[LEMONS] 11.26.2001
Jeff Harp and I spent the weekend with Rob and his roommates Michael Sweeney and Kalen Conover down in Hollywood. We brought a bunch of instruments, so all of us played all weekend long. I've never heard Harp sound so good on the keys (or singing), and I think my bass playing was at its best as well. We knocked out a bunch of originals and even a few covers, including what I thought was a spectacular version of the Pixies "Where is my Mind" with Jeff waling the "OOOO-ooooo." But for me the highlight of the playing was when Michael started strumming a Neutral Milk Hotel song. I was amazed, I mean, not w whole lot of folks here in SF listen to the elephant 6 stuff so I'm just not accustomed to hearing it. But then, what really blew me away, was when I said "hey do you know 2 headed boy," and Kalen immediately started strumming it. It's not that Mangum's songs are hard to play, it was just fun for me to be able to play them/improv on them with other like minded people. We got a couple of spoectacular sonngs on tap[e, although I know that the two that I thought were the best came about when we weren't recording (of course). On one we had run out of tape, and on another the camera had been turned off while Jeff went to the store. A real pisser, but the fun was in the doing, not the showing anyway. It was altogether a great time. I love my friends. Thanks Rob.
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