The Moon Upstairs - R.I.P.

Hi Everyone,

The Moon Upstairs has officially called it quits. A second album is finished and will remain in the 'can' until further notice (if ever). We've made most of it available to listen to on our myspace page: Here. Sharif, Mark, and Josh have formed a new band called Exploding Flowers. Check it out HERE. The debut 3 song 3" ep is available from German Label Edition 59 Records. Get it HERE. Until we meet again!

New song by The Moon Upstairs featured in Penny-Ante Book #3 Cd Compilation and interview with Ian MacKaye

The Moon Upstairs have contributed a brand new song called "Drag On, Drag On" to the new Penny-Ante Book #3 Cd compilation. Other artists on the compilation include Billy Childish, Robert Pollard, Chris Knox, The Chills, Jad Fair, Growing, Arrington De Dionyso, Bettina Koster, Phil Elverum, Crock (ft. Sam Coomes of Quasi & Spencer Seim of Hella), I'ntl Shades, and many more. Sharif also does a phone interview with Ian MacKaye for this edition.

Penny-Ante Book #2 is still avaiable and features artwork by Aaron Ebensperger and lyrics by Sharif Dumani of the Moon Upstairs.

For more info or to purchase a book go to: Penny-Ante

Japan w/ Silver Apples

Sharif recently got a chance to go to Japan to do sound for the Silver Apples show in Tokyo. Here's a shot of him cruisin' the streets with Simeon (the Apple) and at the Japanese psych label/store P.S.F. (Modern Music).

Sharif Dumani records collaboration by Silver Apples & Kawabata Makoto

Sharif recently recorded a collaboration between Silver Apples and Kawabata Makoto of Acid Mothers Temple at his Traveling Palace Studios. Here's a pic of him with either a few too many or that unsettling feeling of smelling to much meat!
The album will be out soon on gifted children records.
For more info: Gifted Children

Mark Chalecki and his mastering spaceship

Here's our buddy Mark Chalecki caught riding on his mastering spaceship. We like him easing back on the cosmic compression and shifting it into natural gear.

Suki Ewers contributes vocals on Moon Upstairs song

Our good friend Suki Ewers (Opal, Mazzy Star) contributed vocals on a song of ours called "2001-2009 and Pending" about our last administration and the wreckage we now have to climb out of. We would like to thank Suki for her wonderful vocals and being a part of this song. Check out Suki's music and go buy her album "Kind of Hazy" out on Mind Expansion! For more info: Suki Ewers

...Some friends help out

Our friends Daphne Chen and Richard Dodd contributed violin, viola, and cello on two songs. Here they are tracking at Kling Studios. We are forever grateful to them for their lovely work.



Here's a shot of (L to R) Nick Murray (John Webster Johns, Rose for Bohdan, etc.), our own Aaron Ebensperger, Craig Waters (The BellRays, Cody Chesnutt, etc.), and our very own Josh Mancell recording handrums and shakers at the Traveling Palace. Is that sweat coming out of those handrums? Or just tears from how good it sounded!

Josh Mancell on the new Black Sunday single

Josh Mancell collaborates on the new Black Sunday single...aka Memphis Queen Alicja Trout (River City Tanlines, Lost Sounds, Mouserocket, the Clears, Destruction Unit, The Fitts, Nervous Patterns and Contaminated Records). The 7" will feature the songs "Can't Keep My Hands Off You" b/w "Lights" and will be released this summer on Red Lounge/Disordered records. Josh adds guitar, synths, timpani, and vibraphone on "Can't Keep My Hands Off You". For more info: Black Sunday

Sharif Dumani on new Spindrift Record

Sharif Dumani contributes wurlitzer electric piano on the song "Colt's Crime" from west coast's pyschedelic spaghetti westerners Spindrift's new album entitled "The West". For more info: www.spindriftwest.com

One step closer to your ears...Silver Apples on new Moon Upstairs song.

So we are getting closer to finishing the new album. Apologies for not updating you all with what's been going on in the Moon Upstairs' world. Schooling, jobs, and scheduling have had us working overtime. A lot of the tracking is done. We are very excited to announce that Simeon Coxe (Mr. Silver Apple himself) will be featured on the song Ungrateful Children from the forth coming album. He has contributed his vocals and oscillators to the track. It's mind melting!
We've got more on the way so keep checking in.

Next Album

The Moon Upstairs are going to start recording their second full length album "The Moon Upstairs' Exploding Flower". The album will feature 10 brand new songs.
Keep checking back for details.

Geraldpsyche Review: Guarding the Golden Apple

"...They don't belong there, but belong here, in this world, expressing poprock for the new generation, sophisticated with something of the old one."

-Geraldpsyche


Read the full review here

Dusted Review: Guarding The Golden Apple

Dusted Magazine
by Mason Jones
Los Angeles-based ensemble The Moon Upstairs represent the best that can come of reassembling diverse influences and crafting something new, yet recognizable. Listening to Guarding the Golden Apple can, for trainspotters, be an exercise in comparison, but those who don't suffer from those impulses will find 10 impeccably-crafted tunes that fall loosely into a classic-pop-rock category, with up-to-date trimmings.

Band founders Sharif Dumani and Aaron Ebensperger apparently spent some time playing with Cody Chesnutt before starting this group, with Dumani as the principal songwriter and all-around multi-instrumentalist. Joined by Josh Mancell on drums and percussion and Mark Sogomian on guitar, the album also features a number of guests and a small string section. The resulting lineup pulls in everything from lap steel and celesta to melodica, bowed bass, vibraphone and harpsichord.

In less-aware hands, this could end up sounding like a scattered mess, but The Moon Upstairs does a nice job of staying within the bounds of what each song calls for. The core of each is embellished just enough, but the song itself is never lost or buried by excessive orchestration. The opening track, "All is All," serves as a fine example: It opens with a crash of heavy drums, fuzzed-out guitar, and dense keyboards, but everything moves out of the way to let the vocals through. And melodious, melancholy vocals they are, buoyed by just enough harmonious accompaniment. The song isn't afraid to burst into rock at the right times, but it's always contained within a strong pop-psychedelic framework.

"People in the Trees" shows the pure pop side of the band, a bit of a Beatles throwback in a way, with a string section break in the middle that would make George Martin proud. Throughout, the songs bring a variety of influences to mind, but in each case it's more like a hint of recognition than of tribute. "We Can Get By In Time" is an old-school rocker reminiscent of both Neil Young and Lennon, while "My Love," with its lush instrumentation and laid-back crooning, brings to mind Mercury Rev. "Never Thought Twice" is a song that the Flaming Lips would like to have written. The title track starts as the most placid, and least substantial, song here, but when the drums and strings join in, the song takes on an ELO-worthy air that, to these ears, is most definitely a good thing.

Closing the album with the nearly-eight-minute "Sogomiac, the Moon Destroyer" is a risky maneuver, but it works. After an ominous, quiet opening rife with buzzings, gentle drumrolls and plinking strings that has early Pink Floyd all over it, at the four-minute mark the drums crash in with boiling guitar, and the song takes on a chugging stoner-rock vibe. After a well-coordinated halt, the last two minutes bring us back to earth with a gentle '60s-pop flavor, all strummed guitar, Leslie organ, and dreamy vocals.

The Moon Upstairs have pulled off a difficult feat, bringing together disparate, yet connected, styles and making something cohesive with their own individual stamp on it. If you give this album a bit of a chance, the songs will get under your skin and stay with you – and that's the best trick of all.

September Tour: The Moon Upstairs w/ Silver Apples

Taken from www.GiftedChildrenRecords.com

Gifted Children Records is proud to announce SILVER APPLES and THE MOON UPSTAIRS will be touring during September 2007 throughout the nation, hitting selective cities, both large and small DIY spaces. With their "interstellar drones and hums, pulsing rhythms and electronically generated melodies," the legendary 60's psyche band SILVER APPLES were performing such sounds long before like ideas were adopted in the work of acolytes ranging from Suicide to Spacemen 3 to Laika. This will be Silver Apples first tour since 1999, ninety percent of their set consisting of the first two classic records, "Silver Apples" and "Contact." "The songs never get old or overdone for me. I enjoy playing them and feedback tells me that audiences feel they are still fresh," says Simeon Coxe of the Silver Apples who made famous an instrument dubbed "The Simeon," a "nine audio oscillators and eighty-six manual manual controls...The lead and rhythm oscillators are played with the hands, elbows and knees and the bass oscillators are played with the feet." Between the two bands, fans will get a rare glimpse at the best musicians of psyche rock's past and present.



Says Coxe: "I'm totally looking forward to going out with THE MOON UPSTAIRS," who will be touring to promote their debut album, Guarding The Golden Apple and have been hailed as "the answer to today's current cookie-cutter bandwagon indie-rock." "Epic" "Beautiful" and "Timeless" are the words most used when describing this multi-instrumentalist five-piece from Los Angeles. Don Bolles of The Germs had this to say after seeing them live: "Seeing The Moon Upstairs perform live is what it would have been like watching The Beatles record the Abbey Road LP live, which perhaps could have happened, if they had all even been in the same room at the same time…" Although receiving praise for their unique take on psyche rock, Guarding the Golden Apple has received comparisons to Neil Young, Pink Floyd and George Harrison's All Things Must Pass. "We don't mind the comparisons. We're happy to be compared to records that stood the test of time," says Sharif Dumani, principal songwriter/singer and guitarist.

After Sharif Dumani and bassist, Aaron Ebensperger toured and collaborated with rock n roll soul man Cody ChestnuTT, who garnered attention as the new Arthur Lee (Love) for the neo-soul generation, the two made The Moon Upstairs their full-time project along with Josh Mancell, Mark Sogomian, and Dave Baine (ex-player in Good Time Women and Jonathan Wilson). After sitting on their album for two years, Phil McMullen took notice, passed it on to George Parsons of Dream Magazine, which led to a glowing review. Gifted Children Records picked up The Moon Upstairs in May of 2007, putting them alongside such established artists as Silver Apples and Women & Children. The Moon Upstairs first national tour, they feel honored to play with a living legend. "We're honored to be playing with Silver Apples. Looking forward to the trip," says Dumani.

On tour, Silver Apples will also be performing "I Don't Know," a new song which was released as a 7" split single on Gifted Children Records, which is now being repressed due to popular demand. Simeon Coxe shared this single with One Cut Kill, fronted by Adam Daedalus who is crowned Coxe's "protégé." One Cut Kill will be joining the Silver Apples in the southwest on the last leg of the tour as an opening act, these dates still in negotiation.

Current SILVER APPLES dates with THE MOON UPSTAIRS:

September 5 – EMO'S – AUSTIN, TEXAS
September 6 – PRINTER'S ALLEY - MEMPHIS, TN
September 7 – UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY – LEXINGTON, KY
September 8 – EMPTY BOTTLE – CHICAGO, IL
September 9 – MAGIC STICK – DETROIT, MI
September 10 – ROCK N ROLL HOTEL – WASHINGTON D.C.
September 11 – JOHNNY BRENDA'S – PHILADELPHIA, PA
September 12 – KNITTING FACTORY – NEW YORK CITY, NY
September 13 – SILENT BARN – BROOKLYN, NY
September 14 – CAFÉ BOURBON STREET – COLUMBUS, OH
September 18 – SOMEDAY LOUNGE – PORTLAND, OR
September 19 – DELTA OF VENUS – DAVIS, CA
September 20 – CAFÉ DU NORD – SAN FRANCISCO, CA
September 22 – SPACELAND – LOS ANGELES, CA

For more information, and an updated list of shows, please visit www.giftedchildrenrecords.com

The Moon Upstairs in LA Weekly

The Moon Upstairs are featured in this week's LA Weekly. Article and interview by Linda Immediato. Click here for the full feature.

The Moon Upstairs Listed (Dusted Magazine feature)

The Moon Upstairs' Sharif Dumani is featured in Dusted Magazine's Listed this week along with The Mekons' Sally Timms.

Read the feature here.

19 JUNE 2007: The Moon Upstairs on KXLU

The Moon Upstairs will be guests on KXLU's popular psychedelic radio show "She Comes In Colours", Monday June 25th , hosted by DJ's Dr. Frederick Phases and Minister Alvin X aka NOBODY (Plug Research/Rough Trade Records).

Past guests have included Sean Bonniwell of The Music Machine and Peter Daltry of Kaleidoscope. Tune in to hear Moon members spin their personal favorites, talk about their new album, and to hear tracks off "Guarding The Golden Apple."

If you're in the greater Los Angeles area you can tune in to 88.9FM from Midnight to 2:00am (June 25th)(PST). If you are outside of the area you can tune in to the show on www.kxlu.com.

09 JUNE 2007: The Moon Upstairs in Penny-Ante

The Moon Upstairs are featured in the new edition of Penny-Ante, "Book #2." Sharif Dumani contributed lyrics and an interview. Aaron Ebensperger contributed artwork.

Other contributors in the book include:
Bill Callahan (Smog), Sam Coomes (Quasi, Pink Mountain, Blues Goblins), Jana Hunter, Silver Apples, Camera Obscura, The Clientele, Jennifer Herrema (Royal Trux, RTX), Alice Bag (The Bags), Lene Lovich, Ariel Pink, Slim Moon (founder of Kill Rock Stars), Phil McMullen (Ptolemaic Terrascope), Feathers, Gris Gris, Tex Kerschen (Indian Jewelry), Sharron Kraus, Lavender Diamond, Human Television, and many more.

To purchase a copy of this book: www.Penny-Ante.net

05 JUNE 2007: The Moon Upstairs on Pitchfork

An Mp3 of "People in the Trees," the second track off of the upcoming debut album, "Guarding the Golden Apple" was featured today on Pitchfork Media in association with Gifted Children Records.

Click HERE for the full article with links.

22 MAY 2007: Album Released Date Scheduled

The highly anticipated full length album from The Moon Upstairs, "Guarding the Golden Apple" is scheduled for release June 26, 2007 on Gifted Children Records (U.S.). There will be both CD and double gatefold vinyl versions available for sale. The vinyl version features bonus track, "Dark Days."

For more details and go to www.GiftedChildrenRecords.com