"SUPER
NATURALLY"

A
GMR
TOUR REPORT
5.08.08

LRL

We just got back from a tour of the lower states with our friends, Birds & Batteries. The two weeks passed in the blink of an eye. We piled into the van with Bort and our friend Amanda and made our way to Austin, Texas, for yet another overblown South by Southwest. We got to play shows every day, sometimes multipleshows a day, and partake in more than our fair share of shenanigans. Touring is fun as it is, and when you can do it with your friends, and you also have pellet guns that you use to shoot your friends, it's the best ever. We got to spend time with our new and old friends all over the southwest and experienced great shows and wonderful hospitality. We ran into family bands from all across the country, including Scouts Honor, Appomattox, Dusty Rhodes and the River Band, Mussels, Two Sheds, and Debate. We turned up the amps and drowned out the vocals for electric shows and cut out the noise and drew people in for acoustic shows. We met awesome people, saw awesome bands, ran, swam, played wiffleball, got sunburned, chipped teeth, stayed up way too late and got up way too early, capped somefools in a sweet pellet gun drive-by, played pranks, and had an actual gunfight go on outside one of our motelrooms. There were some not-so-great times, I'm sure, but who remembers those? We'reextremely lucky to be able totravel and play music. We love touring because it always gives so much back to us, and this time was no exception.It didn't hurt that we were touring with some of the nicestpeople and one of the best bands that we know, either. We're looking forward to getting back out on the road again, however briefly, at the end of April to spread the good word about LRL, Ghost Mansion Records, and Thread Productions. See you at a show.

DAME

The members of Dame Satan all took to the air and dropped into the Nation's Capital like warriors going into battle. Kicking a very natural vibe, they slept and ate with Chopko and Sheehan's parents who very graciously cooked up some serious jams. With 100 individually numbered "Beachesand Bridges" discs tucked into their merch box, a borrowed stack of gear, and a short run of sweet mini-tees, they cast off from the shores of Alexandria, VA onto the wide open road.

The Sedan Spring Tour (outfitted with two moms cars, a Toyota Camry and Mercury Sable) started with two vibe practices with DS' newest member Phil Carluzo, a super natural dude who also shares his roots in AV. He played sweet percussion and vibe moog piano and was a sweet addition to the vibe. Onto Philly show number one where dudes melted in the musky basement of Danger Danger, an awesome house/gallery space in West Philly. Late night cheese steak attack was ripe for a Jamzone posting and an incredible tour jam. Then onto DC where the home crowd got a taste of the Pacific O. A day off on Monday was spent maxing like some lamps at our respective cribs and treated to another homestyle jam at chez chops' pa. Tuesday April 1st, Philly number two at Silk City was aggressive and awesome and then onto slice city New York. Definitely a home away from home for the dudes who rocked a gripping set and shared stage with Pteradactyl who are forging new dub, sweet rhythms. Many slices later and minus Phil the dudes passed onto Boston del Mar for a free jazz vibe experience with Brendan's homey Forbes killing it on the trumpet. A parade of cawd, lowbsta, and scawllops marched the crew South to Wesleyan University where rock was had at the Earth House. The kids loved it and if Johnny Law had not raised up, the Sheehan blues experience would have ripped into the early hours.

LANES BLAZESTRONG vs. BLAZE LANESTRONG

A Jersey Turnpike battle royal pitting Camry vs. Sable resulted in a drive from Middletown, CT to Bmore in about 4 hours. Most of the time Sheehan was in charge although there were moments when Chopko was very natural and in charge.

Arriving in Baltimore, the dudes jammed (of course!) and played a very mellow backyard show, a fitting ending to a tour that was all around super-chill and really mellow. 100 copies of "Beaches and Bridges" were dropped like propaganda readying the East coast for tour number two which will commence sometime in September. Many thanks to: moms, dads, Phil C, sedans, comida del mar, tapes, friends and their hospitality, Bmore club bangers, and whoever bought three Domino pizzas with a salad and a 2-Liter of soda at Wesleyan.!!!

THROWDOWN
ALERT!!
THROWDOWN
ALERT!!
THROWDOWN
ALERT!!

OTHER
SWEET
SHOWS

ALSO!!!

4.24.08
SANTA CRUZ, CA
OR, THE WHALE and DAME SATAN
@ The Crepe Place
1134 Soquel

4.25.08
DAVIS, CA
TWO SHEDS, DAME SATAN, and THE CHAPIN SISTERS
@ Delta of Venus
122 B Street, Davis, California
Cost : 0-5 bills

DELICIOUS
JAMS

DS &LRL RIP
SETS AT
EL METATE
2.16.08

Ghost Mansion was first introduced to El Metate during the 'Great San Francisco Fall of 2004.'Those who were living in the city at that time might remember countless sunny days; each blessing the facade of the newly inhabited GM with a pleasant good evening. It was during these formative days on the outskirts of the Mission District that many Taquerias were met with a fearless vibe andburritos were wrecked "aplenty." Through the madscramble of salsa bars, processed chips and burritos literally the size of your forearm,one establishment would standabove all others. Kicking a seriouslyreal vibe and offering a consistent and pleasurable jamof freshly cooked meats, vegetables and freshly cooked chips, El Metate remains a neighborhood favorite forpretty much anyone who has ever eaten there.

Fast forward to Winter 2007, Ben Jammin fresh from three months on theroad with his band Low Red Land hatches a plan to have an acoustic show in the brand new "El Metate parlor." Here an acoustic show is planned featuring the bros of GM's two favorite bands, Dame Satan and Low Red Land. Both groups agree that this is a good idea and finalize a meeting for mid February. It was a really sweet time and GMR thanks Francisco and all our friends at El Metate for hosting a very fantastic show and again thanks to all who were there.

Up First, Bob America

Second, Low Red Land. With a stack of freshly printed LRL "Acoustics Vol.1," these dudes were "shred city" and full of dank acoustic grooves.

Lastly, Dame Satan. Took names and made headlines. These dudes are going to be riding around shining at the beginning of April pushing their heavy-weight "Beaches & Bridges."

GMR represents what?

PHOTOS by Katherine Levin


El Metate: A great place to jam.

Low Red land Ripped

Raven decided to BE THERE.

Dame ripped.

They ripped together.

DAME SATAN
PACNW

TOUR IN REVIEW
2.1.08

PORTLAND, OR
"The Ploughman's Plunder"
The Towne Lounge has served Dame well in recent years and tonight thanks to 57 Octaves Dame played second andwe have some sweet video footage to prove part of this sweetness. All the material played minus one song was rippedfrom their soon to be released masterpiece "Beaches & Bridges" LP and overall the show was really sweet, commanding a delayed and washed out jam into a brutally tight version of "Sirens." From the stage they traveled to the far reaches of Portland to chill with their favorite Portlander Dina Soriano, who very well might be the most hospitable and awesome person in Portland. With moderate partying and more sweet vibes being put to video tape we all fueled for the road and headed North.

PORT TOWNSEND, WA
"The Ploughman's Penance"
Some say there are many roads to Port Townsend but we know for a fact that there are two route 101's and having mistakenly taken the wrong 101 ended up many miles from our destination. And seeing as the entire state of WA is in fact a police state, we had to pay extra special attention to the speed limit. The last time Dame was in Port Townsend it was like a fantastic wonder journey and there was no mistake that something equally awesome and epic was going tohappen on this night. Having slayed the bar "Sirens" last May, Dame knew what to expect. Imagine a place where all the ex-hippy burners of Washington State congregate for the weekend to regale their stock broker buddies about all the wonderful "sea-art" they picked up in town. Port Townsend is part that and part many wonderful people who take advantage of this liquid cash and never looking a gift horse in the mouth, Dame proudly rocked the mingling bar crowd. Having been afforded a rich blank canvas to splash with garbled swaths of "Puget" sound we watched the dudes soar into the sonic stratosphere of space jams extending "Oregon Trail" through the Cascades and taking "Sirens" for a majestic blues ride.

A SWEET FARM, Somewhere in WA state -
"The Ploughman's Pre-amble"
With limited options for sleep post Sirens these boys made their way to a farm in the outskirts of Port Townsend and our wonderful hostess Madelyn knew exactly how to entertain a rowdy band of dudes. Simply give them an axe and an impossibly thick piece of wood to chop, a BB gun some full bottles to drink with some empty bottles to shoot and a yard full of chickens. In a hazy moonlit craze Greg became the chicken whisperer, Brendan a marksman showing his true Virginia colors, Andy a radical revolutionary and Mike an able woodsman. It was a hilarious evening in a house that is surprisingly much colder than the Ghost Mansion. Organic cheese and snacks were aplenty and the boys saddled up to some much needed recompense from the road.

SEATTLE, WA
"The Ploughman's Pre-dawn ride"
Having skirted what seemed to be a drug search awaiting entrance to a Washington State Ferry, the fellas acted naturally as they entered the city of Seattle to bring torrents of music onto those awaiting an umbrage of rock. Having cozied up to two quietly wonderful acts and a mountain of food and booze, Dame Satan proceeded to bury the crowd with sound levels fit for either exiting the building to suck down another smoke or stare in amazement as your face peels back from behind your ears. A fantastically awesome performance which was swiftly celebrated with 13 hour drive back to San Francico. In a blur of comedy, rap tunes and a unanimous declaration of California still being the mightiest state in the trifecta that is the West coast we returned to the Ghost Mansion to recuperate from our weathering of the road. There are some awesome pictures here and we look for more stories when these bros take to the Eastern coast in April and then again at the end of Summer.

Select Photographs Posted
on DS' website.

!!!!!!!!!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR

!!!!!
A GHOST MANSION.ORG

YEAR IN REVIEW
1.13.08

The GM is sitting here listening to rough mixes of the newest Matt Bauer joint due out on Crossbill sometime during the Winter 2008. Next to us a copy of Dame Satan's Winter '06 release "Ghost Mansion," awaits shipment and suddenly a moment of introspection bursts onto the scene and like a sunrise warming a new winter day, we look back at the year Ghost Mansion busted out.

January 2007 - Dame Satan puts to tape some seriously tasty tunes thus beginning to craft what will affectionately be known "Beaches & Bridges."

February 2007 - Sky Pilots over Presidents' Day weekend put to tape the foundation of their soon to be released epic "Enjoy A Day Off." The session is fierce, swift but calculated

March 2007 - We welcome Elders to the fold with their devastatingly tasteful "Sky Burial" EP. Sky Pilots finish their album at Louder with the ever-rocking Tim Green at the helm while Dame Satan and Two Sheds realize that they are both sick bands and need to make an actual record. Ghost Mansion is stoked and a release is slated for September.

April 2007 - The Ghost Mansion hosts a sick house show with The John Francis, Low Red Land, Two Sheds and Or, The Whale. Who knew you could pack so much sweet music into one tiny living room? What follows is a proposition to Low Red Land to lay down their propensity for volume and make an acoustic release. They agree and Ghost Mansion smiles.

May 2007 - Dame Satan take a spiritual journey to the Pacific Northwest and rip sets a plenty. Sky Pilots ready their release set for July and begin to get serious ruining rock clubs with their Thread Production pals Birds & Batteries, Tartufi, Low Red Land, and Silian Rail. All fantastic bands and all comprised of fantastic people.

June 2007 - Dame Satan records a sick Double 7" single at The Hangar with Robert "The Wizard." That same week, Dame Satan plays with Birds & Batteries at their album release show and THEN no more than two days later pile into another studio to finish "Beaches & Bridges." Sky Pilots play Cyclone Warehouse and for one night the world actually stops rotating.

July 2007 - Hot rock shows aplenty. July 4th goes off as do the bombs over the Mission. July 27th, 2007, Sky Pilots lay waste to the Bottom of the Hill with their Thread pals and release unto the world Ghost Mansion's fifth release and the dudes fantastically sonic masterpiece "Enjoy A Day Off." It's heavy and all should own a copy.

August 2007 - Low Red Land produces GM release Number 6 and in celebration headlines a sick show at the Ghost Mansion in support it. Forever bros these dudes return the favor with a sick release that is almost entirely sold out of its first pressing. We expect more when they return from their massive tour of the states. On the live rock front we see both Dame Satan and Sky Pilots rip through Davis CA within the same week and Mike Leahy (Crossbill Records) in the building and feeling himself for both shows.

September 2007 - Ghost Mansion proudly pushes release No. 7, the Double Single 7" featuring Dame Satan rocking "Sirens" and Two Sheds crafting "No Place" at Cafe du Nord on Sept. 9th. Both songs are really sweet and every member of both bands helped to craft each number. It was like a pre-emptive Holiday feast but instead of Turkey, they ate plates of riffs. The 7" is really amazing and the perfect way to tell that special someone that they should own a record player. All hand screened and individually numbered in the Ghost Mansion stylee of course.

October 2007 - As the year begins to end and the leaves begin to fall from their respective branches, a familiar sight abounds within the Ghost Mansion as Sky Pilots hastily prepare for three weeks on the road. Shirts are screened in house and having bombarded the world with copies of their release, they take to the road. Their tour begins in Minneapolis and tears a giant rift through the country as rock clubs are taken down in their wake. The boys work through the Mid-West, rock the East coast and make a pleasant Southern sojourn with their bros Low Red Land. All the while Dame Satan mixes and mashes their release with Nigel Pavao and readies this beauty for mastering.

November 2007 - Dame Satan rests up for their December shows and begins art work for their album while having their tracks mastered. Having heard the mastered sweetness, the GM gives them a hardy show of approval with each song bending your mind along a wonderful sonic journey that represents a new dimension for the band. Sky Pilots, having ripped the road take an indefinite hiatus from rock. Hopefully with some cajoling we can get them up on their feet to play more shows. Low Red Land remains on the road for weeks 6 - 10 of their 3 month tour.

December 2007 - Huddled among pints of Anchor Steam Christmas Ale and with Bing Crosby blaring in the background, the GM puts its feet up to rest and prepares for what will be another busy year. Thanks to all who supported our bands on the road and purchased merch from our site. Now we rest and wait for upcoming releases by Dame Satan, Low Red Land, Five Mountains (c'mon Neil), some concrete school yard rap tracks, remixes of GM bands and beyond and a limitless supply of San Francisco love, space jams, and oh yeah some art. 2008 will be Great!