Bobby Rodriguez - Keys, synth bass, vocals.
Joey Valdepena - Vocals, guitar, bass.
And a cast of thousands (Dan Horne).
Influences
Dexter Morgan.
Elvis .
Grandaddy .
Willie Nelson .
Blur .
Amy Poehler.
The Beatles .
Elliot Smith .
Clinic .
Lou Reed .
Kraftwerk .
The Unicorns .
Can .
Gang of Four.
Air .
Simon and Garfunkel .
Belle and Sebastian .
Dolly Parton .
Pavement .
Super Furry Animals .
Johnny Cash .
Daft Punk .
The Mama's and the Papa's .
Sting. Sting would be another person who's a hero. The music he's created over the years; I don't really listen to it, but the fact that he's making it, I respect that. And Jesus. Not Christ, but a guy I got to hang some drywall for me in Pomona.
Sounds Like
MRG RECORDINGS
FICTION COMPANY/Maps & Measures: A pair of LA cats that have enough wide ranging interests that they can be flexible enough to be in the cleffers to "Blood & Chocolate" as well as "Napoleon Dynamite". Issuing forth with a very personal album, this is freak folk at it's heart but it veers off in many other directions with ease and style. Something different well made for people looking for something different.
72956
Volume 30/Number 196
May 15, 2007
MIDWEST RECORD
830 W. Route 22 #144
Lake Zurich, IL., 60047
CHRIS SPECTOR, Editor and Publisher
2007 Midwest Record
Bobby Rodriguez and Joey Valdepena first met, briefly, in New York in the late ‘90s and they reconnected in LA in 2001 and thus their band, Fiction Company, was born. On their debut EP, Maps and Measures, Valdepena provides vocals and plays guitar, while Bobby plays keyboards and contributes back-up vocals.
Their work has previously appeared on the soundtrack to Blood and Chocolate (a cover of Billy Idol’s “Flesh for Fantasy”) and the Napoleon Dynamite soundtrack (“Design”), Grammy-nominated as Best Compilation Soundtrack Album in 2006.
Rodriguez and Valdepena wrote all the songs on Maps and Measures, though they recruited a wide range of LA-based musicians to contribute music to the album. These include guitarist/bassist Dan Horne, who co-wrote “Crystal Ship”; guitarist/producer Scott Ford, who worked with them on “Dark of the Day”; Boogie Jones, a long-time inspiration for the band, helping them to mold their sound over the years, here offering back-up vocals; Gregory Butler, who produced “In Your Head”; and Tom Radon, who plays drums on “Crystal Ship,” as well as having co-written that track.
Rodriguez says of the album’s title, “It’s where you are and where you’ve been. It’s a point of measurement with which you can gauge your progress. Or in this case, our progress.” They’ve both come a long way, personally and professionally, to produce this work. The album’s emotional high point is “Dark of the Day,” in which Valdepena’s lyrics reveal a poignant, personal back story: “I wrote the concept for ‘Dark of the Day’ very soon after my brother drowned last year. I remember feeling so empty, but thoughts of being with him made me happy. It was like I was ashamed to be happy because someone I loved was just gone all of a sudden. It was in June and it was sunny. The birds were singing and the flowers blooming. It was just dark at the same time.”
The band’s arresting and genuine lyrics are backed by an interesting, multi-textured sound—a result of their extensive, varied influences. While Rodriguez’s points of reference are The Mamas and the Papas, The Beatles, NWA and Elton John, Valdepena cites “Weird Al” Yankovic, Damon Albarn, Paul Simon and Belle and Sebastian. Fiction Company is its own unique creation, a true collaboration between two artistic soul mates.
hey joey...i was going through old email folders, and for some reason i seem to have saved a bunch of our correspondence from 2006--when the ep was supposed to come out originally, lol. it's trippy, it's right around when i found out about my dad dying....life has sure changed since then. for instance, i get NO emails from you now ;P
i know...i am a jerk. ive been WAY too busy with work and stackin money that ive neglected my wittle myspace amies. will you really come to nashvegas or are you teasing me?
Thank yoooooou for the picture comment! You're too kind. :)
Wow you have good eyes! That is exactly what was coming at me. But then I fired up my laser vision, and blasted them right after the picture was taken.
So I just left Meat Buffet, with a belly full of meaty goodness, and I'm listening to your song Just A Dream.. Just after I make myself a delectable meatshake I start messing around on my guitar while your song is playing and came up with some really great stuff.. I plan on using it.. You're not really famous yet so no one will make the connection.. Thanks bro..
