Description
Artist Name: Be/Non
Album Name: “Moi Ou Toi” Single w/ Bonus Tracks
Record Label: Haymaker Records
Release Date: March 6, 2011 / July 24, 2015 (Haymaker Cover Revamp)
Catalog No.: CG-001
Formats: 7-Inch Vinyl
Tracklist:
A Moi Ou Toi 2:53
B Not Tonight 4:53
Bonus Tracks:
–Che Che Coolie (Demo) 2:33
–Ice Fight (Dream Mix) 2:46
–Not Tonight (Early Version) 2:54
Performer – Ben Ruth, Brodie Rush, Jeremiah James, Ryan Shank
Auxiliary Vocals – Nanci Ayala
Auxiliary Percussion – Mike Cochran
Written By – Brodie Rush
Artwork by – Brodie Rush
Recorded At – The Goldroom KCMO
Moi Ou Toi was originally released by Be/Non with the help of the record store Earwaxx Records and the newly created record label Curved Groove in 2011. The record store closed soon after and the 7-Inch records sat sleeveless in a box for 4 years. Haymaker worked with Steady Co. in Minneapolis, MN to print special edition color RISOgraph sleeves for a July 24, 2015 release to give the old 7-Inch recordings a new look and see the light of day once again. Limited to 250 copies on translucent gold vinyl. Includes digital download with three previously unreleased Be/Non tracks from the same era.
Notes on Recordings
In the spring of 2011 Gary Wilkerson, owner of Earwaxx Records And More in Gladstone, MO. started a label called Curve Groove. The intention was to help a few local bands that he liked by putting out 7″ records. Be/Non was one of the only bands to make a record for Curve Groove. Be/Non had been supporting the record A Mountain Of Yeses since 2009 and was ready to have an opportunity to release a 7″ vinyl record. “Not Tonight” and “Moi Ou Toi” were chosen for the release and the band recorded it in the spring of 2011. “Not Tonight”, a pseudo-east indian beat clashing against Zeppelin-esque acoustic guitar noodles with odd vocal phrasing. Starting small, then climaxing to an off rhythm of pounding percussion. The song was very different than what was expected after A Mountain Of Yeses. The quotes below are from the notes of Be/Non’s Brodie Rush.
“Moi Ou Toi”
“An older tune that was featured on the album RAN in it’s demo form. The song was rerecorded in 2006 for the unreleased album, Freedom Palace and then finally, reworked yet again to make it onto this recording. A very sparse version using a drum machine from a Key-Tar, a Les Paul through a Pig-Nose amp and some light over-dubs. Moi Ou Toi is a song about blame and liars. Deceiving people through ambiguity. Through all of the different versions of the song over the years, the vocals were always whispered rather than sung. I guess because it seem’s like creeps tend to whisper. Takes one to know one I guess.”
“Not Tonight”
“I don’t really think the song “Not Tonight” makes a whole lot of sense as a traditional pop song with pop structure. Both sides are a challenging listen. Not quite representing what we were doing at the time, but there it is… in all it’s yellow vinyl, pill-popping glory.”
“Che Che Coolie” (Demo)
“I honestly don’t remember much about this track. It was recorded sometime between 2009 and 2011. I don’t think there was anyone else on the track besides me (Brodie) by the sound of what was played. I know that the name would have pointed to the early sessions of Mystic Sunrise/Sunset Magic because all of our titles were off-the-cuff-wacky to tape… The whole project was suppose to be all new material crafted to tape, rather than writing it and bringing it to the group, then recording it. This track however is confounding. It is mildly lost and pointless. An early version that never got worked on beyond this.”
“Ice Fight” (Dream Mix)
“Many songs in the Be/Non catalog span countless years, between conception, recording, rerecording and sitting dormant on many hard drives, this song is no exception. Probably written circa 2004. It was demoed and eventually played for whatever Be/Non members were present in that line-up. It was learned and officially recorded for the doomed Freedom Palace record. After that, it made it’s way into various sets over the years. Keeping generally to the same hard-edged feel and gym class rhythms. Between 2012 and 2014 the song got rerecorded a few times but with a different feel at the top end. I liked it because I wanted to smooth it out and make it spacey or something. However, the song never let me break away from the old feel of it… hence the similar feel to the 2007 version towards the back end of the tune. It was another doomed mix and failed version. At some point was intended for Mystic Sunrise/Sunset Magic, but it never felt like a good fit. Here it is for your consumption thanks to Brenton Cook of Haymaker Records. I’m sure this one will be released in many other forms in the next few years.”
“Not Tonight” (Early Version)
“I quickly got this demo together to show the boys and they seemed to act like they liked it, maybe. Most material I bring to the group takes getting used to. Probably because I will describe music very abstractly. Like, this sound is yellow, this sound is blue. Using “Bwah-Bwah-weee” as a word to describe a keyboard fart sound or draw a graph to show the progression of an album. Anyway this recording was mostly Jeremiah and me in the Goldroom trying to pull this song together as quickly as possible. This version is really rough around the edges. The form is willy-nilly. It’s sort of a window into the awkwardness of demos. What is totally experimental and what is an idea-string from your brain to the recording device? When you write a song to “tape”, the whole thing is always a little off… raw and unreproducible. When we do records we are always debating on takes and versions. Which one sounds the best. For whatever it’s worth, we always lean towards the idea that we can redo everything and do it even better and more refined next time. It was the original that, even though was recorded on a low quality cassette 8-Track, had the magic moment that couldn’t be replicated. In the case of “Not Tonight” (Early Version), in my opinion, the original didn’t cut it. The good news is that the next version did… and it only took a few weeks to do, not 9 years. The struggle to keep trying for loose perfection.”
