Beast Pieces
Another startlingly over-ambitious DIY project, conceived by Fang as a means of kicking creative impulses in the bum, sharing with the world, and dispelling myths about animals.
The Project:
Fang vows to do its utmost to present a new teaching about animals, five days a week, until an animal piece for every letter of the alphabet is completed. Fang wishes to emphasize that these pieces will be short, and intentionally rushed. We want to be better at quick and dirty. As you will soon learn, animals are both quick and dirty.
August 2,2011: Day I of Beast Pieces // Intro
An introduction to Fang's startlingly ambitious project: Beast Pieces. Accordion shout rock at its rap-iest and dance-iest. Key myths about the Christian nature of pelicans dispelled, in a manner that honors the biological awesomeness of this fine water bird. Featuring Barbara Adler (words and accordion) and James Meger (bass, percussion, hype-man).
An Introduction to Fang's Beast Pieces by Fangshouts
August 3, 2011: Day II of Beast Pieces // Tropheus Fish
Day 2 of the over-ambitious daily animal project. An eerie open letter to the Vancouver Aquarium, on behalf of Fang drummer Jamie Carter. This track is based on his real-life, passionately angry protestations against the Vancouver Aquarium's cichlid display. Brooding political dynamite.
Fang's Beast Pieces: Tropheus Fish by Fangshouts
August 4, 2011: Day III of Beast Pieces // Mean Swans
Day III of the ambitious project. Fang demystifies the swan: noble, elegant and romantic? Hardly. Swans are the meanest bird in the world. Accordion and acoustic bass take on common misconceptions about this deadly waterfowl. Don't think we haven't noticed that you are invasive to North America. Watch out, Cygnus, we are no longer impressed.
August 5, 2011: Day IV of Beast Pieces // River Otters
Day 4 of Beast Pieces. The scrappiest recording, and (coincidentally?) my favourite so far. Fang celebrates River Otters, and offers some helpful aquatic advice to Olympic swim champ, Michael Phelps, aka "The Baltimore Bullet". The advice? Be a river otter. It's way better.
Beast Pieces: River Otters by Fangshouts
August 8, 2011: Day V of Beast Pieces // Garter Snakes
Day 5 of Beast Pieces. Fang salutes mothers of all stripes in a song about the amazing love-life of the Red-Sided Garter Snake. Look no more for your Mother's Day Weekend Plans: Mother's Day is the peak of mating season at the snake pits of Narcisse, Manitoba. Tens of thousands of snakes emerge from their dens, and tangle up in dense, romantic mating balls. Ah, Motherhood approaches! Also featuring differently-abled melodicas, and Fang mother Marcela Jonas on vocals. Dedicated to all of our Fang Mothers: Marcela, Alvera, Darina and Cat. Beast Pieces Day 5: Garter Snakes (a Mother's Day Gift) by Fangshouts
August 9, 2011: Day VI of Beast Pieces // Meal Moths
Day 6 of Beast Pieces. Fang gets down with the rad bossa beats on a Yamaha PortaSound keyboard, and goads Fang Roomie Vinny Gibson into action against the nefarious Meal Moth. Who knew that the PortaSound could be so complicated to play? Who knew "synchro start" and "popsynth" could be such potent weapons in the ongoing battle against cereal-eating household pests? Important Vermin Note: We now have flying ants too. Plus the family of skunks living in the woodpile. Yay, summer pestilence! Beast Pieces: Meal Moths by Fangshouts
August 10, 2011: Day VII of Beast Pieces // Honey Badgers
Day VII of Beast Pieces. Fang lays down a ballad to the "crazy nastyass" Honey Badger, of YouTube fame. More than capable of killing and eating a cobra, these mustelids are known as one of the "most fearless" animals in the world. You can get a t-shirt that says, "The Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit". They sometimes dig up and eat human corpses in India, and have a reversible anal pouch which secretes a scent that stuns bees. These facts did not make it into the song, which is a sweet PortaSound defense of the Honey Badger. I wouldn’t like to be called a “crazy nastyass”, especially if I was helping everyone out by eating cobras.
Beast Pieces Day VII: Honey Badger by Fangshouts
August 11, 2011: Day VIII of Beast Pieces // Korean Jindo
Day 8 of Beast Pieces. Fang clocks a late-night rap session with the PortaSound, and sings the praises of the Korean Jindo Dog, a large hunting canine which has been designated as a Korean Cultural Treasure. Mid-way through the performance, Fang starts to feel depressed about the exactingly pure standards held up by the Jindo dog. Fang feels that if a Jindo dog were called to make an appraisal of the band and its members—god forbid—the Jindo would be quite scathing. Fang member Barbara Adler feels sure that Jindos wouldn’t approve of her. The result is a rap of praise which carries some heavy, depressive undertones. Best heard over a bottle of wine, swilled solo. Beast Pieces Day 8: Korean Jindo by Fangshouts
August 12, 2011: Day IX of Beast Pieces // Stone Sheep vs. Rocky Mountain Goats
Day 9 of Beast Pieces. Listening to the Black Keys in the morning = accordion blues garage rock in the night. Except it’s just me. No drummer breaking their cymbals on the first hit. And I’m not in a stadium. I’m in my bedroom. It’s late. My poor roommate needs to go to bed. I’m reading the lyrics off my computer. I need glasses. The song is about Stone Sheep vs. Rocky Mountain Goats. How can this be Rock n’ Roll? Trust me. It is so rock. My lyrics are wearing leather pants. Topics covered: trophy hunting of all kinds, female goat aggression and club girls. Got that? Might be hard because of all the smoke machine. Pretty girls are stone sheep, me, I’m a mountain goat.
Beast Pieces Day IX: Stone Sheep vs Rocky Mountain Goats by Fangshouts
August 15, 2011: Day X of Beast Pieces // Beluga Whales
Day 10 of Beast Pieces. Fang quietly asserts itself against the cuddly tyranny of children’s entertainment, using science and Werner Herzog to battle the “cute-ification” of Nature. “Baby Beluga” this is not. Beast Pieces Day X: Beluga Whales by Fangshouts
August 16, 2011: Day XI of Beast Pieces // Cairo
Day 11 of Beast Pieces.Fang shakes its booty on the new piano! Can you hear the 1920s red mahogany? Can you hear the ivory keys? Endangered animals made this song possible, so it is fitting that today’s song is a tribute to Fang’s cat, Cairo. This song will help you distinguish Cairo from the stupid “fake Cairos” that stalk the alleys of Pandora Street. It’s easy. Cairo looks like a small, patient snow leopard. Those other cats just have stupid stripes. Beast Pieces XI: Cairo by Fangshouts
August 17, 2011: Day XII of Beast Pieces // Tree Sloths
Day 12 of Beast Pieces. Worn to the most painful core of their bones from tracking new tunes, Fang temporarily hands over the power and the glory to Gavin Youngash of Velvet Bulldozer. In the midst of a rousing set of blues covers at the Railway Club, Gavin realizes that sloth haiku are even more badass than 12 bar blues and shuffles. See ‘ya later, “I feel so good”, and Booker T... Velvet Bulldozer is poised to become Vancouver’s premier sloth haiku cover band.
Tree Sloth @ The Railway Club by Fangshouts
August 18, 2011: Day XIII of Beast Pieces // Silken Windhounds
Day 13 of Beast Pieces. Oh, the Silken Windhound. My future dog, and the silkiest of the sighthounds. At the end of a long day, what could be better to improvise to, than the thoughts of your long nose, worried face, and delicate prancing. Beast Pieces Day 13: Silken Windhound by Fangshouts
August 19, 2011: Day XIV of Beast Pieces // Ants
Day 14 of Beast Pieces. Ants invade our kitchen, AGAIN. We go ballistic with poison. Shortly afterward, I read about ants, and realize that they are AMAZING. I feel small for killing them so bluntly. Organisms as marvelous as these, deserve a more elegant death. I think about death and understanding, and write haikus about ants at the Libra Room.The Tom Wherret Trio plays. I drink beer and eat a lamb burger with stinky cheese. How hip. Beast Pieces XIV: Ants by Fangshouts
August 22, 2011: Day XIV of Beast Pieces // Tree Shrews
Beast Pieces Day XV: Tree Shrews. The sultry sounds of the Star Captains waft through the floors of my house. I want to take a bath. Attention Vancouver music fans: The Star Captains are the best band in Vancouver to take hot bathes too. Does that sound sexy? Yeah. As sexy as vintage synths and long ass guitar solos pouring down through your ceiling. Naturally, my mind turned from bathes and sexiness to tree shrews. Are they most interesting from a taxonomic standpoint? Or is it their preternatural ability to digest alcohol which makes them outstanding? Let haikus and my new piano guide the way. Beast Pieces Day IV: Tree Shrews by Fangshouts