I still can’t believe I’ve got the opportunity to work with an artist that has played a leading role in my education as an adult listener.
What I am now is a combination of all the great albums and cassette tapes I’ve listened in my life.
Wearing headphones, in my room, singing along, driving through the streets of Bari with tapes and cds in stereo, going to live shows. I’m not able to say how many hours I’ve spent listening to songs by Eric Gaffney or with Eric Gaffney playing instruments, singing. These would probably amount to months, years. To give you just a small idea of Eric’s influence in the lo fi home-taping scene: Eric has been recording on cassette since 1981, he founded ‘Grey Matter’ in 1983, wrote songs, drummed, started performing at hall shows, was part of the Western Mass Hardcore scene, drumming, writing lyrics, making a fanzine (Withdrawal), writing scene reports for Maximum Rock ‘N’ Roll, was the Lead singer of ‘No Preservatives,’ at age 16, he co-founded Sebadoh (and it’s not a secret that Sebadoh is one of my favorite bands of all times), after leaving Sebadoh, he embarked on a solo career’ recording some many great albums on cassette and cds, He currently sells music via his Bandcamp page and has sixteen records digitally distributed worldwide!!!! And believe me, these are all great. ‘Land of Make Believe’ is his first full length vinyl LP!!!! And I’m really proud to announce that Almost Halloween Time records is finally doing him justice!!! This is a limited edition of 110 copies, 25 available directly from Eric and 85 available from me. Both editions come with exclusive, all different hand drawn sleeves. Eric is drawing the ones for his copies and I’m drawing the ones for mine. Illustrations inspired by his lyrics that will see moose, beavers and mice, Phil Spector, Amazonian flies and other phantasmagoric characters taking the scene. As usual, I won’t have all the 85 sleeves ready at the same time and I will draw most of them as I receive orders, so please don’t hesitate to place yours if you want to see a Possum peeping out a commode triumphing on your copy.
Here’s what Erick Mertz (Bearded UK) says about this collection of songs: ”His newest release, Land Of Make Believe is a record that exists outside of time. This is the kind of gem-laden collection that reminds you why you loved lo-fi rock in the first place. The raw riffs of ‘What An Attitude’ feel like they could have been cranked out of one of the many beer filled troughs at Satyricon, his sneering critique of his dead-eyed neighbors on ‘America’s Drug’ is raw and blissfully wise ass in a post punk tradition. Gaffney lays everything bare on ‘Lake Of Make Believe’ (as he does on every recording) from his well heeled sense of humor ‘Howlin’ Krishna’ to his keen ability to pay homage to ’60’s garage on ‘No Telling Why’ to a dose of downtrodden blues on ‘Bouquet For A Siren’. This is the kind of variety which makes him such a rare and precious gem.”
If you are in the U.S. and want to order ”land of make believe” Lp from Eric…
