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* the unofficial hnia discography *
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releases:
tape * 1985-1989 stuff / his name is alive / early works *
mail-order tape available directly from the band.
tracks - side a...
'riotousness and postrophe'
1} princessly
2} either or
3} thoughts
4} darkest dreams
5} i disappear
6} never wanted to have said
7} a time there nearby
8} glancing passes
9} again not still
10} little waves
'i had sex with god'
11} if july
12} as could we ever
13} some and i
14} daringest
'his name is alive'
15} the other body
16} ascension
17} reincarnation
18} hey porter
side b...
'livonia - home mix'
1} free jazz w/purchase
2} fossil
3} you and i have seizures
4} e-nicolle
5} caroline's supposed demon
6} fossil
7} some and i
8} how ghosts affect relationships
9} e-nicolle
10} cecil's been demeanor
band - all writing and playing credits included w/tape.
art - melissa elliott
tape * love can't buy happiness *
mail-order tape available directly from the band.
tracks - side a...
'love can't buy happiness'
1} ode on a dave asman
2} fascinated by a willing body
3} your suspicions need a heaven
4} sitting still moving still staring outlooking
5} are we still married?
6} why people disappear
7} 88 naked women
8} your suspicions need a heaven
9} "livonia"
10} r u coming down this weekend?
11} angel, angel down we go (included as first song on side b)
side b...
'instrumentals'
2} scene I, act 2 {the drowning girl}
3} bullfrog
4} birds
5} xmas
6} very bad a bitter hand
7} fingers
band - all writing and playing credits included w/tape.
art - melissa elliott
hnia1 * 'if july' b/w 'how ghosts affect relationships' *
promo-only 7" given away by 4ad as a gift to fans
with the disclaimer that anyone who tried to sell
the 7" for money were not friends of 4ad!
art - no picture sleeve. 7" label has writing on side AA,
and indistinguishable beverly carruthers photo on side A.
cad0008 * livonia * cd, cs, lp.
debut record, was supposed to be one-off release w/4ad.
tracks - 1} as could we ever 7} caroline's supposed demon
2} e-nicolle 8} fossil
3} if july 9} reincarnation
4} some and i 10} you and i have seizures
5} fossil 11} how ghosts affect relationships
6} e-nicolle 12} darkest dreams
band - warren defever...guitars, basses, samples
karin oliver...vocals
angie carozza...vocals (lead on 10,11)
damian lang...percussion on 2,9
jymn auge...a couple guitars on 8
tracy...bassoon on 10
all songs written by his name is alive.
art - art direction & design...vaughan/v23
photography...beverly carruthers
design assistance...chris bigg
misc. - promo lp is a white-label release w/insert.
Tdk #52 * new music report * cd
misc. - promotional cd put out by tdk/cmj.
this cd features a short interview with warren and
karin {who the host of the cd calls melissa}, and
The Song Of Schizophrenia.
cad1013 * home is in your head * cd, cs, lp.
tracks - 1} are you coming down this weekend?
2} her eyes were huge things
3} the charmer
4} hope called in sick } The Song
5} my feathers need cleaning } of
6} the well } Schizophrenia
7} there's something between us (and he's changing my words)
8} the phoenix, a pool of ice
9} are we still married?
10} put your finger in your eye
11} home is in your head
12} why people disappear
13} here eyes are huge
14} save the birds
15} chances are we are mad
16} mescalina
17} sitting still moving still staring outlooking
18} very bad a bitter hand
19} beautiful and pointless
20} tempe
21} spirit and body
22} love's a fish eye
23} dreams are of the body
24} the other body - {hidden demo track}
all songs written by his name is alive except track 7,
written by bone machine.
band - warren defever...guitar, bass, samples, pencil guitar
karin oliver...vocals, guitar
melissa elliott...guitar, pencil guitar
jymn auge...guitar
damian lang...drums, rainmaker, crashers, bone
denise james...vocals (22)
art - art direction & design...vaughan/v23
photography...dominic davies
misc. - jymn wrote track 22.
karin wrote track 6.
...yes...the demo tape ran out...
bad2005 * the dirt eaters * cd5, lp.
tracks - 1} the man on silver mountain
2} are we still married?
3} is this the way the tigers do?
4} we hold the land in great esteem
5} the dirt eaters
all songs written by his name is alive,
except 1 {blackmore/dio}
band - warren defever...guitars, bass, samples, etc.
karin oliver...vocals (1,2,4)
melissa elliott...guitars
denise james...vocals (4,5)
karen neal...vocals (3)
art - design...vaughan oliver & chris bigg
screenprint, 'the first salon'...terry dowling
vrcd0244 * his name is alive sings man on silver mountain *
* and 8 other songs *
promo-cd from rykodisc, to coincide with re-release
of first two hnia records.
tracks - 1} man on silver mountain
2} how ghosts affect relationships
3} why people disappear
4} as could we ever
5} sitting still moving still staring outlooking
6} are we still married [dirt eaters mix]
7} if july
8} her eyes were huge things
9} the dirt eaters
art - photography...dominic davies {potato plant picture}
rcd10244 * livonia * rykodisc re-release.
tracks - same as 4ad-uk version except track 13, livonia.
misc. - little difference in art, except for quality.
front words "his name is alive / livonia" are layered
on top of each other on 4ad-uk version.."his name is alive"
logo in gold, "livonia" in copper...visible only if cover is
turned certain ways.
4ad-uk cd has logo and chris bigg calligraphy "his name
alive" scrolled on it. no track listing, as with the ryko
version.
rcd20245 * home is in your head * rykodisc re-release.
tracks - same as 4ad-uk version except the last five tracks,
which made up the dirt eaters ep.
misc. - cover photo of pod is on the back of the 4ad-uk version.
cover photo of 4ad-uk release is a hanging squid, cd is
bright green.
hnia2 * mouth by mouth promo-cd *
tracks - 1} in every ford
2} lip
3} drink, dress, and ink
4} can't go wrong without you
5} the dirteaters
art - artwork on white film inlay, same as 4ad-us promo cds.
cd has same paint design as 'mouth by mouth' cds.
cd and inlay come in plastic slip-cover.
procd6069 * in every ford * 4ad-us promo-cd.
tracks - 1} in every ford
2} lip
3} drink, dress, and ink
4} can't go wrong without you
5} the dirteaters
art - back cover same as other '93 4ad-us promo cds, chris bigg
calligraphy w/ orange, white, purple colour scheme. cd is
orange with purple writing.
tape * ninety-three * promo-cassette from 4ad.
3 songs by the red house painters appear on side a.
his name is alive appear on side b.
tracks - 1} in every ford
2} drink, dress, and ink
3} can't go wrong without you
4} the dirteaters
misc. - tapes received by mail came with 1 page description of
of both band's latest albums. his name is alive section
has brief synopsis of mouth by mouth from warren, "4ad's
first ethnic heavy metal album" and 1993 tour schedule.
cad3006 * mouth by mouth * cd, cs, lp.
tracks - 1} baby fish mouth
2} lip
3} cornfield
4} in every ford
5} lord, make me a channel of your peace
6} drink, dress, and ink
7} where knock is open wide
8} can't go wrong without you
9} jackrabbits
10} sort of
11} sick
12} blue moon
13} ear
14} lemon ocean
15} the torso
16} the dirteaters
17} the homesick waltz
all songs written by his name is alive, except 4, 9, and 16
by melissa and 12 by alex chilton.
band - warren defever...guitars, samples
karin oliver...vocals (songs 3,5,7,10,12,15,17), cello
trey many...drums (beginning of 1, all of 16)
denise james...vocals (11,13,14,16)
karen neal...vocals (1,2,4)
chelle marie...vocals (6,8)
melissa elliott...guitars
damian lang...drums
elden m...noise, vocals (17)
art - art direction...vaughan/v23
design...chris bigg
photography...colin gray
misc. - discrepencies between uk-cd, us-cd, and lp. uk-cd
includes samples and song (17) not on us-cd. lp
contains different artwork than what is on the cds,
samples, and lyrics to track 17, however track 17
is not on the lp. cd versions do not have lyrics for 17.
there may be a slightly different mix for the lp, but i
haven't felt up to comparing the vinyl and the cd versions...
warren is the cover star.
promo copies came with xeroxed note from warren about
the songs, etc.
s.s.10 * denise *
promo 7" given away with issue of Dirt magazine, on
blue vinyl. the song was originally to be released on
mouth by mouth as 'darling'. denise james sings.
per005 * king of sweet *
tracks - 1} take a look around you
2} a bird in every tree
3} this weekend
4} drive the dreamy demon down
5} lake (theme for sweet hearts)
6} blissfield (sweet corn)
7} bears (king of sweet)
8} ode on a dave asman
9} a dave in the life
10} honey babe, my blue-eyed babe
11} the shepherds flute is always playing
12} are you coming down this weekend?
13} soul resides in the horse barn
14} driftin blues
15} meet me by moonlight, alone
band - warren defever...bass, guitars, samples
karin oliver...vocals (1,2,3,4,9,12,15)
jymn auge...guitars
melissa elliott...guitars
denise james...vocals (10?)
karen neal...vocals (13,14?)
damian lang...drums
misc. - limited edition of 2000. all tracks compiled from home
'demo' tapes, '90-'92.
warren is the cover blur.
?? * his name is alive - live in mexico *
cassette tape put out by Time Stereo. from a concert
performed at an avante-garde arts festival in mexico, late
1993.
tracks - tiger and me
el santa machina
count your spots
i know a place
zona centro CP 3700
moon don honey moon
maya paloque
mono
hurican ramirez
brown poems
juan melia
comps.:
* liliput *
2-cd set w/accompanying book, distributed to record stores
and college stations, etc. to commemorate 4ad's distribution
deal with Warner Bros.
track 10 - 'are we still married?'.
* and dog bones too... *
4ad's first retail sampler.
track 8 - 'the dirteaters'.
* mai pen rai *
4ad retail sampler. package design by bruce licher of
IPR & IPP. available in 8 different colour variations.
track 7 - 'in every ford'.
acs001 * the adventure club sessions *
track 10 - baby fish mouth
misc. - compilation cd of radio performances/specially
recorded broadcasts from various artists. The hnia
track is an acoustic studio recording.
(shuffle) * 4ad presents the 13 year itch *
limited edition cd of 2000, sold at the 13 year itch
festival in july 1993 to coincide with 4ad's 13th
anniversary. 1 song from 13 4ad bands is included.
track 12 - 'the time falling bodies take to light'.
misc. - original version of song was to appear on mouth by
mouth as 'time light books'. beginning instrumental
was not on the original version.
cat.45789 * all virgos are mad *
limited edition cd of 10,000 sold to coincide with
4ad's all virgos are mad festival in los angeles,
california (sept. 27th - oct. 2nd 1994).
track 6 - 'library girl'.
misc. - band is listed as his name is alive with dara.
videos:
* are we still married? *
directed by the bros. quay.
available on mouth by mouth promo video (no catalogue
number. limited to 1000.), 4ad presents the 13 Year Itch
video compilation (shuffle), and various sampler video tapes.
* lip *
directed by warren defever and kenny greenbaum.
available on mouth by mouth promo video, 4ad presents
the 13 Year Itch video compilation.
* can't go wrong without you *
directed by the bros. quay.
available on mouth by mouth promo video, 4ad presents
the 13 Year Itch video compilation, 4ad
presents All Virgos Are Mad video compilation.
posters:
* XAD 23 *
set of 15 posters by 4ad artists. the hnia poster is
for 'livonia'. photography by beverly carruthers.
* FAD 23 *
set of 13 posters, released during the 13 year itch
festival. the hnia poster is for 'home is in your head'.
photography by dominic davies.
then & now:
his name is alive are more or less a "sound lab",
formed around the time that warren defever was 16.
the band name {supposedly} stems from some notes
warren had written in a history class pertaining to
abraham lincoln. he thought it sounded good, so he
decided to name his next band 'his name is alive'.
from the bio released with 'livonia', warren and
angie met at high school and worked together on music
for some time. angie then left for college and
warren met up with karin oliver at eastern michigan
university. from then on, the group has been a
loose line-up, warren being the one who constructs the
the music and writes the bulk of the lyrics, karin
being the lead vocalist for all releases, and their
friends playing various instruments {and non-instruments}
as instructed by warren. angie soon dropped out of the
picture after 'livonia' was released...
all hnia material is recorded in the basement of
warren's parent's {now his} house in livonia, michigan...
initially on 4-track recorders, on a reel to reel 8-track
as of '91. at the present time, hnia have done 1 full-blown
tour of the US and often play shows in and around michigan...
if you're looking for straight answers about the
group, their music, and anything else, good luck.
warren likes to tilt the truth a bit, so nothing is
ever 100% believable. you can get in touch with the band
via the address below, but i warn you...hnia are
not very good about getting back to their mail and
it may be a year or more before you get any response.
in fact, i wouldn't even count on a response. hnia
used to sell t-shirts and mail order tapes themselves,
but the shirts are all gone and so are the tapes...
to get in touch with hnia, write:
star artist management
p.o. box 114
fraser, mi 48026
usa
spinoffs?:
* elvis hitler *
this is a "hellbilly" group consisting of jim leedy,
damian lang, john and warren defever.
they have released 3 albums on Restless {'hellbilly',
'disgraceland', 'supersadomasochisticexpialidocious'}
and at last word, had a 4th wrapped up {though i
think they were dropped from Restless and are shopping
for a new label}. in any event, warren defever
will not be a part of any future elvis hitler records
or tours, and he stresses that he was in no way
responsible for their lyrics, album covers, etc. he
"just played bass". unless one likes extremely goofy,
punkrockabilly, elvis hitler are best left untouched
by his name is alive fans...
* bone machine *
punk rock meets artsy garage band.
there really is no way of giving bone machine a
proper description. they have one record out on
AUD {'decapasaurus'}, and have been recording
tracks for a new album for at least year...though
when they'll be able to release something new is
up in the air. the group consists of warren,
jymn, and scott...
* princess dragon-mom *
noise. noise. noise. noise. noise.
this is yet another threesome consisting of
warren, davin, and jymn. their music is
very loud and very bizarre and a lot of fun
for the whole family.
princess dragon-mom, as well as
all defever related bands, share the same p.o. box
and pd-m seemingly want inquiries from the curious...
{sidenote: non-japanoise loving hnia fans should stay
away from this as it is nothing but *pure noise*...i have put
together a separate pd-m & Time Stereo discog. for those
who are interested.}
* the dirteaters *
similar to his name is alive, the dirteaters
are made up of melissa, warren, damian, karen
neal {early incarnation}, and denise james.
this is melissa's group and she is the primary
songwriter. no releases as of yet, but they may
have an album out in the near future and will
continue to play live in and around MI...
* his name is arrive *
this is hnia's take on japanese noise music.
The group seemingly doesn't exist anymore, but
it should be said that warren and chelle-marie were
at the head of this project. they were supposed to release
something at one time...they had a complete set of
songs. their music has been described as
incredibly beautiful and melodic, with fits of
uncontrollable noise here and there...
* grenadine *
warren produced the group's 2nd album, titled
'nopalitos', and the single from that album.
rob christiansen, mark robinson, and jenny toomey
make up the band.
* inside-out *
this is the band that karen neal is from.
a 3 grrrl line-up, along the lines of other
punk-type girl groups. they have several albums
and singles out, only attainable via mail order or
lucky searching...
* liquorice *
band make-up is jenny toomey, dan littleton (ida),
and trey many.
warren produced the band's debut record, 'listening cap', a
one-off release with 4ad. they also have a single out on
simple machines {'stalls'} and a song on the cd and first
limited 10" 'red, hot, and bothered' from the Red Hot
organization {the same people that put out 'No Alternative',
amongst others}...
* warren defever's mystic moog orchestra *
japanese noise music with moogs, no guitar.
Their first live performance was made up of 9 people
playing nothing but moogs and included warren, jymn, and
laetitia sadier of stereolab {who the moog orchestra had
opened for}. they have a one release {self-titled, i'm pretty
sure. i need to check up on the specifics, though} available...
* esp summer *
warren and ian masters {ex-pale saints, spoonfed hybrid}.
a cassette of this recording is available on davin & kenny
own cassette label, Time Stereo, and a limited 10" of remixes from
the cassette is out on farrago records. a 7" is planned for
release in the very near future, on perdition plastic...
* esp beetles *
a group that has an "all-star" line-up.
the band consists of warren, davin, kenny, matt
smith, and damian lang. sometimes scott. they have
2 tapes out on Time Stereo and have played live in
MI often {along with any other warren band that
ever existed.} a split 7" is planned with local livonia
noiseband and pals of mine, jennifer wolski, which will
also earmark the end of the beetles...
* dead his name is alive *
once again, a noise group in it's purest form.
one song on noise compilation, 'the arbitrary nature
of meaning'. also, there is a pd-m song on this cd.
as told to me by jeff, the co-owner of Isomorphic
Records: "Warren wanted to use a different name since the
track 'Do You Want to Have Trouble' is pure noise in the vein
of Hanatarash, Hijohkaidan, or early Controlled Bleeding and he
didn't want to alienate any of his mainstream fans."
* inside-out *
this is the band that karen neal is from.
a 3 grrrl line-up, along the lines of other punk-type girl
groups. they have several albums and singles out, only
attainable via mail order...
* godzuki *
warren produced this band's first "record", which is
being released as a set of 7"s on March records, as
well as a song that appears on a split 7" with other MI
band asha vida. an easy description of their sound is
"indie-noise-pop".
warren will be producing other MI groups over time...
possibly working with monaural next...
etc. :
if you're seriously interested in hearing princess
dragon-mom, please contact the following...
Subterranean
PO Box 2530
Berkeley, CA 94702
USA
or
G.R.O.S.S. c/o Akifumi Nakajima
412 Higashianekoujicho Sanjo-agaru
Furukawacho Higashiyama-ku Kyoto 605 Japan
***
for a 4AD catalogue, send two US dollars to :
4AD
P. O. Box 461599
Los Angeles, CA 90046
Attn: Catalogue Order
4AD "hotline" - (310) 535-1714
***
to get in contact with Isomorphic Records, write to :
Isomorphic Records
17709 108th Ave SE
Renton, Wa. 98055
***
for information on Time Stereo, or how to contact other
record labels mentioned above, please e-mail me at the address below...
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please send comments, questions, corrections,
bootleg info, and ultrafun stuff to kelli@netcom.com
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