Father? Yes son!

White snow, true Winter

2012-03-01T15:07:00.002-08:00

After a while here I am, back to the trees' fort, or to the fort on the trees.
We've been travelling a lot in the recent three weeks, with our younger brothers Les Rhinoceros, and with our cicero Jakub from Seek Harbour Booking. We were East, tomorrow we start another tour and we will go West.
I thought of not writing post for the 4 months of touring we had ahead, for then coming back with tons of new trees photos and stories.
But it looks like i have already too memories from the first leg of the tour that I won't be able to take any new ones, so I decided with post something, every once in a while.
Three pics for the first three days of the tour.
Between Slovenia and Croatia. Trees are tall, they're able to keep apart all the grey. They're stunning. Even if I wasn't driving at all, I couldn't sleep in the van, I stared at the window and just tried to count'em all. Of course, I didn't make it.
They are so many of them, it is something that simply makes me joyfull.
They will win, they always will.
And I rememberd when I thought I was scared of Trees.
Now i can only think that posting these three new trees it is the best wishing luck for the new tour that is starting.
Take care, you too.

Beijing Winter Tales

2012-01-27T03:20:00.000-08:00

Lotuses grow out of the mud pure and clean.
Some Beijing Winter Tales are about the lotuses growing out of ice, waiting for the Spring.
The beauty of Winter colors is a bold statement in which I read the art of enjoing the waiting, every little step. It is so hard sometimes. As when checking a pic before posting it to see if everything is in its right place.
This whole set of picture was taken by our C. Lee during her last staying in the North Capital of China. They were shot in December.
There are 4 of them.

A fifth photo is of a Tree coming out of a Beijing Wall. You can see some starlings flying around. Are They the ones I was talking about few weeks ago? I like to think that!

So, 4 pics of Lotuses + a Tree= 5. We miss one thing to get to Six, and you know how picky I can be with Numbers.

And the sixth will be the teaser for our upcoming album "Anyway, your children will deny it", shot by Luigi Dalla Riva e Simone Piva, on a Ba Abat set design called "HereWeare".
Just click on the link below.

"ANYWAY, YOU CHILDREN WILL DENY IT" TEASER

Friday, january 27th
signed

f.

Waves over the miles

2012-01-12T01:18:00.000-08:00

Last time I was writing something here it was almost a month ago.
Now we have a new year, I personally have thousand different thoughts to follow in my head, and tons of pics to better organize.
Anyhow, there's a detail that I've been noticing in all the photos I took from the end of December to yesterday (January 11th, dates, you know, are important!): WAVES! Think of it as a concept, as the waves which (butthole) surfers are looking for or just as a lonely and gigantic big Wave that will wash all of us away, i can tell you they've been picking up on my mind for almost three weeks now. And if you check this three pics I'm not sure you will see anything related to it. Maybe it's just me thinking that trees can protect us even from that gigantic Wave. The sound of the wave hitting on the trees, I imagine it to be atonishing, though.
This short introduction is to present the new first pics of 2012.

I'll be hitting the road with my cohorts soon (check live page for updates!) so I'll be collecting new pics from this side of the world and the other, as we know it.
And I'll be posting here the first promo pics for the new record (Anyway, your children will deny it) very soon, pics which were taken by our friends @ quasimontecarlo, on a set design by Ba Abat http://www.baabat.com.

By the way, the second picture in this post depicts a Birch Forest up in the mountains between France and Italy, an amazing place where I did find some peace in the last days of 2011.

God speed.

signed,

f.

After going Sinister around the world.

2011-12-14T09:37:00.000-08:00

After introducing C. Lee and the photos she took while in Shanghai (she's still there, still hiding, and I underline that I mean a positive thing in saying "hiding". Hide yourself in the woods! There you'll find protection), here some other news: besides our beloved Trees, you will recognize some birds on 2 of the 3 pics I'm posting today.
I've learned these birds are called starlings.
They've been reharsing for days, in order to migrate.
It's still kind of warm here, 8 to 10 Celsius degrees, maybe 5 in the evenings.
When I was a kid it was like this earlier in October.
Anyway, these birds have been doing circles all day long in the past couple of days.
At the beginning I had the feeling that I was missing something...
Then i remembered.
With C. Lee, three years ago at least, we did record some birds while they were doing this same thing. We used those field recordings as introduction to "Go Sinister", a song part of the "...and He told us to turn to the Sun" album...
And now here they are, and I'm pretty damn sure they are the same birds. Less maybe, but they came back.
And I want to be clear, I'm not saying here that they came back for me, nor for C.Lee. No, they came back to the Trees. They found once here protection, so they came back.
They prove me right, or I prove them right.
Here a link to listen to that song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ceeb7y407Uo

The birds taught me that I always should to go back to the Trees.
These trees of ours.

Sub Pop

2011-12-01T03:07:00.000-08:00

Hectic post today.
I've been asked by our friend Dean Whitmore to provide a top 10 something for the Top Ten of 2011 Friends of Sub Pop Edition.
Here's my contribution.

Among the live shows i had the chance to see in the last couple of years while touring with Father Murphy, this is my top ten (in no particular order):

Talk Normal, performing at Sonic City Festival, Kortrijk, Belgium
Deerhoof and Xiu Xiu, performing Joy Division's Day of the Lords, Lee Palace, Toronto, Canada
Asian Women on the telephone (AWOTT), live at SKIF Festival, St. Petersburg, Russia
KILLL, live at SKIF Festival, St. Petersburg, Russia
Sic Alps, live at Victoria Dalston, London, UK
Thulebasen, live at Sodra Theater, Stockolm, Sweden
The Ex & Brass Unbound live at Magasin 4, Brussels, Belgium
Movie Star Junkies, live at No Fest, Turin, Italy
Dead Western, performing at HUB, Sacramento, US
Monstro (i believe they changed their name to "Consort of the true drone", anyway look for Ezra Buchla!) live at The Smell, Los Angeles, US

Updated the live page, with the archive list until 2004.
Check also clips page, and new pics.
Soon more details about our new "Anyway, your children will deny it" album, due to release next february 2012 (the more we listen to the new tracks, the happiest we are for asking Greg saunier to mix this new jam of ours).

Hectic post, hectic photo of a green tree coming out from the myst.

Protect yourself, now, You.

Ageing

2011-11-29T10:06:00.000-08:00

In Ancient China, when a Mandarin was getting old, he used to leave the Capital, going South.
The ageing Mandarin knew he would have been in need for even more protection. So he spent days and days in having Trees growing all over the place, as new symbols of his power. He now could rest, They were looking after him, he was safe again.
The three photos here were sent to me early this morning from Shanghai, where C. Lee is hiding at the moment (hiding has no negative meaning at all. Hide yourself in the woods is a wish I would say to my best friend).
She said these trees have been protecting first the Mandarin, then the Yuyuan Garden for centuries.

Now she found new protection too.

When you really need to name things.

2011-11-19T12:23:00.000-08:00

I usually do need to give names to things (think of Dale Cooper in Twin Peaks, with his beloved Trees...).
Here, while posting pics, I never thought of saying the proper names of the different trees I was going to show. That's weird, I never thought of it. Telling the truth, I usually rename the pics, choosing not the name of that peculiar tree, but most of the time writing where the photo's been taken, or, when travelling, the nearest city. That's weird too... I think, i.e., to the Scandinavian trees I've posted, I wrote they were in Copenaghen, Stockolm or other cities, but I actually took those pictures while going from a city to the other. When you go to visit someone you usually bring something with you, it is very important to show your gratitude and your respect. A present. Maybe my habit is to bring with me pictures of trees to be given to the next city I'll be, so not to look just as an empty vessel to fill.
Anyway, the two pictures of today were taken on thursday 17th, from the Treehouse, and they show the best spot to look I can think of, if I'm in need for some peace. But I did forget to name them, so, while looking on the archive for doing the upload, I noticed their numbers were 1944 and 1945. I love names and I love dates. And I do know that numbers have always a meaning.
Many things happened and changed in those two years.
At one point, in 1945, there was more light. So in the picture.
But just a bit more, because so many steps were and are yet to be done.
That's why I keep on keeping tracks of trees all over I've been and, where I'm at home, of the ones sorrounding this place. It's them who protected us in all these years, it's them that will keep on protecting us.
I talked about my need of naming things, so I want to end this new post with a list of names/titles.
Thanks to titles longer than usual, I found myself able to describe, better, to introduce myself and the possible listeners to a song of ours. Here below there is the best introduction to our new album, starting from its songs titles.

Anyway, your children will deny it

1- How we ended up with Feelings of Guilt.
2- His face showed no distortions.
3- It is funny, it is restful. Both came quickly.
4- Digging the bottom of the Hollow.
5- In praise of our doubts.
6- Their consciousness.
7- In the flood, with the flood.
8- Don't let yourself be hurt (this time).

By the morning's end the air was a bit warmer

2011-11-05T15:59:00.000-07:00

First three pics are of that tree i mentioned before.
It's the one we will work on with Ba Abat for the promotional photos of FM new album "Anyway your children will deny it" (the new record is almost almost ready. I will be giving more infos here soon. Greg Saunier just sent us his final mixing and we are simply honoured and grateful he decided to deal with our sounds).
I thought of posting here some pictures of this marvellous tree, tall like 6 human beings, before having you seeing what it'll become.

I have no idea why everything I'm writing here it keeps of being underlined...
Anyhow, here below, the newest pic of the trees surrounding our Treehouse, the ones from where the protection starts, for then going all over the world, following us, until we will follow the trees.
And until we follow the numbers, that kabbalah of our own, that together of that Legend of Ours, fulfills some moments of our lives.
But you have always to remember where it all started. That's the reason I'm also posting the photo here below.
And I will soon be posting images where you cannot tell in which moment of the day or night they've been shot, or at least I can't. Actually, this one could be one of those...
Is it out of focus?
Focus most of the times is not my main concern, it's more about the idea of keeping the memory of something, in that precious istant.
By the morning's end the air will be a bit warmer.

You'll take the Fall

2011-10-21T02:16:00.000-07:00

Back to the Trees that surround us.
The photo here means Fall finally arrived.
I'll be posting soon more trees from that day, it was really clear the season was changing.

We're gonna be working with Ba Abat for the promo pictures of the new album, it's gonna be a collaboration we look so forward to!
I will write more about it.
It'll be Us and a Tree of Her.

Here her website, right now is under mantainance, it'll be up again soon!
www.baabat.com

And Trees will be also on the new album liner note, thanks to Ol'Fisherman Ngo, of course.

Blessing from me, and from/to this kind of Collective of the Trees people.

Anyway, your children will deny it

2011-10-01T07:32:00.000-07:00

No trees from Scandinavia nor Europe this time; no trees from somewhere we've been touring recently.
The green here comes from our ol'Fisherman NGO, that joins me with this picture to spend just few words about the new record.
He's already working on the visions for the new cover: it'll be the Temple this time, the Wall of the Temple.
The other three Murphys are now done with all the recordings. After working on Vicar's Gomma Playground, the last voices and instruments to be recorded have been put on 2'' tape by Emanuele Baratto (check the band he plays with, the uncanny Moviestar Junkies!) in his Inside Outside Studio.
The tracks are in this exact moment going from one side of the Pond to the other.
In fact, it'll be Greg Saunier from Deerhoof that will mix our new record, "Anyway, your children will deny it" (and this happens thanks to Greg, of course, and for the advice i've got from Xiu Xiu's Jamie Stewart).
And we feel honoured and so so glad.
8 new songs.
After the mysticism of "No room for the weak", not it's time for a personal hermitage, before a new and final ouverture.
I've been saying for years that i would have tried one day to hide myself in the woods.
In the next three months, before the new album will be released (Aagoo? Aagoo!!!), the three of us will hide from each other, we will hide from the Other.
I just can tell about me, in the woods!, and for C.Lee, China (i know it because Lee told me that China is so big i would never be able to find her...).
And Vicar is already on the hiding...

I stop here, with a sentence i woke up with this morning (as usual i don't know if it's correct or if i'm stealing someone else words...):
Love to everyone, it's gonna come!

FIRS

2011-09-22T07:27:00.000-07:00

I wrote firs just because i love the name, and how it sounds.
I won't start now nameing each tree i will be posting here.

These three pics are still from Scandinavia.
Hope to be back there soon.

We won't be playing until next january.
Yesterday evening i said bye to C. Lee and Vicar V.
We'll meet back in some weeks.

But this is meant to be a short post, three new photos of trees.

Here they are, now.

This was supposed to happen yesterday...

2011-09-20T04:53:00.000-07:00

Berlin, Hamburg (Frappant Building) and Nurnmberg.
A German Post.

While here a preview of the BEIM DOKTOR CALIGARI show we did last saturday, at Teatro Bolognini, Pistoia (w/Jealousy Party, Alessandro Fiori and Rico/Uochi Tochi).
http://vimeo.com/29122757

Three trees

2011-09-16T05:57:00.000-07:00

n
Brussels, London, London.
We-re working on a Beim doktor Caligari, together with Jealousy Party (they are super!!! check'em out!!!!) and waiting for Alessandro Fiori.
There are three Pini Marittimi nearby, i-ve been told they are the ones that will protect us.

Again

2011-09-12T11:16:00.000-07:00

Here what i promised: tress from York, Copenhagen and Stockholm.
Three days, then other three trees.

A saucerful of Trees

2011-09-09T14:12:00.000-07:00

Just back from the European tour with Sic Alps (amazing people, amazing band!), here i am posting the first pics taken during the tour. The first first first one is from Scandinavia, somewhere btw Malmo, Stockolm and Copenaghen, taken going from one town to the others.
There is something there in the Woods.
Believe me, the woods up there are really something.
I'll be posting for the next week 3 pics every three days.

And i dreamt of high trees, dark woods, lot of men and women from another era hailing to a gigantic Cross. I will work on this and then back to you.
And i dreamt of a Temple, an ol'fisherman NGO, who's already working on the album's cover, dreamt about it too.

Our new record ain't ready yet, it'll be soon.
Soon.

We have the last couple of shows before hiding for three monts.
The tree of us, hiding above some trees. It would be nice.

Some protection to you as well from the trees that defend and surround our house.

A new beginning

2011-08-18T05:04:00.000-07:00

After almost two weeks of touring Sardinia and south of Italy, i'm back now with some new pictures and the feeling that a new start is close.
I have this new camera, and i discovered that taking picture during night time makes the trees look like paintings. I don't know much about ight/exposure and so on, but i decided i will soon focus all my pictures of trees to this new stupid way of mine of making paintings. Even my words won't sound right to explain what i have on mind.
So, just facts: we just finished with Murphies recording demos for the new record titled "anyway, your children will deny it", soon we'll be back in a proper studio. And tomorrow we leave again, heading north, as most of the times in the past months. We'll be touring with Sic alps, that makes me happy. Our future is still a gigantic question mark, so i will wait to get back before getting anxious.
Anyway, the new start thing is here, so i will celebrate with some pics, here above, left and right, taken from that mysterious place i talked about a while ago...i got back there after 3 months, together with Figliotucano, C.Lee and our friend Be my delay.
Last picture is taken on Figliotucano's garden.
The new start is also about a new project we have with Figliotucano himself, called Ghostwood project, but i'll talk about it later on the fall.
Ah, almost forgot to say that the new releases are out: 7'' split with HOW MUCH WOOD WOULD A WOODCHUCK CHUCK IF A WOODCHUCK COULD CHUCK WOOD, out for Aagoo, Avant!, Boring Machines, Brigadisco, La Délirante and Madcap Collective, and a marvellous 12'' live, recorded last march first at Brigadisco's Cave, down in Itri (100 km souther than Rome).
I will end this weird post with some words taken from somewhere i don't even remember, maybe not even the same source...so it may happen it all will sound akward to you:

It is funny, it is rest. Both came quickly.
Consciusness and selfish, where influence is concerned.

One day we may meet all down the hill.

New post, new camera, but first...

2011-07-20T01:23:00.000-07:00

All the pictures in this blog were taken with a Canon Camera (but the one from Lithuania by Figliotucano). Now, C. Lee gave me as birthday present a Nikon, so consider that all the next pics i'll be posting here will be taken with this new black camera.
But, there's always a but, this short short blog does contain three images i took with Vicar V. mobile phone. Trees here are from Musica nelle Valli Festival, in San Martino Spino.
One of the best festival in the whole Europe, where tons of great different bands played.
For more info go to http://www.fooltribe.com
Anyhow, these are the trees who surround and protect the festival over the years.

From july 29th till september 17th Father Murphy will be around Italy and Europe (w/Sic Alps! and The Ex!), touring and touring again (thanks fitz at nomanis.com).
You can find all the dates updated.
It means i'll have so many new pics of different trees, trees that will once again protect our way.
When i was a kid i thought trees were somehow evil, i think it's because of Twin Peaks series. I do understand now that even if Trees will always protect me, it doesn't mean that some sort of Evil won't be after me.

PS soon news about our first 7'' (together with amazing HowMuch wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood) and first LP live (Recorded by our friends at Brigadisco Records during our last visit at their amazing Studio).

The first time i may be feeling embarrassed

2011-06-19T04:35:00.001-07:00

First on the left is a photo i've got from my friend Figliotucano, while he was hiding in the Lithuanian woods. Then, following to the right, again a picture coming from the hidden place in my home town, that i decided not to name in this post. IT is beautiful and clean, but the there's a bigot evil running thorugh her streets, through her inhabitants veins, so i'm just trying to be not part of it.
Anyhow, the tree on the right, in that same picture, i think of it as a massive load of spores...

Continuing, on what i believe it'll be the picture on the right side (both meanings?) of what i'm writing, it is the London sky as seen through
some green leaves, in one of the only moment when it didn't rain... As usual, someone could say

And while this picture below introduces something new, being in fact a picture of trees as seen through a pagoda (again, the hidden place of few lines earlier has still lot to share with me)...

The last one does refer to another foreign country/city that starts with the letter L, being this time Leeds (after, i like to be precise and flowery/redundant, Lithuania and London).

It is been taken on a early morning, after a show we did in Leeds last week.

It seems to me now that this post is nothing but a
didactic one.
I cannot say if i wanted to write more than a short description of my first time 5 pictures in a only post.
Anyway, i will end it now, with a phrase i somehow keep on thinking of since i woke up this morning (but, damn, i cannot recall where i heard of or read it...so not even sure my english will be that right...)
I was a looking at a tree, asking for protection, with a secret hope i could go home with that feeling of protection. While looking at it, i felt kind of embarrassed, so i suddenly crossed my legs.
I would have noticed that behaviour of mine other times while growing. That, for what i can recall, it's been the first time.

Even Treviso was able to show a hidden place

2011-06-01T06:55:00.000-07:00

I

a
m

f
r
o
m

T
r
e
viso, never played there with Murphies, never been fond of my home town.
No none can be prophet in his own town someone says.
Anyway, Chiara Lee, Figliotucano and I were walking the other day, nearby the river, and we found an old mansion, close close close to the city center, with a mysterious park.
Someone says the owner was a mason, and that he built the whole place following some rituals and old schemes.
Anyway, after following a gate made of ivy, and after getting out by a small temple, with an altar in the center of it, we got to this place, this lake you can see here above.
The two pictures are taken one after the other, the second one with flash on.
The three of us thought of being on a Salgari book.
And, even if for few seconds, we were happy to be back in Treviso.

Next, i'll have some trees frorm Lithuania, thanks to Figliotucano.
Now i'm off to the Biennale of Venice, where we'll play tomorrow at Osloo Boat, made by danish artist FOS, as part of the Danish Pavillon.

Hide yourself in the woods

(one) Two Trees...

2011-05-25T04:34:00.000-07:00

Right before leaving home for other shows (we'll be back to UK! but before we''ll play at Musica nelle Valli, one of the best festival in the whole Italy, and at The Venice Biennale), here i am posting indeed two pics taken few days ago.
One being a majestic tree in front of Chiara Lee's parents'house, the other one being next to the venue in Padova where we opened for Disappears last sunday.
First pic, taken on a early afternoon.
Second one, right before the sunset.

Not that i wanna start talking about beginning and/or ending anything.
It's been an interesting couple of days, that's all.

We also worked a lot on the new record.
I haven't talked about it, not here.

I have a title for it, not sure 100%.
I have few words i can share, it doesn't matter if they'll make it or not into a song.

Some of these days look at your eyes.
Look at you breathing.
Before diving back in.

One week later, the Russian trees are for real!

2011-05-16T06:03:00.000-07:00

A picture taken nearby the Sea, in St. Petersburg.
We were up North, and the Sun was really something.
Skif Festival is been awesome. Same thing for all the people we met.
I hope we will be always able to give back the love we receive from trees as from the poeple we meet on our way.
Following the Path.

Next i'll be posting russian trees...

2011-05-09T14:57:00.000-07:00

Next friday and saturday may 13th and 14th Fr. Murphy is been invited to play at SKIF Festival, in St. Petersburg, Russia.
On the bill bands as SWANS, THE EX, GONJA SUFI, JAMES BLACKSHAW and much much more.
So i'll be posting soon mi first pictures of russian trees.

Anyway, here is another picture take few weeks ago.
I was up north, going to Stockolm from Goteborg.
The day, in the middle of Sweden, wasn't that bad, even if we were almost expecting some snow on the way.

Then in Stockolm we found the Sun.
Other pictures, another story.
Even if i see that i'm never telling stories, just posting pictures.
I believe stories are somehow my business, and few people will give much more than a damn about it. While trees i hope will be find more fans.
I'm sure.
Protect yourself with trees.

Here we are: Norwegian woods!

2011-04-28T02:37:00.000-07:00

...and after hiding myself in the woods as a way to celebrate Easter, finally i'm here posting a new picture.
This is taken in Norway, few km's from the border with Sweden.
We were coming from stockolm, that day was beautiful.
I'll have soon other pcitures posted.
Trees will tell you and let me remember of an another european tour.

On the shows section i will so be posting all the past shows.
And i'll have soon more stuff for the Heresy section as well.

We played with several different bands, i want you to check Thulebasen, fron Denmark, and Jackdaw with Crowbar, from England.

Hugs over the trees

New shows added!

2011-04-10T06:04:00.000-07:00

...and soon new trees pictures as well...

Another show added, next saturday, april 16th, in Copenaghen.

At KRONBORGGADE 3, 8.30 pm. thanks to our friends Ken and Rasmus.

We're right now in Copenaghen, enjoying the day off.

And check Thulebasen, the band we're touring with, they are AMAZING!

here next shows in Europe:

12.04.2011 Goteborg, SE, Gerlesborg Skolan (w/Thulebasen)

13.04.2011 Stockholm, SE, Strand. (w/Thulebasen)

14.04.2011 Oslo, NO, Gloria (w/Thulebasen)

16.04.2011 Copenaghen, DE, Kronborgade 3

17.04.2011, Hamburg, DE, Galeron, w/Swearing at Motorists

18.04.2011 Amsterdam, NL, radio show

19.04.2011, Brussels, BE, Atelier Claus

here the other trees

2011-03-24T17:43:00.000-07:00

No words, just trees.
I mean protection.
Protect me now you!

As promised, here are new trees!

2011-03-24T17:24:00.001-07:00

Just got back from a 3 weeks italian tour.
Here you have some trees between Tuscany and Emilia Romagna, a picture taken after playing in Montale, Pistoia, at Nub. Despite all my love toward trees, while passing through the woods i confess i felt at the same time frightened. You never know what it can be hiding between the trees. As if i was saying that owls are not what they seem to be.

Anyhow, soon a new tree picture from Catania, Sicily, and then from Faenza.

And in April with Fr. Murphy we'll hit Scandinavia, for the first time! And Poland, Germany and much more...then Russia in may!
So i'll have much more pictures of trees, and new memories.

be well.

New Trees and Fr. Murphy

2011-02-14T05:50:00.000-08:00

In front of my house recently they cut other 3 trees.
I wish one day i'll live surrounded by trees in a tower, with weapons to defend myself and the trees. I'm wrong, if i'll defend the trees, then they'll defend myself.
Anyway, a short post, to link to other websites, where there are more things about Fr. Murphy, and so trees.
That's to be fathermurphy.bandcamp.com
and then a link to a facebook profile, so the easieast way is just to look for "Fr. Murphy" on facebook.

Anyway, starting this thursday, i'll be going south, in Italy, for 3 weeks, taking new pictures of trees. For the first time, pictures from Sicily. Not the first time, from Sardinia.
So here you find a picture of a sardinian tree (not sure it is a tree, i tink of it as a tree...).

I won't be promising anything to anyone. i can't

2011-01-11T10:10:00.000-08:00

I believe the title of this post can be a good start for a new year.
For this year it ain't no promises, dear freddie.
I will surely keep on saying to myself what to do, wich way i should go for, what to avoid, but with not fearing the regret a promise can give.
I will surely try to be more constant, in everything i'll be up to.
"In every forest look at your eyes" i woke up this morning with this phrase, telling the truth i had the first part, in every forest, then i remembered me thinking of how my eyes look tired lately...so here i am.
Again, trees.
They won't pass, not for me at least.
Soon i'll be able to have pictures of Scandinavian trees. And if God will, of Russian too.
And i hope to be back in US soon, as well to China.
See, no promises, just a list.
Easy and simple.
As my ol'fisherman Ngo would say, until the path is no longer.

New York New York, what have Ye done?

2010-12-14T01:48:00.001-08:00

Poland trees

2010-11-08T15:45:00.000-08:00

Last post of mine was september 3rd, so here i am, november 9th, with another, brief one.
In the last two months i've benn touring with Fr. Murphy in USA, Canada, Uk, Belgium, France, Italy and Poland, and i have brought home with me pictures of trees of all these countries.

I'm gonna post here more of them, but i wanna start from the end, with a polish pic i took in between Poznan and Cracow.

Trees were always there for us, to protect us.
And i'm thankfull.

Knowing they are always around is my way to feel safe, and somehow that i'm right.
I love thinking of people i love also as trees.
So in every picture i'm also paying my gratitude to the people i'm lucky to have around. Most of them are not from here, and i manage to see them even just once per year.
But, as trees, they never fail to protect me, or to show me their love.

Now it's time to sleep.
So you take care.

f.

from brooklyn

2010-09-03T11:56:00.000-07:00

while the trees back home are watching and always protecting us, here we met again with the Big City.
A picture of New York Falls, a dream or a possible future.

nearly another month...

2010-08-11T07:05:00.000-07:00

..it's been since i was here.
then we went both up the hill.
A promise is a promise, so somewhere here you'll find a tree picture.
Trees and hills will fit somehow on the lyrics of new songs to come.
The idea of pushing someone down the hill, before recognizing you know that someone.
So you start screaming: Believe! Believe in me!
As if you were given the gift of light speed, you'll be down the hill waiting the one you pushed just few seconds before.
And i will say: Come on, come on in!
Where?
I have no idea.
But it is written that you have to believe.
I have 333 pictures f trees now, from 9 different countries.
Soon there'll be more of them.

I always thought i would have ended up living on a house full of catsss.
I do think the same way, but i add also this.
It'll be surrounded by thousand trees, so i won't need even walls.
And trees will let come in just the ones i love.

Soon our friend Troy Mighty will sing a new cover we're working on, Sycamore Trees, the one sung by Little Jimmy Scott on a Twin Peaks episode, maybe the last one.
Troy knows how to grow a tree, we have a picture with him in front of a sunflower tree, or at least it looks like a tree to me.
And a tree will appear on the cover of a forthcoming release that Ol'fisherman Ngo will start working on in the future.
Maybe just a song and a tree.
so if you'll buy the record, you'll have to listen to it from the beginning to the end.

Ok, lot of purposes, i'm gonna stop writing. Now.

I'm certainly not maintaining any of my promises...

2010-07-19T05:46:00.000-07:00

...
but it's really not a big deal.
I've been deep into lot of thoughts lately.
I feel blessed for so many reasons, for the news regarding Father Murphy and the touring with Xiu Xiu and Deerhoof, for having the 10'' released by Aagoo, for the ominous cover of it made of course by Ol' fisherman Ngo. For having again Boring Machines in Italy taking care of our backs.
And i just saw the simply great promo cd that Philipp at Double Triple did: just another amazing prouve that we are blessed.
So i come back here and i want to post another tree picture, but last night trees were falling down nearby our house, and we just closed all the windows and sit on the hallway, hoping not to be hurt by the broken glassed. Than we thought nothing had happened.
The morning light brought us consciousness that tree fell, and when trees start falling down, ok, it was for a whirlwind, i think you have just to find a place where to hide.
Today i look at the trees that made it out of that situation, and i trust they will stay there to protect all of us.
And i think [ after this phrases that i continue on write in english even if i'm so poor of words in this foreign language, that i certainly love] that all our songs, specially the new ones (so i advertise again about the new EP, no room for the weak, coming out for Aagoo Recs and Boring Machines in september and october...) are about this, asking protection, asking to have enough time to do this or that.
Two sentences i heard somewhere will end this post, giving a sense to what is above:

1) You can ask Him, or you can the Trees: they work the same way.
2) Catholic self hate (this is a simplistic way of putting it here...i'll come back to this i promise, but if you read a post of months ago, the new lyrics, you'll understand better..)

I'll have new trees pictures posted here soon.
I'll do my best to make it a promise.

some other trees, up up North

2010-05-21T09:04:00.000-07:00

It could be one as three trees. Actually i don't remember.
But i know for sure that the picture were taken up north, in Glasgow.
That night we played at 13th Note, thenka to Phil's Wolf among wolves.

Three three trees.

2010-05-14T06:14:00.001-07:00

Trees from Manchester, Uk.
Fake trees can be just as good.
Icons of trees can follow you even indoor.
A good thing to know.
Having them always around.
Protect me now you.

Three three trees.

2010-05-14T06:11:00.000-07:00

Trees from Trencin, Slovakia.
Klub Luc, april 4th, 2010

Three three trees.

2010-05-14T05:09:00.000-07:00

In all the last weeks i turned myself to trees.
Here trees from Wien.

EASTER AND THREES

2010-03-23T14:35:00.000-07:00

During Easter time we'll be on tour, around Europe.
9 different countries.
The cabbalah is again respected.
So here i will post again a tree.
I tried to do three different trees, but i didn't make it.
One is enough.

Ah,

soon i promise i'll post the lyrics of the new EP, "No room for the weak", due to september 2010, via Aagoo Records (now also on Revoler/Midheaven mailorder!).
A 10'', recorded by Vicar vittorio Demarin at his Gomma Playground studio, mixed by Marco Fasolo at Ectoplasmic Studio, pumped up by Max Trisotto.
tree (three) new songs, plus a different version of Cohen's"There is a War".

I always end up with some promotion.
I won't be posting things here as if it were myspace or other s.n.

So, here the lyrics, if i forget to come back soon, at least i'd pay loyalty to my words.

May i posted some of them already?
LAziness...
ok, i'll go with two...(what about the Cabbalah freddie?)
Ok, the whole thing:

WE NOW PRAY WITH TWO HANDS, WE NOW PRAY WITH TRUE ANGER
No none would ever have thought
i could cut myself as my own way
to kneel and to pray
me willing to kneel and to hail
My will is to struggle for gaining
the right to suffer in praying.

To pray.

Oh my poor blood
oh poor me
Never so pure.
It had to be done,
oh my poor blood
Never being so pure
Protect me now you!

UNTIL THE PATH IS NO LONGER

You fake!
You faint!
You, me.
You!

YOU GOT WORRY
Every new sun fills my mouth
with words apparently supposed
to grant my purpose of achieving
floating distancies and dignity
Words such as:
Beautiful/You/Owe/Me/Foam/Four/Walls/And/Bruises
Costantly I do believe in/One day when i'll be strong that way.
Growing wings where my weak parts are
knowing now i got it deeper

I press my forehead against the wall just to prove my right
I press my forehead until it breaks just to prove me right

THERE IS A WAR

Ok, for this one you can check on google...
But we ain't just three singing...Vinh Ngo, the fourth Murphy joined us.
He's the lead voice on this one, and it's amazing!
Look also forward to post here his first sketches for the new EP!

Ok, forgot that our lyrics are always so short...
Before posting this few lines...so far, in this 2010, i took round 333 pictures of trees...or were they 666?

i thought of this one day i was called "the quietus" by someone

2010-02-10T14:12:00.000-08:00

..and He always tell us to turn to the Sun

Not just because i was born christian since i was a kid i could tell that the image of an angel or a devil whispering something to my ear would have followed me for years. Inspiration, showing the path to take, possession. A different Choice. Religion taught me to never forget we have a choice.
You can pray the Lord to accord you the strenght so to be his favourite preacher. Or you can use the subversive power of religious imaginary, you can actually use the Lord, to be seen as a preacher.
His preacher. A preacher of your own.
So the Angel came at night, he sat at my bed, he waited for me to cool down, and said:
Now you go and tell everyone He told you tu turn to the Sun.
That's how we ended up calling our last record "...and He told us to turn to the Sun".
Isn't it singing 3 or 10 times better than praying?

IMAGINARY

Someone believes that a rock band has first to be judge for their live performances.
I kind of agree.
That's maybe the reason because we say "wow, your performance rocks"...
But this could also be cause english ain't my native tongue.
Anyhow, the live performance of a band confirms anything you thought of their record, or it makes you say that on live shows they're much better and whorty than on the record, or the opposite.
To me a band has to record only magic records sustained by incredible live.
The records i love the most, after seeing the bands playing them live, became necessary. Urgent.
But the punkiest performance you can attend to it's not necessary the more sweaty.
Three or more people, still as if they were graves theirselves, watching at you and being silently furious.
Why am i saying this?
Because at the first place in a live show i believe there is the imaginary the band's able to have you lost into.
Something that grows with the music, that you build brick after brick, as another player.
The power of telling a story, to have something surrounding you. God, my english is not helping me, but i believe you got what i was trying to say.

I started believing this after what happened at our first live show as FM.
I was kind of nervous, and you could tell it.
The promoter asked me: What's wrong?
I didn't even asnwer.
He looked at me and said: Let me introduce you...
i couldn't even think to stop him, so he started saying:

Hey everybody, here i am to introduce the guest band we'll have playing here tonite.
But let me first tell you something...
There is this guy, a kid, who swears at his mother. She cries.
He feels guilty.
That sense of guilt that everyone should feel in every moment of the day, last thing to think of before getting asleep.
First to recognize once awake.
He feels guilty.
He goes to the church. He's looking for some comprehension, he finds a priest. Some of them are fond on pointing their skinny or fatty fingers on your wound.
He says he already knows.
The kid cannot even think that it so not true.
He feels even more guilty. He doesn't know he won't find any relief even when he'll be adult in noticing that anyone can't tell to have no bearing on that.
The priest calls his name, and then his mother name.
The kid tries not to cry. It is enough to feel guilty.
He won't look ashamed.
So the punishment gets worse.
You will have to go home where you sweared at ...and he says his mother name.
That's too much for the kid.
There you will cut your leg off, continues the priest.
The kid even do not hesitate in asking which leg has to fall off.
He runs. His heartbeat makes his guilt bigger and bigger.
Now he's sitting on a stumo, handling a heavy axe. The is no blood, one of his legs is on the floor.
HE's crying, crying tears instead of all the blood that should be gushing from the slash.
He still feels guilty.
There's no room for the guilt, he thinks.
Someone then calls his name.
His mother?
No, a Saint.
He just puts his leg back.
You're free now, the Saint says. I know you won't do it anymore.
Still, you'll be on the line with me when it'll be the time to tell Him why we are so guilty.

After few seconds of silence, he cried our name and started clapping...
None said anything until the end of the show.
They were completely into it. But none more than us.
He came back on stage and hugged each one of us.
The devil himself.

PARABLE

I do not remember if this parable comes from the catechism.
I certainly heard tons of perfect soundtracks for it while sitting on my cold seat in the house of God, during the masses.
How a Saint's able to find himself guilty?
How can he even think to tell a kid he will die guilty?
I have no idea, nor a clue.
But how many songs or concept records can you record out of it?
I would pay to have the inspiration to make up such a story...
I would feel honoured to be called upon for such a work.

Again, it's a very good day indeed

2010-01-31T22:56:00.000-08:00

Here is february first, for this blog time still january 31st.
Doesn't matter.

here Luca Dipierro videoclip for "In their graves"

It's a very good day indeed

2010-01-31T22:39:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, january 4th, today, february 1st.

Definetely time is faster than me.
It takes me always a while to get along with a new year...

Ease yourself in a body bag:
this could be the perfect title for some pictures we took recently so to "promote" the upcoming EP of ours. It's not really to promote, kinda more for giving suggestions, suggesting atmospheres.
It starts all from some old clips we watched once on a tv program, something like educational channel, they were talking about some clips projected during masses at beginning of the last century. Most of them are in french, and they have beautiful colors.
I don't know why, they reminded me "Heart shaped box" videoclip from In Utero.
I will post the first one here, in the next couple of months, i promise.
Talking about videoclips, our friend Luca Dipierro, did a video for our song "In their graves" going even downer (another Nirvana's song, eh eh!) on the downward path than the song itself.
Look here his latest clips: http://www.youtube.com/user/blackarrowstudio

i'm working hard nowadays to schedule a european tour to happen next april.
On april 5th will open for Little Claw in Berlin, at West Germany (thanks Twisted Robot!).
On sunday 11th we'll play Glasgow, thanks to our friends from Wolf among Wolves.
On saturday 17th sunday 18th we'll take part of next Sonic City Festival, Belgium, Deerhoof wanted us to play there, they'll curate the whole festival.
I won't be posting this news for a while elsewhere, so, even if i haven't told almost anyone yet about this blog, this is kind of a preview of what is next for Father Murphy.
As 2010 so far taught me, here another picture of a tree:

May God speed you all.

two trees

2010-01-04T07:36:00.000-08:00

i'm back sooner this time.
i don't know how i would proceed on this in the future, but whenever i'll have the chance, i'll post something.
so, here's again some trees, two trees, the trees every morning i ask: "Protect me now you".

i don't remember where i've got telling here what we've done so far about the new ep we're working on. we recorded some takes. it sounds ok, not great.
we're using a 4tracks cassette recorder, a black one.
The Ep has a name, maybe i already posted it, but just to be sure here it is...

NO ROOM FOR THE WEAK.

three songs, and a cover (maybe, i change my mind every three minutes...).

songs:

we now pray with two hands, we now pray with true anger
until the path is no longer
you got worry

(maybe?)
There is a war (Leonard Cohen's cover you can find here: cohenpedia.com)

ok, i said too much.
until the next time, may the trees always be with you.

f.

2010 TREES

2010-01-03T03:04:00.000-08:00

HIDE YOURSELF IN THE WOODS

just images, as promised

2009-12-22T16:55:00.000-08:00

this post comes after weeks...
i'm sorry, i'm not able, as i promised to myself, to post here often..
but here's a image, finally.
artwork is by morganico, drawn while we were playing at Resonance Fm, doing drones for a Den Browne's reading, together with Paul and Jonny Mugwump.
Happy and joyfull Christmas to all of you,
from our heart.

new and long long (gone) post

2009-11-12T06:45:00.001-08:00

a new post, again without images.
next ones won't be containing any text, i promise!

THE PRIEST THEY CALLED HIM

We started from this sentence.

That's what we first heard, Chiara Lee and I, when someone came up with the

story of a Reverend Murphy. We were still in New York City, and it was quite

a long ago.

Rev. Murphy never was a Father.

That's how his Legend began.

We could've been the ones to keep it on. Go on, they said.

We decided we needed at first to be baptized, so we summoned Vittorio and

named him “Gvitron”, pretending this was the name of a biblical hero, and we

asked him to perform this duty.

The three of us have different opinion about it. Of being christians.

But, going to start a new thing, a Legend of our own, we just felt we were

right. And we talked about it in the heat.

You have to start from something, if your porpose is to leave a trace.

I still believe it.

The religious sense that pervades us all.

You're just afraid of dying, one day. And you feel the urge of tracking back

your path.

Or, maybe better, you have to feel that somehow someone is going to do it

for you.

To track down what you've done.

...AND HE TOLD US TO TURN TO THE SUN

“Come all you warriors and renowned nobles

Give ear unto my warlike theme.

No time for other Legends, it's awareness we do aim at.

A common religious sense pervades Us all,

against the heresy, the heresy that grows.”

Play with lullabies.

Play with numbers.

Build a Kabbalah of your own.

“You have to keep on loving the three if you still want to understand the

twenty-seven.” is a phrase I use often.

As the Ol’ Fisherman says, when words are mostly sounds.

An unavailable memory, a youth, a salvation.

No truth in these words? No truth in these words?

He once told me: And as his voice fades from you, you slip down a

shallow swale under that oak tree with a heart-shaped scar. You’ll carry

them out to sea and let the waves take them away. They’ll take them away.

But how can you forget. The echo won’t die. Will you forget? A canyon of

saints. Let them divide.

See?

It's all about choice.

The word “heresy” comes from ancient Greek, and it means choice.

All this is about choice.

Never, never forget you have a choice.

And so let the light come in.

And just at the end turn to the Sun.

Only when you will be down as low as you can go.

A hateful foul.

A long song. Maybe a concept.

Oh going down...(saying it while laughing)

NEVER FORGET YOU HAVE A CHOICE

It's all about choice, swinging in those dark streets I got deep once in a

while.

A sermon, a parable, a proverb.

The pain deserved by the whole human kind.

Writing phrases and music about heresy, a concept record about heresy.

It makes me think of the day I will try to breed: fellowship, not family.

A legion, down down stairs.

Apples and pairs.

Silly sounds as lullabies. A continous prayer.

Its power sometimes comes not from what you say but on how you say it.

I'm here trying to go down, as low as i can go.

Just at the end I will turn to the Sun.

The Light of the Day of the Lord(s).

This is not a path toward darkness. Not even a downward spiral.

We see it just as movements. Going down as long as we can go. It means

choice.

Perhaps, heresy.

From there, the new point, you’ll be given the opportunity to turn to the

Sun.

Still, He’s the one who will tell you to turn to the Sun.

WE NOW PRAY WITH TWO HANDS, WE NOW PRAY WITH TRUE ANGER

We miss something.

What if heresy, this whole album we recorded as a concept, is telling us the

truth.

What about this whole Journey of ours, being baptized/ resisting Satan’s

temptations/ the book of Revelations/ now the heresy - what are they for?

I see them now simply as movements. With no special meanings.

We got down, as low as we could.

There, right there, He told us to turn to the Sun.

The Ol'Fisheman says

2009-11-06T07:12:00.000-08:00

When you’re destined for dawn in your famous blue sweater, shine a light our way won’t you? You search for it between verses and ignore our hard histories. Are you that selfish? Can you be that vain, even without a name? You’ll take the fall you say, holding my hand. With arrows in the sky under autumn clouds the stake in one hand, and satchel full of hearts in the other. What shines down on a voice echoing through the pews makes men weep in some districts. An unavailable memory, a youth, a salvation. No truth in these words, no truth in these words. I don’t believe in myself, how can I believe what I say? A youth for the masses, he’s come for you. And as her voice fades from you, you slip down a shallow swale under that oak tree with a heart-shaped scar. You’ll carry them out to sea and let the waves take them away. They’ll take them away. But how can you forget. The echo won’t die. Will you forget? A canyon of saints. Let them divide. While UFOs have their ballet beyond the treetops a campfire grasps for oxygen…and lost embers rejoice like drunks into the night. Let’s drink our wine and think of him. We’ll drink our wine until the end. And so it goes.

A new EP on our way...

2009-10-30T02:47:00.001-07:00

On our way to Damasco we decided that'll be an EP the follow up of "...and He told us about the Sun".
If the last chapter was about heresy, the heresy that grows, the new one will be a step into mysticism...
Father Murphy, are you heretical?
Are you ready to go for it?
Where have you got, indeed?
Maybe Mysticism is, at least so far, the only answer.
So we start from that, trying to keep on telling a Legend.
There will be three new songs, plus, as ending, a cover of "There is a war" by Leonard Cohen. The whole record is meant to work starting from that cover. We slightly changed the lyrics (telling the truth, just the final sentence), we decided to work on Csharp.
It's funny, i'm keeping on mixing tech infos with things taken from a Legend i'm supposed to tell.
Someone time ago asked us where Father Murphy's aim to.
We're living a Legend that's not ours. We got is as mission, or maybe it just happened on our path.
The ol'fisherman and I are playing with titles, even if both of us know already that in a Legend the different chapters are already written.
I don't know if it makes sense, i'm loosing my point here...
Anyhow, i write a title, and few of the lyrics.
I'll come back after few days, and if the following will still fit with our work, so i'll be right.

WE NOW PRAY WITH TWO HANDS, WE NOW PRAY WITH TRUE ANGER

None would ever have thought i could cut my flesh as my own way to kneel and to pray
Me willing to kneel and to hail.
My will is to struggle for gaining the right to suffer in praying.
A struggle to gain the right to pray.

This will be the first song.
Not sure i want to tell now the title of the Ep.
I'll come back later, i promise to myself.

JULIAN COPE!

2009-09-29T15:10:00.000-07:00

OK,

here's finally the flyer i waited to post for so long:

and we may be opening for Fiery Furnaces this coming friday, october 2nd, at Music Drome, in Milano. we played in Milano last time in a proper show around the beginning of february, 2008, then in a house, end of february again, 2009 this time.
So let's see what happens!

Japan, we say we start with Japan! but it could also be UK...

2009-09-09T16:11:00.000-07:00

This is a drawning made by Alec Dartley from Aagoo Records to promote his bands in UK.
We, Father Murphy, are among the lucky ones!
At the same time, Aagoo Records has a cool japanese distribution, trough P*DIS/Plop Records, and you can check it here: http://www.inpartmaint.com/pdis/label//aagoo.html
Also the New York Times spent really good words about a clip made by our friend Luca Dipierro, with music by Murphies. The shortclip is to promote a new release by Eletctric Literature and you can find it here: http://papercuts.blogs.nytimes.com/
Dipierro is also working on a videoclip taken by Father Murphy's song "In their graves" from their last record.

In UK last Father Murphy's album, "...and He told us to turn to the Sun", will be distributed by Cargo, while Hermana will work as PR. And this, thanks to Aagoo and Marco Damiani/Silly Boy Ent.