Berkeley Cat Records – Page 16 – Berkeley Cat Records

Am I Not Alien? b/w People I May Know

Brand new single from Eric Din

The A side!

A man is an island
Unto a shining black mirage
A man is in silence
As he moves through the garage
Can’t complain, he plays the game,
He’s happy to be alive on this fine day

Though he don’t belong here,
A castaway cast in some role,
He never tried out for,
It’s been so long since he’s been whole
Can’t complain, the old refrain,
He’s happy to be alive on one more day

I start to wonder,
Am I not alien?
When I see another,
Am I not alien?
Am I not alien?

Out on a mission,
Ready to conquer planets,
A man has gone AWOL,
Cos he thought better of it he just met,
Another stray, she’d like to stay,
They’re happy to be alive on this fine day

And still I wonder,
Am I not alien?
When I see another,
Am I not alien?
Am I not alien?

One in a million,
It’s only natural to find,
Just when you don’t care, and you’re nowhere,
Out of the blue someone arrives,
To change your mind, and set you right,
I’m ready to come alive on one more day

And still I wonder,
Am I not alien?
As I cross the border,
Am I not alien?
Am I not alien?
Am I not alien?
Hmmm

Eric Din – Guitars, Bass, Synth, Organ, Vocals
Jay Lane – Drums

Produced by Eric Din
Mastered by Michael Romanowski at Coast Mastering

Artwork by Shannon Wheeler

And the B side!

Yes we have B sides. We like to think we do. Here are the lyrics as scrawled. Audio in the player above. Like a record. With two sides.

Eric Din – Guitar, Vocals, Bass and sampled Drum wrangling

You can read my thoughts about these songs and the saga of creating them, at my personal blog here.

Thanks and as always, please feel free to share any ol’ which way ya like.

Thank you!

Oom Chugga Remix Challenge – Episode 1 is here!

Greetings one and all, I am SO pleased to announce our FIRST WINNING ENTRY in the OOM CHUGGA REMIX CHALLENGE! And you KNOW I’m excited because cats don’t usually use ALL CAPS. This is a perfect first round, and our friends Micblake, Chris Burger, and Josh Lubensky have set the bar HIGH! These cats totally got the spirit of this endeavor and delivered a powerhouse reinvention of Oom Chugga with some awesome and up to the minute verses. Have a listen, do. And please share it to the moon and back. Thanks!

-Dinsky

Micblake & Chris Burger leading the way

What Is This Oom Chugga Remix Challenge?!

We are so glad you asked. Russ Ellis made this fabulous track for his now nearly completed album, Songs From The Garden. And we all thought it would be a great track to invite people to rap or sing or play instruments or rant poetry over, or remix or reboot however the inspiration may strike you. Russ’s theme for this is simple and direct: he wants to motivate people to VOTE, especially young people, to VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE!! Go.

How Can I Participate In This?!

Again we are glad you asked! All you need to do is get in touch and let us know who you are and tell us a little about what you have in mind for your remix! Then we may, at our discretion, send you the high-resolution, Dave Ellis-produced, audio STEMS for you to download and have at it. So easy.

Send an email to: oomchugga @ berkeleycatrecords dot com
Your note will be magically delivered to the Oom Chugga Remix Challenge committee. We will review and if it’s approved we will follow up with details and the audio and you can get started pronto!

What Happens If You Like My Remix!?

All approved entries will be added to the Oom Chugga Remix Challenge ALBUM! – a digital release on Berkeley Cat Records which will be hosted at BandCamp and then released to the streaming wilds. Get in touch and we’ll tell you more.

What Does The Original Track Sound Like?!

You ask all the good questions, don’t you? Here is the ORIGINAL, uncut, direct from Ellis Island Studios, song that started us down this path, Oom Chugga!

That address again is: oomchugga @ berkeleycatrecords dot com
I spelled it that way so the bots wouldn’t spam us. Kitties don’t like spam.

Long Time by Russ Ellis

Ladies and gents, the 11th track on the Russ Ellis album-in-progress, “Songs From The Garden,” is here! Long Time is a collaboration involving Russ Ellis, Dave Shul, Zoe and Dave Ellis, and Al Marshall. It’s a classic love song, though brand new. Please have a read and a listen and a share. Russ’s notes and the lyric sheet you’ll find below. With Russ’s vocals recorded by Jeremy Goody at Megasonic Sound, the Daves recorded in their home studios, and everything mixed together by Mr. Shul, I’m delighted and honored to host this, and without further ado, here’s Long Time.

-Dinsky

Liner notes from Russ:

My son said last month, “Dad, you gotta have Dave Shul on this album.”

I knew he was right, but was a bit intimidated by the prospect. This was partly so because I did not have anything working in my head that seemed worthy of Shul’s talents and status in the Bay Area music scene. It was also true because of the place Dave Shul occupied in my memory.

It was at Cazadero Music Camp during the period of The Fuzzy Lefties’ management of the camp. I think Dave Shul was about twelve or thirteen. I remember being impressed with how much beer he could drink, but when I first witnessed him playing the guitar, he seemed like the instrument’s avatar. I was genuinely astonished that that small person could play like that. There was too much wisdom in his playing. I had him pegged as a kid.

I did work up the courage to send Shul a Voice Memo of a lurking tune. I sent him the line beginning “You been with me a long time….” Later I sent him what I thought might have the makings of a chorus, beginning “Still can’t figure why you stayed with me.”

He immediately wrote back. “Reverse them.” The next day he sent me the basics of what the song became. I am extremely happy with the outcome, just as my voice seems to be fading into the sunset. It’s my last recording.

Thank you, Dave Ellis, for the suggestion.
Thank you, Dave Shul, for bringing the song into existence.

Credits:

Words: Russ Ellis, Zoe Ellis
Music: Russ Ellis, Dave Shul
Arrangement: Dave Shul
Guitars, Dave Shul
Drums, Al Marshall
Horns, Dave Ellis

Recorded at the various homes and studios of the cats listed above
Russ’s vocals recorded by Jeremy Goody at Megasonic Sound

Matte Martin – Bridge – Full Album!

It’s an exciting Caturday at Berkeley Cat Records. Today we see the full release to the digital wilds of Matte Martin’s Bridge album. This happens to be the first full-length album on our label and I’m very proud to host and distribute it far and widely starting….. now!

This record was composed, performed, recorded and produced by Matte Martin with a little help from his friends. My first thought when I heard this was, “Who knew Kurt Weill and Gentle Giant had a baby and why wasn’t I told?” Bridge is a bold and revelatory musical and lyrical journey.

Give ‘er a spin! You can find this in your favorite streaming service as of nanoseconds ago, or better yet, purchase it directly from the artist at his BandCamp page. Above is an embed of said page. Below, you will find links to said stream-o-nets.

On a personal note, this record touches my heart as it looks unflinchingly at the wreckages we have wrought, while radiating an irrepressible and intentional light. There is love in these tracks. And heartbreak and redemption. And humor and venom, and healing and collapse. I invite you to listen and share!

Thank you,

-Eric Din
Berkeley Cat Records
Cat-Herder in Chief

Listen on Pandora

Listen on Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play or Amazon

Comeback Pete Re-Releases Anthemic “Mankind” On Berkeley Cat Records!

A very special July 4th release, here is “Mankind” by Comeback Pete! This track was recorded in 1976 and released as a single on Beserkley Records. It’s long been a favorite here at Berkeley Cat Records, and when Son Of Pete announced his return, like cats we pounced! A unique song from a unique artist, this is our Interdependence Day anthem here at BCR world headquarters.

“Mankind” has a straightforward message – Nature and mankind are one – and while it’s astonishing that humans could ever have the hubris to think otherwise, here we are, destroying the earth.

Pete has a straightforward message too – VOTE! Our web-footed friends don’t get to the polls, so it is our duty to never miss an election as fellow citizens of this planet. Pete wears it on his forehead.

Comeback Pete has a blog where you can keep up with his activities and efforts. And we’ll be releasing more music from Pete here as 2020 continues to unfold. A Beserkley Cat at Berkeley Cat!? Who woulda thunkit?! We are very proud and delighted to welcome Pete to BCR, and a little bird tells me we’ll see some other Beserkley kitties moseying in soon too!

Vote. Save the world. We can do it.

Matte Martin – Mutilate

Video and single 2 –Mutilate- from Matte Martin’s new album, “Bridge” going live in the streaming services on July 11. We’re so excited to share these previews, and proud to welcome Matte Martin to the Berkeley Cat Records fam! More to come soon about this extraordinary album, produced by the artist himself.

Russ and Bella Ellis – Apollo 11

How much am I freaking out? Oh a lot. This glowing meteor just landed in my backyard, the latest from Russ Ellis, this one featuring his granddaughter Bella. Climb aboard, strap in and put on your space helmets, kitties, cos we are blasting off to EDM pop heaven. For track 10 on this album, I am proud to present, Apollo 11! I’m over here discoing down in my Spaceman Spiff pajamas, people. I invite you to have a listen, download if you like, read Russ’s liner notes and share it to the moon!

-Dinsky

Liner notes from Russ:

Dave Ellis and Lauren Rivera blessed my wife and me with our first grandchild in the year 2000.

And what a blessing. Bodacious. Dancie. Verbal. Tuneful starting at around three.

So, in thinking about collaborations for this album, I thought of her. Bella and her father had come up with some playful collaborations over the years. I was certain she would be up for it.

When I asked her, she readily agreed. Bella suggested some possibilities from a menu of compositions she was creating in her dorm room at San Francisco State University, where she is a student in the Theater Arts Program.

We settled on Apollo 11, largely because I had just watched a PBS documentary on the mission called “Eight Days to the Moon and Back”. I reviewed the documentary for the astronauts comments that I found interesting.

Bella made a few adjustments, and her Daddy Dave mixed it. Here it is.

Lyrics:

Fly so high, up above.
Fly so high, soaring through the sky.

Apollo 11, I hear the rocket taking off.
Soaring through the sky.

Fly so high, soaring through the sky.

Apollo 11
Apollo 11
Apollo 11
Fly so high, soaring through the sky.

Apollo 11, I hear the rocket taking off.
Soaring through the sky.
Fly so high, up above.
Apollo 11

Credits:

Music: Bella Ellis
Voice: Russ Ellis & Bella Ellis

Produced by Bella Ellis and Dave Ellis at Ellis Island Studios