Sweet Chastity

1. Piano Song
2. Off-Stage Fright
3. G.I. Joe Song
4. Kiss & Tell
5. Silent Tea
6. Misery Cake
7. Racist
8. The News Today
9. Sweet Chastity
10. Bad Canary

All songs written by Dan Fishback, who totally owns the copyright.  Additional music in Track 9 by César Alvarez.  Produced and engineered by César Alvarez with Dan Fishback.  Additional engineering on Tracks 2, 8, and 10 by Matt Keesan.  Mixed and mastered at Olive Juice Studios by Major Matt Mason USA.  Recorded in César’s apartments in Brooklyn and the Bronx, Joe’s loft in Greenpoint, and Matt’s house in South Philly.  This album is “on” Luv-a-Lot Records, whatever that means. 

The Performers: Dan Fishback, César Alvarez, Kevin Kelly, Gregg Mervine, Dibson T. Hoffweiler, Yoko Kikuchi, Ann Zakaluk, Angela Carlucci, Crystal Madrilejos, Joe McCanta, Jim Saxa, Toby Goodshank, Justin Tranter and Marley.

DVD Commentary:

The original press copy for Sweet Chastity claims the album is: 'a frantic, schizophrenic exploration of virginity in a culture that commodifies the human body. From the twisted electro-pulse of the title track to the Carpenters-esque croon of "Kiss and Tell," Sweet Chastity blends at least a dozen musical genres into an anti-pop mission statement of bitter wit and seething optimism.'  I support this claim, still.

I had been "writing songs" since high school, but, back then, the only artists I ever listened to were Tori Amos, Ani Difranco and Björk, and so my sense of songcraft was rather lofty, formed, as it was, by a trio of musical virtuosos.  Figuring I could never actually learn to play an instrument, I imagined I was writing "trip-hop" music, and sat around, waiting for the right producer to come along to turn me into some kind of dorky Beth Gibbons.  It wasn't until college that I started listening to less ambitious music with limited chord structures, and I suddenly realized that this whole song-writing thing didn't HAVE to be so difficult.  I taught myself how to play "Rid of Me" by PJ Harvey on guitar.  It sounded like Raffi.  I knew I was on to something. 

Sweet Chastity, released in 2005, is a pretty good sampling of those early songs.  They're simple.  Direct.  Almost reactionary in their difference from the atmospheric, emotional music that I listened to in high school. 

This was meant to be a "concept album" - a collection of songs about not having sex.  But I soon realized they were, more abstractly, about fear in general - about reluctance, reticence, trepidation - you know, all those synonyms for "fear."

Oddly enough, the recording process was defined by a complete lack of fear.  If anything, I should have been MORE fearful.  César and I were trying to make everything sound so ambitious and so over-the-top that we (or, well, I) kinda lost sight of what was reasonable and possible and recordable.  I'd be like, "César, let's make this beat CRAZY," and he'd be like, "What are you even talking about?"  I'd be like, "This needs to sound like the worst Madonna song ever," and he'd be like, "Could you please go home now?" 

In short, no one should have let me make this album, but they did, and, if anything, the sheer preposterousness of the result is sorta hilarious.