last post of december/2008

I wanted to write a much more detailed post about the end of the year and all that this one entailed, which was a lot - but got distracted and decided I'd wait.

I sold the 8 track, and inherited a 4 track - so I started going through some of my tapes today.

I posted one song eddie and I recorded sometime in 2000/2001 on the message board.

then I got to the congress of the crow demo
I mean xcongressofthecrowx - we recorded 8 songs August 8, 2000. 8 - 8/8/∞
oh man. I haven't heard this since I mixed it back in August of 2000 (I'm assuming the same day that I recorded this on a 4 track).
unfortunately I lost the actual 4 track tape so we get the mixed down version, with tape warble and all.
the original cassette tape was 8 songs + the sample, which gets cut off on the tapes, but Jeremy insisted that we use it on the red heroine cd. I still don't know what movie it's from.
2 songs should be recognizable. and one other song is actually a "cover" (I don't know if that's really a cover, I wrote it) of a photograph to remember you by - the band Jarod, Jeremy, Adam and I were in at the end of 1997.

I remember recording these songs in my parent's basement, we would sneak all the equipment in while they were at work to practice and record, threaten my brother and sister not to tell on us and then leave. It worked for the entirety of the band.

Vocals were split up between the three of us, I'm mostly on the left and eddie and jeremy are mostly on the right, I think.

I couldn't scream that fast and I don't remember much of the lyrical content, so listening back to these, I am laughing at all of us!
Jeremy picked the song titles out from medical dictionaries. And for some reason put an Albert Camus quote in our linear notes - I'm pretty sure he's never read any Albert Camus outside of one-liners, and other quoted passages. "A profound thought is a constant process of becoming." which is actually a misquote as it should be - "A profound thought is in a constant process of becoming."

tracks 8+9 are from an earlier demo session/practice, I don't remember when it happened.
I don't know the song title to one song, and the other one Jeremy yells it out before we play it.
I don't really remember why or how it happened but by november we had recruited John Cheesebrew to sing for us, and resulted in the name change. I spoke of this in an earlier post. I think the practice space may have played a small part in this decision.

now that I think about it, it's possible the 8 songs were recorded on John McCormick's digital 8 track, but I don't think so - but that would explain why I don't have the original tracks/tapes - it's possible they are in my missing fire proof safe - which holds all the original recording sessions for a few bands, the test presses of all the records, and some other things, that I can't remember.

anyway, here's the demo + 2 bonus tracks.


I don't know why I haven't posted this before.
Dead Letter Auction recorded 5 songs in September 2003 with Mike Lust in Chicago at Phantom Manor.
We never released these songs, though they are floating around on the internets and stuff.
I think we didn't release them in part because Chris broke up the band again, by moving someplace silly - recording/engineering school in Phoenix, maybe? and then John got himself a family and all that - so we couldn't tour on the ep.
The bridge and the message were written with the intention of being on a split 7" with Ten Grand - that didn't happen because Matt passed away.
We wrote a few more songs and decided to record them all before Chris left us. Actually a part of the song [the Morrow] has a song that sounds an awful lot like a Ten Grand part (my guitar on the intro), and in part [the Mourning] was written for Matt, among other people and things. so this last ep was shaped very much by that.
all songs are titled with a "the" intentionally, with the last 4 being "the M_______" also intentionally.
these songs weren't exactly finished when we entered the studio. I didn't have the words written for one song, and the other I had never really sang, or even worked out the phrasing for the second half.
I love these songs a lot, and I think they showed a real promising direction that we were heading. Lyrics really sum up everything I was feeling at the time and was a perfect reflection of that specific moment as well as the band.

Dead Letter Auction - the Bridge

I found a bunch of old DLA things with some really interesting early versions of songs and such. I'm hoping to find some of the songs we didn't record in the studio. I found a tape from August 2001, I forgot that we actually had cancer of time, foreshadow, and excise written before we recorded vertigo. I knew foreshadow was that old, because the words "I want to see their buildings lay down" became an issue when 9/11 happened. anyway, these songs and things will probably get posted sometime next year.

also, I messed up January by posting 13 posts instead of just 1 -
and August I only posted 3 posts, instead of 8. but who's really counting?

last post of 2008.

Dead Lettter Auction - Press (old)

since the website expired a few years ago, a lot of this stuff is not available anymore. Since we're playing a few shows (possibly three now), and some more upcoming press events, I thought I'd get this up. I'm pretty sure I'm relaunching the website soon.

Press:
whatzup article - 6/29/00

from geekass.com:
....Dead Letter Auction was next, and they made the show. Their sound was great, they played really really well, and are one of the better bands I've seen locally in some time. It's too bad that the turnout for the show was so small. I bet they had less than 30 kids total show up including bands. That's got to be a bummer for bands who are touring. And when 60% of the audience hugs the walls it must just suck. And yes, I am a hypocrite as I do the same thing most of the time. But when a band is ON and sounds good and you enjoy their stuff you have to support them and get up front. At any rate if you weren't there you missed a great band from Indiana who'll probably NEVER play in the area again. Good job you lazy fuckers. Way to support the scene.

pitchforkmedia.com review also deserves to be listed here

Song Meanings. ---> ?
we got a vote for best album?


Romancing the Actors 7"

MRR # 208 (le shok graces the cover)
three songs of early to mid 90's influences emocore not unlike CURRENT of CHINO HORDE. the guitars are a bit fuzzy and they seem to suffer from the poor recording. the songs sound like they should be much louder and heavier than the record lets out. other than that, it seems to work well. Forced vocals over driving guitar and drums that are catchy as well.
- this record made a top ten list, in this issue too.

MRR # 243 (August 2003)
Dead Letter Auction plays mid paced Ebullition-style melodic hardcore. Minor chords and tortured vocals. Maybe Yaphett Kotto meets Current with less power. The songs just kind of drag on and don't do much for me. A solid effort, no doubt. Will Risk

heartattack # 27
melodic sounding emo (screamo?)hardcore with good, personal lyrics. i like this a lot.

action|attack|helicopter
This is good stuff. Before I saw this band, I had high expectations. I wasn't disappointed. They were amazing. Dead Letter Auction reminds me a lot of Four Hundred Years. They pull off the sing-scream high emotion vocals quite well. The three songs on this are very creative, and I especially enjoy the harmonica intro to"recurrent." Also, this is printed on neat red vinyl, really cool packaging. This is my favorite recording so far. They also have a CDEP.

no karma
Hailing from the surprisingly cool little city of Fort Wayne Indiana, Dead Letter Auction play a rhythmically explosive type of emotional hardcore. Dual vocals (usually one screamed and the other shouted) and passionate lyrics push this a notch above the other young bands in the genre.
(from no karma)

collective zine (UK)
Not sure if these guys are still going, but I hope so, as this 7" shows a lot of potential, even if it isn't unfeasibly amazing in it's own right. "Throw The Towel In" is the first song, and it's loaded with strained vocals, screamed backups and rumbling guitars that never get overly melodic, nor thumpingly hardcore. Just somewhere in between. Musically they seriously give off a vibe of stuff like Portraits of Past. That sort of moody, depressed sounding emo. It's a touch repetetive on this track, but it's headed in the right direction for me. There are two more tracks on the flipside of this red slice o' vinyl, "Recurrent" gets a touch more melodic, but still has those ever so sad sounding vocals. Poor chap, he sounds very distressed indeed. Finally we have "Of Crowds And Curtains, For Example", which is much more chaotic and heavy, with screamier vocals too. A definite Shotmaker thing going on, though it lacks that bands groove (about the only thing they need to be a bona fide excellent emo band). They have a rockin' 3 track CDR out too. limited to 200 copies and it has slightly better production, a little more direction and sounds like Amber Inn crossed with Constatine Sankathi. Good luck finding it though, heh. Overall this is good emo stuff that anyone into the style will definitely appreciate and want to hear. Why there is a freaky 3 second emo-violence "hidden track" on side A though, I'll never know… Andy Malcolm


Vertigo CD


action|attack|helicopter - November 2002
From Fort Wayne, Indiana, comes what is probably the best truly independent, unsigned act in the state. Yeah, we've got Mellencamp, Songs: Ohia, Suicide Note and more, but Dead Letter Auction are truly indie artists, releasing much of their material on their very own [excursions into the abyss] label. This four piece has toured the U.S. four times and had more than ten lineups. The seven songs they recorded for this EP were done at Echo Park studios (Mellencamp does a lot of his work there) in Southern Indiana. With a firm root amongst three vocalists (although Damien does the predominant work) and brooding, personal lyrics, Dead Letter Auction's plan of attack has them utilizing roots in hardcore and *true* emo (don't even think of Dashboard Confessional). Damien's vocals may come across as awkward upon the first listen, but with such deliberately honest contributions from the lyrical department, they shouldn't be done in any other style. The best description is to say they are forcefully sung/spoken. Dead Letter Auction has diversified their style since their founding four years ago. They're much more comfortable in using melodies and dynamics and while they used to be much harder, now the band has learned how to best utilize the hardcore screams and harsh guitar tones at just the right moment in order to best amplify their emotional intent. Much of their current material is reminiscent of Ebullition and Gravity Records releases, with perhaps some 400 Years thrown in for good measure. Listening to **Vertigo**, I found what is no doubt one of the most exciting and original bands (especially live) not only from Indiana, but in the U.S. Kurt Morris
Action Man Magazine – January 2003
I can't help but wonder if Dead Letter Auction have listened to the Van Pelt, whose album Sultans of Sentiment would be considered one of the best emo records ever, had pop bands like Jimmy Eat World and the Get Up Kids not been lumped into the genre. See, the Van Pelt were on the artier side of Emosville: minimal guitar clangs gave way to spoken prose, often becoming bursts and shouts but never leaning toward pop music. Dead Letter Auction have been compared to screamo bands like Portraits of Past, and they've been called hardcore a number of times as well. Either Vertigo marks a big departure for the band, or most zine writers just haven't heard the Van Pelt.
Of course, it's entirely possible that Dead Letter Auction combined elements of hardcore, spoken/sung lyrics and textured minimalism and arrived by chance at a place which other bands had already visited. Everything on Vertigo is sincere, but not forced; intelligent, but not too cerebral. Keyboards bubble around the surface in places, recalling Joy Division without breaking the mood set by the album's heavier moments. The lyrics teeter between abstract and political, which is a hell of a lot better than singing about April memories holding hands or some shit.
All in all, you'll like Dead Letter Auction if you like the Van Pelt. If you've never heard of either, you should still give Vertigo a spin if you're hungry for some moody post-hardcore. Paul J. Lombardi

Calamity project - December 2002
indiana's dead letter auction unleashes this 7 song EP on excusions into the abyss. i've heard this band be called screamo, but they're more or less somber, straight up indie. the songs on this EP are a collection of dark indie/pop songs that are laden with melodies and catchy rhythms and hooks.
the one thing i like about this band the most is that their sound reminds me of saetia's mellow parts, and has build ups like portaits of past. i guess you can call this stuff screamo in a sense, but it's more of an indie/emo/pop sound in my opinion. the songs on the record tend to pull emotions out of you, and move you. dark, brooding melodies and rhythms keep you hooked from start to finish.
definitely a must have for anyone who's a fan of dark indie/pop/emo, or a fan of screamo's more mellow parts. an excellent listen, and worth checking out.

Collective Zine - April 2003
I remember getting a 7" a while back by these guys and it was a pretty cool screamy emo type thing. Well, obviously they have gotten bored of screaming a lot, like Engine Down and 12 Hour Turn and all those other dudes who started making indie rock once their voices got too fucked up or something. Well, Dead Letter Auction may have stopped yelling but they still make some pretty interesting music. It is melodic and has a fairly spacey flavour to the guitars, which works quite nicely. This really does make me think of that kind of more recent Lovitt Records sound (if there is such a thing) and over the 7 tracks here, Dead Letter Auction have done a decent job. They mix up the instrumentation and it sounds as though there may be some strings on here at times although it is difficult to tell. Adds to the atmosphere mind you. The vocals go from sung to this strange kind of monotone sing-shout, that is a terrible description I know but you'll have to put up with it. Overall this is a solid effort that I can enjoy but I doubt I would come back to it too often. If you like things like the newer Engine Down or Bats and Mice you might want to check this out. - andy malcolm

Stickfigure - May 2002
Dead Letter Auction “Vertigo” cd (excursions into the abyss) - Indiana’s dead letter auction have been listening to a lot of radiohead over the past year. While there are definite traces of their mid 90’s screamy hardcore sound from their earlier releases, dead letter auction have successfully melded those influences with radioheadesque pop hooks and pop melodies, complete with a dual vocals that play off each other very well.

Invisibleyouth.com - December 2002
This is a nice indie rock band that kicks out some well-written jams. With jams that sound somewhat similar to Modest Mouse and Portrait at times, DLA pulls off some very welcomed dynamics and a mix of vocals between singing and very occasional screamed vocals.

Pucknation - March 2002
Score: 7 (of ten)
i heard this band compared to Portraits of Past. Although that comparision isn't completely inaccurate, Portraits of Past had this insane energy that would just boil over into complete rage, and while Dead Letter Auction never really acheives that. They do sound like Portraits of Past in their build-ups, they just never take them as far as they could. However, they are still a good band, and totally stand on their own. i would definitely suggest this band to anyone that has liked the emo records that Ebullition has put out over the years. Shaun Ketterman

Popshot - September 2002
There seems to be a lot of fuss over the freshest New York band. The dopest too. Dead Letter Auction are probably not aware of this. They play mid-tempo screamo with political and personal lyrics, sloppy rhythms, and High School sweetheart guitar work. Perfect for days when you woke up late and walked into the living room to find a note from your boyfriend telling you that he and your best friend are moving to Saigon to head up Wal-Mart's new sweatshop. Tyler McDaniel

X-Mist: - January 2003
7 songs in 25 minutes by this band from Indiana, playing somewhat alternative indie-rock with an emotive inner tension... so this band can be filed somewhere in between bands like SAETIA or PORTRAITS OF PAST, and MODEST MOUSE or RADIOHEAD on the other side! really well-done!

Heartattack #35 - August 2002
Dead Letter Auction play mid tempo rock with spoken/shouted vocals that are too loud, of course. The music is competently played and well recorded. They slow down and speed up here and there. The lyrics are personal and introspective. Steve Snyder

Razorcake #12 - February 2003
I had almost forgotten that shoegazing could sound like this, probably because I sold every last noise-pop record I ever owned that was this horrible to a record store which pandered shamelessly to Anglophilic Britpop fans who wore their bangs in their eyes, boys and girls alike. This is rock for the no self-esttem set, music for people who long for records that were released 12 years ago but still want to pretend to keep up with the times. While I'm sure the band would call this emo (and they'd be right if they were referring to self-indulgent shit in musical form), it has still been a long time since I've heard a record which is singularly this awful, regardless of the genre. On the bright side, I've always wanted an orange coaster. Puckett

here's a review that's in german!
this is google's transalation: (which is confusing , if not humorous)
Evaluation:
At a time these days, those dark and full with precipitation are reach me these CD of DEAD TYPE CHARACTER AUCTION. As fitting, I thought as I the CD for the first time through-heard myself...
From away Wayne/Indiana come DEAD TYPE CHARACTER AUCTION, which already formed itself 1998 to volume. As the first publication they brought a D.I.Y. demo CD out, rockten with approx. 125 Shows and four routes the United States. A 7"-ep "Romancing the Actors" followed after Excursions Into The Abyss. Now thus the third plate of the four Americans!
DLA go in music with clear, minimalistic guitars a tacken toward THE CURE. Key board effects, very melancholische & melodioese guitar work (m. Choruseffekt) refer to it. Straight with the second Song "From A Forest ton of The Sea"...
In addition, the songs could be compared by structures and sounds with those by Van Pelt, Sonic Youth, Radiohead, Les Savy Fav. Sometimes the inclined working singing will be responsible for the latter, which is nearly always mehrstimmig by the way. Generally one speaks probably here rather of the alternative Indie skirt, mixed with Wave.
The melodies work sometimes very slowly-acting (necessarily not meant negative) & very melancholisch. That does not mean however that DEAD TYPE CHARACTER AUCTION can come out not also from itself, because with/two Songs can be them also in parts times a little screamy... Nevertheless: I would have wished myself nevertheless somehow with the Durchhoeren more alternation wealth. The sound was almost perfectly taken up and merged brilliant and. As said, I had my problems with these CD because of the relative monotonousness. After I belonged it to me now however three to five times, I can say: "the album has which!"


Cancer of Time

Punk Planet [#59 - Jan/Feb2004]
i love this record. Dead Letter Auction play quiet/loud indie rock with a harder edge. This little demon is filled with changes and beautifully dissonant guitar lines. The songs have lots of melody and instrumentation, so there's never a dull moment. The guitars are simply amazing and, at times remind me of Engine Down or Shotmaker. i don't think there's a bad song on this whole CD. There are quiet moments, but the urgency and energy never let up. The vocals are done in the shouted/sung way that fits so well with this style of music. Great band. Krystle Miller

Calamity Project [11/17/03]
i loved this band's previous EP "vertigo", and upon receiving this cd i was excited to check it out. these guys got even better! this being their first full length, their sound has evolved a bit more. they took the sound of the "vertigo" cd and expanded on it, and created a melodic, moving record. like vertigo, this record enthralls you, pulling emotions out of you. their songwriting is up there with the best of the indie and emo (mid 90's emo, for those of you who can't distinguish what i mean by emo). the band has a great ability to use melody and passion to their advantage, and this is very apparent on this record. it's got a very fugazi/early dischord kind of feel to it in many respects, and also kind of reminds me of elements of need, and at times i get that policy of three sort of feel. really awesome. their jammed out, melodic parts are ones to be admired, as well as their more intense parts. all in all, this is an amazing full length, and a great follow up from "vertigo". don't make the mistake of passing this up, it's one of those gems that you just can't miss out on.

Hartboiled [8/06/03]
I was really doubting that there would ever come something new concerning music ever again, but Dead Letter Auction showed me that there was no reason to doubt! The bass could be the Fugazi bass, the drums are very pounding and tricky and the guitars play beautiful melodies which always rise to infectious parts. Dead Letter Auction manage it to build up such a great tension and for me they are one of the best indie-rock bands around. The vocals remind me of Robert Smith of The Cure sometimes, but it is often more energetic. Some parts of "Give Chance" even remind me of the calm Isis parts, and I know how strange that must sound to you, but it is really cool. The CD is very appealing, it has beautiful black and white pictures, beautiful fonts, beautiful lyrics and beautiful everything! I am really looking forward to the upcoming releases by Dead Letter Auction and you guys should really listen to this one, it is just plain great music. Marcia

Exoduster.com [8/01/03]
Since 1998, Dead Letter Auction (from recently flooded Fort Wayne, IN) have been playing and working as many young bands on sort do. Yet, over some fall outs and ins, the core of DLA has stuck together through a variety of EPs, 7"s and tours to finally knock out their first full-length with Cancer of Time. Starting off on "Foreshadow" like Jazz June's cousin, DLA begin their quickly defining sound of swirling guitars, mid-tempo drums and whiny distant vocals of the indie breed and reminiscent of the cadences of ATDI. The most characteristic aspect of their sound is no doubt the vocals and the guitars. Specifically, the guitars are sans distortion throughout most of the record's twelve tracks and only come in sparingly otherwise. As you might expect this adds to the indie feel of the record and unfortunately a somewhat tin-like sounding recording. However, I think this does not necessarily detract from the sound that DLA is attempting to tackle. That this is case is probably more
impressive since they did the recording and had the mix done in 20 hours in Chicago. Cancer of Time is one of those albums where it is hard to pick out a song or two because the twelve fit well together as one. One drawback to that is it is hard to differentiate between songs so if you played them on shuffle it would be hard to know what's what. DLA have come out with a solid first full-length on Cancer of Time and if they are able to stick around long enough, they should come out on top after getting their just exposure. Brian Fogarty aka, The Professor

Light Up The Sky: [7/10/03]
Rating: 7 out of 10
Dead Letter Auction are a four-piece rock group from the boondocks of Fort Wayne, Indiana who have tactfully taken on a sound that mixes 90's innovative indie-rock with 80's style vocal work. On this, their first full length release, the group have devoted themselves to seeing that they live out the fantasy cross-breeding of The Cure and At The Drive-In that they've been aiming for. It's a plan that toes the lines of complete disaster, however the band pull it off dazzlingly well.
On opening tracks like "Foreshadow" and "Never To End", the band charge through their songs with heavy doses of Dischord-esque tempos and Omar Rodriguez-patent guitar-note construction. During this process, vocalists Damian Hade and Jarod Isenbarger try tirelessly to adapt the larynx of a young Robert Smith. It's a combination that seems like a bad pairing, but at times it really works. This is evident on the slower numbers like "Excise" when the music drags down to a Manchester post-punk pace and drenches the listener in London fog.
The highlight on the disc is the albums title track and the disc's closer, "Cancer of Time". It starts off with haunting guitars and chiming pianos that pick up at a medium pace at about a minute and ten seconds in. From there, the drums blow open to encompass a heavy hitting bass line while the vocals trade pleas with the octave chords on the six-string. It repeats the same pattern and concludes with another minutes worth of dreary mood music to finish off the the disjointed lyrics - which sound like a cut and paste journal entry.
Overall the release is solid, but at times the songs drag on a minute too long or the vocals sound a little too monotonous. It's the excess fat that needs to be trimmed, and surely maturity with time will do so. Until then, give this album a listen because it's a well-documented beginning of a band that is just starting to get things going. MA

STNT: [11/24/03]
« C’est le nouvel album de Robert Smith ? » dixit un Curiste de passage (véridique !)…Non juste le premier long effort de Dead Letter Auction qui avait mis la puce à l’oreille dernièrement avec un précédent Ep très prometteur. Si la blague est facile concernant le mimétisme touchant entre la voix du guitariste chanteur de Dead Letter Auction et le leader de The Cure, il n’en reste pas moins que ce « cancer of time » est le pont idéal entre le rock new wave des anglais et le post hardcore de Fugazi, première époque. Et si ce raccourcis vous semble simpliste vous pouvez rajouter à la liste les noms de North of America, the Regulator Watts, the Plan…pour ne citer qu’eux ! Mais au-delà de ces rapprochements toujours trop rapides, Dead Letter Auction développe à travers ces douze chansons une atmosphère tendue, mélancolique presque dépressive…tout en passant par des poussées de rage compréhensible. Et même si le disque s’essouffle un tout petit peu sur la fin, Dead Letter Auction arrive à tenir en haleine à l’aide d’une tension et d’une énergie palpable tout le long de cet album très réussi. A ne pas louper !

greg (24/11/03)

rough translation:
"It is the new album of Robert Smith? "dixit Curiste of passage (veracious!)... Not just first long effort of Dead Letter Auction which had put the chip at the ear lately with very promising a Ep precedent. If the joke is easy concerning the imitation touching between the voice of the guitarist singer of Dead Letter Auction and the leader of The Cure, it does not remain about it less than this "cancer of time" is the ideal bridge between the rock'n'roll new wave of English and the post hardcore of Fugazi, first time. And if this short cuts seems to you simplistic you can add with the list the names of North of America, the Regulator Watts, the Plane... to quote only them! But beyond these bringings together always too fast, Dead Letter Auction develops through these twelve songs a tended atmosphere, melancholic person almost depressive... while passing by pushes of comprehensible rage. And even if the disc blows very small little on the end, Dead Letter Auction manages to hold in breath using a tension and of a palpable energy all along this very successful album. With not louper!

AMG REVIEW: [8/04/03]
Although the Indiana four-piece Dead Letter Auction have numerous releases under their belt since forming in 1998, Cancer of Time is their first full-length. Having endured many lineup changes, their original is back together on this recording. One of the things that first comes to attention is that the vocal tone is redundant for most of the album, with a pleading, painful sound emitted from the vocalist's throat. It helps at some moments and at others it seems to distract from the music. Musically, the band seems to be a bipolar personality, with the occasional fast part and then the distorted, ambient portion, followed by the typical emo-hardcore posings. Compared to past releases, the feel is certainly much darker, making for a more mature and dramatic listening. All told, Cancer of Time is welded together to make for a solid release, potentially one of the best of the band's career. — Kurt Morris

Delusions of Adequacy: [9/08/03]
Dead Letter Auction is a group that attempt to transplant the post-hardcore vibe of DC circa 1991 to Chicago, circa now. Cancer of Time begins with the Fugazi- (ahem) inspired “Foreshadow.” It’s got the biting angular guitar lines and even comes complete with some Guy Piciotto-esque back up screams. Most of the album continues along similar fashion of a band trying to sound like they belong on Dischord Records.
The band plays with passion and intensity, but its influences are worn a little too proudly on sleeves. They’ve incorporated the dissonance, distortion, and minor chords that bands from the nation’s capitol all but have a trademark on. There are traces of influence from a slew of post-hardcore groups be they: Juno, the Exploder, Shiner, At the Drive-In etc.
At times, when the music is most melodic, the vocalist manages to sound quite similar to the oft-anguished Robert Smith of the Cure. When this happens, the result is a pleasing mixture of melody and aggression. However, mostly the vocals are delivered in a monotonous scream to go along with the abrasive rhythms.
The album closer is the title track. On it, Dead Letter Auction finally pull off what was missed on the other 11 songs. They manage to create an original song that blends angular post-hardcore guitar with an underlying sense of melody, and layer it with violins, creating a sound that best compliments the vocals. The result is an emotionally resonant closer. If Dead Letter Auction is able to repeat this success in future efforts, it may be on to something. In the meantime, this is a band struggling to create music that is something more than mediocre. - Dan

indieworkshop.com [8/05/03]
Honestly…I wanted to dislike this band after the 5th listen. I’m not kidding and I’ll openly admit that I have a bitchy ear. If I’m not into it by the second listen; it’s in the heap collecting in my closet. The other day I was tossing this record towards that pile when the front door buzzed and I set “Cancer of Time” on my desk next to my duct tape and Aquafina (yes…a water snob as well). DLA did not walk the plank that day by god, so they’ve remained only to be sacrificed on the critic’s altar.
I’m not going to “front” that this is the best thing since locking headstocks or the inception of “laptop” as a valid and playable instrument. What this is is the follow up to “Vertigo”. They’ve tossed together a mix-mash of hardcore, spoken/sung lyrics and textured minimalism to create a sound that at times other writers have likened to Robert and crew of the Cure. Blind me in one eye and pour salt in the other and I can, at times, see this is true. What I do know is that this is a band that’s had ten line up changes since 1998 and like to put that as pertinent point on their one-sheet. I applaud the effort, I really do. Again, I’m bitchy.
DLA do have their moments. The opening on “cut” number 12 is melodically serene. The drums drive, the guitars jingle jangle and a moving keyboard line jumps around a bit. Then all hell breaks loose once again much like the rest of the record. After a while it gets harder to tell each tune apart. Dead Letter does sound like they’d be a good, groovy live show. I believe they feel the same way and I quote the one-sheet, “ The high energy (no hyphen needed) and inescapable grooves are accomplished through pounding bass and drums.” Yes, this is true, what is not is any kind of parallel with The Cure.
I’d say this is good for a few songs then you’ll need to change it up and come back to it again. Musically, it’s an attention grabber, and sometimes the yell/scream/sing/shout/ spoken word action gets a little tiresome, especially if you stay in the same two- tone range the entire time. I’d say spice things up with some ass busting screams and a little start stop, or maybe don’t liken yourself to Radiohead in your one-sheet (hmmm, I used a hyphen). To the general public take these words as a grain of salt. Go see for yourself; they’re on tour soon. To find dates, pop Dead Letter Auction in on Google and ride the curl.
You see I’m a fan of a record I can spin for a couple hours. You know, front to back, side to side and all that shit. And this just isn’t one of them. That’s the anthem, get your damn hands up! - Todd

Bornbackwards.com [12/30/03]
Dead Letter Auction is a pretty good band from Fort Wayne, Indiana. They have nice, angular guitar parts and a nice wall-of-noise-always-distorted Trail of Dead quality. I might think they were a great band, but I can’t get past their singer. His voice annoys me. Very Badly. And I like Jawbreaker with Blake Schwarzenbach’s perpetual smoker’s voice, and Bright Eyes with Conor Oberst’s voice shaking every time he hits too low a note. At his best, Dead Letter Auction's singer reminds me of Guy Picciotto of Fugazi. At his worst, he seems to spout words without regard to time or melody, which makes me just want to turn the CD off. The lyrics are totally indecipherable because of his sloppy singing. Voice doubling doesn’t seem to help either, because some people just aren’t meant to sing.
The first track, “Foreshadow”, is the best. The guitar parts remind me of Cursive’s Domestica and the drums beat out an interesting post-punk rhythm. It seamlessly fades into the second song and the vocals begin to grate on my nerves. But wow, the music is good. Most of the subsequent tracks really fall into a formula of quiet start, loud middle, quiet end. And as a result, the songs tend to blur together. All except for the last track, my second favorite on the record. It starts off with undistorted guitar, and a keyboard set on the violin setting. It sounds pretty awesome. Even when the vocals start in, I don’t mind that much. The guitar work reminds me of The Get up Kids guitar parts from Woodson and Four Minute Mile. Anything that recalls their early stuff is listenable in my book. Their lyrics are pretty well written poetic stuff. In “Foreshadow” they quote The Aenid, and the second song is just one long quote from Black Spring by Henry Miller (the author of Tropic of Cancer).
I bet these guys would be a great live performance, kinda like how Thursday’s live performace comes across better than any of their records can. Check this out if you think you can handle the vocals. - Austin

PA Hardcore:
some decent indie rock type stuff. it suprisingly kept my interest to the 9th song before i took it out to put in guns and roses. it reminds me of alot of those weirdo bands revelation was putting out after the figured hardcore wasnt cool anymore. the musics really solid but the vocals get super obnoxious after awhile. sometimes it reminds me of prema and sometimes garrison. not great but if indie rock is your steez id recommend it. good layout. Wawa Strike

X-mist:
NEW - 1st full album (12 songs) by this indie-rock/emocore band from Indiana, often described as "the CURE meets FUGAZI", but definitely also comparable to bands like 400 YEARS, or at times even like SHOTMAKER with a clearer sound.

Insound:
dead letter auction's debut full length cd is twelve tracks of music that delivers enough melody and dynamic changes which makes it more interesting the vast majority of indie rock albums released this year. The guitar sound ranges from loud and distorted to quiet subtle dissonances. The high-energy and inescapable grooves are accomplished through pounding bass and drums. Dead letter auction will appeal to fans of juno, trail of the dead, sonic youth, dinosaur jr, radiohead, at the drive in and more.

Announcements

Dead Letter Auction will be playing at least two shows in NYC at the end of August.
The lineup will be Damian, Jarod, Chris, and John McCormick; John Cheesebrew couldn't make it due to familial and work obligations.
We are all SUPER excited about doing this, and to be able to spend some time together again. There are a lot of maybes flying around, so more details will be announced very shortly.

In light of this I'm going through our left over merch, we will have a super cheap package deal on everything. ie both cds (Cancer of Time + Vertigo) + T-shirts for $5 in person, $7ppd. I just have to do inventory. Which will be done this week.

in related news:
I have the Portraits of Past t-shirts and posters designed and approved, just waiting on final show information to finish up the posters. Once printing begins I will release the images. I am going to San Francisco July 30 - August 5 for the Portraits of Past shows on August 1st and 2nd.

A new round of summer classes, well just one actually. I got another A in my previous class, so I'm still doing pretty awesome. This new class sounds a lot more intense, so I'll actually have to do my work, etc.
And I did get the German program thing all figured out, so I begin that next month as well. 2 semesters to go.

but wait there's more...

List of shows

Things have been busy, those of you that get my emails, know that it's going to stay that way for quite some time - we're talking years.
Oh the places you'll go. so many of my friends got this book for graduation.
Here is a list of shows I played in the bands that actually toured. I kept pretty decent records for the most part, I think I missed a few here and there for each band.
I was also in some bands that played other shows, some never made it passed the practice stage, and some never even outside of the idea. Those include:

A Photograph to Remember You By (we played some shows, had a demo that only one person likes (maybe a few others) - to which I am still very thankful for).

xCongressoftheCrowx (we added a member and changed our name --> red heroine),

The Rebellions' New Idol (I don't think I ever played a show),

The Grapes of Wrath (played (at least) 2 shows, I played (at least) one of them that included me ramming myself through a wall, and the rest of the band destroying the house, literally),

Skullyard (we played a few shows. I "played" drums, they recorded the demo without me!)

Our Past Projects - practiced and recorded 2 songs. Jeremy would be upset if I didn't mention this band.

Arrows (practiced a few times, even recorded a practice, planned shows and a tour, but fell apart, moved to opposite coasts).
I am in the process of starting up again, and someone recently asked about some shows I've played. It's always fun looking back, it's a good way to see where you are, and where you might go.

Cataract Falls Shows:
7/20/96 ft wayne, IN; carolyn's house - independence fest #1 (chris and damian palyed two acoustic songs)
8/3/96 - ft wayne, IN; simmy' shouse - w/ torque, green albinos - first show
11/2/96- corruna, IN; a pole barn - w/ torque
12/7/96 - ft wayne, IN; stacey's house - w/ agna moraine's autobiography
12/31/96 - indianapolis, IN; sit-com - w/ texas is the reason and the promise ring
1/24/97 - ft wayne, IN; chris's house - Ramona and Beezus first cd release.
1/31/97 - anderson, IN; A-1 records -
2/15/97 - ft wayne, IN; the loft - w/ stream of concious
4/20/97 - ft wayne, IN; stacey's house - damian and stacey acoustic
4/21/97 - anderson, IN; A-1 records - w/ bordo kit
5/17/97 - ft wayne, IN; stacey's house - w/ thoughts of ionesco, and wallside. there is a cassette of the ionesco and wallside sets.
5/23/97 - indianapolis, IN; missing link records - w/ opium taylor
5/24/97 - bloomington, IN; 602 S mitchell st - w/ cartwheels on clouds, red devil/bluedevil...
5/25/97 - anderson, IN; A-1 records - w/ my life in rain, flatus, others...?
6/?/97 - muncie, IN; Stevie ray's house of wax - w/ lubricant unkown
6/?/97 - anderson, IN: the fire lodge - w/ j church
7/18/97 - denton, texas; fest at the argo - w/ managra, prisoners of... and others
7/19/97 - little rock, AR; riverfront park
7/22/97 - memphis, TN; the alternative restraunt - w/ houseflies
7/24/97 - cary, NC; bond park - w/ fall without fear, zegote, bound.
7/25/97 - winston-salem, NC; pablo's - w/ zegote ...
7/27/97 - bloomington, IN; Rockit's pizza - w/ mudfoot, el guapo (last show w/ stacey)
8/16/97 - ft wayne, IN; james' house - w/ james winans, torque. this was our first "last show" - stacey didn't show up until we were done playing.
these two shows were with james on bass:
??/98 - bloomington, IN; union st house - w/ cartwheels on clouds.
???/98 - akron, OH; ???
at some point in july we went out on a tour, jarod is now the bass player.
?/98 - lexington, KY; the 3 center? - wesley willis was at this show. !!!
?/98 - cary, NC; bond park - w/ reinforce
4/30/99 - muncie - student center -w/ javen,
5/16/99 - chicago, IL; the fireside w/ lazarus plot, rom, jumping bomb angel, dead letter auction
5/18/99 - minneapolis, MN; castle danger w/ the ending again, dead letter auction (video)
5/19/99 - rapid city, SD; old story book island park w/ mike ray, dead letter auction (video)
5/24/99 - sacramento, CA; the loft w/ smash your face, dead letter auction
5/26/99 - goleta, CA; the pickle patch w/ hail mary, dead letter auction
5/29/99 - san diego, CA; che cafe w/ hail mary, dead letter auction , jenny piccolo (video)
5/30/99 - albuquerque, NM; youth in transaction w/ fever hot, (i prefer) brand x, roman candle choir, dead letter auction (cataract falls last show).

Dead Letter Auction Shows

▼spaces indicate lineup changes▼

001. 11/21/98; ft wayne, IN; industrial joe's
002. 11/ 27/98; ft wayne, IN; 2805 maumee w/ all pain aside
003. 12/02/98; ft wayne, IN; 2805 maumee w/ shuttlecock, joshua, elisha's sorrow
004. 12/05/98; ft wayne, IN; industrial joe's w/ circa 33
005. /12/13/98; ft wayne, IN; outer limits w/the lop, the agnostics
006. 12/31/98; ft wayne, IN; 2805 maumee w/ ramona and beezus, elisha's sorrow, firesign, yesod
007. 01/03/99; ft wayne, IN; tah cum wah (skate park benefit) all that's noteworthy: signal 30 and elisha's sorrow
008. 01/09/99; ft wayne, IN; northside park pavillion w/ lucas alvarez.
009. 01/29/99; ft wayne, IN; sunset hall w/ elisha's sorrow, mob 9, reactor 4
010. 02/19/99; chicago, IL; university of chicago w/ elisha's sorrow, national acrobat, subsist,
011. 02/20/99; ft wayne, IN; the back door w/ elisha's sorrow, yesod, skavossas (this was a benefit for the skate park, that raised $605)

012. 03/06/99; ft wayne, IN; 2805 maumee ave w/ milemarker, elisha's sorrow. (our first show with nick)
013. 03/13/99; ft wayne, IN; 2805 maumee ave w/ ghoul, elisha's sorrow, national acrobat, dead season
014. 04/02/99; bloomington, IN; S. walnut w/ elisha's sorrow, chalkline, suicide note(our last show w/nick)

015. 04/16/99; ft wayne, IN; 2805 maumee w/ cataract falls, grapes of wrath, elisha's sorrow. (video)
016. 04/30/99; ft wayne, IN; 2805 maumme ave (last show there) w/ghoul, elisha's sorrow. (video)

017. 05/13/99; ft wayne, IN; the backdoor w/ ramona and beezus and cataract falls (video)
018. 05/16/99; chicago, IL; the fireside w/ lazarus plot, rom, jumping bomb angel, cataract falls
019. 05/18/99; minneapolis, MN; castle danger w/ the ending again, cataract falls, (video)
020. 05/19/99; rapid city, SD; old story book island park w/ mike ray, cataract falls (video)
021. 05/24/99; sacramento, CA; the loft w/ smash your face, cataract falls
022. 05/26/99; goleta, CA; the pickle patch w/ hail mary, cataract falls
023.05/29/99; san diego, CA; che cafe w/ hail mary, cataract falls, jenny piccolo (video)
024. 05/30/99; albuquerque, NM; youth in transaction w/ fever hot, (i prefer) brand x, roman candle choir, cataract falls.

025. jana's graduation party - ??? w/ghoul

026. ???99; back door; acacia, dead season, (1st show with c.p.)
027. 7/21/99; shaoff park; all pain aside, elliott, others.
028. 7/23/99; shoaff park; the locust, black cat #13, outhud, my lai, the S process
029. 8/5/99; battle creek, MI; house show; pillage people
030. 8/19/99; backdoor; ghoul, charm city suicides
031. 9/??/99; back door; free show;
032. 10/29/99; back door; small brown bike (last show with j.c.)

033. 11/26/99; backdoor; porphyria (1st show with travis)

034. 12/1/99; backdoor; *damian solo*, cross my heart, appleseed cast

035. 12/18/99; chicago; fireside bowl; (w/o jarod, josh instead), usurp synapse, kung fu rick

036. 2/5/00; northside park; ghoul, fat ass, anonymity

037. 3/18/00;

038. 4/14/00; back door; ac/dc benefit show

039. 4/20/00; back door; small brown bike, xCONGRESSoftheCROWx,
040. 5/8/00; backdoor; black dice, the rapture (Damian busted open eye resulting in $580 worth of stitches)
041. 6/1/00; backdoor; the ruby dare
04x. - 6/3/00; IPFW - Relay For Life Cancer Benefit - Instrumental Show.
042. 6/16/00; franke; mara kate, god must be on a holiday, skullyard, xCONGRESSoftheCROWx, orbitors, project k
043. 7/11/00; backdoor; the falling, xCONGRESSoftheCROWx.
044. 7/12/00; chicago, fireside; Pop Unknown, the thumbs
045. 7/13/00; normal, IL, house show; the falling
046. 7/15/00; denver, CO 15th ST Tavern.

047. 4/28/01; Louisville, KY, Brycc House
048. 7/04/01; Memorial Park, w/ the vida blue, proudentall, + others
049. 8/17/01; YWCA, w/ the falling, + The Assistant, Walken, and The Radio Raheem
050. 8/26/01; Columbia St West, the Phoenix Fest; w/ all pain aside, cornfed johnson, heavy step, etc.
051. 9/15/01; Flint, MI, flint local 432; w/ all pain aside
052. 9/15/01; Flint, MI, ???; w/ ???
053. 10/06/01; Memorial Park; w/ forstella ford, kid brother collective
054. 11/02/01; Cleveland, OH
055. 11/11/01; Latrobe, PA
056. 12/01/01; Goshen, IN
057. 12/08/01; South Bend, IN
058. 12/11/01; Ft Wayne, IN @ Columbia St West

059. 01/08/02; Ft Wayne, IN @ Columbia St West (Sabbathon)

060. 02/14/02; Ft Wayne, IN @ Crescent house
061. 02/17/02; Ft Wayne, IN @ Sneaky Pete's
062. 02/26/02; Ft Wayne, IN @ Columbia St. West ???
063. 03/01/02; Louisville, KY @ The Brycc House
064. 03/02/02; Bowling Green, KY @ The Nite Lite
065. 03/03/02; Murfreesboro @ The Red Rose
066. 03/05/02; Birmingham @ The Boiler Room w/ Black Cat Music
067. 03/06/02; Atlanta, GA @ C-5 South
068. 03/07/02; gainseville @ common grounds w/ black cat music
069. 03/08/02; Savannah, GA @ The 2424
070. 03/10/02; Orlando, FL @ josh’s house
071. 03/11/02; Gainesville, FL @ Durty Nelly’s
072. 03/13/02; Pensacola @ Van Gogh's
073. 03/14/02; New Orleans @ the dixie tavern
074. 03/16/02; Houston @ Missouri City Park
075. 03/19/02; Albuquerque @ insomnia coffie house
076. 03/20/02; El Paso @ Cantina La Tuya
077. 03/21/02; Tempe @ the funhouse (1810 randall)
078. 03/22/02; Phoenix @ Modified Arts
079. 03/23/02; San Diego @ The Che Cafe w/ dead and gone
080. 03/25/02; Los Angeles @ The Smell w/the chromatics, neon king kong, moving units
081. 03/27/02; Bakersfield @ Munoz Gym
082. 03/29/02; Santa Cruz @ Josh's House;
083. 03/30/02; San Jose @ Joe's House
084. 03/31/02; San Francisco @ Mission Records
085. 04/02/02; Chico
086. 04/04/02; Ashland @ Evo's
087. 04/05/02; Eugene, OR @ the Basement
089. 04/06/02; Salem @ the Triangle
090. 04/07/02; Redmond, OR @ boys and girls club
091. 04/08/02; Portland, OR @ it's a beautiful pizza
092. 04/09/02; Olympia @ the Phoenix house w/ Pleasure Forever, Love Life
093. 04/10/02; Tacoma @ University of Puget Sound
094. 04/12/02; Seattle @ The Paradox Theater
095. 04/13/02; Moscow, Idaho @ mikey's gyros;
096. 04/14/02; Boise @ JD and Friends
097. 04/15/02; Great Falls, MT @ cummunity rec center
098. 04/17/02; Ft Collins @ surfside 7
099. 04/18/02; Denver @ freedom Auto
100. 04/19/02; Colorado Springs @ high life house
101. 04/20/02; Denver @ the Raven
102. 04/21/02; Colorado Springs @ Indy Nation
103. 04/24/02; Lawrence @ The Pirate House
104. 04/25/02; Mankato, MN @ your mom's
105. 04/26/02; Minneapolis @ The House Of Knives
106. 04/29/02; Chicago @ fireside w/ forstella ford, casket lottery
107. 06/07/02; Ft Wayne @ the basement
108. 07/07/02; Greenville, IN @ house

109. 07/24/02; Ft Wayne; the Freedom House
110. 08/01/02; Ft Wayne; Columbia St West
111. 08/05/02; Summersville, SC @ All Books
112. 08/07/02; Richmond, VA @ Saghi's
113. 08/08/02; Raleigh, NC @ Camp Create
114. 08/09/02; Adelphi, MD @ the Dirt Farm
115. 08/10/02; New York City/Long Island @ house w/ Helen of Troy + Swimming with Sharks
116. 08/17/02; Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr Roboto w/ ten grand + more
120. 08/18/02; Columbus, OH @ the legion of doom w/ ten grand, step softly, ghost + more
121. 09/01/02; Bloomington Fest
122. 09/05/02; Indianapolis, IN @ Solidarity Books w/ Funeral Diner + Rats into Robots
123. 09/06/02; Ft Wayne, IN @ Subterranean w/ Funeral Diner + Rats into Robots
124. 09/07/02; Columbus, OH @ Skatepark w/ Funeral Diner + Rats into Robots + ?
125. 09/08/02; Milford, MI @ House w/ Funeral Diner + Funeral for Rosewater + ?
126. 09/17/02; Ft Wayne @ Columbia St West
127. ??/??/02; North Manchester, IN @ the Firehouse
128. 11/04/02, Fort Wayne, IN, Freedom House, w/ Jose Indigo & Taking Pictures
129. 12/26/02; Ft Wayne @ the Freedom House
130. 01/10/03; Cedarville, IN @ the Kitchen
131. 01/11/03; Ft Wayne @ Sneaky Pete's
132. 01/18/03; Bloomington, IN @ the Octopus Palace w/ Stillwell, Murder By Death
133. 01/19/03; Muncie, IN @ ??? w' Murder By Death + Step Softly Ghost
134. 02/28/03; Ft Wayne @ the Freedom House
135. 03/01/03; Ft Wayne @ IPFW
136. 03/08/03; Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr Roboto
137. 03/10/03; Philadelphia, PA @ the Space w/ the Advocate, Fall on Deaf Years + Step Softly, Ghost
138. 03/12/03; Baltimore, MD @ the Charm City Space w/ Light the Fuse + Run, + Step Softly, Ghost
139. 03/14/03; Nashville, TN @ the Muse w/ Oliver's Army + the English System + Step Softly, Ghost
140. 03/15/03; Bowling Green, KY @ the Nite Class w/ Oliver's Army + the English System + Step Softly, Ghost
141. 03/18/03; Ft Wayne @ Columbia St West w/ Step Softly Ghost + Definitely Gary
142. 04/08/03; Ft Wayne @ Columbia St West w/ Step Softly Ghost + Graves of the Endless Fall, Fat Ass, the Jabs, Cal Johnson, John Commorado
143. 05/09/03; Detroit, Mi @ The Trumbullplex w/ Funeral Diner + Takaru + City of Caterpillar, The amputation, The sea the sea, Funeral For Rosewater
144. 05/10/03; Columbus, Oh - @ The Legion Of Doom w/ Funeral Diner + Takaru + Van Johnson
145. 05/11/03; Ft. Wayne, IN @ the Freedom House w/ Funeral Diner + Takaru + common cold
146. 05/12/03; West Chicago, Il - @ Vinyl Underground w/ Funeral Diner + Takaru
147. 05/13/03; Milwaukee, WI @ The Pierce Street House w/ Funeral Diner + Takaru
148. 05/17/03; Murfreesboro, TN @ The Red Rose w/ Black Soul Choir
149. 05/18/03; Long Beach, MS @ The Long Beach Pavilion
150. 05/19/03 Lafayette, LA @ Changes
151. 05/20/03; Baton Rouge, LA @ Craig and Kurt's House
152. 05/21/03; Shreveport, LA @ lil joe's tavern
153. 05/22/03; Houston, TX @ Fat Cat's w/ burned out bright
154. 05/24/03; El Paso, TX E9 Outdoor Stage
155. 05/25/03; Portales, NM @ community center
156. 05/28/03; Bakersfield @ Munoz Gym
157. 05 29/03; Santa Cruz @ UCSC w/ Funeral Diner
158. 05/31/03; San Gregario @ The Saloon w/ Funeral Diner
159. 06/02/03; Bend @ the House of Usher
160. 06/03/03; Portland @ house
161. 06/04/03; Tacoma @ Hell's Kitchen
162. 06/05/03; Seattle @ the Dirty Feet Mansion
163. 06/06/03; Bellingham, WA @ 21st Century Bowl
164. 06/07/03; Spokane @ Cafe Sole w/ Death Kills Time
165. 06/08/03; Twin Falls @ the house of sonic debauchery
166. 06/10/03; Denver @ 15th St Tavern
167. 06/11/03; Colorado Springs @ The High Life House
168. 06/12/03; Omaha @ house
169. 06/14/03; Mankato @ Barn
170. 06/15/03; Minnesota @ Big V's
171. 06/16/03; Milwaukee @ Pierce Street House
172. 06/19/03; Ft Wayne @ the Freedom House w/ Sergio Leone
173. 07/11/03; Indianapolis @ Solidarity Books w/ Light the Fuse + Run, Transistor Transistor, + Mara'akate
174. 07/18/03; N. Manchester @ the Firehouse w/ Chester
175. 07/19/03; Ft Wayne @ the Freedom House w/ End on End + Wilmot Proviso + the Great Redneck Hope + Jared Grabb
176. 08/08/03; Ft Wayne @ the Freedom House
177. 08/09/03; Ft Wayne, IN Art Attack 2 show @the old Sneaky Pete's Building
178. 08/16/03; Louisville, KY @ 624 E. Breckinridge St. w/ Kodan Armada, Ampere, + and then there were none

179. 08/24/03 - Milwaukee, WI @ Endless Nameless
180. 08/25/03 - Minneapolis, MN @ the Babylon w/ Huge Rats Attack
181. 08/26/03 - Mankato, MN @ Lucy's Barn
182. 08/27/03 - Cedar Falls, Iowa - @ the Reverb
183. 08/28/03 - Omaha, NE @ the Power Pad
184. 08/29/03 - Denver, CO @ Garageland
185. 08/30/03 - Colorado Springs, Co @ the High Life House

186. 09/16/03 - Fort Wayne, Indiana @ Columbia St West w/ Step Softly, Ghost
187. 10/04/03 - North Manchester, Indiana @ the Firehouse w/ Pacific UV
188. 12/31/03 - Fort Wayne, Indiana @ 2318 Montclair Ave w/ Middle Class
189. 05/27/04 - North Manchester@ the Firehouse
190. 06/04/04 - Dayton, OH --->Not much More than Music Fest

191. 08/27/08 - Brooklyn, NY @ the Cat House w/ Algernon Cadwallader, Towers, Who Calls So Loud
192. 8/28/08 - Brooklyn, NY @ the Charleston w/ Who Calls So Loud, Portraits of Past
193. 8/29/08 - Brooklyn, NY @ Death By Audio w/ Tropic of Nelson, Ampere, Portraits of Past

Red Heroine shows
11.25.00; 1211 Andrew St w/ the Falling
12.02.00; circvs fest
12.16.00; Lafayette, IN
01.27.01; Ft Wayne, IN; Psi Ote Barn
02.23.01; Ft Wayne, IN; Psi Ote Barn
04.06.01; Ann Arbor, MI; the Pirate House
04.09.01; Ft Wayne, IN; Franke Park Pavillion
04.14.01; Ft Wayne, IN; Psi Ote Barn
06.21.01; Indianapolis, IN; the volcano room w/ the locust, the blow up, and sutek conspiracy
06.28.01; Iowa City, IA; theta beta potata;
06.29.01; Sioux Falls, SD; w/ caligari, spirit of versailles, etc
06.30.01; Chicago, IL;
07.19.01; Ft Wayne, IN;
07.29.01; Ft Wayne, IN; the YWCA (--> convolution records)
x?.?x.01; Ft Wayne, IN; Memorial Park w/ the Beautys


Drowning With Our Anchors shows (that I played) -
fri. april 27th - reno, nevada*
sat. april 28th - provo, utah*
wed. may 2nd - fort wayne, indiana*
thur.may 3rd - columbus, ohio*
fri.may 4th - philadelphia, pennsylvania*
sat. may 5th - new york*
sun. may 6th - new jersey*
mon. may 7th - Dayton, OH
tues. may 8th - indianapolis, indiana*
wed. may 9th - louisville, kentucky*
thur. may 10th - wichita, kansas
fri. may 11th - albuquerque, new mexico*
sat. may 12th - phoenix, arizona
sun. may 13th - Tijuana, Mexico
tues. may 15th - Santa Cruz, california
wed. may 16th - oakland, california

Dead Letter Auction

this post has been deleted.
it may end up in a more complete form in the future, hopefully sooner rather than later.
- Damian

::Lyrics:: 1998-2003

the Bridge - September 2003
the Bridge
and if I pull slightly
we could drive off the bridge
take a dive for old times
just don’t blame nodding off
I am content with the purpose
I am content with the intent

what will you find in your heart
what will you say tomorrow
you’ve crawled across your mirror
now turn it around

toss it away, brush it off (I’m crossing over)
stay if you will, say what you will – now it’s my turn
- we’ll make it as far as we can see
and I can’t close my eyes.

the Message
keep pushing past
for it is all we know
eyes dead set on the burning
dead set on burning it down

and we won’t wait for sound
just hold out hope
but what if we’re wrong
we will never be here again
just don’t wait on them
and don’t wait for sound.

the Medium
let the channels flood
do you hear the failures
or what did you find
is this sight
is this slight
or second guess a shadow.

all this burning
and waiting on tomorrow
begging to be buried or saved
but you better not
you’re better off.

don’t wake me

the Morrow
like clockwork round again
you fall back in place
it’s all just routine
it is all just
but I can disappear I can make the call back when it’s more convenient for you
when no one else is around
but you are acting + it’s wearing + fitting
it’s just a put on, so put on your mask
your line is almost up
you’re lying, the waking,
you’ll never wake again
wake tomorrow
this time it is you.

the Mourning
a little distance never hit so close to home
not left empty
not leaving without scars
having left your mark
a little distance never hit so close

shut in and locked out
this is your doing + this is your work
biting my tongue + biding my time
shut in + locked out…

as small as it may seem
I want to see you
I want to see you here tomorrow
I will meet you half way.

Cancer of Time - March 2003
Foreshadow
"I sing of arms and a man whose fate had made him fugitive"
but we're cutting the anchor loose and setting our own course.
so step up this is a call to arms but I'm asking
will a bullet save time and money?
I want to see their buildings lay down
I want to see the captains go down with their ships

Never to End
"each step forward is the last, and with it a world dies, one's self included. we are here of the earth never to end, the past never ending,
the future never beginning, and the present never ceasing.
this never - never world which we hold in our hands
and see and yet is not ourselves.
we are here which is never concluded never shaped to be recognized,
all there is and yet not the whole, the parts so much greater than the whole."

Excise
is it worth the drive is it worth the time
it keeps coming back cutting deeper.
just kill all light so our eyes can't meet
I won't say a thing I won't even breathe.
then I spread my ruin just like my wings.
can I retract the incision you gave me this knife
isn't this what you wanted isn't this what we wanted.
just kill all light so our eyes can't meet
I won't say a thing I won't even breathe.

At 6's & 7's
cut the fingers off + cut the noose
suffocate the thought + strangle the chords
it's the silence broken to fear most...
burn down our house.
but it's not you it's not for you
I will not sing you a song.
I am the ringing in your ears before sleep.
...tonight we die asleep.

Deficit
I wanted to drive this one home
but before I go remind me why
another one & another & on & on
this silence isn't waiting for fracture
one foot drags the other
& our hands don't come clean
maybe forgotten or shelved
too quick too dismissed
a shot a ringing a dead silence
we can't shake the shadowed valley
& our timing is past
what is for the owning now & to where do we run away
there's dust on the day & it wears you well
my eyes are open

Give Chase
(somewhere down there they're making their way back home)
but with as far as I am I'm living with ghosts.
arrest these fugitive thoughts for you are always suspect.
give chase come back arrest all time just to catch a breath.
give chase come back just wait, stay.

Seconds
seconds not rate seconds not best
fate's on the trigger yet I'm relentlessly half-cocked
so [please] hit me head on let it pour down on me
the end is just seconds away an illusion I allude to
the end is just seconds away and it's where truth lies.

In Response
it comes so easy now that it’s yours
best laid plans got you this far but you’ve got no heart + that’s a heavy hand to holster.
we won’t win what you’ve lost
it doesn’t mean we stop
and it doesn’t mean we lost
you’ve marginally missed the mark
it’s so cold a message sent so clear turning footprints but we kept quiet
I’ve seen enough a distant echo, but not like this no not like this
breathe nights tonight, or set it aflame, or leave it alone

Protean Models
I am turning the leaves I keep waiting but it never comes
just one too many times now I'm going under
when the shots were heard no one said anything
no one counted on condition and no one seemed surprised
but I'm not sunk all the time
I come up to understand to dilute the poison
today there are no thoughts of trains
and no speeding bullets to come save me

At Daggers Drawing
the tide rolls out and all have come home
when time is worth it's weight will we take that call
when time is worth it's weight will you take that call.
we met at high noon but our revolvers ran out of bullets
so take this sharp knife take my broken mirror;
if it takes seven i can stand the wait take your masks take my dead skin
now I see it was me...
I'm on the run again but with a tongue of ash I hold your eyes
(this was our last dance)

Cancer of Time
I know not luck
this is no accident to be sure
these steps my math calculated.
but it's a wire I'm walking
and my blood is boiling
this is only a small part
but it keeps me in check.
when I asked to cut my teeth
you gave me wings instead
this is what you did to me
so stay to bury me, just not by your hands.
weighed/wait it out
it's a kiss of death for a breath/breadth of life
weighed/wait it out
I will take the bullet if you will listen.

Vertigo (September 2001)
Apollo [13/11]
washing in high tide
just like a revelation of the moon slipping away
prevention is worth a pound of cure
eventually everything must cease
but where is this ailment being transmitted from
magnification is burning holes through me
unsettled seas cast dark reflections
and I’ve done nothing but dig shallow graves [how do you sleep at night]
arrest all sense of accomplishment these solutions stare us down yet we’re walking away at the same pace
it’s the driving force that gets us nowhere
the tighter the grip the more you’ll slip through, but if I let go, you’ll just drift away
so lets play the part I’m dressed for the kiss and just one more time I’ll show you forever
arrest all sense of accomplishment
we’re only heroes in our sleep slumber clumsy suicide
even these major roles are just a bit part
so lets play pretend I’m dressed for the kill
and for just one time we will live forever
yet I’m dying for a sense of gravity to shed this skin to shatter the mirrors
to adjust to wake to focus to begin again

Stigmata
I crucify myself everytime this train of thought tangles the tongue ties
and I bleed black blood
it’s like I wish I could set fire; there will be no rebirth without death
I am always on the edge, looking over I won’t jump
but the urge runs through these vein in vain
these thoughts cut like nails through the wrists
I don’t want to be a fallen star of morning

Across a wire
I’ve taken these steps before
but add poison to my position
then it’s not that easy
analyze the results of a time and motion study
the sands are running out
but what’s left for them
you’ll know where you are
when it’s too late
mechanical reactions
angst served ammunition
I’ve begun to recognize the parallels of our violence
but I’ll escape through relief of imperfection
the drive is perverse, but not an obsession

A View
one can overlook only so much even from the top you can only see for a few miles at best
but consider that it’s almost always overcast
it’s just repetition it’s a history death by defintion it’s a fever in me
then you say “it’s not me, I am not... I am not like them and i really wanted to believe in all of these things but i know that it’s just me trying to convince myself”
these things never change I see the same things over and over [every night] the traffic ties heads hang in sorrow or shame and the sky recedes just when you reach for it when you say “it’s not me i am not... i am not like them...” I really want to believe you but I know that it’s just you trying to convince the both of us
these patterns were set long before but it’s when you see yourself, it is when you see yourself tracing the footsteps that we all hope you wake before you hit the ground.

[old lyrics 1998 - 2000 ]
Misplaced
and what was it again forever
I'm losing faith in day to day
so why can't I see passed these mirrors
I've misplaced all that was palmed as nothing
now I'm biting my fists
to prevent me from spilling
more than I could clean up
with hands tied to tongues that bleed
I still have these questions
so if my curiosity is fed
will I kill this lion of rage
I still have these questions
and I always will

Looking Glass Eyes
reaching out doesn't make much sense
when you can't return with an answer
I've tried for too many years
blank stares prove I'm wasting my time
saving waiting planning for what
I never knew what I wanted
because you could never get passed
our hang ups of what never was and what never could be (what's so different now?)
then I find myself in denial "this isn't me"
all I see are lies

Throw the Towel in
I really wish you would stop playing god
for just one second so that you could see
that lost is where we're headed
and nothing will save face
nothing will save you
so let go just let go
before it pulls you back in
and you drag me down with you
believe me it's just getting worse
you can't extinguish the fires
when you're feeding the flames
I am not as blind as you wish I were
the next time this door closes
the locks key will be thrown out
you will never make the proper connections and I've already given up

An Introduction to Film
silver sounds scream in my ears and these hands cannot faded these thoughts
silver screens in my head, there’s this film of you playing
and you're smiling you always seem to smile in these pictures and that's always playing with my mind they're always playing in my mind
and I wake from dreams of you to find your shadow running away I've only begun to scrape up these pieces it's just so different I'm out of breath out of time I could never know where I thought this would get me
I am always searching for the words for the words to do this just but no words could do this justice

Bored Game
I don't mean to belittle this gesture (movement)
but our definitions of cool lie so far apart
recognition of some distant reflections
recognition of someone I thought I knew
but who are we kidding I am at fault for not taking the time whenever I find the reasons why guilt forces the showering of gifts and these conversations that could never add up to more than whatever it's cool parting not caring if we ever cross paths again
it's all just a waste of time that we both have too much of
I am confined only by these destinations
(that I never mapped out)
I am confined only by you

Recurrent
but split tongues shouldn't spit promises of
tomorrow forever empty
when it's already well known
that these tomorrow will never come
when will today actually be faced
these days just keep going by and nothing is changing [/and you're changing nothing] - nothing changes
your idol talk is making me sick
promising tomorrow anew
forgetting histories greatest of lessons:
it's only a matter of time for Rome to fall again and again and again

Corrode
so maybe I thought I could see through these brick walls I never even meant to build we were walking hand in hand trying to break an arm of distance trying to break an arms length that I have forced you (all) to stay or was it just offering palms to a setting sky
it was carved in wood but not in stone so what were we thinking forever when you consider that we cannot see passed today so just when is tomorrow burning bridges for stepping stones
now I wonder just how far we thought we would get on our own
now I know I was just letting in
more than I could let go
sometimes it's easier when you don't say good bye

Nice intentions, but your aim is slightly off
you always want to pull the trigger when the guns pointed at your foot whet it's stuck in your mouth

Housebroken
sometimes beginning is the hardest part
then our eyes meet and I'm not so sure
I watch in disbelief as our eyes kiss the winds of change a look of becoming just another stranger amongst so many lost i know you still remember as I can't easily forget either an apology will offer no redemption for the undone but I feel there's just one more thing to be said maybe a simple hello maybe there's just nothing left to be said
sometimes we hold on to these things that we could never know I'm just holding on we could never know so we hold each other to these things that we could never know.