New Old Friends
Encyclopedia
New Old Friends is the third album by the indie rock
band
Dolour
. It was written, arranged, and produced by Shane Tutmarc
. Mixed by Jason Holstrom
and Shane Tutmarc
.
to comment on, with the goal of them two completing the record together, like they had Suburbiac. But this was not to be, Fugitive Records (after only three releases) closed their doors indefinitely and left Shane to his own devices. Disappointed with all the false promises of Fugitive, he started using his songwriting as a tool to combat the evils of the industry, penning the industry bashing, "I Smell A Lawsuit" and "Cheep Up Baby" the paranoia of "My Paranoid Mind" and "What If", and the soul-searching of "Behind the Melody" (sung by baritone voiced, Jason Holstrom
). With this new fire under him, he took New Old Friends into a much more personal direction than Suburbiac. While the music was still melodic and catchy, instead of focusing on relationships (like Suburbiac) it focused more on Shane's emotional state at the time.
As he was busy preparing the record, he fired his lawyer, his publicist, acquired new management and got his brother involved with his website and album artwork. Now he was ready to take things on with more control and focus. But he still needed a helping hand to finish the album to his degree of perfection. It was in Jason Holstrom
, of his beloved Wonderful and former band-mate in USE, that he found the collaboration needed to help make this dream come true. Through a series of emails Jason helped show Shane that he could turn his "demos" into the masterpieces he saw in them. Jason initially did a few mixes without Shane, but once Shane heard the results he was overjoyed at the sound, and was more than happy to join in the fun. By September 2003, the team had mixed over 15 songs, and wanted to share some of the results, so the CPR EP was released. Featuring "CPR", "You Can't Make New Old Friends", and "(Why Don't You) Come Around" (available on the Japanese, A Matter of Time collection).
, and hit the road for his first full US tour with label-mates The Catch in Spring 2005. Despite the great press and the US tour, the album never received substantial radio play or sales. It was after this tour that Shane quietly disbanded Dolour, and didn't play shows or release any more music til he formed Shane Tutmarc & the Traveling Mercies and Dolour's swan song The Years in the Wilderness in 2007.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
Dolour
Dolour
Dolour was a musical alias of songwriter/producer Shane Tutmarc of Seattle, Washington. The band's name means "sorrow" or "grief." Musicians including Robin Pecknold of Fleet Foxes, members of The Divorce, United State of Electronica, The Lashes, and Vendetta Red contributed to the...
. It was written, arranged, and produced by Shane Tutmarc
Shane Tutmarc
Shane Tutmarc is an American musician. He is the great-grandson of Paul Tutmarc, who has been credited as the inventor of the electric bass . His grandfather, Bud Tutmarc, was a well-known Hawaiian steel guitar player. Shane was the leader of Seattle band Dolour from 1997 to 2007...
. Mixed by Jason Holstrom
Jason Holstrom
Jason Holstrom is a Seattle-based musician/producer. He is member of Seattle bands United State of Electronica and Wonderful....
and Shane Tutmarc
Shane Tutmarc
Shane Tutmarc is an American musician. He is the great-grandson of Paul Tutmarc, who has been credited as the inventor of the electric bass . His grandfather, Bud Tutmarc, was a well-known Hawaiian steel guitar player. Shane was the leader of Seattle band Dolour from 1997 to 2007...
.
Track listing
- “I Smell a Lawsuit”
- “You Can't Make New Old Friends”
- “Cheer Up Baby”
- “Next 2 U”
- “Butter Knife Suicide”
- “Before Tonight's Big Party”
- “CPR”
- “Behind the Melody”
- “What If?”
- “Candy”
- “My Paranoid Mind”
- “Running Forever”
- “October 29th”
Recording details
This album was originally started as demos that Shane made for Suburbiac's producer Aaron SprinkleAaron Sprinkle
Aaron Sprinkle is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer from Seattle, Washington.-Career:His career in music began in high school with a group called BellBangVilla. BellBangVilla became Poor Old Lu and they released a number of albums . Aaron Sprinkle also sang and played...
to comment on, with the goal of them two completing the record together, like they had Suburbiac. But this was not to be, Fugitive Records (after only three releases) closed their doors indefinitely and left Shane to his own devices. Disappointed with all the false promises of Fugitive, he started using his songwriting as a tool to combat the evils of the industry, penning the industry bashing, "I Smell A Lawsuit" and "Cheep Up Baby" the paranoia of "My Paranoid Mind" and "What If", and the soul-searching of "Behind the Melody" (sung by baritone voiced, Jason Holstrom
Jason Holstrom
Jason Holstrom is a Seattle-based musician/producer. He is member of Seattle bands United State of Electronica and Wonderful....
). With this new fire under him, he took New Old Friends into a much more personal direction than Suburbiac. While the music was still melodic and catchy, instead of focusing on relationships (like Suburbiac) it focused more on Shane's emotional state at the time.
As he was busy preparing the record, he fired his lawyer, his publicist, acquired new management and got his brother involved with his website and album artwork. Now he was ready to take things on with more control and focus. But he still needed a helping hand to finish the album to his degree of perfection. It was in Jason Holstrom
Jason Holstrom
Jason Holstrom is a Seattle-based musician/producer. He is member of Seattle bands United State of Electronica and Wonderful....
, of his beloved Wonderful and former band-mate in USE, that he found the collaboration needed to help make this dream come true. Through a series of emails Jason helped show Shane that he could turn his "demos" into the masterpieces he saw in them. Jason initially did a few mixes without Shane, but once Shane heard the results he was overjoyed at the sound, and was more than happy to join in the fun. By September 2003, the team had mixed over 15 songs, and wanted to share some of the results, so the CPR EP was released. Featuring "CPR", "You Can't Make New Old Friends", and "(Why Don't You) Come Around" (available on the Japanese, A Matter of Time collection).
Release details
New Old Friends was initially released independently in February 2004, with a different cover (see below), showing Shane and a few of the contributing musicians. The album was eventually picked up by Seattle indie label, Made In Mexico Records and released in November with a new layout and artwork by Shane's brother, Brandon Tutmarc.. The album garnered rave reviews from local media like The Seattle Times, The Stranger and KEXP, as well as national praise from Allmusic.com and many end-of-the-year polls (including #3 on the Three Imaginary Girls Top 100 of 2004).New Old Friends tour
Tutmarc gathered some musicians, including future Fleet Foxes leader Robin PecknoldRobin Pecknold
Robin Noel Pecknold is an American singer, guitarist and principal songwriter for the band Fleet Foxes.-Biography:He formed Fleet Foxes with guitarist and friend Skyler Skjelset while the two were at school...
, and hit the road for his first full US tour with label-mates The Catch in Spring 2005. Despite the great press and the US tour, the album never received substantial radio play or sales. It was after this tour that Shane quietly disbanded Dolour, and didn't play shows or release any more music til he formed Shane Tutmarc & the Traveling Mercies and Dolour's swan song The Years in the Wilderness in 2007.
Musicians
- Craig Curran - bass
- Jason HolstromJason HolstromJason Holstrom is a Seattle-based musician/producer. He is member of Seattle bands United State of Electronica and Wonderful....
- saxophone, ukelele, vocals - Eric Howk - lead and rhythm guitar
- Sugar McGuinn - bass, percussion
- Paul Mumaw - drums
- Phil Peterson - cello, string bass, trumpet, violin, synth, vocals, etc.
- Jon E Rock - percussion
- Joey Sanchez - drums
- Jesse Sprinkle - drums
- Shane TutmarcShane TutmarcShane Tutmarc is an American musician. He is the great-grandson of Paul Tutmarc, who has been credited as the inventor of the electric bass . His grandfather, Bud Tutmarc, was a well-known Hawaiian steel guitar player. Shane was the leader of Seattle band Dolour from 1997 to 2007...
- vocals, piano, guitar, synth, bass, percussion, etc. - Noah Weaver - piano
Trivia
- "I Smell A Lawsuit" is featured prominently in the 2007 documentary A Lawyer Walks Into A BarA Lawyer Walks into a BarA Lawyer Walks Into a Bar... is a 2007 independent film about lawyers, law school, the California Bar exam, and the obsession America has with its legal system...
. - Shane has said that "anxiety" is the theme of the record. http://www.tabletmag.com/85/music/85_hooks_for_days.shtml
- October 29 is the date that Suburbiac was released in 2002.
- "(Why Don't You) Come Around" a b-side from the New Old Friends sessions is now available on the "A Matter of Time" best-of collection thru the band's website.
- The lyric: "there's Jon E Rock, who'd he bring with him tonight?" (Before Tonight Big Party) is a reference to friend and sometime collaborator, Jon E Rock of United State of ElectronicaUnited State of ElectronicaThe United State of Electronica, or U.S.E., is a Seattle, Washington-based dance/rock band formed in 2002. It includes the four members of the band Wonderful: Jason Holstrom , Jon e...
and Wonderful fame. - The only songs never played live were "Behind the Melody" (which features lead vocals by Jason Holstrom on the album) and "What If?"