Audubon Park

AP, doing the best we can live with a man out. This show had a reason, but I don't remember what.

"Baby Vaughn, Your Life Is on Fire": A piece of fiction, though with certain truths embedded.

"Wounded Cougar": True, as you can hear from the recording, but expanded upon. The real sadness is that Sara and Sha will never knew that they made it into a song. But Beaufort knows that it is.

Recorded by Nick Petersen at Track and Field.

This was our first recording--the Fall of 2003. It was named by Jennifer while we were driving back from Durham. The band started like this: I asked Matt and then Robert and Finn and then Ben. I was afraid Ben would say "No." In fact, he didn't respond to my email about playing and we were going to practice for the first time with RB on the drums, but we saw Ben the night before at the first show at the Nightlight (CGJ and Des Ark) and he said "Oh, hell yes," so then the next day we were complete and as we would always be.

Nick is a brilliant man who makes us sound better than we are.

"Bees" got a nice review in the Independent which pretty much was all I wanted. The original cover had Jennifer's dad on it.

"Bardstown": Maybe I can hold your hand; maybe we will see a fight--it is the small things that mean the most in life. Writing on the walls may be destructive, but it is also writing and therefore creative. Happiness is heartbreak is happiness, etc.

"Snowy": The first of AP's many non-fiction songs.

"Oh Register, Why Are You Crying?": The second, and by chance, our hit. The chords are a Belle and Sebastian rip off. The hook and lyrics were improvised one Saturday morning while laying in bed waiting to find out my LSAT results (you have to call them on a certain day and the lines were jammed with every nervous overacheiver in America). I didn't even get out of bed. I had the fourtrack (we are talking about the demo here) at the foot of the bed and I was in only my boxers, mic in hand. Register was a good cat who is missed.

"The Loud Half Hour": True, true, true. Rob M., who now resides at the Big House, bought a drumset called a TKO. Most people think we are referring to a Peavey TKO amp. And by most, I mean Bob Wall.

"Green Refuge": Back to theoretical lyrics. Here we discuss the difference bettween the pasions of the flesh and the passions of the spirit, and find that they are the same--everyone just wants to get touched. The outro is the summation and shows us that we've been trying to resolve this the wrong way.

"New Jacket": This is for everyone who has lost someone.

Recorded at Finn's mom's house by Matt and the band. "Old Haunts" is a Ghost of Rock song. We thank them and honor them.

This is the second AP release, though it was recorded third.

"Tonight! The Church Van": A work of non-fiction about romantic passions at a church lock-in. I know I'm not the only one.

"Go to the Ant, You Lazybones": The title is a quote from the Bible and most of the rest deals with similar issues. This is the closest we got to sounding like the Dead.

"Tree Full of Snakes": Ben named this song too. Everyone loves playing it but me. This is 100% non-fiction and is about the best day of my life.

"Old Haunts": A beautiful song that I think captures the spirit of Chapel Hill better than any other song could ever hope to.

"Severe Letdown Dub": A hidden track. Please don't just buy this song.

Recorded live on WXDU by Ross Grady--another of NC's great and kind men.

This was very exciting for us. I always enjoy playing at 'XDU. We were late and loud and unprofessional and I am sure that no one listening rushed out and bought our CDs. But we had a great time.

"Turn Your A/C On High": Written by Work Clothes--hands down one of Chapel Hill's all time great bands. It seemed appropriate that since we did a Ghost of Rock song quiet we would do a Work Clothes song too loud. We made the urgency of the original really obvious, which took away from the song (which is beautiful and perfect) but it is really fun to play like this.

Recorded January 2010 by Nick Petersen at Track and Field in Carrboro, North Carolina. Mastered by Carl Saff at Saff Mastering in Chicago, Illinois. Art and layout by Ben and Linc.

All songs written and played by Audubon Park. String arrangements by Graham Carroll Roehrig.

These songs are NON-FICTION. They detail, in a narrative form, some of the things that have happened to us and our friends over the course of the past decade.

PASSION is dedicated to our friends and loved ones.

This is what AP is like really. Only people in bands can know how this feels. We get together to record demos of our new songs so we won't forget them and instead we get this--lots and lots.

GOD BLESS AUDUBON PARK

Recorded by Nick Petersen at Track and Field. Strings by Elizabeth and Fred.

This was recorded second, but was released after "Island" because of "label issues." Our friend Mikey put it out and when we got them back the cds were glued inside of old thrift store records. He sent pictures of the production process--grainy and dark. It was perfect.

Between "Bees" and this we got an email address and the Topic of Food blog. We'd tried to get into the Indy's band directory but were told that since we didn't have an email address or website they didn't realize we were a real band. So, our lust for success forced us to modernize. That's why the packaging was so great--you couldn't listen to what was probably our best work. We didn't even really play these songs live that much in honor of that.

"The Death of Baseball": About the dangers of professionalization--the words are old, from a poem written in the 90's. I don't think Fred and Elizabeth had any idea what they were getting into, but after this, they had a baby.

"Sunbathers": Meaningless brooding on the theme of girls. Too hard to actually play.

"April in Kentucky": If earth and sky both have the same properties, how can you know you are not immoral? Country music for real.

"Pleasant Hill": I find the Shakers to be the only appropriate object of rock music's desire. Hard work; austerity; rabid dancing. We have things to do.

"ESP Territory": A true story: Matt and I did see the Harbinger of Chance--a calico cat--and then a bag blew by and he said, "See."