Hello everyone,
Yeah, I know it’s been awhile since you’ve seen any new material on here. Chilljam.com was on a roll for a little over two years straight with releasing new content every single week without fail. However, suddenly, we’ve disappeared for a month…
What happened?
Well, as with anything in life, we’re going through a bit of a transition period. Recently, Tony Biedenkapp has been playing with us much more regularly and we’re working on transitioning his sounds into the sound in a much more effective way. In addition, we’ve been recording some videos but have been having trouble with our audio recording equipment. Hopefully, we’ll resolve these problems as soon as we can, however, you’ll be able to check out some of the videos starting with tomorrow’s post. We apologize for the interruption in content but it’s been good having a bit of a break to refresh and rethink our approach. You’ll be seeing us get back on track with regular weekly posts again soon enough.
Thanks to everyone who’s been hanging out with us and checking out our material.

Here’s a remix of the spoken word piece, Notes. Lots of crazy sounds. I’m having a great time with Ableton Live.

Notes (Tweeker Remix) by Chilljam is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at chilljam.com.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://chilljam.com.

This is a recording of me learning a new instrument. I purchased a copy of Ableton Live to play around with and as soon as I learned the where the gas pedal was, I went ahead and turned “record” on and this is what happened.

I love mad scientist experiments. I feel like I just created a monster.

Jumpstart by Chilljam is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at chilljam.com.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://chilljam.com.

The fourth and final video recording we have from the Greene Turtle set is a improvisational performance of Swimming with Sharks. I’d written the words to this about a week before the show, reflecting on a very difficult work project I’d recently completed over the winter. During our set, Jeremy switched into jamming on this chord progression and I immediately thought the words might work with the progression so I just started singing along to it.

I really don’t know what to say about these past months
So much time spent bringing Frankenstein to life only to realize that I was the mad scientist.
I just need a little lightning the next time I flip the switch.
I keep getting phone call after phone call and putting everyone on hold.
I just need a little more time before it’s perfect.
Of course I’ve eaten.
A cereal bar and some caffeine will put me right again.
I can’t worry about tomorrow. I just gotta make it through today.
Cause
We’re all dancing the steps and I’ve gotta stay one step ahead.
I can see the sharks in the water
Swimming ceaselessly with their suits and ties on
Get in. The water’s just fine.
So what’s the next step genius?
All that planning and bleeding leads to more planning.
Maybe I’ll just put a toe in the water.
Check the temperature and see how warm Hell is.
Such a thin line between soul selling and buying. You never know who’s the dealer.
You trade the time for money. And the money for more.
There’s always more on the shelf.
They’re having a sale today.
So maybe I’ll just take a lap or two. I can swim with the sharks and survive.
Do I want to?

Swimming with Sharks by chilljam is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at chilljam.com.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://chilljam.com.

Here’s the third video installment of our set at the Green Turtle. It’s a cover of Hurt, by Nine Inch Nails. Unfortunately, the beginning of the song wasn’t caught by the video so it starts off in the second verse.

Hurt by chilljam is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at chilljam.com.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://chilljam.com.

The second video from our set at the Greene Turtle. Here’s a live version of Streetlights on Asphalt.

Streetlights on Asphalt
Night walking through rain slick streets
she was only looking for a ride home.
Too many cigarettes and too many drinks
and he said just one word too many.
So she walked right out of that crowded bar
no one goes there anymore anyways
All she needs to do is get home
so she can sleep this off
then she’ll decide what she really wants to be.
But for now, she just needs a ride.
The footfalls fell without her notice
she was just too drunk to hear it
The next thing you know
her picture’s in the paper
and everyone’s wondering what happened to the girl next door.

The streetlights kept gleaming on the black asphalt

He was going downtown to have a good time.
It’s been a long day with a long shift and he’s tired of giving
them all the fake smiles.
Just one night out to clear his head and maybe it’ll all mean something tomorrow.
Standing outside that dark warehouse
where the music marched out like it knew which direction to walk down the street.
“If I just keep moving”, he said, “I just might find a way out of this place”.
So he took some pills from some kid who’s name started with an “S”.
and let it take him away to the tracks.
He didn’t feel anything when the whistle came calling.
but he didn’t have to get up for work the next day.

And the streetlights kept gleaming on the black asphalt.

He knew his mom wasn’t coming home today.
She went out looking for the man to fill her up.
She was running on empty.
So bored and alone with the sound of the rats in the walls.
No one even knew they lived there anymore,
They were thrown out months ago but the slumlord never bothered
to come down and tell them himself.
It was all cardboard and needles anyway.
So he took the stared down the chamber and took one last look
and knew he wouldn’t need to scrimp to make rent again.

And the streetlights kept gleaming on the black asphalt.

Streetlights on Asphalt by chilljam is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at chilljam.com.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://chilljam.com.

Apologies to everyone for disappearing for so long.
Several weeks ago we were asked to perform at a fundraiser for Team Maryland at the Greene Turtle in Frederick. We agreed to play but wanted to work out a fluid set mixed with songs we could improvise on, yet work with some structure. We also threw in some covers, such as this video of Jeremy and Neil playing Blackbird, by the Beatles.
Keep an eye out in the next couple of weeks as we release other performances from this set.

Blackbird by chilljam is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at chilljam.com.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://chilljam.com.

This one is a strange novelty I was playing around with. The entire piece is done only using the text-to-voice features built into Mac computers. No additional effects were used.

The Mouse by Chilljam is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at chilljam.com.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://chilljam.com.

A Rube Goldberg machine is a deliberately over engineered machine that performs a very simple task in a very complex fashion, usually including a chain reaction.

Rube Goldberg Machine by Chilljam is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at chilljam.com.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://chilljam.com.

Binary Anatomy. Another experiment in electronic music.

Binary Anatomy by Chilljam is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at chilljam.com.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://chilljam.com.