New SLs activity.

Details soon...

One of your musical heroes flashing her mastectomy scars prompts a jumble of emotions.

The Need at Berbati's Pan - July 23, 2010

A thrilling, hopeful show. The Need's records (and the couple of times we got to see them back in 2000/2001) were/are a tremendous influence on my work, and seeing that they've still "got it" warmed my heart, even if they're only back for a few shows.

[Also note: Pukekos collected some Need vinyl rips for download a while ago. If you haven't already, I would highly recommend checking those out.]

DHD 08 ANIMAL BEARD - Shit Tape

Chris' original liner notes read as follows:

"hello friend. this is the last recording I ever do on tape. At least that's the plan as of now. the lyrics are a bit melodramatic for my tastes at times, but i guess they're more personal than past lyrics, so please excuse me for that. i'm proud of this stuff and hope it turns into fully realized, full-band animal beard material someday. Enjoy! p.s. - shit tape is very short, so feel free to fill out the rest of the tape with whatever you want. word."

We're proud to announce that this is the first of a planned series of releases taken from Chris' four-track cassette archives, the first of which should appear later this year. In the meantime, you can download Shit Tape for free here.

Chris Ryan: guitar, keyboard, voice

DHD 07 THE STEVEN LASOMBRAS - A Diamond Eye Shines in Failing Light (2010)

Taken from recordings made between June 2007 and February 2010, this EP (the second to come about while honing craft and experimenting in anticipation of the LP/book project) demonstrates a major step forward in terms of overall technique. The songs are more aggressive and densely layered than on previous releases, the stories allow the love and disgust to flow a bit more freely. Consider this the opening salvo in a new wave of SLs productivity. [And yes, the cover image format is a nod to Tzadik's New Japan releases.]

This album is available for FREE download through Bandcamp!

W. Justin Landers: voice, guitar, bass, Casio SK-1, organ, drums, metal, effects, noise

DHD 06 THE DECKERS - Shoot Straight, Conserve The Ammo, And Never Ever Cut A Deal With The Deckers. (2001)

THE DECKERS - Shoot Straight, Conserve The Ammo, And Never Ever Cut A Deal With The Deckers (2001)

01 What Is Semen, What Have We Done? / I Brought A Knife To A Gun Party
02 The Battle Of Lake Oswego / Calvin Johnson Is Our Johnson
03 ...Our Johnson (Remix)
04 The Cyber Eye Wanted To Cry

"Sometimes it's gratuitous to obfuscate yourself in the shadows. Sometimes you've gotta run - you've just gotta run. You can't... BURN, can you?"

Download this here. Recommended for fans of early Residents, Smegma, Haus Arafna, and of course Bruce Springsteen.

DHD 05 ANIMAL BEARD - I Don't Have Time To Bleed / Now It's Dark (2003/2005)

Twelve achingly weird pop gems. These two EPs (combined here in tasty full-length form) represent the climax of Animal Beard's original three-man lineup. This was "the Beard" at its leanest and most charming. [Note: I Don't Have Time To Bleed was originally released in 2003 by Publisher's Clearinghaus.] You can now download this album for free via Bandcamp.

Chris Ryan: guitar, voice
Justin Landers: bass, guitar, keyboard, voice
James Edwards: drums, keyboard, guitar

Alex Landers: piano on 3

DHD 04 THE STEVEN LASOMBRAS - The Antique Crime Scene (2004)

Originally intended as the fourth installment in Brian Mumford's short-lived 3"-CDR label Publisher's Clearinghaus in 2004, this record wasn't properly "released" by To The Neck until now. The 2010 version is available for free via Bandcamp - it includes revised mixes and newly cleaned-up artwork.

Justin Landers: guitar, bass, keyboard, organ, drums, metal, noise, voice
Chris Ryan: guitar on 3.

DHD 03 SUNDAY GENTLEMEN'S CLUB - Sunday Sounds (2004)

SUNDAY GENTLEMEN'S CLUB - Sunday Sounds (2004)

1. Point Of No Return Address
2. Deathbed Confessions Of A Heroin Addict
3. Bows And Arrows
4. Next Big Thing
5. Oh, Muse!
6. Sunday Sounds
7. Merchant Of Two Cities
8. Waltz
9. (SS decking)
10. Hole In The Universe (Instrumental)

A collision of early-2000's indie-rock sensibilities. Stabs at K Records earnestness, Pulp-esque songwriting savvy, with Ben's vocal flare and charmingly ragged guitars... A pleasing package! There's no Bandcamp site for SGC at the moment, but you can download the album for free here.

Benjamin Blanding: voice, guitar
James Edwards: drums, guitar, keyboards
Justin Landers: bass, keyboard, guitar

DHD 02 THE STEVEN LASOMBRAS - The Country: Early Dance Recordings (2003)

The first presentable SLs recordings. A lot of the early bits were pretty rough, but this is where we established some of the themes that would drive the project. ["Interesting" note: the metal noise on 2 was recorded after-hours at the Round Table Pizza in West Linn, OR.]
This album is now available for free via Bandcamp.

Justin Landers: bass, guitar, metal, voice
James Edwards: drums, Korg, guitar, saxophone
Chris Ryan: Casio on 2

DHD 01 ANIMAL BEARD - Animal Beard (2003)

ANIMAL BEARD - Animal Beard (2003)
1. Is It Poisonous*
2. Two To Ten*
3. Statewide
4. Light On The Stairs*
5. Reflex Bets
6. Freight Train
7. Have a Pact*
8. Where Else To Go

The first full-band Animal Beard release. Admittedly pretty messy, but not devoid of charm. CD-R copies are said to still be circulating in Salem-area thrift stores. Sadly, the remaining copies are of insufficient audio quality to make available here (and considering the quality of some of our releases, that's saying something).

Chris Ryan: guitar, voice, keyboard
Justin Landers: bass, voice, keyboard
James Edwards: drums, guitar, keyboard

This is our message.

James Ensor - Les Musiciens Terribles (1891)

TO THE NECK RECORDINGS is a Portland, Oregon music collective and sometime CD-R label organized by William Justin Landers, more or less "founded" in 2003 when we first pasted the words onto photocopied sleeves for the first full-band Animal Beard release. All releases are available as downloads through this site, some are available on CD at shows. In time we aim to expand our output to include little books, comics, and original artwork.

Creative awareness is squandered if one does not attempt to bring something challenging and new into the world. Always remember, kids: This world might reveal unimagined new layers of shittiness every single day, but in certain important ways it's still very much an exciting time to be alive.