May 6, 2003

Only in NSPSland can an album be announced "finished" in February and not be heard of again until May. Jeremy has indeed been working on mixing Timeless Towns and Haunted Places all this time, but assures us that the album will be mastered and available to set fire to the store shelves within a month or two. Of course, he might be lying, but it's been four years, so it seems unlikely that he can drag it out any longer, eh? Interested parties can download the new versions of the same songs that have been on the page for a while in the sounds page now (don't let the fact that it looks exactly like it used to deter you, they were just added today!) In other news, the NSPS Rhythm All-Stars have some news: Aaron Leitko will probably be composing for a well-known Washington D.C. choreographer this summer, while "Furious" Joe Irvin is currently forming a band for which he will not be playing drums, but (gasp) singing! Check them out and give them some love if you like modern dance or singing drummers.

February 10, 2003

Well, it's finally finished. After three-and-a-half years of wait, new sounds from NSPS will once again torture and/or delight people's ears. Timeless Towns and Haunted Places is complete, "except for maybe a few mixing tweaks," says Jeremy Mathews. Jeremy concluded sessions with "Furious" Joe Irvin on drums and Aaron Leitko on bass during December and early January. Then, he took a much-needed break from the album to cover the Sundance Film Festival nonstop for 10 days. "I looked at the album much more positively after the break," he said. "Unfortunately, Aaron only got to play on three songs, but one of them is a really rocking 'Election Day Blues.' I did the bass for the rest of the album, but maybe Aaron can add bass to some songs if there's no real rush to release it." A numbered, limited edition CD-R version of the album may be available on this page within the month, and those who buy it will receive a pressed copy of the album if it ever becomes available. For now, a few tracks are available in the sounds page, which also features updated versions of oldies from the new Those Wacky Crazy Canadians: Definitive Lie Edition, a somewhat cleaned-up and remastered version of the NSPS classic, which will also be available on this page in a numbered, limited edition CD-R run.

November 26, 2002

The NSPS live lineup at its last two shows, opening for The Visitations with The Late B.P. Helium (formerly of Elf Power) and Of Montreal, featured a minimalist sound: Jeremy on guitar, vocals and the very occasional keyboard and "Furious" Joe Irvin pounding the skins and wood block. Those who enjoyed Nick Epperson's cello at previous shows may start crying, as Nick has gone to Vancouver-or somewhere up in that area. The next show, however, should feature Aaron Leitko, who is on his way to town to play bass on some recordings for Timeless Towns and Haunted Places. Which brings us to the exciting news: Jeremy expects to complete the much-anticipated, three-years-in-the-works album by early December, "except for a little tweaking," he says. This means the album could be for sale within ten years! (There are currently no plans to release it.) In other news, Jeremy has finished mastering a new version of Those Wacky Crazy Canadians called The Definitive Lie Edition and it should be available in a limited form shortly. "I didn't replace any instruments, but I did change some vocals and remaster the album, making it more listener-friendly but still faithful to the original, for the most part," says Jeremy.

September 9, 2002

To quiet those who think Jeremy Mathews has simply become a crazy recluse who sits in his studio's sandbox and pretends to "perfect" his work, NSPS has come out with a promo-only CD of Early Recordings from Timeless Towns and Haunted Places. The 12-song CD features samples of the new direction Jeremy is going, and will give those lucky enough to hear it a good idea of the album's sound, although about six more songs will be recorded. Since this CD's release, Jeremy finished taking down drum tracks for six songs with "Furious" Joe Irvin and is now in the process of tweaking the material. In other news, Aaron Leitko's bass won't be around for a few months, although he probably won't be touring with uber-hipsters from LA, as the previous rumors suggested. Jeremy is currently looking into temporary replacements and looks forward to Aarons return in November or December.

June 25, 2002

Jeremy has been working in the studio and rehearsing with "Furious" Joe Irvin and Aaron Leitko. The dynamic drum-and-bass duo will play on some of the new tracks on Timeless Towns and Haunted Places. You can now hear the orchestral version of "Side Effects," from earlier in the sessions, on the sounds page. In other news, "Furious" Joe's bad boy image grows with court appearances for "resisting arrest." The cops couldn't find anything on our innocent hero when his car broke down and he went to use a pay phone, but they decided they needed to book him for something because his haircut was suspect. The "Free 'Furious'" campaign is growing nationwide. Check it out.

May 15, 2002

If you hadn't noticed, the new NSPS web page is in full swing. And NSPS is currently in full swing, too, writing-wise and recording-wise. Timeless Towns and Haunted Places will soon be half done. As for the live band, now consisting of Aaron Leitko on bass, "Furious" Joe Irvin on drums, and Nick Epperson playing a mean cello on certain songs, some new shows should be announced shortly.

March 3, 2002

The phenomenon that is the NSPS live band has indeed performed in public and will indeed play more shows. To meet the band members, check out the NSPS and Friends page. When is the next show, you ask? Well, it's on:

March 21 2002 at Kilby Court Gallery, Salt Lake City, UT. Part of RED Magazine's 100th Issue Celebration. Admission is $2 and several local bands will play.

Jeremy is finally hard at work again with Timeless Towns and Haunted Places. He's even going so far as to look into buying some new instruments, including a cello and new acoustic and electric guitars. Which ones he'll actually end up purchasing is still a mystery.