Corinne Day has passed away.  She was the phenomenally talented photographer credited with launching Kate Moss’ career and sparking the ‘heroin chic’ aesthetic.  She also did the album artwork photographs for Villa Elaine, by my other band Remy Zero.  She was a very kind and unique person,  and I’m grateful for our brief but lovely interaction with her.

Godspeed in your onward journey,  Corinne.  Rest In Peace.    (S)

Dear Remy Zero friends and family -

Many of you have heard by now that we will be playing a few live shows soon and we’re here to corroborate the rumor!  In early October we’re doing 4 performances to honor the memory of our dearly departed brother, Gregory Scott Slay.

October 7 – Dante’s / Portland, OR
October 8 – The Crocodile Cafe / Seattle, WA
October 11 – Cafe Du Nord / San Francisco, CA
October 12 – Spaceland / Los Angeles, CA

Tickets can be purchased here: http://www.songkick.com/artists/278348-remy-zero

We look forward to a beautiful experience and we hope that you’ll join us!

Love, REMY ZERO

SOOOO much going on right now.  Trying to blow the dust out of Remy Zero’s circuits and create a little flow ahead of the October shows.  RZ always draws a lot of my CPU,  even when nothing seems to come of it.  Old habits die hard I guess.  Also keen to get new O+S music to Orenda before the Azure Ray tour kicks off.  We’re way behind and it’s my fault.  The wait will be worth it though!  Have also been in the studio with Barrett Martin and Solon Bixler this past week and am very excited about the potential results.  Not sure exactly what this music is going to be or what channels it will travel to reach people’s ears but I do know it’s going to be super cool.  All this on top of finding the right living situation now that I’m back in LA,  getting reacquainted with my people here and searching for chests full of coin with my name on them equals one helluva juggling act.  On a tightrope.  Over wildfires.  In the wind.

Bring it on.

(S)

Cedric + Michael + Jeffrey

My friend / collaborator / co-conspirator Michael Patterson calls his studio The Gloryhole.  It’s ridiculous I know.  So is he.  But he’s also a bit of a mad genius and has become a touchstone in many of the projects in O+S world.  He mixed O+S and toured with us;   mixed the forthcoming Azure Ray album Drawing Down The Moon;  will be releasing the Dead Snares album on his POPANTIPOP label in September;   will be co-writing and producing music with me and others for a new collective project;  and today is lending his ideas and assistance to the reactivation of Remy Zero.  RZ is doing few club dates down the west coast in October (not officially announced yet but the word is already out,  so there you go…) and we’ve decided that new music,  new web presence,  new ENERGY should go along with the shows.  And since I’ve just moved back to LA and haven’t got my situation fully set up The Gloryhole is sort of our unofficial air traffic control center.  I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Mike for that and for his many other valuable contributions,  and also to wish him a Happy Birthday tomorrow!  Here’s to you,  Maestro…  (S)

http://stevekilbey.blogspot.com/2010/07/cain-and-so-very-abel.html

Isidore is coming!  (S)

Found this picture online,  don’t remember exactly where.  Experiencing a big wave of missing him today.  Enormous.  (S)

The new Azure Ray album ‘Drawing Down The Moon’ will be released September 14,  and you guys are going to love it!  It is SO GOOD!!!  (S)

The brown,  baldpate standing behind the singer is a Scalpelist.  Also appearing is O+S tour guitarist Jason Orme,  in this case playing percussion stage left… (S)

I’ll be playing with Alanis on The Tonight Show tonight,  doing a song she wrote for ‘Prince Of Persia’.  It’s always fun hanging out with her and the band,  and it’s a very nice “welcome back to LA” thing for me.  Check it out if you’re so inclined…  (S)

Born:  May 10, 1969.   Departed:  January 1, 2010

You are missed and loved always…

Sitting in the control,  going through Gregory’s old sessions.  Cinjun and Darrel (Thorp,  longtime friend and engineer) are supposed to arrive tonight.  Tomorrow we start 3 days of recording which will hopefully yield beautiful music.  Feeling excited,  nervous,  melancholy,  afraid.  This will be the first time we’ve all made music together since Gregory passed.  I’m looking forward to it but it’s heavy.  And of course Cinjun is caught in an apocalyptic storm / flood in Tennessee.  I’d like to consider it a good omen - Remy Zero sessions are never born easily!  Gregory is probably getting a kick out of it.  I’m missing him terribly right now.  Always,  but especially right now.

(S)

My friend E.J. Friedman of Loudersoft and duh.blog shared this today.  I find it incredibly beautiful…  (S)

Orenda Fink – High Ground from Saddle Creek on Vimeo.

In case you haven’t seen it,  this is Orenda’s latest video!

‘Higher Ground’ is from the album “Ask The Night”
Additional vocals by Isaac Brock
Director: Chris Lawson
Director of Photography: David Brower
Editor: Matt Harfield
Production Assistant: Sean Kirby
Costumes: Jenny Reyes
Acting Talent: Orenda Fink, Garret Kelly
Goat Wrangler: Tracy Martin

We filmed this performance for All Access Live at SXSW last year,  but for whatever reason never got to see it.  As far as I know it’s the last proper footage of Gregory playing.  Thanks to Michael Patterson for stumbling upon it…  (S)

Azure Ray is playing at Largo January 26th in the Song Circle For Haiti.  Jenny Lewis, Azure Ray, Johnathan Rice, Morgan Nagler, Becky Stark, and Jason Boesel. Tickets available by calling 310 855 0350 w Visa/Mastercard or thru Largo Box Office Friday/Mon/Tues 2-6pm.

Orenda has had a special connection to Haiti in her life.  She writes about it on her website,  and offers a free download of her first album “Invisible Ones” which was influenced by her time there.  Please read what she has to say.

(S)

Hard times bring people together,  right?  So it seems.  Cinjun came to town so he,  Jeffrey and I could spend some time together and reconnect after the events with Gregory.  Now we’re beginning the work of putting together some music to honor Gregory’s memory.  Some of it will be songs we all wrote together a couple of years ago,  when we were considering reforming Remy Zero.  Some of it will be songs incorporating musical pieces Gregory left behind.  (He was very prolific,  so there’s a wealth of material to explore…) I imagine some things will end up being called Remy Zero,  some used on O+S and Dead Snares records,  and some will come out in other unusual ways.  How and when we’ll share it with people is an unknown because who knows what exactly will come of all this.  But it feels like mended fences and magnificent ideas right now,  so let’s see what we can do.  (S)

Gregory Scott Slay  /  self-portrait,  July 30,  2009

“During a soundcheck in Portland, Oregon last March I felt compelled to capture a moment as many times as I could: a heart of light shining above Gregory and his drums. I’d only met him the week before, but already I knew — here was someone special, someone who knew something — that secret about how life should be lived — without fear or hesitation, and with open arms, ears, and eyes, and a heart so full with love it is catching. When he talked of past troubles, he beamed with Zen wisdom: life is learning and every lesson is worth the pain of a misstep to come out better on the other side. And when he spoke of his loved ones (especially his most beautiful Honeymoon), he shined with love so fully he glowed from the inside out. He radiated. There is no other way to say it. Not many people get to that point. Not many are honest enough to really speak, humble enough to really listen, and bold enough to really live. But Gregory was. He taught us that every moment, every connection should be cherished, savored, and appreciated, because every moment happens only once. And then it’s gone. But absence is no reason to mourn. Instead it is reason to celebrate the singularity, give thanks that we could share in the miracles of moments, things — and people — that cannot be recreated and are more special because of it. As I sit here missing Gregory, wishing he’d had more time with us to keep sharing his light and his wisdom, I am trying to focus on the joy of his life and everything he gave. I wonder if he didn’t leave us on New Year’s Day to remind us that we need a resolution: to live life fully, to savor every moment, to love so completely it shines beyond ourselves and catches everything and everyone around us. I can think of no better way to honor Gregory than to make that my resolution — for this year and every year that follows. I think he’d smile at that.”

Photo by CJ Reddy / cjreddy.com

Photo by Randall Slavin / randallslavin.com

Gregory Scott Slay – our beloved friend,  partner,  brother,  master musician,  beautiful artist – passed away this morning,  January 1, 2010.  He was in a peaceful place and surrounded by his family.  We are so grateful for the time we were allowed with each other and for the wonderful opportunity to create with him for so many years. Gregory inspired all who had the chance to see him perform,  to hear the music that he made or just to be around his bountiful spirit.  He will be greatly missed.

With our deepest love,

Jeffrey Cain,  Cedric LeMoyne,  Cinjun Tate and Shelby Tate  -  the members of Remy Zero

Orenda shares her Top 10 of 2009 in FILTER Magazine.

A classic Christmas song covered by some old friends of ours…

Remy Zero – Someday At Christmas

03 Someday At Christmas

Download:  Remy Zero – Someday At Christmas

The best albums of the year for me have been Bat For Lashes – Two Moons,  Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest,  The Antlers – Hospice and,  most recently,  Jay-Z – The Blueprint 3.  Those are the long players that I kept returning to,  that have the most to do with the music I’m trying to construct for the new O+S songs.  The Blueprint 3 is a POP album – high gloss,  state of the art construction,  f**cking entertaining!  And this track is a perfect paean to New York City as The Yankees start fighting for their 27th(!) World Series title.  Sounds like being in a cab headed out to a great night in The City…  (S)

Empire State of Mind (feat. Alicia Keys)  -

Empire State of Mind (feat. Alicia Keys)

I know some people might have a little chip on their shoulders about the ‘Twilight‘ phenomenon,  but Alex Patsavas puts the soundtracks together,  and she is a phenomenon in her own right.  (Full disclosure:  Alex has placed 2 O+S songs in ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ episodes,  and has also used songs by Maria Taylor,  Sanders Bohlke and other artists we have affiliations with.  This of course reinforces our good opinion of her!)  ‘Rosyln’ by Bon Iver and St. Vincent is one of many incredible songs on ‘The Twilight Saga:  New Moon Soundtrack’. Particularly beautiful,  I think…

Rosyln

(S)