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Tim Kinsella and Sam Zurick became friends at age fourteen when Sam asked Tim to steal
his mom's car so the two could go to Missouri to look for a missing girl Sam had
fallen in love with from a milk carton. Tim said yes. Two years later, Tim refused to
get in the car Sam had stolen from a Grateful Dead show, which as it turns out
belonged to Owsley Stanley -- the original purveyor of LSD to the hippies in
Haight-Ashbury and creator of the Dead's "Wall of Sound." Friendship's a fickle thing
and bands formed in friendship can be even more volatile, especially when some of
those friends have been making music together for over a decade.
Make Believe's members -- Bobby Burg, Nate Kinsella, Tim and Sam -- have had a touring
band lifestyle together for what seems like eons, whether it be in this outfit or
others. In recent times, singer/frontman Tim had been very open with his band mates
about his frustration with only being a singer/frontman in Make Believe. To remedy
this, he spent some time working out keyboard parts for some songs that the band had
been working on. They practiced with the new instrument and, even though they were all
friends, it didn't receive a warm reception. With the band feeling it unnecessary to
try and squeeze any more music into their already dense arrangements, Tim decided to
quit the band frustrated about music, space and being away from his family. As Tim put
it, "I was bored and frustrated with the required persona ... for the first time ever
I was kinda happy at home and I hated being away." Bobby, Nate, and Sam wondered
together, "What should we do?"
After text messages, emails, and even live cell phone conversations were had with
prospective new singers, the remaining band members continued to write songs together
despite the absence of someone in front of them. After a few months of this way of
thinking, Tim rejoined the group almost as suddenly as he had originally left with the
simple collective goal of finishing a record, with a newfound realization that the
band "could exist in my life on a smaller scale and be satisfying," as he put it. They
spent 6 days at Electrical Audio recording with Greg Norman and had so much fun they
decided to leave a couple moments of spontaneous laughter on the final mixes.
Now comfortable with the musical language they have been developing over years of
playing together, a new trust between the players has emerged. On Going to the Bone
Church you'll hear them taking turns, stepping out of the way, and complimenting each
other with the same synchronicity that live hip-hop probably does. A maturity has
grown in their arrangements that may be perceived as a fresh replacement to some of
their "all or nothing" or "music-is-energy-and-it-must-get-out!" style of past
recordings.
Worth a technical and creative mention is the interlocking shaker and guitar on the
album's closing track, "People Laughing," implying the reversal of time at the end of
each phrase by diminishing in a reverse build all while mimicking this present
cultural resurgence of Neo-Psychedelia with a "Strawberry Fields"-esque guitar solo
and the band pleading, "Protest the Vietnam War," because every war is actually the
same war, time or not! And thus we come full circle, back in time to the beginning of
friendship, bands, a bio and hippies.
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WIRE "A swinging alternative to the Windy City's neo-trad scene is provided by Make! Believe! whose second single, The Vampire
Lament To His Nurse/Each Day Is Different And The Same As Cocks (Flameshovel 7") is an ass-flattener. Reminding me of a whole generation of
lost children of Beefheart and also the early work of The Scene is Now, this record is really quite wonderful, surging into unexpected places
with a rhythmic grace and sophistication that belies close attention to the works of Mayo Thompson."
Chicago Reader "Judging by their self-title five-song debut on Flameshovel, this is the hardest rocking group Kinsella's been involved
with since his emo juggernaut Cap'n Jazz. He's at his most demostrative, blitzing through his elliptical lyrics with his voice cracking or
opening up into a raw, urgent scream; Zurick, bassist Bobby Burg, and Drummer Nate Kinsella unleash a pounding attack filled with logic defying
grooves that double back on themselves and swallow their own tails." - Peter Margasak
Rockpile "Between the quirkiness of Kinsella's lyrics and the band's jittery playing, Make Believe is putting a new spin on the rock
formula, creating somethign that's both musically daring and enjoyable." - Kory Grow
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Right Click on Image and Select "Save image as..." to download 300dpi photos
All Photos by Chris Strong except first two which are by "Photo Robot" & MUST be credited upon use
Copyright 2005-2008 Flameshovel Records
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Make Believe CDEP
(DIG021)
Released 05.11.04
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The Pink 7" 7"
(DIG023)
Released 11.16.04
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Out of Stock
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Shock of Being CD
(DIG026)
Released 10.04.05
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S/T EP + 2 Unreleased Tracks Ltd Ed. 12"
(MYTHXX)
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Out of Stock
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Of Course CD
(DIG039)
Released 10.03.06
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Going to the Bone Church LP
(DIG045)
Released 04.29.08
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