Original Ultraviolets: 30 Years Of Music Out Today
Ten years ago today, I moved in with my oldest friend Stuart Bogie in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, before it became the "new East Village", where million dollar condos sprung up to house tattooed new daddies and mommies with thousand-dollar buggies for their future hipster offspring. Meanwhile, on one of the first few weeks I had moved in, I had a British Knight sneaker thrown at my head on S. 4th and Driggs. Not a Nike, not an Adidas or a Fila, or a Puma, or a Converse All-Star - no: A BRITISH KNIGHT.
Stuart and I had been making music together in one way or another since 1984. When I moved back in with him in 2003, we began again, and recorded 6 songs over the next few years on his Tascam 8 track when neither he nor I were out touring. We kept the name we used when we were little, The Ultraviolets; however, since we later found a lousy cover band called "the Ultraviolets" (thanks Google!), we renamed ourselves the "Original Ultraviolets": we've been doing this since the mid-eighties after all!
Many years have passed since we first committed these songs to tape, and we've finally remixed and compiled this very special collection for you. From Stuart rapping on top of a Casio keyboard in my basement when I was 6, to a nine-year old me singing about what I could only imagine about love, through Stuart and I in our twenties with friends like Colin Stetson (Bon Iver), Nick Movshon (Black Keys, Dap-Kings), Jordan McClean and Aaron Johnson from Antibalas pressing "record" in our apartment in Brooklyn: this album is a testament to a truly unique friendship.
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Tracklisting & Recording Details
1. Scorpio & Orion
Stuart Bogie: Bass Harmonica, Piano, Percussion & Claps, Synthesizer & Memory Man
Zachary Mastoon: Vocals, Acoustic Guitar Drumming, Flanger, Claps & Memory Man
Jordan McClean: Trumpet
Recorded between March 13th and March 18th, 2004 on South 4th Street, Brooklyn, NY.
2. I'll Turn Cold
Stuart Bogie: Boss Dr. Rhythm Drum Machine, Yamaha Portasound
Zachary Mastoon: Vocals and Acoustic Guitar
Recorded roughly 1986 (?) in Stuart's basement in Evanston, IL at some point in the middle of the night.
3. Summer Sun (Original Version)
Stuart Bogie: Yamaha PSS-680, Windchimes
Zachary Mastoon: Vocals, Guitars, Univox SR55, Flanger
Colin Stetson: Saxophone
Nick Movshon: Bass Guitar
Recorded June 21st and 22nd, 2004 on South 4th Street, Brooklyn, NY.
4. Los Angeles
Zachary Mastoon: Vocals, Piano, Memory Man
Recorded December 10th, 2004 on South 4th Street, Brooklyn, NY.
Interlude from ~1987 or 1988?
5. Hey Johnny
Stuart Bogie: Boss Dr. Rhythm Drum Machine, Synthesizer & Toy Guns; Cowbell
Johnny Crumrine: (Cowbell retrieval from Stuart's bedroom)
Recorded sometime between 1986 - 1987 in Stuart's Basement in Evanston, IL. Edited by Zachary Mastoon.
6. Green Light, Don't Walk
Stuart Bogie: Percussion & Claps, Drum Sticks, Memory Man
Zachary Mastoon: Vocals, Yamaha SU700, Wurlitzer, Snare, Claps & Chimes
Recorded December 6th, 2005, January 27th, 2006 & February 5th, 2006 on Grand Street, Brooklyn, NY; Final Vocals recorded December 29th, 2006 in Veronica's basement in Greenpoint.
7. Plane Crash (Demo)
Zachary Mastoon: Guitar
Recorded 1990 or 1991 in Evanston, IL as a demo for Transmission. I don't even remember recording this at all.
8. 1984
Stuart Bogie: Vocals
Zachary Mastoon: Casio PT-80
Recorded to a Fisher Price cassette recorder in my basement sometime in 1984. Originally released on Caural's "Initial Experiments in 3D" (Toshoklabs).
9. Deserted
Stuart Bogie: Piano, Yamaha PSS-680, Claps
Zachary Mastoon: Vocals, Mbira, Tambourine, Boss Metronome, Univox SR55, Claps
Recorded March 13th, 14th & 18th, 2004 on South 4th Street, Brooklyn, NY.
10. Let The Clouds In
Stuart Bogie: Spring, Wine Glasses, Percussion, Background Vocals
Zachary Mastoon: Vocals, Guitars & Piano, Vox Amplifier
Jordan McClean: Trumpet
Nick Movshon: Bass
Aaron Johnson: Trombone
Olia Toporovsky: Telephone
Recorded July 9th and 19th, 2004 on South 4th Street, Brooklyn, NY.
Circa 2001