SPEED PASSION'S EBB AS WE GREET ITS FLOW

Good morning Speedsters,

We are fresh off our appearance at Unread Recors & Tape's 19th Annual Junkfest. We were fortunate enough to take part in this wonderful event, marshalled by Unread's inimitable, Christopher Fischer. Money made its way into the box and electricity abounded. We shared the floor with the likes of Charlie McAlister, Chauchat, The Debts, Simon Joyner, Ed Gray, the Prairies, Lonnie Methe, Places we Slept and Ender. This was Unread's last Hoorah in Omaha as Chris is re-locating to Pittsburgh in January. We will miss the glow and hum of mid-town Omaha in November. On tap were several of Unread's new releases, including our Godspeed triple tape, our new cassingle (on CDR), a brand new Unread compilation (featuring ramon speed's "Little Teisco") and tapes and records from Charlie McAlister, Noah Sterba, David Kenneth Nance and others. This show was also, in a fashion, David Nance's Omaha swan song as he is departing the Good Life for the good life in Los Angeles. So, it was particularly great to spend an evening at the old Gunboat with David, Simon, Chris (x2) and all the Omaha folk. As my good friend re-iterates, you can take the punk out of the basement, but you can't take the basement out of the punk.

If you were not at Junkfest (and you should've been) you can find the Godspeed triple tape (complete with digital downloads), as well as a host of other great music here:

http://www.unread-records.com/releases/godspeed.html

Also, the w/Wooden Horses cassingle is out now on Almost Halloween Time Records. This four-song cassingle is limited to a run of 31 copies, each with hand painted covers done by AHT's artist in residence and chief, Luigi Falagario. I have CDR's available also, but take a run at getting one of the coveted originals here:

http://www.underwaternow.com/store.htm

Having put the past to rest, ramon speed will now endeavor in the new year toward new tunage. Rob, Kevin and George will be working on a full length of all new material come 2013. We also are planning an Eastward venture taking us through Ann Arbor and hopefully as far as Sandy battered N.J.

We are thankful this time of year for good family, good friends and great tunage. If you have questions or concerns, love or hate mail, please contact us at:

speed.ramon@yahoo.com

 'til 2013, speed on.

- ramon

Blessed rage for order......

There is stuff going on in the Speed universe.

GODSPEED

First, the Godspeed re-release on Unread Records & Tapes is nigh comlete. Assembly of the Godspeed triple tape re-issue/redux/release (no easy task) is in its final stages. Chris at Unread forcasts a release this month (R-October).  As noted, this is a re-release of the original double tape released as Eunuch-20 on Sing, Eunuchs!  The third tape is unreleased, live or compilation material, which was collected from the time period surrounding the original Godspeed release. The release comes replete with a booklet, musings from Chris Fischer, Simon Joyner and myself about Godspeed and in a handsome triple tape case. Purchasers will receive digital download codes and the first purchasers will receive a "bonus" gift. So, that is that.

W/ WOODEN HORSES

Also, due out this week is the Ramon Speed w/ Wooden Horses Cassingle, being published by our friend Luigi Falagario and his Almost Halloween Time Records. This release, limited to 31 copies (each of which will have hand drawn covers), features ramon speed with special guest performers/authors - Wooden Horses, who is: Ryan Anderlee on baritone guitar, Jourdain LaFramboise on drums and Erin Wolf on keyboards.  These four songs, composed by ramon speed and Wooden Horses, include a pre-imagining of the song "36,000 feet" (a later version of which is featured on ramon speed's Effulgence and Alacrity ep - Unread #88) plus three other new songs. Luigi has slated publication for this week. Keep your eye on AHT's presence at: http://www.underwaternow.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Almost-Halloween-Time-Records/211257998912841?fref=ts. for further details.

UNREAD RECORDS & TAPES JUNKFEST - YEAR 18

Finally, ramon speed is happy to be participating in the Unread Records & Tapes Junkfest - Year 18. ramon speed will appear along side:

CHARLIE MCALISTER
SIMON JOYNER
JOE KILE
ED GRAY
THE PRARIES
CALEB FRAID
CHAUCHAT
THE DEBTS
NUTRITION FUN
LONNIE METHE
PLACES WE SLEPT

This spectacular event will be held at the olde gunboat hause on Saturday, November 24th 2012 (no time slotz yet...we're told).  This is an incompareable lineup. ramon speed had the pleasure of appearing at last year's junkfest (year 17) along with Simon Joyner, The Debts (k/t/a the Fools), David Kenneth Nance (of the Prairies), Ed Gray and Nutrition Fun.  This year's lineup boasts the edition of excellent Unread artists Lonnie Methe, Places we Slept, Chauchat, Caleb Fraid (possibly), Joe Kile and Charile McAlister. It is sure to burn with the deep hot intensity of many suns. We anxiously await.

ONWARD

Then, that's all the old stuff. We look at the end of this year and the beginning of next toward the production of a full length of all new material, which is new. Seriously.

 It is a nervous, new world.

Listening to:

Simon Joyner - Ghosts (Yes, still. You should be too)
Kids of the Atomic Age - Fight Songs 
Tanlines - Mixed Emotions
De Portables - It's Time to Leave this World Behind
Cloud Nothings - Cloud Nothings

Good God Speed

All,

I last posted in January of this year. At that time I indicated I would not make any further posts until the Godspeed remix, reissue, redux (whatever) project was done.

I am happy to announce that this project is in its final stages, which means it is out of my hands. As I have mentioned, this project will be a triple tape release. There will be a reissue of a remix of the original Godspeed double tape, originally published in 1995 as Eunuch - 20.  This was ramon speed's last cassette release and there would be no ramon speed music published until Unread Records & Tapes release of the Effulgence and Alacrity - ep in 2010.  This remix, reissue, redux (whatever) will also include a third tape of extras, which is entirely previously unreleased material including original recordings, live recordings, radio performances and compilation appearnaces.  This material was all originally created fairly contemporaneous to the original Godspeed release. I am excited about this release. It will be published with a booklet with liner notes written by Simon Joyner and Unread's Chris Fischer, whose relentless pursuit of this project made it possible. We anticipate a release date of October 2012 and although it will be formally released in the unprecedented (for ramon speed) format of a triple tape, it will also be available for digital download.

It goes without saying that this project took a great deal of effort. Each song from the original Godspeed (save three) was remixed from original master recordings. The original masters for the three alluded to have been either lost or destroyed, so these songs appear on the release in the form of original mixdowns, made contemporaneous to the original release, but were not the final mixes for the release. Not bad for seventeen years later. Knew that I was hauling those old masters around for some purpose. In addition to the actual remixing, this project was very difficult because the original release, which was conceived as a whole cohesive piece back in 1995, trolls some of the darker times in the speed universe. Times that ultimately saw the whole speed joint shelved, tabled, abandoned (whatever) until it was resuscitated by Unread Records & Tapes in 2010.  Thus, an inherent problem existed in this project. It found me re-treading the speed burial grounds at exactly the time it was being brought back to life. However, as Fischer has told me, "let's bury these ghosts, good and deep...."   And so, that is what we're doing.  We are rendering to the past what is the past's.  Whether you are fond of the re-mixes or prefer the original, I think you will be impressed with the magnitude of this project.  The re-mixes tried to improve, technically, on the audio presentation of the original.  This is to say, I have tried to make it louder and bring it into sharper focus. In all events, I maintain that this piece contains some of the best material in the speed canon......for now.

What's next? There are two projects on the slate. First, I am finalizing the mixing for the "36,000 feet" cassingle, which will be released by Almost Halloween Records. This cassingle (also a new, but long overdue format for speed) features a re-imagining of "36,000 feet," from 2010's Effulgence and Alacrity - ep plus three.  All of these recordings come from sessions immediately preceding the sessions for that ep. Speed is backed, supported, assisted (whatever) by Wooden Horses, who is Jourdain LaFramboise, Ryan Anderlee and Erin Wolf.  I am excited about this release as I have been seeking to work with Almost Halloween's Luigi Aht Falagario for some time. I understand that these will be released, as has become Luigi's custom, with individually hand-drawn covers.

Following the Almost Halloween release, speed is retreating to the basement to record the twelve or so songs that have been written during the long slog that has been the Godspeed project. This will be the first new material  since the Effulgence and Alacrity - ep and will hopefully constitute the first "full length" speed record since Godspeed and its predecessors (My Speed and Edicts and Muskets).

And so, we're clear. The AED has spiked the speed pulse and we are up and we are running again. Hopefully with the long slog behind us, you'll hear from us more frequently here, like it or not.

GOOOOOOOODGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOODSPEEEEEEEEEEEEEED!


Listening to:

Simon Joyner - Ghosts

Dinosaur Jr. - I bet on Sky

Beachwood Sparks - The Tarnished Gold

Japandroids - Celebration Rock

ramon speed

ramon speed