1. We did an interview with Decoder Magazine. Check it out!

2. Our t-shirt and DVD are now available on this website. Just look a little to your right -> There it is in the sidebar under our twitters

3. We played a benefit for Rhizome at the New Museum and it was insane (not “meh”). Big Shout out to Le1f and VenusX who rocked the house as well. Also much love to dearest Lauren Cornell for having us.

3B. (JK!) 4. We have a lot of shows coming up. May 24 at Littlefield with Hot Sugar (record release show) and Big Baby Gandhi. May 26 at Secret Project Robot with Black Dice – daytime BBQ style (bring carrots and taro for the grill). June 12 with the “Milwaukee Maniac” Juiceboxxx. And don’t forget to donate to his important energy drink project. Juice never fails to inspire. More shows announced soon.

5. Also we are doing tons of remixes for lots of artists that use emojis and some that don’t. This is all top secret but still please don’t sleep.

6. It’s raining cats and dawgs.

7. Follow us: @extremeanimalz

Fortress of Amplitude Costume with Jacob Ciocci’s collages in the background at 319 Scholes.

Other news: We have been busy recording, writing, and producing/remixes for new and old friends. There are a lot of exciting projects/sounds on the horizon.

We have a tumblr (with our inspirations and musings) and a twitter (note the Z, people) and a soundcloud (some unreleased material here I.E. “the new style”). Please follow us on these outlets if you are into timely updates and that type of thing and stuff.

Jacob picked me up in a rental car because he had totaled his Volvo earlier that month en route to install at the “Born Digital” art show in Raleigh NC. I served him a cup of cold brew coffee and then we were on our way. Driving upstate is quite desolate but we found a Panera to stop at for lunch. We crossed the border without any problems. We stopped at a Wendy’s for an early dinner and they had poutine. Everybody kept asking us if we had poutine. Jacob laughed at me because I looked around the restaurant as I dipped my French fries in my frostie. Did you know they have vanilla frosties now? That’s just wrong.

We got to the venue and loaded in to find Anamanaguchi sound checking. I wish I could say we were joyful but we must have looked to be in quite a sorry state since we had been driving all day. We sound checked and then I worked the merch table for the ‘Guch guys. Wow, they sell a lot of merch! This was the only all ages show on the tour and their younger fans really came out and represented.

After the show a woman told me to “be assertive” and asked me if “this is what I want to do with the rest of my life.” I was like wow are you my parents? Just kidding, my parents aren’t that rude. I signed a Gameboy which was funny and weird but sweet since the girl who I signed it for must have been negative 10 years old when the Gameboy first came out.

We ended up staying with a friendly stranger named Joe who missed the first half of our set because he had a British Cinema class. When we walked in his house someone was talking about how they had tried salvia for the first time that day. They were smoking a hooka. Another girl had just ordered a dominos pizza with DOUBLE sauce. On the couch a young woman was doing her Spanish homework and looking at videos of sloths. Jacob recommended his favorite sloth vid which had to do with the sloth pooping ☹

Learned about Canadian metal band called protest the hero. Our hosts were such huge fans that they had the tablature (by the way, Fortress of Amplitude book coming out late 2012 at a Guitarcenter near you). I was exhausted and fell asleep on the couch in my denim jacket.

January 20th – Montreal, QC – Il Motore w/ Anamanaguchi & Moon King

Woke up and watched this really inspiring video:

We ate breakfast at a pub and then headed out to Montreal. Wow, it was substantially colder there. Got in some traffic but made it on time to comfortably sound check.

We went to this Vietnamese restaurant across the street that was delicious. I got vegetables and tofu with curry in a fried noodle bowl and an iced coffee. Went back to the venue and played a short but sweet set. The green room was red, wow trippy! Anamanaguchi won the crowd over with some hilarious in between song banter about Nickelback, Canada’s no. 1 Republican band. The audience waved glowsticks through out their entire set.

We stayed at a young filmmakers house. There was talk of country music and Canadian politics before I fell asleep on another couch.

January 21st – Toronto, ON – Wrong Bar w/ Anamanguchi & Moon King

We woke up early the next day because we had a long drive ahead of us. Montreal to Toronto is at best 6 hours and there were threats of snow. Luckily we didn’t hit anything but that is again quite a desolate and flat drive. We got to Totoronto early and unpacked.

Everything was going smoothly in our set until we knocked the mixer off of the table. Whoops, awkward! After we finished played we were ushered out in quite a hurry because German minimal tech DJs were getting paid to rock the crowd. It’s a crazy world. We went to our friends dance party at another club, I ate dumplings but was exhausted. We slept in a loft.

January 22nd – Rochester, NY – The Bug Jar w/ Anamanaguchi & Revengineers

Woke up the next day and Jacob had a photo shoot. I didn’t mind, this gave me plenty of alone time. I got back in touch with my tweets. It felt like we had been going nonstop like Juiceboxxx in 2009: long drives and late nights. I didn’t want to go into the darkness either. Apparently Jacob almost passed out in the photoshoot because he hadn’t eaten anything that day!

We crossed the border with ease and immediately started jamming on our smart phones. Jacob bought a nice bottle of scotch from the duty free – JEALOUS. At a reststop we saw this cool kid wearing a neon beanie with the Monster Energy logo on the side. Jacob discreetly tried to capture the look but all of the photos were blurry ☹ Another kid had a #goodlook: red onsie with pink uggs.

Got to Rochester early so we went to this bar and restaurant around the corner called the The Owl House. It was great to end the tour with a nice meal (seitan meatball sandwich!) and good beers. Very relaxing, they even let me charge my phone behind the bar, booyah.

We sound checked and then went to dinner no. 2 with Anamanaguchi at this gnarly wings joint. I got a giant plate of curly fries and dipped them in Ary’s blue cheese.

Ary (seen above) was kind enough to share his blue cheese.

We went back to the venue and rocked the troll. There were a few rows of kids in the front watching the videos and then a mini pit in the middle of the room. Best case scenario?!? They requested slayer and pantera. This was the only show on the tour where it was actually hot (temperature-wise) on the stage so it was fine with me when we unloaded out back in the snow.

We packed up and said goodbye to our tour buddies. Jacob drove me to the Rochester Amtrack station which was closed from 1:00AM to 5:00AM. Whoops, didn’t anticipate this! Luckily the greyhound station was across the street so I just hung out there for 4 hours before I caught my 5:30 AM train back to NYC.

What a fantastic tour. Thank you Anamanaguchi for inviting us along.

poster by cory schmitz

October 7th – Pittsburgh PA at the VIA Music and New Media Festival

The sound guy was playing the new Nickelback while we were loading in, always a good omen. I don’t care what Detroit says Nickelback is my favorite Canadian Republican band, maybe ever.

We checked out the new Mega Target beforehand and picked up a venti from the imbedded Starbucks. I almost bought some Shaun White clothes in the boys’ section but instead opted to purchase two rubber rats from the dollar section.

I drank a six pack of vitamin water at the show – that stuff’ll run through you! There were so many techs in the house it was really impressive. After we finished playing our stuff was ushered off the stage in two shakes of a lambs tale.

October 8th – Bronx NY at the Museum of Moving Image with Anamanaguchi

Got up early and drove all day to get back to NYC. Stopped at a few Sheetz, loaded into the Museum of Moving Image. Anamanaguchi were there sounding hella tight during thier sound check. The green room was covered in grapes, which is the best food to eat on tour-very hydrating and refreshing. Guess which grape was preferred over the other, green or purple?

A lot of young people in the house, even my 23 year old friends were like, “I feel old” ☹ Box_eyes showed up with his crew and raged in the front row, so many internet heads were there: ryder, Leiaj, Lulinternet, bajamenjr, Ginsang.

Here is a video of our performance at MoMI.

Left the party with Lil_Hulchy and the _Youngbaby_ and went to Applebee’s. It was awesome! Turns out it was the best Applebee’s in the country! FYI, Queens you have to take advantage of this (there was a plaque, wish I had taken a twitpic!). I got a long island iced tea in a fish bowl. Standing outside after the show we saw country music legend, Jonny Corndawg.

This is Jonny Corndawg. I met him almost 10 years ago at the second Extreme Animals show ever. I live in his old room now. Yes, it has mojo.

October 9th – Philadelphia PA at Little Bar with Veiled

Ordered a bean taco when I got there which I totally respect them offering. A bean taco is a very rare beast, unlike the bean burrito. But the bean taco is so beautiful – so delicate. Met @spidertec from Providence which was cray cray. Talked about push ups with Andrew Jeffery Wright who had been working out. Learned you have to keep your elbows in underneath your body, not outside.

Veiled was insane, a polished product – total professionals. My only complaint is that they were too good. I would really like to do an internship with Rob Francisco some day and follow him around and learn how to live and be. After the show we went to Wawa and I got a cheese sandwich with mayo, wasabi and pickles. It was kind of disgusting but no regrets.

October 10th – Baltimore MD at The Depot with Future Islands, DJ Dan Deacon, DJ Schwarz, DJ Mark Brown. Hosted by Narwhalz.

So many twitter nerds were in the house that I kind of freaked out. Met MaggieLand – she bad. Talked to Narwhalz who wasn’t funny at all and was boring as hell. Schwartz and Mark Brown rocked the night on the turntables. People were moshing so hard to Future Islands that I could’nt even get into see them. It was packed “body to body”, “Mono y mono,” “Body Mods”. Light some drum and bass and glitch house from 1997. Dan Deacon DJ’d some obscure tracks at the end of the night.

October 11th – Day off

Woke up early and went to this Starbucks that I always go to in Baltimore. Drew a squirtle. A guy walked in with a giant jade necklace.

October 12th – Brooklyn NY at Death by Audio

One guy really raged out at this show, like he had his own way of dancing that I had never seen before. It was really great – part martial art, part parent dance moves, part trollstep – all focusing on his fanny pack. I think he kind of stole the shows with these insane moves. I mean I really don’t even have the kind of vocabulary in movement and dance to further describe what he was doing.

I love how at this venue they always give you glass stones as drink tickets. It is hard to decide if I want to keep the magic stones or trade for a beer. A real “Jack and the bean stock” predicament. And you know it is not a bad show when the guy working the refreshment center buys a DVD, thank you sir! I think after the show we went to this place and bought fried pickles and salad. I’ve eaten more fried pickles in New York than I have in the entire time I lived in the South. It’s a crazy, crazy world.

October 13th – Providence at Paragon

Wow this place is laaaid back! Felt like I was entering Dre’s studio when I got there. Hung out with Mandysezz most of the night. Saw Mincemeat or Tenspeed play for the first time in like 2 years. I thought his new stuff was really amazing, he is definitely taking his sonic world to the next level. I love how he moves and dances while he plays, like a ballerina.

We played last for the tr00 heads who stuck around, it was awkward because everyone was like what ha ha kewl. It was a good night. I saw Xander and she was like the nicest person I saw on the entire tour. Maybe she thought I was someone else, it was like seeing my best friend from first grade or something. How is it that people just saying hi can make you feel that good?

October 14th – Boston MA at the Home Grown III festival

This show was part of a multi-day festival organized by my girl Dan Shea. Total professional sh*t. All of the bands played at the beginning all of this music and stuff. Anywayz, there were a lot of great young bands in a “robin style.”

Horse Spirit Penetrates played and it was exciting and weird. Kieran broke a string, I wonder what gauge he uses? Maybe 11s? Anyways, they rolled with the flow and just kept going. That’s musicianship! #protip

Big Digits worked the crowd into a frenzy. They had two djs and brought their own lamps. I love how they are one of the few hip hop acts that think about “the space” ha ha very important. We played last. Jacob threw a bottled water on me. See you next year, 2012 is looking bright! ☺

Friday, December 2: The BCGF Rock ‘n Roll Review
9:00 pm at Union Pool / 484 Union Avenue # A, Brooklyn / $5 cover
An explosion of sound and vision from Extreme Animals, Mark Lord, and Devin, Gary & Ross (featuring animator Devin Flynn and artist Gary Panter). With interstitial video projection by Peter Burr (Hooliganship, Cartune Xprez).

and then MICRO TOUR WITH Yacht and Parenthetical Girls
12/04/11 Philadelphia, PA – First Unitarian Church
12/05/11 Pittsburgh, PA – REX Theater
12/06/11 Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall without Parenthetical Girls

The last time we played with both Yacht AND Parenthetical Girls was in 2005 on our first west coast tour. It was at a festival that Jona (from Yacht) organized in Astoria, OR called Catch That Beat 2. There were so many amazing bands and people and a real “Pacific Northwest” vibe that I never knew existed. Here are two photos from our performance back in the day. Check out Yachts website for details on this epic festival of yore.

I’m listening to Dave Matthews Pandora radio while I’m typing this, “do I make you horny, baby?”

Mixpak FM: Extreme Animals — Mix of the Week