The Ghastly Grimey Orchestra of New Orleans


ghastly grimey orchestra The Story:

It was 2002 when the Ghastly Grimey Orchestra of New Orleans was drawn together during a New Orleans summer heat that smelled of almost sickeningly sweet flowers.

There was a poster on the wall of Edward Gorey's illustrated alphabet, "The Gashlycrumb Tinies." For each letter in Gorey's alphabet a child dies in an unusual way.

For each child's demise the Orchestra created a song. Instruments and musicians were gathered from around the crannies of the city. Theramins, typewriters, little children's toys and clattering teeth were thrown into the mix and from the insides of elevator shafts all the way to living rooms, the Orchestra played. There were simple rules: a song was written just by those present, it was run through twice, recorded and never played again. Ever.

Times flies, as it does and things get lost: memories of who played on which song and even sometimes who was there at all. Even a few songs themselves wandered away. The master tapes are gone; robbed from "Marla's House" along with the recording equiptment. Even the warehouse and the dwellings where the songs were recorded are not as they were, chunks stolen away by a hurricane.

In 2006, four years gone from when it all started, the Orchestra's music was finally released.


lisa and don

A List of Orchestra Members
and some of their other projects:

Lisa Van Wambeck - Theramin, Chattering Teeth, Scratching Nails
Don Godwin - Sousaphone, Precussion, Piano, Coronet, Accordian, Lap Steel, Trumpet, Sousaphone, Engineer:
Plays big brass instruments in The Hungry March Band.
Plays noisey rock instruments in Impractical Cockpit
John Gerkin - Guitar, Bass, Voacls, Banjo:
Writes the zine I Hate This Part of Texas
Natalia - Rhodes Piano, Organ, Royal Deluxe Typewriter, Trombone
Willie Jones - Cymbals, High Hats, Beer Cans, Bottles, Screwdrivers, Poly Poly Chime Ball
Dan Beckman - Guitar, Vocals:
Visit Uke of Spaces for his solo and quiet stuffs and Impractical Cockpit for the noise.
Eric Martinez - Percussion, Guitar:
read all about him in his virtual journal.
hear him rock n' roll in Red Beards
Casey Cottrell - Bass
Patrick Farell - Accordian
Anikka Lachman - Violin
Michael Tuttle - Stand-Up Bass:
now plays with The Painted Bird
Andy Neubauer - Saw, Lap Steel, Accordian:
Another Impractical Cockpittee.
Shanna Neggins - Singing
Matt Runkle - Singing
Jessie Smaith - Singing, Piano
Kristen - Singing
Amy Moon - Singing
Ryan Burns - Old drill with a rubber bit inserted where the metal bit usually goes against the open back of a piano
Alex - Singing
Brother Clit - Slidey Whistle

Extra Track (Shady Grove played at the old abandoned amusement park down on Lake Ponchatrain):
Burkie - Guitar: spends his days much too busy in Dublin
Amanda - Banjo: spends her days much too busy in Cork
Happy Burbeck - Tin Whistle: plays in the musical sensation Ixnay
Ethan Clark - Tin Whistle: makes word fall together in a very funny way


bikes at 721 St. Roch

Reviews:

"What an absolute treat is in store for you, anyone with a even a slight interest in the likes of the recent beirut album, godspeeds quiet meandering phases or even the sounds of tom waits without the singing will simply fall in love with this real gem of an album, its full of scratchy intimate sounds, violins, bottles clanging, cymbals, accordians, cellos, typewriters and some much abused pianos, the 23 tracks will take you on a journey around the old sounds of new orleans peppered with lots of avant garde minimalism but its all done with a real sense of joy and fun, the album comes in a lovely hand printed cardboard sleeve, its very slowly becomming one of my albums of the year."
-Road Records

The Ghastly Grimey Orchestra of New Orleans
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