L.A. Takedown - They Move And They Shine (Live at Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA, 3/30/23)
L.A. Takedown
- 1They Move And They Shine (Live at Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA, 3/30/23)
- 2Santa Paula Station (Live at Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA, 3/30/23)
ABR 078
•
Open edition
After a decade of L.A. Takedown, Olson felt the need for a break from the logistical and emotional onus of running his seven-member live band, desiring to focus on other solo projects, scoring work, and gigs as a side person (he’s played in many projects over the years including Vetiver, Chris Cohen, Coffin Prick, Bedouine, Donnie Emerson, Papercuts, Richard Pictures, The Finches, Cryptacize, and so on). So, with a show opening for Tortoise (one of Olson’s favorite bands since jr. high) in Los Angeles in October 2022, Olson saw the perfect note to go out on – play the dream show, then hang the project up on the shelf for a bit.
At the eleventh hour though, the show was called off due to a COVID case in the Tortoise camp, postponed until March of the following year. L.A. Takedown was given another five months of life before the impending hiatus. Soon thereafter, Olson himself got hit with COVID and was laid out. Emerging after a week or two of bed rest and mental fog, Olson dusted off an unfinished demo that had been lingering on his hard drive with no specific destination. The demo quickly took shape and became the piece now called “Santa Paula Station,” which to Olson’s ear was clearly in the L.A. Takedown milieu.
The creative juices continued to flow, quickly gathered momentum, and within the month an entirely new L.A. Takedown album was written and demoed. Stalwart Takedown drummer (and guitarist, and graphic designer), Miles Wintner, drove up to Danny Echevarria’s Sky Island recording studio in Idyllwild, CA, and recorded the live drums in a weekend. Mixing the album himself at home, Olson had "They Move And They Shine" in the can within the month. Not wanting the music to languish in limbo waiting for a label and vinyl production, he self-released it digitally and quietly in March of 2023. Now one year later, Anxiety Blanket Records is giving the album new life on vinyl, for the first time!
The Tortoise show was rebooked for March 2023, and an additional date was added at The Great American Music Hall in San Francisco, CA. There, Takedown’s set was recorded by audience member John Loughney, and Anxiety Blanket is releasing two live tracks – “They Move And They Shine” and “Santa Paula Station” – from that show as a bonus to the vinyl edition of "They Move And They Shine".
The Tortoise shows went off without a hitch, Olson slimmed down the live band to a more manageable four-piece, and the hiatus was put on hiatus.
At the eleventh hour though, the show was called off due to a COVID case in the Tortoise camp, postponed until March of the following year. L.A. Takedown was given another five months of life before the impending hiatus. Soon thereafter, Olson himself got hit with COVID and was laid out. Emerging after a week or two of bed rest and mental fog, Olson dusted off an unfinished demo that had been lingering on his hard drive with no specific destination. The demo quickly took shape and became the piece now called “Santa Paula Station,” which to Olson’s ear was clearly in the L.A. Takedown milieu.
The creative juices continued to flow, quickly gathered momentum, and within the month an entirely new L.A. Takedown album was written and demoed. Stalwart Takedown drummer (and guitarist, and graphic designer), Miles Wintner, drove up to Danny Echevarria’s Sky Island recording studio in Idyllwild, CA, and recorded the live drums in a weekend. Mixing the album himself at home, Olson had "They Move And They Shine" in the can within the month. Not wanting the music to languish in limbo waiting for a label and vinyl production, he self-released it digitally and quietly in March of 2023. Now one year later, Anxiety Blanket Records is giving the album new life on vinyl, for the first time!
The Tortoise show was rebooked for March 2023, and an additional date was added at The Great American Music Hall in San Francisco, CA. There, Takedown’s set was recorded by audience member John Loughney, and Anxiety Blanket is releasing two live tracks – “They Move And They Shine” and “Santa Paula Station” – from that show as a bonus to the vinyl edition of "They Move And They Shine".
The Tortoise shows went off without a hitch, Olson slimmed down the live band to a more manageable four-piece, and the hiatus was put on hiatus.
