Saturday, June 08, 2002

First entry and essential CD list

Hi everybody. I'm not used to posting my journal entries on the web. I've been keeping journals pretty continuously since sixth grade, but I've never shared them with anyone. Putting stuff up here for y'all to read is gonna be a new experience. In italics and everything so it looks like handwriting. I don't think I'll be posting really often, but definitely whenever I have some news about my music I'll write something.
This is all actually coming about because the Silver Wheelies (a loose and fluid collective) wanted to put my top ten CDs of all time on the web site and they couldn't figure out where, so then the idea surfaced of me writing journal entries, and then the whole site got kind of revamped. So it's out of control, but anyway, here goes. :)
I'm Polly Moller, and I'm a little bit avant-garde, and a little bit rock-n-roll. I perform poetry, and I sing, and I program drum machines and MIDI, and I play the flute. I started playing the flute at a very early age figuring it would be a good way to meet guys. ;) It took 25 years and a couple of degrees before I realized I had miscalculated. I picked up the guitar and bass guitar awhile back in addition to the flute and that's gotten me much better results. ;) I write all my own stuff and do very few covers.
It looks as though I'll have my 3rd album, "Diogenes", finished in the very near future. I have sessions set up in Eugene, OR at the end of July with Jeff Davis at Lucky Dog Studio. There's a lot of work to be done but I think it can be completed quickly. The next task after that will be to pick a release date for the album.
Moving from my album to other people's albums, I wanted to share with you my top 10 CDs, which aren't in any order of importance. It is doubtful I could get along without any of these...check them out:
U2 - The Unforgettable Fire. Many is the time I bawled and screamed my teenage heart out listening to this album.
Lackadaisy - Still LifeI used to produce and host a music video show and Lackadaisy performed live twice on it. Their music is as spare and cerebral as Talking Heads, and as lush and dark as the Cure. You should definitely own this album if you don't already.
Lida Husik - JoyrideThis is another artist I learned about when I was making my video show. I just love her songwriting and her deep low voice.
King Chubby - Other TimesKing Chubby and I had tracks on the same compilation CD, Distributed Shared Memory from Mindspore Records, back in 1996. King Chubby member Ed Bialek is a former student of Robert Dick who is also part of the band, along with Will Ryan. I really love their album and I enjoy listening to it right before I go to sleep. Go check out their web site (which is as dreamy and mysterious as the music) and get yourself a copy.
Nirvana - NevermindSince being gut-shot by people I trusted with my life, I feel like I understand this album a lot better now.Oysterhead - The Grand Pecking OrderHow could you possibly go wrong with a band consisting of Stewart Copeland, Trey Anastasio, and Les Claypool? Their combined musicianship is mind-boggling and the lyrics are bizarre. You need to own their CD. :)
Hot Rod - Speed Danger DeathThis is another CD I found out about through my video show. The leader of the band is Paula Kelley, who since making this album in 1993 has gone on to lead the band Boy Wonder and take up a solo career.
U2 - The Joshua TreeListening to this one all the way through is still a deeply spiritual experience.
Golden Palominos - PureI kind of picked which Golden Palominos album at random. They are a big influence on me. I really really like Lori Carson's work with them and this is one of the two albums she did as a Palomino.
archy - archyIf you can get your hands on this one you won't be disappointed. It's the project of Michael Haumesser (who engineered, mixed, and mastered my first album) and Carl Daegling. I especially love artists that create their own uncompromisingly original sound-worlds and they certainly have done.