After you make your “contribution,” watch Ed shave his luscious locks and donate it to a charity of your choice. And/or have Ken come to your place during their tour and give you a private cello lesson. (No innuendo. It’s an actual cello lesson.) Hell…BUY Ken’s cello off him if you can. These guys have. no. limits. Nor shame for that matter.
Help them out if you can. Please. It’s for a good cause. =)
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Originally published in the Daily Trojan. (No longer archived on the DT website.) This is also the unedited version I originally submitted. I didn’t have any problems with the changes my editors made…except for them altering the entire perspective of the article by changing it from present tense to past tense. (Also, they asked for 1000 words. I gave them 1900…so yeah…cuts/edits obviously had to be made somewhere.) But yeah…this is how it originally felt.
Ken Oak, in a white long-sleeve shirt, jeans, and slightly messy hair that covers his face a bit, sits in a dimly lit, small, cozy Los Angeles cafe near Koreatown, nervously fidgeting just a bit. Ed Gorski, his bandmate, dressed in a moderately wrinkled grey button-down, cargo shorts, and a scruffy beard, leans back casually in his seat, one arm hanging loosely behind his chair. Both have faint but noticeable bags under their eyes — effects of the successful release of their new album at the Hotel Cafe in downtown Los Angeles earlier this month.
They are waiting for this interview, and this article, to get started as the cafe barista very slowly prepares the three mochas. The drinks arrive, Oak sits up, Gorski remains in his casual pose, and the interview gets underway.
I have to get something off my chest and my conscience won’t be cleared until I set this right. I have been selfish…blatantly, wickedly, and immorally selfish. You see, there is this band that I adore and cherish very dearly.
First, let me introduce you to the band. You may have already heard of them, since the debut was released back in 2006. They’re called Quiet Company and they hail from the great musical mecca of Austin, Texas. The band’s actually comprised of just singer-songwriter Taylor Muse and a sort of revolving door of guitarists, drummers, bassists, etc that surround him (sort of like Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes, except Muse isn’t as “solo,” I guess).
From left to right: Thomas Blank, Taylor Muse, Michael Delaney. Oh, Mrs. Taylor Muse, aka Leah, who took this and many other photos, happens to be a pretty good photographer.
After the first release, which Muse recorded almost every facet of all by his lonesome, there seemed to be a set, stable band lineup for tours and future releases. But from what I’ve read, they’ve been looking for a new drummer as well as a bassist. I think the guy on the left in the picture above, Thomas Blank, has been in the band a while though. (Going off their Myspace, the guy on the right, Michael Delaney, is that new drummer.)
But yes, Taylor Glen Muse writes well-crafted, soaring, complex-yet-pure pop music that leaves you smiling and feeling all kinds of elevated emotions. Yet, I’ve pretty much kept it all to myself ever since discovering him two years ago. I don’t know why I did it; I’m usually very open to share and discuss music with anyone.
The songs on the debut just draw you in. When I first heard the record, I hadn’t felt such a connection with an album for a while. It was sort of like my Precious… Well, I guess it wasn’t that I was being selfish…it was more me being very selective with who I shared this music with. I didn’t want to let just anyone know about the band only to have them simply disregard and forget about them, not loving/appreciating their music as much as I do. But that was stupid.
Now I am repenting of my wayward ways, and I am letting anyone who has been so unlucky as to be unaware of Quiet Company to find out about them. Here are some tracks from the 2006 debut album, Shine Honesty:
They are supposed to release a new album titled “Everyone You Love Will Be Happy.” I don’t know much more about it, but here are a couple of unreleased tracks I’ve found floating around the Internets that may or may not be on the album:
I remember reading on the band blog, back in November of 2006, that Taylor hated his day-job — especially the fact that he had to “stock dogfood and clean rodent shit.” I don’t know what the job was/is (pet store employee/exterminator?) but this is a travesty to me. Someone who made one of my favorite albums in recent memory should not have to “stock dogfood and clean rodent shit” while guys like Soulja Boy, Ashlee Simpson, or K-Fed make all the music they want and live it up like crazy.
You can buy the album HERE — I guarantee it will be one of the best investments you’ll make. You can also check out their Myspace to listen to more songs and find out tour dates and stuff. I leave you with the music video for “Fashionabel,” directed by Cameron McCasland:
I encourage everyone to support any artist/band that I post on here by purchasing their albums, going to their concerts, and/or by any other means. The only reason they are on here is because I think their songs are examples of great music that people should be listening to and supporting. All music will be taken down immediately without delay upon request by the artist(s) and/or rightful representatives.
This is not a music blog. I just usually post a (by all personal accounts, "good") song or two with my posts. I also post about music from time to time...or...a lot. Okay, maybe this is a music blog in denial.
I don't profit in any way whatsoever from any product or artist links. Those are only there to provide more info for readers.
Hopping Into Puddles 