recorded live
at Rodent Records
The Hobbyists CD Release Party
a virtual event

Welcome to The Hobbyists CD Release Party,
brought to you by your hosts,
The Hobbyists and Rodent Records.

To celebrate the release of our new CD (see description below), The Hobbyists and Rodent Records hosted a live recording session and art party to serve as the basis for this virtual CD release event, outside of normal space and time (just like us). Please enjoy the show often, and at your liesure.

You can purchase the new CD here. You can also buy it at Amoeba Records in San Francisco. Or, you can listen to song clips and buy digitally from iTunes here.

Credits

Acoustic performances paired long time San Francisco favorites Pat Johnson & Penelope Houston and Chantigs, along with relative newcomers to the SF landscape, Volunteer Pioneer and The Hobbyists.

The original set for the taping was a Rodent Records staff collaboration, led by Antonette and China Tamblyn, with crucial artistic input from Wilhelmina, Dylan & Vivian, Lorna and Brittany. China's organic yet constructed assemblage, Pod, served as both centerpiece and anchor for the set.

Original artwork was on display throughout the space, with a variety of pieces encompassing impulses of folk art, found materials, collage and assemblage by artists-in-residence, China Tamblyn, Greg Turner , Jenny Hynes and James Lovekin. Additionally, several works from guest artist, Andrea Savar, including watercolors with collage and handmade frames, and handmade cocktail purses, were debuted, and are on continued display as part of the gallery show. Andrea Savar is an accomplished painter and designer, based in Voiron, France and Seattle, WA. She created the original watercolors used in The Hobbyists CD artwork (above).

Rodent Records producers, Eric Haas and elton, led the live recording and mixing, joined by the ever-capable and unflusterable staff engineers, Jim and Bob. elton and Bill Fisher designed and assembled the lighting, while Bill artfully juggled the three simultaneous video cameras. **

Still photography was provided by Neil Motteram, aka Mr. Dodgy.

Delicious and unexpected finger foods were served, as promised, by the delightful and exotic culinary alchemy of the multitalented James Lovekin.

A particular thanks the many who pitched in to help, the performers, the artists, as well the wonderful in-studio audience of friends, family and fellow artists.

**due to some technical problems, the video is not yet posted. It will be though. Check back.

About The Hobbyists & the recording

The Hobbyists are two Rodent Records veterans, Antonette Goroch (Liesl's Wet Dress) and Greg Turner (Chantigs, Dying Echo, Liesl's Wet Dress). Though Greg & Antonette have released a number of recordings on Rodent Records over the years, this current set explore a more intimate, acoustic space than in the past. The Hobbyists make use of a range of acoustic instruments, including guitars, mandolin, autoharp, piano and pump organ. Like past projects though, their songs and arrangements spotlight harmony and melody, interwoven with echoes of country, bluegrass, pop and traditional American and European folk.

The Hobbyists’ first release on Rodent Records, The Hobbyists, features 12 original songs recorded at Rodent Records' San Francisco warehouse, a state-of-the-art performance, art and recording space. The recording was produced by The Hobbyists in collaboration with the founder and proprieter of Rodent Records, elton. Antonette & Greg played all the instruments in several sessions over a year-plus, with elton & greg engineering both digital and analog sessions, along with key assists by Eric Haas. elton worked his unique magic on the final mixes to acheive this latest recording now available on CD and iTunes.

The songs are varied in structure and genre, and are characterized by sometimes contradictory impulses, from dreamy reverb draped dystopic fairy tales, to harshly personal, raw, soulful and bare acoustic lullabies, to souped up, poppy melodies basking in the glee of love & friendship. Ultimately though, the work embraces those contradictions, reflecting the contradictions of this moment in time —a time of war, crisis, corruption and oligarchy, but also revolution, love, cooperation, innovation and hope.

 

 

Act One
Volunteer Pioneer
volunteer pioneer
(28 minutes, 25.9 MB)

Act Two
The Hobbyists
& Chantigs
the hobbyists & chantigs
(48 min, 44.4MB)

Act Three
Pat Johnson
& Penelope Houston
pat johnson & penelope houston
(40 minutes, 37.1 MB)