9.3.11
6.10.10
17.9.10
e-mail from good friend and fellow mandolinist
Next Thursday it is (for our last dinner meeting). I'm gonna miss you buddy. I was really looking forward to picking with you here in Eau Claire and working up some mando-magic. Then you could have put a Mando-Magic sticker on your office door across from Magic-Mama. You still can.
jake
jake
3.9.10
new banner etc.
nobody reads these so i can write anythig i fucnig want i can evan spel like shit an not use punctuatiom fuck you
25.8.10
The official 'Manure Hat'
Following their soon to be hit single 'Manure' the creative duo are proud to release the official limited edition 'Manure Hat' bearing their official logo stained to perfection! Pre-order yours now!
4.8.10
22.7.10
9.7.10
27.5.10
Accidently found this while looking for something else
Looks like a weird toy to buying for your kids...
8.5.10
Reflection by Martin B. Copenhaver
Recently I sat next to a man at the movies who spent the entire time working with his Blackberry hand-held computer and then sending text messages on his cell phone. Occasionally, he would look up at the big screen, but then he would bow his head to the tiny screens in his lap. Obviously, he had taken to heart the slogan from an ad campaign: "Now anyplace can be your workplace."
At first I was a bit annoyed, but then I came to have something like sympathy for the man because his behavior had the look and feel of addiction. More and more it seems as if we are addicted to busyness. It starts with alluring promises ("you will save time," "you will have more freedom"). Eventually, however, there is no pleasure in it. We feel trapped. Even though we may begin to sense, "This is not good for me," we no longer see a way out. We are stuck in patterns we didn't exactly choose and don't know how to change.
4.5.10
Cover Of The Month for May - Living On A Prayer
"We'll give it a shot"...so sings, Jon Bon Jovi in their '80s glory ballad "Living On A Prayer". For this month, Coconut and The Duke have given their best shot at reinventing the tune. The Invasive Folk duo have recorded their cover for Cover Me - an all-covers music blog. Listen for The Thinker on bass. Extra credit for identifying the chord changes.
Listen here
30.4.10
23.4.10
6.4.10
April Cover
Now that Spring has sprung and Nature is so very nice, Coconut and The Duke cover the song Nature Boy. The invasive folk duo dig a Gypsy/Jug Band groove on Eden Ahbez's jazz classic. This month's lineup includes The Duchess and Kinzy Janssen on vocals, Olaf Lind on violin and The Thinker on Castanetes and Fujara.
Have you ever wanted to help Coconut and The Duke pick a cover song? Now you can! Swing over to the Cover Me music blog, where you can vote on one of TEN possible songs. You only have until Wednesday to cast your vote. Then, sit back, relax and wait for May's reader selected cover song.
Listen:
Coconut and The Duke ∞ Nature Boy
29.3.10
3.3.10
March Cover
As the massive snow piles finally begin to melt and with Spring on the horizon, it is time to start thinking about American's favorite pass time. No, not baseball. Watching girls go by! Coconut and The Duke have recorded "Music To Watch Girls By" by Andy Williams to act as your soundtrack. For this month's cover, fellow-girl watcher Dr. Rob Swift aka "The Thinker" adds vocals and saxophones.
Listen:
Coconut and The Duke ∞ Music To Watch Girls By
7.12.09
1.12.09
'Tis the season for giving. Coconut and The Duke continue to give away free mp3s. But instead of a genre-bending reinteruptaion, the invasive folk duo have redone a jazz standard.
The band has paired up with Feed My People, an Eau Claire, Wisconsin foodbank, to give you "Brother Can You Spare A Dime?". The giving doesn't stop there. During the holidays, there is nothing better than a good hot meal. Please visit Feed My People on the web and donate.
Listen:
Coconut and The Duke ∞ Brother Can You Spare A Dime?
Feed My People
Band
20.10.09
New Song in the Works
Inspiration stuck me in the Maurer residence over the weekend. The quiet. The deer hunting. Fall = great for songwriting.
18.9.09
11.9.09
November's Cover
"Walcott" by these guys:
http://wakingupto.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/vampireweekend.jpg
http://wakingupto.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/vampireweekend.jpg
1.9.09
Cover Of The Month Club - September
For this month’s Cover Of The Month Club, Coconut and The Duke have turned Bryan Adams’ power-pop classic into a horn-driven soul-dub number. Bringing two extras into their invasive folk duo, Coconut and The Duke are pleased to have Luke Fischer on Falsetto vocals and Dr. Rob Swift on Bari Sax.
Listen:
Coconut and The Duke ∞ Run To You (Bryan Adams cover)
Watch:
13.8.09
4.8.09
Cover Of The Month Club - August
Coconut and The Duke have started a Cover of The Month Club. The first Tuesday of every month, the invasive folk duo will release a new cover song for free.
The first installment is a gypsy-ized version of Eddie Money’s classic Two Tickets To Paradise.
Listen:
Coconut and The Duke ∞ Two Tickets to Paradise
30.7.09
Process Q&As from Volume One Magazine (Eau Claire)
1) How do you two normally write songs? How do they get fleshed out and recorded, then?
Duke: Some of the songs on Bamboo were reworked drunken basement jams. Other songs were written independently and brought to the other person to add their special touch. And the last batch of songs were written in a truly collaborative effect; one of us would have a musical idea and the two of us would work with it until we got it right.
Coconut: I credit the Duke for recognizing those basement jams were worth keeping. There was one rare case where a dynamic melody came out of a very late and strange hour, it was just a matter of fitting lyrics to the melody there after. I would never have known this had the Duke not sent me a recording of that night. In other instances, I'll labor through 50 or 100 takes until I find what I'm looking for. And the Duke may not like what I send him in the end...I'll have to redo it! There is definitely a Coconut or Duke hand in each piece; however, nothing was done in the writing partnership without the other signing off on it. This was kind of painful at times. We had to be brutal to each other's work. But it was also freeing and fun once I realized, I do not need to have all the ideas.
2) Do you two still live far apart from each other? How often do you meet to practice/tour/play?
Duke: Being that we mostly work apart, we record parts of songs and share via email and ftp. Once all the parts are finished we assembled the songs little by little. Joe is in Eau Claire while Lucas lives in Bethlehem, PA. Outside of a Joe PA visit back in early May to finish up the album, we haven't played together since November 2008. There is no touring Coconut and The Duke at this time. But we are hoping to play out with some surrogate partners. If/when Lucas moves to the Midwest, there will be a touring Coconut and The Duke.
3) Is there a particular theme to "In the Bamboo..."? What do you normally write songs about?
Duke: If we were to give Bamboo a "concept" it would be the idea of things that invade. The title track is a lament about a possible future when exotic, invasive plant species overrun all native plants. We took the idea of invasives to another level in regards to the styles of music represented on the album. There is a surf song, a country ballad, a reggae tune, a spaghetti western ode to margaritas. Plus the usual more folky and jazzy stuff we are accustom to playing.
Coconut: We scrapped a lot of songs to arrive at an album 'concept'. We knew we wanted to try different popular content, but the music had to be interesting or something we'd want to listen to. I think we learned being able to write well crafted songs is being able to edit well.
Duke: I don't think we ever sat down and said, "Let's write a song about....". Most of the material came from an organic place and time. We never consciously set out to write a song about honeydippers (septic trucks). My son is fascinated by them. I had this melody and chord changes that sounded nice. I originally intended it to be an instrumental. But Joe thought it needed words. So we wrote and rewrote many verses until we came up with ones we liked. The best way to sum up our writing process is a line from the song 3rd Night - "The song has a mind of its own". As a duo, we let the music dictate where it was going.
Coconut: The benefit of being a song writing team is the themes or meaning end up being more dynamic than if I were to sit and write them myself. I like a little tension in the song. I like when art gives enough to make one curious, but does not give it all away. The songs 'Venison Jerky', 'Honeydipper' are "about" two distinct points of view. In 'Honeydipper' it's from the point of view of the user and the Honeydipper operator. Each of us wrote a verse. In 'Venison Jerky' we're talking about a severed relationship: my leave from the East Coast: my writing partnership with Lucas. We were singing to each other in that one.
4) Are you looking to someday pursue the project full-time? or is it more for fun?
Duke: Coconut and The Duke is a stress reliever. After a long day of being a stay-at-home dad, making music with Joe brought me back to earth. It keeps me sane. It would be great to generate enough income to sustain the duo and make more albums. I don't think we ever intended it to become a fulltime job.
Coconut: Song writing was the best therapy. Having gone through a very difficult divorce, break-up songs suddenly starting making a lot of sense. I'll keep my day job and continue to write songs. I'm of a the mindset that a person doesn't need to do one thing. The thinking of a Landscape Architect can apply to music.
Duke: We do it for fun, for our enjoyment. We believe our pleasure comes through in the music and can maybe, bring you some pleasure while listening.
Duke: Some of the songs on Bamboo were reworked drunken basement jams. Other songs were written independently and brought to the other person to add their special touch. And the last batch of songs were written in a truly collaborative effect; one of us would have a musical idea and the two of us would work with it until we got it right.
Coconut: I credit the Duke for recognizing those basement jams were worth keeping. There was one rare case where a dynamic melody came out of a very late and strange hour, it was just a matter of fitting lyrics to the melody there after. I would never have known this had the Duke not sent me a recording of that night. In other instances, I'll labor through 50 or 100 takes until I find what I'm looking for. And the Duke may not like what I send him in the end...I'll have to redo it! There is definitely a Coconut or Duke hand in each piece; however, nothing was done in the writing partnership without the other signing off on it. This was kind of painful at times. We had to be brutal to each other's work. But it was also freeing and fun once I realized, I do not need to have all the ideas.
2) Do you two still live far apart from each other? How often do you meet to practice/tour/play?
Duke: Being that we mostly work apart, we record parts of songs and share via email and ftp. Once all the parts are finished we assembled the songs little by little. Joe is in Eau Claire while Lucas lives in Bethlehem, PA. Outside of a Joe PA visit back in early May to finish up the album, we haven't played together since November 2008. There is no touring Coconut and The Duke at this time. But we are hoping to play out with some surrogate partners. If/when Lucas moves to the Midwest, there will be a touring Coconut and The Duke.
3) Is there a particular theme to "In the Bamboo..."? What do you normally write songs about?
Duke: If we were to give Bamboo a "concept" it would be the idea of things that invade. The title track is a lament about a possible future when exotic, invasive plant species overrun all native plants. We took the idea of invasives to another level in regards to the styles of music represented on the album. There is a surf song, a country ballad, a reggae tune, a spaghetti western ode to margaritas. Plus the usual more folky and jazzy stuff we are accustom to playing.
Coconut: We scrapped a lot of songs to arrive at an album 'concept'. We knew we wanted to try different popular content, but the music had to be interesting or something we'd want to listen to. I think we learned being able to write well crafted songs is being able to edit well.
Duke: I don't think we ever sat down and said, "Let's write a song about....". Most of the material came from an organic place and time. We never consciously set out to write a song about honeydippers (septic trucks). My son is fascinated by them. I had this melody and chord changes that sounded nice. I originally intended it to be an instrumental. But Joe thought it needed words. So we wrote and rewrote many verses until we came up with ones we liked. The best way to sum up our writing process is a line from the song 3rd Night - "The song has a mind of its own". As a duo, we let the music dictate where it was going.
Coconut: The benefit of being a song writing team is the themes or meaning end up being more dynamic than if I were to sit and write them myself. I like a little tension in the song. I like when art gives enough to make one curious, but does not give it all away. The songs 'Venison Jerky', 'Honeydipper' are "about" two distinct points of view. In 'Honeydipper' it's from the point of view of the user and the Honeydipper operator. Each of us wrote a verse. In 'Venison Jerky' we're talking about a severed relationship: my leave from the East Coast: my writing partnership with Lucas. We were singing to each other in that one.
4) Are you looking to someday pursue the project full-time? or is it more for fun?
Duke: Coconut and The Duke is a stress reliever. After a long day of being a stay-at-home dad, making music with Joe brought me back to earth. It keeps me sane. It would be great to generate enough income to sustain the duo and make more albums. I don't think we ever intended it to become a fulltime job.
Coconut: Song writing was the best therapy. Having gone through a very difficult divorce, break-up songs suddenly starting making a lot of sense. I'll keep my day job and continue to write songs. I'm of a the mindset that a person doesn't need to do one thing. The thinking of a Landscape Architect can apply to music.
Duke: We do it for fun, for our enjoyment. We believe our pleasure comes through in the music and can maybe, bring you some pleasure while listening.
23.7.09
Sorry! Not Playing any Cock Rock Bars Near You...
But planning for a concert/CD release is in order - coming this fall!!!
Article in Volume One Magazine
http://volumeone.org/magazine/articles/701/Put_Da_Duke_Wit_Da_Coconut.html
14.7.09
24.6.09
17.6.09
12.6.09
8.6.09
3.6.09
Sounds Of Bamboo EP tracks
We're gonna be posting some songs that didn't make the cut. That will be assembled onto an EP titled Sounds Of Bamboo
Listen:
Bamboo Overture
Listen:
Bamboo Overture
2.6.09
Duke doing well in baseball after completing album...
Duke Leads Pirates Past Mets
Article Tools Sponsored By
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: June 2, 2009
Filed at 9:43 p.m. ET
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Duke pitched seven effective innings and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat Johan Santana and the New York Mets 3-1 on Tuesday night.
Jason Jaramillo hit his first major league homer for the Pirates, who have won three of four. Freddy Sanchez and Nate McLouth each had two hits.
Duke (6-4) allowed one run and eight hits to lower his ERA to 2.62. He has allowed two earned runs or less in eight of his 11 starts.
Santana (7-3) gave up three runs and seven hits in six innings for New York, which has lost three of four. The Mets have scored two runs or less in five of Santana's 11 starts.
New York again was without All-Star outfielder Carlos Beltran, who is dealing with a stomach virus and stayed at the team hotel.
John Grabow followed Duke with a perfect eighth and Matt Capps retired the Mets in order in the ninth for his 12th save and third in the past four days.
Article Tools Sponsored By
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: June 2, 2009
Filed at 9:43 p.m. ET
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Duke pitched seven effective innings and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat Johan Santana and the New York Mets 3-1 on Tuesday night.
Jason Jaramillo hit his first major league homer for the Pirates, who have won three of four. Freddy Sanchez and Nate McLouth each had two hits.
Duke (6-4) allowed one run and eight hits to lower his ERA to 2.62. He has allowed two earned runs or less in eight of his 11 starts.
Santana (7-3) gave up three runs and seven hits in six innings for New York, which has lost three of four. The Mets have scored two runs or less in five of Santana's 11 starts.
New York again was without All-Star outfielder Carlos Beltran, who is dealing with a stomach virus and stayed at the team hotel.
John Grabow followed Duke with a perfect eighth and Matt Capps retired the Mets in order in the ninth for his 12th save and third in the past four days.
29.4.09
Track List and Album Art Work
Out 5.26.09
original artwork by Lori Chilefone
Track List:
1. Venison Jerky
2. Intro
3. In The Bamboo Forests Of Pennsylvania
4. A Memory and A Nap
5. Tré Melo
6. Honeydipper
7. Motel Maids
8. Skinny Dipping With Your Hot Sister
9. 3rd Night
10. Mixo Rita
11. Vitamin Y
12. Pitchfork’d (palette cleanser)
13. Soggy Shoes In Hammock
14. Water Down The Pipes
15. Tré Melo (Reprise)
Website: www.CoconutandtheDuke.com
original artwork by Lori Chilefone
Track List:
1. Venison Jerky
2. Intro
3. In The Bamboo Forests Of Pennsylvania
4. A Memory and A Nap
5. Tré Melo
6. Honeydipper
7. Motel Maids
8. Skinny Dipping With Your Hot Sister
9. 3rd Night
10. Mixo Rita
11. Vitamin Y
12. Pitchfork’d (palette cleanser)
13. Soggy Shoes In Hammock
14. Water Down The Pipes
15. Tré Melo (Reprise)
Website: www.CoconutandtheDuke.com
28.4.09
Website Is Live
Pay a visit to our website for six audio streams from our album - In The Bamboo Forests Of Pennsylvania - due out in a month.
4.4.09
27.2.09
Polaroid photos of Coconut's Wisconsin Studio
"Magik Papa" Studios - looks a lot smaller than it is. TONS of storage.
Partition which seperates Music and Visual Art
View of Eau Claire River from the studio...a golden grime awaits...coming this spring!
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