R. Stevie Moore
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This guy again. The Godfather of DIY home recording. Hundreds of self-released albums over the past 50 years. Dozens issued on countless indie labels since 1976. Pop craftsman, crafty grandpop, notorious curmudgeon. Blah blah blah blah blah. Most recently teamed with Jason Falkner on the album Make It Be (Bar/None, 2017).
Since R. Stevie can't make a decent living on his music, he's trying to accomplish the task in the Afterlife. This album is an upgrade from the lo-fi, damaged-equipment home recording process for which RSM has become legendary. With a career-long sweep, R. Stevie took some of his best home-recorded lo-fi songs and re-recorded them with full-studio sparkle. All recordings were made in the past 15 years, with tracks captured in five U.S. states. Some compositions date from the 1970s to the 1990s, and there are a few newer tunes. The album lacks one thing: filler. Lou Reed famously said about his final Velvet Underground album: "I gave them an album loaded with hits," and then he walked away. Afterlife is R. Stevie's Loaded—an album full of hits. He's walking away with a cane, a bum knee, and cataracts.
Afterlife was compiled and produced by Irwin Chusid (who oversees the musical estates of Sun Ra, Raymond Scott, and others). Chusid, a WFMU DJ since 1975, has been a compatriot of RSM since they met in 1978 after R. Stevie relocated to New Jersey from his native Nashville (to which he returned in 2010). It's often been pointed out that RSM's daddy Bob played bass with Elvis. But we won't dwell on that here.
Afterlife features sideman work by Ariel Pink, Jason Falkner, Lane Steinberg, and Chusid. It was mastered by veteran producer-musician Kramer (who has previously recorded with RSM). There's a biopic in the works. It's called Cool Daddio: The Second Youth of R. Stevie Moore (Spring Films), and with luck it might hit the cinema circuit in 2019.
R. Stevie will not be touring to promote this album. He's sick of traveling, his misanthropy's been acting up, and he prefers the comforts of his messy nest. But he will talk to journalists on the phone or via email. Just don't ask about his daddy. It's a worn-out topic. Sorry, we brought it up.
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In a partnership with Lost Colony Music, Bar None Records is thrilled to announce the release of R Stevie Moore & Jason Falkner Make It Be on Friday, March 10, 2017. The album was recorded at Rhetoric, in Hollywood CA by Jason Falkner. The grand majority of songs were composed by Moore with one by Falkner, one co-written by the pair, and one co-written by Roger Ferguson. Then there's a wonderful rendition of Huey Smith & The Clowns’ "Don't You Just Know It."
What happens when R. Stevie Moore and Jason Falkner get together to record, arrange, and mix R. Stevie's songs? We get to hear an audacious realization of these songs' full potential in an epic collaboration no one saw coming. Moore and Falkner burst through your door with "I H8 Ppl" and take you on a journey through rock, pop, and experimental textures. Anchors such as "Play My Self Some Music" and "Sincero Amore," keep the effort focused, while guitar-only interludes and spoken word pieces push boundaries.
The New York Times dubbed R Stevie Moore a "lo-fi legend;" he has over 400 releases to his credit having started making music in 1968.
Jason Falkner is a power-pop pioneer who started his career in the 80s with The Three O'clock and is a founding member of Jellyfish. He has released numerous solo records and has worked with such greats as Beck, Air, Aimee Mann, Travis, and Paul McCartney.
Moore and Falkner are legends on their own but, as Make It Be loudly announces, their voices, performances, and arrangements have always been a match made in heaven waiting to be realized here on earth.
