Chris Randall http://virb.com/pending_deletion_546bef97ec8e686afbe2b87cd89e4b76 The Devil His Due, his first solo album. The Devil His Due recalls the traditional American styles of blues, early jazz, and vaudeville, mixed together with the dark, foreboding feel that Randall is known for. While there is obvious homage to the alternative blues of Nick Cave and Tom Waits, and even the klangmusik of Einstuerzende Neubauten, Randall creates an altogether different result, one that reflects his own life and musical skills. Born in 1968 in Honolulu, Hawaii, and raised in rural Oregon, Chris Randall's first twenty years in this world were a haze of sagebrush and poverty. He moved to New York City in 1988, and formed Sister Machine Gun in 1989. Soon relocating to Chicago, he spent nearly two decades pushing against the boundaries of the industrial genre, receiving wide praise (and healthy criticism as well, it should be noted) for introducing jazz and blues elements in to that somewhat limited form of expression. With seven Sister Machine Gun albums, four EPs, and countless singles under his belt, along with production and artist credits on over 60 other releases, Randall felt it was finally time to explore new musical territory in areas closer to his personal tastes, and The Devil His Due was born. The Devil His Due was written and recorded over a two-year period entirely in Randall's own Shaolin Fist Of Death studio, following his move back to rural Oregon in 2005. Performed partly on homemade or found instruments, the album is a complete sonic about-face from Randall's earlier work, yet it maintains the writing style he is already known for. Events in Randall's life provide the fodder, and he created a colorful cast of characters to act out the drama in the songs. The album has a fluid story, yet each song tells its own version of the classic Faustian bargain. From the opening count-off of "Judas Iscariot" to the final romping jump-blues of "It's All The Same In the Nighttime," The Devil His Due is both an exploration of traditional music styles and an entirely new form of expression.]]> Virb 2.0 (@pending_deletion_546bef97ec8e686afbe2b87cd89e4b76) en Cry Me A River http://virb.com/pending_deletion_546bef97ec8e686afbe2b87cd89e4b76/audio/22939 Thu, 08 Mar 2007 16:08:57 -0800 http://virb.com/pending_deletion_546bef97ec8e686afbe2b87cd89e4b76/audio/22939 City Streets http://virb.com/pending_deletion_546bef97ec8e686afbe2b87cd89e4b76/audio/22937 Thu, 08 Mar 2007 16:07:30 -0800 http://virb.com/pending_deletion_546bef97ec8e686afbe2b87cd89e4b76/audio/22937 Satellite http://virb.com/pending_deletion_546bef97ec8e686afbe2b87cd89e4b76/audio/22935 Thu, 08 Mar 2007 16:05:39 -0800 http://virb.com/pending_deletion_546bef97ec8e686afbe2b87cd89e4b76/audio/22935 It's All The Same In The Nighttime http://virb.com/pending_deletion_546bef97ec8e686afbe2b87cd89e4b76/audio/22934 Thu, 08 Mar 2007 16:01:57 -0800 http://virb.com/pending_deletion_546bef97ec8e686afbe2b87cd89e4b76/audio/22934 Up Jumped The Devil http://virb.com/pending_deletion_546bef97ec8e686afbe2b87cd89e4b76/audio/22931 Thu, 08 Mar 2007 16:00:50 -0800 http://virb.com/pending_deletion_546bef97ec8e686afbe2b87cd89e4b76/audio/22931 Baron Samedi http://virb.com/pending_deletion_546bef97ec8e686afbe2b87cd89e4b76/audio/22928 Thu, 08 Mar 2007 15:59:45 -0800 http://virb.com/pending_deletion_546bef97ec8e686afbe2b87cd89e4b76/audio/22928 I'll Take The Bottle http://virb.com/pending_deletion_546bef97ec8e686afbe2b87cd89e4b76/audio/22920 Thu, 08 Mar 2007 15:57:53 -0800 http://virb.com/pending_deletion_546bef97ec8e686afbe2b87cd89e4b76/audio/22920 Be There Tonight http://virb.com/pending_deletion_546bef97ec8e686afbe2b87cd89e4b76/audio/22911 Thu, 08 Mar 2007 15:55:42 -0800 http://virb.com/pending_deletion_546bef97ec8e686afbe2b87cd89e4b76/audio/22911 St. James Infirmary Blues http://virb.com/pending_deletion_546bef97ec8e686afbe2b87cd89e4b76/audio/22909 Thu, 08 Mar 2007 15:54:20 -0800 http://virb.com/pending_deletion_546bef97ec8e686afbe2b87cd89e4b76/audio/22909 Automatic Jack http://virb.com/pending_deletion_546bef97ec8e686afbe2b87cd89e4b76/audio/22904 Thu, 08 Mar 2007 15:52:08 -0800 http://virb.com/pending_deletion_546bef97ec8e686afbe2b87cd89e4b76/audio/22904 When The Circus Comes To Town http://virb.com/pending_deletion_546bef97ec8e686afbe2b87cd89e4b76/audio/22901 Thu, 08 Mar 2007 15:50:25 -0800 http://virb.com/pending_deletion_546bef97ec8e686afbe2b87cd89e4b76/audio/22901 Sin Eater http://virb.com/pending_deletion_546bef97ec8e686afbe2b87cd89e4b76/audio/22889 Thu, 08 Mar 2007 15:48:50 -0800 http://virb.com/pending_deletion_546bef97ec8e686afbe2b87cd89e4b76/audio/22889 Judas Iscariot http://virb.com/pending_deletion_546bef97ec8e686afbe2b87cd89e4b76/audio/22884 Thu, 08 Mar 2007 15:45:54 -0800 http://virb.com/pending_deletion_546bef97ec8e686afbe2b87cd89e4b76/audio/22884 Cheap Sensation http://virb.com/pending_deletion_546bef97ec8e686afbe2b87cd89e4b76/audio/21101 Mon, 05 Mar 2007 14:44:29 -0800 http://virb.com/pending_deletion_546bef97ec8e686afbe2b87cd89e4b76/audio/21101 Two Trains Comin' http://virb.com/pending_deletion_546bef97ec8e686afbe2b87cd89e4b76/audio/21093 Mon, 05 Mar 2007 14:15:33 -0800 http://virb.com/pending_deletion_546bef97ec8e686afbe2b87cd89e4b76/audio/21093 The Devil His Due http://virb.com/pending_deletion_546bef97ec8e686afbe2b87cd89e4b76/audio/21087 Mon, 05 Mar 2007 14:11:27 -0800 http://virb.com/pending_deletion_546bef97ec8e686afbe2b87cd89e4b76/audio/21087 Chris Randall http://virb.com/pending_deletion_546bef97ec8e686afbe2b87cd89e4b76/photos/1117170 ]]> Mon, 05 Mar 2007 14:28:55 -0800 http://virb.com/pending_deletion_546bef97ec8e686afbe2b87cd89e4b76/photos/1117170 Let this blow your mind... http://virb.com/pending_deletion_546bef97ec8e686afbe2b87cd89e4b76/posts/text/1044264

Click that fucker to zoom out. Waaaaaaay out. This photo was snapped from 432 miles above Washington DC at 11:19 am on 1/20/09. I think you can figure the rest out on your own. Normally, satellite photos do a good job of making me feel small. This one makes me feel big, for some reason.

Anyway, happy new year, everyone. ]]> Wed, 21 Jan 2009 00:56:03 -0800 http://virb.com/pending_deletion_546bef97ec8e686afbe2b87cd89e4b76/posts/text/1044264 Jagged Lines & Extras... http://virb.com/pending_deletion_546bef97ec8e686afbe2b87cd89e4b76/posts/text/1013318

I'm trying out SoundCloud. It is, if you're not familiar, essentially to music what Vimeo is to video and Flickr to pictures. This player has four micronaut out-takes that I uploaded to test the service. These were all written somewhere between the beginning of working on Callisto and (in the case of Stratus) a couple months ago. You can download the full WAV files via the download buttons in the player, and if you click the little arrows next to each song, it'll take you to a page on SoundCloud for the track in question where I put a little blurb about each track. On those pages, you can get the full size cover art as well. There's enough to make your own EP if you'd like.

Anyhow, enjoy. ]]> Sun, 04 Jan 2009 07:02:35 -0800 http://virb.com/pending_deletion_546bef97ec8e686afbe2b87cd89e4b76/posts/text/1013318 Start The New Year Right! http://virb.com/pending_deletion_546bef97ec8e686afbe2b87cd89e4b76/posts/text/1011238 Anyhow, it isn't steady enough that I can work, but it is steady enough to interface with humanity via the Interwebs, so I'll just do that for the now. ]]> Fri, 02 Jan 2009 20:04:47 -0800 http://virb.com/pending_deletion_546bef97ec8e686afbe2b87cd89e4b76/posts/text/1011238