In December, 2013 Thanatos played two shows to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the first LP, This Endless Night Inside. The first was a solo acoustic show in New York City (I would like to apologize to the folks who attended that show...just all around iffy).

But this show? (which you can download free HERE)  It brought me back to the old Thanatos, when it was me, Eric Polcyn and William Tucker out on the road playing acoustic, drummerless music that mirrored the first two LPs from Thanatos.

Of course while Eric was still on hand we had to good luck to add William Faith on guitar and our fairly longtime collaborator Tim Larson on keyboards. One of the great things about this show was that it was very "thanatos-y." 

While Eric and I practiced a few times to refresh our memories we played with Tim and William together only TWICE (we did practice with one or the other a couple of times too). But all together? Only twice! And the funny thing is that the person who fucks up the most is ME.  William posted about his "screw ups"...noting he made three mistakes. I noted that I made three mistakes in the first song!

SO fantastic to have William, Eric and Tim there.  I may do a show once the new Thanatos LP is finished.

There is finally a new Thanatos song for your perusal. The acoustic version of the song, Coyote in the Graveyard, is up for your perusal. If you pledged to the Kickstarter please send me a note via Kickstarter and I will send you a code to download it free.

It is $1.50 for the rest of you but you can listen to it free of course.

I will, in a few days, put up way for you to pre-order a physical copy of the CD (which will be very limited...after the kickstarter and some freebies? I think I will have maybe 50 for sale).
Let me know what you think. This was an attempt to get back to the first Thanatos LP....

So Michael Holcombe  put together this wonderful version of the song "Rain."  I wanted to share it with all of you.

It also got me thinking? If you want? Do your own covers of Thanatos songs and I will post them here. If I can help with the music? Give me a holler. Sometimes it takes me a bit to get back so be patient.

We played well. The venue was great, the staff was great and the other bands were awesome. I made a very wise decision playing before rather than after Tim Larson and Ryan Durdin because they rocked. Thanks to William Faith and Eric Polccyn for playing with Thanatos.

Thanks to Shimmer DJs, Philly Peroxide and Scary Lady Sarah. I hope Shimmer finds a permanent home to spin shoegaze in Chicago once a month soon (cause I need a place to hang out).

But lordy...really thanks to the folks who came out. I cannot imagine doing another show? I love playing, love working on music but I just can't deal with some of the more mundane aspects of it (one being...well honestly, though there were MORE in the room..24 people PAID to get in...so the net pay for three bands and 2 DJs was $18).  Why would the venue book a "main act" that cannot draw more than that? Hell I sure as HELL won't ask anyone to again--that I assure you.

If I promised a record release show for Coyote in the Graveyard? I will find a way to do it  or if someone else I like asks me to play on their bill? Possible...but really? I think this is pretty much it....and a fun, fun way for it to BE that!

Thanatos' Chicago show at Door No. 3 at 8 pm, Wednesday December 18, 2013 with Binary Partners, Tim Larson & Ryan Durdin and Shimmer DJs Scary Lady Sarah & Philly Peroxide.

Practicing with William Faith and Eric Polcyn tonight (Tim Larson was practicing his own set) I decided this is going to be...or could be...a special show. There is a feel to this new incarnation that makes me think this. It isn't that we are knocking it out of the park hitting every note it is more that there is just something right about it. All I can say about it really.

December 18, doors at 8 pm (get here early!)...

We will be playing a lot of songs off the first LP in honor of the 20th anniversary but also some tracks off latter records,  like Embassy to Gaius and Blisters. I will be totally honest? How long this set is will vary with the "vibe" I feel in the room.

The show starts early--Binary Partners go on (at the latest at 8:30 p.m.), Thanatos  follow after a break and Tim Larson and Ryan Durdin will go on right after Thanatos. The shimmer DJs will play in between and after...First "band show" in at least four years.

A few years back Tim Larson and I, in one night, recorded the three song digital only Christmas "EP," A Very Thanatos Christmas....It was up on this site but you couldn't download it. Now, due to the magic that is Bandcamp? You can download it--for free.

I sing, I think I play some guitars...Tim plays guitars, mandolin, steel guitar and sings too. Feel free to spread it around and Happy Holidays.

Maybe I should add a Christmas song to the list for the show in Chicago on December 18?

The schedule for this goes about like this...First band starts at 8:15 (Binary Parthers). Thanatos will go on 9:30 to be followed by Tim Larson. The whole thing will be fairly early except the DJs will keep spinning until they kick everyone out!

So as some of the people popping by this site know, there is a Kickstarter live now to produce a new Thanatos CD. It is also an art project with paintings and writing...hell if you really want it I will do an interpretive dance for you if you pledge enough money.

I explained earlier why a crowdfunding effort; mostly because I want to know at least some people want to hear it and will support it. If they don't? I won't do it. That isn't written in any sort of "I'll take my ball and go home" way.  More just matter of fact. A lot of musicians don't seem to get that people are not OBLIGATED to support them or even listen to them. I am grateful to the few who do ..

And the few who do for me are, unfortunately, scattered all around the globe. Just getting to them to let them know I am doing this is daunting.  It is time consuming to try to reach out  to people you recall from years back (and I recall a ton of people who came up and chatted after shows around the USA). Even if folks are flat broke and cannot pledge I am also grateful they took the time to repost, retweet etc. It is really touching to me as odd as that might sound.

I have been asked about posting songs...but while I have some words written and some disconnected music...I an very reluctant to do more than that because I do not want to be tempted to make a record no one wants to hear. I have a lot of other things to do and work on! SO I apologize for not having new music samples. I'd look down at the link below to the first Thanatos LP, This Endless Night Inside, since I plan to use that as a sort of "sonic template.".

If you can support this? Please do...if you cannot? No worries but please help me spread the word. Here is a shortened url suitable for tweeting--  http://kck.st/1cZ0k7U

By the way...the really high priced pledges? Those are more jokes than me thinking anyone would actually pledge that much money!

Patrick

Since Thanatos is playing another 20th anniversary show? I figured why not make "This Endless Night Inside" free again until the day of the show?

The show takes place Wednesday, December 18, 2013 at Door No. 3 (1551 N. Damen, Chicago). The line up for the night is Binary Partners, Thanatos and then Tim Larson. I am playing in the middle if you kids come real late you will miss it.  You can see more frequent posts on this at the event page on Facebook.  Tickets are $7. Shimmer DJs Scary Lady Sarah and Philly Peroxide will also spin.

And, of course, I am going to remind you that there is a Kickstarter for the first physical release by Thanatos since 1997. The project is titled, Coyote in the Graveyard and you can help mae it by going HERE and pledging. A complete digital download can be had for $6 and the physical release for $12. More elaborate rewards are available too, of course! In some cases these include me washing your car.

Coyote in the Graveyard will be Thanatos' first physical release since 1997's Blisters. And the Kickstarter to fund the record is live now HERE.

This isn't just a record but music, a small book and a painting project.  There were a number of things that inspired me to think about doing this but the obstacle (to me) was thinking "but I have nothing written." Then I realized I DID and it was a collection of writings that I had tentatively titled Coyote in the Graveyard--it wasn't short stories, it wasn't essays, it wasn't the bones of a novel. It was just  a bunch of disconnected but related writings. It was the sort of thing I very rarely write.

And it sort of begs to be turned into songs in some cases.

As I thought on this record I decided that I wanted it to be more like the first two I did (with some exceptions). I need to keep myself engaged so...TWO things I decided but haven't told anyone yet.

The first is that I plan to play ALL the guitars on this record. On Blisters they are all William Tucker (why the HELL would I play if he was playing). On the two projects I did after that I played but a lot of the guitars were handled by Greg Lucas on the Illegalteenagebikini  I Am Not Job record and by Tim Larson on The Exterminating Angel. Both far better guitarists than ME but I need to do it myself.

The second thing is that, unlike my last two LPs I think this one will be more like the first two--long! I am going to try to make this 20 songs or in the neighborhood.

Also...asking around for some special guests for this LP. More on that soon.

Remember the Kickstarter. Help and repost the link if you can.