we're mixing now. almost done. songs are as follows: "walkaways", "children in bloom", "catapult", "goodnight elisabeth", "i'm not sleeping", "chelsea", "another horsedreamer's blues", "angels of the silences", "have you seen me lately", "daylight fading", "miller's angels", "good luck", "recovering the satellites", "monkey", "mercury", & "a long december." i don't know whether they'll all make the record, but that's the plan anyways. the release is aug. 20th, hopefully. maybe a week or two difference either way.
Why this date?
Estimated between April 1, 1996 and June 30, 1996 (medium confidence).
Mixing, with release planned for 20 August; the album actually came out 15 October 1996
anyway, after a few weeks where we got very little done, things are sort of flying along now. as of yesterday, we had master takes on twelve songs, with 3-5 left. so far we've gotten "Children in Bloom", "Another Horsedreamer's Blues", "I'm Not Sleeping","Angels of the Silences", "Daylight Fading", "Catapult", "Walkaways", "A Long December", "Monkey", "Have You Seen Me Lately?", "Goodnight Elizabeth", and "Miller's Angels". these are not finished tracks , but we have the takes and they are all a little
over half finished or more.
Why this date?
Estimated between February 1, 1996 and April 30, 1996 (medium confidence).
Twelve master takes with 3-5 to go, 'after a few weeks where we got very little done'
as for the rest of you, we have nine master takes down. this is a really cool record. but these things take time. patience. charlie's birthday exploded into the funniest 3am dance party on the planet. the videotape is priceless. we have too many songs. so much recording left to do. you will love this record.....................................................or hate it.
Why this date?
Estimated between January 26, 1996 and February 15, 1996 (medium confidence).
Nine master takes; mentions Charlie Gillingham's birthday party (26 January)
anyway, i'm beat, but i wrote a new song yesterday and we recorded it tonight after dinner. that is the way to do this, quick, loose and natural. i played piano and charlie played accordion. everyone else did what they always do. ben is so great on this song. it's called "A Long December". definite album cut. thought you'd like to know.
Why this date?
Estimated between January 1, 1996 and January 31, 1996 (medium confidence).
Has just written and recorded 'A Long December'; the song dates from January 1996, early in the sessions
things are going pretty well in the studio. the pre production tapes kinda blew us all away so we're feeling good right now. gil is a great producer. this album is really different from "august..." which is alright with me. hope ya like it.
Why this date?
Estimated between October 1, 1995 and January 15, 1996 (medium confidence).
Pre-production tapes done and Gil Norton named as producer; recording started early 1996
i happen to be marvelously insecure. many of my very best friends are also insecure and i like them a lot. if any of you are also insecure, i salute you...you all seem very nice. when did insecurity become a badge of dishonor. i think we all know plenty of those people who go around pointing out other people's insecurities. nasty boring spuds.. who needs them. you can all feel free to listen to my insecurities all day long. one whole album's worth...going on two
Why this date?
Estimated between January 1, 1995 and January 15, 1996 (low confidence).
No internal date clues; placed by archive order between messages 17 and 5
'One whole album's worth... going on two' suggests the second album is close
do you suppose that once one becomes a "Rockstar"(whatever that is) one becomes an entirely different person than the person one was before? what a silly thought. once a dork, always a dork. i'm living proof. ask anyone who knows me(and that does not include whomever gave info to the glob, sorry Globe). people's lives change, but that doesn't mean people change.
Why this date?
Estimated between January 1, 1995 and January 15, 1996 (low confidence).
No internal date clues; placed by archive order between messages 17 and 5
Mentions a tabloid (the Globe) story, consistent with 1995 press attention
as for previous recordings, there are demo's, but they're just that:demos. i look at them as our own private practice tapes, so i don't really like them getting out. they're out there, but i don't really like it. i think bootlegs are great though, because they're shows we played for the public so i don't care if they make a million of them. it's not about $ or anything, the demo's are just private to me. piontlessly, i might add, since they're everywhere. like my underwear hanging on the telephone line in front of my house. did that make any sense?
Why this date?
Estimated between January 1, 1995 and January 15, 1996 (low confidence).
No internal date clues; placed by archive order between messages 17 and 5
i was in the process of thinking of a name for the band and had compiled at least 60 horrible ones while watching mary louise's 1st film "signs of life" our name turns up in the film.
Why this date?
Estimated between January 1, 1995 and January 15, 1996 (low confidence).
No internal date clues; placed by archive order between messages 17 and 5
it's hard to say how i feel about talking to people on the street. i get really intimidated by it a lot of the time although sometimes it's just fine. a lot of it depends on my mood. i tend to feel i'm best left on the stereo but i like that part of me best. beats me. just understand that i'm not always all that comfortable in those sort of situations and try not to expect too much. obviously it's different with one of you than with just anyone off the street, but i'm more than a little moody(as i'm sure you've guessed) and more than a little weird. tolerate me.
Why this date?
Estimated between January 1, 1995 and January 15, 1996 (low confidence).
No internal date clues; placed by archive order between messages 17 and 5
everybody's got their own life to live, me included, and we all just try to feel good and get something done. iwrite songs because i have to. i can't really stop. if i could i might have. but that doesn't matter. it's who i am and it comes out of me like breathing.
Why this date?
Estimated between January 1, 1995 and January 15, 1996 (low confidence).
No internal date clues; placed by archive order between messages 17 and 5
i try to stay out of the eye of the press because i'm just not interested in that shit. they make it up because they don't care and because they can. they have no souls and they have no hearts....i do.
Why this date?
Estimated between January 1, 1995 and January 15, 1996 (low confidence).
No internal date clues; placed by archive order between messages 17 and 5
me and a couple friends started an indie label this spring, label is called e pluribus unum. truly clunky name. not mychoice. but all else i love about it. 1st band is called "enormous" ol friends from berkeley. they moved to baltimore and they have been on tour with better than ezra and now bush. they rockand write coolest songs.
Why this date?
Estimated between January 1, 1995 and January 15, 1996 (low confidence).
No internal date clues; placed by archive order between messages 17 and 5
Conflict: mentions founding the E Pluribus Unum label 'this spring', but Wikipedia dates the label to 1997. Kept in archive order pending better evidence
i heard talk of some people being accused of being bandwagon jumpers. there is no such thing. anyways, my grandmother, selma(who rocks) knew about the band long before any of you and was far more horrified when i wore "those ugly shorts" on tv. you're all on the bandwagon compared to her . if you ever meet her, tell her how cool her shoes are. they're not, but it'll make her happy. she's really nice. you'd like her.
Why this date?
Estimated between January 1, 1995 and January 15, 1996 (low confidence).
No internal date clues; placed by archive order between messages 17 and 5
ben mize is our new drummer. love him as your own. he is now. he used to be the monitor guy at the 40-watt club in athens, georgia (the best little club in the best little town there is) , but now is is your very own.......ben.
Why this date?
Estimated between January 1, 1995 and December 31, 1995 (low confidence).
Introduces Ben Mize as the 'new drummer'; Steve Bowman left in late 1994
"Miller's Angel's" is a song wriiten to be the closing theme to the movie "The Crossing Guard" the film was written and directed by sean penn and stars jack nicholson, anjelica huston, david morse, robbie robertson and john savage. it is as beautiful a piece of film making as i can remember and, at a time when i had not written a song in nearly six months, it inspired dan and I to write "Miller's Angels". I feel it is the best record we've made. I played piano, charlie played a mellotron, dan played electric guitar, dave played acoustic, matt played bass, and david immergluck, who had been hanging around ended up playing pedal steel and mandolin. unfortunately, there was only time at the end of the movie for about 3 minutes of what is a 6 minute song so we decided to pull it and save it for our record. we just loved it too much to cut it in half. no hardfeelings though. sean's the greatest, and the movie is devastating. we're sad but there was nothing anybody could do.
Why this date?
Estimated between January 1, 1995 and November 30, 1995 (medium confidence).
'Miller's Angels' written for The Crossing Guard but pulled; the film's US release was 16 Nov 1995
SO WE'RE WORKING AGAIN AND THE SONGS ARE GOOD, ONLY A FEW MORE BEFORE WE CAN BEGIN. I LIKE THESE SONGS. I WAS WORRIED I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO WRITE ABOUT HOW I FEEL NOW; THINGS HAVE CHANGED SO MUCH. BUT THE NEW SONGS MAKE ME WANT TO MAKE RECORDS AGAIN.
Why this date?
Estimated between August 1, 1995 and December 31, 1995 (medium confidence).
Band 'working again', writing songs before recording can begin; newer than the August 1995 birthday message
ANYWAYS, THANKS FOR ALL THE BIRTHDAY WISHES. IT'S BEEN A WEIRD YEAR. I HAVE A LOT OF MIXED FEELINGS ABOUT IT. I SUPPOSE THAT'S TO BE EXPECTED. THERE WAS A LOT THAT I WAS HORRIBLY UNPREPARED FOR. IT WAS SO OVERWHELMING, ESPECIALLY LAST SUMMER. I'M GLAD WE TOOK SOME TIME OFF, JUST TO GET OVER THE FEAR. IT'S STRANGE WHEN EVERYONE KNOWS WHO YOU ARE. THERE'S NOWHERE TO HIDE, AND BELIEVE ME I'M A BIG FAN OF HIDING.
Why this date?
Estimated between August 1, 1995 and August 31, 1995 (medium confidence).
Thanks fans for birthday wishes; Adam's birthday is 1 August
'It's been a weird year... especially last summer... glad we took some time off' fits summer 1994 fame and the 1995 break
As for songs of mine being veiled drug references, you're trying too hard. They're just songs about me and how I feel. No secret cryptic messages. Just how I feel. Anyways, I quit doing drugs a long time ago. Nothing against drugs, they're just not for me anymore.
Why this date?
Estimated between January 1, 1995 and August 1, 1995 (low confidence).
"Sometimes It Snows In April" is an incredibly beautiful Prince song on the incredibly wonderful album "Parade". Don't be dissin' Prince. He rocks. We dig him mucho. It just popped into my head one night at the end of "Perfect..." couldn't help it.
Why this date?
Estimated between January 1, 1995 and August 1, 1995 (low confidence).
mtv sucks. they are not nice about tickets for me. mary-louise comes through with ticket for me. we go to the show. i get to sit next to dennis rodman. he knows who i am. i am stunned. very cool. he says he likes counting crows. i say i like basketball.
Why this date?
Estimated between January 1, 1995 and August 1, 1995 (low confidence).
Attends an MTV show via Mary-Louise Parker's tickets; not performing, which fits the 1995 hiatus
Archive order places it before the August 1995 birthday message
we made a record and we toured for 16 months and then we stopped because i couldn't take it anymore. too much screaming. too many fights with record companies and tv show producers and people who wanted us to do more and be more and sell more. so we stopped . and we took time to try and get lives and now we're about to make another record. not for any reason other than we are moved to make one. for us. for matt and dan and charlie and dave and ben and me. that's all. same reasons as before. my heart is mine to sell or not as i please. i keep it for me. i keep it with mine.
Why this date?
Estimated between December 10, 1994 and July 31, 1995 (low confidence).
Oldest message in Zak's newest-first archive
Says the band toured 16 months, stopped, and is 'about to make another record'; the August tour ended 9 Dec 1994