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Don't Party

by Slashed Tires

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1.
Problems 03:47
Imagine the shades over the sound Windows for what's appearing look over the shapes on the ground Amassing the time pulled from not adhering Will the end with this movement This one that's not long living Sharp paths points scores of light opaque refractions that are only momentary Where is the time; what's going on what is this shape; what's outside There's something wrong; on the inside
2.
Condensation 03:14
Have I? Yeah I've lost my mind thoughts aren't right There must be some calm in the movements seen through a thick fog on the inside I see through the window I can't make out... Anybody...
3.
Detonator 02:56
Oh I don't have to say a word to you I don't have to do anything that I need to with you Oh I can't help it... Oh it's that charm Notated in each of your phrases I want to spend more time talking with you And it's the way that I hear all of my friends talking about you I want to spend more time around you But it's not fair... I get nervous... Oh it's not fair... Cause you don't notice at all
4.
Find it— and if you have the time to catch it it might find a home In it— spending all your spare time in it Might have to let go Lost it— and then you need to try again and catch it Hair flip it and go In it— spending all your spare time in it Might have to let go Lost it— and then you need to try again and catch it Hair Flip it and go Give this all some time Sometimes it's what drives your heart insane Maybe evaluate what's in plain sight Can you see it? Can you see anything with those eyes? if your interest tries to fly away— catch it Don't let it decide for you maybe ask if there is interest if you like-like them then you've got to make a show What else is there then when there is nothing (there is nothing) You might be unsure if there's anything at all But you won't know until you do something about it |:(Did you find it?):|
5.
Sift 01:57
Take a breath from the inside Sift on the back porch look at the stars, wonder what they are Yeah what they are... No one is going to join you in the way that you would like it to be Think about the time Why did I come here What is this place that I feel so inclined to be a part of? I want what I want to happen here, why stay? Pause to the stars wonder what they are Watch— wait for an answer I want to know I want to feel whatever it is everyone else here is feeling Listening to that hum that comes behind me Yeah feel it Yeah feel it What do I feel? What do I feel? What do I feel? What do I feel?!
6.
Maybe 01:41 video
Who knows what i could ask for (nothing at all) Who knows what I am for (you and everyone) I don't know what to do (is what you want and) Who knows what you could see it for (anything at all) I don't know what to feel for (everyone you know) Who knows what it is really for (expect maybe nothing)
7.
I'm waiting for you. I'm waiting for you. I'm waiting for you. I'm waiting for you. I'm waiting for you. I'm waiting for you. Oh baby, don't get up to close with what you know Save it, save it for who you look after Or who you want to look after Oh baby, I'm falling while following a path I'm not sure if you know what's going on I'm not sure that I'll make out of where I ought to Oh closer. Oh closer to the bottom of this disaster If I try to get back up at least I did something good It's coming for me. It's coming for me. It's coming for me. It's coming for me. "Like for sure" is the answer that you are calling In a voice that sounds unfamiliar As I'm dragged by your arm into the party room looking for you Looking for you. I'm looking for you. I'm looking for you. looking for you. There's a desire that you will escape without knowing it And if it was phrased in that way you'd probably slap yourself in the face I'm looking for you. looking for you. I'm looking for you. I'm looking for you. I'm looking for you. I'm looking for you. Looking for you. I'm looking for you.
8.
Hey Katie, How have things been? How's life in Chicago? The snow didn't fall this year and my eyes, they hurt from the sun. (from the sun) Oh, I fear (yes I fear) That I may fall in love with another person. (another person) Not as full of charm or character as you. You're light; your smile; there's nothing else more pure than what's in my tone. Oh. I'm sure of it I'm sure of it I'm the most sure of it The most sure. The most sure. The most sure...
9.
Ready Made 02:51
It's that sound rattling inside of your ears it's that sound of everything at once There are disparate forms of excitement Oh could there be more? When everything you want is here already! It's that sentiment circulating through everyone That anxious, that longing desire There is every kind of stimuli Who could ask for more? When everything you want is here already made for you
10.
Don't Party 03:04
My heart is anchored to a point of view I don't think it's necessary to display a set of novelties to augment expression I have a lot to say but I'd rather listen to you It's just that it's so... Oh, hard to understand with all this silence between us Could we parse it out? Could we talk it out? Could we speak clearly? I wanna know what this is really all about Because I know what I'm doing here I came to this place to get dirty ripping up your carpet Not to be sick around your empty drama As a fill-in for what's not going on But I might as well make an appearance count Could we parse it out? Could we talk it out? Could we speak freely? It always seems that it's too late to say what's on my mind But whatever it is won't have an impact Because you think you're so "cool"
11.
Monitor 02:21
12.
Memories 02:53

about

Have you ever gone out and asked yourself, “What am I doing here?”

What about “Am I dancing because it’s what someone wants me to do, or because I want to dance?” or “Am I trapped in a trying, crappy limbo in which I fail to connect with other people? Is this where I truly want to be?”

Don’t Party, the debut album from Slashed Tires, is the sound of these questions being asked and dissected in real-time. It is a collection of twelve songs exploring one’s inner monologue, the ups and downs of friendships, and the unfulfilled promise of a night out.

Using deconstructed funk, pounding drum machines, and New Wave and No Wave horns alike, Kenneth M. Piekarski dives deep into the unease and anxiety of social interactions, community drama, and paranoia. Inspired by iconoclasts like Arthur Russell, Sade, and Prince, Kenneth has turned the party soundtrack inside-out to capture the moods and feelings bubbling underneath any given party – anticipation, elation, and the inevitable, bleary-eyed cleanup, whether it’s you or the sun that’s just coming up.

It wasn’t easy to get here. As Kenneth discovered the American underground, made friends in touring bands, and became part of music communities across Washington state, they created Slashed Tires as an outlet for these songs, both solo and with a number of ensembles and backing bands. Built on guitar, trombone, and programmed percussion, their sets had the power to quickly convey their singular voice, and took shape over several years in show spaces all over the United States.

In fact, Kenneth crafted the first version of Don't Party at The Unknown, a deconsecrated church in Anacortes, in 2011. However, after returning home to Seattle after the studio sessions, close friends said the record sounded unfinished. Over the next several years, they kept thinking about how to complete the work, but throwing parties for friends and hosting bands from all over the world at their own show space, Heartland, temporarily brought work on the record to a halt.

In the years to come, Kenneth left Seattle, then returned to build and renovate Weird Signals, their recording studio. As they removed the smell of a thousand stale cigarettes smoked indoors during punk shows in what is now its live room, they also reworked, rebuilt, and rethought these songs, turning them into a document of personal growth and new memories.

A collection of extraordinary players - Keyboardist Aaron Otheim, bassist Luke Bergman, and vocalists Lolli Morlock, Katie Jacobson, and Caitlin Roberts - expanded the songs’ worldview and perspective, turning innermost thoughts into a conversation and transforming Don’t Party into something truly rare: a danceable record about the discomfort of dancing alone in a city where no one dances.

With a new layer of fidelity, harder-hitting instrumentation, and other voices to pull Kenneth out of their figurative and into their literal funk, they’re ready to share the definitive version of their musical world.

This is clear from the moment Kenneth’s trombone announces itself on album opener “Problems,” a song about the things that haven’t been working and all the things that get in the way of making music. On “Detonator,” they sing of how no one cares if you don’t go out.

Across the ensuing suite of grooves and synth workouts, they find themselves struggling to navigate confounding situations. When Kenneth says “I can be really self-deprecating,” they’re not lying. On “Maybe,” a field recording gives way to a dialogue about the fact that none of us are owed anything, and on “Prospective Decline,” they try to make sense of flirting with someone – and how easy it is to get wrapped up in expectations and social cues as the world continues to move around them.

On the title track, Kenneth examines the dreaded feeling of not being friends with someone anymore and having to inevitably see them in social situations. “Can we talk it out?” they ask. “Can we speak clearly?” The answer isn’t always yes, but Kenneth has found a new – and utterly unique – way to move forward, alone and together.

-Andrew Hall

credits

released January 17, 2020

Don't Party
An album by Slashed Tires

ACCREDITATION
Slashed Tires is Kenneth M. Piekarski

All songs written, performed, engineered, produced, and prolonged by Kenneth M. Piekarski with exceptions.

Recorded by: Kenneth M. Piekarski and Nicholas Wilbur
Recorded at: Pet Seminary (2010, song: “Memories”), Funny Button (2011–2012), Weird Signals (2016), Heartland (2012–2013), Off Tempo (2011–2016, at various business locations), Anacortes Unknown (2011–2016)
Mixed by: Nicholas Wilbur at the Anacortes Unknown
Mastered by: Nicholas Wilbur at the Anacortes Unknown
Vinyl mastering by: JJ Golden at Golden Mastering
Featured synthesizers: Prophet-6, Moog Sub 37, Roland JX-3P
Featured drum machines: Yamaha RX5, Oberheim drum machine, Roland TR-505

Cover photo: Clyde Petersen
Cover photo stylist: Andrea Zollo
Back cover photo: Jody Poorwill
Biography: Andrew Hall
Copyediting: Leah Wohl-Pollack
Layout and design: Jenica Cruz
Jacket and insert printing by: Stoughton Printing Co.
Vinyl pressing by: United Record Pressing
Thank you: Everyone who is credited on this release, along with Malia Alexander, Thor Andersen, Paul A. Benson, Karl Blau, Julie Byrne, Dylan Carlson, Beshéle Caron, Nikki Caron, Jason Clackley, Catherine Cougan, Adrienne Davis, Ange Duval, Kevin Erickson, Allyson Foster, Cora Glass, Jared Harkness, Bridget R. Hyland, Amber Kelly, Garrett Kelly, Ukiah Kelly, LAKE, Tim Leingang, Daniel Loan, Olivia Meek, Alexander Miranda, Evie Opp, Joanie L. Piekarski, Kathryn M. Piekarski, Nick Rennis, José Gabriel Díaz Rohena, Benji Rouse, Jacob Severn, Rebecca Severn, Michelle Shofet, Geoff Traeger, Shelby Turner, and Dean Whitmore, all of my friends in the United States, Canada, and everywhere else.

Special thank you: Clyde Petersen for their best friendship, continuous support, and personal and professional management abilities.

PROBLEMS
Aaron Otheim: synthesizer chord suggestion
Kenneth M. Piekarski: voice, trombone, synthesizer, electric guitar

CONDENSATION
Jacob Jaffe: vibraphone
Aaron Otheim: piano
Kenneth M. Piekarski: voice, guitar

DETONATOR
Zach Burba: drum kit
Kenneth M. Piekarski: voice, guitar, electric bass

HAIR FLIP
Luke Bergman: electric bass
Luuk Honey: claps
Bridget R. Hyland: claps
Shannon Kerrigan: claps
Kenneth M. Piekarski: voice, guitar, drum machine
Hannah Stephens: claps
Nicholas Wilbur: engineering for claps

SIFT
Aaron Otheim: co-producer, synthesizer arrangement and performance, congas
Kenneth M. Piekarski: voice, electric guitar, electric bass
Nicholas Wilbur: engineering for electric guitar

MAYBE
Kenneth M. Piekarski: voice, synthesizer, drum machine, Pet Seminary field recording
Caitlin Payne Roberts: vocal accompaniment

PROSPECTIVE DECLINE
Luke Bergman: electric bass
Aaron Otheim: bass synthesizer modulation and performance
Kenneth M. Piekarski: voice, guitar, synthesizer outro solo

LOST DISTANCE
Katie Jacobson: backup vocals
Lolli Morlock: backup vocals
Aaron Otheim: co-producer, synthesizer arrangement and performance
Kenneth M. Piekarski: engineering, voice, electric guitar
Nicholas Wilbur: engineering for claves

READY MADE
Kenneth M. Piekarski: voice, guitar, electric bass, drum machine, trombone

DON’T PARTY
Luke Bergman: electric bass
Kenneth M. Piekarski: voice, guitar
Nicholas Wilbur: engineering for drum kit and drum machine high hat, drum kit

MONITOR
Jake Jones: drum kit
Gabi Page-Fort: saxophone
Kenneth M. Piekarski: voice, guitar, electric bass

MEMORIES
Kenneth M. Piekarski: guitar, organ, drum machine, güiro

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Slashed Tires New York, New York

Slashed Tires is a former Seattle local who makes good multitimbral music.

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