Chicks will totally get hot and guys will be completely impressed -- or maybe it's just a poster of a robot in a doorway. Either way, you can't lose with a Mesmers' poster.

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Mesmergram May, 2008 - Got Summer Plans?

"Brown that banana! Brown it! Crust it all over with sugar..."
-- Famed Somniloquist Dion McGregor

Everyone escaping the office gloom for a big summer adventure? If anyone can top little Giuliane's planned trip to Burning Man we'd like to hear about it. Giuliane is Peter and Jen's first child. Last year she endured being photographed with a leather man in bondage gear

This year she's being hauled across the country to the nations premier extreme art festival: Burning Man. She's having the most exotic childhood she'll never remember...

What about you all? Anyone taking excursions to make the rest of us envious? Let us know and we'll post a list of who's got the best plans on our site.

For those of you stuck in town we're planning a bunch of shows to assauge your inner torment (or just give you an excuse to drink and listen to loud music). First up is a return to ArtOMatic:

--- UPCOMING SHOWS ---

Friday May 30th, 7:00 p.m.

Artomatic
Capitol Plaza I
1200 First Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002
Metro: Red Line, New York Ave., M St exit
http://www.artomatic.org

--- ON THE RADIO ---

Thanks to Sean for giving us some play at WMUC Radio:

He spins an eclectic mix with a lot of local artists so tune in to hear him fridays at 9 on wryr.org and sometimes on Saturday 6- 9 at wmucradio.com

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By Fitz - 5/6/2008 | Perma Link

Going Modular Part 1: Lay of the Land

For years I've resisted the urge to buy a modular synthesizer. Darn things were huge, impractical, and expensive as hell. But still, so damn cool.

Things have changed over the years. Modular synths used to be relics of the 70s with high prices and aging circuitry that was hard to replace or repair. Now they've experienced a renaissance with numerous small companies manufacturing brand new system in a wide variety of formats. In fact, the main impediment to buying one today may be the overwhelming number of options a novice has to sort thru. I'm in no way going to go thru all of them, there are just too many out there. Instead I'll summarize the major three formats that I've considered, my opinion of their strengths and weaknesses, and some of the companies that make modules in those formats...

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By Fitz - 4/21/2008 | Perma Link

Mesmergram for April 2008

I would solve a lot of literary problems just thinking about a character in the subway, where you can't do anything anyway.
- Toni Morrison

Hello all. Fitz here with a new Mesmergram. Remember those? A band in DC used to send them out every month and then they slacked off for a while. Or, as I asked the guys over rehearsal last week: "Hey, you guys want to start chipping in and help me NOT update the Website regularly?"

Anyway, we're back in the game and with new shows, new material, and lots of trips on the metro.

What's up with the metro? Well I lost my job about a month ago and so it's been lots of trips into DC via the subway for job interviews. Which is appropriate because the working title for the next album is (drum roll):

SUBWAY TO ANOTHER LIFE

Yep. We'll be channeling the shadows and sounds of the stations, the humming and clanking of the trains, the anonymity of the huddled crowds, and the compressed air whooshing thru the tubes into a new recording.

Now I know you're asking: what happened to the last album, Electronic Phenomenon? It's on it's way, I promise. We just have to get the rights to The Model hammered out and then we should be a go.

So check our Website for demos of the new songs, a schedule of new shows or just drop us a line and say hello.

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By Fitz - 4/13/2008 | Perma Link

Vinyl Computer Code???

Computer code stored on vinyl? Yep, apparently it was tried in the late 70s and early 80s with several band adding tracks to their records that could be bounced to tape and then uploaded to various consumer systems of the era. This site has a big rundown on it:

One strategy that major record companies have been employing lately to deter downloading is adding bonus computer content to new CD releases. I recently discovered that this technique is not unique to CD's, but had in fact been practiced in the vinyl era as well. That's right: there were a handful of records released in the late 70's and early 80's that contained computer programs as part of the audio. This is totally insane, and totally great.

Fascinating stuff.

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By Fitz - 3/29/2008 | Perma Link

Dengue Fever and Vinyl!

Thougts on seeing Dengue Fever last night and the fact that they were selling vinyl LPs of their latest recording at the show.

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By Fitz - 3/2/2008 | Perma Link