updates

10|17|09

Sounds of vinyl and the past is released on Mind's Ear Records!

Back again! Where did the time go? It seems like only yesterday (3 freakin' years ago actually) we were updating this page! The vinyl project "Sounds of vinyl and the past" is finally going to see the light of day. The new release is brought to you this time by our friends at Mind's Ear Records. The band is still working with Chuck D and Slam Jamz, but Mind's Ear was kind enough to step in and help The Scallions realize this lifelong vinyl dream. The record is available in two versions. A standard issue and the premium lettered box set with bonus items. The box set will be limited to 26 copies…so don't delay. The standard edition vinyl is $19.99 and available at amazon.com and the limited edition premium lettered box set is $49.99. Please contact shawn@mindsearrecords.com for availability.

Here's the amazon.com Product Description:

Mike and Shawn Franklin, the avant-garde power-pop duo, The Scallions, are back with a follow up to their 2006 Slam Jamz release, Agony Through Ceremony. For this (presently vinyl and download only) release, entitled Sounds of Vinyl and the Past (on the Mind's Ear label), the band has combined new material with a number of tracks from their archives. The Scallions have been together for nearly 20 years and therefore have a wealth of unreleased material to choose from. The older tracks were remixed, reshaped, overdubbed and interspersed throughout the album. Sounds of Vinyl and the Past is an instrumental LP; a musical format reflected in the majority of their early work. And they're not just jumping on the trendy vinyl bandwagon either. This record has been in production for some time. It showcases more of the band's avant-garde/experimental side. But fans of Agony Through Ceremony do not despair - The Scallions have not abandoned their power-pop roots. Their future release, Kaleidoscope - currently in the works, will see the band returning to a more avant-garde power-pop sound. Sounds of Vinyl and the Past features guest appearances by Brian Jackson of Gil Scott-Heron fame, underground favorites Brian Poole of Renaldo and the Loaf and Nolan Cook from The Resident's touring band. This was such a thrill for The Scallions as they are big fans of and heavily influenced by The Residents and Renaldo and the Loaf. It has been mentioned in the past, but The Resident's Commercial Album is what initiated the start of The Scallions. Those influences can be heard on this record. The album, a very retro looking transparent green vinyl, comes in a beautiful gatefold sleeve. And to marry old media with the new, it also comes with a coupon to get a free digital download of the LP. *A limited number of shipments will include a copy of the Agony Through Ceremony CD.

It also features their father, Mike Franklin, Sr., contributing a track (Fusion) and playing along with the band. He got them started in music and heavily influenced their early listening habits. The band says that they enjoyed this experience, look forward to doing it again and are eternally grateful to the man that started it all for them.

Website to be continued.

Enjoy the record! We hope the next CD release (Kaleidoscope) doesn't take as long...but it probably will.

One last thing...Agony Through Ceremony is available for download from iTunes (download the latest software), at Rhapsody.com, amazon.com, and myspace.com.

08|22|06

Agony Through Ceremony is released worldwide on Slam Jamz!

01|12|06

Hello All. It’s been a long time since we officially updated the website. Updates were sent to members on our mailing list but the site has been on the backburner. Well, things are finally getting done. Our long awaited album Agony Through Ceremony is finally coming out. It is scheduled to be released in May 2006 on Chuck D’s Slam Jamz label. It will be a CD and a DVD in one package. Since the last update many things have happened. So let’s recap what has gone down…

A) We both bought houses and during this time we moved the entire studio to Mike’s house.
B) We played a show in Brooklyn as special guests of the now official Public Enemy comic book artist’ Illus. The Impossebulls were there as well.
C) Speaking of The Impossebulls, I played a solo on their Slave Education record. Also their leader David “C-Doc” Snyder directed and shot some videos for our DVD. We will be doing more with David in the future.
D) We were asked to be part of another Residents’ tribute record. This one was really special. Chris “Goatboy” Combs put this package together and he actually presented it to Hardy Fox. Hardy is part of their exclusive management. The band listened to it that night on their tour bus.
E) We released a single called “One Small Mourning.”
F) We had Brian Poole of the infamous band Renaldo and the Loaf help us with some spots on our new record. We used him for a single we put out as well. He also remixed our song “Gladys.”
G) Molly Harvey sang on our record. She is a working member of The Residents.
H) A Scallion's related single, The Human Ant, was released.
I) A hour long Scallion's radio special (produced in England) aired.
J) We were approached to do a track for the upcoming Public Enemy comic book/CD project.

So there you have it. Gee, I wish we could do this full-time. Look for Agony Through Ceremony in May of 2006.

Shawn Franklin
01/12/2006

10|27|02

Here's some pictures from the Public Enemy dates.

9|9|02

The Scallions are currently rehearsing and readying a single for their upcoming shows with Public Enemy. The performing lineup has changed slightly.

Mike Franklin - Vocals and Drums
Shawn Franklin - Guitar
Rob Sarno- Acoustic Guitar, Keyboards, and Backing Vocals
...and a bass player

The band will be performing mini-sets on the Public Enemy tour on the following dates:

Palladium - Worcester, MA. 9|21|02
Lupos - Providence, RI. 9|22|02
Pearl Street - Northampton, MA. 9|23|02

7|21|02

Happy Birthday Shawn!

7|9|02

It's been some time, but...where to start?

The site needed a face-lift, so it's been tweaked here and there. It's not quite finished yet, but it's a start. The band hopes to eventually bring some sound samples to the page, etc. There's also a new guestbook on the site if anyone would like to say hello. The Scallions would like to thank their good friend, Pat Bukowski, for the photos he shot for the page.

The band signed a 3 year deal with Slam Jamz and now have 4 songs featured on the web page. The label specializes in releasing new songs every month in an MP3 format with artwork that can be downloaded. An amazing graphic artist, Mike "mGee" Gregoir, is doing all the artwork for the group. Slam Jamz just signed a off line distribution deal with Koch Entertainment (the world's largest independent label) and there is going to be Slam Jamz compilation CD's coming soon.

In June 2002, Chuck asked Shawn to go to a Public Enemy video shoot. Shawn says that the event was magic. He was able to hang out with the band and the Slam Jamz staff. That same day, Chuck introduced Shawn to Mitch Rosenberg, a video director. Mitch is going to direct a video for The Scallions. Two days later Chuck asked The Scallions to open some shows for Public Enemy on their "Revolverlution 2002 world tour." Mike and Shawn quickly assembled a band and are currently rehearsing.

The performing version of The Scallions is as follows:

Mike Franklin - Vocals and Drums
Shawn Franklin - Guitar
Rob Sarno- Acoustic Guitar and Backing Vocals
Markus Centola - Keyboards
...and a bass player

miscellaneous bits...

The 2 single, backed with Bed of Nails-10 Year Mix, is scheduled for an October release to coincide with the Public Enemy dates.

"Agony…", now an EP, is almost complete. (The shows are the main focus for the band right now.)

When the video is completed, it will be available on Slam Jamz and/or this site.

Until next time...So long kids!

6|9|01

Shawn brought a nice instrumental to the studio recently. This number required only a couple of sessions. It started off as a very simple piece using only a nylon acoustic and electric guitar, but as the session progressed, so did the track. Bass guitar and various bits of percussion were added for the finishing touches. It's still too early to say for sure, but at this point the song looks like it will be a part of the new album's track lineup. This song does not have a title yet.

In other Scallions news, the band may be appearing on another compilation. Two tracks will most likely be used. Gladys (from Mud Pie: EMG EMGCCD104 and MP3.com 68545) is a definite choice for one of the tracks (the label requested the song). More information will be available as this project develops. Stay tuned...

5|26|01

Shawn has been very busy promoting the band as of late. He contacted Vinnie Coulman, the webmaster for The U.K. Residents page entitled "Who Are The Moles?". Shawn told Vinnie about The Scallions and offered to send him some of their music. We'll let Vinnie take it from here. Here's a quote from the Moles' web page.

"Hear a tape of our 'Mud Pie' album said they. Sure, if we must.. but blimey! Shock horror! It's great!! You can get this gem at Tom Timony's Esoteric site (a sure sign of quality!) But hey, no need to leap straight in. Check out the Scallion's website and follow the "music" link straight to their MP3.com page and hear the wonder for yourself. Unusual haunting melodies, fine production, utterly varied. A bit of everything from The Residents to psych to XTC/early Eno warped pop/rock. Very interesting indeed and definitely worth a listen.. we wish them all the luck in the world with it!"

In the meantime, Vinnie also sent the band a very nice e-mail.

"Dear Mr Scallion,

I got it! Ok, I said I'd listen to your tape and give you a review/plug on the Moles site and all that, but you have taken me by surprise.. I didn't think it would be that good and I didn't think that (even on first/second hearing) I would actually like the damn thing.. a lot! Talent!! What is usually missing on these sorts of things is interesting melodies/instrumentation - the tape had both in spades. And, hooray, it has variation! I hate it when you listen to a bunch of songs with the same style/pace and same bass there, guitar there production. I'm going to listen to it tonight and try and put some titles to songs (tricky on a long tape) and when I upgrade the site I'll put a hearty review/recommendation on there with links to your site and Tom's. My only criticism is that the tracks where you display a Residential influence don't fare as well as the ones where you've developed your own Scallion-style. I'll mail you when it's up, looking forward to another play!

warmest regards,
Vinnie"

Those were very kind words indeed! The band really appreciated what Vinnie had to say. Who is this Vinnie and his merry band of moles you ask? We'll pull another quote from their site and let them explain who they are in their own words.

"We are a group of dedicated European Residents fans who came together for the purpose of pooling our resources, and sharing amongst ourselves our diverse and varied opinions, analyses, facts, fables, and theories about The Residents."

If you're a fan of The Residents, the Mole site is the site for you. It's jam packed with everything Residents. There's a discussion group, news, reviews, interviews, band history, photo gallery, links, and an extensive list of every medium that The Residents have ever experimented with. They even offer Residents screensavers. There are also mentions of Snakefinger, Renaldo and The Loaf and a boat load of other goodies sprinkled throughout the site. The Cryptic Corporation's own Hardy Fox gives a well deserved four eyeballs! He says, "nice site". I think that says it all. Scroll back up to the "Who Are The Moles?" link and give them a try.

A local newspaper called The Valley Advocate is running their annual "Grand Band Slam" poll. This allows print and online readers to vote for their favorite local bands and artists. Here comes the Jimmy Swagert moment...So please, please, pulleeease...(Imagine tears streaming down my poor, pitiful, widdle face.)...if you have heard The Scallions music, like The Scallions music, hell if you enjoy eating scallions, go to the Valley Advocate's web page and vote for them. Look for the experimental/progressive category, click on "other" and type in "The Scallions". You will be asked to fill-in some additional (very short) info at the bottom of the page, click submit and you're done. The official voting period for the Valley Advocate Grand Band Slam 2001 has begun. You can vote until 5pm on Tuesday, May 30. Thank you brothers and sisters..Amen!

I'm sorry...I feel so dirty after that vulgar display..I'm going to take a shower. That is all.

Thanks to anyone who voted for us!!!! (6/9/01)

01|04|01

Mike and Shawn continued writing separately and in group sessions. Along the way, a limited edition sampler called Slices of Mud Pie (catalog #EMGpromo104) was put together. Only twenty copies of this cassette were made. It was handed out when the band and some friends went to see The Residents in Boston (You couldn't find a better target audience if you tried). The Residents are on tour promoting the release of their DVD, Icky Flix. The show was amazing...no surprise there. Way to go Molly!

Esoteric Music Group Record company president, Tom Timony, called Shawn in the meantime and offered the group the opportunity to put out a vinyl picture disc. This disc will be limited to sixty copies. The vinyl will be pressed in New Zealand by Peter King/Kings Records Worldwide. Peter has worked in the past with The Beastie Boys. The first side will contain a new song called 2, which will be the first single from the new album Agony Through Ceremony. The second side will be a complete remake of Bed Of Nails from Mud Pie.

The recording of 2 was well under way when Tom made the offer, but in order to make the deadline for the pressing, the band would have to do more than casual recording sessions. The group was really excited about the song and there was no doubt that it would be the A-side for this project. For these sessions, The Scallions brought in a local artist named Miyanna Neilsen to play saxophone. This marks the first time an outside musician was used for recording. Miyanna did a phenomenal job and really captured what the band was looking for. They hope to work with her again on some future sessions. Thanks again Miyanna!

Things were actually coming along and the band was ahead of schedule. The artwork was just about finished and the recording sessions were nearing completion. (You can see it coming can't you?) And then during one of the sessions...(pause for dramatic effect)...the new mixer went down. This is not quite Behind the Music bad, but it stopped everything. When it was returned to the studio, it had to be sent out again for another problem that it came back with. This took a month out the schedule. Now, the band really had to work overtime to make up for the lost days. The track was eventually finished and the band started work on flipside of the single.

The B-side, Bed Of Nails, dates back about ten years, so it will cleverly be dubbed Bed Of Nails-10 Year Mix. The entire song was bounced to the hard drive so that it could be manipulated, but when all was said and done only one original loop remained. This version will be available only on this pressing.

The CD master and artwork is now on the way to Tom for production. A release date will be published when it's available. Until next time...

12|01

The band is continuing to promote Mud Pie. Shawn, with the help of Rob Sarno ("Samo"), has converted all of the tracks from the album to MP3 files (Thanks Rob!). The mp3 page is under construction as well. Without much promotion at this point, some of the songs are actually charting. Once other things are taken care of, the promotions end of that site will be addressed. The band has started to demo new material for their next release. The new album will be titled, Agony Through Ceremony. The band is quite happy with the new material thus far. For the first time some outside musicians will be brought into the fold, just to mix things up a bit. There is no release date at this time.