Back in April, 2010, I spent a day at Oneida’s famed Ocropolis studio recording a version of my song “Bleached Beach” with Shahin Motia behind the board.  Two years later, I’m happy to see the release of the recording on this special digital compilation benefiting Japan.  From the JagJaguwar web site:

“It was an idea hatched during a Nov 7th birthday brunch for Kid Millions by Showtime. We would create a Stax-like studio band based around Oneida’s now defunct Ocropolis studio. We would record and produce one song each from a list of our favorite local musicians — the sky was the limit. We both realized that we had about 2 years left in our amazing paradise of a recording studio and while we had done a lot. . .we still hadn’t really taken full advantage of the studio. We hadn’t made good on our mandate to become a resource for the community of musicians with whom we shared a home. Unlike many of the half-baked ideas which emerge from the Brah Records boardroom — this one had legs.

We quickly abandoned the idea of being Brooklyn’s backing band and decided that straight recordings — kind of a Brooklyn waterfront Peel session — would be a better and more interesting goal. Bands would be given four hours to set up and record their track and then allotted four additional hours for mixing. Even within the imposed limits on the project, we vastly underestimated the time and resources this project would require. We also kept adding bands; we couldn’t say no. After all was said and done, twenty two bands recorded material over the course of three months in 2010. We mixed about half of these and then we burned out. Everything stopped. I can’t even remember why — but about 12 sessions remained in the can, untouched.

Cut to about a year later, the Ocropolis’s imminent destruction looming, and our shame at setting aside the project drove us back into the studio to finish. We had to cut a couple tracks from the comp for copyright reasons — so we’re left with 20. All bands generously agreed to donate proceeds from the compilation to two Japanese charities (Ashinaga and JOICFP) picked for us by Shinji Masuko from DMBQ and Boredoms.

So welcome to Koozies, Woodies and Beer — An Ocropolis Japan Benefit Project.”

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE ALBUM

Tracks

1. Liturgy — Tragic Laurel
2. Akron Family — Out To Love
3. Sloppy Heads — Resistance, Baby!
4. Knyfe Hyts — We Know When the Sun Goes Down
5. Fireworks — Sheets of Easter
6. Noveller — Bleached Beach
7. Oakley Hall — Puppets on the Wheel
8. Wingdale Community Singers — So What
9. Audrey Chen — Squalling
10. DubKnowDub — Dubcropolis Dub
11. Zombi — Escape Velocity
12. Birdlaw — Attention Survivor
13. Samara Lubelski & Marcia Bassett — Energy Amiss
14. Chaw Mank — Still Yetting
15. Mark Morgan — Take It In Trade
16. Notekillers — Braindance ‘Splosion
17. Red Dawn II — Killed by a Murderer
18. Christy & Emily — Japanese T-shirt
19. White Hills — Spiritual Warfare