The Beasts of History, by Michael James Tapscott

The Beasts of History

by Michael James Tapscott

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Cassette + Digital Album
Limited edition cassette tape released by Royal Oakie Records. High quality professionally dubbed cassette tapes featuring FerroMaster C456 Super Ferric tape. Features full color J-Card with original artwork by Michael James Tapscott and Andrew Kenower.

Includes unlimited streaming of The Beasts of History via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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1.	Reno News (Intro) 00:27	info	buy track
2.	Cheap Hotel 03:06	info	buy track
3.	The Hills of Montreal 02:49	info	buy track
4.	Bobby's Army Jacket 02:57	info	buy track
5.	Roll, Little Sparrow 03:47	info	buy track
6.	The Lonely Evergreen 03:39	info	buy track
7.	Bobby's Reprise 02:07	info	buy track
8.	Los Peñasquitos Falls 03:27	info	buy track
9.	When Lisa Got Pregnant 03:49	info	buy track
10.	Her Mysterious Past 03:31	info	buy track
11.	Leopard Print Coat 03:37	info	buy track

about

“The Beasts of History” is the new album from Michael James Tapscott, a San Francisco Bay Area based musician, who since 2004 has recorded and performed as a member of Odawas, China, More Animals of the Arctic, Pacific Walker, and now under his own name. “The Beasts of History” is his full length debut for Royal Oakie Records, after releasing the “Michael, the Worst” EP in December 2022.

Nearly four years in the making, the album pulls from disparate strands of American ephemera to create a uniquely captivating collection of songs that pairs Michael’s vivid songwriting with country-rock guitars, ambient synths, field recordings, four-track cassette vignettes, lonesome piano balladry, and fretless bass solos. The eleven songs play out like Sam Shepherd’s one act plays, full of doomed anti-heroes and beautiful losers.

Produced by David Glasebrook, the album features contributions from a wide ranging cast of characters, including members of Gospelbeach, Howlin' Rain, Sugar Candy Mountain, Papercuts, Elephant Micah, Tarnation, Odawas, Yea-Ming and the Rumours, and more. From the opening moments of sound collage “Reno News (Intro)”, to the cinematic noir of “Cheap Hotel”, to the psychedelic swirl of closer “Leopard Print Coat”, the album’s eleven tracks constitute a montage of outsider americana. The call to mind the small town dramas of Bobbie Gentry, the golden age pop of The Beach Boys, the lonely jangle of The Beau Brummels’ “Bradley’s Barn”, the echoing melodies of Lee Hazlewood, and the experimental ethos of ambient folk.

Michael James Tapscott has said that what sets him apart is the living document that trails behind him, a catalog of varied personas and rotating collaborators. Never has that been more apparent than on “The Beasts of History”, where Tapscott’s storytelling combines with the unique contributions of his collaborators to become something much more than the sum of its parts.

credits

released May 5, 2023

Produced by David Glasebrook
Engineering by David Glasebrook, Jeff Moller, and Jason Soda
Additional engineering: Jason Cirimele, Raphi Gottesman, Michael James Tapscott
Recorded at Palomino Sound - Los Angeles, CA and Wyldwood Recording - Berkeley, CA
Additional recording in Oakland, CA; Nashville, TN; Portland, OR; New York, NY
Mixed by David Glasebrook
Mastered by Bob Drake
Additional mastering by David Glasebrook
Words and music by Michael James Tapscott © 2023 La Musica Del Yeti (ASCAP)
Artwork by Andrew Kenower and Michael James Tapscott
Design and layout by Aaron Hubbard

© & ℗ 2023 Royal Oakie Records LLC

“Reno News (Intro)”

Michael James Tapscott - Found sounds
Jeff Moller - Field recordings

“Cheap Hotel”

Michael James Tapscott - Acoustic guitar, Vocals
Jacob Aranda - Pedal steel
David Glasebrook - Acoustic guitar, backing vocals, pump organ, string arrangement
Raphi Gottesman - Drums
Patrick Main - Piano
Jeff Moller - Bass, backing vocals, electric piano, slide guitar, tambourine
Kyle Skelton - Backing vocals

“The Hills of Montreal”

Michael James Tapscott - Acoustic guitar, harmonica, vocals
Jacob Aranda - Pedal steel, backing vocals
David Glasebrook - Backing vocals
Raphi Gottesman - Drums, backing vocals
Jeff Moller - Acoustic guitar, bass, backing vocals, electric guitar, farfisa organ, slide guitar, tambourine

“Bobby's Army Jacket”

Michael James Tapscott - Acoustic guitar, bass, hand claps, keyboards, vocals
Isaac Edwards - Editing
Raphi Gottesman - Drums

“Roll, Little Sparrow”

Michael James Tapscott - Acoustic guitar, piano, synthesizers, vocals
Julie LaMendola - Singing saw

“The Lonely Evergreen”

Michael James Tapscott - Acoustic guitar, vocals
Jacob Aranda - Pedal steel
David Glasebrook - String arrangement, backing vocals
Raphi Gottesman - Drums, backing vocals
Julie LaMendola - Backing vocals
Patrick Main - Piano
Jeff Moller - Bass, backing vocals
Joseph O'Connell - Synthesizer, backing vocals, spoken word vocals
Jason Soda - Electric guitar, slide guitar

“Bobby's Reprise”

Michael James Tapscott - Acoustic guitar
David Glasebrook - Acoustic guitar, synthesizer
Josh Housh - Fretless bass

“Los Penasquitos Falls”

Michael James Tapscott - Acoustic guitar, vocals
Raphi Gottesman - Drums
Jeff Moller - Bass, acoustic guitar, backing vocals, electric guitar, 12-string guitar, hand claps, hammond organ, piano, tambourine

“When Lisa Got Pregnant”

Michael James Tapscott - Acoustic guitar, vocals
Jacob Aranda - Pedal steel
Yea-Ming Chen - Marimba
David Glasebrook - Bass VI, backing vocals
Raphi Gottesman - Drums, backing vocals
Patrick Main - Piano
Jeff Moller - Bass, acoustic guitar, backing vocals, hammond organ, slide guitar

“Her Mysterious Past”

Michael James Tapscott - Acoustic guitar, vocals
Jacob Aranda - Mandolin, pedal steel
David Glasebrook - Accordion, backing vocals
Raphi Gottesman - Drums
Patrick Main - Piano
Jeff Moller - Bass, backing vocals, electric guitar, mellotron, tambourine

“Leopard Print Coat”

Michael James Tapscott - Acoustic guitar, glockenspiel, vocals
Isaac Edwards - Reed Organ
David Glasebrook - Bass VI, backing vocals, clarinet, electric guitar, french horn, glockenspiel, timpani
Raphi Gottesman - Drums
Jeff Moller - Bass, backing vocals, mellotron, piano, tambourine

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about

Michael James Tapscott El Cerrito, California

Michael James Tapscott is an Bay Area-based musician and songwriter. Since 2004 he has been recording and performing under the names Odawas; More Animals of the Arctic; Royal Geography Society; China the band; Pacific Walker and his own name.

michaeljamestapscott.com

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