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Category: News/Blog

Arts, Beats and Eats

  • August 30, 2012
  • American Mars
  • · News/Blog

August 30, 2012

Here’s a reminder that AM plays this Sunday, September 2 at the Arts, Beats, and Eats Festival in Royal Oak, Michigan. We play from 5-6 pm on the Soaring Eagle stage. Admission to the festival is $3 and you can get more info here.

Chasing Vapor is now available across the globe (kind of). You can stream the album for free at Spotify, or purchase both individual tracks or the entire album directly from Americanmars.com or from a list of your favorite online vendors including our label Gangplank Records, Amazon, CDBaby, and Itunes.

 

Itunes, Spotify, Amazon, Mars

  • August 26, 2012
  • American Mars
  • · News/Blog

It’s been just over a week since the official release of Chasing Vapor. Much thanks to everyone who came out to the release show at the Ark in Ann Arbor. Special love to all the nice folks at the Ark and to The Thornbills, who started out the evening with a beautiful set of music.

Chasing Vapor is now widely available across the web and the known universe for listening and/or purchase. That includes AmericanMars.com, Gangplank Records, Itunes, Spotify, Amazon.com, and CD Baby.

Our next show is Sunday, September 2 at the Arts, Beats, and Eats Festival in Royal Oak, MI. We’ll be playing from 5-6pm. Admission to the festival is $3.

0 Thomas’ Interview in Ann Arbor.com

Yesterday, AnnArbor.com published an interview with Thomas and a show preview written by Martin Bandyke. Check the piece out here. Thomas was also a guest on Bandyke's show on Ann Arbor's 107.1 fm this past Tuesday. Thomas and Martin chatted about the new record and Thomas played three songs from Chasing Vapor, "Strange," "Atticus," and "Cutters." Much thanks to Martin for his time and support!

  • August 16, 2012
  • American Mars
  • · News/Blog

Yesterday, AnnArbor.com published an interview with Thomas and a show preview written by Martin Bandyke. Check the piece out here.

Thomas was also a guest on Bandyke’s show on Ann Arbor’s 107.1 fm this past Tuesday. Thomas and Martin chatted about the new record and Thomas played three songs from Chasing Vapor, “Strange,” “Atticus,” and “Cutters.” Much thanks to Martin for his time and support!

0 iSPY Review of Chasing Vapor

  • August 13, 2012
  • American Mars
  • · News/Blog

We woke up this morning to a very kind review of Chasing Vapor from the folks at iSPY magazine. It made our day! Check it out here.

David and I will be on Martin Bandyke’s program on 107.1 fm in Ann Arbor Tuesday morning between 9 and 10 am. We’ll play a few tunes and chat a bit about the record. If you need to spice up your drive-in, tune in. If you’re listening on the computer, click here.

Only 5 more days before the release show at the Ark. I’m excited and nervous.

 

0 Hello!

  • July 29, 2012
  • American Mars
  • · News/Blog · Uncategorized

Welcome to the new AM.com. The new site goes with our new record, Chasing Vapor, which will be released on August 18, 2012. Over the next few weeks,we will be posting songs from the record along with other bits that we hope you’ll find interesting.

Our release show for Chasing Vapor will be on Saturday, August 18 at The Ark in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Our very special guests that evening will be The Thornbills. Doors are at 7:30 with music starting promptly at 8pm. See the shows page for more details. We’d love to have  you there!

Finally, we’re pleased to present our first video for the new record, “Cutters,” directed by Tom Hendrickson. Check it out!

Peace,
Thomas

0 Summer Shows! New Album News

  • July 2, 2012
  • American Mars
  • · News/Blog

Hello Friends,
Happy summer! We’re happy to announce three summer shows along with some info about our new record.

Upcoming show news first. Next week we play two great festivals, both of which are well  worth checking out.

Wednesday, July 11
Wyandotte Street Fair-Wyandotte, MI
7-8pm
FREE
Info: http://www.wyandottestreetartfair.org/home_2012.html

Friday, July 13
Detroit Metro Times Pig & Whiskey Festival-Ferndale, MI
6-6:30pm
FREE
Info: http://metrotimes.com/pigandwhiskey

Next, we’re very happy to announce completion of our new record, Chasing Vapor. Our record release party will be on Saturday, August 18 at the Ark in Ann Arbor, Mi. Look for more details, along with a new website and videos, over the next few weeks.

Peace,
Thomas

0 Cat Man

  • May 18, 2012
  • American Mars
  • · News/Blog · Uncategorized

I’ve been on a big rockabilly kick lately–Gene Vincent, Carl Perkins, etc. Today in the car I heard Gene Vincent’s “Cat Man,” not for the first time but for the first time, if you know what I mean. What struck me was the similarity between this track and another favorite from a different time, Echo and the Bunnymen’s “Thorn of Crowns.”

Here’s Echo and the Bunnymen’s “Thorn of Crowns”:

 

Now, “Cat Man”:

Kind of crazy! Not only is the rhythmic approach similar but the Bunnymen tune even has the fuzzed-out vocal whoops. I’d love to know if someone else has made this connection and I’m dying to know if the Bunnymen had the Vincent track in mind when they were writing their song.

0 Review Magazine’s Interview with Thomas

  • January 19, 2012
  • American Mars
  • · News/Blog · Uncategorized

This is a reprint from an article in The Review magazine. Interview by Bo White.

American Mars is another great Detroit band that dodges fame effortlessly like Robert Bradley or the Forbes Brothers. It seems as if these great musicians struggle between hope and despair while looking for the space between spontaneity and discipline. The answers are elusive but the truth is they need to stop and take a breath and smell the air in the house they were born into. American Mars is to roots music as Pink Floyd is to pensive atmospheric rock & roll.

American Mars consists of Thomas Trimble (vocals, guitar), David Feeny (pedal steel, guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Garth Girard (upright bass, electric bass, backing vocals) and Alex Trajano (drums). They are all superb musicians who know how to play economically and appreciate the spaces between the notes. Trimble’s lyrics are reflective and convey a sense that the divine can be experienced. This is modern spiritual music that you won’t hear on the radio. It’s just that good. David Feeny is an incredible pedal steel player and his well-placed grooves create an atmospheric soundscape that is irresistible.

Their 2008 release Western Sides may be one of the best albums released in the new millennium.

Review: American Mars has so much going for it. Great songs, great playing and a distinct vision. What are your roots?

Trimble: I think the foundation of the band comes from a love of two distinct bodies of music, the first being the rich body of American roots music, from Hank Williams and T-Bone Walker to Elvis, Johnny Cash, Buddy Holly, Charlie Rich, and Bob Dylan. The second stream comes from some of the great post-punk groups that had such a big impact on us growing up, groups like The Clash, Joy Division, the Chameleons, and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.

Did you have a mentor? an inspiration?

I can’t say that I have a mentor, but I guess that Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Nick Cave, and PJ Harvey have the most impact on my sense of what I’d like to be in terms of a songwriter and an artist. They all represent unobtainable ideals of course, but that’s the point, isn’t it?

Did your musical vision coalesce around Western sides?

I’ve always liked the idea of groups periodically reinventing themselves so while I would agree that Western Sides is the most cohesive collection of music we’ve made, I’d like to think that we’ll continue to experiment with other things as we continue to make music together.

Did it feel like you found your unique voice?

I do feel like we found a voice on that record, both in terms of the kinds of sounds we were trying to make and in the different kinds of stories we were trying to tell. The song “Western Sides,” which ended up giving us the title of the record and the cover art that our bassist Garth developed for the record really helped focus our thinking about the record as an album rather than a collection of singles. It felt good to see that vision come together.

Personal experiences become universal themes when laid down in a song structure. Did writing about everyday life touch you in a personal way?

Personal experiences are usually at the heart of how songs begin but it’s interesting how the meanings of songs change over time. A good example is the song on Western Sides called “Long Walk Home.” That was written about a very specific time in my life but when we play that now, three or four years after it was written, it seems to have taken on a different context, at least in my mind. On the other hand, there are other songs that I’ve written about specific experiences that I tend to forget about and it’s only when we play those songs that those memories come back. When those memories happen to be painful or intense, the experience of singing those songs can be jarring.

Do you find that you enjoy writing more when you can tell a story that you are personally or emotionally connected to?

Yes, but the challenge for me as an adult with adult responsibilities is that the bounds of my everyday experience tend to narrow around a set of routines, getting kids to soccer practice for example, that make coming up with new ideas difficult. I struggle to find things to say that I think other people will find interesting. I guess that’s why I’m so impressed by songwriters who can write about adulthood in new and interesting ways. For the last few days, I’ve been listening to David Bazan’s new record and I’m just blown away by what he sees in everyday life. My friend and fellow songwriter Karla Richardson is also amazing in that regard.

How would you describe your music on Western sides?

On Western Sides, we focused on presenting well-crafted songs featuring sounds and textures that would resonate with roots-oriented audiences while also incorporating some of the more textured, experimental sounds that had characterized some of our earlier work.

What is your strength musically?

I’m a very limited guitar player but I can usually carry a tune. I think my biggest strength is the ability to get out of the way, out of the way of the songs, the ideas, and what the other guys in the band are doing.

What is your Achilles heal? Are they different sides of the same coin…the paradox of opposites?

I have two nearly ruptured Achilles heels. The first is an innate lack of natural talent. The second is a lack of time to practice and improve. My goal now is for people to see that there is something rewarding about doing the best with what you have at hand. Thankfully, the rest of the band is really, really good so a lot of my shortcomings are obscured.

What do you think about the Detroit music scene?

I’m inexcusably uninformed about the Detroit music scene. I’ve never been much of a scene person so it’s hard to say. I do know that there is very good music being made here. I really like the Blueflowers, Legendary Creatures, and I’m a big fan of everything that Ryan Allen does. I hate the fact that he’s so prolific but that’s all about to change so I’m very happy in a twisted kind of way.

Do you think Detroit can ever recover its former glory?

I don’t know but I am very proud of the fact that as a people, Detroiters just seem to have an incredible capacity to keep going. In spite of the poverty, violence, and segregation, Detroit also continues to be a place of exceptional creative potential. I think the same can be said of the whole state of Michigan.

American Mars has been at it a long time. How do you keep going?

We’re not worried about anything other than making music we feel good about so the fact that we’ve never attained the level of recognition or success as other bands we’ve played with doesn’t smart anymore. We don’t tour so there’s rarely time to figure out we don’t like each other.

Any last questions or comments?

These are great questions. I really like the idea of adults finding ways to continue to be creative despite all the things in our lives that work against that. There’s a heroism in that that I really admire. The exuberance of youth and the ability to be relevant has its place but there’s something about the doing that endures.

0 Ten Records

  • January 12, 2012
  • American Mars
  • · News/Blog · Uncategorized

I’m not a huge fan of year end lists but…here’s ten records that meant a lot to me in 2011.

1. PJ Harvey-Let England Shake

2. Wye Oak- Civilian

3. Great Lake Swimmers-Lost Channels

4. Hey Rosetta-Seeds

5. David Bazan-Strange Negotiations

6. Paul Simon-So Beautiful or So What

7. Elbow-Build a Rocket Boys!

8. Low-C’Mon

0 “Happy”

  • January 10, 2012
  • American Mars
  • · News/Blog · Uncategorized

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’ve always loved the Stones but they scare me. Of course that’s part of the reason I dig ’em. Goat’s Head Soup, “Sympathy for the Devil,” “Monkey Man,”–turn on the lights! When I was in eighth grade my cousin and I were into Tatoo You. Over recess one day we both tried to figure out the boot on the inside sleeve. Is that fur? A cloven hoof? It still gives me the shivers. Mick’s take on all things carnal was a lot to handle for my white boy brain. I remember listening to Some Girls, and the song “Some Girls” in particular, with headphones hoping my mom wouldn’t walk in.

But I want to talk about guitar sounds. For as much as Keith has a reputation for just plugging in and letting it rip, I’m constantly amazed by the range of fantastic guitar sounds that he and his collaborators have come up with over the years. Brian Jones and Mick Taylor deserve much of the credit of course, but I was led to write this post based on my random encounters over the last couple of days with the intros to both “Brown Sugar” and “Happy.”

As most people who know me know, The Edge is one of my heroes. The sound of his rhythm guitar on the album version of “Pride” leaves me in awe every time I hear it (I still remember hearing it for the first time as my alarm clock went off one 11th grade morning). But the guitar sounds and iconic intros in songs like “Brown Sugar,” “Happy,” “Gimme Shelter,” “Street Fighting Man,” and “Bitch” seem so classic, it’s easy to look past how fantastically original they sound. I’m not a tekkie but any sense of the word so I’ll leave it to others to offer their dissertations on how the Stones got the sounds they did (even though I know “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” is an acoustic guitar mic’d through a cassette tape recorder). The closest I get is when I get my Tele to sound like Keef on “Waiting On a Friend.”

Oh, and then there’s “Shattered.”

 

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