The Near Myths: News

This just in:

The Near Myths will play two shows in Greensboro, NC, celebrating the release of WILSON. Here is the info:

Thursday, December 15, 8:00-10:00 pm
Fishers Grille - 608 N. Elm St.

Sunday, December 18, 9:30-11:30 pm
College Hill Sundries - 900 Spring Garden St.

BE THERE!

The Near Myths, minus Ben and Bernadette, alas, played a house concert and CD release party at the Smith-Smoller House in Wilson, NC, Saturday, November 5. Gourmet cuisine was served, courtesy of hosts extraordinaire Steve and Jenny. The Myths played a spirited first set, comprised of "Old Mill Road," "Rapunzel," "Mine Tonight," "(Turn This) Water into Wine," "Fool Me Once," "Westward Quest," and a new song by Andy, "Salmon." After a break, the Myths returned for a loose but inspired set of covers including "Ripple" and "Friend of the Devil" by the Grateful Dead, "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" by Bob Dylan, "Human Highway" by Neil Young, "Helplessly Hoping" by CS&N, "The Weight" by The Band, and even a brief but spirited run through "Involuntary Shuffle." Co-producer Phil Valera was in attendance, and was heard to remark, "You guys sound terrific! You've been practicing." While in Wilson, The Near Myths also participated in the first annual Whirligig Festival in downtown Wilson, in honor of local folk artist Vollis Simpson, whose art is featured in the WILSON packaging.

The Near Myths' debut CD WILSON is now available for on line purchase. Go to our "Buy" page and click on the link.

Copies of WILSON arrived in all their glory late this afternoon. We're still working on gearing up website sales, so check back soon.

WILSON should be available by October 1. We will soon have on-line ordering set up, as well as regular mail order. Check our website regularly for new info! Hope you enjoy the intro "Splash" page image of WILSON when you surf to our website. Hats off to our art director, Keith Tew.

The Near Myths' art director Keith Tew has completed his work on WILSON's wonderful packaging and has sent his graphics files to Oasis. This represents the final piece of the puzzle. Everything is now in the hands of Oasis CD Manufacturing, and we are simply waiting. WILSON should be available before the end of September.

The Near Myths' first CD, WILSON, has now been mastered by the highly respected Brent Lambert of The Kitchen in Chapel Hill, North Carolina (http://indyweek.com/durham/2000-11-15/cover2.html). The CD has been shipped to Oasis CD Manufacturing where it will be pressed. Check out the news section over the next few weeks for further updates and information on how to obtain copies.

Some people (OK, two anyway) have asked about the windmills in The Near Myths photo. These are the handiwork of Mr. Vollis Simpson, of Lucama, NC, in Wilson County. Mr. Simpson's reputation as a folk artist is considerable, and his whirligigs, as he prefers to call them, have been exhibited at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, the North Carolina Museum of Art, and the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore. You can find out more about Vollis Simpson and his work here: http://www.sci.mus.mn.us/sln/vollis/index/frontvollis.html. Watch a nice short feature on Vollis Simpson's whirligigs from WRAL-TV, Raleigh, NC: http://www.wilsonnc.org/whirligig/videolist.asp

Audio Wizard, Co-Producer, and Engineer Phil Valera is finishing up the mixing for The Near Myths' first CD, WILSON, this week. Then it's on to Mastering. WILSON should be out and available by the end of the summer.

The six members of The Near Myths convened in Wilson, NC, this week (July 19-23) and completed the initial recording sessions for their first album, tentatively titled WILSON. The nine tracks were recorded at The Barton College Studio, with Phil Valera engineering and co-producing. Track information:

1. “Old Mill Road” (Jim Clark)

Jim: Lead Vocal, Acoustic Rhythm Guitar, Finger Cymbals
Teep: Electric Lead & Rhythm Guitar, Acoustic Rhythm Guitar, Bass, Drums
Andy: Electric Lead Guitar
Katy: Vocal
Bernadette: Vocal
Ben: Vocal
Phil: Tambourine

2. “Rapunzel” (Ben Greene)

Ben: Lead Vocal, 12-String Rhythm Guitar
Teep: Bass, Drums
Bernadette: Piano, Vocal
Jim: Pennywhistle, Vocal
Katy: Vocal

3. “Mine Tonight” (Andy Oglesby)

Andy: Lead Vocal, Acoustic Rhythm Guitar
Teep: Acoustic Lead Guitar, Bass, Hairy Drum
Katy: Vocal
Bernadette: Vocal
Jim: Vocal

4. “(Turn this) Water into Wine” (Jim Clark)

Jim: Lead Vocal, Acoustic Rhythm Guitar
Teep: Slide Guitar, Bass, Rattlesnake Rattle
Andy: Acoustic Lead and Rhythm Guitar, Vocal
Ben: Harmonica
Bernadette: Vocal
Katy: Vocal

5. “Fool Me Once” (Andy Oglesby)

Andy: Lead Vocal, Acoustic Rhythm & Lead Guitar
Teep: Electric Lead Guitar, Bass, Drums
Katy: 12-String Rhythm Guitar, Vocal
Jim: Banjo, Vocal
Phil: Tambourine

6. “Involuntary Shuffle” (Jim Clark/Ben Greene)

Ben: Lead Vocal, Acoustic Rhythm Guitar
Teep: Slide Guitar, Bass, Drums
Andy: Lead Guitar
Bernadette: Piano, Vocal
Jim: Vocal
Katy: Vocal
Phil: Vibraslap

7. “Westward Quest” (Ben Greene/Terry Phillips)

Teep: Lead Vocal, 6 & 12-String Rhythm Guitars, Acoustic Lead Guitar, Bass, Drums
Bernadette: Piano, Vocal
Katy: Vocal
Jim: Harmonica, Vocal

8. “Another Love Song” (Ben Greene)

Ben: Lead Vocal, Acoustic Rhythm Guitar
Teep: Bass, Drums
Andy: Acoustic Guitar
Bernadette: Vocal
Jim: Vocal
Katy: Vocal
Phil: Keyboard

9. “Do What You Gotta Do” (Ben Greene)

Ben: Lead Vocal, Acoustic Rhythm Guitar
Teep: Electric Rhythm & Lead Guitar, Bass, Drums, Vocal
Andy: Vocal
Bernadette: Vocal
Jim: Vocal
Katy: Vocal
Phil: Tambourine, Cowbell