Fresh and fruity.  Unfinished.  Unfurnished.  Honestly, would you calm yourself?  You’re a big girl, would you calm yourself?  You’re a big girl.

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This Saturday is the National show! Richmond Virginia United States America. Doors Open At Seven My Band Plays Last After Nine Probably

Who is opening you ask? Good question. Two excellent bands. One band is called Caulit Anything and it’s Jacob Thro’s band (Jacob plays bass for me, for those of you who don’t know, and he also played bass for Paperface). Listen here. Listen to Mirror Lies to start, it’s amazing.  Caulit Anything makes me HAPPY.

Also opening is a band called Gills & Wings.  I was totally blown away when I heard these guys.  Brett found ‘em, I think.  Listen to The Dealer first.  And then Catastrophe.  They can write a song, which is one in a billion.  Well, three in a billion maybe.

So come out Saturday night and see the three best bands in the world.  All in one place.  Easy.  Perfek.  Click here for a ticket to the gig and a free, limited edition CD.

haha, also someone else is playing i think, but I don’t know who SOORRYY!!!!!

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Here’s a random little thing called Drunk. I’ve been writing a few new songs this week. I have two or three I haven’t taped yet.

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Okay, so every Tuesday, I’m going to post a quick demo of whatever I happen to be working on. I think it will work because I write about a song a week.

Don’t expect anything polished, or finished, or even coherent. Just raw, unhinged, whatever.

Here’s a new one. Playing guitar lately. Brett and I jammed on it a little this weekend. But this is just me, late at night, ten seconds after I wrote it. It’s called Drug tentatively…

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Chris Merritt and trio will be performing at The National in Richmond, VA on October 17. How exciting!

Buy your ticket ahead of time! If you do, it’s a couple bucks cheaper ($10.59 instead of $12) than at the door, PLUS you’ll get a bonus gift: a free limited edition CD, designed and crafted by my very own mother! Yes, I’m serious. She’s designed her own cover and everything. Also, the limited edition Mom CDs have a bonus track called People On The Street that won’t be available anywhere else, EVER. Um, probably.

The Mom CDs sold out in Provo, so I’ve commissioned more. When you buy your ticket from this website, simply pick it up, along with your free gift, at ‘will call’ at The National on the night of the show. This is also, as of now, the only place to get the tracks at CD quality. Click on ‘STORE’ and get yours today!

All ages welcome.

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Dustin on bass
Al Thomas on drums
video taken by Eric

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Posters available for purchase and delivery soon.  They were made by Elsie.

Also a new Demos Of Nod shirt is on its way.  Maybe more.

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Just now, I got this Facebook message that my drummer sent out.  It made me chuckle like a chubby German child full of chocolate (alliteration?).  Like Üter from The Simpsons.

Having trouble deciding whether or not to give Chris Merritt’s new album a listen (keep reading, don’t close out yet)? This anonymous fan testimonial should help make up your mind:

Hi, my name is Dave and I am an anonymous fan of Chris Merritt (still keep reading). If you haven’t checked out Chris Merritt yet, I know what’s probably going through your mind right now; “Who names a band after themselves?” Well, I don’t know. That’s a question you should probably ask Chris.
What I can tell you is this: six weeks ago, today, I weighed over 454 lbs. and my life was in a downward spiral. Then, I started listening to Chris Merritt. Now, just eight weeks later, my manhood has increased in size by 3 inches.
How did I accomplish all of this in just 5 short weeks?? It’s easy! Just buy Chris Merritts new album, “Virginia is For Hoverers” available now on itunes and at www.Chrismerrittmusic.com, ya dummies! It’s only six dang bucks!! And it really works!!!
Also, if you act now and buy a $10 advanced ticket to Chris Merritt’s up coming show at the National on Oct. 17th in Richmond, VA, you will get a free limited edition hard copy of the new album with album art by chris’ mom (offer only applies to those who buy tickets directly from Chris, Brett, Rachyl Farely, or on Chris’ website).

WOW! After reading that heart warming testimonial, how can you say no?……That was a trick question..don’t say no. Check us out!
(This testimonial was neither prompted or supported by nor does this testimonial represent the views of Chris Merritt)

K bye!
Brett

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Do you live in the United States in the middle of the desert?

WELL COME ON OUT TO THE VELOUR SHOW THIS WEEKEND IN PROVO, UT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Sat 19 what time

ALSO LOGAN, UT TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  7:30, truth

CLICK ON “TOUR DATES”!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I flew down here for the seventh time

Oh, and also, my band and me somehow got a show at The National in Richmond, VA, which is like, a real venue.  COME TO THE RICHMOND SHOW AND WATCH A REAL MAN’S BAND!!!!!!!  OCTOBER SOMETHING AT LIKE TEN OF CLOCK!!!!!!!!

LOGAN TOMORROW!!

PROVO TOMORROW TOMORROW TOMORROW!!

RICHMOND TOMORROW TOMORROW TOMORROW TOMORROW TOMORROW TOMORROW TOMORROW TOMORROW TOMORROW TOMORROW TOMORROW TOMORROW a bunch more times

more of the bearded man

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This is kind of weird.

Just days after Virginia Is For Hoverers (1) was released, which includes a song called The Turing Machine, a petition was started to get Prime Minister Gordon Brown to apologize for the historical mistreatment of Alan Turing by the British Government.  Turing was a great mathematician, prosecuted for being a homosexual and chemically castrated around 1950.  Apparently, the petition has succeeded.

I’ve been obsessed with the man for a while.  I first read about him in other physics literature, specifically referring to his (most important) work on computable numbers.  Lately I’ve been reading specifically about his papers and achievements, his stranger-than-fiction adventures cracking the Nazi Germany’s Enigma Machine (which, arguably, saved more lives than any single act in World War II), his superhuman-like foresight into the idea of a computer and A.I., and his incredibly tragic last years.  I thought the human drama contrasted with the logical and mathematical genius of Turing would make an interesting song, and also feed my strange hunger to write music about important physics.

Here’s the song and lyrics:

+

+

The Turing Machine

spending his vacation at a drinking station
performing calulations to the adoration

of a beautiful face that would later be kissed red
far away from where you can’t sleep in your own bed

solving any system, it was simple with him
but try putting algorithms into alan’s rhythms

the universe, it comes all the way ’round
it’s irrational, but if it’s not, you’ll find out

from my brain is a new brain

any brain can calculate any brain’s calculations

humans are a tragic and beautiful mess,
sometimes the rest
hurt the best

so if it will pass the test
when asked of its father’s death
with denial and distress suppressed heartbreak suggests,
it’ll simulate the smell of whiskey on its breath,

and say, “i didn’t even notice he was gone, no I didn’t even notice he was gone.  I didn’t even notice you were gone, father, i didn’t even notice you were gone…”

Doing a google search for Alan Turing will obviously be your best bet for further reading, but also check out this great lecture I found last month in my research – http://mitworld.mit.edu/video/423.

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