Hey! I just wanted to know if The Features are still signed to spongebath records?

i dont think spongebath even exists anymore......

Ahhh, a favorite topic of mine.

Spongebath records went bust soon after it released its best-selling album, Self's Gizmodgery. They suddenly stopped filling mail orders, and then stopped answering the phone, and now the office space is gone.

It's really quite a shame. I thought that Spongebath did more to give a space and some direction to the Murfreesboro music scene than anything before or since. It squandered good talent in doing so.

The Features began slowly cutting ties. In late 99, I asked Matt Pelham why their concerts were not listed on the Spongebath website anymore, and he said shruggingly, "We've decided not to involve our booking with them any more." In summer 2000, he told me about label shopping and not knowing what to do with their Spongebath ties. The last I ever heard on the subject was in fall 2000, just as Gizmodgery was being released, when they performed "Captain Williams", presumably about Spongebath president, Richard Williams.

And Captain Williams said
Everything is going to be alright.

(Edited by YaDaDaDa at 2:03 pm on Mar. 25, 2003)

I thought Dreamworks put out Gizmodgery...

Nope. I'm pretty sure the two labels alternated releases.

No, Dreamworks put out Breakfast With Girls. Self's deal with them supposedly stipulated that for every record they released on Dreamworks, they could release a record on Spongebath, "for fun," if you will. Or so I've been told.

So what is up with this Self show I keep hearing about?

what have you heard?

This talk about Spongebath has got me all nostalgic, ya'll.

Remember this?

Was this a joke? Maybe so, maybe not, but I wish someone would write a book about the Spongebath era.

Well, it's been about 4 years, I guess it's time for another Self album. I hope they do a show here.

Speaking of Matt Mahaffey...he played keys for Mandy Moore monday night on the Craig Kilborn show.

I have heard the rumor of this book as well...but I have no idea whom the intended author is. Sounds like bullshit, to me. But who knows.
I think if it ever did get written though, it'd be a helluva story. the "Spongebath" era was...something else.

Wow! Holla at me, little brother!

I miss Self! and The Katies we need some shows this way!

I don't think it was a joke. I think somebody thought it would be a good idea (which it is) but probably lost interest in it pretty quickly.

Will we ever know what happened at the very end of the label's life? Was there a secret meeting in which representatives from each band went to the Spongebath office to divide the remaining assets? We may never know...

Upon thee I dispense this news. Five glorious new Self tracks have been previewed, as set forth by the prophet Abraham. This prophecy coincides with the battle of An Nasiriyah.

From the prophet Abraham: "As blood spills on my sacred homeland, Self shall become whole."

You can read more about this in the book Daiglenetics on pg 391.

The end is upon us my friends. Eat ginger to combat the SARS virus.

As to "splitting the assets" of Spongebath:

I heard that all the mail order stock was sold to CD Warehouse or some crap. Fl Oz tried to buy their old albums back when they disassociated and were told they couldn't because SB needed it for mail order. Then a week later, they saw all their cds in one of the M'boro consignment stores with some rare/signed Self stuff. Niiiiiice.

(Edited by poohbear's girl at 10:26 am on Mar. 26, 2003)

Yeah, that was a classy move, wasn't it?

That could make a killer movie, much like 24 Hour Party People.

I think Mac Burrus at some point told what Self has of the divied Spongebath stuff, and that it's somewhere on Selfcentered.net. I don't feel like looking for it though. I'm not a fan of that board (it erased my membership, among other things).

My fear when there was talk of this book originally is that its appeal would only be to a very small portion of even the population in this area. Essentially, no one heard it then, no one remembers it now, and so why would any one buy it and read it. This causes a problem when one is seeking a publisher. (Don't get me wrong, I'd buy it and read it twice).

I know that in the post-Spongebath years, Fl Oz had a plethora of the stuff they made with Spongebath--all their CDs, the shirts, and the stickers. The Features still have the Thursday 10" and the yellow stickers--there was little else they had that didn't go out of print.

Self is currently working on recording their new album, titled Ornament and Crime. They were jointly signed to Spongebath and Dreamworks. Both had their names on Breakfast. Only Spongebath released Gizmodgery.

I would too. But I agree...how many people would really buy this book? At the most, I would imagine, 10 to 15 thousand, AT MOST. Most of those would be residents of the southeast. I don't see what a publisher would benefit from a pressing like that, unless it was a limited run.
However, it is surprising how far-reaching Spongebath's tentacles were sometimes. Occasionally in random conversations with random people i often hear, "Oh yeah...I remember reading about Murfreesboro...had a kickass little scene for a while...what happened there anyway?" So maybe there is a legitimate interest. There HAS to be some great stuff from 94-98.

Yes, if you notice the main Self fans who post on that board, it looks like most of them are spread across the U.S., and that few of them have seen Self live.

Your quote about what someone might say about Murf reminds me of the press, how Billboard wrote stuff about it being the best indy scene in the nation. Spongebath did so much to create an elite in Murfreesboro and to just make Murfreesboro cool. The sad thing is that in the end, it became the stumbling block for all of them...the Features might be the exception, since they never really released anything through Spongebath.

In light of that, I wonder if they would write it as a history, a collection of recollections, memoirs, a novel, or ???. I could see it working in any of those ways.

speaking of murfreesboro bands, i had the realization that glossary is the only true boro band (at least of the ones with talent). most of the spongebath coterie moved to LA and the features never even claimed it as home. glossary has stayed true to its city with a wary love and respect. i love that fucking band.

I think some people might disagree with you on that. How exactly are you qualified to make this judgement while living in Johnson City? I can think of at least 3 "boro" bands off the top of my head that I personally enjoy much more than Glossary, including:

Slack
Imaginary Baseball League
The Black Soul Choir (even though they hate the Features)

Everyone feel free to add to the list...

even though the members were from many different places, i'd say normalcy. they formed in m'boro.

What are you using as the measuring stick for a band's "true boro-ness," LW? Moved there as a band? Formed there? Lived there all their lives? Were conceived there? Explain yourself.

Bingham seems like a really great person, and I have nothing but respect for what he has done for the Murfreeboro music scene, but I just don't like Glossary very much at all. I've tried, but I just don't. Sorry.

I agree. I compare Glossary's shows to running a clothes dryer.

To the best of my knowledge, Normalcy aren't together anymore. They had one show in the fall (after a long hiatus) with a new guitar player. I've heard nothing of them since, and that's bad. Because they were a really GOOD band. Lightswitch, She Paints, We've Got a Problem (name?), all really wonderful songs. The drummer has something to do with Feable Weiner. That's all I know.

Are you saying that he has a "dinky wang"?

Right.

let me rephrase...
when i hear glossary music i just get a vibe that screams "MURFREESBORO!!!!!" maybe it's because they've been around so long and always show love for the city and the ebb and flow of its music scene. maybe it has something to do with bingham and the red rose. mostly though, i think it is because they write songs that stem from living in that city and being an active part of its culture. hell, they even give "photo shout-outs" to m'boro with their album artwork. actually since i haven't lived there in almost three years, i have no room to speak up. i guess its just nostalgia.

oh and carl, i am a huge fan of the ibl ep. haven't seen them live yet, but will here in jc in may. slack is a favorite as well. i guess i don't get the boro vibe from these bands (as much) since ibl are post-joe baine murfreesboro and slack's sound has changed quite a bit over the years. haven't heard black soul choir though, sounds interesting.

they aren't a band anymore. i know jeff horne(the drummer) is a recording wiz, so that may explain his association with feable weiner. i wish i had some recordings of them.

"Uh, medically speaking... just how dinky is your wang? Oh, that is small, I didn't think you were going to say anything less than 8 or 10 inches."

Okay, point taken, Joe. Not to beat a dead horse, but I noticed that the falling/black soul choir give a shout out to the Red Rose in one song (track 2?) and mention the Boro in the last track (Towards the Night--amazing song by the way) of their Cardinal EP. I still hear what you're saying, though.

Glad to know you're digging the IBL EP, is it "The Letter" or the newer "Cardiact"? They're both great, but I prefer the former.

Jeff Horne is indeed listed as the Engineer on Feable Weiner's album. It sounds really good!

There are about 4 songs that you should be able to find via internet. Let me look around. If none are found, I could always make you a CD of what I've got, or Jeff may have some if you can get ahold of him. I know they were recording toward a full length. I wonder what happened to the tapes.

Ok, talked to Jeff. Normalcy is on a huge hiatus. They may come back, but busy schedules make that hard. Jeff and the bass player from Normalcy are in a new band called Ultimate Driving Experience who should be playing out more soon (they're about to start recording an EP). Umm, five Normalcy songs are available at http://www.garageband.com

That is all.

thanks for the info. chris(bassist) gave me an ultimate driving experience demo. it was all done with drum machine though. i'm anxious to hear them live.

carlito-all i gots is "cariact." i didn't evn know they had another one.

You should definitely buy "The Letter". As far as I know, they're still selling it (I'm pretty sure they've had at least two printings of it). It's a little more gentle and quite a bit prettier-- if you're into that kind of thing (I know I am). Very good night-time driving music.

And don't call me Carlito. That's what my mommy used to call me.