High Places

2011-12-17T18:58:00.000-08:00

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Our friend Keith Musil directed this video for our song Sonora. Pretty sure that can of spinach was about 50 years old. No wonder it made my forearm swell up!

2011-10-27T00:18:00.000-07:00

2011-10-20T15:56:00.000-07:00

West coast tour with David Scott Stone kicks off tomorrow in Oakland!! Check out the song we made with Dave!
And download it for free here: http://soundcloud.com/high-places/high-places-david-scott-stone

Fri Oct 21 Oakland, CA - Liminal Space w/Hondo, Julie Mazawa
Sun Oct 23 Portland, OR - Holocene w/Purple & Green
Tue Oct 25 Seattle, WA - Healthy Times Fun Club w/Crystal Hell Pool, Tropical Lawsuit
Thurs Oct 27 San Francisco, CA - Submission w/Psychic Handbook, Bobby Browser

2011-10-16T12:30:00.000-07:00

YEAR OFF

The brackish water is swirling around in a basin I left in the yard
A widdershins spiral of miry mud slowly devours the garden
The earth opens up
Tugs on my feet
And I settle down into the soil
I cover my eyes
Tilt back my head and I'm back on the shores of the Indian Ocean

Back on the shores of the sea again
Waters of brilliant blue
Back at the heart of my dreams again
Back in the land of you

I hear you calling
You're calling after me
The years are falling
They are falling off of me

I'm going back
Back to the first day
I'm headed back
Back to the first day the start of it all

I heard you calling
You were calling after me
The years were falling
They were falling at your feet
I heard you calling
You were calling my name screaming my name
The years were falling, falling

So I'm going back
Back to the first place
I am headed back
Back to the place where I first felt the change

The brackish water is swirling around in a basin I left in the yard.

THE PULL

I would give it to you
Wrap it up nice and tight for you
In my heart it would be the right thing for me to do

What can I do for you
What could I make to give to you
Deep in my heart I know there's nothing I wouldn't do

How could I be drawn to you
Drawn to the types of things you do
But in my heart it was the right thing for me to do

It was all a surprise
I never saw it coming
I tend to grab ahold of the reins
But this time I was running
Straight toward you
Toward the pull of you
And I wanted to give you things
And do nice things for you.

MORNING RITUAL

I awoke to waves of dread
The words resounding in my head
Oh my god it can't be
What a price for happy hours
We used to run from anything we didn't need
And now it seems we're great big cowards
I killed the flowers you grew for me.

BANKSIA

Banksia and baobab tree
Bright blue water encircles my feet
And I'm drifting away
I get high on the dangerous things
Jumping off astronomical peaks
And then drifting away
Speeding down all the busiest streets
Making friends with the criminal freaks
Before drifting away from the plans that were made
Just try to keep me in one place

Banksia and baobab tree
Bright blue water encircles my feet
And I'm drifting away
I get high on the obvious things
Shiny baubles and spurious rings
Tend to pull me away
From the mess I have made
Swimming out past the buoys and docks
Headed straight for the menacing locks
I am floating away
With the tides and the waves
I am drifting away.

DRY LAKE

All those days in the backwoods
Always out in the cold
Never have you felt it get like this
All those days in the backwoods
Always out in the cold
Never even half as cold as this

The wind came up
The stars came out
An icy skin upon the lake
The snow fell down
Upon the ice
The lake just slowly drained away

And a dry lake is formed underground
Crystalline frost for a crown
How long will I walk down here
In this cave of frozen mirrors

How long will I walk down here
Will the way be crystal clear
Will I see the sun appear
In this cave of frozen mirrors?

SONORA

Now the rain stops falling
As the sun appears
Lakes will stop their flooding
Clouds choke back the tears

Now I see the desert anew
Skies form a ceiling of blue
I could stay here
I could stay a moment with you
We could find a home with a view of distant mountains
Cactus plants sustained by the dew
Oh I could disappear
I could make a life here with you

Balmy days
Dusty roads
Not a tree for shade
Never rains
Never snows
Every day the same.

SOPHIA

Sophia, wisdom of god
Tower of phenomenal heights
'Though we were born of the mud
Lead us through the darkest of nights

Lowly lotus in a bed of mud
You saw the things we could become

I know facts and now I want to feel them
Studied maps until I could almost hear them
Come in, Sophia.

TWENTY-SEVEN

And then it all comes 'round
The circle's slowing down
And everything you need
Is provided by just one thing

Progress has a different meaning now
The changes have a different weight
Seasons are growing shorter now
Years pass at a different gait.

ALTOS LUGARES

On the way down
You saw the distant bay
The water was lifting from the sea
The fog a growing wave

And all the little cars driving around
The highways like a maze
It's hard to see what all the rush is for
When the view stretches for days

This could only happen in the wee hours
On a mountaintop
With no one else around
Just you there
And the mountain air
And the memory of a night

When you ran through the streets
Of an unknown town
You could not feel your feet
Like you were floating around.

2011-10-14T16:06:00.000-07:00

2011-10-11T19:09:00.000-07:00

Original Colors is out now on Thrill Jockey!

2011-09-10T09:03:00.000-07:00

Rob and I shot this video at dawn in Spahn Ranch, the one-time home base for Charles Manson and the Family. There were old rusty signs with bullet holes in them, and at one point, Rob almost stepped on a rattlesnake. The song is "Altos Lugares" off our upcoming LP Original Colors.

2011-08-23T08:41:00.000-07:00

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2011-08-04T18:29:00.000-07:00

Download Year Off from our third LP Original Colors out on Thrill Jockey in October.

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USA.

2010-03-29T02:34:00.002-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ROBBIE!!

2010-03-23T11:32:00.001-07:00

MEXICO.

2010-03-17T12:12:00.001-07:00

2010-03-05T15:11:00.001-08:00

FREE DOWNLOAD of our new track Can't Feel Nothing.

2010-02-27T17:18:00.001-08:00

Chile, we love you.

2010-02-27T12:46:00.001-08:00

Hang in there.

VENUS IN FURS the summer wasting

2010-02-25T11:15:00.004-08:00

This dvd came to my door with this really great video spot (with a HP soundtrack!) made for the amazingly talented (and young!) French designer Venus In Furs! And a really rad hand-done shirt was in the package as well! Thanks guys!
Read about the "French Teenage Takeover" in Dazed.

VENUS IN FURS the summer wasting from Irwin Barbé on Vimeo.

venusinfurshaters.blogspot.com

Bon Scott

2010-02-19T14:33:00.002-08:00

30 years ago, today. One of my favorite front people. I can't listen to post-Bon AC-DC.

2010-02-14T09:04:00.001-08:00

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Remember this?
I decided to make another.

Try them all at once:

2010-01-27T13:24:00.002-08:00

If you are able to help....

2010-01-14T00:24:00.005-08:00

This is Wyclef's organization Yéle Haiti, where you can donate money via a simple and quick text message.
www.yele.org/donation/

2010-01-07T20:05:00.002-08:00

2010-01-02T00:15:00.000-08:00

Happy new year!

Last minute, sure-fire gift idea!

2009-12-19T20:05:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays from HP!

Deleted scene from our "I Was Born" video

2009-12-16T21:11:00.003-08:00

I guess at the time, it just sort of slowed down the whole video, so we cut it out.

High Places changes name, welcomes three new members!

2009-11-15T22:40:00.001-08:00

2009-11-02T15:22:00.000-08:00

2009-10-30T10:07:00.002-07:00

I WAS BORN

Everything I go to write begins, "I was born"
Every sentence in my life begins, "I was born"
I try to listen but my head is screaming, "I was born"
I love your selflessness
But baby, I was born

Honestly I can recall the day I was born
The doctor had some things to say the day I was born
I tried to listen but my head was screaming "I was born"
They sensed my restlessness the day I was born

If I could I would be born again
See my star align with my moon again
The doctor would say, "Well I'll be damned
I never thought I'd see this day again."

2009-10-29T00:17:00.002-07:00

SOMETHING HIGH THIS WAY COMES.

Rob is doing a live score tomorrow in LA!

2009-10-15T01:35:00.002-07:00

Hi, If you are on the West Side, I am doing a live score at 7pm sharp to Doug Aitken's film Migration, at Regen Projects. Info below!

2009-09-28T13:58:00.003-07:00

We miss you so much, Beau.

Last night as I was going to sleep I thought , this just goes on and on. Life that is. Like there are no defined starts and stops except for the big start and final stop.
so i cant really put off anything or there is no escape because it just keeps moving.
jump in the river..

i hope you are well Mary .
Tonight I go to see that heavy ass band The Bronx.
sweeeet.
go nuts I feel. I have not gone nuts in a crowd for a long time.
i want to grow younger in my mind and spirit and let my body do what it will.

ok well I am going to keep moving now , so until next time,

xo Beau

Above photo from The Arm.

2009-09-16T13:41:00.002-07:00

Rob and I met in December 2005, shortly after we had both begun solo projects. Rob's project is the Urxed, and mine is called Transformation Surprise. We have kept up these projects throughout our years as High Places. Here's a new Transformation Surprise video:

2009-09-13T18:31:00.004-07:00

2009-09-01T10:16:00.001-07:00

Main Street - A Song by High Places about Main Street, LA

2009-08-23T17:34:00.000-07:00

High Places - Late Bloomer

2009-08-23T00:00:00.003-07:00

SEE YOU BRIGHT AND EARLY TOMORROW, LOS ANGELES!

2009-08-18T01:46:00.005-07:00

NEW JERSEY.

2009-08-12T09:13:00.003-07:00

Going back to NYC. See you at the Guggenheim this Friday!

2009-07-11T12:31:00.004-07:00

TWITTER

2009-07-10T11:16:00.002-07:00

New 12" split with Soft Circle out on PPM later this month.
You can stream our nearly twelve minutes long contribution here.

I miss you Jersey Shore!

2009-07-03T00:22:00.005-07:00

When you are from Philadelphia or NYC, South Jersey is a pretty amazing place to spend your summer as a kid and teenager. I spent most of my summer in Ocean City, NJ, just north of Wildwood, and just south of Atlantic City. The only difference between the towns was that Ocean City was a dry town, dating back to it's original founders who settled it as a Christian retreat back in the late 1800's, while Wildwood was considerably more like the Wild West. Picture Lost Boys, but like WAY more East Coast. Camaros instead of motorcycles maybe? Mary and I have spent a lot of time there, and now that I am in LA (which rules too) I am starting to feel a little homesick.

I often try to explain the strong Philadelphia accent that my family and relatives have to friends from other parts of the country, because honestly, I just don't know what to compare it to. I have since lost mine, although I am told that I re-pick it up whenever I feel intimidated by large aggressive men. Weird...
This video from a 1994 documentary might come across a little off-putting to some, but it definitely nails the accent, and maybe can explain why I hated high school (class of '92). But I still can't help feeling a little nostalgic.

Was that you or me?

2009-06-21T15:58:00.006-07:00

Well... this question came up recently when myself and Robert Lowe, aka Lichens did an improv set at the wonderfully awesome Dublab, here in LA. We were gleefully confused as all the overtones of our junk mixed together to the point where at times we couldn't tell who was doing what. Now that's REAL jazz!
Download the jam here!

blast from the future.

2009-06-18T15:00:00.003-07:00

So I saw our awesome buds Hecuba the other night, and yes I have seen them a bunch before, and they were always rad, but like whoa. It was so so good. Like show of the year good. I am absolutely without words as far as describing them to someone unfamiliar. They are the most posi-weirdo pop music ever. Please go see them. And this video for "Suffering", off their new record, is so so good. Maybe this is obvious, but it just makes me stoked, like maybe a more uplifted Scorpio Rising possibly? I had this 100th generation vhs of most of Ken Anger's stuff like in the early 90's (when I had a greased back black pompadour, believe it or not), and that particular film always stuck out as so rad to me. "Suffering" is pretty different, but I get the same feelings... but, uh, I'll keep those to myself though... Er... Awkward...

Mostro

2009-05-31T22:10:00.002-07:00

I keep watching this video over and over. We played.met.hung with Mostro in Santiago (they are from Los Andes though), and it blew me away. I wish this video could convey their volume and power. If you live in Chile, check them out.

homie remix

2009-05-31T14:32:00.002-07:00

Hi! I am settled in now for a bit in Los Angeles, and it feels good to be stationary for once. I love touring, but a little routine seems to be doing me good.

I (the Urxed) did a remix for our awesome friends Pit Er Pat, that is on a 12". Lucky Dragons did a sweet one one too! You can listen to the whole record HERE! Click the track listings on the right side of the page.

See you!
Robbee Bee

Amapolita de Arahuay

2009-05-29T01:58:00.002-07:00

Thank you Punto and Javiera for introducing me to the most beautiful song of all time. I weep every time I listen to this.

2009-05-17T19:53:00.001-07:00

BRASIL.

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BRASIL.

2009-05-15T13:52:00.002-07:00

BRASIL.

2009-05-13T16:27:00.002-07:00

CHILE.

2009-05-13T06:38:00.002-07:00

CHILE.

2009-05-11T20:00:00.003-07:00

CHILE.

2009-05-10T21:13:00.002-07:00

CHILE.

SOUTH AMERICA.

2009-05-07T17:58:00.001-07:00

Sat May 9 Santiago, Chile - Industria Cultural

Thu May 14 Bauru, Brazil - SESC Brazil

Fri May 15 Sao Paulo, Brazil - Studio SP

Sun May 17 Porto Alegre, Brazil - Centro Cultural Santander

2009-04-29T13:07:00.000-07:00

Fireworks (Contour Drawing) from Mary Pearson

Sleng teng

2009-04-18T22:59:00.001-07:00

Thank you internet!

2009-04-11T10:47:00.004-07:00

This basically proves that any and all things are on the internet. This was perhaps more lost than the Shroud of Turin? This is a high school newspaper review of Massachusetts hardcore band Siege, destroying their school battle of the bands. I particularly like Principal Concannon on the side of the stage.

2009-04-10T09:09:00.003-07:00

DENMARK.

2009-03-25T13:41:00.002-07:00

Mar 26 2009
Debaser Malmo

Mar 27 2009
Debaser Medis Stockholm, Sweden

Mar 28 2009
Umeå Open Festival Umeå, Sweden

Mar 31 2009
Dynamo Turku, Finland

Apr 1 2009
Kuudes Linja Helsinki, Finland

Apr 2 2009
Blå Oslo, Norway

Apr 3 2009
Loppen Copenhagen, Denmark

Apr 4 2009
Musikcaféen Aarhus, Denmark

Apr 5 2009
Volksbühne im Prater Berlin

Apr 6 2009
UT Connewitz (+ Dent May) Leipzig

Apr 7 2009
Manufaktur Schorndorf

2009-03-09T06:35:00.002-07:00

QUOKKA!

2009-03-05T16:16:00.002-08:00

MORE AUSTRALIA.

Killer cover! Deeeeep remix!

2009-03-03T04:25:00.003-08:00

So our new London/Italy homie Banjo or Freakout did this SWEET cover of From Stardust... Honestly, our original version is structured so bonkers that I even have a hard time playing along with my own beat! So it is double crazy that he decided to do that song! And do it really in a completely smart and original way. His version is simply beautiful, and we are so so honored that he spent the time on it. Check it out here.

ALSO!!! Super super rad London homie number 2, Allez-Allez, did this total unreal dancefloor jammer remix of Head Spins. He actually made it a while ago, and I had been trying to figure out an organized way to compile things that people make such as remixes and covers and videos. Actually I think at the time we were going to have a proper website and we would've put it on there. BUT.... real websites are soooo 2004, right? So I am unfortunately only getting around to this now. Sorry Sam.... You are a total ruler!

2009-02-25T04:28:00.002-08:00

AUSTRALIA.