Carol Pena, Percussionist - djembe, congas, movers and shakers

Psoas: Micki Karcher - Vocals; Greg Felmley - Guitar, vocals; Amy Lewis - Flute; Carol Pena - Congas/djembe/percussion, vocals; Paco Mahone - Electric and upright bass; Jay Constable - Drums (Womb); Matt Montgomery - Drums (Blood Flow)

Most of the songs posted here are/will be self-produced solo recordings of music I've composed. Not really being a guitarist, pianist, or drummer makes trying to be a one man band a little tricky, but it does make my music not sound much like other solo artists. I'd like to rerecord some of these with people who can really play some of the instruments I try, but I'm having fun with it.
I'm also in the bands Aeon Now, Tiny Manhood, and the Yellow Hat Band, all of whom can be heard elsewhere on the web.


On Tour Now! 

Jess and George met at party in 2009, with their spontaneous duet of the Prince song, "Pussy Control". Soon after that they formed a band around a principle of originality and ruthless editing of their work. The name of the band draws inspiration from southern author William Faulkner who would tell his writing students that 'sometimes in writing you must strangle your darlings'.

The have written and toured as a full band but once they decided to tour the US full time and live in a 20 foot RV, there was only enough extra room for the little dog. Jess is a trained classical violinist but pick up cello and discovered that she was actually a bass player. George found his degree in English Lit pays better as an indie musician and so learned the mandolin.

The music is built on deep sense of rhythm and groove. Mandolin like you’ve rarely ever seen, somewhere between a snare drum and a slalom of notes. The solid body custom cello weaves an intricate counter melody and and percussive groove. The voices and the lyrics are the hidden third member of the band and the story behind the music.The songs work with nontraditional subjects for inspiration. Some song subjects include: the works of great authors (Faulkner, William Blake, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Donald Bartheleme, Anna Ahkmatova) as well as witchcraft in the Civil War, the morality of Somali piracy and the media impact of Neil Armstrong. 

Strangled darlings have released 2 full length albums and one EP, receiving praise from hometown and national press alike. They tour the US from Fairbanks Alaska to the Florida Keys and cities and towns in between.

"The pair makes music that rambles like a road film, rattles like a Pentecostal sermon and romances you like a tipsy dance with a lover.:
-- Columbia Tribune, March 2015

"Strangled Darlings have created a brand of swampy, darkly grooving, foot stomping music."
-- Anchorage Press 2013

"Driven by relentless descending bass riffs and some cookin' mandolin."
-- Folio, Dec 2014

"Take what you think you know about folk music, Americana and the likes of that, crumple it up and set it on fire or something. Strangled Darlings have expert song writing, exquisite musicianship, funky beats, flowing melodies and a twisted sense of humor" 
-- New England Music News, 2014

"Veech’s voice is full of passion and ruggedness, mixing folk with punk and creating a new genre that makes a statement and stands tall."
-- Magnet Magazine, 2012

It is unclear why this species is attracted to the electrical equipment on Earth. It may be that they sense the magnetic field that surrounds wires with electric current flowing through them. Or, they might prefer the heat byproduct of resistance in the wires. However, it could simply be that they are searching for food or a nesting location that is easy to defend.
Their infestation of electrical equipment can cause short circuits when they chew through the bullshit. Overheating and mechanical failures can also be caused by high numbers of inter-dimensional pop-song hooks.
When a beat gets electrocuted and dies, it releases a chemical which causes the other beats to rush over and search for attackers. A large enough drop of the beat will short out almost any system in this spacetime.

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