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Keneally.com
The Mike Keneally Website
Updated Fri, Aug 13, 2010
Pre-order Mike Keneally and Marco Minnemann's Evidence of Humanity Now!
(It's scheduled to ship in September)

Clothing for Humans

You know what you are? You're Evidence of Humanity! This 100% cotton thick black cotton shirt was frickin' made for you! It's a beautifully simple design-- the empirically accurate EVIDENCE OF HUMANITY statement on the front, Mike and Marco's names and www.keneally.com on the back. What more does any human need? Order yours from MooseMart.com!

One bright morning, world-renowned drummer Marco Minnemann settled down behind the DW kit in his secluded hideaway, punched the record button, and proceeded to pound out an astounding 52-minute improvised solo. When it was finished, he christened it Normalizer 2 and offered it as a sort of gift to a handful of his favorite guitarists, hoping that they would each add their own signature madness to the mix.

Mike Keneally was someone Marco hoped would dig the idea. In the throes of recording his intense and complex Scambot 1 opus, Mike leapt at Marco's offer-- the creation of Evidence of Humanity would be a joyous, freewheeling counterpoint to his meticulous work on Scambot. "A fun ride," Mike would recall. (Of course, Marco recorded his own fantastic version, too, available at marcominnemann.com.)

The ecstatic result is two of the world's foremost musicians improvising together, but not at the same time. It's a record unlike any other that Mike has recorded (but probably closest to Nonkertompf, his indefinable, mostly instrumental 1999 solo extravaganza). Evidence of Humanity seems to have a life of its own, mutating and maturing with each listen.

Accompanying the Evidence of Humanity CD is a DVD containing a tasty reimagining of the original concept. This time, Mike and Marco got together in real time and vaulted into the ether for another 52-minute musical improvisation, a feat that was videotaped for your pleasure. The DVD also includes an insightful conversation between the two kindred musical spirits, shot in the back seat of a car hurtling toward the Southern California desert's dilapidated Salton Sea.

Evidence of Humanity's songs:

  • Respect?
  • Evidence of Humanity
  • Three People Run Naked Through School
  • Tooth and Cold Stone Pew
  • Now
  • Bastards Into Battle
  • You, And Your Problems
  • Bad Friday
  • Rough Time At The Hotel
  • Whoa
  • Kaa
  • Clown Removal
  • Forgive and Remember
  • Apex Music
  • Our Collective Wisdom To Date
  • Trying
  • A Place to Stay For The Night
Click here
for your free "Evidence of Humanity"
song download!

Mike Keneally/Marco Minnemann
"Evidence of Humanity"
Free Download from Evidence of Humanity
written by Mike Keneally/Marco Minnemann
© 2010 Spen Music BMI

It's a free song download from Evidence of Humanity, the astounding collaboration between Mike and renowned drummer/Keneally cohort Marco Minnemann. "Evidence of Humanity" is the title track (track 2) of the Evidence of Humanity CD/DVD (a high-quality 256k VBR mp3, a 4.6 MB zip file) direct from the master recording. Enjoy!

Evidence of Humanity DVD's selections:

  • Elements of a Manatee -- live duo improv (54:54)
  • A Conversation with Mike and Marco (39:59)
Evidence of Humanity DVD Excerpt

Guitarist/keyboardist Mike Keneally and notorious drummer Marco Minnemann improvise twice together on the new Exowax CD/DVD Evidence of Humanity. The CD contains the amazing result of Mike composing over Marco's pre-recorded 52-minute "Normalizer 2" drum solo, and the DVD features them coming back for more, this time in real time. Here's a short clip from the DVD's live improv session (entitled Elements of A Manatee) in Marco's lair. (Elements of A Manatee directed by Dave Foster)

Evidence of Humanity Interview DVD Excerpt

The Evidence of Humanity DVD also includes an insightful conversation between these two astounding musicians. Here's a short clip from that discussion, from the back seat of a car hurtling toward the California desert's dilapidated Salton Sea.

Keneally on the Drumline

DAYTON, OH, April, 2010: Mike Keneally's haunting song "Hello" from 2001's Wooden Smoke album was adapted and performed by the George Mason University Drumline as the first part of a four-part program entitled "Flow" depicting different liquid imagery and musical styles. The Virginia ensemble, under the direction of "huge" MK fan Christophe K. Martin, made the finals during the WGI World Championships. A video of them warming up for their performance can be viewed here.


At Home Onstage in Arcata

ARCATA, CA, January 24, 2010: Mike and Bryan were the featured performers at the infamous 13th Annual Arcata Eye Ball, a very eclectic fundraising event held at the Arcata Theatre Lounge to celebrate the Arcata Eye weekly newspaper. Despite getting hung up on a snowbound mountain pass, Mike and Bry made it to the gig on time to the delight of all, especially Mike and Bry. Other entertainers featured were Dell'Arte, Shantaram the Magician and the Eureka Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. In the spirit of the MyKeneally living room concerts, the organizers made the stage as comfy as could be. To host your own MyKeneally event, email Mike at mykeneally@keneally.com. (Photo by Kevin Hoover)


Mike & Bryan's MyKeneally Encore

EL CAJON, CA, January 18, 2010: Mike Keneally and Bryan Beller broke into an unrehearsed encore of Radiohead's "Karma Police" after a delightful MyKeneally concert in the living room of Sid and Kathy Seney. To host your own MyKeneally event, email Mike at mykeneally@keneally.com.

Dave Pearson's License Plate!

January, 2010: Keneally friend Dave Pearson celebrated the new year by snagging this custom license plate.

Mike Keneally's License Plate!

January, 2010: Keneally friend Dave Pearson celebrated his new custom license plates by giving one to Mike.

Dave Pearson's Pumpkin!

October 31, 2009: Keneally friend Dave Pearson celebrated Halloween by carving this beauty.


Scambot Signing Session!

October 18, 2009: On the road to another Dethklok gig, Mike is spending his time on the tour bus personally signing and numbering the first 3000 copies of the Scambot 1 Special Edition, which is available now at MooseMart. (Photo from Mike's iPhone by Bryan Beller)


MyKeneally merriment!

MERRICK, NY, August 8, 2009: The first-ever MyKeneally concert was hosted by Mario and Chrissy Casella in their grassy backyard as over 50 invited guests enjoyed an intimate but rousing set from Mike and Bryan. During the requested "Live In Japan," Mario and Chrissy got into the moment while their nine-year-old son Chris harmonized on the chorus. Mario called the Casellas' MyKeneally event "truly one of the greatest days we have ever experienced." (Photo by Arnold Neimanis)


Mike's new song "Hallmark" from Scambot 1

Nick Conedera directed this charming video of Mike performing his soulful, wistful song "Hallmark" from the soon-to-be-released album, Scambot 1. Stay tuned for a pre-sale announcement for the Scambot 1 Special Edition! (For more info on Nick's work, go to nickconedera.com.)

Surfin' Smoke

PONTO, CA, July 25, 2009: Stellar Exowax recording engineer Mike Harris put his customized Wooden Smoke surfboard to the test during one of Southern California's best surfing days in years. Here, Mike carves up a 15-foot-plus breaker as artist Atticus Wolrab's flower gramophone logo leads the way.

LEUCADIA, CA, September 22, 2006: Esteemed Exowax audio engineer Mike Harris dropped by Chatfield Manor to show off his new surfboard, decorated with the flower gramophone logo from Mike's 2001 acoustic album, Wooden Smoke. In addition to being one of the best engineers in the country, Harris is an avid surfer-- and he couldn't be happier with the board, custom built by Moura Surfboards in Del Mar, CA.


The Bass Place To Be

PASADENA, CA, July 25, 2009: The Bryan Beller Band wowed 'em at the Pasadena Jazz Institute for a special Bass Day concert. Pictured wowing are (l. to r.) Rick Musallam, Nick D'Virgilio, Bryan Beller and Mike Keneally. Griff Peters was in the band, too, but not in this picture, it seems. (Photo by Matt Resnicoff)


Green Bay Pickers

GREEN BAY, WI, May 20, 2009: Mike and Bryan continued the final dates of their Taylor Guitars tour with a ripping set at Heid Music. In addition to the usual varied Mike and Bry acoustic and electric selections, their set actually includes a Dethklok number with pre-recorded drums. (Photo by Dave Pearson)


Now, that's a Keneally fan!

CINCINNATI, OH, May 11, 2009: Musician and Keneally appreciator Dane Runyon flashed his splendid Flower Gramophone tattoo for Mike and Bryan after their enthusiastically received Taylor Guitars clinic at Buddy Roger's Music. The Flower Gramophone was designed by Exowax artiste Atticus Wolrab for Mike's sublime 2001 Wooden Smoke album. (Photos by Bryan Beller himself, with his phone!)


Unavailable for years...
DOWNLOAD 'EM NOW!

Each new download includes the original CD artwork, new liner notes from Mike, and is available in mp3 or FLAC.


KMB rocks NAMM

ANAHEIM, CA, January 16, 2009: NAMM attendees packed the Fender performance hall for a chance to hear Keneally Minnemann Beller's only convention performance. Fortunately, the brevity of their show (25 minutes) was matched by its intensity-- the set closed with a concentrated rendition of the always-unpredictable "Nonkerchunk."

Words from Mike about
The SCAMBOT Holiday Special

Now, by popular demand, The SCAMBOT Holiday Special is available as an instant download for only $5 at MooseMart.

(Listen to The SCAMBOT Holiday Specette, a one-minute sampler, here.)

ABOUT THE SCAMBOT HOLIDAY SPECIAL

Last December 4 was the fifteenth anniversary of Frank Zappa's passing. I've been obsessively listening to his music in the car for several months without being specifically conscious of the upcoming significance of Dec. 4, but when I realized yesterday what day it was, I was struck by how strongly Frank's presence has been exerting itself in my life lately. Sending out strong love and gratitude to Frank right now.

Possibly as a result of all that, I think he had an unusually strong influence on the construction of The SCAMBOT Holiday Special, but I also feel strong echoes of Firesign Theatre in it, and of Brendon Small's work on Home Movies. And also, very specifically, the influence of variety TV shows from the '60s to the present. So that's a little listing of some of the influences on this insane little thing.

This is an interesting little holiday presentation which I've written and produced here. It's about fourteen-and-a-half minutes long; five tracks, with tracks 1, 3 and 5 acting as framing devices for tracks 2 and 4, which are full-length studio recordings of the songs "Holiday Face" and "Salve-Dependent Scorpions."

"Holiday Face" is a new acoustic instrumental recording done specifically for this CD. It reminds me compositionally of "Thanksgiving" but has an even more intimate studio vibe than that song, and I tracked it with Mike Harris engineering at Chatfield Manor. Me on all instruments: two acoustic guitars, bass, organ, tambourine and other percussion. Bunch of vocals and a wah-clavinet solo at the end that I'm really happy about.

"Salve-Dependent Scorpions" is an alternate take of an instrumental piece from the upcoming multi-volume work SCAMBOT. The basic track was recorded on analog tape by Tom Trefethen, and has me on Hammond organ, Rick Musallam on electric guitar, Bryan Beller on bass and Joe Travers on drums. (This was, surprisingly to me, the first studio session of the Guitar Therapy Live version of the Keneally Band.) Later at Chatfield Manor we overdubbed two takes of Evan Francis on alto sax, and two takes of me on lead guitar. The version which will be on SCAMBOT will be entitled "The Scorpions" and will feature such completely different guitar and sax performances that it's essentially another composition. Have to admit to a strong Frank influence on the guitar performance.

Tracks 1, 3 and 5 of the The SCAMBOT Holiday Special ("The Quest," "The Swordfight" and "The Owl") are twisted little combinations of electronic music done on a Moog, other added effects, and dialogue/narration/singing which advances a peculiar narrative (I originally wrote it as part of the actual SCAMBOT album-slash-comic book story continuity). I couldn't find a way to wedge it into SCAMBOT comfortably, but it now forms the conceptual backbone of this Holiday Special. It's in these short segments, which illustrate a surreal imaginary late-'60s television holiday special about a quest of some kind, that the Firesign and Brendon influences come to the fore, but there's also some heavy Lumpy Gravy and Läther influence in there. I can't help it, sorry.

The CD-R was mastered by Scott Chatfield at the Manor, and served up fresh to those of you who wisely choose to treat themselves and/or their loved ones to fifty bucks worth of quality Moosemart merchandise (a copy each of the hat. and Boil That Dust Speck special editions, for instance, and you're already there. Just saying).

***

Thank you for continuing to enjoy and be interested in the stuff I do-- I seem to be getting more fired-up and productive as time goes on, and I very much appreciate you being part of it all.

may you soon receive a backrub,

Mike


Keneally video profile from Innerviewworld.com



Check out new KMB videos!


PUP & Tar Tapes downloads now at MooseMart!

The much-clamored-after Tar Tapes, Vol. 1 and Tar Tapes, Vol. 2, along with Mike's 2004 bonus PUP release, have just been made available for download only.

PUP was initially issued as a cool little 35-minute CD preview of the RadioKeneally internet broadcast service, personally assembled, narrated and labeled by Mike. It features a couple of very weird MK solo recordings, a ten-minute-plus early version of "L'il," (a song that was intended for, but never made it to, 2004's Dog), some live Mike Keneally Band recordings and more. It was originally included as a bonus to those who pre-ordered Dog. PUP is light and wispy, but fine fun nonetheless. And, at only $8, it's the cheapest Keneally music on MooseMart!

The Tar Tapes are downloadable versions of the long-sold-out limited edition CDs that highlight Mike's music from the '80s and very early '90s. Each download comes with an eight-page digital reproduction of the original CD cover, liner notes and lyrics. They can be downloaded as zip files containing high-quality (minimum 256k variable bit rate) mp3 audio files, compatible with all mp3 players. The files are DRM-free, meaning that there is no anti-copying code buried in them (we trust you). And they're only $10 each.

In addition, all three out-of-print Exowax bonus CDs that helped make the sold-out Special Editions so special are still available for downloading at MooseMart, including the interview/music disc Nonkertalk, the live acoustic Dancing With Myself and the exquisite re-imagined Wooden Smoke Asleep.

A great way to snag a bunch of Keneally for yourself or initiate a newbie real cheaply is the Keneally4Sale Pack. It's discounted price is $45 for Nonkertompf, Dancing, Wooden Smoke and Dog, just $11.25 a CD!


Keneally, Lunn & Minnemann Live Videos!

SAN DIEGO, CA, February 5, 2008: Ace videographer Steve Laub captured Mike, Doug and Marco as they opened for Robin Trower at 4th & B in early February. Here's "My Dilemma;" many more songs and videos are here!


Read about all of Mike's CD releases...


Updates from Mike:

Mike Keneally, Marco Minnemann and friend at Slab City, CA on May 27, 2010.

Mike's Satriani Tour, Vai Piano Shows
& Evidence of Humanity CD/DVD!

Careful with that! It's inky!

It's Wednesday afternoon and I'm back. Back in the land of devising new Vai piano arrangements, inch by inch. It's not easy living in this land, but what I'm hearing is crazy. This week is devoted to "Under It All." Intense. I'll be playing three new piano arrangements, and four older ones, at the Steve Vai festival in Groningen in October. It'll be the first time I've ever done live performances of these arrangements. I'll be in fighting trim as a keyboardist, because in order to do those two performances for the Vai festival, I have to take a break for three days from the Joe Satriani European tour that I'll be playing keyboards on.

The Satriani tour. In response to a lot of questions: yeb, I'll be touring with the Satriani band late this year and early next. I'm extremely excited to tour with this group, as I had such an amazingly good time making Joe's new album (the mixes for it are just finished, and the release date is scheduled for just before the tour starts in October).

The two shows I won't be able to play with Joe, because of the Vai solo piano gigs, are the ones in Glasgow and Birmingham - sorry not to be able to make those, but Jem Godfrey will be subbing for me at those gigs and he is superb.

You will find the relevant data, as it currently exists, regarding the Satriani tour and the Vai festival performances, here!

Mike Keneally/Marco Minnemann
Evidence of Humanity CD/DVD
Available now at MooseMart.com!

And! We are nearing completion of the video-editing phase on the DVD which will accompany the new CD Evidence of Humanity, by me and Marco Minnemann. This album is my entry in the Marco Minnemann Normalizer 2 series, in which a variety of artists create an album's worth of music to accompany the same 51-minute improvised drum solo. Already released have been albums by John Czajkowski, Trey Gunn, Kerry Chicoine, Alex Machacek and Marco's own take on it. All completely different albums, which all use the same drum track in wildly divergent ways. Now, a bit later than I'd expected to finish it, here comes my version...

...and since it took a while for me to finish, and it's been two years already since the music on Disc 1 (the CD) was recorded, we decided a more current collaboration would round out the package nicely. We videotaped a 54-minute live duo improv that Marco and I did a few weeks ago (and also videotaped a bass overdub I did a few days later), and this additional album-length musical performance appears on Disc 2 (the DVD), Elements Of A Manatee. The DVD also features interview footage with Marco and me talking about the making of Evidence of Humanity, about the entire Normalizer 2 concept, and an oodle of additional topics, conducted in the car on the way to the album cover photo shoot at the Salton Sea.

The CD/DVD package will cost $20, and the music on Disc One will also be available for digital download. More information, including pre-order data, coming terribly soon!

A couple of weeks ago I did about 90 minutes of recorded improvising with Marco and Julie Slick. What I heard played back sounded really good! And Julie's food was really just unfairly wonderful.

I want to thank Megaphone of Destiny, and Ovidiu, for the really marvelous Scambot 1 reviews. (Megaphone of Destiny's review made me feel very "understood." Thanks MoD.) I would love for more people to know about Scambot 1 - I'm so happy with that album. Please continue spreading the word about it if you get a chance.

In the misty future dep't: I've got about 35-40 minutes of material recorded for Scambot 2, well, a little more probably. In the planning stages to record an album-side-length suite based on the music I've written with Andy Partridge over the last few years (which I'd love to release next year on vinyl and download). And we've got these Sluggo! multi-track files staring us in the face...hmmm...haven't mixed anything in surround for awhile...

Back to the piano! Yaaah! *whipcrack*

Mike

Keneally Concert Calendar

Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Mike Keneally Band
with special guest
The Bryan Beller Band

THEY'RE BOTH THE SAME BAND

Mike Keneally - guitar/keys/vocals
Bryan Beller - bass
Rick Musallam - guitar/backing vocals
Griff Peters - guitar
Joe Travers - drums

The Baked Potato
3787 Cahuenga Blvd. West
Studio City, CA 91604
Doors open at 7:00 p.m.
Shows: 9:00 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.
Tickets $20
Info: 818-980-1615


Mike on keyboards with Joe Satriani in Europe*

October '10

16

Sat

Vicar St.

Dublin, IE

17

Sun

Manchester Apollo

Manchester, England GB

18

Mon

Bristol Colston Hall

Bristol, England GB

19

Tue

Hammersmith Apollo

London, England GB

21

Thu

Newcastle City Hall

Newcastle, England GB

22

Fri

Clyde Auditorium*

Glasgow, Scotland GB

23

Sat

Birmingham Symphony Hall*

Birmingham, England GB

25

Mon

La Cigale

Paris, FR

26

Tue

La Cigale

Paris, FR

27

Wed

Le Colisee

Roubaix, FR

28

Thu

Den Atelier

Luxembourg City, LU

29

Fri

Heineken Music Hall

Amsterdam, NL

30

Sat

Cirque Royal

Brussels, BE

November '10

01

Mon

Dommelsch Zaal

Tilburg, NL

02

Tue

E-Werk

Cologne, DE

03

Wed

Arena HC Sparta

Prague, CZ

05

Fri

BKZ Oktyabrsky

St. Petersburg, RU

06

Sat

Arena Moscow

Moscow, RU

08

Mon

Budapest Sportarena

Budapest, HU

09

Tue

Gasometer

Vienna, AT

10

Wed

Hala Tivoli

Ljubljana, SI

11

Thu

Alcatraz

Milano, IT

12

Fri

Gran Teatro

Padova, IT

14

Sun

Atlantico

Rome, IT

16

Tue

L'Amphitheatre Cite Internacionale

Lyon, FR

17

Wed

Sala Apolo

Barcelona, ES

18

Thu

Sala la Riviera

Madrid, ES

20

Sat

Rockstar Live

Bilbao, ES

21

Sun

Pavilhao Rosa Mota

Oporto, PT

22

Mon

Campo Pequeno

Lisbon, PT

* Mike won't be performing at these two Satriani shows; he'll be in Holland with Steve Vai (see below)



Friday, October 22, 2010
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010

Steve Vai Festival
featuring Steve Vai, the Noord Nederlands Orkest
and Mike Keneally performing Steve Vai's and his own music on solo piano

De Oosterpoort
Trompsingel 27
9724 DA Groningen, Netherlands
Info: 31 (0)50 3680368

On The Road Again!

PHILADELPHIA, PA, May 4, 2010: The first show of the Mike Keneally Band & Bryan Beller Band "They're Both The Same Band" northeast tour at World Cafe Live was, by all reports, a revelation. For a bunch more cool photos, visit our friend Matt Urban's treasure trove o' show shots! (Photo ©2010 Matt Urban / www.studiomlive.com)

Scott Chatfield sent me a small boatload of questions about Scambot; here's my responses:

Q. In a nutshell, what is Scambot about?

A. Antagonistic consciousness manipulation, a/k/a soul control.

Q. Who did you write Scambot for?

A. Anyone who makes time to sit down with a good set of headphones and a clear head, and listen to an entire album from start to finish. I still love to listen to whole albums whenever I can. I think it's a fantastic art form.

Q. When you began the project, did you have a clear vision of its direction, musically and narratively?

A. Not at all; it started as a drawing, a one-page comic strip continuity I drew in my sketchbook while I was working on Wooden Smoke in 2001. I made up this little character named Scambot, spontaneously drew his character design. He seemed grumpy, and he had a weird friend who felt compelled to loudly defend him against critics: "Scambot ain't RONG!" he said. I showed it to Scott Thunes in 2003 and he shook his head and said "I don't like it." I realized then there was something intrinsic in the character of Scambot that made me need to rescue him, make SOMETHING interesting of him. Over time I developed this idea of simultaneously devising a narrative (which might possibly mutate into a comic strip or an animated cartoon or a stage presentation or whatever) alongside a set of new music which would be influenced by the narrative, and that new music would inspire further narrative work which might inspire me to draw new characters, etc. Each prong of the creative fork inspired the other prongs to further achievement. The final important component of creating Scambot was that I imposed no schedule pressures on the process; it would take shape at its own pace. I ended up releasing 6 or 7 other projects while working on Scambot, starting with the release of Wooden Smoke in 2001 to Wine And Pickles in 2008 - while I was putting together all of that stuff, Scambot was developing in the background, and finally in 2005 it became my primary concern. Enough music was created to form the foundation of three volumes of music, and the plotline was developing in a way which made me realize that I really wanted to take my time in telling the story as well. Instead of trying to complete the whole trilogy and release it as a set, it made obvious sense to release it in installments.

Q. Scambot 1 has some very accessible songs along with some of the most complex, layered music you've ever produced. How would you suggest that a listener approach this record?

A. With an open mind and an adventurous disposition. And feel free to pause every so often; it's 67 minutes long, it's a lot of music. Maybe take time to mentally "turn the side over" every 16 minutes. Or crank the whole thing loud from start to finish, whatever gets you off.

Q. Are the story and characters an integral part of Scambot's music, or can story and music be enjoyed independently?

A. I discovered early on that I didn't want the plot of Scambot to demand undue attention; the plotline and characters, ultimately, were a kind of ruse to inspire me to create different kinds of music. The story is a luxury - the point of the album is the way it sounds. I didn't want to clutter it up with dialogue and exposition - it's such an abstract story anyway, and it didn't need to be spelled out letter by letter in the audio. The story - at least, the initial stab at it - is in the CD booklet for people who are interested, and it adds depth to the listening experience.

Q. Did the Scambot characters arrive in your imagination fully formed, or did they develop over time?

A. These are good questions! I sketch junk all the time, and most of the specific character ideas arrived after drawing them. What happens is a face or body shape will materialize in my mind - I'm not thinking about inventing characters or even of something to draw, necessarily - and I'll quickly sketch it out. If it looked interesting, it was likely to be drafted as a Scambot character, and then I'd invent a backstory and a way to insert them into the plot. I just wanted to create something long-form and intriguing, and would accept input in any shape and form.

Q. Do you see the Scambot saga manifesting into other media in the future?

A. Oh yep. I have an urge to do a comic strip, heavily influenced by the 60s strip Odd Bodkins by Dan O'Neill. The plan is to present the strip online, running concurrently with the 3 albums as they're released, and eventually collect the strips in a book once the whole trilogy has been released. I'd also be real delighted to see these characters animated. And eventually I will take some representation of this music to the stage, although I don't think I'd consider a heavily narrative stage version until at least Scambot 2 has been released. But if possible (given other projects going on, including work on a second album of Steve Vai solo piano reductions, a collection of new songs co-written with Andy Partridge, and my touring as guitarist with the [adult swim] metal band Dethklok - the new album The Dethalbum II recently debuted at #15 on the Billboard pop chart, and as I write this we're halfway through a six week tour with Mastodon, so there's momentum for us to continue touring in 2010), I'd love to take an ensemble out next year to perform Scambot music. It won't be easy to construct the instrumentation for a group that can do justice to all the textures and styles in the album, but it'll be fun.

Q. I can't count the number of times I walked into the studio to find you leaning back in a chair listening to mixes, headphones on, eyes closed, and a gigantic smile spread across your face. How do you feel when you listen to Scambot 1?

A. I imagine, exactly the way I looked then. I love it. But I also feel that the styles covered on this first volume have been thoroughly dealt with here, and that the next two albums will differ significantly in style. I envision Scambot 2 being much heavier and faster, and Scambot 3 as airy and slow.

Q. What were your most pleasant experiences making the record? Most difficult or frustrating?

A. I honestly can't categorize my feelings what way. The whole experience is one huge pleasure blob to me and I'm very excited about continuing work on Scambot 2 (I'm targeting early 2011 for its release).

Q. How can the second disc from the Special Edition, Songs & Stories Inspired by Scambot 1, enhance a listener's appreciation of Scambot?

A. First of all I want to be clear that the second disc of the Scambot 1 Special Edition is not Scambot 2 (which is about one-third recorded right now). Songs & Stories Inspired by Scambot 1 uses plot material which fits into the continuity timespan depicted on Disc One. Some of the songs were intended for the main disc but didn't fit for time reasons. The majority of the material was created specifically for this disc, done very quickly and spontaneously, as a spasmodic, cathartic response to finally finishing the first disc after so many years. The raw approach of Disc Two contrasts the relative polish of Disc One and I think they work nicely together as a listening experience. Also, if you're concerning yourself with the narrative as it appears in the CD booklet text, there are major tentpoles of the plotline which are fleshed out musically on Disc Two. So you would want the Special Edition in order to hear the whole story.


More Answers!

q. What's SCAMBOT 1?

a. It's my new album, which has been about ten years in the making.

Co de Kloet of NPS Radio, Netherlands, wrote this about it on his Facebook page:

I had the privilege to a sneak preview of Mike Keneally's new album Scambot and it is simple: there is We're Only In It For The Money, there is Sgt. Pepper's LHCB, there is Trout Mask Replica, there is the music by Webern and there is Scambot.

(thank you for saying that, Co)

SCAMBOT 1 is a concept work, and embodies Part One of a trilogy; volumes 2 and 3 will be released at just the right time.

SCAMBOT 1 is 67 minutes long and contains 18 pieces of music, which are called:

  1. Big Screen Boboli
  2. Ophunji's Theme
  3. Hallmark (see video HERE)
  4. Chee
  5. Tomorrow (download song for free HERE!)
  6. Cat Bran Sammich Part 1
  7. You Named Me
  8. Cat Bran Sammich Part 2
  9. Saturate
  10. M
  11. Cold Hands
  12. We Are The Quiet Children
  13. Foam
  14. The Brink
  15. Life's Too Small
  16. Behind The Door
  17. Gita
  18. DaDunDa

It was written and produced by myself, primarily recorded at Chatfield Manor and engineered by Mike Harris, but ultimately involving six different recording locations and nine engineers. The executive producer is Mr. Scott Chatfield. Artwork was co-created by myself and the esteemed Atticus Wolrab.

The concept of Scambot had its genesis in a comic strip I drew in one of my sketchbooks in 2001, while I was working on Wooden Smoke. It was fleshed out further, with the addition of new characters, during the making of The Universe Will Provide and Dog in 2003, and for the past five years it has been my central creative project, one obviously very long in gestating. (The earliest music it contains is "You Named Me" from 1998, recorded during sessions which also resulted in Nonkertompf.)

The project evolved in an intentionally relaxed and organic fashion, with no time-related pressure placed on its creation. The three different aspects of the Scambot universe - my character art, music/lyrics, and written plotline/dialogue - each grew individually while they influenced the development of the other two aspects. It was a blast, I am freaking pleased as punch that it's finally done and that I enjoy it as much as I do, and I'm very happy that you'll get to hear it soon.

There is a plot, and a bunch of characters; the CD booklet contains a very long story I wrote which lays out all of the action. Most of the plotline isn't explicitly referenced in the songs; I didn't want exposition to get in the way of a pure musical experience, and I also wanted it to be mostly instrumental, so the heavy plot-lifting is done by the story in the booklet. (If you order the download, you'll receive a digital copy of the booklet.) In brief it's about an embittered composer named Ian McPlant, whose consciousness is hijacked by an industrialist named Boleous T. Ophunji. Much else occurs which I won't detail here, but it's a pretty funny story, and definitely an odd one. I was abashed when I recently re-read Kurt Vonnegut's "Sirens of Titan" after finishing my story, and saw plainly how much of an influence he's had on my fiction writing...anyway I think it's a snazzy read and I hope you like it.

(The story will also form the backbone of an online comic strip, called SCAMBOT. More of that, another time.)

Musically speaking, it's about two-thirds instrumental. Stylistically, it's my most varied work since Sluggo!, I think. It encompasses a little bit of straightforward-ish rock and pop, a lot of rigorous composition and arrangement, some obsessively intricate vocal and instrumental harmonies, some improvisation which has been orchestrated, some digitally-manipulated musique concrete, some purely uncategorizable stuff and, I think, some of the most interesting melodies I've come up with. It is a peculiar album but I think very satisfying as a journey, and emotionally it hits a lot of different moods.

The personnel changes radically from song to song. Some of the material was done by myself; some originated in a Keneally/Beller acoustic album we were working on for a while; some of it was recorded by the Guitar Therapy Live version of the Mike Keneally Band (me, Bryan Beller, Rick Musallam and Joe Travers). One track was recorded with an eleven-piece ensemble including members of the Metropole Orkest, which we dubbed the Minipole. (The rest of the recordings from the acoustic album and Minipole sessions will see release at another time.) Evan Francis played some wonderful sax, clarinet and flute, and many deeply unthinkable drum overdubs were performed by the breathtaking Marco Minnemann - if you enjoy Marco's work, you need to hear this. My daughter Jesse Keneally also does some singing on the album that I personally find to be achingly beautiful, and I swear I would say that even if we weren't family.

We devoted intense energy to every second of the album. I'm very happy with how all the songs, and the weird imaginings therein, have been given life.

Also!

Once Scambot 1 was done, I used the residual energy from making it to quickly create a second album, using some additional material that was done during the Scambot 1 sessions, and a lot of newly recorded music as well. This 2nd album is a 53-minute opus called

Songs and Stories Inspired by SCAMBOT 1

which is only available as Disc 2 of the SCAMBOT 1 2-CD SPECIAL EDITION. This is a limited, numbered release of 3000 copies, containing both brand-new albums totaling two hours of music, plus a beautiful slipcover designed by Atticus Wolrab.

Here are the songs which make up

Songs and Stories Inspired by SCAMBOT 1:

  1. Intro
  2. Ahmmm...Ms. Loring...
  3. Tiny Red Bug
  4. Tomorrow (Karaoke version)
  5. It Begins
  6. Hallmark Fantasia
  7. Broken Chair
  8. Twinge
  9. Saturate (demo version)
  10. Some Crazy Mishap
  11. The 3rd Eye
  12. Hallmark (2006 acoustic album mix)
  13. Credits

(the great majority of the music on Disc 2 is unique to it; three of the pieces are remixes of songs from Disc 1, plus one demo.)

This is a very uncompromising album, with a lot of guitar improvisation, demanding sonorities, alien vocal textures, truly insane song structure and many crucial pieces of the Scambot plot continuity. Plus a very entertaining credit sequence. If you are intrigued by the conceptual world of Scambot, it's heavily advisable to hear both albums.

(Songs and Stories Inspired by Scambot 1 is NOT Scambot 2 [my apologies if this is stating the obvious]. Scambot 2 and 3 are projects for the future. I want to make serious progress on three projects I'm working on with Steve Vai, Andy Partridge and Matt Resnicoff, all of which will either be released or heavily nudged forward before future volumes of Scambot see completion.)

There will be three ways to invite SCAMBOT 1 into your life:

1. The 2-CD limited Special Edition including two new albums: SCAMBOT 1 and Songs and Stories Inspired by Scambot 1,

2. The single-CD SCAMBOT 1,

3. The SCAMBOT 1 single album download, available when the CD is released.

Want a taste? Download for free, right now, the SCAMBOT 1 song "Tomorrow" HERE!

**********

What else?

The last My Keneally tour I did with Bryan Beller was fantastically worth doing. It ended up being a really moving experience for Bryan and I, and I hope it was as well for our friends who booked us for that incredibly varied and exciting run of shows. We played in people's houses, behind their houses, in venues small and not-so-small, on a pier, and on the wings of a hang glider (that one, not really). It was awesome and we want to do it again starting January 18, starting on the West Coast this time, and encompassing as much of the US that we didn't visit last time as it is possible for us to encompass.

Wanna book Beller and I for a gig? We dig the house concert vibe but you can put us anywhere you want. Please contact us at mykeneally@keneally.com for details if you're into it.

Be aware, too, that exclusive live tracks recorded during the first My Keneally tour in August are now available to request and hear at www.radiokeneally.com.

The first date of the Dethklok tour is Portland, Oregon on October 2, and we'll be out for about a month and a half. Seriously, this band is killing right now, and I can't wait to hear Mastodon every night - I love those guys. I'm excited to be introduced to the music of our two opening bands, High on Fire and Converge. What a ridiculously good time this is going to be. I did an extensive road diary on the last Dethklok tour - we'll see if I have the stamina to do anything similar this time around.

Thanks you guys. I'm way grateful for all of you.

Pavement reunion next year!

Love -

Mike


Mike Keneally serves up Wine And Pickles!

Wine And Pickles -- studio recordings 1998-2006

being a collection of unreleased things, rarities and allsorts from the last several years or so

Mike describes Wine And Pickles as "the album I didn't know I was making over the last ten years." Lovingly assembled from a wide array of archived sources, W&P serves as a surprisingly cohesive alternative history of Keneally music. Notable among the 21 gems are the legendary original version of "Backwards Deb;" "4S," a piece written for Holland's acclaimed Metropole Orchestra; "Inhale," a gorgeously melodic collaboration with Lyle Workman; and "The Endings Of Things," a stark, confessional performance from 2000's Dancing sessions. The CD contains an eight-page booklet with Mike's original artwork, pithy personal notes about each song, and lyrics.

Download "Inhale" from Wine And Pickles for free!

Here's a wonderful complete song that you can download for free to get an idea of what Wine And Pickles sounds like (although there's an embarrassment of variety on the album). It's track 9 (a high-quality 256k VBR mp3 and a 12.3 MB zip file download) directly from the master, and we hope you'll want to hear more.

Mike describes the genesis of the track: "Lyle [Workman] composed, performed and produced the instrumental backing track by himself, then asked me to write a vocal part for it. His track was so fantastic, I could hear the vocal parts screaming at me just listening to it and I had the lyrics and melody written inside of a couple of hours. It was recorded in 1998, and released in 2000 on Lyle’s brilliant second album. I’ve gently begged Lyle to record an album’s worth of killer instrumental tracks that I can stick vocals on, but he’s been busy providing the soundtrack to the Judd Apatow cinematic empire-- and good on him – Lyle is entirely a genius and a sweet man and deserves all great things."

Click here to get your free download. And if you like what you hear, you can get the whole CD from MooseMart.

JazzTimes' review of Wine And Pickles

Few artists can make a coherent CD with outtakes from a decade's worth of previous releases. But very few musicians are capable of the ambidexterity of Southern California multi-instrumentalist Mike Keneally, who refers to Wine and Pickles in its liner notes as "the album I didn't know I was making over the last 10 years."

A guitarist, keyboardist and vocalist in Frank Zappa's final touring band, Keneally blends his former employer's intricate compositional skills and cynical humor with the pop sensibilities and whimsy of Todd Rundgren. It's a mix that culminated on Keneally's fourth solo release, the 1997 opus Sluggo! The new CD's tracks are outtakes from four subsequent Keneally efforts, plus various oddities.

Roughly half the material comes from either Keneally's 2000 Dancing sessions (which used horns to flirt with big-band status) or 2003 castaways from his rocking Dog release, like the "Feelin' Strangely/"Li'l" medley. In the first half, Keneally moves from lyrical Armageddon to upbeat absurdity, singing, "I'm gonna kiss Boz Scaggs on the head tonight." The instrumental coda features his ace guitar interplay with Rick Musallam, but was probably too light for Dog. Ditto "Bubble Creek," a solo piano piece that shows Keneally's keyboard prowess.

Dancing was one of Keneally's most Zappa-esque releases (with instrumentation similar to the 1977 album Zappa In New York). Highlights include the anthemic "Backwards Deb," complex instrumental "Selfish Otter" and Jeff Buckley-ish "The Endings of Things." Random brilliance also appears in Keneally's orchestral demo "4S" and "Inhale," from Lyle Workman's 2000 Tabula Rasa sessions. Workman can also play all instruments, which he does here, while Keneally's voice soars to Radiohead-like heights. All of which makes Wine and Pickles not unlike the manically cohesive Sluggo! Perhaps that's why these pieces were discarded, but they combine to create Keneally's finest studio effort since.

--Bill Meredith, JazzTimes, November 2008

Down Beat's review of Wine And Pickles

Mike Keneally was part of Zappa's final touring group in 1988, filling the then-established role as Zappa's "stunt guitarist." Since that time, Keneally has worked closely with Vai and released more than a dozen CDs as a leader. An unassuming guitar hero with comical, prog-rock tendencies and a solid singing voice, Keneally has compiled Wine And Pickles (Exowax 2409; 78:14) [Four Stars], a collection of unreleased studio recordings from the past decade.

Keneally's guitar work is of the highest order, and his shrewd production values hold true in the most informal settings. From structured rock tunes to solo piano improvisations and orchestral interludes, he consistently leads the way with studied and earnest musicianship. Keneally's standout guitar, vocal and production skills all come together on beautifully arranged tracks like "Feelin' Strangely." His postmodern approach allows for a bold assimilation of influences, as evidenced by the dynamic closing track, "The Endings Of Things." Keneally is sustaining the Zappa legacy as well as anyone in music today. Frank would be proud.

--Mitch Myers, Down Beat, October 2008

Two editions of Scambot 1, plus T-shirt, now shipping!
Scambot 1 Standard Edition Scambot T-Shirt Scambot 1 Special Edition

Speaking of Keneally...

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