Does The Simple Carnival play live?
As of this writing, there haven't been any live Simple Carnival performances. Maybe one day. Who knows.
Where does The Simple Carnival record?
All of the songs were recorded in Jeff Boller's basement studio. If you're a musician and want to know more about how the recordings are made -- as well as how other similar artists make their stuff -- visit Jeff's Songs and Sonics blog.
Is one guy really playing all the instruments and singing all of the vocal parts?
Yes. Every note you hear on The Simple Carnival's recordings is the result of one person repeatedly overdubbing himself. Most modern production touches (samplers, loops, drum machines, AutoTune, harmony processors, etc.) are avoided or not used at all. With a few exceptions, it's all "real" instruments recorded and layered one part at a time.
That said, the release -- which has yet to be recorded -- following Girls Aliens Food will feature multiple guest musicians.
What instruments are used in The Simple Carnival's recordings?
This is not a complete list: Upright tack piano, spinet tack piano, Hammond organ, Clavinet, Fender Rhodes, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, electric bass, drums, congas, flute, marimba, clarinet, violin, cello, Electro-Theremin, glockenspiel, ARP Omni, Sequential Circuits MAX, circuit-bent toys, hacked up cassette players, various percussion doodads, lots of homemade gadgets, thrift store finds, and dollar store toys.
What gear do you use to record?
For the Me and My Arrow EP and Girls Aliens Food album, the following gear was used. Again, this is not a complete list: Digidesign Digi 001 audio interface, Pro Tools 5.3.1 (for tracking), Reaper (for mixing), Soundcraft Spirit E8 mixer, RNC 1773 compressor, Fishman Pro-EQ Platinum bass preamp, R0de NTK, Shure SM57, AKG C535 EB, AKG D112, EV PL77A, EV N/D 2578, Studio Projects B-1, MXL 990, The Sound Professionals stereo mic, Radio Shack (the finest name in microphones) 33-3032, Dunlop Cry Baby, MXR Phase 90, custom-built sample and hold/autofilter, T.C. Electronic M300, Lexicon MPX 110.
VST plug-ins include: Sonalksis SV-315Mk2 Compressor, Sonalksis SV-517Mk2 EQ, Voxengo Elephant, Kjaerhus Audio Classic Chorus, Kjaerhus Audio Classic Flanger, Kjaerhus Audio Classic Phaser, Cockos ReaComp, Cockos ReaGate, Camel Audio CamelPhatFree, Christian Knufinke's SIR with Lexicon PCM-90 reverb impulses.
Who did the artwork for the Me and My Arrow EP and Girls Aliens Food album?
The very talented Missy Kulik created the cartoon artwork. Some of her artwork is also featured on this site, as well as on other Simple Carnival merchandise.
Your press release says there's been over 6,000 views for the "Really Really Weird" video. But I went to the link to the video on your site and there's nowhere near that number! What gives?
The video is in two locations on YouTube. The first location is here, which was the version of the video that was released to coincide with the Me and My Arrow EP. This is the video which has over 6,000 views. The other location is here, which is the version released to coincide with the Girls Aliens Food album, which is a more recent upload (and has fewer views).
The videos are identical except for the last few seconds, which mention either the Me and My Arrow EP or Girls Aliens Food album. (The song is on both releases.)
What is Sundrift Records? Are they looking for artists to sign?
Sundrift Records is Jeff's label, dedicated to releasing The Simple Carnival's recordings. Sundrift isn't looking to sign other artists, but if you work in a similar genre or have similar influences, you may be the perfect interview candidate for the Songs and Sonics blog. See the Sundrift Records About page for more information.