This week on Revolutions Per Movie, I had the pleasure of having three souls who not only have swirled in and around the world of the musical/film/performance collective, Elephant 6, but who were also principal in the finishing of the final The Olivia Tremor Controlrecord, The Same Place, completed 27 years after the release of their last record.
We discuss their entry point into the world of Elephant 6, their world pre and post Olivia, how Derek joined the band, Elf Power, how beautifully unhinged the Elephant 6 live performances could be, how the first version of the documentary was passed around on VHS tape with a virtual library card system, the mystique of E6 bands, how the scene seemed bigger than it actually was, the era when people started co-opting the E6 logo and while other bands were distancing themselves from it, Neutral Milk Hotel, Robert Schneider of Apples In Stereo wanting to make rock history by capturing all of this greatness, how the director got involved with the film as someone who didn't kow much about E6, the Athens potluck scene, Rebecca Cole & The Minders, the frat vibe that permeates Athens still, the era when local government was going to make all bands in town become an LLC, what it was like to finish the record after the passing of OTC's two founding members--Will Hart & Bill Doss, Will & Bill's different work processes in OTC and what it was like working with both of them, how Jason got pulled into working on the final record and the emotions experienced during that, Dixie Blood Mustache, Mike's epic tale of putting out Will's Black Swan Network record, the lack of ego in OTC, R.E.M.'s reaction to the doc and more!
THE OLIVIA TREMOR CONTROL
oliviatremorcontrol.com
oliviatremorcontrol.bandcamp.com
HHBTM RECORDS:
hhbtm.com
DEREK ALMSTEAD:
https://www.instagram.com/derekalmstead/
JASON NeSMITH:
casperandthecookies.com
chaseparktransduction.com/staff-2
REVOLUTIONS PER MOVIE:
Host Chris Slusarenko (Eyelids, Guided By Voices, owner of Clinton Street Video rental store) is joined by actors, musicians, comedians, writers & directors who each week pick out their favorite music documentary, musical, music-themed fiction film, or music videos to discuss. Fun, weird, and insightful, Revolutions Per Movie is your deep dive into our life-long obsessions where music and film collide.
Revolutions Per Movie releases new episodes every Thursday on any podcast app, and additional, exclusive bonus episodes every Sunday on our Patreon (over 125 bonus episodes are available and counting). If you like the show, please consider subscribing, rating, and reviewing it on your favorite podcast app. Thanks!
PATREON:
The show is also a completely independent affair, so the best way to support it is at** [patreon.com/revolutionspermovie](https://patreon.com/revolutionspermovie?utm_id=378c5132-ca70-4bea-badb-7f023af15878&utm_medium=email)[.](https://patreon.com/revolutionspermovie.?utm_id=378c5132-ca70-4bea-badb-7f023af15878&utm_medium=email) By joining, you can get **weekly bonus episodes and series such asA Very Opinionated Look At Urgh! A Music War & What Makes The Midnight So Special?, A Devotees Look At New Wave Theater, Exploring The Axis: The Oral History Of Frontier Records With Lisa Fancher, Dips On Chips w/ Jeff McDonald of Redd Kross, physical goods such as a limited edition 7" Flexidisc, and other exclusive goods that I send out to you for supporting the show. It helps the show to keep going and is greatly appreciated!
TIP JAR:
ko-fi.com/revolutionspermovie
SOCIALS:
@revolutionspermovie
BlueSky: @revpermovie
THEME by Eyelids 'My Caved In Mind'
www.musicofeyelids.bandcamp.com
ARTWORK by Jeff T. Owens
https://linktr.ee/mymetalhand

Released in 1996, Music from the Unrealized Film Script: Dusk at Cubist Castle felt like discovering a transmission from another world: Beatlesque melodies colliding with tape loops, psychedelic noise, field recordings, beautiful harmonies, and songs that could somehow feel both completely familiar and totally alien. Three decades later, we’re still wandering around inside that castle.

Today on Don’t Bother Wearing Seatbelts, we’re celebrating the 30th anniversary of Dusk at Cubist Castle with a special roundtable discussion featuring Matt LeMay, who famously reviewed the record for Pitchfork; illustrator and writer Mark Neely who recently did a 30 year retrospective on Dusk on Aquarium Drunkard; and DTS radio DJ and longtime Elephant 6 champion Tati Arbelaez. We’re going to talk about how we each discovered this record, the songs and sounds that continue to reveal themselves after all these years, the world surrounding Elephant 6 in the 1990s, and why Dusk at Cubist Castle still feels less like an album you simply listen to—and more like a place you enter.

So put on your headphones, turn the lights down, and come inside. This is 30 years of Dusk at Cubist Castle.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dont-bother-wearing-seatbelts-an-elephant-6/id1840935867

Vinyl actually came two days ago! Been listening nonstop - it’s incredible. Has anyone else’s come?

Love and prayers sending out to Bill and Will. Much thanks to all that worked on it and actually finished it. Love you all.

Can't believe the time is almost upon us!

I saw that some of us started to receive orders. I ordered the CD and vinyl, wondering if they'll arrive by release date. I saw this note on e6.

Orders are now shipping but processing times are longer than usual. We appreciate your patience!
CDs are on backorder until Oct. 29

Not sure if the backorder applies to new orders or pre-orders. Any info / insights?

hello, i have been looking for this early demotape by mcoast for some time but cannot find it anywhere https://www.discogs.com/release/3325129

there was a google drive with a bunch of mcoast some years ago here that i think might have it, does anyone happen to have an mp3 or know where to find it?

I am thinking about starting an e6 inspired band here in Poland. We have keyboard, acoustic and electric guitar, drums and trumpet (as well as marimba and kazoo for extra quirk) and im looking for feedback and ideas to fuel it all up so it gets going! :)

For folk who have heard the album or read the linear notes, is Jeff just drumming on some songs?

Figured he would have had a larger role due to the cypher stuff a decade ago (jeez). Maybe he did at one point I guess?

The Same Place interview 2

Today we release Episode Two of our month-long celebration of The The Olivia Tremor Control brand-new record, The Same Place, on Don’t Bother Wearing Seatbelts.

Our friend Matthew Buckley joined Mathew Bell and I as we had a beautiful conversation with John Kiran Fernandes, who has been part of The Olivia Tremor Control for more than 30 years. Bass, violin, clarinet and countless other sounds... John has been such an integral part of this band, not only musically, but in the spirit and heart of what makes this music so special.

John is also just an incredibly sweet soul. From the first time I met him, I was struck by his kindness, his compassion and the way he talks about music.

Years ago, when Circulatory System came to Ames, Iowa, I was talking with John while the band was loading in to the venue... when he casually mentioned that he was born in Boone, Iowa.

I couldn't believe it, a member of my favorite band ever began his life in the same state where I began mine. I've joked ever since that someday I want to go to Boone, knock on doors and ask people, "Do you know one of the greatest musicians in the world was born here?"

Our conversation with John goes to some deeply emotional places. He speaks openly about living with schizophrenia, panic attacks, burning both ends of the candle, and his enormous heart for music, and the music he created alongside his brothers in The Olivia Tremor Control. I'm incredibly grateful for his openness and trust.

We were also joined by AJ Griffin, who told us the wonderful story of how he became part of the OTC family in the late 2000s. Apparently, Bill Doss more or less tricked him into coming over to record for a new Olivia Tremor Control record when what they really wanted was for A.J. to join the band as they began playing live again.

A.J. also shared memories of working with Bill on "Wings Away," one of my favorite songs from the final Apples In Stereo record. It made me think how amazing it would have been to have that have been an OTC song.. Even though I love the ELO-esque vibe the Apples brought to it. He talked about Bill showing up at his house with a growler of beer, ready to make music, always asking for A.J.'s ideas and genuinely wanting his collaborators to become part of the song.

And hearing that made me smile. Because that's exactly the Bill Doss I remember. Super kind. Generous. Curious. Collaborative. And completely in love with making music with his friends.

The Same Place arrives October 23 on Elephant 6, 27 years after Black Foliage. I still can't quite believe it! And somehow, our little podcast has been given the incredible privilege of sharing fragments of these new songs for the first time anywhere in the world.

Thank you, John and A.J., for helping make The Same Place a reality... and for trusting us with these stories.

Episode Two is out today.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2siazb6v1F5kGdb1jHNS8s?si=wiLYJWwsSbqHZAVSyXaMyA

Don’t Bother Wearing Seat Belts Celebrating The Same Place all month long.

We will also announce today’s giveaway winner is just a few short hours!

Recently got transparent yellow vinyl of Music From the Unreleased Film Scrip: Dusk at Cubist Castle by the Olivia Tremor Control yesterday and have been enjoying it! Bought it off the Amoeba Records website last week. ( Personal fav tracks on album are the Green Typewriters Suite, NYC-25, and Holiday Surprise 1,2,3 )

Is it some obscure colloquial term in Athens or something??

I play in band called Secret Address in Philly and Elephant 6 means a lot to us. Since so many of these incredible songs will likely never be performed live again by the original groups, we wanted to do everything we can to give them the tribute they deserve.

We have put together a full cover set of E6 material that will be performed on October 30th in West Philly. Here is a clip of us performing OTC's "A Peculiar Noise Called "Train Director"" from a few weeks ago.

Expect the classics, some deep cuts, and maybe even something from the upcoming OTC album 👀

I'll leave the flyer info in the comments, would love for yall to come out! The other sets that night will also be really cool too.

IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS MOMENT!!! Its so beautiful in person… now im trying to decide if i should listen to it right now or wait…

Love the buttons and stickers!!! 😸

From host Patrick Tape Fleming:

I don’t know if people understand how special this is to me.

If you love music the way I do, you know there are certain bands that become your life.

For me, that band is The Olivia Tremor Control.

In the mid 1990, I walked into Let It Be Records in downtown Minneapolis and bought Dusk at Cubist Castle because it was a staff recommendation. "IF YOUR LIKE THE BEATLES WHITE ALBUM AND BRIAN ENO, YOU WILL LOVE THIS.. A REAL TRIP" I had no idea what I was about to hear or how much it would change my life.

From that moment on, The Olivia Tremor Control became my favorite band, and Dusk at Cubist Castle became my favorite record of all time.

No album has ever moved me the way that record has. I’ve listened to it more than any other record. I’ve bought it for more people. I’ve probably annoyed more friends by telling them they HAVE to hear it.

Then Black Foliage. Somehow, they took everything that made Dusk magical and pushed it even further.. way further. I still don’t think I’ve ever heard another record that is as sonically pleasurable, strange, beautiful, deep, overwhelming and alive as Black Foliage.

And then the band broke up.... And then we waited... 5 years later a reunion show.. I was front row... and then... rufflings on the internet says... The band began working on a third record. Hell apparently they were supposed to tour with JEFF MANGUM and the Poison Control Center was to open the show at Maximum Ames Fest, but the band wanted to focus on recording and not touring... And then, we lost Bill Doss.

Bill was one of my musical heroes, and after he died, I assumed that whatever they had been working on would remain one of those great musical mysteries... something we might hear fragments of someday, while spending the rest of our lives wondering what it could have become.

But work continued. And then we lost Will Cullen Hart.

When the two primary creative forces and songwriters behind a band are gone, how do you possibly finish the story?

That’s what makes what happened next so extraordinary.

Derek Griffin Almstead, Jason NeSmith and Ron Kwasman took the pieces that remained and, while dealing with the grief of losing their friend Will, finished the final Olivia Tremor Control album.

Twenty-seven years after Black Foliage, we are getting a new Olivia Tremor Control record.

It’s called The Same Place.

To me, it feels like a musical miracle.

And somehow, unbelievably, Don’t Bother Wearing Seatbelts gets to be one of the places where people can hear pieces of this music for the first time anywhere.

I can’t adequately explain what that means to me.

Mathew and I, sat down with Derek, Ron and Jason to talk about finishing The Same Place, the music Bill and Will left behind, the enormous responsibility of putting these pieces together, and what it means to finally release this record into the world.

I want to thank Derek, Ron and Jason for trusting us with this conversation. I want to thank Kelly Hart for taking us along for this ride, and . And I want to thank every member of The Olivia Tremor Control who helped make this possible.

Thank you for giving those of us who have carried this music with us for decades one final gift.

The Same Place arrives October 23. on the Elephant 6 Recording Co.

But today, the brand-new episode of Don’t Bother Wearing Seatbelts is streaming everywhere.

And for the first time, you can hear never before heard songs from the Olivia Tremor Control final statement.

I still can’t believe I get to type that sentence.

Go listen. Wherever you listen to podcasts

This one means the world to me. Go dig in!

A candid Interview with Derek Almstead, Ron Kwasman, and Jason NeSmith about the creation of The Same Place.

Join us tomorrow as we reach back into the vault for another classic episode of Don’t Bother Wearing Seatbelts — and this one is an absolute blast.

We’re joined by the entire Pylon Reenactment Society for a conversation about carrying forward the legacy of Pylon, one of the most incredible, influential, and downright singular bands to ever emerge from the legendary Athens, Georgia music scene.

We talk about what it means to honor that music while creating something that stands on its own, the formation and evolution of Pylon Reenactment Society, their extensive touring, the records they’ve released, and what it’s been like bringing these songs to audiences around the world.

We will also be giving away one copy of the debut album by Pylon Reenactment Society on vinyl to one of our Patreon Subscribers! Remember, all you need to do to take part in our monthly giveaways is subscribe to the Patreon at the Reckless Driver ($1 monthly tier). Good luck!

https://pylonreenactmentsociety.bandcamp.com/merch

https://www.patreon.com/dontbotherwearingseatbelts?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dont-bother-wearing-seatbelts-an-elephant-6/id1840935867

Join us tomorrow as we sit down with J. Kirk Pleasant to discuss the beautiful and atmospheric Crystal Clear Mississippi by Calvin, Don’t Jump! Crystal Clear Mississippi is one of the early E6 albums that cemented the collective into all of our hearts. It’s stripped back and spare in its sound compared to much of the E6 releases of the time and it proved to us all that the movement was about the art and about the approach, never about simply achieving a sound or fitting into a slot, no matter how odd or interesting that slot may be. It’s a gorgeous album of lovely, heartfelt songs and you won’t want to miss our interview!

Mr. Pleasant has also graciously donated both a vinyl and cd copy of Crystal Clear Mississippi along with A Way With Birds on cd! One of our lucky Patreon subscribers will take home the whole package and we’re jealous! Remember, all you need to do to take part in our monthly giveaways is subscribe to the Patreon at the Reckless Driver ($1 monthly) tier. Good Luck!

https://calvindontjump.bandcamp.com/

https://www.patreon.com/dontbotherwearingseatbelts?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator

If anyone is looking...

Here are the bands involved:

• January 2000: My First Keyboard / Marshmallow Coast
• February 2000: Wolfie / Kincaid
• March 2000: Japancakes / I Am the World Trade Center
• April 2000: Chronicle Ape And The New Sound / Freedom Goose And The New Situationalists
• May 2000: Great Lakes / Elf Power
• June 2000: Vermont / The Mendoza Line
• July 2000: Dressy Bessy / The Four Corners
• August 2000: Étienne Charry / Babalu
• September 2000: of Montreal / The Ladybug Transistor 
• October 2000: Papas Fritas / Masters of the Hemisphere

This is a show by Elf Power, featuring Jeff Mangum as well which was at the Atomic Music Hall somewhere between 1997 and 1998. Is there any more surviving footage of this show besides this image that's on Wikipedia?

Tomorrow we will be releasing two classic first season episodes from behind the paywall, all smashed into one! First up we have Oliver Domingo on to talk about the incredible space disco of the debut album by Organically Programmed on Cloud Recordings. And immediately afterwards you get another dose of Great Lakes as we sit down with Ben Crum to discuss the album Contenders. Both amazing albums by incredible artists, and all in one episode!

To celebrate getting these out of their jail and into your ears we will be giving away one vinyl copy each of the Organically Programmed self titled album as well as the Great Lakes album Contenders to one lucky subscriber! Remember all you need to do take part in our monthly giveaways is subscribe to the Patreon at the Reckless Driver ($1 monthly) tier. Good luck!

https://hhbtm.bandcamp.com/

https://cloudrecordings.bandcamp.com/music

https://www.patreon.com/dontbotherwearingseatbelts?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator

Tune in tomorrow as Don’t Bother Wearing Seatbelts releases a new episode with show favorite Ben Crum discussing the brand new Great Lakes album, Fear of the Fear. To celebrate the release we will be giving away one vinyl copy of the new album to one of our Patreon subscribers! This is another album of heart rending Americana that you will not want to miss!

Remember, all you need to do to take part in our monthly giveaways is subscribe to the Patreon at the Reckless Driver ($1 monthly tier). Good luck, everyone!

https://hhbtm.bandcamp.com/

https://www.patreon.com/dontbotherwearingseatbelts?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator