Babelshack: News

Mr. David Hixon, famed bassist and engineer of "Return of the Bottom Feeder" is rumored to be returning from South America at the end of August. With this and the work with Dylan Blanchard and Dylan McDowell in the weeks before that, things could be looking up for our recording schedule. I'm also looking at putting together a couple of dates at CSF -- please stay tuned.

Hi everyone. Looks like there may be something of a reunion this summer -- Dylan McDowell and Dylan Blanchard are rumored to be back around Satan Fe (sic) in July -- so stay tuned. Looking at an EP rather than a two disc set (with tail between legs in the planning stage) but you know, maybe sooner rather than later. Just watch a lot of The Daly Show while we're booking a couple of spots and recording for the first time in months. Babelshack

Will be working in the studio for at least several months -- also discussing a video plan with David Hixon and Buzz (see archive journal on Buzz). January 2008 is actually ambitious considering all that we have in mind, but it is the goal.

Collector's t-shirts in anticipation of the release will be available soon -- please check for updates.

The latest plan is to perform three times with the Dylans (McDowell and Blanchard) at house parties and College of Santa Fe campus parties; record each performance and spend the first half of the new year mixing them into a live record; meanwhile recording another studio record simultaneously. This could mean a record release party sometime around fall of 2008 for a two disc Babelshack album. Expect surprises and guests on the studio disc, and plenty of the raw energy that has defined the band on the live disc. It'll be an all around hoot guar-on-teed, so stay tuned.

Babelshack warmly welcomes Dylan Blanchard into the band. He adds a delightful new feel to the "same old played out tunes," and holds a solid place alternating between bass and drums. This gives the other Dylan (Mr. McDowell, long running song-writer and monster drummer) a chance to get out from behind his kit every once in a while, and makes for an endless supply of stage humor to come, being that the rhythm section consists entirely of Dylans.

Now those long moments on stage when we're not playing music for whatever reasons will just fly by.

End communication.

Babelshack is looking for a steady, available bassist. Barnaby will be heading to Europe with his wife in October, thus the Cafe Sappho gig. We are waiting to hear from KUNM to see if they want to tape a show in support of the UNM noontime show
(listed under calendar.) We'll see how they feel about calling a duo a band -- come on, Matthew, Ween does it all the time. And who were those blonde big hair metal
singers in the 90s -- glam rock, shit my memory is gone. Twins I think -- Hanckering? Hand-bin? Manderin?

Hansen. Now there's a comparison that ought to get us some airtime.

We got a brief invitation to become friends on myspace from a man going by Buzz in Richmond. It happens that I've done some studio work in that area, recording singing choruses for rappers to use between verses, also some guitar work, but anyway, I was curious and we began to talk. He is a hip-hop artist looking to cross with other genres -- he's also putting a compilation together which is going to include a Babelshack track. Check him out --
www.myspace.com/richmondcalifornia
www.myspace.com/filmnetwork

Westin McDowell will be leaving indefinitely (for at least a few months) on travels, and so we'll be looking to find a long-term sub or replacement who can play guitar, maybe keys, and sometimes bass. Hoping to keep it a trio since we enjoyed the last show at Sol Arts Space that way.

We'll be at an art space with some new friends called Sabertooth Cavity. By friends I mean people we've had barely enough communications with on Myspace to confirm the gig and realize its location. But they sound like a good band, from their recordings online.

I, Barnaby Hazen, will be playing bass live for the first time in ten years, at least as far as I can recall. Westin will be on all three of the insruments which are not drums in a typical rock lineup--not at the same time though. We've thrown the set together in a very Babelshackian way, at the last minute with minimal practice, but I like the three piece vibe and when Westin takes off for his indefinite travels I figure I'll stay on bass and look for a third who can shift around the way Westin's doing now. We'll see -- but as I mentioned in the email about this show, we aren't dead yet. Keep an eye out for us -- Barnaby Babelshack.

Still writing songs and looking over August dates for KUNM and Albuquerque -- this'll be the last push for Babelshack's Spring/Summer donation to Musician's Village (1/2 of all merchandise sales, including those made online will go to Habitat for Humanity). Purchase something of ours here on the site, or donate directly to the cause on the link below:

http://www.habitat-nola.org/projects/musicians_village.php

"Actually, I don't remember that there was ever any question of me doing anything but playing music. The only question for me was where I was going to play next."