Full moon tonight.

Before there was High Places, there was Transformation Surprise (me solo) and the Urxed (Rob solo). Rob has been playing some Urxed shows here and there lately, but Transformation Surprise hasn't seen the light of day since April '06. That's all going to change on January 4th when T.S. appears with Xiu Xiu, Congs for Brums, and Disaster at the Lutheran Church in Greenpoint, as part of the Xiu Xiu Polaroid Book Release Party.

shocking.....

I guess I grew up listening to "extreme" music; hardcore, punk, death and speed metal, industrial and rap. However this band has the most startling front people I have ever seen.

Thank you New Wave Theater! Thank you cable acess!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Wave_Theatre

Lyrics to the four songs on our Myspace page.

SHARED ISLANDS
"Day One of film shoot
L.A. sky- white with slight blue
Palm trees
More about the anticipation of something to come than just a nothingness or boredom"
Ooooh we could talk and talk about sitting together in silence
I haven't slept a wink in a week just thinking about sleeping

This is where I go to meet you
I'll crane my neck and close my eyes
The sun's too bright
You're far away

On a gloomy beach in the south of France
We will have the sand in our pockets for a long time
If we're quiet we can stay the night
It's okay it's all right it's okay it's all right, etc.

All night, all night
And what is it on a postcard
All night, all night
And what is it on a postcard

It only goes without saying that this includes shared islands, twilights, deserts, seas, the deer of Nara, some books, and engravings.

GOLDEN
All along you were here despite your absence
Wrote a song to fill you in on what you're missin', Phil.
What went wrong?
It doesn't matter
The bronze ladder's almost done
We'll climb it later inside the magic crater.

HEAD SPINS
When we sat on the floor
I was floored
I was floored
The words you spoke that night
They struck a chord
You struck a chord
And we talked about all kinds of things
Of dinosaurs and seagulls' wings
And where the ocean meets the forest
This is where we sing the chorus:
Ah-ha-ha-ha you're a pretty girl.

COSMONAUT
Last night I woke up startled from another falling dream
It was embedded in my memory from when my fam'ly lived in trees
And I've read a lot of books about the future of the sun
And how my great-great-great-great-grandfather might have been a monkey's son

There's a man down on the corner
With a weathered wrinkled face
He says that planet Earth is not his home
No he comes from Outer Space

And we're all full of questions
And we would like to know just exactly where we came from
And exactly where we'll go

Well I know my limitations
And I know that I don't know
But still I know the constellations and I know the falling snow.


Random Trivia:
"Shared Islands" is inspired by the John Berger book Here is Where We Meet and by a trip I took in May to John Berger's house in the French Alps. The opening quote is from a postcard from David Horvitz.
"Golden" was written in memory of my dear friend Phil Mayben and it mentions James Turrell's Roden Crater.
"Greeting the light" is inspired by a quote from James Turrell's grandmother about Quakerism. I gave James Turrell a copy of the song when I met him at the Manhattan Friends meeting house last winter.

I miss being.....

Tan.

P.M.A. approach to winter.

What if you woke up every morning to a Lou Reed soundtrack and every afternoon you ate papaya salad?
What if a photographer followed you around every day and took a photo every time you drank coffee or wiped snot with your hand?
I want to live in the cat ranch in Whiskers (the holistic pet care store on E. 9th). Did you know they make bubbles for cats with catnip in the bubbles? Granola just collapsed from a catnip high. Do I talk about the cats too much?

Show in Miami!! Tour with Lucky Dragons/Hawnay Troof!!

Hey there!
Dudes! It's snowing in NYC (RAD), but this time tomorrow we will be on a beach (RAD)! The cats are being annoyingly cute! It's the Festival of Lights! Hot (or cold?) diggity! It feels like we haven't played in like forever, and then after this block of shows, we wont be playing again (in NYC, at least) for a couple months. FYI, the Mercury Lounge show w/ Yeasayer on the 15th is sold out, so please come the Brooklyn show, so we can hang out!

MIAMI
Thursday, December 6th
PS1/MOMA, Dublab, and GeneratorsMiami organised a cool Miami/Basel event with High Places and Daedelus (Ninjatune) at the Upper East Side Garden, which is this rad artist-created minigolf course/sculpture park.
8PM to Midnight
7244 Biscayne Blvd.
Miami, FL 33138
Telephone: 305.984.3231

Then we fly back Saturday morning and start our mini-tour with Lucky Dragons and Hawnay Troof!!

PHILADELPHIA
Saturday, December 8th, 7pm-10pm SHARP!
Lucky Dragons, Hawnay Troof, High Places
@ Space 1026
1026 Arch St. 2nd fl.
www.space1026.com

BALTIMORE
Sunday, December 9th
Lucky Dragons, Hawnay Troof, High Places & (locals) Thank You
@ Floristree (directly after the Weedsnake Dinner)
405 w. Franklin St. 6th Floor
www.myspace.com/floristree

BROOKLYN
Monday, December 10th
Lucky Dragons, Hawnay Troof, High Places, Vivian Girls, and possibly a super secret guest.
@ Death By Audio
49 S. 2nd St. (btwn Wythe & Kent)

ALSO....
Buy the new David Scott Stone CD on PPM Records, RIGHT NOW! It rules!
If you are in NYC tonight, go to the Shrigley release show @ the Knitting Factory w/ Yacht, Tussel, Phil Elvrum & more!
If you are in Miami Friday, go to the ANP show with Soiled Mattress, Car Clutch, and (I think??) White Williams
Soiled Mattress and the Springs are touring up the East Coast so check them out! They are playing Tampa tonight!
www.myspace.com/soiledmattressandthesprings

Last night it was snowing here in Michigan as I drove to my parents' house from Kalamazoo. An 8 year old boy on my flight from NYC said he works in Manhattan telling jokes. He has $5025. The $25 was from his parents for his birthday. His little sister Ingrid had a suitcase shaped like Cinderella's carriage. She kept telling her brother that he should get a suitcase like hers.
My sister and I went to the local brewery/music venue here that is closing at the end of the week. Trains passed by the window as snow swirled around. We saw old friends from childhood and found out that everyone is married, teaching at our old high school, or having babies. Today is Thanksgiving and I am thankful for red cabbage, fake gravy and tofurkey.

We have two new songs on two neat-o compilations!

Esopus Magazine has a new issue out that comes with a CD of eleven songs that were written about or inspired by dreams submitted by Esopus readers. It was such a cool new way to write a song!

Esopus CD #9: Dreams

Black Moth Super Rainbow: "One Day I Had an Extra Toe"
White Whale: "A Heavenly Light That Shines"
Paavoharju: "Sumuvirsi"
Hank: "Me and My Daddy Are Walking in the Desert"
Ida: "Moon Flower"
Dirty Projectors: "One Kill"
High Places: "Oceanus"
Califone: "Two/The Machinery in Your Stomach Has Everything to Do With Your Dreams"
Lucy Wainwright Roche: "Poison"
Ta'Raach & the Lovelution: "Montparnasse"
Cheval Sombre: "I Sleep"

You can preview whole cd here.

You can also (via Pitchfork) stream the Dirty Projectors song One Kill.

AND.....

Our Australian label dudes Mistletone just released this holiday compilation CD. The profits from the CD sales will benefit an Australian animal shelter.

Here's the track listing:

Evangelicals: The Last Christmas On Earth 4:10
Barrage: Xmas in July 3:12
John Maus: This IS The Beat 2:29
High Places: New Grace 2:12
Ned Collette Band: Christmas Song 4:14
The Sticks: Santa’s Fucked 2:10
Kes Band: Gentle Elf 5:12
Pikelet: Let the Tree Be 2:40
Francis Plagne: Krampus with Scale by the Moon 2:32
Grand Salvo featuring Oliver Mann: I Sometimes Wish 2:16
Ross McLennan: He Seems To Think We’re His Family 3:36
Hands On Heads: Witches & Lightning 2:44
Jack Ladder: All You Get’s a Song 3:52

Listen to John Maus' This IS The Beat
And here is an mp3 of our contribution New Grace.

If you have an hour and a half......

We strongly recommend the Peanut Butter Solution! As if childhood isn't jacked enough, we had films such as this to make us feel normal (?). Weird understated dialogue, totally sad lighting, creepy father daughter dynamic, a frightening pubic hair scene and a total WTF plot with digressions out the wazoo.
The Peanut Butter Solution (French title: Opération beurre de pinottes) is a 1985 family film. The movie was directed by Michael Rubbo and is the 2nd in the Tales for All (Contes Pour Tous) series of children's movies created by Les Productions la Fête.

Michael Baskin is an average 11-year old boy. One day, Michael and his friend Connie find an abandoned mansion. Michael looks in the window, has an extraordinary fright, and loses his hair as a result. After a few failed attempts to get hair on his head again, Michael finds out about a magical formula for hair growth, whose main ingredient is peanut butter. But this formula works so well that his hair grows too fast, and doesn't stop. The art teacher at Michael's school, simply called the Signor, frightens children with his presence and is eventually fired. The Signor eventually finds out about Michael's condition and kidnaps him (and many other neighborhood children) to make magic paint brushes from Michael's ever-growing hair. Soon, it's up to Michael's friends to find where he is and rescue him.-Wikipedia

Radical!

Ultimate Fall Tour, 2007

Hi friends! We did a little midwest tour with the Blow & Saturday Looks Good To Me a couple weeks ago. Also along the way we crossed paths in a couple spots with the homies, Video Hippos. Made new homie-dom with HEALTH. Then CMJ struck. And we were off again to Chicago to play Ladyfest! We also had good hang sessions with the Pearsons in MI.

Again, I apologise for not photographing awesome key zones like Grinnell, Minneapolis, and Chicago (twice). Sometimes I would rather experience stuff with my eyes and non digital senses, so I get a little spotty with the digi-documenting.



Apple orchards with Bri! Otsego, MI


This dude is Brian Pearson. Total ruler, and Mary's big brother! Otsego, MI


You all are the apples of my eyes. Otsego, MI


Ch ch ch ch ch.... (cue Chariots of Fire soundtrack) Brian & Lake Michigan. Saugatuck, MI


In our quest for "Ultimate Fall" adventures, we figured attending a High School football game was the right thing to do. The cheerleaders yelled at Mary for picking up their giant football prop. Gobles, MI


This isn't some comment on veganism, I swear. I just thought the milk aisle at Meijer looked all Damien Hirst or something. Plainwell, MI


I really didn't want this put on the internet, but Mary insisted. We were trying to take a "really awkward" photo. The employees at Meijer seemed stressed out by our hanging around and giggling loudly in the training bra section, wearing Halloween masks. Plainwell, MI


Old Halloween photo of Mary as Anne of Green Gables' best friend Diana. What an odd child.


We had an unexpected crossing of paths with the recently relocated Jae Choi and MoMo. U of IA Writer's Workshop, holy crap! Iowa City, IA


Tofu scamble INSIDE a vegan waffle. WTF!? Iowa City, IA


Seems like a nice place to reside in for a while. Yikes! Iowa City, IA


Night on Bald Mountain scene from Fantasia. The Blow @ the Wexner Center for the Arts. Columbus, OH


The Blow, Saturday Looks Good To Me, High Places, and Ray. Wexner Center, Columbus, OH


After our show at the Wexner, we went a couple blocks to see Delay play a basement show at the Legion Of Doom house, which is a little more what we are used to. Columbus, OH


We stayed at the rad Monster house, permanent home to the Delay brothers, and temporary hostel to our friend Paul Baribeau. This feline dude kept me company while I sat on the front porch at 3am. I didn't catch her name. Columbus, OH


There is a lot happening in this photo. Monster House. Columbus, OH


Hot woodland legs! Wellington, OH


Wellington, OH


Wellington, OH


Wellington, OH


BONK! Wellington, OH


New dashboard for Ultimate Fall!


Video Hippos! Oberlin, OH


Mosh pit for HEALTH. Oberlin, OH


However, no mosh pit at the Gramercy Theatre show. NYC


We were back in Chicago a week later for Ladyfest (AWESOME!). So we stopped in Plainwell to hang out with Brooklyn Reid, and get ruckus on some leaf piles.

"Mary plays the baz-oon and drives a Cadillac she calls Edgar."

We are working on a remix right now. Last night we recorded bassoon for it. I started to think about the last time I played bassoon and I got so depressed thinking about how long it's been (since I recorded "Green Tea at Denny's" for the Xiu Xiu polaroid book CD?? I don't even want to know how many months ago that was...Oh, you can get that book/CD here). I played bassoon religiously from sixth grade through college (I majored in bassoon performance). I always pictured my life centering around the instrument. My family would visit cities and point out the orchestral halls to me saying, "Maybe you will work there someday." I open up the newsletter for the musicians' union and I rarely see openings for bassoon positions, and most days I feel my decision to pursue other things was a wise one... But some days I'm not so sure and I feel a little heart broken about giving up.

Joan Didion, Italo Calvino, or Daniel Pinchbeck?

Does the world need more songs about death and sorrow, ancient urban imagery, or psychedelic shamanism and crop circles?

We went to the Midwest again. Tell Rob to post photos.

hold on to summer, or embrace fall...

....which will then become winter. The morning glorys I planted on our roof in Spring are all withered, yet they are still flowering like crazy. I was sort of sad yesterday, but I have to keep in mind how much I love the change of seasons.

Fall is prime surfing season on the East Coast. Would a special homie be up for a trip Sunday?

"Surf and Destroy", by Bl'ast!, Santa Cruz, 1987

Home body.

Photos by Vice Cooler. HP at 21 Grand, Oakland CA: August 2007.

I think I accidentally consumed dairy products 4 times while we were on tour in the Midwest last week. The rest of the time I pretty much just ate Sun Chips and bagels and other empty carbohydrates (and some really good Chinese food in Oberlin, and waffles with tofu scramble inside them in Iowa City!!). Now that we're home, I am hooked on making yakisoba with napa, abura-age, daikon, garlic, and enoki mushrooms. Try it. You can't mess up. Probably.

I think I pointed out 65% of the deciduous trees along U.S. 80 in Pennsylvania to Rob. They were such pretty rainbow colors and I couldn't stop pointing at each one and telling Rob to look. Now we're home and I can't stop picking up the cats and making Rob look at how cute they are.

Hello?

PODCAST-AGE (Posted 9/15/07)

HEY HEY! WE JUST PUT TOGETHER A PODCAST FOR THE UK LABEL CAFF/FLICK THAT IS CO-RELEASING OUR PICTURE DISC WITH DAVID HORVITZ. DOWNLOAD THE PODCAST HERE. AND HERE IS THE TRACK LIST:

1. Mika Miko "Wild Bore" 0:00
2. Atlas Sound "River Card" 1:34
3. Extreme Animals "Fat on Tour" 4:50
4. Corpsekisser "Everything is a Horror Movie" 8:39
5. David Scott Stone "La Queue du Chat Manquant" 9:34
6. Lloyd and Michael "I Stall (The Coming of Bees)" 12:12
7. xBxRx "Sentido Roto" 15:38
8. Invisible Conga People "Live Recording" 17:34
9. Pit Er Pat "Dogtown (Yoko Ono cover)" 20:59
10. Marnie Stern "Absorb Those Numbers" 25:13
11. Breezy Days Band "Live Youtube Bootleg" 28:27
12. The Moon Knights "Lose" 30:04
13. Car Clutch "Untitled" 32:39
14. Ecstatic Sunshine "Felt Flag" 35:00
15. Milton Melvin Croissant III "Lives of Leaves" 40:09
16. Abe Vigoda "Animal Ghosts" 45:35
17. Pictureplane "Day Glowwed" 47:32
18. Soft Circle "Ascend" 52:01





HERE IS ANOTHER PRE-ORDER PAGE FOR THAT UPCOMING AFOREMENTIONED PICTURE DISC.

IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR SOME LIGHT READING MATERIAL, THE FADER JUST POSTED A NICE LITTLE Q & A WITH US.

THAT'S ALL FOR NOW.

High Places/Soft Circle Summer ’07 US Tour! (Posted 8/31/07)

I (Rob) usually take a fair amount of photos on trips, but for some reason they never see the light of day, unless Mary goes through them and posts them. I was really inspired to change that with this tour. I do go through periods where I don't take photos, hence some major holes in the travel route. I REALLY regret not photographing Whartscape in Baltimore because it was mind blowing. Thanks to all friends and family who took us in and hung out, and all the new friends we made. Thanks to Hisham for being an amazing friend.

David Horvitz made a rad tour video of CA when Luke (Lucky Dragons) joined us on tour, as well as a sweet video for a song called Greeting the Light which will be on a split 7" with Big A little a, that will commemorate Fiona and BJ's marriage.


HP near Silver Plume CO. Totally soaked my feet after setting the timer.


Tiny Storm, Near Cisco (site), UT. Utah is hands down my favorite state.


Unsafe abandoned mine, near Moab, UT.


Robbie B and the Colorado River, near Moab, UT. Photo: Mary


Good evening, near Monticello, UT


San Juan River, near Mexican Hat, UT. One of my favorite spots in UT. I was so amped to see it again. We rolled in at like 1am in total darkness and slept about 10 feet from the edge of a 1000 ft gorge. This was Mary's first view of the morning when she woke.


Kale & Brooklyn Reid , Prescott, AZ. Stayed with Mary's sister Katie's amazing family.


Kale Reid


Brooklyn Reid


First spotted seguro, near Cave Creek, AZ.


The main proprietor of Trunk Space. Phoenix, AZ. I totally love playing this place and the people rule. Photo: Mary


Sweet cakes, West Hollywood, CA.


Rob Barber & Dean Spunt, total d-bags. West Hollywood, CA. Photo: Jennifer Clavin


Best shirt EVER. Michele Suarez, West Hollywood, CA.


Doug Aitken's fish and amazing backyard, Venice Beach, CA. Doug, Hisham and I went surfing as the sun set next to the pier. Doug has more boards kicking around his yard than most shops, and he lives next door to John Lydon.


Randy Randall's inter-species life partner Cornelius & discarded X-mas tree, Hollywood CA. I'm sort of obsessed with No Age's yard decor. It gets better every time.


Mika Miko, TV appearance, Los Angeles. Hisham and I sat in and played boombox and beach ball during Capricorinations.


Hisham @ Dublab. The nicest dudes ever. Los Angeles, CA


Rob and Ashley Cramer in a B-Boy stance. Echo Park, CA.


Michael and Juan Vigoda, Echo Park, CA.


Powdered Wigs @ Ché Café, La Jolla/San Diego, CA


Hisham w/ Halford's donated mic stand and the La Jolla rulers.


Marnie and Fig, San Diego, CA. NYC in SD! Rad surprise!


JP and his peoples, San Diego, CA. His house makes my parents house look like a squat.


Hisham and Doom, San Diego, CA.


Vice Cooler, Steve Touchton, and Sheila forever! Oakland, CA.


John Benson (left) and the crew of his converted Muni veggie-biodiesel bus, Oakland, CA. Easily one of the nicest and most inspiring people I have ever met.


Soft Circle plays John Benson's bus, Oakland, CA.


Vegan Donuts! HP, VC & Steve Touchton, Oakland, CA.


Breezy Days Band @ 21 Grand, Oakland, CA. Note yoga ball for drum thrown. He would also do his crash hits by picking them up and dropping them on the floor. Total next level pop.


Lucky Dragons @ 21 Grand, Oakland, CA.


High Places, Soft Circle, Lucky Dragons and Hawnay Troof did a collaborative acoustic set in a creek bed next to a crater! Berkeley/Oakland Hills, CA


Dave & Frank, our amazing crater hosts, Berkeley/Oakland Hills, CA


I love moss, Berkeley/Oakland Hills, CA


This dude snuck up on me, Berkeley/Oakland Hills, CA


Big Hisham & Lil' Hisham, near Legget, CA


Fogged in and surrounded by coyotes, near Shelter Cove, CA


HP, SC, LD, D2, Greenhouse, Arcata, CA


Worm (in doorway) and human pal Doug, Greenhouse, Arcata, CA


This Charming Man, Trinidad Head, CA


HP and Dawn Riddle friend session, Portland, OR


Idaho woods


Milton Melvin Croissant III, or you can just call him Buddy, Denver, CO.


Pictureplane, @ Rhinoceropolis, Denver, CO. These Denver kids really get down!


Maybe it's just that I live in NYC, but we stayed in some of the radest houses! Nick's House, Denver, CO.


Even though I'm straightedge, drug signs always crack me up.


Rob Lowe, Hisham, & Butchy Fuego @ Karen's Vegan Restaurant, Chicago, IL. I had vegan coconut cream pie!


Lichens, Secret Gardens, Pit Er Pat, Soft Circle, represent! Chicago, IL


Soft Circle tears it up at Vox Populi Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

Videos By David Horvitz:




Additional tour photos can be viewed here.

We're really sorry our merch. table got a little skimpy towards the end of the tour. Here are some new HP merch. items for you to peruse:
A limited edition collection of photographs from this past tour with HP, Soft Circle, and Lucky Dragons by David Horvitz. Published by Glaciers of Nice and also available for purchase here.

You can also pre-order our picture disc that is soon to be released on Caff/Flick and Reverse Retro. Both sides of the disc have photos by David Horvitz, and the 7" contains two brand new HP songs. Only 500 of these babies are being made, so hurry and pre-order before they are all gone.