This blog is devoted to the band The Really Good Pot Roast.
Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor
FAWM!
In the way that time does, a year has passed, and we’re here in February. And with it, the month brings FAWM, the February Album Writing Month challenge. 28 days, 14 songs.
Last year, Rob and I both wrote music during FAWM and ‘won’ the challenge. My music resulted in my album ‘NEW THING’. Rob’s resulted in ‘Now That You’re Here’. Both albums are available for any price (even free).
This year, we’re involved again, but probably not in the same extent. We’ll be posting some of our new material here in the coming weeks. Our big focus right now is cleaning up existing material for our new album later this year. But we can’t help writing.
If you’re a songwriter and want to challenge yourself, come join us. FAWM is a great, positive atmosphere for songwriters looking for a challenge, an outlet, a forum, trading ideas, collaboration, and constructive criticism.
See you there!
-Mark
The Really Good Pot Roast - All I Want for Xmas
During the writing of the this holiday album, Mark and I had a lot of discussions about what constitutes a holiday song. Being Jews, we are by no means Christmas music experts. Hell, we’re not even Chanukkah song experts. Hava Nagila is the only Chanukkah song on the album and it has nothing to do with Chanukkah (It was written in 1918 to celebrate the British victory in Palestine during WWI and the Balfour Declaration, but I digress). I came up with the chorus while walking to the bodega to get Snickers bars for my wife and I. Since I had no paper I sent Mark a text that read, “All I want for Christmas is a porno and a beer. I’m sick and tired of socks and ties that I get every year.” His reply was, “I thought you were going to get yourself the guitar for Christmas.” N’yuk, n’yuk, n’yuk.
Enjoy!
A Really Good Holiday - Out Now, and FREE!
Check out other songs from A Really Good Holiday:
The Twelve Days of Cranqmas
Christmas Dinner
The Twelve Days of Cranqmas - The Really Good Pot Roast & Dr. Cranquis
Hannukah is over, and Christmas is around the corner. But forget all of that. Today is CRANQMAS DAY!
The Twelve Days of Cranqmas is a collaboration between The Really Good Pot Roast, the ever festive Dr. Cranquis, and a host of Cranquistadors! It’s also the first track on the new Really Good Pot Roast holiday EP ‘A Really Good Holiday’!
Download ‘A REALLY GOOD HOLIDAY’ from Bandcamp, including Christmas Dinner and The Twelve Days of Cranqmas, for FREE! Click here, people! Download the whole EP for FREE and get a copy of the liner notes with all the lyrics, a glossary of terms, thanks yous to the Cranquistadors, and a special note from Dr. Cranquis! AND IT’S FREE!
In the spirit of the season, this EP our gift to you.
Happy Holidays,
-Rob and Mark, The Really Good Pot Roast
Cranqmas is coming…
A Really Good Holiday EP from The Really Good Pot Roast
Featuring The Twelve Days of Cranqmas, Co-written by Dr. Cranquis and the Cranquistadors!
Coming soon…
Hoodie: Check
Recording Hat: Check
Unshaven face: Check
DoomPHONES: Engaged
Session time.
The 5090 podcast done got took over...
So those ratbag talented boys from The Really Good Pot Roast done took over the 5090 podcast. Yeah, remember that? That podcast what I started last year and consistently languish in a state of unattention? Yeah, that one…
Apparently they were hanging out and drinking and decided to record an episode. You can listen online directly from the feed on blogspot or subscribe via iTunes or your podcast/RSS feeder of choice.
I, for one, love it. Listening to it right now in fact. As should you, for the entertainment of the banter, for the joy of new music, or just for shits and giggles.
p.s. you boys crack me up :D
Yep, we done did it.
Kahiwa (aka Kiwafruit) and T.C. Elliott have lead the charge in creating enjoyable, funny, and always awesome showcases of fellow 50/90 musicians in their podcasts. This year, Rob and I gathered a collection of songs we really like from this year’s 50/90, and squared away some time during our most recent session weekend to put together our own episode. And drank our way through it all, as should be evident as the show progresses.
Oh, and this podcast features a only-played-here live version of Rob’s Corprolalia, as well as a BRAND NEW SONG BY RGPR!!!ZOMG!
We’ve said it before: 50/90 is a great community of some amazing musicians and good people. Like new and interesting music? Listen to some of the podcasts (like this one), then come check out the site. Do you write music? Come join us.
Please enjoy The Really Good Podcast, the 50/90 Podcast episode #13. And special thanks to T.C. and Kahiwa for allowing us to take over hosting for an episode!
-M!?
Rob Rubin - Corprolalia
I love this fucking track.
Rob wrote this song in February during FAWM. The narrator of the song is afflicted with this real illness, which is “involuntary swearing or the involuntary utterance of obscene words or socially inappropriate and derogatory remarks”, per wikipedia.
If you’ve met Rob, you would know that this song is both a personal anthem and unabashed confessional.
Rob’s writing often has a sharp humor to it that draws you in, and a music structure that’s often born of blues rock and jam bands, but finds it’s way across styles and genres. Corprolalia is an minimal acoustic track in 3/4 time with a chorus that you’ll be singing along with almost immediately.
Also, it’s just a great fucking song.
Now That You’re Here, coming August 10th.
-M!?
Rob’s Note: I didn’t know this song was in 3/4 until I read this post, started singing the song to myself and said, “Son of a bitch! It really is!”
Robert Rubin - Now That You’re Here
As we’ve teased a few times already on the blog in the past few weeks, we’ve been mixing away at my first solo album. Actually, we’re almost done. With the finish line in sight it’s time to start sharing some of the music with you folks. The album will be released August 10th and will be available as a name-your-price (Yes, that includes free) download via BandCamp. Stay tuned for further details.
The album itself is divided into 2 sections. The first half of the album is a concept EP I worked on during FAWM (February Album Writing Month) this year. These 5 tracks work together to tell the story of an evolving relationship. The EP plays as one continuous piece of music. The second half of the album consists of other songs I’ve written recently that I wanted to share, but are not part of a continuing story. Those songs cover important topics such as the time travel paradox and my horrible potty mouth.
Today’s preview is the title track from the new album and is part of the story/EP section of the album (Hence the rather abrupt end to the track). Now That You’re Here joins the story already in progress. The narrator has welcome the love of his life home but realizes that they are apart so often that it is difficult to interact directly (This is not based on personal experience. TLOTH and I both have jobs that allow us to spend lots of time together).
Hope you enjoy!
-Rob
New Thing - T-Minus 90 Minutes
I’ve spent months (in some cases, years) with these songs. Dozens of mixes, edits, tweaks. Hand offs between Rob and I on edits. Discussions. Arguments. Apologies.
Tonight, New Thing goes live.
Just going to listen to it one more time before anyone else can.
Forgive my selfish moment.
-Mark
Mark Dabney - Designed Mistake (Track from NEW THING)
Designed Mistake was the first solo song I wrote this past FAWM, and it’s the reason I put this album together. Looking at a month of songwriting in the days before FAWM started, I wasn’t sure how I’d approach it, what style, what sound, what direction I wanted to go. Then February 1st, I wrote this.
Rob and I have had discussions about what tracks to post here as previews for the album. We originally crossed this one off the list because an early version had been posted here before. But this song solidified the direction I wanted to go for an album. It’s direction and sound is why NEW THING is happening.
I hope you enjoy it.
-Mark
New Thing, coming May 15th
Mark Dabney - Distance (First Track from NEW THING)
We’re less than 2 weeks out from the release of New Thing, and tonight I’m thrilled to debut the first track off the album.
Distance
“Distance” started life during the 50/90 songwriting challenge in 2010. I was lucky enough to collaborate with EchoVoodoo, an awesome electronica and folk musician from Canada. He had a keyboard riff section he liked, and passed it off to me. I liked it so much, I wrote and recorded the rest of the song in an evening.
What’s here is a new mix and master by Rob. I really dig the work he did on this track to bring out the depth of sound.
I hope you enjoy it.
-Mark
New Thing - Coming May 15th
DOOMphones, Engage! Episode 2
Back recording and mixing. Glad this work week is over, finally. The goal tonight is to clean up the mix on 3 tracks, and do vocal punch-ins on another. I seem to have difficulty exactly vocal tone and timbre after months between vocal sessions on some of these tracks. If I can’t figure out how to get where i was before, I’ll be rerecording entire lines.
FYI: If you want to see Rob’s head explode, ask him how many times I wanted to rerecord the vocals to ‘Closing Shop’ off Serious as a Heart Attack. The number is is greater than zero.
I’m really excited about this record. I think it’s coming along well, and I think the material makes sense together. I’ve been listening to the mixes this week, and they’re really sounding great. Rob sent me a mix of a track today, and I’m so stoked with the sound.
Looking forward to having this out in the world sometime in the next couple weeks.
-M!?
Musical Happenings #4 - New RGPR Album due this Winter!
Hello again, Roasters.
Okay, we talked about the recent re-release of Mark’s icantplaythislive, with a new acoustic version of ‘Two’.
And we talked about Rob’s new upcoming solo EP, due out later this summer.
Aaaand we mentioned Mark’s new sophmore record ‘New Thing’ due out in just a couple weeks!
But there’s more, kiddos.
Our last Musical Happenings announcement: We’re working on a new Really Good Pot Roast album!
Yep, betwixt and around all the other bits and bobs we have going, we are working on material for our next release. I’ve lost count of the number of tracks we have written. I think it’s around 20 or so. Little less than a gajillion. We’re circling the track listing and working on a punchlist for us to finish. The new record will feature new versions of songs we’ve posted here, including Nerd Love, Run for Your Life, and Bitter End.
Tentatively titled ‘Mixed Signals’, we’ll be looking to release the album by the end of the year, if not sooner.
In the meantime, check our previous 2 band releases out on Bandcamp, keep an eye out here or on twitter, and/or like us on Facebook.
Musical Happenings #3 - ‘New Thing’ - New Album by Mark Dabney!
Three years since my first solo record, I’m releasing a follow up album! ’New Thing’ is an extension of the electronica / new wave rock from ICPTL, and features songs cowritten by some great internet musicians.
Since ‘icantplaythislive’, I’ve been writing a lot more music: two full length albums by The Really Good Pot Roast, a solo EP Rolodex, and 50+ songs during 50/90 and FAWM. I’ve had the great opportunity to write and record with some amazing musicians across the internet, and over the last 2 years, I’ve collected a lot of new material that didn’t quite have a home with The Really Good Pot Roast. After FAWM this year, I had a good stack of music with a common theme, and I thought it was time to put it together and release it.
Rob is helping me with mixing and mastering (at this point, no release from either of us is truly ‘solo’, and that’s awesome). We’re working on this release now, and cutting down from about 15 songs to a lean 10-12 songs in the next two weeks.
‘New Thing’ will be released the first week of May.
