New Review From Skope Magazine

http://skopemag.com/2008/07/08/logs-in-the-mainstream-the-ridiculous-and-the-sublime/

Before even getting the chance to stick The Ridiculous and the Sublime in a CD player, it is evident that this offering from Logs in the Mainstream reeks of awesome.  The cover design is an obvious parody of Meet the Beatles.  The CD itself is designed to resemble a record.  Oh, and then there are the song titles, including “Don’t Come to Maryland,” “If Hitler Had Sideburns,” “Tequila & Power Tools” (which happen to be a few of my favorite things!), and “Another Logs in the Mainstream Song.”  And you can’t forget the bagpipes.  One of the band members is credited as playing the bagpipes.

Automatically, any prospective listener can assume that the album will be nothing shy of entertaining.  In this aspect, Logs in the Mainstream does not disappoint.  In their song “Grateful,” which thanks the singer’s mother, the band rhymes “sucky,” which isn’t exactly a poetic term.  Nor is “thinking with your jeans.”

Behind the off-the-wall song titles, this band has something to say.  They don’t have to write and market 12 love songs.  For instance, even “If Hitler Had Sideburns” questions more serious aspects of life, some of the what-ifs of modern society: “If Hitler had sideburns, would Elvis have been a Nazi?” or “If chunky meant sexy, would Kate Moss be throw in prison?…Would dance clubs look more like kitchens?”

Logs in the Mainstream don’t take themselves seriously, but at the same time their songs aren’t afraid to get serious.  It’s indie rock, so it’s free to break the rules, which is one reason to hope that this band always maintains its indie roots.  It’s a good listen if your knowledge of music isn’t limited to top 40.  It’s even better if you can appreciate a band that offers a closing track (“Another Logs in the Mainstream Song”) as an in-joke for the listeners, which is three minutes of self-deprecating humor about the band’s songwriting quirks and lack of musical conventions.  It’s refreshing, entertaining, and solid.  And if you don’t like it?  The band answers that in the last second of the last song. “Whatever.”

Review By: Valerie Williams

We want to thank Jen Amato for the fun interview and the cool resulting headline/article in The Sentinel.  The Sentinel is a weekly published North and South Brunswick, NJ.  For those of you not in the area here is the new article, complete with a shot of Frank's new 'do.

http://nbs.gmnews.com/news/2008/0612/front_page/041.html

And apparently the release of The Sublime and the Ridiculous is readily anticipated in Iowa!  Look on the left and scroll halfway down.

http://www.rcreader.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12841&Itemid=48

MOLE

More Reviews of "The Ridiculous and The Sublime"

"There’s not a bad track on THE RIDICULOUS AND THE SUBLIME."--music-reviewer.com

Read the full review here:

www.music-reviewer.com/june-2008/rock-pop-alternative/logs-in-the-mainstream-::-the-ridiculous-and-the-sublime/

"Violent Femmes, The Kinks, They Might Be Giants … and now Logs In The Mainstream. Goof rock is alive and well and it’s doing wonders to liven up North Brunswick’s night life." -- pitchperfectreviews.com - Rachel Heisler

Not Bad company to be in. Read the full review here:

www.pitchperfectreviews.com/

"The not so light moments lyrically on the album, which include "don't come to Maryland", and "tequilla & power tools", mixed with the more serious tunes, show the type of depth that have made Barenaked Ladies and They Might Be Giants popular for years. I can only hope that Logs In The Mainstream find that level of fandom with this album." --blowupradio.com - Lazlo

Read full review here:

blowupradio.tripod.com/review_logs.html

Some New Reviews Posted About Logs In The Mainstream's "The Ridiculous And The Sublime"

Here are the Links:
http://www.rock-is-life.com/2008reviews/ridiculousandthesublime.htm
http://neufutur.com/?p=2622
http://www.subba-cultcha.com/article_album.php?id=7420
http://www.jerseybeat.com/millencolin.html

Buy the CD Here:
http://cdbaby.com/cd/logsitm4
Thanks for your support!

More interesting developments on the new CD.  It looks like we just got played and featured on XM radio's unsigned channel for the week of 5/1/08 (under archives).  That's Channel 43 for those who have it!

http://www.radiounsigned.com/index02.html

Also, for those of you who may have missed the interview with Lazlo of Blowupradio.com and LazlosDen.com, you can download and MP4 and listen to it.

http://blowupradio.tripod.com/den_interview.html

Here's What They Are Saying About "The Ridiculous and The Sublime"

"Logs in the Mainstream is the only band I've heard in the last ten 
years that has made me genuinely nostalgic for my youth. The eclectic 
mix of jazz, smart rock, weird noises, and bizarre sense of humor is 
what I always thought rock should be like."

"Logs in the Mainstream are one of the few bands that have the skills 
and daring to smash record label marketing department barriers, which 
they ably do on the new CD, their fourth, The Ridiculous and the 
Sublime."

"Logs in the Mainstream are following the current trend in rock music 
today of mining styles from the past. In this case, though, they are 
taking forms seldom touched on and recombining them to create 
something new, or at the very least, something of their own. "

"Pick up on this CD and impress your friends."

-musicdish.com

"Logs In The Mainstream start out their “The Ridiculous & The Sublime” with “Gotta Get Up”, a track that vacillates between sounding as if it came out in the sixties or the nineties. The amount of influences that come forth during the 12 tracks on “The Ridiculous” are legion; hints of The Beatles (which the cover of this album parodies), Beastie Boys, Anthrax, Jane’s Addiction and countless others can all be heard."

"Logs In The Mainstream have been around for nearly twenty years (they started in 1990), and show their maturity as an act through the number of styles broached during “The Ridiculous & The Sublime”. At some point, each of the tracks on this album could be heard on rotation on a major radio station – there is that much charisma present during the songs on this album. The subject material presented during this track may be off the wall, but listeners will sing along with it just as if it was a serious song. The band takes a ska-punk style to heart during “If Hitler Had Sideburns”, and it is during this track that the production of the album really is shown to be miles beyond what many punk acts are capable of bringing to the table."

"Regardless, each of the tracks is good enough to be a single, and this album will stay strong no matter how many times one listens to it. I was not familiar with Logs In The Mainstream before picking up “The Ridiculous & The Sublime”, but I know that I will be paying attention to them in the months and years to come. Give the disc a go."

-NeuFutur Magzine

You can find Logs In The Mainstream's "The Ridiculous and The Sublime" @ CDBaby.com
 

NO SHOWS YET.

Currently rehearsing with new band... 

Please check back soon!

A quick update on the new CD! 

First, thanks to Judgeman2021 who just sent the altered pic below from his deviant art gallery.

Second, we have a review up on NeuFutur, and a review of the review from Paul and the Paragon of Excellence at czaradio.com.  (Paul and the Paragon are old friends of ours from WTSR 91.3).  We also just had a cut played on blowupradio.com this week. 

And last but not least...  On top of being on CDBaby and iTunes, we are now also on Payplay and Tradebit.

All the highest thoughts,

~MOLE

Big news!  First, we got on a new content server (Thank you Andy and Otselloc!) so you'll be hearing from us more often.

Second, Logs in the Mainstream announce the release of their fourth full-length album, "The Ridiculous and The Sublime"!

You can purchase a copy on www.CDBaby.com. Or if you're one of them young'uns you can download a copy at www.iTunes.com.  More download sites are to come.  Once we know about them we will post it here. 

"The Ridiculous and The Sublime" is eccentric rock-based on a foundation of humor, intensity and insight.  Eleven originals and a remake of Harry Nilsson's "Gotta Get Up" from Mole, Frank, Bob, and Eric.  Get it!  And let us know what you think!

MOLE

End of the year, end of the holidays.

Frank and I keep talking about doing a Christmas/Winter Holiday music CD. And everytime October rolls around, we realize it\'s too late.

For those of you who have been following the Logs awhile, you know we have a sarcastically-honed song aimed at the commercialism and nihilism that accompanies Christmas. It was an a-capella parody of "Silent Night" called "The True Meaning of X-mas". I used to belt it out before a set at the Dogs of War X-Mas Show at the old Broadway Cafe in South Amboy. I did a quick one-take recording of it while we were recording The Self the Shelf and the Store, and it made it's way onto Lump'n'Loaf's very cool Merry Freakin' Christmas compilation. (I still have a few copies, for those interested.)

And while I have a place in my brain for those songs, I would be lying if I said everything about the holiday is a waste. There has always been more than a few moments during the winter holidays where the "warm, giving" feeling happens.

Peace on Earth is a fitting winter sentiment. A really good Christmas song should echo it somehow. The good Christmas songs make you feel like it's snowing outside, but you're sitting in front of a fire at home. The best ones somehow are able to take that feeling and make you feel like everyone can feel that way. Peace on Earth, Goodwill to Man. I think humanity needs that, both to survive the winter months and to remember the good it can do.

Unfortunately, there are scads of Christmas songs that sound like Christmas jingles that a PR firm decided to extend for radio play. They try to mimic the passionate sentiments, but get lost in the packaging, and just become garishly repetitive. Those songs make you feel like you sat down to a drink a Coke, only to find out it was Diet Caffeine-free New Coke on the first mouthful. And the worst ones make you realize you can't sit down because you're in an elevator.

Anyway, hopefully next year we'll have something in the works.

MOLE

PS: And yes, I am talking about Christmas songs. You will catch me wishing people the very politically-correct "Happy Holidays" (because hey, it's only fair) but when you're talking about the winter holidays, the music being overplayed (to the point where you feel like someone turned your eardrums and brain into a well-wrapped box of matching black socks) are Christmas songs.

I actually don't know many Hannaka songs. I know the Dreidel song, They Might Be Giants's "Feast of Lights", and Jill Sobule's "Jesus Was a Dreidel Spinner". (The last two are cool enough that remakes are unnecessary.) I'm not counting Adam Sandler's Channukah Song, cos it\'s less about the holiday and more a docket of who\'s Jewish. Anyway, suggestions are always welcome. Logs's "irreverently reverent" approach should leave noone untouched.

PPS: While we're on the subject, I've never heard of a Quanza song or a Wiccan Winter Solstice song. Someone should get on that. And the Atheists... well... they don't really have many benefits to offer on holidays. Heavy on principles, but lame on custom.

"Feel the shift of nervousness
Below this quiet surface..."

You wouldn't know it from this page, but we have many irons in the fire.

Last couple rehearsals with Charlie have been really good. We're writing some new material and starting on the next recording project. Pretty soon, we may even play out. *gasp*

The mastering session is done with The Ridiculous and the Sublime, and we're waiting for it to come in so we can get our CDs made and online purchases going.

We\'ve also been working our official my space page quite a bit. Some of the new tunes have been posted up here, like "Grateful" and "Don't Come to Maryland". Friend us and say hi!
www.myspace.com/logsmole

LogsMOLE Music is finally registered with ASCAP.

And... we may actually have a subgenre to fit Logs under finally: "Experimental Rock". It's as close as I think we are going to get. Post-punk was also a consideration, but I think we are less punky now than we were back in '91.

NON-SEQUITUR
At work, I keep getting spam where the subject is "You've Just received an ecard from a Family Member!"

What on earth makes these guys think I'm going to open this up if they can't even give me a name? They've tried different tactics like "You've just received an ecard from a Neighbour!" or ".. from a Partner!" Yesterday, was "...from a Mate!" which leads me to think they are from England or Austrailia (especially since they spelled neighbor with a "u").

/END NON-SEQUITUR

Eric and Frank just convinced me over the weekend to pull the other 6-minute song from the next CD. So the CD will have 12 songs and no long boring ones. :-) We never played this tune at shows, but those of you who have come to rehearsals have heard it, "If I Knew Then". So it will either be released on an EP or the next CD. So we're off to get it mastered!

Stay tuned. ~MOLE

So before the show a few weeks ago, I called Eric Ginsberg to get some details about the show and directions and whatnot. Eric gave me the info I needed and added, "Come and enjoy the revitalization of Asbury Park!" Having lived in the Monmouth area for most of my life, I'd heard this time and time again. I thought to myself, "I'll believe it when I see it."

When I turned onto Cookman Avenue, I saw people sitting outside in a cafe. Everyone looked relaxed. I parked on the street, and looked around. None of the buildings were boarded up anymore. In their place were cutesy stores, clean restaurants and coffee shops.

I shared the room of the Twisted Tree with fellow acoustic warriors, all of whom lit the little stage up. Every performer could belt out a tune that came from the heart or the body or the mind. Eric and I closed the night, and took it outside to the street benches, swapping stories and playing to Lazlo of Blowup radio, his wife, and the occasional passerby. And to the streets of Asbury Park.

I want to say the streets felt quiet. Or serene. Maybe tranquil. But that's not what they were. You could hear the clubs going on down aways, and a sports car with the kicker cranked would drive by. It probably wasn't until now that I knew how it felt.

Safe.

Asbury Park is back, people. Enjoy it before it gets mobbed, over-trendy, and expensive.
~MOLE

We're sooooo close to finishing the next album. One more tune, and then we pack it away to be mastered.

For those of you who haven't heard Bob has moved to North Carolina. Thirteen years Bob was in the band. It's like an era has ended. Still he's not completely out. He promises to play the bagpipes for us when he's back in town. Expect to hear more news from us about our newest member, Charlie, soon.

Gotta new show solo show coming up with Eric Ginsberg. Hope to see you there, and be sure to ask about the teaser CD.

~MOLE

Currently we have a free teaser CD featuring some songs that will be on the forthcoming CD. Want one? Contact us or come see one of our shows.

We were hoping to have the new material out by end of 2006 (as advertised on the teaser), but it's looking like it will be more like the middle of the 2007. I personally am leaning towards "The Sublime and the Ridiculous" for the title. We'll see what the band vote says.

We have some pics from our Show this last July at the Red Bank Music Conference. Special thanks to Eric Ginsberg for arranging the event and keeping the Logs active.

And now a little new blurb on the Burger King head. As many of you know, we were using a plastic Burger King head as our mascot/drummer during the Acaustic years of Bob, Mole and the drum machine. This was before he suddenly started appearing in the new (and creepy) Burger King commercials over the last few years. We were as shocked as many of you were when this started happening. And it's been even stranger coincidence that Burger King was successful in ressurecting a plasticine version Burger King as a pop culture icon.

Or is it coincidence? We need your help. I've been told there's been interviews with the advertising agent who claims he devised the idea of the Burger King head that sounds very strikingly similar to the way the Logs came across it. I can't find this article. We really want to confirm this. If it's true, we actually own the original Burger King head!

In the meanwhile, the original King still makes appearances at McDonald's giving them a hard time.



~MOLE