I Was Real 75 Dollar Bill

• 1 Every Last Coffee or Tea 11:01
• 2 C. or T. - Verso 03:04
• 3 Tetuzi Akiyama 03:58
• 4 I Was Real 16:55
• 5 WZN3 - Verso 06:08
• 6 I.New New II.The Worm III.Like Laundry 09:45
• 7 There's No Such Thing as a King Bee 05:20
• 8 WZN4 04:06
• 9 WZN3 08:24
• Total Runtime 01:08:41

Info for I Was Real

The NYC based duo of Rick Brown and Che Chen, creates hypnotic, pulsing music that weaves an ecstatic line from raw electric blues, Arabic modes and entrancing folk minimalism back to the streets of New York.

Instrumentation expanded, palette widened and canvas doubled. The third album from these acclaimed NYC mainstays adds concise rockers, fuller orchestrations and mysterious textures to the band’s long, odd/deep grooves and microtonal tunings.

Having emerged as a vibrant musical force with their previous effort WMMPRR (tak:til/Thin Wrist), 75 Dollar Bill have spent the last few years bringing their music to new places and people, delivering what NYC locals have known for years, with their dedication to performance in venues of all shapes and sizes. The fruits of this work can be heard here on their expansive new double LP I Was Real. The album, its title’s origin a jumbled misremembering of the lesser-known Motown song “He Was Really Saying Something”, is 75 Dollar Bill’s third, featuring new directions accompanying the band’s previously established interest in sprawling, unusual grooves and microtonal melodies. The record is enhanced by the presence of eight additional players in various combinations over its nine tracks – but also shows off the duo’s strength when stripped down to the core. Requiring a variety of approaches, the album was recorded over a four-year period, in four different studios, with the band’s closest associates and collaborators in a range of different ensemble configurations. The album also features several “studio as instrument” constructions that harken back to the collage-experiments of the band’s early cassette tapes, while at the same time pointing to territories altogether new. The players involved highlight the “social” aspect of the band and the eight guests that appear on the record are some of the band’s closest friends and collaborators. While Che Chen and Rick Brown are always at the core of 75 Dollar Bill, the band is much like an extended family, changing shape for different music and different situations. Some pieces were conceived in the band’s very early days and others are much newer, but the music is unmistakably 75 Dollar Bill. As Steve Gunn said about the previous record: “Strings come in underneath Che Chen’s supreme guitar tone. Rick Brown’s trance percussion offers a guiding support with bass, strings, and horns supporting the melody. They have gathered all the moving parts perfectly.”

Rick Brown, plywood crate, hand and foot percussion, crude horns
Che Chen, 6 and 12-string and quarter-tone guitars, percussion
Sue Garner, guitar and bass guitar
Cheryl Kingan, alto and baritone saxophones
Andrew Lafkas, double bass
Karen Waltuch, viola
Jim Pugliese, percussion
Barry Weisblat, signal processing, casio sk-1
Steven Maing, quarter-tone guitar
Carey Balch, hi-hat

75 Dollar Bill
is one of the essential groups at the heart of NYC's underground. Centered on the telepathic union of Che Chen's microtonal electric guitar and Rick Brown's odd metered percussion their long-form sound is unmistakable and compelling. Their second album, 2016's Wood Metal Plastic Pattern Rhythm Rock (Thin Wrist), presented the essence of their sound with vivid clarity. Since then the group have travelled and performed extensively, bringing their music to a wider audience and performing everywhere from bustling sidewalks and intimate clubs to large concert halls and overseas festivals.

The countless miles and performances of the last few years have resulted in their expansive new double album I WAS REAL. Over four sides the group expands in bold new directions, embracing brilliant fuller orchestrations, joyous rockers and entrancing new textures. The record is enhanced by the presence of eight additional players over its nine tracks while also showing off the duo's strength when stripped down to its core. Requiring a variety of approaches, the album was recorded over a four year period, in four different studios in a range of different ensemble configurations. The album also features several “studio as instrument” constructions that harken back to the collage-experiments of the band’s early cassette tapes, while at the same time pointing to new territories altogether. The players involved highlight the “social” aspect of the band and the eight guests that appear on the record are some of the band’s closest friends and collaborators. While Che Chen and Rick Brown are always at the core of 75 Dollar Bill, the band is much like an extended family, changing shape for different music and different situations. Some pieces were conceived in the band's very early days and others are much newer, but the music is unmistakably 75 Dollar Bill. As Steve Gunn has written on their work: “Strings come in underneath Che Chen's supreme guitar tone. Rick Brown's trance percussion offers a guiding support with bass, strings, and horns supporting the melody. They have gathered all the moving parts perfectly.”

I WAS REAL is a monumental signature work capturing the group at the peak of their powers.

This album contains no booklet.