What's up with US Maple?

Purple On Time isnt my favorite but to me its the sound of a band with a lot more gas left in them

Maybe....maybe not.

La Lechera, have you looked at any actual U.S. Maple lyrics on the printed page? I know that Acre Thrills at the very least has them printed out, but maybe all the records do (can't remember, lost copies of several of these on CD some time ago). They are amazing.

Man I would love for this band to put anything out again just so that maybe I would get to see them live. Or they can just tour without making a record and play whatever the hell they want. I just wish I had caught them.

No, I don't have any of the actual releases. I bet they are exquisite!

Why do people still act like Al is in some mysterious no-man's land? As discussed upthread, he lives in Dubuque. I mentioned before how it was a post-industrial economically depressed hell-hole when I grew up there, but 26 years later it's much better, ranked 7th and 3rd recently for economic and job growth. It has four good hospitals and outpatient clinics, four colleges/universities, three seminary schools, three large high schools, a newish casino and convention center, winery and an assload of bars and churches, ha ha. The latest references to it in movies, books and TV to represent an obscure place vaguely somewhere in the Midwest, were Elementary and Thomas Pynchon's Bleeding Edge. Perhaps because it stands out from most boring Midwestern cities as one of the oldest cities, coming from one of the original French settlements in the 1670s which was then controlled by the Spanish after the Seven Year's War, and permanently settled by Julien Dubuque from Quebec, who married a member of the Fox tribe and mined lead. By 1860 it was one of the 100 largest urban areas in the U.S. It's always been a tourist attraction, overlooking the Mississippi where IA intersects with WI and IL, and steep bluffs and hills that rival San Francisco. Another random fact, in 2011 it was sited as one of the 10 smartest cities on the planet by Fast Company magazine. Dubuque was the only city from the western hemisphere on the list.

Like many other people I know, Al was probably drawn there in the past 10 years for job opportunities and good schools for raising kids. Perhaps if more minor avant music celebrities move there to raise their brats Dubuque will be recognized as "cool," ha ha ha.

Anyway, stoked for the new Dead Rider, look forward to seeing them live this year.

I just wondered if he still lived there -- no hard feelings! I grew up in the pit of the industrial midwest, I know the feeling :)

La Lechera, in re the lyics being exquisite, they are. Al rules, as is stated over and over in this thread.

One of a number of bands I saw live at a time when I didn't know I would later think "I would kill to see that again"

I am excited for the new Dead Rider, they were fantastic when I saw them last year, truly great.

Funny to me how many people recognize the greatestness of US Maple now, cuz certainly not the case back in the day.

Dubuque is pretty boring.

this is very exciting

I thought it was surprising to see that Dead Rider signed to Drag City. Where were they before? I just assumed it was Drag City.

The Raw Dents was released on Tizona

Well, I guess I'll be buying a CD this year (Drag City doesn't do Spotify/Rdio).

Chills on Glass is streaming - exclusively! - on hightimes.com. Sounds pretty good so far. For sure the most US Mapley guitar I've heard in a while at the very beginning.

http://www.hightimes.com/read/exclusive-full-album-stream-dead-rider

that's kind of exactly what i expected them to do musically, so underwhelmed by my own damn fool unrealistic expectations of being totally confounded, but maaaan, is rittman's voice ever good this time around !

realllllly liking this

some neat, unusual sounds in there... vocals recall Mother Love Bone, or some sort of 90s alterna-grunge/glam... the variety of (electro) sounds has me associating it w/NIN. Needs more woody, splintered, wheezy maple.

The whole project reminds me a lot of some alternate universe David Bowie, including the vocals.

that was stan seitrich's whole deal, after leaving drunks w/ guns he released a bunch of 7"s that were covers of drunks w/ guns songs with a 12 year old girl doing the vocals

I think I heard these actually, and I wanted there to be five albums worth of it

Not into this, the sound of composed weirdness instead of effortless weirdness

that is an authenticity trope and I'm calling you on it, not that you have to like this but it sounds like a way of copping out from saying "I like my weirdos raw"

haha absolutely NOT! If you think I think of US Maple as anything but “composed” you are incorrect, you of all people know that I think of all music as equally inauthentic.

But US Maple doesn’t sound like place cards for “insert noise here”, “awkward turn of melodic events”, “flat-5! isn’t dat weird??" and it definitely is not underpinned with a boring drum-beat to click.

Ultimately I judge music on a “the mood was created” vs. “they failed to create the mood” and this music fails to create any mood other than some clean-cut guys underlining "make it weirder!” on a steno. Which ultimately I'm sure was the case with US Maple too but it didn't sound like that

ha as I was reading your response dude spoke-sang "enemy/sex-grill/peanut butter" so lol point taken

lol well yeah

The US Maple affiliation is a burden here, not an asset; removing this music from the glare of that filter, it sounds like music I like an awful lot-- Dead Science, Capillary Action, Extra Life, Skeletons, ZS, and so on-- but the crit of "sounds too composed" goes for all those bands on some level, they all sound tethered to something.

Re: the burden of a US Maple affiliation, I grew to quite like the band Singer once I started listening to it without the "ex-US Maple!" prefix

man the 6th song on this is REALLY good though

I went through a period of trying to describe this band to people who hadn't heard them.

i'm listening to US Maple for the first time (Acre Thrills) and I would describe them as Polvo fronted by Craig Wedren from Shudder to Think.

Dead Science, Capillary Action, Extra Life, Skeletons, ZS, and so on-- but the crit of "sounds too composed" goes for all those bands on some level, they all sound tethered to something

Wow, I have heard (and booked) all of these bands -- I'm trying to understand where the "too" is coming from? Why is it "too" composed?

The key phrases there though are “bands I like an awful lot”— because I do, I’ve played with and worked for most of those bands— of course I am totally nuts for Extra Life and Skeletons. And key word “sounds too composed”, that somewhere in the composing/performance process, liftoff had not been achieved, that as a listener I am still too consciously aware of compositional devices, instead of being transported by the work?

I mean, just to compare: everybody I know has had a moment of “surprise" when they hear that US Maple (or The Magic Band before them) duplicate their music from show to show, that it is composed and not improvised. Similarly whenever it’s Extra Life pushing their crazy time signatures, your ears are just like “whoa I feel off-balance and thrilled” instead of “this is in 11/8". My point is not "these bands don't cover their tracks", but that this is the crit that I'd level at some of these bands on those rare occasions when they're not being totally successful

would you feel that way if the compositions weren't as complex?

I get what you're saying -- I feel that way about a few of the bands you mention and others that is a bit related -- like sometimes it will come across as too stilted or "dorky" (iirc that was my response to seeing Cap1llary Act1on 7 yrs ago)

"dorky" otm, I like Capillary Action tho, esp. when they get breathless and ridiculous

have you heard Dead Science's cover of "Sign your name"? It is one of my favorites.

<3 yep I love it

this sounds great

US Maple is the greatest underground rock band of the last 25 years by a large margin

I think there are superficial similarities re. Johnson and Wedren but ultimately the former is pretty unlike anyone - the bizarro creepy breathy delivery, and the this was a whole process he went through for each album...everything was written out and deliberate

Did anyone mention this Maple live show yet, 'cause it's really amazing. No camera movement, but killer performance/sound.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JarSldMzLfo

Great video.

lol at Samson giving Rittmann hell

i forgot to ask flamboyant goon tie etc what he thought of the band Cheer Accident

La Lechera are you going to see Dead Rider at Hideout tonight?

For those who aren't that familiar with U.S. Maple, another fun fact is that Al Johnson, the singer, has one of the cameos in the movie "Hi Fidelity". He plays the super nerdy guy who comes in looking to buy the Captain Beefheart record

Having just heard this band for the first time this morning, I'm glad to read this post.

Man, I wish I could hear U.S. Maple for the first time again. A real treat (unless of course it isn't your thing and then ....)

Well, I just can't believe how much it sounds like Captain Beefheart! I like Capt Beefheart tho

Having just heard this band for the first time this morning, I'm glad to read this post.

I am totally blown away by this statement

Dominique please listen to Gira-produced "Talker" that is when they really make it new

i forgot to ask flamboyant goon tie etc what he thought of the band Cheer Accident

I only had heard the record on Skin Graft, hadn't thought about or listened to them since my early 20s, but a couple tracks got mix-taped heavily back then. Any recommendations?

I will! Yeah, I'm sure there are a million bands I haven't heard that other people take for granted as basics

La Lechera are you going to see Dead Rider at Hideout tonight?

― Immediate Follower (NA), Friday, April 11, 2014 10:33 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark

NO but I would go if you would go! Surely it's not sold out right?! I've got nothing better to do, that's for sure.

Yeah I was thinking about it. Not sure if I'll have enough energy but I'll get in touch if I'm feeling adventurous.

I wonder how many albums Maple sold

@Sarah -- you know Evelyn Davis is in CA right?