Testing, testing...
Is this thing on? — Sing Something For Us Now
Hello everyone, and welcome to the first instalment of Lumber Grotto.
We thank and appreciate everyone that’s reading us here.
Lumber Grotto is your Cave Story Ever-Expanding-Orbit newsletter. This is a new approach to sharing and experiencing our music work and all related issues.
On this naturally occurring web delivered grotto publication we’ll be aiming to share insights from our musical endeavors, upcoming shows, news on orbiting projects, as well as occasional thoughts and images.
Our radio show Part Time Punks will certainly find it’s place here and we hope we can grow it into something more exciting - with shocking guests, dangerous interviews or even ill-themed episodes…
This is something that we’ve been wanting to do for a long time, as a way to narrow our relationship with the people who listen to the music we do.
Enjoy!
— Cave Story
New Music!
*feedback noise*
Let us share some updates. Today we’re releasing the first single from our upcoming record Wide Wall Tree Tall that’ll be out March 31st. — That’s Sing Something for Us Now — Please take a listen.
This unavoidable introduction to the record is an energetic and satiric identity affirmation, as artists and musicians. It is a fearless and humorous declaration that expresses the struggles, shortcomings, expectations and preconceptions of making a career in the arts, but also a celebration of our passion and drive to create. Sing with us, join our guitars, nod your head, shake your body, make yourself at home.
We made a video for it, shot and directed by me (Zé), featuring ourselves and Croquete-the-Dog. Hope you enjoy.
We’ve worked super hard on this record for quite some time now and we’re excited to share it with you soon!
It was mostly recorded — as usual — in our Rural-Wood-Oven-Headquarters with Gonçalo overseeing production, with the exception of one track that we did at WAAHS Records.
Getting back to releasing music and playing live is our biggest concern right now.
2022 definitely felt like a false start.
The idea of a post-pandemic world relieved us of some anxieties about how life as musicians and artists would work when social life is significantly severed mid lockdown. But becoming a full-time band again proved to be harder than we expected.
Between 2020 and 2021 our good friend and bass player Pedro left to pursue studies abroad, and we welcomed Bia (April Marmara) into our bastion.
Shows and live performances
We’re out there!
Regarding live shows, we can’t announce much as of right now, but we’ll bring you news in the upcoming newsletters.
We’re happy to share that we’re being booked by Raquel at the fresh Myth Agency.
The Clash is a group that we in Cave Story all recognize and respect even though none of us would pick them as a seriously impacting band on our music work - directly at least. These people in the New Yorker said it best:
“The band’s excursions into reggae, dub, funk, and what would eventually come to be known as world music are omnivorous in the best sense, presented in a spirit of enthusiasm and optimism.” — from “The Clash Think Inside the Box” in the New Yorker
Dois Corvos invited us to do a special show where we play a few of their songs and we accepted the challenge.
So for now, as a warm up for the coming year:
09/02 — Lisboa, PT - Broadcasted live at RADAR.FM
11/02 — Lisboa, PT - Dois Corvos International Clash day (w/ Sea Angels)
Expect more soon!
— In the meantime
“They put their music where??”
Music enjoyment paraphernalia can take many shapes and forms. In December 2021 we made a small EP with four tracks that we released digitally. Since then our great friend Manel Simões showed a generous interest in turning that into a physical format, in this case, through the pocket friendly cassette tape. In December 2022 his Ticket To Ride label released 50 beautiful copies.
Please take a listen and consider supporting us and Ticket To Ride by getting yourself or your friends a copy — Thank you Manel!
Part Time Punks
“Finest Tunes Ltd”
One of the greatest mental exercise for the past few years has been doing our Part Time Punks radio show every other Monday. It has become a great way to study music and dive deeper into the sounds we love. RADAR.FM has been our home for the whole life of the show, and now we’re also here, through Lumber Grotto!
This week we focus on Television (RIP Verlaine), Jenny Hval, Yusef Lateef, (Jim Jarmusch’s band) The Del Byzantines, Do Piano, and more…
Please take a listen to our latest episode:
Part Time Punks 82 - 06/02/2023
Funny Footnotes
miscellaneous and off-topic
"So, Viv doesn't only want to talk about punk rock. She wants you to get over it. Get over it. It happened a long time ago. Let's move on into the modern age, right? Things that are happening now." - Ian Svenonius introducing Viv Albertine on his show Soft Focus.
Finally, today I bring you:
a picture of our long-thought-to-be-dead Dr. Sample SP-202 — It was a very important tool when I joined Cave Story, and in 2019 it stopped working after getting covered in ultimate humidity. Last week I tried turning it on and it just worked!
a picture of Gonçalo with a sinister Alien Sculpture
a pack of nice looking Chinese Apple-Longan Herbal Candy
and a vegan tiramisu WIP (it’s not illegal to try)
We thank and appreciate you.
Cheers,
Cave Story