Name: Painted Sticks by Memory Canvas
Duration: 3 min 20 s
Description: Written and produced by Craig Zaretsky. Recored at The Greene Room in 2021, Beth Bergman viola, David Rodgers drums. Dom Amstutz bass. Craig Zaretsky guitars, vocals

After a 31-year career in music with the Melvins, which has born over 30 albums of studio and live material, dozens of limited and highly limited 12-inch, 10-inch, and 7-inch records, and north of 2000 live performances why is he going acoustic now?

Because it actually makes sense.

After all, Buzz has written the vast majority of the Melvins’ songs with a fair amount of them originally written on an acoustic guitar and then simply transferred to electric. "I recorded most of This Machine Kills Artists with my red white and blue Buck Owens American acoustic. It's a great guitar and is pretty much irreplaceable so it's staying home for tours. It's too bad really. Maybe I can paint the Chinese one I use live red white and blue! Ha!"

This Machine Kills Artists is an authentically acoustic album with no electric guitars, amplifiers or direct boxes used during the 17-track release’s recording.  Buzz’s live performance, previewed in a brief March tour, is equally raw, with the legendary singer/guitar player armed with only his guitar and his quirky-yet-captivating stories.

"I have no interest in sounding like a crappy version of James Taylor or a half assed version of Woody Guthrie,” explained Buzz.  “Which is what happens when almost every rock and roller straps on an acoustic guitar. No thanks... This Machine Kills Artists is a different kind of animal."  This Machine Kills Artists isn’t merely Melvins Lite (hey, there already is a Melvins Lite!), instead the album offers a surprising new side to the grunge progenitor, songs when offered naked further highlight what a powerful songwriter the Melvins’ front man is.

Along with the new album Buzz will be hitting the road on a giant tour that will take him all the way around the world! The tour itself will begin in the U.S. with a multi-month outing before winding it’s way throughout the globe. The songs on This Machine Kills Artists were written to be performed live and that's exactly what Buzz plans on doing.

It's all about digging it out of the dirt...

The more you work the luckier you get...


03 Laid Back Walking

Written and produced by Craig Zaretsky. Recored at The Greene Room in 2021, Beth Bergman viola, David Rodgers drums. Dom Amstutz bass. Craig Zaretsky guitars, vocals

Painted Sticks

Memory Canvas

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