My Idea of Fun plays its part in Judgement Day

Johnstown, Pennsylvania's My Idea of Fun artist collective has been prepping an onslaught of new material and it's all coming out on Saturday, May 21st. Some tracks and records have been released in the past two weeks, I'll be highlighting those in a moment but to make things a bit easier, I'll share with you the official statement via the official Judgement Day Facebook page.

The world is ending!!! Tons of new releases!!!
http://myideaoffun.org/

May 21, 2011 has been declared as Judgement Day, so we're putting it all out before it's too late - over a dozen new releases, including the first albums by Higher Fives and The Hit and Miss Engines, new music from Narrow Berth, Technological Epidemic, and more. These and a handful of small-edition visual releases will all be made available in our new store, which will also go live on May 21.

Our blog (http://miofartistcollective.blogspot.com/) will also host 21 informative posts leading up to Judgment Day - everything from videos and new recordings to live sets and pictures.

We hope your last two weeks are full of love and good times. Swing by the site on May 21st to check out our new stuff - most of it is available to download for free!

For those who don't know, My Idea of Fun is a group of artists and musicians living in Western Pennsylvania (Well, most of us do). We put out records, books, and the like. Stop by our site if you haven't yet, and keep in touch.

Here's a look at some of what's been shared with those 'informative posts'

5 of 21: Rubber Necking Presents Two New Releases on My Idea of Fun

Functioning outside of the RUBBER NECKING universe--yet closely associated-- we have two new projects. One, a book by RN'r Jacob. Two, a cassette tape with RN'r Ian. Let's a have a look.

Jacob Koestler - Something in the Way, but Barely There (MIF180) [Visual]

"In Something in the Way, but Barely There (MIF180), Jacob Koestler cultivates natural images within a throng of newly unearthed specters. Through his skewed perception, distinct facets appear and fleet like rusty bits of iron one notices while plodding a gravel path."

Spanish Leather - Dilated Jewel (MIF181)

Free download from My Idea of Fun

"Spanish Leather's Dilated Jewel (MIF181) is an observation of rural pageantry, social implications of the Eucharist, and a microscopic assemblage latently constructed by falling slabs."

13 of 21: Narrow Berth

Narrow Berth - "Damp Coat" from the upcoming album Thirst

Damp Coat by IanRummell

8 of 21: Higher Fives Preview 



"Higher Fives are working on a new record called Cystems, which'll be ready just in time for the end of the world. Jacob Koestler shot the above video at the first recording session with Brandon Locher at VOMA in Johnstown, PA. He found the audio on his computer from an even older cassette demo that Matt Miller had him dub."

9 of 21: The State College Sessions

Technological Epidemic - The State College Sessions (My Idea of Fun, 2011)

Download for free Direct

"On Friday April 1st, 2011, Technological Epidemic practiced at the apartment above 709 Railroad Street for Penn State University's Annual Arts Crawl, occurring one week later. Despite the advent of modern social conventions and the good intentions of our peers and fellow musicians (well actually, not really), the sixty-dollar check for playing said event has yet to arrive in the mail. It is now with the deepest regard that we, My Idea of Fun, present you with Technological Epidemic: The State College Sessions. (Not to be confused with Emmett and Mary setlist in the binder for State College House Show June 2009, whereby we had every intention of playing "You Don't Know How It Feels" by Tom Petty out of the Trilogy, but never bothered to practice it.)"

SETLIST

1. A Formal Psychosis/Sell and Bait My Defeat (From Party Songs 1972)
2. Gray Days (From Hollow Cost)
3. The Kids on Linden Street (From Promotionally Yours EP)
4. A Sobering Son (From Promotionally Yours EP)
5. In Processing (Hollow Cost B-side)
6. A Cluttering Husband (From Promotionally Yours EP)
7. Red Meds (From Hollow Cost)

6 of 21: Dallas Zimmerman in Mid-Fi

"This is a song by Dallas Zimmerman. It was recorded in Mid-Fi (unlimited tracks on a Boss Loop Pedal) with Matt Miller while he was recording his full-length the same way. It was intended for a split with Laika the Astrohound which hasn't come to fruition yet."



12 of 21: Red Benches



Music vid for "I cut my leg off because I wanted to be a woman" by Red Benches.

"I started Red Benches the last summer I lived in Indiana because I had no friends and was really depressed. All I wanted was to be very honest and open in attempts to try not to hate myself anymore. This was in 2008. Red Benches was and will continue to be the name for the music I make by myself, if I should ever show anybody. It's hard for me to show it. But I want to now, so I'm going to.

Red Benches - "Where It Was When I Wanted It" will be released on May 21 of 2011 along with many great others.

It will contain recordings from:
SUMMER 2008
WINTER 2009
FALL 2010
SPRING 2011

There will be 5 copies on tape and 15 on cd and that is all that will be made.

Thank you for your time and efforts. I love you sincerely."

4 of 21: The Hank Williams Review

""The Johnny Cash Revue played at VOMA on the 2nd of April. I was already planning on going to see Marianne Locher kill it as June Carter. A few hours before the show, Laura told me that Marianne put a thing on her Facebook page saying their opening act (The Rugs) wouldn't be playing. I figured I'd never have a better opportunity to play a set full of Hank Williams songs, so I called Marianne and asked if I could play. As it turned out, they only needed about 15 minutes worth of stuff, so I picked three of my favorite Hank songs and went to town. It was a lot of fun. It probably won't ever happen again. Enjoy."

- Mike Miller

01. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
02. Lone Gone Lonesome Blues
03. I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive"

Free Direct download

2 of 21: NNN's Pabst Smear

Naughty Naughty Nurses - Pabst Smear (My Idea of Fun, 2007)

Free download from My Idea of Fun

"In 2007, Brandon went across the state to record one of the coolest, nicest bands we'd met. The band is called Naughty Naughty Nurses and the album is called Pabst Smear. We were really excited about the tracks when B-Man returned, so we immediately gave it a release number and put it on the site with a "coming soon" next to it. Soon after, the band parted ways for a bit, and more releases piled on top, leaving the link dead for three and a half years. In an effort to clean things up before Judgement Day, we've finally put the record up as an online release. It's totally worth the wait. We hope you like it!"


There's a shitton of stuff to check out, and it's not even the 21st yet. I'll keep posting stuff here on the page so noone has an excuse to fall behind. Also anticipate all of the new releases getting writeups right here. I'm stoked for what the next week's about to bring, you should be too.

Finally, if you haven't done this yet...

...change that.