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BIO: Songwriter Jay Laughlin and engineer Dave Grubb spent the 1990s developing their vision in the critically acclaimed Philadelphia/New Jersey area noise-pop band Lenola, releasing numerous full lengths and amassing an international word-of-mouth following for their unique sound that proved Pop music could be seriously damaged, yet retain its infectious hooks & charms. Following Lenolas demise in late 2002, Laughlin soon began work on new compositions that pushed harder into some of the Electronic-meets-Rock directions that latter period Lenola had only hinted at. A full ensemble was put together in 2004 to perform these songs live before proper recording commenced. This lineup includes Brian Wilkinson on bass, Jeff Scioli on guitars and vocals (who was also a part of the final Lenola lineup) and drummer Pete Girgenti (from Philadelphia’s Grandfabric). The vocals float and soar while effected keyboards & buzzsaw electric guitars guide the songs along a happily disorienting ride, all above the pulse of rhythms both man and machine-made. It is apparent that the development of these recordings was a labor of love with fine attention to aural detail, yet the songs themselves are of a classic form that could have been brought to life anytime in the last four decades.
PHAWKER: Have you ever shot a man in Reno just to watch him die?
JAY LAUGHLIN: No, never, but when I hear a whistle comin’ I hang my head and cry.
PHAWKER: Have you ever felt like dust in the wind?
JAY LAUGHLIN: Sure, but more importantly I’ve found that all your money won’t another minute buy….For real man.
PHAWKER: If there’s a bustle in your hedgerow, should you be alarmed now?
JAY LAUGHLIN: No, but if there ever was I wouldn’t be alarmed.
PHAWKER: No, silly — it’s just a spring clean for the May queen. How many roads must one man walk down before you call him a man?
JAY LAUGHLIN: Wow, depends on your definition of a “man.” I will tell you this though. I’m thinking a white dove has to sail about nine or ten seas before he can rest in the sand.
PHAWKER: True or false, in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make?
JAY LAUGHLIN: Yes, absolutely true.
PHAWKER: True or false, everybody knows the dice were loaded, everybody knows the good guys lost?
JAY LAUGHLIN: True. Everybody knows that how it goes.
PHAWKER: True or false, you can’t always get what you want, but if you try some time, you just might find, you get what you need?
JAY LAUGHLIN [pictured left, with hat]: For fuck’s sake I hope that is true……You seen the economy recently?
PHAWKER: Why is your new album called Where Is My Golden Arm?
JAY LAUGHLIN: It’s a quote from an old ghost story called “The Golden Arm” that I used to listen to with my old friend Skip when we were just kids. He passed a few years ago and I just think it brings back the good memories of what we had and it also ties into the movie ‘The Man With A Golden Arm” about a musician with a Heroin addiction….drug addiction has taken some dear friends away from me in the past. So the album title represents the “good times/bad times” stuff everyone goes though in life.
LIKE A FOX OPENS FOR MERCURY REV SATURDAY AT THE TROCADERO
LIKE A FOX: Internal/External
Dir. by SCOTT COLAN