(Not tour dates planed right now!)
OUTRAGED
By Arturo Enriquez
Martin C. Mellon´s greatest frustration is not to have been born earlier. His family, which became rich from oil, went bankrupt in the crisis of 79. When Martin looked at the photo albums at home, he realized there was something that didn´t make sense. A few years later he found some vinyls of The Kinks, The Beatles and The Byrds at a garage sale and he fell in love with music. With the music from another time, that is.
Going to college gave him the chance to lose sight of his family, who were still trying to recover the splendor of the past with a series of harebrained businesses. He graduated in Agricultural Studies and moved to Iowa to work at a corn plantation. There, he met Peter at a concert and they spent hours talking about music. Soon he joined the band. His life seemed stabilized, but after George W. Bush took office he became bitter, both due to political differences and to the fact that he had always thought the Bushes had something to do with his family´s bankruptcy.
After the 2004 elections he moved to Canada, outraged; he wouldn´t pay taxes in the USA while Bush was the president. He lives with his partner in a small town next to Toronto. Obama´s victory gave the rest of the band the hope to see him return home, but he is used to his new life now and will only cross the border for special gigs.
This is what Arthur & the Writers backline: guitars, amplifiers, pedals... everything!
Electric Guitar - Rickenbaker 330 FG (.011 strings)
Electric Guitar Amplifier - Vox AC30
- Pedals: Artec Analog Delay, MXR Dinacomp,
Boss BD2 Blues Driver, Korg Pitchblack Tuner, Electro Harmonix Nano LPB-1 Booster. Vox AC30 Reverb/Tremolo Switch -
Accoustic Guitar - Martin & Co. 0015 (.011/.012 strings)
- Pedals:Korg Pitchblack Tuner -
Accoustic Guitar Amplifiers - Fender Acoustasonic Jr./Aer Alpha
Bass Guitar - Rickenbacker 4003 JG
Bass Guitar Amplifier - Ampeg BA115HP
Keyboards - Clavia Nord Electro III 61
Drums - Gretsch Renown Maple (bass 24”, tom 16”, tom 13”, snare14”, crash 17”, ride 20”, hit hat 14”)
You can download our rider if you want to.
A SHIPWRECK ON DRY LAND
By Arturo Enriquez
Lucio´s roots are Dutch on his father´s side and Portuguese by way of his mother. Some of his ancestors were renowned seafarers, at least according to family legend, and Lucio has always dreamed of sailing the seven seas and being in a shipwreck. But he spent his childhood and youth in Sioux City, a little town in Iowa, where the sea could only be seen in movies. He says his life has been a shipwreck on dry land.
After graduating from high school, where he met Peter and Herbert, he spent a few years at several universities, until he decided to quit and make a living as a bartender in any joint that would hire him. Unfortunately, he didn´t last long at any of them: some of his customers may have liked his stories about sea voyages, but none of his employers appreciated the fact that he drank more than all of his patrons put together. Time has brought a certain stability to his life, thanks to his love of books (he reads “Moby Dick” at least once a year), his long practice sessions with the bass guitar and his job at an Immigration Office in the state of Iowa that still allows him to tour with the band.
But when the tour takes them to a city by the sea, he can be seen walking by the harbour, his face full of nostalgia of the worst kind, nostalgia for something one hasn´t lived.
We have promised and we are delivering on our promise... Here it is: we are proud to present our 2010 album one more time, but now in a very special 180g vinyl edition!
As you can see, it features a new cover designed by hand by our good friend Horace (thank you, you know we love you) and that's not the only thing that changes regarding the compact disc edition. As a matter of fact this vinyl edition follows the order of the poems that our friend Arthur wrote.
You must hurry up because this limited special edition of only 300 copies numbered by hand that we will only sell at our live shows (starting with the one in Santiago dC next Tuesday September 21st), through the Ernie Records e-store, at A Reixa Tenda (Santiago dC) or at La Casa de Arriba (Vigo).
You better hurry up...
Ps. More tour dates soon. Stay tuned.
HE STILL GOT THAT SWING
By Arturo Enriquez
Although you couldn’t tell by his current physique, Herbert Bean was a big baseball prospect in his youth. Some of the records he achieved in high school have yet to be erased from the books. Such was his power hitting the ball that he was called "The Bullet". But an injury right before college cost him a full scholarship and forced him to give up baseball.
He transferred the energy he spent on baseball to playing the drums at the request of his high school friends Peter and Lucio, who wanted to form a band and had no one to take on percussion. Herbert played with such rage that he ended up tearing a couple of drum heads every practice session. Because of this his bandmates suggested he play with brushes only on a kit with no bass drum, otherwise they would be broke before they started.
Over the years Herbert, who has managed to control his hate for sports and occasionally works as a sports commentator for a local TV channel, has succeeded at controlling his strength and has added more pieces to his drum kit. Some say they can still feel the power of his baseball swing when they see him play the drums. And there are those who still remember him for one of the most promising thwarted careers in American sports.
Wednesday night, April the 7th.
11pm - Radio3 (RNE)
12.20am (past midnight, which means April the 8th) - La2 (TVE)
You better get ready because next Wednesday (April the 7th 2010) we will be on the Spanish TV. We won't really be there, but the show we recorded last month will be aired on Wednesday night (past midnight, which means it will already be Thursday indeed).
You can also hear us on the radio that same evening. Just tune your receiver, find Radio3 at 11pm and you'll hear some of our new songs played live. Hope you enjoy them.
If you missed it don't worry, you can watch our performance here (and please someone tell me why they call us Nino y Pistola (WTF!):
FARRAH IS ALL I'VE GOT
By Arturo Enríquez
Ignatius was looked after by his brother Darius following their parents´ death, when he was just five years old. The two brothers tried to live by themselves in the family house, but Social Services forced them to spend their childhood alternating between foster families they would always run away from and juvenile correctional facilities. Unlikely as it may seem, it was then that he developed his love of nomadism and his ability to earn a living in any imaginable situation.
When his brother Darius decided to join the marines he followed suit. His knowledge of mechanics earned him the nickname The Ignition. Darius died at the Second Gulf War. Ignatius returned to the USA and with the little money he had saved he bought a motorhome. For a few years, he made a living repairing his neighbours´ cars and selling the junk sculptures he made. Since then, he has swapped out his motorhome a few times, always carrying along a picture of his parents´ house and the 76 swimsuit Farrah Fawcett poster his brother stole from one of their first foster families.
He joined the band as their roadie and driver, but he would go to the practice sessions and spend nights playing the guitar, until one day he told the rest of the band he could play the guitar and replace Martin when he said he was moving to Canada. It seems that he has finally found his family in the band.
Ignatius plays acoustic guitar in the band and sings.
Act 1. In which he says goodbye to his friend
(aka MOVING)
It won't be just 2 or 3 miles away, you know,
This time I'm just leaving for good.
I'll take some memories of these dark cold rainy winter days
and some black and white pictures just in case.
I'm moving,
I'll call you from my new town,
I think I'll miss you all along.
I'm moving,
I hope you come to see me.
So I guess this is farewell.
So I guess this is farewell,
so I guess this time will be the last time
that we talk for a while.
I think I'll miss all this
man you know I´ve always loved how sunset looks from here
and these green dark hills
I'm moving,
I'll call you from my new town
I think I'll miss you all along.
I'm moving
I hope we meet some day soon.
So I guess this is farewell.
Act 2. In which he drives away
(aka CATCH THE SUN)
1969,
John Fogerty wrote that bayou song,
it was late at night.
Forty one years later
I'm driving this car,
I think I'm giving up.
I think I'll catch the sun.
I'm never coming back home.
Highway lines go by
I barely hear Graveyard Train in this old car.
I'll turn the volume up
you hated this song
I am leaving this town.
I think I'll catch the sun.
I'm never coming back home.
Like a Penthouse Pauper I will choogle tonight,
I think Proud Mary may just make me cry.
Act 3. In which he drives away
(aka LOOKING FOR THE SUN)
He was driving down the highway,
he was alone,
His favourite record on the tape deck blasting, really loud
ten moving boxes in the back seat of that German car.
(He was leaving)
Looking for the sun.
Looking for the sun.
He was crying
thinking 'bout what he left behind.
He took the mirrors off
and turned the volume way up
he watched the lines go by
under that noisy engine.
Looking for the sun.
Looking for the sun.
Act 4. In which he thinks about the past
(aka ASANTA BARBARA)
He was looking out the window
at all the roofs across the town.
In the sill the plants were shaking
underneath that deep white sky.
Dry and neglected,
worn out by the wind,
trembling with fear
alone, waiting for the sun.
It was night time
he'd spent three hours on that chair,
he was starving
but he wasn’t strong enough to stand, not that day.
Noise and confusion
were filling his head,
broken illusions
and dreams that had blown away.
Dry plants were shaking on the windowsill
and dreams were just fading away.
Act 5. In which he relates a strange phone-call
(aka I COULD MAKE OUT MY GUITAR)
Well, I was in my bed,
then the phone rang, I just shook my head
it was really like a damn dream:
There was some sort of live show going on
couldn't tell why, but there was something going wrong.
I woke up and turned the lights on,
there was something strange I couldn't understand:
There was a band playing songs I used to sing,
I could make out my guitar,
I could hear my own voice shouting down the line.
(Here it comes)
There was a crowd of people,
there was a band playing my own songs
there was a voice just screaming out my name.
I could make out my guitar,
I could hear the drums close, beating in the dark
(Here we go)
Act 6. In which he thinks he can’t take it anymore
(aka LAST FAREWEL - TIME WILL PASS YOU BY)
Time will pass you by,
sun will heal it all.
Sometimes I think that it will get the best of me,
somebody said that stitches hurt.
I know it seems so far,
yes, I've been there.
So long, guess this is my last farewell.
Act 7. In which he meets someone
(aka SHE WAS SO)
He used to be a lonely boy
all he really thought about were songs and toys,
but then she came in
and she said hello.
She was so sweet she was so good
that every song talked about her.
He fell for it so easily
he forgot about the last time quick, just with her very first kiss
so let's start again,
let's start all over.
She was so sweet she was so good
that every song talked about her
no matter when no matter when.
She was so sweet she was so...
Act 8. In which rain comes back
(aka SO IT WAS RAINING)
Another cloud, another day.
My hands are cold and I can smell the rain
but you're not here,
this time I'd let you cover me:
- You're getting wet
- I don't care
D'you remember that day?
It was raining on and on and on
We got so soaked I couldn't sleep.
It was pouring down
as we were slowly walking under those trees,
but, hey, who cares about the rain?
I saw a puddle along the way:
“Splash & Run” was just the game to play,
but not today,
who'd run with me under the rain?
I'm getting wet
but I don't care.
Act 9. In which he thinks of going back
(aka LISTEN GIRL - WE BOTH KNOW)
Listen girl,
I just said what I said
and I did what I did just for me.
Do you care?
D'you remember that day
when you asked “Will I ever hear from you?”?
Y'know I left,
but left to forget
'cause we both know...
Do you care?
Do you think about “what if”?
'cause I think I've been dreamin of you.
Listen girl,
I just did what I did
but I know I'll be waiting for you.
Act 10. In which he says goodbye
(aka NOT THE TIME)
Maybe it’s not the time to start again
or maybe you’re too young just to understand
Please look in my eyes little girl
oh love, you’re so great
but you’re not her
Maybe I shouldn’t have come to this point this time
maybe I should rewind
Maybe I should just walk away, go back home
Maybe I should forget your name and never tell
That’s the right thing to do
so goodbye, good bye my love,
goodbye goodbye
J IS FOR JEBEDIAH
By Arturo Enríquez
Peter J. Manuel´s uncle played in a band that he says got to open for America and the Creedence. This may be the reason why Peter was surrounded by music growing up: he sang in the choir of the Methodist church he used to go to with his mother, played the banjo and the guitar at the barbecues in the garden of his parents´ farm in Iowa, was the percussionist of his high school band and was always writing songs. He still remembers the day playing in a rock band was a dream that almost came true: he had a gig at a local venue with his uncle Ed and his friend Lucio playing Beatles´ covers, but when they arrived at the venue, he wasn´t let in because he was underage.
His good school records gave him the chance to study Film at Los Angeles. After six months he dropped out of college: the city was so big he felt choked. Back home he began a project creating music videos for imaginary songs, or maybe creating songs for imaginary music videos. His work soon became renowned and ever since then he has combined touring and recording with the band with working at the studio he set up at his farm, where he spends his time working on animations for commercials or absorbed for months with the band´s latest video.
Peter J is the lead singer in the band and also plays electric guitar.
Sunday, March the 14th 2010, 6:10pm.
We're proud to announce that at this very time we will be playing live, airing directly to your ears, from La Casa Encendida in Madrid.
D'you wanna hear it? You have three choices:
1. OLD SCHOOL RADIO WAY:
You just have to turn on your favourite tuner, look for the Spanish RNE3 frecuency at the FM (you can find some help right here) and enjoy... Maybe the radio guys insist on calling us something like Nino y Pistola... Don't ask me why, this is something I don't get to understand.
2. INTERNET RADIO: You can also hear us on the internet, at:
http://www.rtve.es/radio/radio3/
But I think this time it would be beautiful to turn on your radio and listen the old way.
3. LIVE: If you are in Madrid, you can just go to La Casa Encendida and see it with your own eyes.
Ain't it cool?
This is the official patch for The Writers Crew. Only the true Writers, holly collaborators and all of the Write-Tour coworkers will own one of these... Ain't it cool?
D'you want one? Will you kill for one of these? Will you sell your sister just to have this beautiful patch on your coat?... We'll figure out some kind of draw.
We also have new guy and chick T-shirts and fine tote bags with the Arthur & the Writers logo.
Soon avaliable at our next show.
Patchs are back to stay!
This is our first home-and-self-made music video, from our song "Catch The Sun".
(UPDATED: Now you can watch it in HD on Youtube!)
In the video (in order of appearance): Herbert "Bullet" Bean, Lucio Van Gelden, Ignatius "Ignition" Ray Curtis, Peter J Manuel, the sweet-cheeks choir (Elena, Patricia, Pi, Monica, Ana, Sabrina), Martin C Mellon, the tough guys (David Sierra, Xabilín). Camera girl: Tamara De La Fuente. Also helping us out: Guille (Men Called Him Mister). Shot at Patricia's grandpa&ma's garage.
Catch The Sun
1969,
John Fogerty wrote that bayou song,
it was late at night.
Forty one years later
I'm driving this car,
I think I'm giving up.
I think I'll catch the sun.
I'm never coming back home.
Highway lines go by
I barely hear Graveyard Train in this old car.
I'll turn the volume up
you hated this song
I am leaving this town.
I think I'll catch the sun.
I'm never coming back home.
Like a Penthouse Pauper I will choogle tonight,
I think Proud Mary may just make me cry.
Yaaaaaaaaaaaaahoooooooooooooooo! You got it!
You can purchase our CD right now at your favourite store or by clicking here:
CD Edition
Digital Edition
(Soon avaliable on vinyl...)
You can also listen to our new record right now on the internet at Rockola.FM:
Streaming Listening
The Writers got together in the early 2000s in Iowa. Three of its members, Peter J. Manuel, Herbert Bean and Lucio Van Gelder, met when they were in high school and played in several bands whose names nobody remembers.
In their first gigs as The Writers, they played covers of The Beatles, The Jayhawks, Neil Young and ABBA, and soon Martin C. Mellon joined the band. Little by little they added their own songs to their playlist.
Despite the interest of a few record labels, The Writers were in no rush to record and prefered to keep honing their songs by playing them live. Ignatius R. Curtis replaced Martin C. Mellon in 2004 when he moved to Canada. The death of their friend the poet Arthur Etres led them to make the decision to go into the studio and record a tribute album based on his notebooks of poems. Far from settling for recording in the USA, they traveled to Spain, where Arthur wrote most of his poetry. It is then that they changed their name to Arthur & The Writers and released their fist album on the Spanish label Ernie Records.
We would like to tell you about our tour dates here in Spain:
2010
February 11th - Santiago dC, Nasa - Demoscópicas MondoSonoro
February 26th - Baiona, Marrucho
March 3rd - Madrid, Sol
March 4th - Madrid, Forum FNAC Callao
March 5th - RTVE, Recording Conciertos de Radio 3
March 14th - Madrid, La Casa Encendida - La Radio Encendida
March 18th - Barcelona, Sidecar
March 19th - Zaragoza, La Lata de Bombillas + Limnopolar
March 20th - Valladolid, Espacio Joven
March 26th - Vigo, Iguana + Aerostato
April 16th - Pontevedra, Sala Karma
April 22nd - Toledo, Sala Pícaro
April 23rd - Madrid, La Noche de los Libros
April 24rd - León, La Galocha
May 15th - A Coruña, Le Club + Nikkei
May 29th - Barcelona, Primavera Sound (Festival)
Jun 4th - Segovia, All The People + Aerostato
Jun 5th - Madrid, RRRClub + Aerostato
Jul 17th - Lucena, FMPop Festival (Festival)
Aug 7th - Limodre, Felipop (Festival)
Aug 14th - Aranda de Duero, Sonorama (Festival)
Aug 15th - Pontecaldelas, Lolapop (Festival)
Sep 21st - Santiago dC, Salón Teatro
Oct 8th - Bilbao, Cotton Club
Oct 9th - Busturia - Urdaibai, Biodibersika (Festival)
Oct 22nd - Ferrol, Super 8
Nov 19th - A Coruña, Le Club + Tulsa
Nov 25th - Madrid, Primavera Club - Caracol
Nov 26th - Ponferrada, Cocodrilo Negro
Dec 4th - Santander, CUVA (Festival)
Dec 10th - Elche, La Llotja + Nadadora
Dec 11th - Málaga, La Caja Blanca + Nadadora
Dec 17th - Ourense, Café&PopTorgal (POSTPONED)
Dec 18th - Lugo, Clavicembalo + Sr. Fluzo
Dec 30th - Vigo, La Iguana Club
2011
February 3rd - Vigo, La Casa de Arriba
February 5th - Ramallosa - Nigrán, Clandestino
(Some more dates are being managed right now, but we'll keep them until they are officially confirmed by our Manager at Ernie Productions Ltd.)
Let's also remind you about our Edition Dates:
-
February 9th - Digital Edition
- February 16th - CD Edition
- September 21st - Vinyl Edition
You can hear now another song from our forthcoming album!
Click on the image above to play.
----------------------------------
SANTA BARBARA
He was looking out the window
at all the roofs across the town,
in the sill the plants were shaking
underneath that deep white sky.
Dry and neglected
worn out by the wind
trembling with fear
alone waiting for the sun.
It was night time,
he'd spent three hours on that chair,
he was starving
but he wasn't strong enough to stand
not that day.
Noise and confusion
were filling his head
broken illusions
and dreams that had blown away.
Dry plants were shaking on the windowsill
and dreams were just fading away...
----------------------------------
Of course, you can also hear this song at our myspace....
You can hear now a song from our forthcoming album!
Click on the image above to play.
----------------------------------
SHE WAS SO
He used to be a lonely boy,
all he really thought about
were songs and toys,
but the she came in
and she said hello.
Never know...
She was so sweet she was so good
that every song talked 'bout her.
He fell for it so easily,
he forgot 'bout last time quick
just with her very first kiss.
So let's start again
let's start all over.
Here we go...
She was so sweet she was so good
that every song talked 'bout her
no matter where no matter when.
She was so sweet she was so...
----------------------------------
Keyboards by Charlie Bautista.
You can also hear this song at our myspace....
We already have release dates for our forthcoming album:
February 9th - Digital Edition
February 16th - CD Edition
(We are also planning a Vinyl Edition for the Springtime, but let's not get ahead of ourselves)
The beautiful-CD-edition will be a limited edition of a thousand numbered copies that we have made ourselves with a little help from our friends, The Valley Folks, in a home production line. So if you get our CD and find a sticker not as well sticked as it should be, that would be my fault... So sorry.
We will upload some of our new tracks just before the digital edition, so stay tuned for more news and more happy days!
I guess you know how this works, but I'll explain it anyway for those who aren´t familiar with the internet:
- Write your comment in the little box above the SEND! button
- Click on the SEND! button
- You can sign your comment if you want to. Just press Enter and type your name or nick
- Voilá! your comment gets published on the screen, on the internet
Javier Fernández Pérez de Lis (aka Xabilín) is a great analogic photographer form Vigo and also a good friend of the band's.
Here you can see some of the H-picks (horizontal photos) he took for us.
(Click on the photograph to see the next)
Here we go! This is the band, Arthur & the Writers:
Peter J. Manuel - Lead Singer, electric guitar and banjo
Herbert 'The Bullet' Bean - Drums, percussion and vocals
Lucio Van Gelder - Bass guitar and vocals
Ignatius 'Ignition' Ray Curtis - Acoustic guitar, high string guitar and vocals
Martin C. Mellon - Extra guitar arrangements
Holly guest musicians:
Charlie Bautista - Keyboards and piano
Mike Delacierva - Pedal steel
The Valley Folks - Additional vocals
Recorded, mixed and mastered at Casa de Tolos (Minyor Valley, GA) in Fall 2009.
Produced by Mr. S. Grandío and Arthur & the Writers.
Also helping us with this record:
Lyrics supervision by Arturo Enríquez.
Still and motion photographs in the studio by Santiago A. Moral.
Promo photographs by Xabilín.
Art by Horace Etres, assisted by Celia Arcos.
Manager and chief in command at Ernie Producciones, Joss 'Ernie' Carballo.
