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data: 09.03.05 i'm going to plunge right into the fray

Welcome kiddies. Lots of things happening chez Miocene so without the customary preamble I'm just going to plunge right into the fray.

I've been getting a few emails asking me what's going on with Miocene and Calculated Risk, and I guess I'm going to have to come clean. To cut a long story short, we overshot our budget on this album, by a long shot. A VERY long shot. The kind of long shot that would make those guys who shoot guided Patriot missiles from halfway around the world into little childrens' eyes say "fuck me, that right there is a bastardly long shot". Put it this way: we were considering titling the album "Twelve Grand Don't Come For Free".

Anyway, due to all kinds of things that I won't bore you with, the way things have panned out is that we've set up a three way record company between Miocene, Martin Ives of Calculated Risk and Harvey Birrell of Southern. This way we get to have a say in how the record is released, we get to use the framework built up around the good name of Calculated Risk, with the added advantage that Calculated won't be going belly up when this record inevitably flops ignominiously back into the dark pits that spawned it. This record company is to be called Corporate Risk due to the large sums of money, legal backscratching, and underhand dealings involved in the murky world of Organised Record Distribution.

Let me just say at once that being the director of a company which will - surely - rise to the loftiest of financial, artistic and criminal heights, will not change the way I speak with all you little people; however, I now refuse to answer to any name save El Capitan.

Now that's out of the way, let's get down to some Hardcore! Update! Action!

The artwork - save final tweaking - is finished and is looking extremely snappy, thanks to Zoie of eatmorechickens. I think that this is the first time I can say I'm truly happy with an album design, and I'm NEVER happy with album designs. It really does look that good. We're just waiting for Martin Calculated to cast his beady little eye over proceedings and we should be good to go.

Promo copies of the album are being made within the next few weeks and will be sent out to any ghastly two-bit webzine that expresses an interest.

We're doing entirely new photoshoots for the next two weeks. Personally I'd be happy to take our individual prison mugshots and feed them through this baby but I've been specifically warned away from it. :`(

In short, Things Are Happening. We're looking at an April release now (sorry, but these things take time and believe me, it's worth the wait), and the tour is being booked as we speak.

In Non Miocene news, Graham and I have just finished doing the music for an interesting little short film called Rezist. Anyone interested in downloading a cautionary tale of over-technology and over-consumption featuring a punk rocker called Jed, a huge furry bear, and little techological ghosties on a remote island could do worse than going HERE to check it out.

We're also in the process of recording a few bands - Failure of Usual Reasoning (straightfaced metalcore meets frighteningly homoerotic, hawiian-shirted flamboyant riffery) and Inner Rage (metal so heavy, so fast and so complex that it actually sounds akin to some of the real drug-fuelled bebop of the 1940s, except with a Brazillian dude screaming over the top of it). I'll post up links when they begin to take shape. Interesting things are afoot for fans of the wonderful (and now sadly deceased) Hentai also. Watch this space.

I'm so busy I'm close to meltdown. If this place falls apart over the next few weeks, make sure someone Sends! More! Paramedics! to my house. And make sure they have a lot of fucking drugs.

w0rd.

-b.

info: miocene.org