NOVEMBER 2006 (Weighing in at: 225)
My animation course is starting to kick into gear and I fear my musical inclinations will be playing second fiddle to my arduous academic life of studying and creating cartoons. But fortunately all the things I've had on the burner over the course of the past year are all in the final stages and y'all won't go hungry. Don't believe me? I oughta piss-slap you, you back-talkin' sum'bitch! Here's the proof, more FREE tracks from some forthcoming CDs:
Mark Tracey - "Blue Eyes" (Music & lyrics by Mark Tracey/additional music and production by Ben Mitchell)
From 'UNDERDOG'
The Labrys Quartet - "Plaguesower" (Dub/Drum programming by Alison Eire/music by Ben Mitchell/sampling by Joan Reece & Helen Reybourne)
From 'I COULD JUST SNAP THAT PRETTY LITTLE NECK'
OCTOBER 2006 (Weighing in at: 234)
A handful of new 'Mitchells In England' books are being worked on in conjunction with the new website. Starting from the very beginning, three volumes of highlights from all ten years of the strip will hopefully be available in the coming months. As well as this, series 11 ('Here Comes The Neighbourhood', the first series to be published in its entirety) is being reissued after being recinded in July to make some vital changes to the dialogue and format. The second edition should come out around the same time as volume one of 'The Best Of "Mitchells In England" '. Click on the above thumbnail to preview the book covers for all three proposed volumes!
With the long, painful colourisation process of the 'Mitchells In England' archive keeping me busy, you wouldn't think I'd have time for any music, right? Friends, never underestimate just how much more free time a man like me has now that I don't eat.
So with my complete absence of a life established, let me showcase some examples of new music that you can expect to hear on the forthcoming PhatBoy releases:
Jon Comley - "She's Fallin' " (Music & lyrics by Jon Comley/additional music and production by Ben Mitchell)
From 'UNDERDOG'
Mark Tracey - "Sing A Song" (Music & lyrics by Mark Tracey/additional music and production by Ben Mitchell)
From 'UNDERDOG'
SEPTEMBER 2006 (Weighing in at: 244)
I have started my postgraduate course at UWE in Bristol and things may get a little slow for the next little while or so, but I just thought I'd shed some light on other projects I've been working on (with some nifty new viewable artwork!):
THE LABRYS QUARTET
Alison Eire's electronica project, which we had all thought would be out ages ago but we can't stop ourselves fiddling with it and tweaking with it. You know how it is. Alison has also brought in two other musician friends of hers Helen Raybourne and Joan Reece, hence the band name change (it was originally just going to be EIRE).
SILVERFISH
Jim Ford (frequent Struwwelpeter collaborator) and I have recorded two albums' worth of noisescapes. Dark, moody background music in the vein of Heartcore's'Post Coitus', for all you emo fellows out there. Tentative titles for both are 'The Bug Chaser' and 'The Gift Giver'.
UNDERDOG
A compilation of tracks made by friends of mine that I am remixing/producing. Some really great tunes by some very talented old-school music-makers I've worked with before such as Jon Comley, Rob Creighton (both of whom worked appeared on 'Agnosticaust') and some new faces as well.
DJ POSEUR
I have a whole bunch of loops and samples I've created over the last couple years that never seem to get used, so I thought I'd tie them all together in one big sexy hip-hop project. At the moment I am seeking out some MCs to do the vocals (you've all heard me try to rap on the Struwwelpeter CDs - it ain't pretty).
I am also working on a new website archiving highlights from all ten years' worth of 'Mitchells In England' comic strips. You can have a look at the beta-site now which features the best of series 10 ('Wanker Crusade') and series 11 ('Here Comes The Neighbourhood'). If you're one of the many - I imagine - that have no idea what the blue Christ I'm talking about, 'Mitchells In England' is a comic strip that I started when I was a wee nipper way back in 1994 which grew to a sort of cult, e-ziney internet comic strip until it finished in 2004. It's not really anything music-related, but hey I'm a multi-faceted, complex type of person. I'm also writing a romance novel, didn't know that, didja? See? Deep.
AUGUST 2006 (Weighing in at: 249...that's better...)
Hi all, this is Ben Mitchell here, taking over from Pete Philips who's been doing a top notch job with keeping the site updated. I decided to embrace my inner geek and be more involved with the internet stuff so I've relieved him of his duties here - after all, he's a family man now (a salut, son)! 'Agnosticaust' has sold over 1000 copies! A-woo-hoo! Sure, that's not that much in industry terms, but given I'm an unsigned Joe Q. Douchebag with nil promotion except for word-of-mouth and a newsletter, I'm pretty chuffed about it!
And I never thought I'd say this, but I owe it to MySpace...it could be a coincidence but within a couple months of being on there the album sales pretty much doubled, so Tom, whoever you are, cheers. Sorry I deleted you as soon as I registered...
If you're a fellow e-geek with a MySpace account, add Struwwelpeter to your network of hip, young socialites! Even if you need to tell yourself you're being ironic, hey, who am I to judge?
If you haven't bought a copy of 'Agnosticaust' yet, then for the love of God hurry before the cool kids find out and happy-slap the shit out of you! Buy 'Agnosticaust'!
JULY 2006 (Weighing in at: 265 - gah! Vacation relapse!)
The third and final part of 'Countdown To The Agnosticaust' is up and ready to watch, so click away and try to contain yourself! Finally, sweet resolution!
JUNE 2006 (Weighing in at: 257)
'Countdown To The Agnosticaust' part two is now viewable! Just click the above window and enjoy!
MAY 2006 (Weighing in at: 270)
The documentary 'Countdown To The Agnosticaust', detailing the making of the latest Struwwelpeter album, is being uploaded in three parts over the coming months. Part one is viewable now (simply click the above video window)!
APRIL 2006 (Weighing in at: 278)
Insanely, the 'Agnosticaust' special edition 4-disc set has already sold out! Guess we were selling ourselves short making 50 copies, eh?
Fear not if you feel that you might have missed out. While the two bonus CDs and slipcase were a one-time deal, the accompanying DVD is still available, albeit as a promotional item. Featuring two music videos ('Let Slip' and 'Laughing At A Wall') plus a fantastic documentary on the making of the album, we are making this promo DVD available to anybody on request! Just send us an email at the usual address (specifying ntsc/pal if necessary) and we'll ship one off to you.
In the meantime you can watch both music videos (and others) online! John Harris and Ben Mitchell have set up a myspace site for Struwwelpeter, which alongside the usual networking perks also hosts the videos, new and old. So have a look at the Struwwelpeter video page and keep yourselves entertained! If you're not a myspace member, our very own Video Downloads section now features all our clips in .m4v format, to download to your hard drive or (if you aspired to be a silhouette and bought one) your video iPod!
The 'Agnosticaust' mini-site is pretty much all there. The only remaining feature will be the production 'blog', compiled from correspondence between Ben Mitchell and John Harris. Also in the coming months we will post segments of the 'Countdown To The Agnosticaust' documentary for you to watch! This site is like a geyser of altruism!
MARCH 2006 (Weighing in at: 289)
It's finally here - 'Agnosticaust', Struwwelpeter's third album is done, dusted and available to buy right now! The mini-site will hopefully be up and running early April but you can preview the album artwork and check out some lo-fi samples at the order page in the meantime.
Here's a special offer for all of you: the first 50 people to buy a copy will be eligible for an exclusive special edition of the album as described by Ben Mitchell last month. To see if you're eligible email John Harris at phatboymedianews@yahoo.com.au with the order number on your Cafepress receipt and we will send you the bonus goodies free (including 3 extra discs, a lyrics booklet and a slipcase for it all to go in).
In the next couple of weeks I will post updates regarding the new mini-site, new downloads and new anything else...until then here are the remaining samples clips from the album (see the news for January and February for the others):
FEBRUARY 2006 (Weighing in at: 304) Two more Cover Songs have been added, recorded way back during the 'Somebody Stop Me' sessions. Also Ben Mitchell has some interesting news about the special edition of 'Agnosticaust':
"As with the other two Struwwelpeter albums, there will be a limited run of special edition versions of 'Agnosticaust'. These will come in the form of a 4-disc set, including the full-length album, the instrumental version of the album, and the accapella version of the album, which is a first. The fourth disc will be a DVD featuring the videos for 'Laughing At A Wall' and 'Let Slip' and a making-of documentary titled 'Countdown To The Agnosticaust'."
Sounds pretty sweet to me. To get you all hot under the collar check out this group shot from the album's artwork, featuring every guest contributor that plays on the album (we'll need to update the 'Collaborators' section when this CD comes out, that's for certain).
Left to right: Lee Kislingbury, Lizzie Silcock, John Comley, Analisa Hamilton, Celia Claudie, Jim Ford, Chris Richardson, Alison Eire, John Harris, Rob Creighton, Grace Finne, Lynne Baikir, Adam Holbrook, Pete Philips
And here are some more song clips to sate your good selves:
JANUARY 2006 (Weighing in at: 318 - if that episode of The Simpsons is to be believed that makes me legally disabled...this shit isn't funny anymore...)
A handful of select newsletter subscribers received the first word last month of new features for the Music Downloads section. As well as Album Clips, Remixes and Live Recordings, you can now check out a selection of Cover Songs and Exclusive Tracks. Starting with some festive tunes from 2003's now-discontinued 'Stocking Filler' EP and a couple recorded during the 'Somebody Stop Me' sessions back in 2002, we'll be adding more each month from now on. And now here's Ben Mitchell:
"I enjoy doing covers as I can usually use them to get a handle on new software or new experiments I'm doing with previously untested recording techniques. That way if it doesn't pan out I haven't ruined one of my own songs. As a consequence the cover songs aren't nearly as tight or well-produced as the album tracks, but they're just a bit of fun."
Just to let you know that, yes, we are still working on 'Agnosticaust', here is a selection of clips from the LP-in-progress. There's still a wait to go, but there's definitely a forseeable end at this point. See you next month...
DECEMBER 2005
While Ben Mitchell and co. are plugging away at an eventual public release of 'Agnosticaust', the man has also put some work into some cool extras for this website. Just in time for the holiday season, you'll notice the Image Gallery has a new section - 'Desktop Wallpapers'! 30 very cool Struwwelpeter designs for your desktop, made with both normal and widescreen monitors in mind! Also in the Video Downloads section you will find some exclusive behind-the-scenes clips of Ben and others working on 'Agnosticaust'. All this and the Struwwelpeter Store has finally been reopened! How's that for festive?
If any of you out there are fans of Ben Mitchell's jazz band Heartcore, you'll definitely want to check out 'Sifting Through', the brand new best-of compilation featuring all the coolest tracks from the 'Romantichasm' trilogy!
NOVEMBER 2005 'Agnosticaust' is on hold for a little while. Sorry to those of you who had hoped to buy it at the end of this month, but that's not gonna happen sadly. A number of issues involving last-minute rewrites, production issues, day jobs and all the niggly domestic stuff that pops up from time to time are conspiring to delay the release of the record. Most prominently, Ben's computer has exploded. As a peace offering we are making another track (one of my favourites) from the album freely available:
Download 'Grey Flannel Shirt'
Hope you all get a kick out of it.
SEPTEMBER 2005
You can now check out the official mini-site for 'Agnosticaust'. Currently there isn't a whole lot to see, but as the album progresses you can expect to find exlusive videos, samples, images and even a 'making-of' blog. For the time being, there are some exclusive BTS vids and nifty desktop wallpapers to check out.
AUGUST 2005
Ben is still hard at work on 'Agnosticaust' and will be setting up a mini-site for the album by the end of the month - this will include exclusive notes, clips, images and B-T-S material! Elsewhere in the Ben Mitchell universe a new collection of demos is being released which will feature some early versions of tracks from 'You're All So Precious', 'Rapeseed' and 'Agnosticaust'. This will probably be released in December - in the meantime, here's a revised tracklist for the forthcoming album with some additional tracks:
1. Rabbit Hole
2. Debbie Debutante (My Pretty Bandito)
3. Let Slip
4. The Rachel Capers
5. Tom Waits For No One
6. Amneurotic
7. Crouton Dust
8. Agnosticaust
9. Apocrypha
10. Lowest Ebb Loosened
11. Grey Flannel Shirt
12. T.G.I. Nancy Friday
13. Underscore
14. Superhero USA
15. Laughing At A Wall
16. Another Caper
JULY 2005
A collection of Struwwelpeter demos are doing the rounds, so all you avid collectors out there (and those money-hungry of you who nab any prospective eBay fodder) keep an eye out. The demos are exclusive 3" CDs that feature two tracks each and bonus video content. Full details:
ON A LIMB/SMILE TOWN 1. On A Limb (Video Version)
2. Smile Town (Edit)
VIDEO: On A Limb
-
FACIAL MEL/DRIFTER SONG 1. Facial Mel (Video Version)
2. Drifter Song (Edit)
VIDEO: Facial Mel
-
CASHBACK/END OF AN ERA 1. Cashback (Video Version)
2. End Of An Era
VIDEO: Cashback
-
VOWEL MOVEMENT/SMACK YOU WITLESS 1. Vowel Movement
2. Smack You Witless
VIDEO: Vowel Movement (Live)
JUNE 2005
You can catch Ben Mitchell's degree show at Southampton Institute from Friday 10th to the 17th. It will be a showcase of the four (so far) Struwwelpeter music videos - 'Cashback', 'Facial Mel' (clip now available in the Video Downloads section), 'On A Limb' and 'Let Slip'. For more details email John Harris.
We're still working out the kinks on this site, so for a couple weeks the Store, Recommendations and Links sections will be down. It won't be permanent, we're just working on improving them. I've also added a timeline to the About Ben Mitchell section, so you can revel in sweet chronology!
MAY 2005 The last couple months has seen Ben Mitchell hard at work on more Struwwelpeter music videos. Two more videos - 'Cashback' and 'Let Slip' - have been finished and you can view exclusive clips in our new Video Downloads section!
While you're in the mood, you may also wish to check out some exclusive live performances we've put online for you in the Music Downloads section.
Don't forget to check out Ask Struwwelpeter - this month Ben Mitchell gives out some choice relationship advice!
APRIL 2005 We're continuing to build on this site and this month we've added our very own Image Gallery. Early days yet but expect to see a whole hoarde of promo pics, artwork, video stills and live photos in the coming months. Also, some responses to last month's Ask Struwwelpeter have been put up. Keep sending your questions, people!
Ben Mitchell has begun work on a series of music videos for a forthcoming STRUWWELPETER DVD! Check out this preview of 'On A Limb' to give yourself a taste of what's to come.
Also underway are videos for 'Cashback', 'Facial Mel' and 'Let Slip' (songs from 'You're All So Precious', 'Rapeseed' and the forthcoming 'Agnosticaust' respectively). Other videos storyboarded include 'Cold Turkey', 'FCT', 'Hand Over Fist' and 'Smile Town'.
In an email sent to PhatBoy's John Harris, Ben had the following to say about the videos:
"It's a very exciting, new way of creating for me. I've been studying in Southampton for a few years now and I'm at a stage where I'm able to put together moving visuals for my music. I imagine I'll be able to have enough videos done for a DVD to be released around Xmas time this year. The ones that are in progress as we speak are going to be a part of my final major project, which will be displayed at a degree show this June. I hope to have at least four videos to display, and one is already finished with the remaining three well underway. Who knows? Maybe if there's enough time left over before then I might be able to do more."
Ben also confirmed the tracklist for his third STRUWWELPETER album 'Agnosticaust', which is currently in the very early stages of production. The release date may be deliberately postponed if Ben decides to release the CD alongside the DVD, and the tracklist may change between then and now, but here it is as it stands:
1. Rabbit Hole
2. Debbie Debutante (My Pretty Bandito)
3. Let Slip
4. The Rachel Capers
5. Tom Waits For No One
6. Underscore
7. Agnosticaust
8. Shorty & That Godawful Clam
9. Lowest Ebb Loosened
10. T.G.I. Nancy Friday
11. Amneurotic
12. Superhero USA (Let's Go! Let's Go! Let's Go!)
13. Another Caper
