aberdeen

Being in Aberdeen is (and was?) both a blessing and a great curse. Youd never think that fromhearing the music. But it waser iser was. I mean that both lovingly and vindictively. See how it works? Still, I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. Some scarring may occur. -Brian Espinosa.................................................... .........................................Aberdeen was an opportunity for me to grow as a person and as a musician. I met some of my best friends throughor with Aberdeen, and have wonderfully fond memories. Aberdeen let me see the world (or at least the highway betweenLos Angeles and Monterey), oh, and Matt and Clares flat in London. I am proud to have been part of the phenomenon.Now, Ive gone from 6 guitar strings to 2 kids, but I look forward to when I can tell my punky teenagers that I was once arock star. Well, that I was once in a band called Aberdeen. -Jenni Fields...................................................... .......................................Aberdeen is a band that I played my best shows with and many of my worst. It was always on the verge of falling apart. But I guess that element of uncertainty always made it exciting. One thing I have learned, If you are ever about to play on Morning Becomes Eclectic and your singer has all but lost her voice from doing a full US tour in two and a half weeks; your drummer is wearing TWO pairs of headphones, one for the backing tracks and one for the vocals; and the two guitar players end up switch instruments after every song resulting in what seems like endless dead air, there is a good chance the station is not going to asked you back. -Johnny Joyner...................................................... .......................................I first met John and Beth on a trip to see the Himalayan Mountain Bunny, a rather large caged rabbit that lived on the porch near Robert Grahams house in Long Beach, Calif. The HM Bunny was quite a characterdue to its size and fluffand so became the go-see attraction for anyone visiting Robert. John was thin, with long hair that fell over his eyes and didnt say a word. I thought he was a girl. I thought he was Beths girlfriend. It was awhile before I realized that he wasnt a she.So that was 13 years ago and describing whats happened since would try my patience. Besides, its only the beginning and end of stories that really matter. So thats the beginning. Who knows if this CD is the endbut, if it is, its a nice bow with which to tie up the history of Aberdeen. Thanks yall for being true pals, for writing songs like Sink or Float and Fireworks and for letting me tool around on some recordings. R.I.P. that one keyboard part of mine you whacked, Girgus. You are forgiven. -Kelly Davis....................................................... ......................................Listening to this CD is like witnessing evolution. It was like an aural version of crawling (Byron) to standing (Sink or Float - Kyoto Death Song). OK, I admit real drums DO make a difference. And guys, Im sorry I always told you (in the early days) to turn your guitars down. They too made a difference. With all the fighting going on, why didnt someone rip the fluffy toys from my hand, yank out the flowery barrettes and hit me in the back of the head with a two by four yelling STOP SINGING LIKE A 7 YEAR OLD!!!. Twee is evil. Tweevil. Maybe it was the steroidal asthma medication that helped. Like real drums & guitars, I guess it made a difference. Or maybe it was leaving the desert. I never did stop singing about rain though. -Beth Arzy........................................................ .....................................Such is the bickering of an indiepop group By the sound of this, its a wonder that we ever got anything done. Or maybe thats why it takes so long. But none of that was what I was going to talk about.I always hated Twee. I hated the word, I hated anything that called itself that I hated being called it. It wasnt until years later, far away from that world, that I found myself looking back at everything wed done, and everything that we were a part of that it hit me; Fuck Me! Im Twee! (to quote a famous badge.) Maybe youve got your own definition, maybe you have no idea what were on about, but to me, twee has come to mean getting it slightly wrong. And that may sound like something youd try to avoid, but if you get something wrong, it inherently becomes your own. Theres going to be something twee about everything I do. And proudly so. Its something we all belong to, its our Alma Mater. Like our own quiet little version of punk rock. Say it loud: Im not leaving the house today, and tonight Im staying in to watch Father Ted! -John Girgus...................................................... .......................................