Rooftop horizon. Sunset bounces like a pingpong ball. Surrounding you-- cloak of pink clouds in a field of Mellotrons. You sing along, intrigued by the daydream. Suddenly, raindrops from space-- ripples like tambourines. Stepping into a record shop, ringing register sparks your imagination. Poster on the wall (kaleidoscopic Kentucky pop group) melts into a mirror. Three faces contained in your image. You don't know who you are. In your ears-- bright strumming electrics (strings above magnetic coils). In your eyes-- dusk overtakes you (you cannot discern its mysteries). Inside your raincoat you find a plastic pocketwatch. It is chiming. Now is the time for the Ideal Free Distribution.
The Ideal Free Distribution began in 1997 when Eric Griffy, Tony Miller, and Craig Morris decided to commit to 4-track tape some of the primitive ramblings trapped in their heads. With a common love of 60's pop and early psychedelia, these early songs, though often crude and amateurish, had a unique sound and vision that encouraged the three to persevere.
In a few months, the songs became respectable enough to play for others, and good enough to keep the group recording more material. As their maturity as songwriters grew, some of these new songs (about 50/50) were absolutely wonderful. However, since these new recordings were made in the boys' tiny hometown of Benton, Kentucky, they would never see any release beyond that of compilation cassettes passed around to friends and family. The advantage of this obscurity was that the band was able to learn to cull their weaker songs and focus their efforts on tunes that were worthwhile. The culmination of time and developing skill began to appear around the new millennia. By this time, their songwriting and melodies had become full and mature and, coupled with better recording equipment and know-how, beautiful sounds became commonplace.
Though all three were prolific songwriters at this time, Craig unleashed an incredible barrage of exciting new material in early 2003 that prompted the recording of the most current work. This was the most elaborate production as of yet that the three had ever attempted with some songs having 30-40 tracks. Out of shear coincidence, this is about the time that the IFD started to get heard. Robert Schneider of The Apples in Stereo happened upon the IFD and fell in love with the demos. With his help and enthusiasm the sound of the IFD began to spread throughout the psychedelic underground and led to their ultimate signing to Athens, GA's Happy Happy Birthday to Me Records. In order to properly recreate their songs in a live setting the three enlisted friends and loved ones to join in on the music-making. It is truly a family affair.
The finished LP will catch you off-guard. The amount of effort involved in its creation will be immediately evident. This is not a collection of songs. This is an album full of impossibly catchy melodies bathed in lush beds of guitars, strings, pounding drums, and assertive bass work all coupled with thoughtful and creative production. The self-titled album will be released January 30th, 2007 on Happy Happy Birthday to Me Records; it was mixed by Robert Schneider of The Apples in Stereo and mastered by Jason Nesmith of Casper and the Cookies.
