sarah Winchester's will; her signature appears in it 13 times.

Between June 1962 and January 1964, Albert H. DeSalvo, known as the Boston Strangler, killed 13 women in Boston, Massachusetts. Tried and convicted in 1967, he was murdered in his jail cell.

On the evening of Friday the 13th in January 1995, the iconoclastic artist Ray Johnson jumped from a highway bridge over Sag Harbor Cove in Long Island, New York, and was last seen by two teenage boys backstroking in the freezing waters. Several hours before his death, Johnson checked into a nearby motel and specifically asked for room #247, whose digits add up to 13, as do the digits of the time he was spotted in the water by the two boys, 7:15 p.m., and as do the digits in his age, 67. (The day before his death, Ray Johnson had phoned a friend and told him, "I have a new project, the biggest I've ever undertaken, the most important in my life".)

On September 13, 1993, Yasir Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin shook hands on the White House lawn in Washington D.C., after signing a declaration of agreement on interim Palestinian self-rule.
Agamemnon was murdered by his wife, Clytemnestra, on the 13th of Gamelion (January)
Odysseus, the 13th of his group of companions, is the only one to have escaped the devouring appetite of the Cyclops Polyphemus.
The Amazon Queen Minythyla tried to mate with Alexander the Great during a period of 13 days.
Oenomaus, the father of Hippodamia, killed 13 of her suitors before Pelops won her.
Phillip II of Macedonia was assassinated shortly after he allowed a statue of himself to be erected along with those of the 12 gods of Olympus, making 13 statues in all.
Thirteen is to be considered the age of puberty, and the first transition into "teen-hood".

That 13 brings ill-luck is mere tradition,Yea, even more, it's foolish superstition-For 13, lucky number runs,Through all our Country's ripening suns-Tis for Our Land and omen good-For Peace-Liberty-Brotherhood!
--From Lucky13, a mini-epic written by Maurice Walter in 1919

The 13 American colonies banded together to revolt against England and formed the United States Of America. The Declaration of Independence was signed by 13 representatives, and a flag with the 13 stars was made on January13, 1794. France announced support for the 13 colonies on June 13, 1778.
Thomas Jefferson was born on April 13, 1743
The 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which declares, "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall exist within the United States." Mississippi was the last of the nine Civil War holdout-states to approve the amendment.

The ill-fated Apollo 13 mission was launched on April 11, 1970, at 13:13 hours Central Time from Pad 39 (13 x 3), and had to be aborted on April 13 after the explosion of an oxygen tank serving the command ship. Three of the sleeping periods scheduled for the astronauts were supposed to start at 13 minutes past the hour, as was the possible splashdown times. The film Apollo 13 grossed $26 million (13 x 2) in its first weekend showings in the United States.

When Princess Margaret was born in Scotland's Glamis Castle on August 21, 1930, palace officials delayed the registration of her birth for three days until another baby was born, so that the princess' registration number wouldn't be 13.
When Queen Elizabeth II paid a visit to West Germany in 1965, the number of the platform at they Duisburg railway station, from which she was about to depart, was changed from 13 to 12A.
When Spanish princess Elena de Bourbon celebrated her marriage on March 18, 1995, to the banker Jaime de Marichalar y Saenz de Tejada, he participated in an old Castilian custom by ritually pouring 13 gold coins into the hands of his bride as a sign that their goods would be held in common. (bienes con juntos)
The French monarch Louis XIII, who declared the number 13 to be his favorite number, married Anna of Austria when she was 13 years old.
The Sun and the Moon are in almost a perfect 13 to 1 ratio. The Sun moves approximately one degree a day, while the moon moves thirteen degrees a day. All of this has made 13 a moon number (13 moons in a lunar year), and 12 a sun number (12 months to a calendar year)
The number 13 bus in London remained unharmed throughout World War II.

So how's about that all you #13 lovers!?!

Mark Harvey
A 13th Number Fan

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T06:14:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

May this new year bring many opportunities your way, to explore every joy of life and may your resolutions for the days ahead stay firm, turning all your dreams into reality and all your efforts into great achievements.
Happy New Year to you and your loved ones.

My best,

Mark Harvey

Heard the new mopehead track?

2011-12-30T18:15:00.000-08:00

So...time for some shameless self promotion...

After years and years I've put out a new solo track called "take your time"...please, if you have a moment, have a listen to the track and let me know what you think.

&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://mopehead.bandcamp.com/album/still-mopehead"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;still...mopehead by mopehead&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;
I value your feedback.

Thank you,

Mark Harvey

take your time

2011-12-28T18:05:00.000-08:00

Greetings and good evening,

Tonight I am pretty stoked to be able to unleash some new mopehead music on you.

It has been a LONG time since I've recorded any mopehead tracks. I think it has been somewhere around 8 or 9 years. Too long. Special thanks to my wife who bought me an Apogee One to hook up to my iPad 2 and with a few other pieces (and Garage Band) I threw this track together.
This song is called "take your time" from the upcoming NEW mopehead album "still...mopehead". I'm going to work hard towards busting this project out and then do all that I can to keep it up. There are some limitations to this recording process - only 8 tracks - and I'll need to see about using my other gear, but for now the ability to record guitar, bass, drums, vocals and piano is amazing.
Have a listen...let me know what you think...it'll get better...
&amp;lt;a href="http://mopehead.bandcamp.com/album/still-mopehead"&amp;gt;still...mopehead by mopehead&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;
Mark Harvey

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T03:56:00.000-08:00

Greetings,

I find myself reflecting on the past year and on those who have spent time with me and my blog. I value your readership and look forward to spending another year with you here at Mark Harvey's World. I wish you and yours a very happy Holiday Season and a New Year filled with peace and prosperity.

All my best,

Mark Harvey

The Screaming Paisleys LIVE on KSCU

2011-12-19T17:39:00.000-08:00

Greetings friends,

As the Holiday season RAGES on I find myself blogging less and less (even though I have the best intentions). What snapped me out of my Holiday fervor was a VERY nice gift that came in the mail for me. A gentleman by the name of Jonathan Bell got in touch with me..."I was a big fan of your band The Screaming Paisleys. I saw you perform a few times at the Pony Express and at the Omni, and I still have your LP. Anyway, I was going through some old cassettes and came across a recording of The Screaming Paisleys live on KSCU that I recorded off the airwaves. I'm sure you have a lot of old cool recordings, but if you are missing this one and are interested I can send you copy - it's already digitized.
I'm checking out your other projects now. I always thought you had a really cool guitar sound.
Okay, take care and stay creative"

Needless to say I was ecstatic! Somewhere in my things I think (I THINK) I may have some live recordings of The Screaming Paisleys, but who knows. Then out of the blue here comes a LIVE CD of The Screaming Paisleys with songs on it that weren't recorded in the studio, something I think about often (all the bands, all the songs never recorded).

Anyhow, I've put it all up on Bandcamp (here) for you to hear. The vocals are PAINFULLY hard to listen to and I have had a hard time getting around that, but musically it is fun to hear the band live again. So (at your own risk) enjoy The Screaming Paisleys LIVE from KSCU studios in Santa Clara, CA.
So...Have a listen below - drop a line - and Happy Holidays!

&amp;lt;a href="http://thescreamingpaisleys.bandcamp.com/album/the-screaming-paisleys-live-on-kscu"&amp;gt;The Screaming Paisleys LIVE on KSCU by The Screaming Paisleys&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;
Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Thank You (and Thanksgiving)

2011-11-24T07:07:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving Friends and Fiends,

There is MUCH to be thankful for. I am thankful for my friends and family, my job, my home and my car. I am thankful for those who read this blog and comment and for those who read and do not.

Here's a track taken from the Nobody Records Sampler Volume 1 CD called "Thank You". It is an instrumental track with samples of Richard McGhee Star Vocalist that were taken from "Halloween at the Rain Station".

&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://mopehead.bandcamp.com/track/thank-you"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Thank You by mopehead&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

I just wanted to say, "Thank You"...

Mark Harvey

Dot 3, Neosoreskin, Bad Dog Sit - Reunion Triple Header

2011-11-21T18:57:00.000-08:00

Hey there...
So how's it goin'? Good I hope. So I went to go see Dot 3, Neosoreskin and Bad Dog Sit on Friday night at the Blank Club in San Jose and I had a great time. Let me rewind a tad...

Back on April 20th (420) I wrote a post about Dot 3 (here) as I prepared to go see Cypress Hill and celebrate the 11th anniversary of the release of Rain Station's "Stonedozer" CD (here) with Jay. As I said in that post I was a big fan of Dot 3 (still am) and thanks to some video footage I was able to check 'em out "live" when I got the hankerin'. I digitally encoded their LP years ago and their tracks pop up on the iPod now and again. Good times.

On September 30th I got a comment on my Dot 3 blog post from Mike Freitas, the drummer in Dot 3 thanking me for the kind words and support back when they were active and letting me know about their show on November 18th. Needless to say I immediately bought tickets. Soon after Mike's email I got an email from Kenny Schick, the guitarist in Dot 3 (Kenny also plays sax) who gave me an update on where the guys from the band are and some links to the music he's working on. We traded a couple emails and it was good to hear what Kenny's been working on. Check it out here.

From their Facebook invite:"After 2 decades, one of the most popular bay area bands of the 80's will reunite for this epic show. Also reuniting will be the amazing and zany Neosoreskin and the fun and furious Bad Dog Sit. The capacity of the club is only 300, so get tics before they sell out! sounds like folks will be coming in from all over the country for this one...."
Upon entering the club (and after grabbing a beer) I made my way over to the "table" and bought a copy of the Dot 3 "Special Reissue for 2011 Reunion Show". Even though I had digitally encoded their LP years ago I wanted it for collector purposes (and there were four more songs on it). Worth every penny!
First off was Bad Dog Sit. They were a fun party band. Check 'em out...(video from the 90's)...

Funny guys and a great set. It is always important to me to see the opening act since you never know what you're gonna miss. Glad I got to see these guys.

Next up was Neosoreskin - and they were fantastic. "Led by former Skankin' Pickle vocalist/bassist Mike Mattingly, the San Jose, California-based ska revival band Neosoreskin also included guitarist Gordon Gurley, saxophonists Ken Schick and Swampy Dave Ryle, trombonist Dave Watrous (who didn't make this show) and drummer Mike "1/2 Moon" Freitas."

Check out their music on iTunes (and support 'em by buying their music). Neosoreskin played a great set and their carnival style ska was awesome. Incredible stage presence! Kenny, Mike and Swampy (all in Dot 3) were fantastic and it was great seeing Mike "Mr. Clean" Mattingly tear it up again.

Then...the moment we were all waiting for! After 20 years Dot 3 was about to take the stage. I was absolutely thrilled to be there and was feeling a tad bit giddy.

They played an amazing set (set list to the left). Time has done wonders for these guys. The beats were heavier, the horn section was nothing short of stupendous - essentially they sounded better than I remembered (and I was a huge fan and thought they were flawless back in the day). How does that happen? Musicians mature and like a fine wine Dot 3 has aged impeccably. The crowd drank it up. They played a million dollar set. After each song I had a huge grin on my face.

These guys were back and better than ever. I can't say enough about them - Mark Renner's bass lines were slammin', Kenny Schick is a guitar GOD, Mike Freitas is one of the heaviest and most incredible drummers I've seen in a long time and then there's Christopher Sharron - another guitar GOD, the horn section was seriously one of the best I've heard (Dave "Swampy" Ryle on sax, Jim McKenzie on trumpet, Christ Mondt on trombone, Les Harris on sax, Jackie Watson on trumpet) and some nice added percussion from Mike Vondran. It was one of the finest lineups and best shows I've been to...ever...

After the show I wondered if this was a one time thing or if they'd be playing any more shows. A band as good as this one should keep it together. Sure, people grow up, move on, move away, but these guys were pure magic on stage.

Two guys were videotaping the show (check out the sound check of "Great Big Fish" here) and I sure hope someone was recording off the soundboard. If this is the last time Dot 3 plays together there needs to be a record of it.

I asked Christopher Sharron if I could take the set list (man, that takes me back - I have a huge collection of set lists from back in the day) and he obliged.
I do hope they play again.

The next day I popped the CD into my car and played it for my five year old son. Well, folks, we have a new Dot 3 fan. He kept asking me to play it over and over again. Later that night "99 Monkeys" came on the iPod and my son ran up to my wife and said, "Hey Mama...that's Dot 3...Daddy saw them last night...aren't they COOL?".

Yes, son...they ARE cool.

Thanks Dot 3 for a memorable evening and for keeping the beat alive for the next generation. I hope it doesn't take 20 more years for you guys to play again.

Blessing to all of you,

Mark Harvey

Dot 3 show THIS FRIDAY!!!

2011-11-17T18:25:00.000-08:00

Greetings friends and fiends...

Just a quick post to talk about an upcoming show I am really excited about...DOT 3!!!

I wrote about Dot 3 (here) and they found my blog and let me know about this gig. With the post Halloween blues and the pre-Thanksgiving rush I realized I failed to write about the show so with ONE DAY LEFT I'm going to get the word out. GO!"After 2 decades, one of the most popular bay area bands of the 80's will reunite for this epic show. Also reuniting will be the amazing and zany Neosoreskin and the fun and furious Bad Dog Sit. The capacity of the club is only 300, so get tics before they sell out! sounds like folks will be coming in from all over the country for this one...."

You can purchase tickets here and learn more about it on Facebook (here).

DOT 3
with NEOSORESKIN and BAD DOG SIT
Friday, Nov 18, 2011 8:00 PM PST (8:00 PM Doors)
at Blank Club
44 S Almaden Ave
San Jose, CA 95113

If you can make the show be sure to look for me and say "hello". I'll be wearing my Pumpkinland Studios/Nobody Records jacket.

Can't WAIT to see these guys live again!!!

Mark Harvey

Live Spook Shows

2011-11-08T21:12:00.000-08:00

Post Halloween hangover...

Why does it EVER have to end?

Mark Harvey

Halloween Music - HAVE A LISTEN!

2011-10-31T10:31:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!!!

Put some time into creating the right atmos-fear with SOUND.
If you are in need - guess what? I've GOT what you need. Have a listen - it doesn't cost anything and you can download the music fast and easy or you can just turn up your computer speakers and stream these CDs for free. Of course, if you like the tracks you can always download 'em (you know I'll appreciate that).
Pumpkinland is the original "hauntscape" I recorded back in 1999 for my first home haunt
&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://markharvey.bandcamp.com/album/pumpkinland"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Pumpkinland by Mark Harvey&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;
Pumpkinland II followed in 2000 and was recorded due to the incredible success I had with the original "hauntscape".
&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://markharvey.bandcamp.com/album/pumpkinland-ii"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Pumpkinland II by Mark Harvey&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;
Pumpkinland III was recorded in 2001 and was recorded to complete the trilogy.
&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://markharvey.bandcamp.com/album/pumpkinland-iii"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Pumpkinland III by Mark Harvey&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;
Each Pumpkinland Halloween "Hauntscape" can be downloaded for $10 each. Money well spent.

Check 'em out and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

Mark Harvey

Halloween Safety Tips

2011-10-31T05:11:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post...Halloween safety...

Have fun!

Mark Harvey

October 30th....I love my October Bride

2011-10-30T13:23:00.000-07:00

Greetings readers, lurkers and fiends,

Seven years ago today I married my wife. In hindsight I think we both would have preferred to pick a different day for our wedding anniversary. There's always so much to do to get ready for Halloween (if you're like me) and our anniversary doesn't get the attention it deserves (we try, we try). We did manage to steal away to San Diego this past week and I'm sure we'll do what we can to make our anniversary special.

I love you honey, Happy Anniversary.

So since we're talking October brides...have a listen to "October's Bride" off Rain Station's DARK RIDE CD.

If you've not taken the time to check out the DARK RIDE videos, please do. Visit JackoLantern.org or click the links below....

CANDY

HAUNTED MAN
MONSTER HUNTER
DARK RIDE
and the BONUS track "IT'S HALLOWEEN"

Happy Anniversary to my lovely wife and Happy 30th of October. TOMORROW is THE day! HALLOWEEN PEOPLE!!!!

Mark Harvey

Rain Station - DARK RIDE videos

2011-10-29T22:31:00.000-07:00

Greetings!

Have you had a chance to check out these videos yet? If not, here they are again... videos Jay made for our Rain Station DARK RIDE CD.

JackOLantern.ORG Animation from J.E.Moores on Vimeo.

Please enjoy the fun Halloweenie cartoons and please, purchase the CD if you haven't already. It is available for download on iTunes (here), at Bandcamp (here) and for a physical copy of the CD pick it up at 13thTrack.com Halloween Radio (here).

Halloween is nearly upon US!

Mark Harvey

Halloween Music : TV Tunes

2011-10-29T20:07:00.000-07:00

Television theme songs have to be included in any list of Halloween music. These songs have a way of imbedding in our brains, working into our subconscious. Theme songs set up the program, lead to commercials and leave us humming well after the show has ended. Even the youngest viewer can recite lyrics or hum the instrumental of beloved shows. Here I discuss some of my favorites and their memorable television theme songs.

The original Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? was my favorite cartoon, and its theme one of my beloved songs. CBS first aired Scooby-Doo September 13, 1969. Fred Silverman, head of Children’s Programming at the time, was looking for a show to break the network’s superhero cartoon rut and move into cartoons with more comedy and adventure. He was seeking a combination of the popular 1940’s radio show I Love a Mystery and the 1959-1963 sitcom The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. Silverman and Joe Barbera, of the Hanna-Barbera team, came up with the working title "House of Mystery" and took the idea to Hanna-Barbera writers, Ken Spears and Joe Rudy. Spears and Rudy worked on characters, plots and story lines. Initially the story line involved four teenaged detectives who traveled the country in a van called the Mystery Machine solving mysteries. A Great Dane was the fifth member of the crew, but did not play a large role in these plots. Originally titled ‘Mystery’s Five’ the name was changed to ‘Who’s Scared?’ and presented to CBS management as a new Saturday morning cartoon. CBS president Frank Stanton rejected the show because he felt the artwork was too frightening for younger viewers. Still trying to salvage the idea, Silverman flew back to Los Angeles that night, and while listening to airline music on the flight back he was struck by the phrase "Scooby-dooby-doo" from Frank Sinatra’s Strangers in the Night. "We’ll call the show Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? and we’ll make the dog the star of the show," he told Hanna-Barbera. And the show as we know it was created. The theme music for the first two aired episodes was composed by legend Hoyt S. Curtin, theme composer of The Flintstones, The Jetsons and many memorable television and cartoon themes. The more notable "Scooby-Dooby-Doo" theme song, written by David Mook and Ben Raleigh and sung by Larry Marks was recorded on Wednesday and aired the following Saturday, September 27, 1969. The Scooby-Doo format changed in 1972 and Hanna-Barbera created the Scooby-Doo movies, which aired on ABC, and featured guest stars such as the Addams Family, Phyllis Diller, Jonathan Winters, Don Knotts, and Laurel and Hardy. After seven years at CBS the Scooby-Doo series moved to ABC in 1976. ABC wanted a new theme song that reflected the current music scene so Hoyt Curtin worked with Hanna-Barbera to compose the disco theme for The Scooby-Doo Show. There are many versions of the Scooby-Doo theme recorded for various shows and movies by Mathew Sweet, The B-52’s, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Billy Ray Cyrus and Third Eye Blind. But my favorite version is the Mook/Raleigh version we all have come to know as the original Scooby-Doo theme.

I love The Munsters. Joe Connelly and Bob Mosher, creative forces behind The Amos & Andy Show and Leave It to Beaver, developed, wrote and produced The Munsters which debuted on CBS September 24, 1964. Jack Marshall, one of Capitol’s top producers in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s wrote the theme song, which was nominated for a Grammy, with little known lyrics by Bob Mosher. An influential Hollywood guitarist, arranger, composer and conductor, Marshall scored music for television and was an arranger for Peggy Lee and Judy Garland. There are a few versions of The Munsters theme arranged by Marshall, including the pilot theme, the first 1964 arrangement and the final 1964-1966 arrangement. Marshall’s untimely passing at age 51 prompted a scholarship fund for young guitarists to be created in his name at the University of Southern California, where he is credited with starting their guitar program. Billy Strange, Comateens and Los Straitjackets have recorded versions of this classic television theme. This theme is one of the best Halloween instrumentals of all time.

Don Kirshner was president of Columbia Pictures-Screen Gem’s (CP-SG) music division when he assigned Jack Keller and Howard Greenfield to view the pilot for Bewitched and write the theme in 1964. The pilot used Frank Sinatra’s Witchcraft but (CP-SG) didn’t want to pay Sinatra for rights to the Witchcraft recording. Keller and Greenfield needed to write something with the same vibe, and they had only a week to write the song, record the demo and get it form California to New York. The song was readily accepted and the decision was made to use an instrumental rather than vocal version to enhance the Hanna-Barbera animated main title sequence. The first instrumental version was a light orchestral arrangement by series composer Warren Barker. The xylophone signature for Samantha’s trademark nose-scrunch was Barker’s idea and was incorporated into the main title for the second season. Talk of a vocal version was squashed when the studio didn’t want to spend $2,500 to pay crooner Jerry Vale. The animation and music for Bewitched changed slightly during its 1964-1972 ABC Primetime run. Alternate versions of the Bewitched theme have been performed by Peggy Lee, Steve Lawrence, The Earl Klugh Trio and 60’s Hammond organ master Jimmy Smith, to name a few. Bewitched is always a crowd pleaser with its fun, jazzy vibe and smooth feel.

Alfred Hitchcock presents, the 30-minute television series that aired October 2, 1955 to September 6, 1965, was the brainchild of Hitchcock’s friend and ex-agent Lou Wasserman, president of MCA. Alfred Hitchcock presents was one of the longest-running shows in television history, winning two Emmys and receiving 17 Emmy nominations. Hitchcock chose the classical novelty Marche Funèbre d'une Marionnette (Funeral March of the Marionette) composed in 1873 by French composer Charles Gonoud. The song was adapted and arranged over the years by many composers starting with Stanley J.Wilson, Music Director of MCA-Revue Studios (the TV wing of MCA-Universal Studios). Stan Wilson was a key figure in Hollywood’s music industry in the 1950s and 1960s and started the careers of several young composers including Dave Grusin, Quincy Jones and Lalo Schifrin. In 1960 the theme was credited to arrangers Dave Kahn and Melvyn Lenard. Kahn became music supervisor for the Filmways TV shows and Lenard was the pseudonym of publisher David Marvin Gordon, who wanted a piece of the royalties. In the fall of 1962 episodes expanded to an hour, and the title was changed to The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. The theme was adapted and arranged by Lyn Murray (the pseudonym of Lionel Breeze). Murray had scored Hitchcock’s To Catch a Thief. The Lyn Murray Orchestra played with Bing Crosby, the Dorsey Brothers and Louis Armstrong. His personal diary detailing the New York and Hollywood Film and TV social scene was published in 1987: Musician – a Hollywood Journal. Bernard Herrmann arranged and adapted the theme a fourth time in 1964 opening the second hour-long season. In Herrmann's arrangement the melody was transposed up a diatonic third. He also composed music for many of Hitchcock’s films including Psycho, Vertigo, North by Northwest, The Trouble with Harry, The Man Who Knew Too Much, Marnie and Torn Curtain. Hitchcock’s choice of theme song shows his self-amused attitude toward the joke that was his public persona. Funeral March of the Marionette will forever be linked to the fun and frolic of Halloween.

"There is nothing wrong with your television set…" those chilling words were first heard September 16, 1963. Outer Limits terrified audiences on ABC Primetime from 1963 until 1965. Leslie Stevens, president of Daystar Productions, and Joseph Stefano, scriptwriter for Hitchcock's Psycho and Marnie, developed Outer Limits in 1962 in attempt to compete with CBS’s The Twilight Zone. Composer and leading jazz accordionists Dominic Frontiere penned the first theme for the series. This was Frontiere’s first major achievement as a composer. He was also a production executive for the show. Frontiere’s main title theme and the music he wrote for the series are some of the most incredible and innovative scoring ever on television. It is also some of the creepiest. Frontiere is known for his film scores Hang ‘Em High (which Booker T & the MGs made into a top ten hit) and television scores like The Invaders. He, Stefano and Stevens left the series in 1964 after a crippling time-slot change and serious issues regarding funding. Frontiere became head of Paramount’s music department and won a Golden Globe his composition for The Stunt Man. Harry Lubin replaced Frontiere as series music director and replaced the main theme music and spooky melodies. A Lubin composition called ‘Weird’ had been used in Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond and this replaced the Outer Limits theme to save money. The track is almost unaltered from its original version used on One Step Beyond. Lubin is probably best known as composing for The Loretta Young Show and for the motion pictures Disaster, Wyoming Mail, Waterfront at Midnight, Mr. Reckless, Caged Fury and Tibet. Frontiere and Lubin’s compositions helped achieve that extra level of fright that Outer Limits enjoyed.

Whether you enjoy cartoons, sit-coms, murder mysteries or aliens and paranormal exploits, television themes are part of our musical Halloween celebration. Creating music that will be heard week after week, season after season isn’t easy. A successful theme song will outlast syndication and transcend the show it represented. A memorable theme song is a true work of art, a stroke of genius. I hope you have enjoyed learning about of these geniuses. Mark Harvey is a Halloween music enthusiast and archivist. Mark owns and operates NobodyRecords.com, HauntScapes.com, Pumpkinland Studios and 13thTrack.com Halloween Radio plus a number of Halloween and non-Halloween related websites. His own Halloween releases include the Pumpkinland Halloween ‘HauntScape’ Trilogy and Rain Station’s DARK RIDE.
Article from Happy Halloween Magazine Volume 5/Issue 2 & 3 – Autumn 2002
Visit Halloweenalliance.com for magazine information

Halloween Cartoons

2011-10-28T20:03:00.000-07:00

If you haven't noticed already, Halloween is my favorite time of year. Something about the October sky. The air. The rustling leaves. The Halloween cartoons!

If you haven't already purchased them, be sure to buy "Mad Monster Party", "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" and "The Nightmare Before Christmas" this season. Sure beats waiting around for them to air on TV!
I can remember when I was a kid (before VCRs and DVDs) sifting through the TV Weekly trying to find out when "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" was going to be on TV. "Mad Monster Party" hardly ever played on TV (due to its running time) so I was elated when it became available on DVD. "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" really captures what Halloween was like for me growing up. The story line: Charlie Brown is thrilled to have been at last invited to a costume party. His costume consists of a bed sheet with far too many holes in it (very befitting of Charlie Brown). Snoopy's costume consists of the goggles and scarf of a World War I flying ace. He is in search of his nemesis, the Red Baron. Linus prepares for the arrival of The Great Pumpkin, whom he believes will rise from the pumpkin patch and deliver presents to all good little boys and girls who believe in him. In the end, Charlie Brown finds himself with a treat bag full of rocks; Snoopy once more fails to bring the Red Baron down; and Linus spends the entire night in a pumpkin patch, waiting in vain for the arrival of the Great Pumpkin. This the second of Lee Mendelson and Bill Melendez' animated Peanuts specials, the 30-minute "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" was first telecast October 27, 1966.

Tim Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas" is based on characters created by Burton, the former Disney animator best known as the director of "Pee Wee's Big Adventure", "Beetlejuice", "Edward Scissorhands", and the first two "Batman" movies. This a story of Halloweentown resident Jack Skellington (voice by Danny Elfman, who also wrote the songs), who stumbles on a strange and fascinating alternative universe called ... Christmastown! Directed by Henry Selick (who later made the delightful "James and the Giant Peach"), this PG-rated is suited for kids of all ages. As Roger Ebert noted in his review, "some of the Halloween creatures might be a tad scary for smaller children, but this is the kind of movie older kids will eat up; it has the kind of offbeat, subversive energy that tells them wonderful things are likely to happen."

For some homegrown Halloween fun be sure to check out the FLASH animated cartoons by Jay Moores for Rain Station's Halloween spectacular, DARK RIDE...and visit JackOLantern.org!

See the spooky flash animations for the songs:
CANDY
TRICK OR TREATIN'
MONSTER HUNTER
THINGS
DAY OF THE DEAD
TOMB OF DOOM
HAUNTED MAN
and a BONUS track NOT found on DARK RIDE...IT'S HALLOWEEN

Happy Haunting!

Mark Harvey

DC Cemetery

2011-10-27T22:31:00.000-07:00

Greeting friends and fiends,

If you are ANYWHERE near Brent Ross' DC Cemetery this Halloween it is a MUST see. Brent won $50,000 in the Fear.net contest Scariest Haunted House Search. His props and design work should NOT be missed. I've known Brent for many years now and his work never ceases to amaze me. You can spend a few minutes or much, much longer seeing his display - The DC Cemetery is located at 840 Bush Street in Mountain View, CA between Yosemite and Fairmont streets in the heart of old Mountain View.
I helped Brent with a little music and some voice overs.

You KNOW you want to check this place out. Check out dates, times and location here.

Make sure you leave a donation as well. Brent does this for free each year and his quality is Disneyesque. If you see him, tell him Mark Harvey sent ya!

Happy Haunting,

Mark Harvey

Halloween Music : Unearthing Treasures

2011-10-27T20:00:00.000-07:00

What makes a Halloween song a hit? Most folks agree that a great Halloween song is one that you can sing along with. Songs that you find yourself humming as you decorate or prepare for Halloween. Many of these songs can be found easily and are considered common favorites among fans of the holiday. So why are some Halloween songs destined to live in obscurity? In the last issue of Happy Halloween Magazine I wrote about some of the better known Halloween classics. In this issue I’ll discuss more obscure songs that deserve their place in Halloween music history.

My earliest memories of Halloween music were of songs from classic cartoons that used pop, jazz and swing music from the 20s, 30s and 40s. Artists like Louis Armstrong, Tommy Dorsey, Ray Noble and Bing Crosby recorded some of the best-known yet forgotten Halloween hits around. I love old black and white spooky cartoons. The Haunted House, written by Ray Noble and Max Kester is one of those "cartoon" songs I can remember from my childhood. Recorded in London on October 23, 1931, the Noble led New Mayfair Dance Orchestra, along with The Three Ginx on vocals, capture the fun, frivolity and mischief of the holiday. There is little information regarding this song and the history behind it. I contacted Ray’s nephew, Bud Noble, but he wasn’t able to shed any light on the subject. At this time the song remains a mystery.

Big band, swing and jazz music was big in my house. I loved to see the cartoons that brought together the familiar musical sounds with Halloween flair. A perfect match. Also big in my house were old movies. The Louis Armstrong version of the Arthur Johnson/Johnny Burke tune, The Skeleton in the Closet recorded with Jimmy Dorsey and His Orchestra in Los Angeles, August 7, 1936 and featured in the 1936 Columbia Pictures movie, Pennies from Heaven is another favorite of mine. This was Satchmo’s big break as he was featured in a role aside Bing Crosby in this very successful romantic musical comedy. The song is featured in a creepy nightclub sequence complete with a dancing skeleton. Who can resist Armstrong’s gravelly voice and legendary trumpet style especially when it’s put to good use on a Halloween tune!

No list of Halloween songs from this era would be complete without mentioning The Headless Horseman by Don Raye and Gene De Paul. Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby and the Rhythmaires perform the song featured in the "Legend Of Sleepy Hollow," a portion of the 1947 animated Walt Disney film The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. Bing plays the role of Brom Bones and his song follows the Washington Irving tale of a headless man who cannot be reasoned, who is intent on scaring poor Ichabod Crane witless on Halloween night.

The 50s and 60s gave real life to Halloween music. Rockabilly (a blend of the blues, country and gospel) and rock-n-roll songs are most easily identified with Halloween and put music into the celebration of Halloween. The Purple People Eater, The Monster Mash and I Put A Spell On You are all products of this era. Monster magazines and movies influenced musicians to join the ranks of those who create media for the holiday. There are so many great songs from this era, many completely unknown and little is known about the artists who recorded some of these excellent yet obscure songs. She’s My Witch by Kip Tyler & His Flips was recorded in November 1958. Sexy, spooky and lazy this is Halloween music performed with a hoodlum’s sneer. The Flips were a Hollywood black-leather clad Rockabilly gang who would ride to their shows on motorcycles. Guitarist Bruce Johnson later joined the Beach Boys. Tyler, who also recorded under the name Jimmy Daley, made an appearance in the film Rock Pretty Baby, but only dabbled once with Halloween music.

Gary Warren’s Werewolf was recorded August 18, 1958 on the Nasco label. Re-recorded in 1998 by Southern Culture On The Skids (who also have a great version of She’s My Witch) for Rob Zombie’s Halloween Hootenanny CD, Werewolf has to be one of my favorite Halloween songs of all time. This is one of the most fun songs to sing and practice Elvis moves to. I find myself singing this one whenever I feel a sinister urge coming on. Unfortunately, little is known about Gary Warren or his recording career. I’ve contacted the Rockabilly Hall of Fame in hopes of learning more about Gary Warren and Kip Tyler. I’ll keep you posted.

Calypso, Reggae and Ska also have some excellent seasonal representatives. Zombie Jamboree is a funny story about zombies from across the land celebrating at a cemetery on Long Island and is said to have won an extemporaneous composition contest for Lord Invader and his Twelve Penetrators at Trinidad’s Calypso Carnival in 1955. This, according to the Kingston Trio’s Dave Guard, who has a knack for entertaining song lead-ins. The song was actually written by Conrad Eugene Mauge, Jr. (which is not Lord Invader’s real name—he was born Rupert Westmore Grant); Lord Invader’s band was known as his Calypso Orchestra. No matter, the Kingston Trio is responsible for one of the most notable versions of this song. Early recordings of Zombie Jamboree (which is also known as Back to Back [Belly to Belly]) are by such Calypso artists as Noel Anthony, The Castaways, Lord Jellicoe and His Calypso Monarchs and The Charmer (The Charmer was Louis Farrakhan’s stage name back in the 50s). Harry Belafonte recorded my favorite version of Zombie Jamboree in 1962. In 1990, Rockapella (an acappella group) released a radio only single of Zombie Jamboree (one of the first songs they had recorded as a group) bringing the song to a new audience and making the song hip again.

Reggae super-producer Lee "Scratch" Perry and his studio band, that he called The Upsetters, released Dracula in January 1971 as an instrumental b-side to The Wailers Mr. Brown single. Years earlier after a couple of rehearsals, Bob Marley and The Wailers had convinced The Upsetters to leave Perry and join The Wailers. When Perry heard the news, he was livid. After locking themselves away for several hours, Perry and Marley decided to work together, sharing the backing musicians and making Perry exclusive producer for future recordings. They worked together from 1969-1971. Released on Perry’s Upsetter label, Dracula features his signature fiery organ-led, soul-tinged reggae and is a truly one of the coolest Halloween instrumentals around. The relationship between Perry, The Upsetters and The Wailers was a turning point in reggae history. The song is little known and often credited to Bob Marley.

Another favorite is Ghost Town by The Specials. Written by Jerry Dammers (their keyboard player and principal songwriter) in 1981, Ghost Town was The Specials last single. The Specials were the flagship band of the late 70s/early 80s 2-tone Ska scene, fusing Jamaican Ska (a mix of Reggae and Rocksteady) with high-energy Punk Rock. The song sums up the frustration felt by the band as youth riots erupted across England due to recession and high unemployment. It also captures a perfect feeling of desolation. Ghost Town reached Number 1 in the UK in July 1981 and stayed at Number 1 for three weeks.

What makes these Halloween songs great is the mood they create and the fun they inspire. Whatever the type of music you enjoy there is a wealth of Halloween music to choose from. I will continue to research and discover the stories behind Halloween songs and present those stories in future issues of Happy Halloween Magazine.

Mark Harvey is a Halloween music enthusiast and archivist. Mark owns and operates NobodyRecords.com, HauntScapes.com, Pumpkinland Studios and 13thTrack.com Halloween Radio plus a number of other Halloween and non-Halloween related websites. His own Halloween releases include the Pumpkinland Halloween ‘HauntScape’ Trilogy and Rain Station’s DARK RIDE.

Article from Happy Halloween Magazine Volume 5/Issue 1 – Spring 2002

Pumpkinland Halloween CDs - never too late to download 'em

2011-10-26T22:31:00.000-07:00

Greetings friends, readers, Halloween enthusiasts or whoever you are...

Halloween is nearly upon us and if you're like me you've either decorated OR you'll soon be decorating your house for Halloween night. I enjoy decking my house out even though I don't get many kids up my steep hill. One of the most important parts of creating the atmos-fear is sound. Last year my Mother-in-law told me that the kids that did come to my house asked her how she could stay in such a scary place. The music is what led them to believe the place was so scary. I didn't have too many props out, but I did have my Pumpkinland music blaring out of every window.
Put some time into creating the right atmos-fear not only with your decorations, but with SOUND.
If you are in need - guess what? I've GOT what you need. Have a listen - it doesn't cost anything and you can download the music fast and easy.

Pumpkinland is the original "hauntscape" I recorded back in 1999 for my first home haunt
&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://markharvey.bandcamp.com/album/pumpkinland"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Pumpkinland by Mark Harvey&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;
Pumpkinland II followed in 2000 and was recorded due to the incredible success I had with the original "hauntscape".
&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://markharvey.bandcamp.com/album/pumpkinland-ii"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Pumpkinland II by Mark Harvey&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;
Pumpkinland III was recorded in 2001 and was recorded to complete the trilogy.
&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://markharvey.bandcamp.com/album/pumpkinland-iii"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Pumpkinland III by Mark Harvey&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;
Each Pumpkinland Halloween "Hauntscape" can be downloaded for $10 each. Money well spent.

Check 'em out!

Mark Harvey

Halloween Music : It's Not Just Monster Mash

2011-10-26T19:58:00.000-07:00

An article by Mark Harvey(Part one of three articles on Halloween music by Mark Harvey)

What classifies a song as a Halloween song? It is words. It is feel. It is unmistakable. Almost every genre of music has a Halloween representative, although I have yet to find a Gospel or Christian Halloween song in my searches. Much of this music must be sought out since it will never make it onto a Halloween compilation CD or onto commercial radio. As Halloween approaches, my never-ending search for new Halloween sounds reaches a higher level while stores stock current offerings. Each year I find something new. Each year I find more of the same old usual suspects. Let us start with the stories about the songs that you have most likely heard.

Sheb Wooley and A Thing with One Big Horn and One Big Eye

Sheb Wooley (a.k.a. Ben Colder) is known by most Halloweenites for penning The Purple People Eater, but to millions of other folks he is known for his country novelty tunes and extensive film and TV work. Wooley first got the idea for The Purple People Eater when a songwriter friend told him his son had come home from school with a joke about a "people eater." After recording what he deemed as a "bottom of the barrel song," his label decided not to release it. They thought it was something they did not want to be identified with. Somehow a copy of the song made its way to the company’s New York offices. They loved the song. The country’s fascination with UFO’s and the Sputnik phenomenon in full swing, the NY office reconsidered the release. In early 1958 The Purple People Eater became the first single ever to hit number one in its second week on the charts. The Purple People Eater catapulted to Number 1 for six weeks in 1958, sold over three million records and received a gold record within three weeks after it was released. It is the Number 24 song of the 1955-1959 rock era and has sold over one hundred million copies.

Mr. Pickett and THE song

In about an hour and a half, Lenny Capizi and Bobby Pickett worked out The Monster Mash. Halloween music was forever changed. These two members of the singing group the Cordials decided to take advantage of the novelty song craze happening in the early sixties. They brought the song to producer Gary Paxton (singer of the Hollywood Argyles hit Alley Oop). After the session, Paxton dubbed the band "Bobby ‘Boris’ Pickett and the Cryptkickers." On October 20, 1962, after eight weeks on the charts, the record hit Number 1 just in time for Halloween. It re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 on August 29, 1970 peaking at Number 91 and again on May 5, 1972 when it went all the way to Number 10. Over the years, The Monster Mash has sold over four million copies, received three gold records, and is easily one of the most popular novelty records of all time.

Jumpin’ Gene Simmons: fortunes from a Haunted House

Haunted House was first recorded in the late 1950s by Johnny Fuller (Specialty 655) but failed to chart. In 1963 Domingo Samudio (a.k.a. Sam The Sham) was performing Haunted House live clubs and on television. People went nuts when he performed the song. Jumpin’ Gene and Sam the Sham were playing clubs together in the early sixties. Gene saw how folks were reacting to that song. Ray Harris at Hi Records asked Gene to see if Sam would record Haunted House for Hi Records. Sam declined and said he wanted to cut the record on his own. Harris wanted to proceed with their recording of the song and asked Jumpin’ Gene if he would cut the record. Simmons has said the session was not like his others in that "everyone involved had fun." By August 1964, Haunted House (Hi 2076) had made it to Number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. After years of unsuccessful releases Haunted House would be Jumpin’ Gene Simmons first hit and would launch him on his first world tour.

Screaming' Jay: Original Shock-Rocker

Many years ago I was fortunate enough to catch Screamin’ Jay Hawkins at a small nightclub in San Francisco. The show was weird, excellent—but weird. I Put A Spell on You was THE signature song. Hawkins crept around the stage in a cape, brandishing the smoking skull on a stick he named ‘Henry.’ He was a crazed cannibal, a voodoo jive master. What I did not realize at that time was his immense impact on macabre music, especially on the presentation of that music. Inspired by being dumped by a girlfriend after she caught him cheating, Screamin’ Jay cut the original version of I Put A Spell On You for Grand Records in 1949, but the record failed to make an impact. Recorded with producer Arnold Maxon for Okeh (Epic) in 1956, the song soon became his signature hit. Maxon insisted that Jay’s recording needed to live up to the strange title and suggested that they turn the session into a huge party. Maxon supplied Jay and the musicians with barbecued ribs and chicken, yams and sweet potato pie, wine, beer and whiskey. After a while, he turned on the tape. A week later Screamin’ Jay was brought a copy of the recording. He was shocked and refused to believe that the recording was of him. After some Scotch and some practiced mouth contortions, he accepted it as his own. I Put A Spell on You was banned from radio airplay across the country due to his "cannibalistic" delivery. It was eventually edited for radio with moans, grunts and groans removed. I Put A Spell On You was Screamin’ Jay’s only big single, selling over a million copies, but it never made the charts. To date there are over three dozen versions by such popular artists as Credence Clearwater Revival, Nina Simone, Atlantics, Pete Townsend, The Animals (with Eric Burdon), Bryan Ferry, Manfred Mann, Robben Ford, Van Morrison, John Fogerty, Etta James, Bette Midler, Sarah Vaughan, Nick Cave, and Marilyn Manson.

Dah-dah-dah-dum! Snap! Snap!

In 1964 Vic Mizzy gave us one of the best known pieces of music, The Addams Family Theme, but this legendary theme might not have happened at all. David Levy, a close friend of Mizzy’s and an executive with Filmways Studio (NBC’s television production division) asked him to patch in some stock music for the soundtrack of a pilot for a series based on the Charles Addams cartoons in the New Yorker. Vic offered to write a score for free so long as he could keep the publishing rights. Levy agreed and Mizzy wrote the theme. Not only did he write the title theme, but he also composed themes for most of the main characters, played the harpsichord, and directed the opening sequence. Vic was the vocalist on the track and his voice was overdubbed three times. Whenever you hear Lurch playing the harpsichord, it’s actually Vic. From 1964—1966 Mizzy composed themes and weekly scores for the TV show. His 1965 Ghost and Mr. Chicken soundtrack has some of his best work. He is known best in Hollywood for being an excellent source for silly and fun music and has composed for films, radio and television.

Our "Spooky" tune

Spooky was originally an instrumental by saxophonist Mike Sharpe. A regional hit in the Atlanta, Georgia area, J.R. Cobb of The Classics IV and producer Buddy Buie decided to re-record the song with lyrics. In 1967 Spooky was released on the Imperial Label. A radio station in Louisville, Kentucky began to spin the record. By early 1968 the song’s popularity had spread nationally as it reached Number 3 and achieved a gold record. It reached Number 46 in the UK. In 1974, Cobb and Buie, along with some members from The Classics IV and Roy Orbison’s Candymen band, formed the Atlanta Rhythm Section. Their 1979 remake of the original 1967 hit reached Number 17. Though it was the bands last hit, it put the song back on the Halloween map for good.

Phil Everly wants a dance song

In the early 70s Warren Zevon played with the Everly Brothers and by 1975, he and his wife were living in Phil Everly’s guesthouse. Phil asked Warren and songwriting partner Leroy "Roy" Marinell to write a song for his upcoming solo album. He asked them to write him a dance song. "Something like ‘Werewolves Of London’" is what Phil said. Later, at Roy’s house as they began writing, guitarist Robert ‘Wadded’ Wachtel joined them to add the "Aah-Ooh Werewolves of London". According to Zevon, the first verse was written spontaneously and entirely by Waddy. The three finished the song in 20 minutes. The track was recorded with Waddy, Mick Fleetwood and John McVie (of Fleetwood Mac fame) and produced by friend Jackson Browne. Werewolves of London hit Number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Number 15 on the Cashbox charts in April 1978. The song eventually reached Number 8 and went gold. As a result, his album Excitable Boy became a Top Ten record and remains his best-selling album to date. Thanks to Phil.

I hope you have enjoyed the stories behind the songs. As familiar as many of these songs are, they still remain some of my favorite songs of all time. Sometimes hearing the story behind the song brings new life to old tracks. In the next issue of Happy Halloween Magazine I will talk about the more eclectic side of Halloween music, covering genres and rarities.

Mark Harvey is a Halloween music enthusiast and archivist. Mark owns and operates NobodyRecords.com, HauntScapes.com, Pumpkinland Studios and 13thTrack.com Halloween Radio plus a number of Halloween and non-Halloween related websites. His own Halloween releases include the Pumpkinland Halloween ‘HauntScape’ Trilogy, Rain Station’s DARK RIDE and FLESHROT: Songs from the Dead.

Article from Happy Halloween Magazine Volume 4/Issue 4 – Winter 2002

A Night In A Haunted House

2011-10-25T22:17:00.000-07:00

Here's some nightly creepings for you...again, another post that reminds me of the broadcasts at 13thTrack.com Halloween Radio...

Happy Haunting!

Mark Harvey

Uinta Brewing Co. Oak Jacked Imperial Pumpkin Ale

2011-10-25T19:57:00.000-07:00

Yet another brew review from NorCal Beer Blog...

Tonight’s featured beer is Uinta Brewing Co. Oak Jacked Imperial Pumpkin Ale. This came highly recommended from the folks at Mission Liquors. Since I had enjoyed Uinta’s Punk’n Harvest Pumpkin Ale I thought I should try this unique offering from their Crooked Line of beers.

Press Release:

"(Salt Lake City, UT) – Uinta Brewing Company introduces the newest addition to their Crooked Line of beers, Oak Jacked Imperial Wood Aged Pumpkin Ale. “Jacked” is a very limited, seasonal beer, only 850 cases were produced.

Jacked is brewed with fresh pumpkin and fall spices and has been aging in Oak barrels for 6 months. The oak barrels add subtle nuances of toasted vanilla and bourbon notes. With an ABV of 10.31% (a play on the date of Halloween), Jacked is a big, unique pumpkin ale.

Continuing with the spirit of the Crooked Line, Utah artist Trent Call was commissioned to design the Jacked label. Each bottle is a work of art.

Pop the cork and pair Oak Jacked with flavors of the season!"

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a wonderful dark amber with an off-white head that leaves light lacing.

Aroma: The scents of the season! Roasted pumpkin, light sweet malts and caramel, brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, vanilla, molasses, oak and a little whiskey – this beer smells AMAZING!

Taste: The taste is nothing short of perfection and tastes like the aroma. Rich, malty, sweet and spiced to perfection. The oak comes through with a fantastic vanilla sweetness on the back and not too boozy.

Overall: This is by far one of the best pumpkin ales I’ve had. Incredible balance, creamy and delicious, and trouble. At nearly $15.00 a bottle and 10.31% ABV you may not run out and buy a case (I did go back and buy two more bottles), but you DO need to try this one. I can’t say enough about this…magnificent!

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Betty Boop-1933-Halloween Party

2011-10-24T21:31:00.000-07:00

Happy Haunting!

Mark Harvey

Bonzo Dog Doodah Band - "Monster Mash" - '68

2011-10-23T19:07:00.000-07:00

Happy Haunting!

Mark Harvey

The Secret Of The Old Cypress Mansion

2011-10-22T21:29:00.000-07:00

Happy Haunting!

Mark Harvey

Disney's "The Song and Story from The Haunted Mansion"

2011-10-22T10:31:00.000-07:00

Greetings fellow ghouls and welcome to another Halloween post here at Mark Harvey's World. I've been blogging a little more than once a day since there's just so much to share this time of year.

Disney's "The Song and Story from The Haunted Mansion" is probably one of my favorite records of all time.

As a kid I had a copy, but my Mom - in an attempt to rid our house of all EVIL LPs - threw it out (my poor sisters lost A LOT of LPs...Led Zeppelin, Bad Company...and so many more). It was a phase in my life where celebrating Halloween was OK just as long as you had nothing evil or dark associated with it...uh...OK..

In my adult years I began searching the Internet to see if I could find a replacement copy of Disney's "The Song and Story from The Haunted Mansion". I found a guy named Jeff Baham who was running a little site about Disney's Haunted Mansion. That site has gotten HUGE (here). Jeff suggested eBay and so I surfed over there to see what eBay was all about. Talk about SCORE. I now own several copies of Disney's Haunted Mansion LP and NO ONE is going to take them from me ever again!"The Story and Song from the Haunted Mansion" is an LP that featured a pre-Happy-Days Ron Howard. Recorded in 1969, "The Story and Song from the Haunted Mansion" featured the young Howard as "Mike," a teenager out on a date with "Karen" voiced by Robie Lester. Lester's "Storyteller" album for The Aristocats was nominated for a 1970 Grammy Award. One of her most famous roles was as "Miss Jessica", the schoolteacher who becomes Mrs. Kris Kringle (Santa Claus) in the 1970 Rankin-Bass TV special Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (TV special).

The story is narrated by Thurl Ravenscroft, one of Disney's best-known vocal talents. Ravenscroft is known for being the original voice of Tony the Tiger as well as the the singer of "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch," from Chuck Jones' classic cartoon How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The Disneyland ride's main scenes are represented which makes this an album well worth owning (if you have a turntable). The LP's Ghost Host is voiced by Pete Renoudet. This differs from the attraction's Ghost Host, voiced by Paul Frees. The album contains an 11-page book of illustrations by Disney Imagineer and artist Collin Campbell.

I hope you enjoy what I consider to be the starting point of my love for all things Halloween...Disney's "The Song and Story from The Haunted Mansion"...

Happy Haunting!

Mark Harvey

The King Sisters sing theme to "Bewitched" from 1965 King Family Show

2011-10-21T09:27:00.000-07:00

Happy Haunting!

Mark Harvey

Halloween is Topsy

2011-10-20T21:22:00.000-07:00

Happy Haunting!

Mark Harvey

Restless Season

2011-10-20T20:08:00.000-07:00

October is a restless season. Shaking out the laze of Summer. Things need to be done before Winter takes hold even here in Northern California. The year is nearly over. It is time to think about what has been accomplished - or not accomplished this year. There's still time to remedy.

Taking in the light, the colors, the smells and the sounds. October really begins the Fall/Autumn for me. When the weather finally changes and the leaves have fallen I feel a peace...when I pause. I don't pause enough. Nonetheless I prepare for Halloween. I am compelled to see, to do, to shop and (maybe) purchase as much as I can as I know I have a mere few days to enjoy what I love so much. Perhaps I am not restless. I just want a few more days. I just want to put life on pause while I enjoy the carnival - the fair - the amusement park a little longer. With each passing year it gets harder and harder to slow down - decorate - and enjoy this season. Can't I put the world on pause every October so I can gently navigate this world I love so much? Unfortunately, I can't...the world is a restless place and it pushes and pulls until I keep up with the pace.

<a href="http://markharvey.bandcamp.com/track/restless-season">Restless Season by Mark Harvey</a>

Mark Harvey

Wychwood Brewery Hobgoblin Dark English Ale

2011-10-19T19:50:00.000-07:00

From the NorCal Beer Blog:

Tonight’s featured beer is Wychwood Brewery Hobgoblin. My brother-in-law mentioned that he really wanted to bring back some Wychwood beers for me while on his last trip to England. Shipping beer isn't easy and he was happy to find out (when I told him) that their beer is available in the US. Based on his recommendation I thought it was high time I went out and started trying these Halloween themed beers.

From the Wychwood Brewery website:”Legendary Ruby Beer – Traditionally craft brewed with Chocolate & Crystal males and a blend of Styrian, Goldings & Fuggles hopes to produce a full-bodied, Ruby beer that delivers a delicious chocolate toffee malt flavor, balanced with a rounded moderate bitterness and an overall fruity, mischievous character. Deliciously Dark. What’s the matter Lagerboys…Afraid you might taste something? Goes with…Hobgoblin is the perfect beer to drink with meat stews & Steak & Ale pies, Sausages & Mash, Burgers & BBQs; roasts; & char-grilled vegetables. Ideal for Halloween!”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a dark ruby amber with a slight head that disappears quickly leaving some nice lacing.

Aroma: Scents of sweet malts, toffee, sweet fruit and floral hops.

Taste: Starts out sweet and rich – malts, toffee and some spice. A touch of hop bitterness, but not too much in the finish.

Overall: Wonderfully drinkable and tasty this has to be one of the best Dark English Ales I’ve tasted. At 5.2% ABV this is highly sessionable and perfect for your Halloween festivities!

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Pumpkinland Halloween CDs - buy them TODAY!

2011-10-19T19:14:00.000-07:00

Greetings friends, readers, Halloween enthusiasts or whoever you are...

Halloween is quickly approaching and if you're like me you're either decorated OR you'll soon be decorating your house for Halloween night. I enjoy decking my house out even though I don't get many kids up my steep hill. One of the most important parts of creating the atmos-fear is sound. Last year my Mother-in-law told me that the kids that did come to my house asked her how she could stay in such a scary place. The music is what led them to believe the place was so scary. I didn't have too many props out, but I did have my Pumpkinland music blaring out of every window.
Put some time into creating the right atmos-fear not only with your decorations, but with SOUND.
If you are in need - guess what? I've GOT what you need. Have a listen - it doesn't cost anything and you can download the music fast and easy.

Pumpkinland is the original "hauntscape" I recorded back in 1999 for my first home haunt
&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://markharvey.bandcamp.com/album/pumpkinland"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Pumpkinland by Mark Harvey&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;
Pumpkinland II followed in 2000 and was recorded due to the incredible success I had with the original "hauntscape".
&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://markharvey.bandcamp.com/album/pumpkinland-ii"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Pumpkinland II by Mark Harvey&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;
Pumpkinland III was recorded in 2001 and was recorded to complete the trilogy.
&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://markharvey.bandcamp.com/album/pumpkinland-iii"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Pumpkinland III by Mark Harvey&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;
Each Pumpkinland Halloween "Hauntscape" can be downloaded for $10 each. Money well spent.

Check 'em out!

Mark Harvey

Noises for the zombies

2011-10-18T19:06:00.000-07:00

Well hello there everybody...

Here are a few 'HauntScapes' from "Fleshrot: Songs from the Dead". These are perfect tracks for your Zombie Halloween party (for those that plan to have Zombie Halloween parties that is), your haunt or to play when trick-or-treaters are present.

<a href="http://markharvey.bandcamp.com/track/zombie-yard">Zombie Yard by Mark Harvey</a>

The Fleshrot CD was a lot of fun to put together for my buddy John Pearson. The CD is a companion to John's graphic novel Fleshrot: Tales from the Dead. You can purchase the CD here or download high quality MP3s here

<a href="http://markharvey.bandcamp.com/track/zombies">Zombies by Mark Harvey</a>
Now go haunt somethin'!

Mark Harvey

Shipyard Brewing Company Smashed Pumpkin Ale

2011-10-17T19:45:00.000-07:00

This is a repost from my NorCal Beer Blog (here).

Tonight’s featured beer is Shipyard Brewing Company Smashed Pumpkin Ale. I've visited Shipyard Brewing Company a few times (read about it here), but it was prior to their having Smashed Pumpkin Ale. Since I'm a huge fan of BIG beers (and since I've been drinking 22s of Smashed Pumpkin Ale for a while now) I figured it was time to review this stellar fall seasonal.

From the bottle: "SMASHED PUMPKIN is a big-bodied beer with a light coppery orange color and pleasing aroma of pumpkin and nutmeg. The OG and final Alc./Vol. provide the structure and body. Pale Ale, Wheat and Light Munich Malts combine with the natural tannin in pumpkin and the delicate spiciness of Willamette and Hallertau Hops to balance the sweetness of the fruit. To fully enjoy all the flavours, this ale is best drunk at 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Smashed Pumpkin pairs well with sharp cheeses, nuts, lamb, hearty stews and desserts like flan or pumpkin pie. Chefs find this an excellent beer to cook with in dishes such as braised short ribs. Try adding a little Shipyard Blue Fin Stout to Smashed Pumpkin for a fall warmer."

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a fantastic copper-orange color with a slight head and nice lacing.

Aroma: Scents of pumpkin pie – cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, sweet malts and pumpkin. This brew smells fantastic.

Taste: One of the best pumpkin beers out there…period. Cinnamon, ginger, all spice, clove, vanilla, pumpkin and a little bit boozy. The complexities of the spices are amazing and they taste organic. Some pumpkin beers taste artificial, this one is perfect.

Overall: I’ve already said, perfect…so go get some. At 9% ABV it is a serious autumn warmer. With the flavors of malt and pumpkin spices this is perfect for Halloween; Thanksgiving…dare I say Christmas? Again…go get some.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Rain Station - DARK RIDE videos

2011-10-16T10:32:00.000-07:00

Greetings!

Earlier this month I talked about Rain Station's DARK RIDE CD. Have you had a chance to check out the videos yet? If not, here are some videos Jay made for our Rain Station DARK RIDE CD.

JackOLantern.ORG Animation from J.E.Moores on Vimeo.

Vintage Halloween Filmstrip

2011-10-15T20:08:00.000-07:00

Greetings and salutations!

Here's a super cool vintage Halloween filmstrip. The narration is pretty fun too.

Happy Haunting!

Mark Harvey

Halloween Safety Educational Film, Edit (1977, Centron)

2011-10-14T19:52:00.000-07:00

Greetings....

Here's a very important Halloween Safety video for you that I found on I-Mockery (here). Great stuff!

Be safe out there!

Mark Harvey

Rogue Ales John John Dead Guy Ale

2011-10-13T21:47:00.000-07:00

This is a repost from my NorCal Beer Blog (here).

Tonight’s featured beer is Rogue Ales John John Dead Guy Ale. I have previously written about my friend John Couchot who is the master distiller at Rogue (here). From the Rogue website: "Deep honey in color with a malt aroma, a caramel, vanilla, and oak finish. In a collaboration of crafts, Rogue Brewmaster John Maier and Rogue Spirits Master Distiller John Couchot have joined forces to create a distinct, innovative series of brews called John John Ales. The series will take Rogue Ales legends and age them in Rogue Spirits barrels. A 3,100 gallon batch of John John Ale produces 1357 cases of beer. The first of the John John series is John John Dead Guy Ale, Rogue’s award winning Dead Guy Ale matured in Rogue’s award winning Dead Guy Whiskey barrels.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a medium amber color with little head.

Aroma: Caramel malt, vanilla bean, whiskey and oak. Smells fantastic!

Taste: Complex. Malty upfront, caramel and butter toffee, some hoppiness and fruit and a fantastic finish with vanilla, oak and bourbon.

Overall: At 6.4% ABV this beer is very sessionable (if you can find it). And it IS so worth finding!

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Fulton's Harvest Pumpkin Pie Cream Liqueur

2011-10-12T21:50:00.000-07:00

Greeting friends and fiends,

Fall is the perfect time to enjoy specialty foods and beverages and I think I may have found a Halloween/holiday staple for my house in Fulton's Harvest Pumpkin Pie Cream Liqueur.

This exceptional product is made by Heaven Hill, who was elected 2009’s distiller of the year by Whisky Magazine and is best known for a rich tradition of Kentucky Bourbon.

From the Kentucky Distiller’s Association press room :

“FULTON’S HARVEST PUMPKIN PIE CREAM LIQUEUR

FULTON’S HARVEST PUMPKIN PIE CREAM LIQUEUR AVAILABLE NATIONALLY

First-ever Pumpkin Pie Cream Liqueur is 2011 Double Gold Medal Winner

BARDSTOWN, Ky. – Fulton’s Harvest Pumpkin Pie Cream Liqueur is available for fall 2011 nationally. The lush, creamy all-natural liqueur is the first-ever pumpkin pie cream liqueur and is immediately reminiscent of homemade pumpkin pie complete with the flavors rich vanilla, brown sugar and spices. It is best served chilled or on ice, as well as in coffee and in a variety of cream-based cocktails.

Launched originally in limited markets, the seasonal item is available at retail from September through November. The package for the product features pumpkins and spices and reflects the vivid colors of autumn. The product is a direct result of keen seasonal interest in pumpkin flavors and scents.

“The first year of sales was remarkable,” said Brittany Blevins, Brand Manager for Fulton’s Harvest. “The flavor profile and personality of the product really touched people. As a result, we broadened the product’s availability. Consumers just cannot get enough of it.”

I know, I know…this isn’t beer and you may be wondering why I am reviewing a liqueur…so I’ll tell you. At first I wasn’t sure about the purchase. One never knows how good something like this will turn out.

Fulton's Harvest Pumpkin Pie Cream Liqueur pours with the consistency of Bailey’s Irish Creme – similar in color. It smells like pumpkin pie with nutty overtones. I also detect the scent of graham crackers. Sweet, but not overly, it tastes like Heaven in a glass. Perfectly spiced. Perfectly sweet. Creamy and like pumpkin pie in a glass.

Fulton's Harvest Pumpkin Pie Cream Liqueur is a unique liqueur that is full of flavor and packs quite a punch at 12.5% ABV. Available from September through November in 750ml bottles.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

The Cast of Eerie Publications perform the Johnson-Smith Novelty Company "Horror Record"

2011-10-12T19:42:00.000-07:00

Greetings ghouls,

I don't typically put gore on my blog nor do I like gore at all, but this animation is pretty darn exceptional so I figured I'd put it up here.

GORE WARNING...if you come to know and love my more safe and whimsical Halloween fare, don't watch this YouTube video...slowly move away from the monitor..or maybe watch this.

If you're interest is peaked, watch away...

Dig it...

Mark Harvey

"Halloween" by Kay Lande and Wade Denning - iPhone/Hipstamatic Stop Motion

2011-10-11T19:34:00.000-07:00

Good evening,

I just love Halloween and all that goes along with it. Check out this super cool video made for "Halloween" by Kay Lande and Wade Denning using an iPhone. I need to figure out how to do my own Hipstamatic Stop Motion videos...amazing!

Happy Haunting,

Mark Harvey

Rogue Ales Dead Guy Ale

2011-10-10T20:04:00.000-07:00

Here's another repost from the NorCal Beer Blog (here) to get you ready for Halloween drinkin'. Why not have an assortment of Halloween themed beers for your guests to enjoy? Read my review and decide for yourself. There's nothing cooler than having some spooky brews on Halloween.

Tonight’s featured beer is Rogue Ales Dead Guy Ale. Since we’re cruising through the month of October I waited until now to review this beer. I’ve been digging up as many “Halloween themed” beers as I can get my hands on…some I’m avoiding, while others I’m just jumping in whole heartedly. Dead Guy Ale has been a beer I’ve enjoyed for some time now and so I figured it was high time I put out my review of this stellar drink. I also blogged about the Rogue Ale’s John John Dead Guy Ale I tried while in Alabama (here).

From the Rogue Ale website:” In the style of a German Maibock, using our proprietary Pacman ale yeast. Deep honey in color with a malty aroma and a rich hearty flavor. In the early 1990s Dead Guy Ale was created as a private tap sticker to celebrate the Mayan Day of the Dead (November 1st, All Souls Day) for Casa U Betcha in Portland, Oregon. The Dead Guy design proved so popular with consumers and especially Grateful Dead fans, that we made it the label for our Maierbock ale. Even though the association with the Grateful Dead band is pure coincidence, we have gratefully dedicated Dead Guy Ale to the Rogue in each of us.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a lovely dark amber with a creamy white head and nice lacing.

Aroma: Sweet malts, roasted nuts, vanilla, caramel and a trace of hops. Smells incredible!

Taste: Sweet malts – caramel, vanilla, bready…followed by a nice hop bitterness. Extremely well balanced.

Overall: Rogue Ales Dead Guy Ale is incredible, extremely drinkable and at 6.6% ABV one can have a few of these without worrying about becoming a dead guy. Pick some up for Halloween...you'll be glad you did.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Winchell's Donuts 1976 Hear the Monsters Record

2011-10-09T19:20:00.000-07:00

Good evening,

Each year as Halloween approaches I get a little bummed that I no longer have the amount of broadcasts I had on 13thTrack.com Halloween Radio. In the heyday I had dozens of free streaming radio broadcasts, but once the cost skyrocketed I eventually had to move away from Live365 and decided since the site wasn't generating enough money that I'd stick to promoting the music I make.

Anyhow, in honor of THE SEASON and my love of Halloween music, stories and sounds I thought I would post a few YouTube videos that make me think of the good old days...

Happy Haunting!

Mark Harvey

Newcastle Werewolf Blood Red Ale

2011-10-08T18:19:00.000-07:00

This is a repost from my NorCal Beer Blog (here).

Tonight’s featured beer is Newcastle Werewolf Blood Red Ale.

From the bottle: "What better way to toast the fall than to have a bottle of this formidable, dual character brew. At first, smooth with mellow overtones of sweet berry fruit, a bite of bitterness suddenly cuts through, long, deep and lingering. Brewed with rye malt, it is naturally ‘blood red’ in color. Unlike the mythical wolf-like creature said to roam the bleak moorland surrounding Newcastle, this is real, so consider yourself warned!"

And from their Facebook page: "Named for the mythical wolf-like creature said to roam the English countryside, Werewolf offers hopheads a beer that shares some characteristics of Newcastle Brown, but remains distinctive enough to stand up on its own."

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a deep, ruby red with a smallish head and a decent amount of lacing.

Aroma: Malty aroma with caramel, toffee and bready overtones. There’s also a hint of berries and dark fruit.

Taste: Rye malt and berries are the main attraction, somewhat sweet with a slight bitterness at the finish.

Overall: A pretty good brew and at 5.5% ABV easy to session. I don’t know that I’d run out and grab this one, but with Halloween approaching it is nice to have it available alongside some of the other spooky brews.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Rain Station - DARK RIDE

2011-10-08T06:44:00.000-07:00

Greetings ghouls,

Pictured below are Sculpey one of a kind figures made to represent the animated characters from JackOLantern.ORG which is music from Rain Station's DARK RIDE and Flash Animation by J.E.Moores. Jay's favorite animations are Candy and Monster Hunter. Which are your favorites?
If you haven't already seen the videos, you really ought to. They're a hoot.

JackOLantern.ORG Animation from J.E.Moores on Vimeo.
And if you haven't already heard the CD, you really ought it...great SEASONAL fare!
&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://rainstation.bandcamp.com/album/dark-ride"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;DARK RIDE by Rain Station&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;

Check it out!

Mark Harvey

Uinta Brewing Company Punk’n Harvest Pumpkin Ale

2011-10-07T19:15:00.000-07:00

This is a repost from my NorCal Beer Blog (here). I plan to post any and all Halloweenish beers here as well so if you read both blogs...sorry...and if not....why not?

Tonight’s featured beer is Uinta Brewing Company Punk’n Harvest Pumpkin Ale. In keeping with a fall or Halloween theme I plan to review all of the pumpkin beers I can get my hands on. I’ve been trolling the local stores in search of new pumpkin beers and low and behold I found Uinta’s. Last time I was in Utah I failed to visit them (made it to Squatters Brewery, Wasatch Brew Pub and Brewery, Desert Edge Brewery and Red Rock Brewing Company) so I was happy to find a six pack of their seasonal to give it a try.

From the Uinta Brewing Company website:” Harvest the flavors of fall with a bottle opener and a stroll down the craft-brewed beer aisle. Four+ Punk’n Ale is the pick of the crop with notes of roasted pumpkin and seasonal spices. Savory. Crisp. The sweetness is in the celebration, not on the palate.

TASTING NOTES:

Malt and hops accented with roasted pumpkin and spices of the season. A subtle hint of vanilla and honey. Punk'n is a wonderful compliment to foods with nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove flavors. Try it with roasted turkey, squash or pumpkin ravioli, peach cobbler, or pumpkin cheesecake.”

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a reddish copper with a small white head and good lacing.

Aroma: Pumpkin and pumpkin spice. Cinnamon and nutmeg are up front followed by allspice.

Taste: Light, sweet and tasty. Caramel malts, allspice, vanilla, nutmeg and a large amount of cinnamon.

Overall: Well balanced and really low ABV (4% ABV) make this beer an incredibly easy beer to session. It may not be my first choice of pumpkin beers, but it is certainly worth trying and keeping around this time of year.

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Rain Station - DARK RIDE videos

2011-10-06T22:32:00.000-07:00

Greetings!

Here are some videos Jay made for our Rain Station DARK RIDE CD.

JackOLantern.ORG Animation from J.E.Moores on Vimeo.

Enjoy and please, purchase the CD if you haven't already. It is available for download on iTunes (here), at Bandcamp (here) and for a physical copy of the CD pick it up at 13thTrack.com Halloween Radio (here).

Happy Haunting!

Mark Harvey

The King Sisters and kids sing "It's Halloween" from 1965 King Family Show

2011-10-06T21:13:00.000-07:00

Halloween greetings one and all,

Along with posting brew reviews, music, food and other seasonal things I am finding some great (and not so great) YouTube Halloween items.

Who doesn't love a little old time Halloween music?

Enjoy!

Mark Harvey

Pumpkinland Halloween Haunt CD Great For Home Haunting!

2011-10-06T19:25:00.000-07:00

Creepings and salutations...you know I can't go a Halloween season without making a plug for my Pumpkinland HauntScape.

Here's what folks are saying about Pumpkinland:
Rue Morgue Magazine
"Musical director Mark Harvey was motivated to kick start a compilation of truly frightening sounds largely out of his disappointment with the usual mix of cackling witches and rattling chains. 'I wanted something dark, eerie, spooky, mysterious and otherworldly,' he writes in the liner notes that accompany this CD. Pumpkinland is his first shot at your nerves, a throbbing soundscape of ambient noises and ghostly synths based around five musical themes (Swamp, Ghouls, The Pumpkin Patch, Creature). A definite atmos-fear is set, more serious in tone than campy or fun. Still, Pumpkinland would probably work best as the aural counterpart to a thrill ride or Halloween haunt (as was intended) rather than an album to listen to in its own."

Halloween-Online.com
"Are you looking for the perfect background music for your Home Haunt? Well, we found it! Pumpkinland Studios created the Pumpkinland Halloween Haunt CD specifically as a soundscape for Home Haunts and Halloween events. It's wonderfully terrifying. Not the lame sound effects disc you get year after year. If you really want to create a spooky atmosphere for your Halloween event this year, get this CD! We love it and highly recommend it!!"

Larry McKenzie HalloweenMagazine.com
"There is no beating around the bush about this CD. If you are looking for a truly spooky Halloween soundscape that you can play during a Halloween Haunt, gathering, or to play for trick-or-treaters, the Pumpkinland CD is one that you should consider. It took a true Halloween enthusiast to come up with this CD. One of my favorite things about the tracks is that each track keeps the theme throughout the entire track. There is no unwanted sound effects that could take away from your haunting experience. Pumpkinland will truly help create a very spooky atmosphere. There are 5 tracks on the CD (long tracks). 1. Pumpkinland (excellent) 2. Creature (excellent) 3. Swamp (excellent) 4. Ghouls (excellent) 5. The Pumpkin Patch (excellent). Each track is done so that there is an almost seamless transition if you use your "repeat function" on your CD player to loop a track for a continuous "theme". The recording quality and recording level is excellent. I am proud to have this CD in my collection. I will use the Pumpkinland CD in my next Haunt. I sincerely recommend visiting http://www.13thtrack.com/ and listen to a track or two."

Happy Halloween Magazine
"Want to set an eerie mood for your Halloween event but tired of screams and sounds of torment? If so, try the hottest new CD this season, "Pumpkinland" from Nobody Records, a Northern California based independent record label. After years of buying the same old tired sound effects, Mark Harvey decided to create a "soundscape of terror". He's compiled some riveting tracks that are dark, eerie, spooky, mysterious and otherworldly. Our personal favorite is the extended final track, The Pumpkin Patch. It aptly recreates the mood for telling ghost stories, yard haunting, touring your favorite cemetery at night...or just having a party!"

Underground Entertainment
"Are you looking for another great soundtrack for your haunt? Mark Harvey, of NOBODY RECORDS, has produced an interesting mix of tracks that should appeal to Haunters in a variety of ways. The CD consists of five extended tracks hell-bent on disturbing your customers. The first three tracks are ominous tunes played with synthesized low-end sounds bound to make your sub woofers rattle! With these, PUMPKINLAND takes advantage of the proven psychological fact that states low-end frequencies can mentally unnerve you. The fourth track is a departure from the style presented through the first half of the CD. This track is a grand piece performed through the sounds of a pipe organ, mixing high and low end sounds, with an occasional added effect (I don't know how to describe it) that will cut straight through you each time it is played. The last track is filled with a mixture of sound effects, including wind, storms, and howling wolves. If you listen closely you can even hear a whisper in the background saying, "Buy UNDERGROUND ENTERTAINMENT." Okay....I made that part up. But, you can use this sound effects track mixed in with a musical track to develop an entire atmosphere for your haunt. Mark Harvey produced this CD after many years of buying Halloween music and sound effects. He wanted to record what he had not been able to purchase. This dark and eerie album would make a great addition to nay haunt CD library."

Underground DJ from Haunted Attraction Magazine
"...Pumpkinland Halloween Haunt CD by Nobody Records. This CD is all synthesizer sound effects and ambient sound textures designed to make your heart quiver like Jell-O. No punk, no hard rock, and no narration, this CD contains only ambient sound sculptures that can be used as the operator sees fit. The CD is wonderfully terrifying with 5 long tracks. The theme of each piece is kept the same throughout the entire track, and there is no unwanted sound effects that could interfere with other sounds you have in your attraction. Each track plays with an almost seamless transition on the "repeat function" of your CD player and the recording level is excellent. This 'soundscape' would be perfect for Halloween events and Home Haunts alike."

Chaotic Order
"From out of nowhere, very spooky, comes this fairly simple soundscape which only differs from many of the others through the CO doorway by including some delectably odd Halloween related samples."

and some words from customers
...around Halloween I ordered Pumpkinland for use on last years haunted houses. Huge success!!! As in movies so to on Halloween. Without sound where is the suspense? Without sound where is the atmosphere? Without sound where is the scare? That CD summed it up and I am looking forward to Pumpkinland II. Halloween planning starts in about three months for us. Keep up the great work, best of luck! TCLOGIC

"Your Halloween mood music is something I have been looking for quite a while. I have been into Halloween and have collected for over 30 years now and I rank it (Pumpkinland) among the best. It made me an instant fan."

"I got your CD from E-Bay a few months ago and I would like to recommend it to anyone if they are looking for something for their Haunt. It is fantastic (Nobody Records Presents: Pumpkinland). I listen to it almost daily. It is the first CD in my stereo and it comes on whenever I turn on the lights in my apartment."

"I've heard the mp3's and absolutely love it!!"

"I want you to know that the Halloween compilation CD (Nobody Records Pumpkinland Halloween Sampler) has been in my 5-CD disc player ever since I received it so I have heard it countless times, and it truly is superb!!!!"

Be sure and support Halloween Radio by purchasing CDs from us!

Pumpkinland is available NOW! - Order This CD -$15 includes Free US Shipping
or you can download the CD here.

Listen to all of the tracks before you buy the CD (click the links below)

Pumpkinland - Creature - Swamp - Ghouls - The Pumpkin Patch

or

&amp;lt;a href="http://markharvey.bandcamp.com/album/pumpkinland"&amp;gt;Pumpkinland by Mark Harvey&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

Thanks,

Mark Harvey

The origin of Halloween colors

2011-10-05T19:14:00.000-07:00

Greetings and salutations:

I found this, here...read on...

"Have you ever wondered about the origin of Halloween colors? It is the custom of the celebration to use orange and black in decorations and costumes. Retailers embrace this holiday because it’s one of the most lucrative of all.

As the Celtics are given the most credit for beginning the holiday as the festival of the harvest, a color of autumn is used. Orange, being the most prevalent autumn tone, is derived from the pumpkin and leaves.

Many people use pumpkins hollowed out as urns or vases to hold masses of fall mums or carve them into ghoulish or scary jack-o-lanterns with lit candles or mini electric lights inside to cast an eerie glow.

The color orange also signifies strength and endurance. We don’t know if that is for the holiday or strength and endurance at the harvest time. Since the Celtics were involved in wars with Julius Caesar, they may have believed the color orange gave courage to those who wore the color during battle. Little is know about this idea.

Halloween was once (and still may be in some areas) a festival of the dead. Death is usually associated with darkness and absence of light signified by the color black.

Black cats, witches hats, cauldrons, and streamers are a few of the items that are reminders of the holiday. Most candies at this time of year are in black and orange wrappers.

Traditionally, Halloween is always celebrated after sunset. The blackness of the night cloaks the revelers and hides their misdeeds or tricks if they don’t receive any treats.

Walking into any retail store that carries Halloween costumes, candy, or decorations, you will find masses of black and orange items. You know that it’s Halloween time, because the distinctive color combination is only used for this season. Not too many people use this color combination for their house or clothing!

The exact origin of Halloween colors is unknown but we all know that with practice and use, the uncommon becomes commonplace."

Happy Haunting!

Mark Harvey

October 4th...

2011-10-04T19:18:00.000-07:00

A track for those who like to celebrate Halloween every day - every year...

<a href="http://mopehead.bandcamp.com/track/every-day-every-year">Every Day, Every Year by mopehead</a>
Enjoy the season.
Mark Harvey

Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Punkin Ale

2011-10-03T18:42:00.000-07:00

Punkin Ale is named after a locally-famous and seriously off-centered event here in southern Delaware - Punkin Chunkin (check out some of these Discovery Channel videos of Punkin Chunkin, you gotta see it to believe it!). In fact, Punkin Ale made it's debut as it claimed First Prize in the 1994 Punkin Chunkin Recipe Contest - yes, that was a full 6 months before we even opened our doors for business. Punkin Chunkin has grown in size and scale with pumpkins now being hurled more than 4,000 feet through the air! If you come down to see if for yourself - come by and visit us.
Since then, we've brewed Punkin Ale each and every fall. It is released right around September first each year. When you find it, grab some extra because it's usually gone by Thanksgiving.”

Every Beer Has A Story - here's Punkin Ale:

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a brownish orange with a nice white head and decent lacing.

Aroma: Pumpkin, brown sugar, nutmeg, allspice and cinnamon (of course, it is written on the label, but there’s no false advertising here). Smells like a pumpkin pie – so delicious!

Taste: Like eating pumpkin pie with an excellent brown ale chaser. Caramel malts, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, brown sugar and a touch of alcohol. Tastes as good as it smells!

Overall: Dessert in a bottle, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery Punkin Ale is easy drinking and excellent for the fall season. At 7% ABV you can knock a few back without completely losing control. Well balanced, rich, delicious and perfect for an autumn night. As usual, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery does it again!

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Buffalo Bill's Brewery Pumpkin Ale

2011-10-02T10:37:00.000-07:00

This is a repost from my NorCal Beer Blog (here). I plan to post any and all Halloweenish beers here as well so if you read both blogs...sorry...and if not....why not?

Tonight’s featured beer is Buffalo Bill's Brewery Pumpkin Ale. As I’ve said before, Buffalo Bill's Brewery is the closest brew pub to my house and I feel REALLY fortunate to have such a fantastic place so close to home. I’ve been a huge fan of their pumpkin ale and fall starts for me with my first pint of Buffalo Bill’s Brewery Pumpkin Ale (and I always like fall to come early and often).
From the Buffalo Bill’s Brewery website: “America’s Original Pumpkin Ale – From Buffalo Bill’s Pumpkin Ale is one of the most sought after seasonal beers. It is believed that George Washington brewed beer using this bright orange squash. In modern times, Buffalo Bill’s Pumpkin Ale is a true original microbrew that uses baked and roasted pumpkin. Cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg are added to create what has been described as, “pumpkin pie in a bottle”.”

And since I brewed my first batch of Pumpkin ale this year, I thought I’d add a little something I found from Geoff Harries of Buffalo Bill’s Brewery about brewing their pumpkin ale, “Brewer: Geoff Harries of Buffalo Bill’s Brewery in Hayward, California. Geoff homebrewed from 1981 to 1987. He became the head brewer at Buffalo Bill’s from '87 to '89, then the GM and head brewer at Brewpub on the Green from '90 to '93. He bought Buffalo Bill’s and is now the owner and head brewer - " Our pumpkin beer is brewed at several locations for us, but one definite rule is that we always use fresh, whole pumpkins. The kinds vary depending on the season and what is ripe, but we like to use Atlantic Giants and Big Macs. Both are jumbo in size and have lots of fiber. Especially the fiber makes for easier mashing.
We roast the pumpkins, since a raw pumpkin is really nothing but a squash and if you try to use them raw, nothing comes out of them. Roasting converts some of the starch inside the pumpkin, and lets us extract sugars and sweetness. We cook them to the point where they’re kind of done—maybe a little brown around the edges, just when they are starting to caramelize. But we don’t want them turned to mush. Since pumpkins come in all different sizes, cooking times will vary. Once they are ready we cut them open and pull out the seeds.

For six-and-a-half barrels, we use about thirty pounds of pumpkins, though this will depend greatly on the pumpkin. This is a bit more than one-half pound for a five gallon batch, but once you start brewing you’ll realize you don’t want that much pumpkin anyway. Remember, this is a beer, not a vegetable beer. The pumpkin is there to complement the malts, not take them over. Besides, too much pumpkin makes for a tough sparge.
We always experiment with the base beer, but it’s generally a red ale/amber beer. We are looking for something with an orange to red hue. All the color in the beer comes from the malt. None comes from the pumpkin.
We go through the standard sparge. We have had trouble with this stage in the past, and what we have discovered is if you overcook the pumpkin it gets all mushy and causes the stuck mash. So, it’s important to not over roast.
Hops should be low-key. Be subtle, just to balance the malt sweetness. You don’t want the beer to be bitter. Think pumpkin pie in a glass, and shoot for that flavor profile. The dominant character will be the up front malt flavor, followed by a finish that highlight the spices of cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove. And speaking of spices, we use whole spice. This year we’ll put them in a big sparge bag, and then hang them in the conditioning tanks, after the boil. This is the way to get that nice, spiced character because it’s kind of like dry-hopping."

Let’s get started!

Appearance: Pours a deep, dark orange with a nice white head and mild lacing.

Aroma: Smells like Halloween (or Thanksgiving) with pumpkin, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg and just a touch of caramel malt in the distance.

Taste: “Pumpkin pie in a bottle” is right. Tastes like the holidays with all the noted spices (clove, cinnamon, nutmeg and perhaps allspice) as well as pumpkin. Malt and hops are there, but are balanced perfectly to allow the spice shine through.

Overall: I’ve said it many times…I love this beer. Pumpkin Ales aren’t for everyone (I know), but for me the complexities of Buffalo Bill's Brewery Pumpkin Ale is what makes this so drinkable. Smooth, creamy, spiced just right and light enough to session. At 5.2% this beer is perfect to enjoy throughout a nice holiday meal without getting too loopy in front of guests.

I had the chance to enjoy my first pint on September 9th. This beer is fantastic on tap. If you can go to Buffalo Bill's in Hayward (or find it on tap) I highly recommend that you do!

I am eagerly awaiting their Imperial Pumpkin Ale a 9.8% ABV MONSTER (photo to the left is me enjoying my first glass of it last year). They had intended on bottling it, but at this point I’ve not heard. If they do…look out…I’m buying CASES!

I love seeing displays of Buffalo Bill's Brewery Pumpkin Ale when I’m out and about. I found this one at Cost Plus World Market. Good price on the beer too ($6.99 a six pack). Pick some up! You’ll be glad you did!

Cheers!

Mark Harvey

Another year, another October and another COUNTDOWN!!!

2011-10-01T08:47:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe it, but today is October 1st! I'm really excited to be spending the month of October with you. My plan is to blog my way into your life each and every day - photos - music - musings - beer reviews (new this year) - free MP3s (treats) and the like. I've done well over the past three years at keeping this going and even though life gets busy 'round my place I just love to serve up the SEASONAL goodies!

So welcome (or welcome back in some cases) and look for an extravaganza of Halloween!

Mark Harvey

First Day of Fall: The Autumnal Equinox

2011-09-23T02:05:00.000-07:00

It is the summer's great last heat,
It is the fall's first chill: They meet.
–Sarah Morgan Bryan Piatt

Anyone who KNOWS me KNOWS how much I love the Fall. Fall begins in the Northern Hemisphere today - September 23rd at 5:05 A.M. (EDT). I have scheduled this post to hit just as Fall hits. Most of you will be asleep or perhaps just getting up for the day. Either way, enjoy this day with me. Halloween approaches. My 31 days of Blogging is also drawing near. (Deep breath)

Mark Harvey

Halloween nightmare: Pumpkins in short supply

2011-09-21T21:47:00.000-07:00

Greetings and good evening everyone.

I'm working on getting my blogging chops back since I've got to start getting entries done each day during October - a feat for sure.

I found an article (here) about pumpkins being in short supply on the East Coast due to Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee. As a pumpkin aficionado I would certainly hate to think of a world that had a lack of pumpkins. It just isn't fall without 'em. Halloween without the Great Pumpkin? Unheard of!

Recently I brewed my first pumpkin ale and for the life of me I couldn't find any fresh pumpkin (I ended up using organic canned pumpkin). I was told fresh pumpkins arrive in stores sometime around late September or early October. I emailed a few breweries that make pumpkin beers (that use fresh pumpkin) to see where they pick up pumpkin early enough to brew, bottle and sell to stores, but unfortunately none of them replied. I figure they must get them from South America or something. Pumpkin beers are in stores now and I plan to review 'em starting in October (early October to give readers time to find some to enjoy during the month).

Anyhow, I just thought I'd pop in to talk about pumpkins. I sure hope the crop somewhere is nice.

Mark Harvey

CDs back on eBay

2011-09-19T20:21:00.000-07:00

Good evening one and all,

As we race toward the month of October I thought it would be a good idea to get some of my CDs back up on eBay. I typically do well this time of year selling my Halloween CDs and eBay is where it all started for me back in 1999.

If you don't already have your copy of Pumpkinland, Rain Station's DARK RIDE or Fleshrot: Songs from the Dead please be sure to pick 'em up. As always you can listen to the CDs before you buy them.

Pumpkinland - LISTEN - Purchase on eBay
Rain Station's DARK RIDE - LISTEN - Purchase on eBay
Fleshrot: Songs from the Dead - LISTEN - Purchase on eBay

Happy Haunting!

Mark Harvey

Sixty Two...

2011-08-30T19:08:00.000-07:00

...days until Halloween and I am excited! Halloween items have been showing up in stores (even before they put away the back to school stuff). Every year it gets earlier and earlier and I'm OK with that (in the case of Halloween).

As we get closer, be aware (or beware) - the posts here are going to steadily increase and then in the month of October I plan to blog...gulp...every day. I plan to join the "31 days of Halloween" countdown again. I hope you can stop by every day to see the treats I'll be dishing up.

In celebration of the fast approaching Halloween holiday...here's a little tune for ya...
&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://rainstation.bandcamp.com/track/its-halloween"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;It's Halloween by Rain Station&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;
It is my hope that all my friends (and readers of this blog) go have a listen to the music I put up here. A few minutes won't hurt you. Try it...you may just like it...

Mark Harvey

Jay E Moores...artist

2011-08-22T21:26:00.000-07:00

Good evening,

I started this posting back on July 1st and here we are...August 22nd and I am FINALLY getting this one done. The Summer months just flew past me, but better late than never.

Today I'm just going to post some links...links you really should check out...
Jay Moores is my buddy - I've known him for a VERY long time. We're band mates, been roommates and he's my best friend.

Here's a write up of Jay's toys - check it out!

And here is a fantastic interview with Jay - read all about it!

I cannot recommend Jay's toys enough....they are handmade - fun and fantastic. If you don't collect toys you will after you get your hands on some of Jay's toys. Believe me. I promise. Do it!

OK, I'm off to blog about beers...read about 'em at the NorCal Beer Blog.

See ya next time....

Mark Harvey

Rain This Time

2011-06-28T18:37:00.000-07:00

Good evening my friends,

June 28th, 2011 and we've got RAIN here in the Bay Area. Today has been the wettest on record for this date in much of the Bay Area and the rain just keeps on coming.

As of 2 p.m., .37 inches of rain had fallen on downtown San Francisco, breaking the old record of .22 inches set back in 1952.

Don't get me wrong, I love the rain, but it is really messing with the whole Summer vibe that folks have going right now.

Needless to say this weather brings to mind some music. Now is the time for The Screaming Paisleys and "Rain This Time"

&amp;lt;a href="http://thescreamingpaisleys.bandcamp.com/track/rain-this-time"&amp;gt;Rain This Time by The Screaming Paisleys&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;
Enjoy the track, stay warm and dry and drop me a note - lemme know if you're digging the scene here.

Mark Harvey

What'chu talkin' 'bout, Willis

2011-06-27T20:21:00.000-07:00

Good evening,

This song has nothing to do with Diff'rent Strokes except for the fact that I called the song "Willis". Still, don't you just love the young Gary Coleman? I prefer to think of the entire Diff'rent Strokes cast as they were....so...OK, let's get back to music. Taken from instrumental mopehead volume two this track is extremely long and written during a phase I was going through - which was nearly all instrumental. I lost the desire to write lyrics and thought that if I wrote an instrumental maybe it would prompt me to write words, but in the case with the tracks on instrumental mopehead volume two, that didn't happen (although a couple tracks do have lyrics - vocals just haven't been recorded). Have a listen if you want to dedicate 8 minutes and 22 seconds to this groovy track.
&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://mopehead.bandcamp.com/track/willis"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Willis by mopehead&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;
Thank you for listening (for those that did) and let me know what you think.
Have a great night,

Mark Harvey

This Boy's Life

2011-06-25T06:46:00.000-07:00

Good Saturday morning!

I'm up bright and early to greet the day. Today's track-du-jour is "This Boy's Life" from the somewhat newly compiled "Cheer Up My Camp" mopehead album. It is interesting listening to this song as I can bring myself emotionally back to the point where I wrote this song. This song (like many) was written about a girl. This song isn't all that mopey although it may sound that way. Have a listen...let me know what you think.
&amp;lt;a href="http://mopehead.bandcamp.com/track/this-boys-life"&amp;gt;This Boy's Life by mopehead&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;
I believe it is important to live life with passion. Going through life and just going through the motions..."I'm supposed to do this, and then I'm supposed to do that..." just isn't my style. I feel fortunate today that I have many passions in my life - my wife, my kids, my job, my hobbies...

What are you passionate about?

Mark Harvey

Let It Go By

2011-06-23T19:39:00.000-07:00

Hey there friends of the Mark Harvey's World Blog,

I've been posting a lot of mopehead and Rain Station tracks so I thought I'd post some of my AC music (that's Adult Contemporary). I could actually use some AC (air conditioning) about now. Alright, moving right along...I've blogged about the band I had with my sister - Month of Sundays - well, we WERE called Month of Sundays, but we were served a cease and desist by a hair band from back East so we added her name, Beth Eyre, and moved on. Yeah, that's me in the picture on the left...my hair a little bigger and my face sans hair. I didn't always have facial hair. Whenever I listen to our music I think, wow, that was some well done stuff (even if I do say so myself).

"Let It Go By" is a track that seems perfect for these warm Summer nights.
&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://betheyre.bandcamp.com/track/let-it-go-by"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Let It Go By by Beth Eyre and Month of Sundays&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;
Check it out...dance a little...c'mon, you know you want to.

Stay cool, my friends...

Mark Harvey

Summer Solstice (and Summer Home)

2011-06-21T19:33:00.000-07:00

Greetings and happy Summer Solstice!

This is just a quick near re-post - a couple tracks - and then I'm out.

As the story goes..."Summer Home" is one of those rare tracks that has been recorded twice (I think three times actually). It is one of my favorite Rain Station tracks. In the summer of 1992, Hoagie Malone (Jay Moores) began coaxing musicians for his recording project "Equator". These sessions produced 33 tracks. Originally released as "Khaki Circus" by Equator, Hoagie felt that the recordings between he and mopehead (Mark Harvey) were going particularly well, so when mixing time came, the 33 tracks became two separate releases. Rain Station was born with the release "Criminal Goat" and Hoagie released the rest as "Equator". "Summer Home" was one of the tracks on "Criminal Goat". Jay recorded drum tracks in his large Mission Street house. I'd come over and record guitar tracks to his tracks and then he'd flesh out the rest. On the original "Criminal Goat" version of "Summer Home" the bass track was played by Jay's buddy Dave Mintim.

Here's the "Criminal Goat" version of "Summer Home"...
&amp;lt;a href="http://rainstation.bandcamp.com/track/summer-home"&amp;gt;Summer Home by Rain Station&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;
A year or so later I moved out to the Sunset (from the Peninsula) and after a few roommates came and left I convinced Jay to move out of the Mission and out towards the ocean. The place we lived in was fairly large and allowed for setting up and playing (as a band).

Tony Iuppa (my buddy who played bass in The Screaming Paisleys) joined us as did a friend from work, Brian Peet (on drums). Rain Station (the band) was formed and we recorded a three song demo to shop around for gigs. Jay and I also named our home in the Sunset The Rain Station.
"Summer Home" was one of the tracks we recorded for our three song demo - this time on my 4-track. "Summer Home" was added to "Fancy Fancy" as were the other two songs we recorded - "Widdershins" and "Quiet Morning".
Here's the "Fancy Fancy" version of "Summer Home"...
&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://rainstation.bandcamp.com/track/summer-home-2"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Summer Home by Rain Station&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;
Jay and I have yet to record a version of "Summer Home" on something better than a 4-track. I'm sure someday we will as we both love the tune.

Remember, all of my CDs are available for purchase at Nobody Records.

Be sure and support independent music and purchasing CDs from us!

Mark Harvey

Happy Father's Day (better suited for heaven)

2011-06-19T09:16:00.000-07:00

Good morning!

Just a quick post to wish all the real Fathers out there a Happy Father's Day. I had a REAL Dad. He was loving, hard working, fun, intelligent and and all around fantastic guy. My parents really wanted a son so they adopted me, but never did I feel adopted. I was loved, cared for and helped to become the best person I could become.

I love my kids dearly. They are my life. I am thankful for the example of my Father. I think of him every day and I wish he could have known all of my kids. He would have loved them so much. He passed away on October 31st, 2005.

About Father's Day...taken from FathersDayBirthplace...

"Father’s Day will be 100 years old on June 20, 2010, and a Spokane, Washington, woman is credited with being the founder of the annual celebration. Sonora Smart Dodd, often referred to as the “Mother of Father’s Day,” was 16 years old when her mother died in 1898, leaving her father William Jackson Smart to raise Sonora and her five younger brothers on a remote farm in Eastern Washington. In 1909 when Sonora heard a Mother’s Day sermon at Central United Methodist Church in Spokane, she was inspired to propose that Father’s receive equal recognition.
The following year with the assistance of Reverend Dr. Conrad Bluhm, her pastor at Old Centenary
Presbyterian Church (now Knox Presbyterian Church), Sonora took the idea to the Spokane YMCA. The
Spokane YMCA, along with the Ministerial Alliance, endorsed Dodd’s idea and helped it spread by celebrating the first Father’s Day in 1910. Sonora suggested her father’s birthday, June 5th, be established as the day to honor all Father’s. However, the pastors wanted more time to prepare, so June 19, 1910 was designated as the first Father’s Day and sermons honoring Father’s were presented throughout the city.
It was years, however, before Father’s Day gained national prominence. In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge
recognized Father’s Day and urged the states to do likewise. In 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed a
proclamation calling for the third Sunday in June to be recognized as Father’s Day and requested that flags
to be flown that day on all government buildings. President Richard M. Nixon signed a proclamation in 1972,
permanently observing Father’s Day on the third Sunday in June. Sonora’s pivotal role in the creation of a national Father’s Day celebration was recognized in 1943 at a luncheon in her honor in New York City at the Billion Dollar Bond Drive, at a celebration by the National Council for the Promotion of Father’s Day at the 1940 New York World’s Fair and at the 1974 World’s Fair Expo in Spokane. A plaque dedicated in 1948 honoring Sonora Dodd’s efforts rests on a granite boulder outside the Central Spokane YMCA commemorating the YMCA’s role in the first celebration of Father’s Day. Today Father’s Day is celebrated from Antigua to Zimbabwe in over 50 countries around the world."

Today I'm posting a song - "better suited for heaven" from instrumental mopehead. This song makes me think about my Dad.
&amp;lt;a href="http://mopehead.bandcamp.com/track/better-suited-for-heaven"&amp;gt;better suited for heaven by mopehead&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;
Again, Happy Father's Day!

Mark Harvey
a proud Dad of three

Flying East (a song about wanting to leave the Bay Area)

2011-06-17T19:42:00.000-07:00

Hey there everyone! WOO HOO...(alright, calm down, Mark)...

Well, now that I've gotten that out of my system I'm going to post a song (imagine that) about leaving the Bay Area to go on a trip. The song was recorded on my 8-track while doing my solo thing as mopehead. The track was recorded at the original Pumpkinland Studios in Oakland. I was working for the good guys! as the Service Manager dealing with all sorts of crazy people drama and while I was driving home I just thought..."hey...what if I just drifted off and...". So I knew I needed to take a break and get my head straight. My buddy Jay had moved to New York and was living in a surreal mansion (the photo was taken from the rooftop of the mansion) on Staten Island. I thought it was time to visit him, see his cat Spim, check out the mansion and chill like we do.

During that trip we video taped the now infamous (and famous) edited version of The SOB Puppet Hour. If you haven't seen it (and you don't FEAR it) c'mon over and FREAK OUT with us...

The video is a hoot - check it out.

SOB Puppet Hour from JEMoores on Vimeo.
So it isn't always wine, cheese and roses (or beer) in Northern California, but as I've said in the past two posts I ALWAYS love coming back.
&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://mopehead.bandcamp.com/track/flying-east"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Flying East by mopehead&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;
As many of you know Jay and his family have since moved back to the Bay Area and even though I don't get to see him as often as I'd like (every day would be nice) it is nice to know he's here in the place I love and call home.
I need to go see him...STAT.
Have a great weekend everyone...there's a lot of love....a lot of love...

Mark Harvey

It Feels Like I'm Home (and I am)

2011-06-16T19:45:00.000-07:00

Well heck...I must be home. Based on the fact that I'm back to blogging again I must have at least a few minutes to spare (well, not really, but I do like to write) or maybe it is just that I'm back in the Bay. This is the second song in my NorCal centric posting spree (and I'm not sure I'll find another...but I'll check).
This song is about the commute I had years ago from San Francisco to Oakland. I was the night manager at the good guys! Van Ness store and would make this trek each night in my 1978 Volkswagon Bus. Typically I'd light up a stick of Nag Champa incense and zone out to some music. Something about the night air mixing with the incense, the drive across the Bay Bridge and the lack of traffic at that time of night (usually around 1:30 am) was soothing.

Anyhow, taken from mopehead's "It's Always Good" CD - this is "It Feels Like I'm Home".
&amp;lt;a href="http://mopehead.bandcamp.com/track/it-feels-like-im-home"&amp;gt;It Feels Like I'm Home by mopehead&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;
Hope you enjoy the track and if you're not a native Northern Californian you should come for a visit and check the area out. I think you'd like it.

Mark Harvey

No Place Else (NorCal, baby)

2011-06-15T18:59:00.000-07:00

Well gosh...

I noticed my last post was back in late May so I thought I should celebrate. Celebrate you say? Well, yes. I've been travelling a lot lately and haven't had any time to blog. I am celebrating being back at home (even if it is only for a short time). I am celebrating being back in the BAY AREA. I am extremely NorCal centric and not apologetic about it at all. I was born and raised here. No matter where I travel it always feels good to get off a plane in Oakland or San Francisco knowing I'm HOME. The cool foggy air is the perfect greeting.

I was recently in Nashville, TN and Huntsville, AL. I've found that when I travel to places that have weather (tornadoes mostly) the folks there talk about the fact that they'd rather have tornadoes versus earthquakes. What blows my mind is the fact that we RARELY have earthquakes. Tornadoes occur EVERY YEAR as do hurricanes and other types of severe weather. I guess since I've lived through a few I don't fear them. I guess the randomness of earthquakes is what scares people. There's notice of most other types of weather. This photo was taken on the way to Huntsville. This whole place was thrashed. Really sad.

One of the nice things about travelling is trying new things and getting to have those things that you can't get 'round home. One of the staples for me (when they're available) is Cracker Barrel. The closest one to where I live is in Arizona. Whenever I travel I check to see if there's a Cracker Barrel nearby. A few years ago while travelling with a co-worker who is located in Tennessee I made him visit Cracker Barrel way too many times (for his taste). He would exclaim to other co-workers, "That Mark Harvey loves himself some Cracker Barrel" (said in a Southern accent). Well, yes, I do love me some Cracker Barrel. I think we ate at one about three times during the week I spent working with him. He sent me a $10 gift card after the trip. I held onto that gift card and a couple of years after receiving it I finally got to use it.

My favorite meal at Cracker Barrel is the grilled chicken tenderloin with their hashbrown casserole, country green beans, salad and corn bread. OH MY GOODNESS. I figure if I lived any closer to a Cracker Barrel I'd end up HUGE. One a family vacation in Utah I made my family drive about an hour to a Cracker Barrel for not one, but I believe three meals.

OK, well, moving along...today's tune is "No Place Else" taken from Rain Station's Stonedozer CD. This is a NorCal centric tune for sure. I'll post some others I written about loving where I live!
&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://rainstation.bandcamp.com/track/no-place-else"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;No Place Else by Rain Station&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;
Enjoy the track...it is good to be back!

Mark Harvey

Insatiable Hunger

2011-05-26T21:48:00.000-07:00

Well hello there Thursday night...

I just thought after having a great dinner and a beer that I'd post a song about zombies....hey, why not? "Insatiable Hunger" is from the Fleshrot: Songs from the Dead CD I put out to support my buddy John Pearson's graphic novel (Fleshrot: Tales from the Dead). This is what I call "stripper rock" - it has a good beat and rockin' guitars (if I do say so myself) and although I've never been to a strip club (seriously) I figure this track would work well in what I envision a strip club would play (if they're playin' rock music). So...have a listen and let me know what you think.
&amp;lt;a href="http://markharvey.bandcamp.com/track/insatiable-hunger"&amp;gt;Insatiable Hunger by Mark Harvey&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;
Goodnight friends...have a fantastic holiday weekend!

Mark Harvey

Brar's Song

2011-05-25T19:09:00.000-07:00

Hello friends,

I've posted this song before, but not the Bandcamp - play it at will version. Tonight's track is mopehead's "Brar's Song". Back in my college days my buddy Tony Iuppa lived in Berkeley (he went to CAL). I spent a decent amount of time over at his place hanging out with Tony...being vague. It was through Tony that I met Jay (they were roommates). Anyhow, late into the evening we would often want a snack or a soda and we would head off to the Exxon on University to grab something (candy, chips, a Thirst Tamer). The night clerk was a man named Brar. Brar seemed like an interesting fellow and he became a part of our night time ritual. I named my Lava Lamp after him. I wrote this song about him. "I also wrote Brar's Day Off" in his honor. Often times we would become fixated with strange things...I guess nothing has changed, really...
&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://mopehead.bandcamp.com/track/brars-song"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Brar's Song by mopehead&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;
Enjoy the track - get vague with me!

Mark Harvey

I Can't Fly

2011-05-23T19:30:00.000-07:00

Good evening,

As I prepare to head back home from my business trip I was thinking about this song. I can't physically fly, but I can climb into an airplane and let them fly me home. I guess I am getting a little technical - that's what happens when given free time in a hotel room.
&amp;lt;a href="http://rainstation.bandcamp.com/track/i-cant-fly"&amp;gt;I Can't Fly by Rain Station&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;
Weather willing I WILL fly and be home once again. Wish me success!

Mark Harvey

Flying away...on a "Runway"

2011-05-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

Good EARLY morning friends,

This post was obviously not written at this time of the morning (Blogger lets me post these as I see fit). My flight leaves at 6:00 am so I figured I'd have this post up as I'm taxiing the runway. Since I'm heading out to Columbus, OH (and eventually Dublin, OH) I thought I'd post the Rain Station track "Runway". Whenever I fly I think about this song as it is fit for travel. This track has to be my all time favorite Rain Station track (although there are others that come very close).
&amp;lt;a href="http://rainstation.bandcamp.com/track/runway"&amp;gt;Runway by Rain Station&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;
Enjoy the track, say a prayer for me and wish me luck on my travels. I'll be home soon.

Mark Harvey

Elbow

2011-05-20T19:34:00.000-07:00

Good evening,

I cannot get enough of Elbow. In 2009 my friend Audrey turned me onto this band and they have fast become my favorite. I can honestly listen to their music non-stop, all the time and never tire of them (this cannot be said of my family who is most certainly tired of Elbow - well - except my son who still loves them as I do). This live track is off their new CD, "Build A Rocket Boys". It is my hope that they come to the SF Bay Area so I can see them live. I plan to post more of their live videos as I know eventually you will love them as I do...

And from "The Seldom Seen Kid" album...

Enjoy!

Mark Harvey

Rain Station's "Sound of Life"

2011-05-19T19:11:00.000-07:00

Good evening,

A couple of guys, a couple of guitars, a couple of mics and a few good songs. Rain Station's "The Living Room Sessions" was recorded years ago in our SF Sunset district home yet every time I hear the CD I get transported back to that living room, sitting there with Jay and reliving that part of my life.
&amp;lt;a href="http://rainstation.bandcamp.com/track/sound-of-life"&amp;gt;Sound Of Life by Rain Station&amp;lt;/a&amp;gt;

Knock on the door, come on in, hop on the couch and join us. We're so glad that you're here.

Thanks for listening,

Mark Harvey

Drew Andrews

2011-05-10T19:54:00.000-07:00

Good evening,

A few years ago my buddy Brian and I were on a mission and we saw Adam Franklin three times in one year - once with Swervedriver, once solo and once with Magnetic Morning. Opening for Adam (the Magnetic Morning show at The Independent) was Drew Andrews. Although I was a fan of The Album Leaf I didn't put two and two together and didn't realize until later that Drew is the guitarist from The Album Leaf. I wrote about the show here.
Drew's set was exceptional and I immediately was drawn to his music.
I purchased Drew's album at the show, "Only Mirrors" based on his set and it is still one of my favorite albums of all time. There's something about Drew's music that resonates with me. It has a familiarity that is eerie. I cannot suggest his music enough. I just purchased his "Playing Birthday Games" EP off iTunes (which is something I NEVER do - purchasing music off iTunes). I'm a tangible sort of guy so I still like buying CDs and storing them (which honestly makes no sense).
The song below is called Cairo, and it is from his forthcoming album, 63 Psychic States. This song features the vocals of ex-Dirty Projectors vocalist, Susanna Waiche. I am eagerly awaiting its release.

Latest tracks by drewandrews
"Guitarist from The Album Leaf and co-founder of Via Satellite debuts his first solo album. An absorbing and atmospheric record featuring soft and intricate guitar, synthesizers, and Andrews' feathery vocals floating above it all. Contributors include members of The Album Leaf and The Black Heart Procession."

Check out Drew Andrews. I think you'll be glad you did.

Mark Harvey

2011-05-04T20:33:00.000-07:00

Good evening,

Well folks..there may be some radio silence for a few days now. Take a minute to think about Mom this coming weekend. Tell the Moms in your life how important they are to you. Every once in a while my birthday falls on Mother's Day (like this year) and in years past I would be a little bummed out to share a day with all the Moms, but you know, I couldn't think of a better way to spend the day. I am so blessed to have so many wonderful women in my life.

As I prepare to leave on a much needed vacation I thought I'd post this video - a video that Heather posted and I felt it summed up the true expression of gettin' out of dodge...

I've always been a HUGE fan of exotica and I have hours upon hours of music to lull me into a exotic stupor. Here's some information on the tune from Wikipedia, ""Quiet Village" is an exotica instrumental that was originally written and performed by Les Baxter in 1952. In the liner notes to his album,Ritual of the Savage (Le sacre du sauvage), Baxter described the themes he was conveying in the work^[1]:

[t]he jungle grows more dense as the river boat slowly makes its way into the deep interior. A snake slithers into the water, flushing a brilliantly plumaged bird who soars into the clearing above a quiet village. Here is a musical portrait of a tropical village deserted in the mid-day heat.

Seven years later, in 1959, Martin Denny added exotic sounds to the song, and his instrumental version made it to number four on the pop singles chart and number eleven on the R&B chart. ^[2]. Denny also recorded a bossa nova version of the song in 1964 and a version on Moog synthesizer in 1969. In 1977, The Ritchie Family recorded a disco version of the song and added vocals. The single was included on theirAfrican Queens album. Along with the album's title track as well as "Summer Dance", "Quiet Village" hit number one for three weeks in 1977. However, unlike the Martin Denny version, The Ritchie Family recording did not chart on the pop singles or R&B chart. ^[3].

(note +) The original single hit was a mono recording edited to 2:42, and this length version was used on the Liberty album as well. There was a different recording, done in stereo, used on stereo Liberty LP's and many subsequent reissues. The full length version only made is first appearance sometime in the 1980's."

I hope to blog from the road.

Mark Harvey

Check out music from Rain Station

2011-05-03T20:56:00.001-07:00

Well folks,

It has been SOME time comin' and I mentioned it...yet no one said anything, so...without further adieu...

The new RAIN STATION iTunes APP is here!!!

This application is FREE so...if you have an iPhone GO GIT IT!

WOO HOO!!!

Mark Harvey
iPhone user and proud owner of a Rain Station iPhone app (sweet!)