Collections

By and large, this is a collection of songs that didn't make it onto any of our previous CD's for one reason or another. In some cases it was because I didn't feel the song fit the flow of the over-all recording at that time, and in other cases it was because the song was written without a concept for an intended release. A unique addition is the inclusion of female vocals. In 2007, I was feeling quite lost both personally and musically, and I wasn't at all sure of my future or if blow up Hollywood would even continue. I took a hiatus and spent several months alone in Los Angeles. While I was out there I came across a wonderful artist that really moved me, Kim Wayman. After a brief introduction we agreed to meet back in New York City to try writing some music together. So when I got back to the city we met on several occasions and had a go of it. Although we had some success, it was not to be. One day, while I was tinkering around on her piano, she heard a melody she really gravitated to. It was a song I had written while in Los Angeles. I showed her the lyric and she began to sing it like only she could. A light -bulb went off and I now knew what I wanted us to do. We attempted to have her sing other blow up Hollywood songs, with the idea of making a CD entitled, Little Kitten Space Girl sings Blow Up Hollywood. The idea was that she would sing songs from our previous catalog that we felt worked well with her voice and aesthetic, but done in a really broken-down and organic fashion. We gave it go and tried a few different numbers, but scheduling and artistic differences stood in the way, and we never completed the project. There are three tracks that made it onto the Collections CD. Crash, written by Kim and I, Slow Down, which is a song I wrote that does not appear on any previous CD, and Kite, from our self-titled debut. Historically, the band has refrained from listing any credits on our CD's. It was an idea we decided upon before our debut release in 2002. However, as the years have passed the initial line-up has morphed and changed. It has become much less a band and more of a collective. I would like to take this opportunity to credit these extraordinary musicians and dear friends. Original Line Up and Gold Members Nik Chinboukas - electric and acoustic guitar/keys/bass/sound design/vocals Dave Diamond - drums/piano/keys/bass/sound design Rich Kern - electric guitar/piano/keys/artwork Thad Debrock - electric and acoustic guitar/piano/keys/ Daniel Mintseris - piano/keys/sound design Dave Eggar - cello/piano Steven Bonacio - bass Andrew Pfaff - bass Steve Messina - vocals/electric and acoustic guitar/piano/bass/keys/sound design Our New Friends Kim Wayman - vocals Jason Crosby - piano/keys Noah Hoffeld - cello Teddy Kumpel - electric guitar Harvey Jones - piano Bryan Crook - woodwinds and brass Other Notables John Scarpulla - saxophone Rachel Golub - violin Noah - vocals.