September 1st Protest March and an Update on Rise of the Wretched!

Well, first things first:
MARCH ON THE RNC with Junkyard Empire!

As many of you already know, there is going to be a giant march on the RNC on September 1st, starting at the Capital steps and ending up at the Excel Energy Center, the place where all the fascists will be enjoying their orgy of tyranny, corruption and "free market" capitalistic hegemony.

We are - as a band - going to join the march with all our brothers and sitsters who believe in speaking truth to power and doing our duty as citizens, which is to question authority at all times, making sure our basic human and otherwise rights are not being snatched up from under our noses. This has unfortunately been the case since about the mid-1980s. Well, really since the industrialization, but nothing compares to the last twenty or so years. Point is, we want you to come and march with us in solidarity.

This march is going to be so big that it will have "contingents", which is what all the big marches had in the 1960s as well. This means that certain groups, who are advocating on behalf of particular issues, or want to voice opposition to a particular policy or whatnot, join the protest as a group. Junkyard Empire will be joining the "poor people's contingent".

The Poor People's Contingent will gather on the West side of the Capitol Mall...Look for the yellow balloons!

Here is a link where you can find all the information you need, including downloadable flyers and so on:
http://marchonrnc.org/blog/1

Update on Rise of the Wretched, our new EP:

As many of you probably already know, we originally had our EP mixed at Fur Seal Studio by Joe Johnson, the same guy who recorded and mixed the RECLAIM FREEDOM album. We were pretty happy with the mixes, but due to time and money constraints, there were some details that we would have liked to pay more attention to, as well as put some time into the production of the overall sound of the EP. Eneter Brian Susco: Brian is a veteran mixing engineer from LA who just happens to be hanging out for a while here in Minneapolis with Jaime Paul Lamb, the wonderful organist and band leader of Northern Cargo, a kick ass free improvisation ensemble that I (Christopher) play with frequently. When I met Brian, it was in Neil Wadhawan's (fantastic drummer from the band Samosa and Northern Cargo) basement, where we were to record some tracks for the upcoming full length debut. I knew Brian was fantastic from the care and creative energy he displayed when placing mics and tracking. The sound that this guy got from a six piece fully improvised ensemble in the basement of an Uptown house is utterly fantastic! So at the time I told him that we were working on an EP, and that the goal of the EP was to get people interested in possibly wanting to really back Junkyard Empire for a full length album; to put us in a situation in which we could take our time and record a fantastic full length CD without the added stress of a tiny little budget and only a few days of recording time. I said we'd love to work with him when we are ready to do a full length album. His response, after listening to some of our other material (from Reclaim Freedom) was, "who do you have mixing the EP? Because I'd love to mix it." At that point it was kind of already decided that we were going to go to Joe at Fur Seal, because we all knew him, etc. and Brian was really new to everyone. He then offered to mix a track for free, just so we could see what he can do. I wish I would have given him a track then.

What we ended up doing was having Joe mix the EP, for a killer price mind you, and we were pretty happy with it, but like I said, there were still a number of things we wish we could have spent some more dedicated time on. Here's what happened: Brian still wanted to mix one track, just so that we were aware of what his skills are, and also because I think he really just liked the music and thought he could do it a little more justice. So, I gave Brian the track Progression, which is one of our new ones. It was the track we were all the least happy with, and at the same time was one of the most challenging tracks to mix overall. He gave me a CD of the newly mixed track a day later and it simply BLEW MY MIND. It then blew the mind of the rest of the guys too, even though it still needed a little more work.

In the end, we decided that he is just too talented not mix the rest of the album. So, Brian is hard at work mixing the rest of the three tracks. From what we have heard so far, this little 4-song EP is going to be absolutely world class. The sound takes us from a jazzy hip-hop group that doesn't stand a chance at breaking through to the commercial world - as fucked up as it is - to actually maybe getting some real air play. That's how good it sounds. To say that we are excited is the understatement of the year.

Lesson learned: Before you pay to have someone mix your CD, give a track to a few different engineers to have them do a bit of an audition. Then, pay the going rate to the one who realizes the sound the best. In our case, we are paying a little more than we wanted, because we didn't give Brian the audition when he first asked for it. However, now we really know what to look for in an engineer. Brian Susco will most likely be tracking and mixing our next full length album, even if we get label support. And when you hear the final product, you will know why.

-Christopher

Junkyard Empire Looks to Partner up with Other Progressive Organizations

Hello out there fellow revolutionaries and future heroes of the new world. We here in the Junkyard Empire have decided to take our thang to another level. That is, we want to start directly partnering up with progressive organizations and their activists to push the issues we feel are important. Those issue include, but are not limited to:

Net Neutrality
Livable Wage - not "minimum wage"
Universal Single-payer non-profit Health Care
Fighting the Corporate Domination of Mainstream Media
Fighting the Limitations of Corporate Radio
Human Rights
Legalization of Hemp
Progressive Taxation
Access to the Internet in Economically Depressed Areas of the World
(otherwise known as "closing the digital divide")
Rural Broadband Access
Public Interest Broadcasting
Instant Run-off Voting
Impeachment of President Bush and all his Aides
Lifting the Travel and Economic Embargoes on Cuba

The list can obviously go on for miles, because there are miles of problems that have to be dealt with in the world, mostly stemming from right here in the USA.

So, if you or someone you know works with organizations that fight for these causes, please hip them to our music and our message. We would like to partner up with at least two or three of these organizations, and we can do that in a number of ways. The simplest way at first is that we will provide stage time for people from these organizations to speak during our shows, and we will also allow for tabling at every show we play. All we ask is that you contact us ahead of time, so we can work it into our set.

If interested, send us an email to junkyardempire@gmail.com

Let's do this!

The Importance of Embracing the Underground

The underground: We hear that term used in so many different ways, and in equally various contexts. For the purpose of my argument, which is on in strong support of embracing all that is the glory of the proverbial underground, I will define the underground from a musical perspective; music that is too hip to gain 'above-ground' notoriety without what is essentially a grassroots movement behind it. Let's just be blunt and say that unless your band has a singer, catchy guitar riffs, and very closely resembles music that is already above ground and/or popular, it is going to be a long, hard slog on your way to recognition at the level necessary to actually see more than the usual 10-20 people who come to your shows, dig?

Even if you look at immensely talented folks who lived for a while on the underground and then hit really big - artists like Elliot Smith, Beck, Digable Planets, NAS, and many alternative hip-hop artists from the Twin Cities - they all had some kind of hook to their music; something that the fickle general American public could very easily latch onto. In the case of Smith and Beck, they had guitars, catchy melodies, etc., nothing too difficult to dig into for the average listener of good music. For the previously underground hip-hop artists are genuinely great at what they do and bring something other than knuckle-dragging chouvonistic bullshit to the scene, they also had a kind of hook in that they are not bands per se, but self-made individualistic icons in their own right; just them, a DJ, and a massive built-up hype. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying they are at all lacking because of that. It is DEFINITELY possible for a rapper and a DJ to really put on a hell of show, even without any kind of band backing them up. I just saw Immortal Technique two weeks ago, and he absolutely tore up the stage at First Avenue. His rhetoric, his poetry, and his bad-ass beats were more than enough to keep the audience high as a kite with their fists in the air. His opening acts on the other hand were an absolute waste of space! Anyway, let me get back to the point. That is, unless you have some kind of hook, something that mainstream America is in need of or desires, the chance of "getting discovered" is slim at best, no matter how damn good you are.

So, in light of that rather disturbing image, here is my theory. If you embrace any one thing for what it really is, rather than for what you wish it was, and you do it all the way - the height of your abilities - it is just a matter of time before the world at large realizes just how much you have to offer. In fact, if you are that damn good, you may not ever really have to come out from the underground. More on that after we discuss what is actually so cool about the underground.

The underground is everything that the overground, if you will, wishes it was. I mean, think about it: Rage Against the Machine can't even play a small venue anymore, not unless they charge a ton of money for the ticket, right? And that excludes all those folks who can't afford to go to an expensive show. Obviously this goes for all famous bands or individual artists. Of course, when they get that big fat paycheck, I don't think they individually wish they were back on the underground - which is exactly where every great artists was at one point, don't forget.

Another thing the underground has that the overground only wishes they had, is that always present feeling of "man, these guys are amazing, why haven't they been discovered yet?" That is, in my opinion, the best part of the underground. I was checking out a really great musical project that our drummer Graham O'Brien often performs with, Keston and Westal, at the Kitty Kat Club last night. I, of course, am already too jaded to say to myself, "wow, why haven't these guys been discovered yet?", but I was indeed thinking how absolutely cool it was to be sitting there in that David Lynch-like designed club listening to this bad-ass Herbie Hancock/MMW/awesome 70s vibe jazzy stuff, with only about 20 people in the crowd. I mean, think about it, here is this unbelievably cool club, with this world class quality live funky jazz electronica happening, and I am one of only a dozen or so people seeing it happen! Who knows what the future holds for Keston and Westal, but if their album ever gets a ton of airplay or what have you, I will get to say "I saw them at the Kitty Kat Club in Minneapolis for free, and there was just myself and a dozen or so others in the crowd."

We all know that I could take a completely different approach; a much more negative half-empty approach, which is something I have done many times before. It would go something like this:

There was nobody there because American culture has suffered so much from the instant gratification of television and corporately controlled radio, that nobody gives a shit about seeing great music anymore. It's more about going out to get laid, drink beer, and be a part of "scene" than it is to actually go out on a hunt for bad-ass up-and-coming live music. I remember when that was what young, avant-garde people did every weekend. It was just assumed that you would go out and find some killer live music. This has changed dramatically in this country and the new young generation has become much less attuned to the joy of finding undiscovered talent.

Sure, there is definitely some truth to that. However, I am what I like to think of as a Practical Optimist. That is, I believe it is more useful both for the artist and for the culture that the artist is a part of, to approach things from the perspective that says good music will always prevail, even if it takes a lot longer for the mainstream to find out about it. It's those who dwell in the underground; those who embrace the inherent hipness of the underground, who will be the fulcrum by which bands that are "too hip for the room" will gain the attention and support they deserve.

So I propose that not only the band I play with - which I would say is often too hip for the room too - but every band that is on the underground - either by choice or by the inevitability therein because of the greatness of the music - take a moment to look around. Recognize, while you are here on the underground, how beautiful it is. If and when your band finally earns the respect, support and attention you have long deserved, you just might miss those days when you were playing for 5-10 truly attentive and undeniably hip people at some really cool club in Minneapolis, or New York City for that matter.

I say, in earnest, to the four or five people who might actually read this post: The next time we are playing in a club for less people than are in the band, I promise to look around and take a strong mental picture of what it looks like and feels like to be an amazing band, playing totally hip and creative music that if rocked on the big stage would definitely blow minds. In the end, it's the music that matters. I don't think I could live with myself if my band sucked but we were famous. Hmm, famous last words?

- Christopher Robin Cox

News from the Junkyard Empire: RNC Protest Concerts, Revolutionary Fronts, and EP's OH MY!!

Well folks, we have a lot to look forward to, and along with that comes a lot of planning and grassroots organizing. That's where you come in! If there is anyone out there who wants to help us with any of the MAJOR plans we have for the coming year, we are all ears. Everyone has something to offer, as far as we are concerned. As the saying goes - or something to this effect - never underestimate what can be accomplished by a small, focused group of people. In short: Join the JUNKYARD EMPIRE REVOLUTIONARY FRONT!!!!
Here's what we are beginning to get under way:

1. The release of our first ever EP, Rise of the Wretched:
   

• As you can see from the beautiful picture on the top of this site, our own Dan Choma (bass) has begun working on what will be the cover. Believe it or not, this is the first draft and I'm sure there will be more to come, unless we decide to just go with this one. It is after all kick-ass.
  
• We are really proud of the songs we have recorded, of which there are four. So, we want to push the hell out of this EP. Ultimately, we would like to use it to gain real interest from either a label or distribution company who can put some money behind our next full length effort, which I'm sure we'll begin working on in the very near future.
  
• There are many ways in which folks who dig our music can help us get it out to the world at large. And we can furnish you with copies if you have connections!
  
• Give the EP to people you know who have the ability to get radio play
  
• Drop the EP off to clubs in your home town
• Request songs from the EP on radio stations! That is one of the biggest things you can do to help with getting the music out there. The tracks Alternative Energy and Complex Crooks are the ones that will have the most chance of getting played, because they are short enough. Again, we can provide any information you need in order to do this, just hit us up.

2. Announcing the ANTI-RNC TOUR!

• Okay, so we are not going on a real "tour", not yet at least! But, what we are doing is playing just about every day or night of the convention during the four days the fascists are in town. So far, the only day we don't have a gig is September 2nd, and there is more than one offer in the making for that day. In fact, as far as we know, we may even end up playing during the day AND in the evening. We'll keep you posted on all that.
  
• To find out and keep track of all our gigs for the week of September 1-4, keep checking on our Myspace site and right here on the blog.

• How you can help us rock the hell out Saint Paul and Minneapolis during the RNC:
1. Help us pass out flyer to advance each of the gigs. For example, we will need folks to help us pass out 100's of fliers for our September 3rd gig (or 2nd if we end up getting booked for that day and/or night) at our September 1st gig @ the Welcome to the Neighborhood Block Party.
2. We will also need people to help us move our equipment around during the convention. From what we have heard, we will be forced to utilize big rolling carts to move our shit. And those of you who have seen us live know that we have a lot of equipment, especially Chris's big keyboard. This will mostly depend on if we get booked for a daytime thing on the 2nd. If so, we will most likely be having to move our shit all the way from Lowertown, Saint Paul to the grassy knoll at the State Capitol, which is about 1/2 mile or more - and it will likely have to be on foot!
   
3. This is perhaps the most important thing: We need people to help us create a party at every place we play. We want folks to follow us for the whole tour! NO SLEEP FOR THE WICKED, DIG? We will be playing with different bands for every show, except Ill Chemistry, whom we will be jamming with on both the 1st @ the Block Party and the 4th @ Trocadero's. We want to basically bring with us like 20-50 people who want to revel in the feeling of protest and speaking truth to power for four whole days and nights!
   
4. Here's something a little crazy, yet possibly necessary: In the event that one or more of us gets arrested for "inciting a riot" or what have you, we will need a group of people to send out a press release to all the local papers. This, of course, will be a promotional stunt more than anything else. Something like "free the Junkyard five" or whatever. It will be good clean fun!

3. Help us plan for future tours! This is when it gets exciting people! We are not planning on going anywhere anytime soon, but we want to make a stab of it sometime in the coming year. The UK, Germany, France, Cuba (yes, Cuba) and South America are all on our radar. Whatever advice people may have about getting ourselves to Europe is greatly appreciated. Furthermore, if you have any contacts that could be of use, please do not hesitate!

So, if after reading all of that, you want to join the JUNKYARD EMPIRE REVOLUTIONARY FRONT, simply send an email to junkyardempire@gmail.com

Junkyard Empire and the RNC:

Alright people, no surprise here, but we are going to be playing a lot of shows during the week of September 1-4. Let's just be honest and say that things could definitely get a little crazy, but that's a good problem to have as far as we're concerned. Things need to be shaken up a bit during the RNC in Saint Paul, and we will be doing our part, that's for sure.

The main question is: Will you be doing it with us? We want as many people as possible to come along with us as we tour the Twin Cities during the RNC! Here is the rundown of what we will be involved in, as well as some of the tentative things we may have lined up:

• September 1st: We will be playing a kick ass outdoor show on a big stage outside the Black Dog Cafe in Lowertown, Saint Paul as part of the Welcome to the Neighborhood Block Party. Other bands on the bill include Kill the Vultures, Big Quarters, Desdemona and Cargnage! We don't yet know what time we will be going on, but know that we are gonna rock the hell out Saint Paul that day! THIS WILL ALSO BE - IF ALL IS ON TARGET - THE FIRST OF A SERIES OF EP RELEASE SHOWS!
• September 2nd: This is a big more chaotic so far. Because there is so much going on that day, we don't yet have any confirmations. But, here is what we are in negotiation mode with right now: We may play on a side stage at the Ripple Effect Concert, put on by Substance at the Capital, which will mean we'd be in the lineup with Michael Franti and Spearhead, Dead Prez, and I Self Divine to name but three.
  
• Then, we are also in talks about the possibility of joining up with Substance to play the afterparty, which would also feature State Radio!
  
• So, the 2nd is going to be a big day possibly!
  

• September 3rd: The TRUE AMERICA CONCERT @ the Blue Nile, put on by Tru Ruts
  
• this will feature us + Quilombolad, Hyder Ali, the Unaffilitated (from Madison, WI) and a bunch of special guests from the Tru Ruts roster as well.
  

• September 4th: The March on the RNC Afterparty @ Trocadero's w/ Hyder Ali and Jistory. Details are still being nailed down for this show.
  

So there you go! Four days and nights of absolute mayhem, musically and politically! We can't wait!

The Rise of the Wretched

It's official! We are going to release our new EP The Rise of the Wretched at the Welcome to the Neighborhood Block Party on September 1st! That's right, we will be doing what has probably NEVER been done before: Releasing an EP at a protest against the Republican National Convention. What better atmosphere than a rally to release a Junkyard Empire EP?

So everyone mark it in your calendars: September 1st on a stage outside the Black Dog Cafe in Lowertown, Saint Paul. Details forthcoming.

Jon Stewart at his Best: Reporting the Real News on the Economy

Check THIS out.