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| Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four | Recent History |
17 Dec 98: The Rocket, a music-related newspaper for the Northwest, printed the following review of our album, like icicles, in their mid-December issue:
"With discordant guitars and uneven and unpredictable rhythms, the debut CD from Seattle's This Busy Monster, Like Icicles, is undoubtedly this year's most bizarre local offering at the pop throne. By systematically and maniacally incorporating a huge range of influences (and by huge range, I do mean huge range), This Busy Monster have built a weird musical collage. There's a little bit of Built to Spill-style psychedelia, some indie-rock balladry and even Primus-style funk. It sounds like an improbable combination, but somehow This Busy Monster make it sound as natural as the five notes at the core of Beethoven's Ninth.
"Perhaps the most striking aspect of This Busy Monster is vocalist Christopher Possanza. Something about his disjointed delivery and downright weird lyrics is riveting. On 'Hoops & Hollows' he sings, 'I'm a pie to you, I'm not a hard nut to crack.' 'Honest, thinking things make me stupid' he muses on 'Hungry & Free.' Though his lyrics are abstract, they are so personal it's like accidentally stumbling onto a loved one's diary. Too intimate in its familiarity, too specific for a wide audience, but for some reason, you just can't stop reading, or listening, for that matter."
30 Dec 98: Crocodile Cafe. With Pedro the Lion and Death Cab for Cutie. This was our first show as a 3-piece, and I think we were all pretty nervous. The crowd didn't seem to know what to do with our mellower quiet songs, but I received a lot of compliments after the set, so I know somebody liked us. We debuted a couple of new songs (swoon and deserve [aka unentitled]), and played several really old songs (oh and white rabbit). Our one-and-only was a Guided By Voices song called At Odds with Dr. Genesis (from the album King Shit and the Golden Boys). It was a fun set.
2 Apr 99: Velvet Elvis. With Rat Cat Hogan, Fairgrove, and Five Gears in Reverse. Well, despite the fact that I was sick, and hoarse by the end of the set, this show was a lot of fun. I broke a guitar string on the second song (what TBM show would be complete without a broken string?), put my capo on the wrong fret for the fourth song, and generally was an unintentional goofball. No one seemed to mind. We played a more rawkin' set than our Croc show in December, with a good mix of old songs (what she said, mellow blood), songs from like icicles (song69, roller coaster), and newer material (swoon, unentitled). We debuted a song called gold stop watch, and as our one-and-only played a Belle and Sebastian song called The State I Am In (complete with 3-part harmony at the end). A good time was had by all.
8 May 99: This is the day we started recording our second full-length album (as yet untitled). Basic tracks were done at the Scottish Rite Masonic Hall, engineered by Tom and Jake of Seattle Sound Recording, with additional material to be recorded at Barsuk Studio by Christopher.
Jun 99: Alternative Press, a magazine well respected in the music industry, had this to say about our album, like icicles, in their June issue:
"When a bandleader comes across as deliciously twisted as Christopher Possanza of This Busy Monster does, important questions pop up. How did he navigate the conventions of a record contract? Did he understand where he was when he entered the recording studio? Something in the off-kilter, isolated honesty of Possanza's voice and songs suggests that Possanza finds the world that the rest of us inhabit to be highly disorienting.
"Like Icicles is an expressive work, 12 tracks that ring with bittersweet guitars and a rough rhythm section that tries frantically to avoid making sense, but ultimately can't help it. 'Hoops & Hollows' scrambles around like pop music jacked up on diet pills. For those who prefer their tunes creepy and haunted, 'Song 69' fits the bill; it's a spare number that comes on like a fast-moving black thunderstorm. '3D'd' is simply brilliant, a dance toward hysteria that resolves with one of the many great choruses that mark this album. When listening to lyrics like 'Sometimes I wish I was an airport/The planes are late but I don't mind,' don't be frightened when you realize you almost know what he means."
5 Jun 99: Crocodile Cafe. With the Revolutionary Hydra, Five Gears in Reverse, and Peter Parker; a benefit for the Mitchell Ross Childrens' Cancer Fund. Pretty good show—sort of last-minute, and interfering with the recording of our soon-to-be 2nd album, but definitely fun and worthwhile. I broke a guitar string (again, I say, what TBM show would be complete without at least one broken item?), forcing Josh to give a heckled monologue on the merits of donating money rather than buying alcohol. We played a Gus Gus song, Blue Mug, as our one-and-only, with Josh playing drums and Barrett on bass. Muchas fun!
2 Oct 99: The Spot (Portland, OR). With Abigail Grush and the Phantom Beat, Little Champions, Death Cab for Cutie, and Juno. This was the Barsuk Records showcase at the North by Northwest Music Conference (or as Christopher put it, the "Barsuk Records petting zoo"). It was great to go down to Portland with all of the active Barsuk bands and put on a show, although the atmosphere was a bit strange — people walking in and out all the time, hopping from one venue to another. Despite her undesirable opening spot, Abigail Grush rocked the house with frenzied energy — it was good to see Abby, Frank and Cassie (formerly known as Pea Soup) together again. Little Champions were great as well (my favorite random quote I heard someone shout above their music: "These guys are great — they're a relevant Modern English!"). This Busy Monster (that's us) put on an unusual show, complete with many guest musicians — first, Frank and Abby played violin and clarinet on loup-garou; Allisyn Levy sang with Christopher on gold stop watch; and finally, Abby and Frank came back on stage, joined by Cassie Peek (French horn) and Erika Jacobs (cello) on the curious sofa. Loads of fun. As our one-and-only, we did a Colin Newman song, 1, 2, 3, beep, beep, with Christopher on bass and Josh on guitar.
3 Oct 99: A hilarious (and factually inaccurate) review of our show at NXNW appeared today on the Oregon Live website, complete with photos. Flute? That was a clarinet! Drum-driven metal riff-fest? Alright, if you insist....
"This Busy Monster, part of Seattle's Barsuk Records Showcase, were very busy, indeed, switching sounds on the audience with every song, eventually settling on a solid, Nirvana-inspired rock. They opened with a song from their first tape (they're about to release their first full-length), which was a driving, drum-driven metal riff-fest. Next, they reassured the indie loving audience that they were in the right place with a more melodic number. A glance at the stage during Monster's third song revealed a surprise — is that a flutist I see? Yes, flute added a happily non-Jethro Tull effect, and a violinist chimed in, too. During a later song, we were even treated to a little French horn. Their website includes Daniel Johnston, Guided by Voices, Radiohead and Throwing Muses among their favorite bands — no wonder I liked what I heard! Their set boasted Muses-like tempo changes, and frenetic forays into metal and rock that stayed firmly anchored to an indie-melodic theme. While they don't list Nirvana among their influences, I detected some dark Cobain-esque chord transitions, not to mention singer Christopher Possanza's Daniel Johnston shirt, which could have been borrowed from Kurt's closet." (Karen Martwick, Oregon Live staff)
4 Dec 99: A three-month delay and a trip to Portland was well worth it: we finally mastered our album today with Tony Lash (ex-Heatmiser guy). If all goes well, our album should be released by the end of January (although, if you add in the This Busy Monster slowness factor, it may be a bit later...). Track listing is as follows (some titles subject to change): what she said, loup-garou, smell of blood, swoon, issue, unentitled, the thing, white rabbit, big deal (little version), gold stop watch, the curious sofa, unsong.
1 Apr 00: The Rendezvous (Seattle, WA). CD release and birthday party for Abigail Grush, with Aiko Shimada, the Promosexuals, and Abigail Grush and the Phantom Beat. Several months after the fact, but nevertheless a great reason to have a party: Abigail celebrated the release of her CD, The Phantom Beat, as well as her birthday. The Phantom Beat put on a great performance (as usual), and we were lucky enough to have them join us on stage for a couple of our songs (loup-garou and the curious sofa); we were also graced by the presence of Brian Willett on guitar for a few songs (and clave on another!). Our one-and-only this time was an Ultra Vivid Scene song, Not In Love (Hit by a Truck). We also debuted two new songs, emasculation and blue lava (not its official name — any suggestions?).
27 May 00: Meow Meow (Portland, OR). With Abigail Grush and the Phantom Beat, the Revolutionary Hydra, and Little Champions. No comment.
9 Jun 00: Showoff Gallery (Bellingham, WA). With the Revolutionary Hydra, Little Champions, and one other band (forgot their name). Little Champions rocked!
23 Sep 00: Ohm (Portland, OR). Barsuk Records/Tiger Style Records NxNW Party, with The Album Leaf, John Vanderslice, and Tristeza. Part of the North by Northwest brouhaha, this was a fun event -- we got a few copies of our new CD-EP, the curious sofa, about 10 minutes before we went onstage. We played very well (especially compared to our last two shows), did ANOTHER Wire cover (Outdoor Miner), and had the Phantom Beat on stage with us for the last song (the curious sofa). A fun time was had by all.
28 Feb 01: Crocodile Cafe (Seattle, WA). Barsuk Records Showcase with Abigail Grush and the Phantom Beat, and Little Champions. Our first set with extra appendages Sean Nelson and John Roderick, in anticipation of our SXSW 2001 Tour, and it rocked. Great fun, good crowd (thanks for staying up with us!), and we got to play loup-garou and the curious sofa with the Phantom Beat one last time. Despite being sicker than a dog, John managed to play an awe-inspiring solo for hoops & hollows. Look out, Texas, here we come!
7 Mar 01: Bottom of the Hill (San Francisco, CA). With John Roderick/Sean Nelson, Little Champions and Death Cab for Cutie. Our first stop on the tour at SF's way cool club. Our set was an odd grabbag of mellow and rockin', but a lot of fun. John had a little friendly exchange with a heckler who was anxious to hear the next band, threatening to play one of his 10-minute opera, but luckily we didn't have to resort to that.
8 Mar 01: Chain Reaction (Anaheim, CA). With Little Champions, Stairwell, and Death Cab for Cutie. We arrived at this all-ages club 15 minutes after the show started (oops!) but we still got to play our set. Lots of kids seemed into our songs, and we even got to do a radio ID for a local college radio station.
9 Mar 01: Spaceland (Los Angeles, CA). With John Roderick/Sean Nelson, Little Champions, and Death Cab for Cutie. Nice club with horrible policies — they made a whole bunch of people wait outside until after the first two bands played. Sucky. Death Cab rocked the house, though.
11 Mar 01: Modified (Phoenix, AZ). With Little Champions and Death Cab for Cutie. This was my favorite set of the tour — a lot of people seemed into our songs, and we had a blast. Sean brutalized the keyboard in issue.
12 Mar 01: Solar Culture (Tucson, AZ). With Little Champions and Death Cab for Cutie. This was my least favorite set of the tour — not very many people turned out for the show, and those who did were more confused than entertained by our songs. What are you gonna do?
15 Mar 01: Buffalo Billiards (Austin, TX). With John Roderick/Sean Nelson, Little Champions, Death Cab for Cutie and the American Analog Set. Great show, great night. John and Sean's set was stunning (and hilarious), and Death Cab brought the house down. A great end to a very fun tour.
| Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four | Recent History |
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