Patron Saints and Fax Fire!

(Above is a picture of the original pressing of Fohhoh Bohob by the Patron Saints)

Patron Saints, whose 1969 private press album "fohhoh bohob" is something that I've been listening to a lot lately, after having luckily stumbled across a cheap used copy, not knowing anything about this item, I picked it up by chance.

Apparently only 100 copies were pressed originally, 60 of which were made public, the rest going to friends, family, and promotional interests. Comes as no surprise, then, that the original copies went for well over a thousand dollars (on the new Patron Saints site, i think it is referenced that a copy was for sale for $2,500)

The surprising part about this record, however, is that it doesn't sound like a period piece-maybe it has something to do with this band being from Chappaqua, New York (I remember reading that they were Long Island based...but anyhow)-an interesting place where there are clear mainstream connections to NYC, but also outsider's charm (it seems like most music with 'strange' flourishes from past eras are from suburbs of the metropolitan areas, as opposed to the country, or the metropolitan areas themselves).

In fact, in many ways it reminds me of the 90's psychpop stuff I used to listen to in highschool (elephant 6, early tower recordings), but with a more melodic/spiritual and earnest edge, and completely bereft of irony (unlike those recent groups). There are a few missteps, however, songs like nostalgia trip (especially), and my lonely friend, the goodbye song, and a few others (including the bonus track, 'shine on heart') are examples of crystalline fragile off-key psych-pop genius, incredibly wispy, bare and at the same time heavy and pastoral.
The production, too helps this, and it is a fairly unconventional mix...there is literally an absence of any constant signatured drum beat...and barely any bass drums. Instead, percussion is limited to cymbal washes, and muffled tinny percussion that starts and stops almost unexpectedly. It appears that either the drummer was not proficient technically (which I prefer to a 'skilled' drummer) or was going for a textural percussion sound, clearly benefitting the emotions of the record.

Some of the lyrics exhibit what I perceived to be influenced by Western Christian faith, and needless to say, I find any proselytizing to be troublesome. However, Eric, one of the two original songwriters (unfortunately, the other songwriter, Jon Tuttle, whose songs I enjoyed most-he's responsible for Nostalgia Trip, My Lonely Friend, Goodbye Song...passed away in 1994) explained to me that there was no Christian influence, and the lyrics are expressive of general spirituality and questioning of 'something greater'. This puts my mind at ease! (Makes it acceptable to enjoy Fohhoh Bohob the way it should be enjoyed...)

In any case, Eric is reforming most of the remaining band members, and apparently is mixing a reunion Patron Saints record; he's a nice guy, who likes to talk to people who enjoy his music, (I haven't heard anything else involving him, however). He can be reached at his maxmulti.com website. Haven't heard any other Patron Saints, either, though I'm curious about Latimer Sessions. For some reason, his discs, although pressed in relatively small editions -500 each, to my knowledge(small pressings for professional cds), are only available through amazon; i found mine used. Time Lag Distribution had carried the vinyl reissue of fohhoh bohob (also pressed in an edition of 500 copies), although Nemo tells me they are out of stock.

So, this comes highly recommended, it is neither as stoned, or 'out there' as some snippets on the web indicate (I also only caught one drug reference), nor is it by any means a straight late 60's psych record. As it's reissued in a paltry edition, and the vinyl reissue is hard to find (which leads me to believe the initial copies have been sold), I recommend picking it up...otherwise, you'll be paying a lot for it (or downloading it from a file-sharing service...) Though, for some reason, I think the Patron Saints have eluded mass collector recognition, are still pretty much only esteemed within the really obscure-pricey collector's markets, those in the know, and people like me who've come across it by accident, and have been unexpectedly delighted with the listening experience (by the end of Nostalgia Trip-second song on the album, I knew I was listening to the kind of record that immediately distinguishes itself from others).

If anyone expresses interest, I will post an mp3 of one of my favorite songs from Fohhoh Bohob.

Fire FAX fax fiRE

Cats use fax as toilet, spark house fire
Fri June 10, 2005 10:04 AM ET

TOKYO (Reuters) - Two kittens picked the wrong place to relieve themselves when they urinated on a fax machine, sparking a fire that extensively damaged their Japanese owner's house.
Investigators in the western city of Kobe have concluded that the fire in January was caused by a spark generated when the urine soaked the machine's electrical printing mechanism.

The fire damaged the kitchen and living room before it was put out by the house's owner, who was treated for mild smoke inhalation, said Masahito Oyabu, a fireman at the Nagata fire station in central Kobe.

The kittens quickly ran to safety, he added.

"If you have a cat, or a dog for that matter, be careful where they urinate," Oyabu said. "Especially keep them away from electrical appliances and wires."