#1 on KCRW again!

We'll take as much good news as we can here at Camp Leviathan. And despite our non-appearance on a recent KCRW top ten list we find ourselves (as of 12/o8/o8) the creators of the #1 jazz record on KCRW. Again. It's very gratifiying that certain people of power think complete strangers may enjoy hearing a song off of Short Stories. Thank you tastemakers.

JAZZ
1 LEVIATHAN BROTHERS == Short Stories >> [Red Rockets Glare]
2 HERBIE HANCOCK == Then & Now - The Definitive >> [Verve]
3 NASCIMENTO & JOBIM TRIO == Novas Bossas >> [Blue Note]
4 PEREZ & OGERMAN == Across The Crystal Sea >> [Decca]
5 LORRAINE FEATHER == Language >> [Jazzed Media]
6 aVISHAI COHEN TRIO == Gently Disturbed >> [Raz Daz]
7 MILES DAVIS - TRIBUTE == Miles From India >> [Times Square]
8 CHARLES LLOYD QUARTET == Rabo De Nube >> [Ecm]
9 KALINA & SELF == Odd Couple >> [Based Hound]
10 BOB MOVER == It Amazes Me >> [Zoho]

Under the Radar reviews 'Short Stories'

Dig the Short Stories review in the Best of 2008 issue of Under the Radar. Mr. Cory Frye gave us this review. We accept your challenge Cory. Our next release will be a triple disc CD-R - more tones, less drones!

Sean O'Connell plugs in for Stories, leaning hard on a roiling chug in opener "Desperate Futures," snarling over the talking head that fuels his organ with the gas it needs. Partner Miles Senzaki is his ever-present foundation, tagging the brotherly landscape with crisp brushes and fills. As always, the covers are insprired gems among the originals. Cold War Kids' "Passing the Hat" is translated on stark piano atop a harsh wind tearing at a loose metal flap. Much respect to the The Beatles pick, "The Inner Light" - a Harrison composition, no less. But it's a trip through Nirvana's "Dumb" that really sends the jaw clanging with sessioneer J.P. Maramba's bass handling the main riff and O'Connell's clean ivories speaking in Kurt Cobains' grimy moan. Vibraphone-dreamy closer "Epilogue Cabin" seals the EP with a snowy kiss. The only drawback - as always on a Leviathan joint - is the premature goodbye.

LBs on KUCI

The LBs will dropping in on KUCI studios this Monday night (Decemeber 1st) somewhere between 6pm and 8pm to join Gorgeous Jeff and his dynamic Soup of the Day extrava-jazza. Listen in during your drive-time hour to hear us deadpan answers we may or may not really believe and listen to good tunage.

There are also rumblings about a 7" for the LBs. Maybe we'll play you the B-side. Kick off your shoes and put on your swim-fins!

www.kuci.org
88.9FM Irvine, California

#1

The new Leviathan Brothers EP "Short Stories" finds itself the #1 jazz record on KCRW 88.9FM. Damn, this has been a good week.

1 LEVIATHAN BROTHERS
title: Short Stories
label: [Red Rockets Glare]

2 AARON PARKS
title: Invisible Cinema
label: [Blue Note]

3 HERBIE HANCOCK
title: Then & Now - The Definitive
label: [Verve]

4 RACHAEL PRICE
title: Good Hours
label: [Claire Vision]

5 KALINA & SELF
title: Odd Couple
label: [Based Hound]

6 MARCIN WASILEWSKI TRIO
title: January
label: [Ecm]

7 LATCHES
title: Latches
label: [Sunnyside]

8 AVISHAI COHEN TRIO
title: Gently Disturbed
label: [Raz Daz]

9 MILES DAVIS - TRIBUTE
title: Miles From India
label: [Times Square]

10 JOSE JAMES
title: Dreamer
label: [Brownswood]

Top Ten

Well here's a nice little birthday present. In the first week of release the Leviathan Brothers' new EP Short Stories is number three on the KCRW Top Ten Jazz Playlist.

JAZZ
1 EST == Leucocyte - Sampler >> [Emarcy]
2 JAMES, JOSE == Dreamer >> [Brownswood]
3 LEVIATHAN BROTHERS == Short Stories >> [Red Rockets Glare]
4 HUNTER, CHARLIE == Baboon Strength >> [Spire Artist Media]
5 SFJAZZ COLLECTIVE == Live 2008 - 5th Annual Concert Tour >> [Sf Jazz]
6 PRICE, RACHAEL == Good Hours >> [Claire Vision]
7 LATCHES == Latches >> [Sunnyside]
8 COHEN, AVISHAI TRIO == Gently Disturbed >> [Raz Daz]
9 DAVIS, MILES - TRIBUTE == Miles From India >> [Times Square]
10 BLUE NOTE COMPILATION == Droppin Science - Greatest Samples >> [Blue Note]

Woody N' You

I've been slowly working my way through the Woody Allen directorial canon by way of Netflix. If we're only counting movies he has directed I'm a little better than halfway through. Last Sunday, the missus and I watched "Stardust Memories" which starred Woody and Charlotte Rampling. Although not a great starting point for anyone unfamiliar with his work, it is definitely one of his best and the closest we'll ever get to a dvd commentary. (Plus it has a baby-faced Daniel Stern!)

In the last week I've been pondering, like anyone who invests more than ten dollars and twenty minutes in their passion, the looming threat of failure. Artistic failure. Commercial failure. Heart failure. In all it's moody absurdity "Stardust" addresses ideas about expectation and failure that make me feel a whole lot better. Or maybe just more resigned. Either way, he hit the nail on the head and twenty-eight years after it's release he's still adhering to the same artistic standards he outlined in the movie.

Lesson learned? Sure. I learned that it doesn't get any easier. It only gets worse. And that as the profile expands, so to does the target. Fire away.

The Mochi Museum

Our friend Love, Christine has been making some great posters for the LBs over the last few years. Each show she creates a poster for makes the actual performance a little more memorable for us and we couldn't be more appreciative.

This is the Leviathan Brother wing of the Mochi Museum:










To see more of Mochi's work visit:

www.love-christine.com

Tonight at Spaceland!

We're playing at Spaceland tonight with dios (malos).

Short Stories

Well there it is. After all the anticipation it is finally revealed. The cover of our third EP. All of the artwork front and back for the record was created by South Park animator Ryan Quincy. More on him here:

RQ HQ

Pretty neat, isn't it? Something you can stare at for hours. Thanks Ryan. Can't wait to mass produce them! I think they'll be ready at our record release show at the Jazz Bakery. Mark your calendar - October 7th.

Join us this Friday night in Claremont. From 6 - 9 we're playing for free! After that we can negotiate a price.

Permit me to cut and paste here:

LEVIATHAN BROS. this Friday in Claremont! At The Packing House, 1st St. and Oberlin Avenue, just west of Indian Hill Blvd. 6-9 pm. FREE! Brought to you by Claremont's Friday Nights Live concert series.

Oh yeah. That's it.

Dearthquake

Hundreds of hours of television dedicated to twenty seconds of reality.

My tires wobbled like a mother and then KLOS went quiet, silencing a much-appreciated "Street Fightin' Man". Then I got home. No bricks fell on my head.

I blame this little guy.

Sounds of the Summer

There's a mariachi band playing no more than thirty feet from my front door. They're pretty good. Two trumpets, a violinist, a chorus of shouters, bass and some barking dogs. Every now and then their sound gets swallowed up by the propeller of an overhead police helicopter - more commonly known as a Hawthorne street light. The helicopter has been hovering eerily close but this has not deterred the band. I wonder how that must look to the police up above. I can't see them because of a fence but I hope they are wearing something cool.

It kind of reminds me of this. But the opposite.

Smile Now, Cry Later

We're still here. Just catching up on some breakfast. Rosheila Robles took these pictures. Aren't they nice?

I Pity the Food.

Why is the food in New York so good? Is it all the walking that makes things taste better? Whatever it is, keep it up.

Bummer, man.

Over and out, George Carlin

Summer Sweeping

Vlad Guerrero prepares to slap the shit out of a baseball while 3000 miles away the Lakers lose to the Celtics by 6 touchdowns!



It's getting hot around here. Real hot. The prostitutes in the neighborhood are wearing less with each passing day. By the end of the week I'm sure they'll be naked. But that's good for business. You don't have to rely on your personality so much. Just balance.

But I won't get to see any of that because I'm going to Boston and New York this week where it will be hotter. It'll be nice to walk around a pulsating concrete armpit. I'm going to check out Nik Freitas in Boston and the David Byrne "Musical Building" in Battery Park. We'll see how much patience I have for standing in line to make sounds on the plumbing of a hundred year old building.

If you see me, bring me a dry shirt.

-Sean Leviathan

LBs in Print

Look what's in the OC Weekly this week.



click the image to actually read that little print.

A Man Divided

In the late Spring of 1987 I was five years old. I'd have to wait for the World Series before turning six. My visits to Boston Garden usually featured acrobats and ice capades. The people on the floor were not making millions of dollars throwing things into hoops. They were performing lutzes in over-sized Minnie Mouse costumes or making union scale shoveling elephant shit for two shows a day.

Now 21 years later I am 3000 miles across the tundra. I see the Staples Center and all it's silvery, corporate-sponsored glory every time I go off to make a little money with my own shovel. And the Forum, now paying most of its bills as a church, is within walking distance of my apartment.

So as a man of dual citizenship it is hard to choose a side. In Boston I relished my snow days and changing seasons. But I've lived in California now almost half my life. When I came to California Olajuwon was busy winning jewelry in Houston. Now they've made a statue of him.

But I'm no idiot. I'm endorsing the purple and gold. You think I want to be threatened at my local taqueria for wearing green shoes? Do you think I want to find my car upended and torched? Do you think I want to sleep outside by the hose in case fire erupts? No, no. I'll wait til the Fourth of July.

-Sean Leviathan

Naranjas! Naranjas!

We're playing at the District Lounge in the City of Orange in Orange County.

June 10th
9pm til 12am
Free
223 W. Chapman Ave
Orange, CA


Hey everybody.
Leviathan Cousin agrees that "orange is great!"

A Day at the Races

The Leviathan Brothers are fans of the kingly pursuits. We enjoy a well-mixed drink but oppose inter-league play. We can discuss the significance of Jimmy Blanton's contributions to the role of modern bass but we'd rather watch clips of japanese game shows on the internet. So naturally this afternoon was spent at the track.

Not all of the LBs finances derive from LB related work. Sometimes we must reach beyond playing for drink tickets and a parking spot near the loading entrance in order to buy shelter and pork chops.

It was a beautiful day for the horses. Every half hour grumbling scholars would emerge from the shadows to catch a first-hand glance at another poor financial decision.




Lo and behold the LB contingent finished in the black. Yep that's horse number seven paying for a Pink's hot dog and its carbonated companion. Watch out big spenders!



Thanks for the good time Hollywood Park. See you again in two years?

Romancing the Phone

Hey friends.

Sorry the show didn't work out on Sunday. We'll make it up to you. Promise.

In the meantime, play with this.

Their Eyes Were Watching Dog

Did you think I was lying?

Spring Cleaning

Well, we're getting into the swing of things over here in camp Leviathan. A very important artwork meeting was held at Chips, here in Hawthorne. Things were discussed, gestures were made, sandwiches were consumed.

We've got a couple shows coming too. Check out that doo-hickey on the left. I figured that out a few days ago. Click on those dates. I dare you.

Everyone having a good time? Enjoying the flowers and kittens bestowed upon us by the changing seasons? I hope so.

Next time bring a glove.

-Sean Leviathan

Our Time Under the Microphones

Hey everybody.

We finished mixing our new stuff on Friday at Red Rockets Glare studio in Rancho Park. Very delightful. With the combined minds and facial hair of Raymond Richards, Miles and myself we managed to record a little, adjust volumes and even do a little panning (Someone's already told me it made her eyes "jiggle").

We put a morsel up on our myspace page. It's our little form of protest in response to the unceremonious dropping of Alan Rich from the pages of the LA Weekly. He is essentially the reason for us ever setting foot in Raymond's studio and for that we can't be thankful enough.

Cheers Alan. I hope you enjoy the noise. Now the ocean calls.

-Sean Leviathan

Spring is Here

What better news to get on the first day of Spring than we're opening for the Dirty Dozen Brass Band at the Mint on April 8th. We go on at 8pm. That should be fun, right?

We hope so.

check it out here:

www.themintla.com


The Leviathan Brothers wish you a happy spring. Look out for fire ants.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

One quarter of the Leviathan Brothers wish you a happy St. Patrick's day. Take advantage of the imported beer sales. It'll be Cinco de Mayo before another good break.



In this picture, Sean Leviathan has the pleasure of preventing Dave Attell from lighting his cigarette. Get some sleep.

On the record

We recorded today for the first time in over a year. Maybe it'd be a lot less stressful if we did it more often. Either way, I'm home now.

We all trekked out to sunny Pasadena to raise a little hell with our good friend Raymond Richards. We got some good things on tape. We didn't fall off the damn staircase. (Let that handprint stain be a warning to all those who fool around.) And I think we've got something to be proud of. Here are some pictures to prove we're not lying. We will figure out what to do with the sounds after a nap.

A New LB Video

Check it out. A new LB video from The Man Who Lost His Shadow. It features Ben Gazzara, Pere Noel and Mick Jagger. How did we get such an astounding budget? Selling magazine subscriptions.

Thanks to Tom Child for all his help and thanks to momma Leviathan for the camera.

Chinatown Sounds

Hello friends.

The LBs are playing in Chinatown on February 9th. Come out and party like it's 2008!

We'll be playing two sets at the Grand Star Jazz Club from 9 until 11ish.

How was the Echo?

With booty-shaking bass every time Miles touched pedal to drum, we had a fine time playing too fast and causing uncomfortable silences. Thanks to the Section Quartet and the Poor Excuses - all good times not limited to keyboard humping and stacc-ato-ato-ato.

Leviathan Brothers at the Echo

We're playing at the Echo on January 30th. We'll be opening for the Section Quartet. How can you go wrong?



www.attheecho.com

Questions? Comments?

info@leviathanbrothers.com