MySpace a place for friends

Inkblot is proud to announce the release of its first full-length album, "Oink!" The initial recording started in the spring of 2008 in a studio no bigger than a cubicle and evolved into a year-long cross-country anomaly, defying most conventional recording techniques. Inkblot co-founders Stephen Jolley and Corwin Trails co-wrote much of "Oink!" over a year without ever being in the same room. In fact, the song "Tiller" was recorded solely using this technique, and many other songs 2,371 miles apart with only wireless communication as a means to reach each other. The album was further developed through these microwave frequencies, which could account for the incessant sense of bigness as well as ‘glitchiness’ on the album. Part-acoustic, part-electronic, "Oink!" is fully a western psychedelic circus laden with curious found sound, delicate acoustic moments as well as electronic outbursts and outlandish guitar solos. At a crucial moment in the album, spoken word appears from special guest Rick Strassman, courtesy of his book "DMT: The Spirit Molecule" (Park Street Press, 2001). Inkblot is a group that likes to laugh and smile but is not afraid to delve into introspective depth and beauty.

A notable theme in Inkblot recordings is the time and place in which it occurs. Their first self-titled E.P. was recorded in true guerilla fashion in midnight hours in an unlocked auditorium, complete with grand piano, natural reverb, and three hundred chairs to sit in. Sonically, the E.P. was an experimental jaunt into noise and rock and would form the egg out of which the much more tightly composed "Oink!" emerged.

Both albums were recorded and creatively mixed by Devin Kerr, founder of Good Hertz in Ann Arbor, Michigan. As Inkblot starting progressing, Devin Kerr started becoming more and more prominent in the group. He helped flourish what were once modest demos into polished, yet still sonically exhilarating songs.

Drummer Dan Sutherland makes his first recorded appearance with Inkblot on “Oink” which brought the group’s musicianship to a whole new height. A drummer who knows ‘free’ as much as much as ‘in the pocket’ and knows much of what lies in-between these two extremes. "Oink!" was released alongside promotional videos done by both Stephen Jolley and Corwin Trails. Video is complimentary to audio in today's media-crazed society. Recent Inkblot shows have incorporated similar visual elements. A truly unique theater, Inkblot shows have been known to delve into the weird: Ringmaster Zeb (whose picture is featured on the "Oink!" CD) often introduces the show with circus-esque performances such as serving edible chocolate squid to the audience; Stephen Jolley has cross-dressed, taken a drill-bit to his guitar, and copulated with his amplifier. The live experience of Inkblot is almost entirely unique from the recorded. The songs take on a new life, almost as if entirely rewritten.

With Stephen Jolly living in Michigan and Corwin Trails in Washington, it allows time and space for each of them to work on solo projects. In fact, two of the songs on "Oink!" were especially donated by the respective solo projects: "I Like Things" by The Jols (Stephen Jolley); and "Telescopes/ Microscopes" by Corwin Trails (both of which were remixed by Devin Kerr). Following the release of "Oink!", full-length solo releases are anticipated from both Stephen Jolley and Corwin Trails.

"Oink!" is available now for digital download on iTunes and Amazon MP3. A physical copy of the album can be purchased through the website, Inkblotisaband.com