A few updates...

There's now a Facebook page for The SLs and a To The Neck twitter page. You should go "Like" the former and "Follow" the latter, if you go in for that sort of thing. [I promise to try and keep both interesting.] While updating website stuff I also uploaded a few old SLs and Animal Beard videos to Vimeo (you can also refer to the VIDEOS tab on the left side of this page for links). I think these two hold up pretty well:

The Steven Lasombras "The Country/The Mist" live at Holocene, August 13, 2008 from To The Neck Recordings on Vimeo.

Animal Beard "Activity Summary" live at the Indigo District, 2004 from To The Neck Recordings on Vimeo.

Recording for the new SLs record continues. As usual, the more I get done, the more there is to do... Still, it's getting there. More updates soon!

Custom-painted pedal enclosures!

Hello, friends. Just a quick update - if you're in the market for a new fuzz pedal, Portland-based pedal builder Devi Ever has a new system for accepting hand-painted pedals where an artist paints an enclosure, sends it to Devi, then you special-order one of Devi's two-knob pedals in the custom-painted enclosure of your choice.

I did ten of these and they're available NOW through Devi's Etsy store! I think they turned out really well. Go buy one.*

*Personally, I would recommend the 90 in a Total Recall enclosure, or the Torn's Peaker with Tommy Wiseau screaming "YOU'RE TEARING ME APART, LISA." The Bit is also a winner - I use the Bit side of my Bit Mangler all the time on SLs recordings, especially with keyboards.

DHD 10 ANIMAL BEARD - Dark And Dying Nights

Animal Beard is the longtime project of Chris Ryan. Since its inception in 2000, Animal Beard has existed in various forms, including a five-person band with theremin and standup bass; a guitar/bass/drums trio; and as a solo act. Despite the occasional prolific stint of playing shows, it has primarily been a recording project.

Dark And Dying Nights is Chris' first new work in years, recorded on his own over the last few months. The results are bleak and distorted - more raw than his previous solo work, but with the same familiar pop touch. It's a weirdly cathartic addition to the Animal Beard canon and -I hope- an indicator of more to come. The whole thing is available for FREE download here.

Chris Ryan: voice, guitar, keyboard, drums, drum machine