Name: AntiFragile by Sons of Ra
Duration: 6 min 50 s
Description: First track from our release "Anthropology", released December 16, 2016

In Episode 25 Erik chats with Adele Nicholas, a Chicago-based civil-rights attorney and activist. Adele's practice focuses on fighting systemic abuses in the criminal justice system and accountability in the workplace in regards to worker's rights. 

Adele is also the front person for the indie rock trio Axons, who just released the full-length album "I Object to Everything".
The album provides a lens into Adele's advocacy work through her songwriting while giving light to a more empathetic perspective on what prisoners deal with in the criminal justice system. 

The song cycle for the album documents one of the city’s most notorious jailbreaks in recent memory. Back in December 2012, Joseph  Banks and Kenneth Conley, two prisoners awaiting sentencing for bank robbery, escaped out of a five-inch wide window at the federal Metropolitan Correctional Center in down town Chicago using a rope fashioned from bedsheets and dental floss. 

Adele talks about the story behind the album, her songwriting process and all how Axons has evolved over the years.

Featured Tracks:
Past, Present, and Future.
Suspended
Close Enough To Dream
Shove It

Photo by Jazmyne Fountain

EPISODE 25: Adele Nicholas from Axons

Sfty3 7 bridge

My interpretation of "five-five-FIVE", the music written by Frank Zappa(from his album "Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar" released in 1981). Me played all instruments here - covered by ears (Guitars, Bass & Drums - All were done in Studio-live recording >> more info below). Hope you enjoy!!

This music might be very unusual for a rock guitarist in terms of its rhythms and chords. The intro riff begins with  5/8 - 5/8 - 5/4  (hence its title - in their original title, lower-case implies 5/8 part and capital letter implies 5/4), determined by the positioning of 9th chord, using D & G open strings as pedal points, and continues to the solo section with 5/4- 5/8 (most of the phrases are not repeated in those sequences except bass pedal-notes though...even most of kicks don't follow them).
Besides, as Mr. Zappa always did for his recordings, the backing guitars have some extra layerings made by overdubs, which were difficult for me to analyze (thus difficult to use it as a guide with which I would play the rhythm sections or lead guitar along)...

Well, it's probably a bit naive to say but I've seldom wanted to cover his music except a few pieces like this 'guitar-oriented' one, even though I used to listen to some of his albums as low-teens (and in years later via experiencing Steve Vai's music - some of you might know that he was the one of guys who transcribed Zappa's guitar impros into the scores). 
While one day (about 8 months ago) one guy asked me if I could play the guitar for this music...he also said that he would do the drums (by programming) and do some own arrangements with his keyboards...but this has never been realized whereas I'd already made the guitar tracks(riffs, lead and bass) very shortly after that...ya, that occasion broke-up in the air...
I didn't want to throw away what I made though...so tried to record the live drums and backing guitars played myself. But then, WHAT THE HECK the drums were here!!!  It was crazy hard drumming. 
...respect Mr. Colaiuta a lot. I would say they were difficult than the lead guitar (that was actually the easiest part for me). Anyway, I've practiced them for quite a while and finally completed the recording...don't think that I made the justice though I enjoyed learning the deviation from even beats:) 
Thanks for listening and reading. 
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[Music info] 
- Original music was written by Frank Zappa.
- Performed and recorded at Hammersmith Odeon, London, UK, February 19, 1979 by Frank Zappa: Lead guitar / Vinnie Colaiuta: Drums /Arthur Barrow: Bass / Warren Cuccurullo, Denny Walley & Ike Willis : Rhythm Guitars* / Tommy Mars: Keyboards* / Ed Mann: Percussion*
-Art work is borrowed from the album. Its copyright must belong to the artists and to the label, Barking Pumpkin Records Rykodisc.

[Cover]
- Since the original instruments marked with [*] above were apparently indiscernible to me even though they were credited on the album, I made this cover only with 3 Guitars(one lead + two backings), one Bass and Drum-kit(No keybords, no percussion, less number of rhythm guitars)- played and recorded in the studio except below [**]. 
- Lead Guitar (Intro Riff & Solo): Fender Japan Strat customized w/ DiMarzio Hum-bucking +Analog Effectors (Wah & Volume pedals to narrow FQ range, to have feedback distortion, or for booster-use / Stereo-Echo or Delay). 
- Rhythm Guitars (Intro Riff & Backings): Fender USA Strat +Analog Effectors (Phaser & Chorus).
- All of these guitars' effects were applied (anterior-use) in additon to the distortion & reverb of Amps (Marshall).
- Drums : Tama Acoustic Drum-kit & Zildjian Cymbals w/6 mics + Yamaha Electric Drum-kit for extra Hi-Toms**(that the acoustic kit doesn't have) 
- Bass: Fender Precision Bass w/Analog Effectors(Compressor, Flanger & partially Phaser). 
- Only the small overdubbing of [**], minor retouch on Drum tracks (to remove the interference between Hi-hat & Crash), and Mixing were done with DAW.
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[Posted: 13th Jan. 2016]

Five-five-FIVE - Frank Zappa Cover

First track from our release "Anthropology", released December 16, 2016

Anthropology

AntiFragile

Hope's Embrace

Push Onward Despite It All

Meditation

Codependent Blues

Ben Bowman - Keyboards
Anthony Cwan - Bass
Karl Grzeszczak - Lead Guitar
Erik Oldman - Guitars, Programming
Ian Palmer - Guitars, Keyboards

AntiFragile

Sons of Ra

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