Splitting Atoms

The Leviathan Brothers have sub-divided.

For Sean O'Connell's music writings, click here:

The Written Word According to SOC

For Miles Senzaki's rhythmic what-iz-its, click here:

Miles Senzaki - Internet Style

Thank you for your time.

-Sean Leviathan

What That Would Be Like

Miles and I recorded yesterday at Grandma's Dojo. We're taking an indefinite hiatus from this whole Leviathan Brothers thing and wanted to leave everyone with a parting shot.

"What That Would Be Like" - Leviathan Brothers

The song is called "What That Would Be Like" and features heartfelt vocals from Brett Favre circa March 4, 2009. Mr. Favre speaks a universal language of humility and we could want no better spokesman. To quote the great #4, "It was never about me. It was about everybody else."

Seeing as that was his first retirement speech we feel it is appropriate to be our first retirement speech. What does that mean for the future? We have no idea but someone's got to go back into the coal mines to cover the bills.

This is definitely a headphone jam that might make small children briefly nauseous.

Brought to you exclusively by:

Sean O'Connell - keyboards

Miles Senzaki - drums

(Right click and save to store the file or just click on it and wait a minute.)

Beach Boys Landmark - Hawthorne, CA

In 2004 I won a lawsuit. My union, IATSE Local 857, stuck it to the man and made me realize the importance of having no respect for management. With some of the windfall I invested in a local landmark - The Wilson Brothers home. California historical landmark 1041 commerates the home of the Wilson brothers - Brian, Carl and Dennis who would go on to start the Beach Boys. Granted this site is the home to countless physical and emotional abuses but on a larger scale it brought the world the Beach Boys. Check it out if you have a chance. There are few historical markers in Hawthorne and as long as Emmit Rhodes is holed up in his house, it won't become a historic landmark any time soon.

Buy Our Records!

We've got three delicious CDs available and that may be all for awhile. Get your fill of Leviathan Brothers noise while you can.

Dr. Werrenwrath's Prized Pupil

Here it is. Another notch in the Leviathan Brothers video catalog. Over three editing sessions my good friend Tom Child and I created this video for our upcoming White Noise 7". "Dr. Werrenwrath's Prized Pupil" is the LBs first foray into studio magic with vocal samples, bass overdubs, and all manner of insanity. Check out the video. Listen to the song. Look for Ronald Reagan.



For more info: White Noise Records

Vain in Train

Last December marked the four year anniversary of my becoming a regular train commuter in Los Angeles. Before gas was $4 and way before gas became $2 I would take three trains to get to work and three trains to get back home. I still do. And did this morning.

When I got on the train this morning I went for an open window seat next to some sullen-faced girl. I asked "Can I grab that seat?" and she wordlessly pointed to the four available seats in front of her. Those seats are for seniors & disabled and I don't like taking those. I feel guilty if I don't give them up to some round-bellied teenager or wobbly old man. I'd rather stand than sit there. So I gleefully reminded her "I'm sorry but you don't own this train. Now I'm most definitely taking that seat," and climbed over her to sit down. She got up with a huff and sat in one of the open seats she suggested I take. And sure enough at the next stop about 60 third graders piled into the car and surrounded her, stumbling with each lurch of the train and falling on top of her stuff while demonstrating various gymnastic techniques.

Taking the train means interacting with members of society. Directly. There is no car horn and you can't roll up your windows if you make enemies. And she's lucky I didn't get within a few inches of her face and really let her have it. I have taken many train systems around the world (Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago, Boston, New York, Dublin, Rome, Paris, London, Amsterdam) and none are as miserable as Los Angeles. In all those other cities trains are the great equalizer. In Los Angeles, only the brokest of the broke ride the train as it careens through one impoverished community after another, together but not united, longing for the next day where we won't have to ride the train.

LBs Celebrate the Super Bowl!

We played Orange County's oldest drinking establishment last Sunday. Where were you? Oh, nevermind. You can be there on February 1st to see us play two sets for free. Long after the pigskin has been tucked into it's blanket we'll hit the stage of the swanky Continental Room. This place is so classy they turned away a dude cause he looked like he fell off a train. How did they let us in?

The Continental Room
February 1st
10pm & 11'30pm
115 Santa Fe Avenue
Fullerton, California

#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?