Cactuses



Cactuses is the 58th James rabbit album. It was released in February, 2011.

Track listing
For Lowell George
 * 1) Spikes on Everything
 * 2) Glimmer on Down
 * 3) Mysteries Alive
 * 4) Lonesome Scattered Me
 * 5) Summer in the Snow
 * 6) Ghost in Grey
 * 7) Blue Mountain
 * 8) Breakers
 * 9) Mojave Desert
 * 10) The Singing & Swimming of Nature Around Me
 * 11) Everybody in the Water



Recording
Cactuses was recorded in the music room of the Crystal Palace in Santa Cruz, CA. Audiofauna, a local string quartet, lived a block away at the time and walked over to contribute. During a lunch break, Drew spotted Mr. Hedge, the 2006 International Musical Saw Champion, playing in downtown Santa Cruz and asked him to come over that night to record a solo on "Blue Mountain."

Personnel
Songs written by John Tyler Martin with instrumental input from James Rabbit Band

Recorded by Tyler Martin with technical assistance from Drew Stoeckel and Conner Martin

Strings arranged by Max Bennett-Parker

Mixed by Drew Stoeckel in the basement of the Crystal Palace

Mastered by Rafael Carmany in Fresno, CA

Artwork by Dorota Szuta

John Tyler "Willin'" Martin – vocals, guitar

Conner Scot "Rock and Roll Doctor" Martin – drums

Max "Roll 'em Easy" Bennett-Parker – piano, vocals

Drew "Dixie Chicken" Stoeckel – bass

Spencer Owen – drums on "Mysteries Alive," "Breakers," and "The Singing & Swimming of Nature Around Me," drum machine, shaker, guitar on "Everybody in the Water"

Dorota Szuta – violin, vocals

Chris Lynch – violin

Alexis Hawks – vello

Andrew Marine – double bass

Nessie – vocals on "Mysteries Alive"

Lindsay Olsen – vocals on "Glimmer on Down"

Kenneth Piekarski – trombone solo on "Spikes on Everything"

Mr. Hedge – saw on "Blue Mountain"

Crystal Palace animals – Artichoke (little dog), Tyler (little snake), Tyler (big snake), Ebay (fish), Bruce (fish), Petey (big dog) and all the proud rats



"Ghost in Grey" music video
James Rabbit filmed a music video for "Ghost in Grey" starring Jamie Burkart at and around the Crystal Palace (serving as two different locations) and featured a bunch of James Rabbit's friends, housemates, and bandmembers. It was shot and edited by Drew Stoeckel. Because they ended up with so much extra footage, the unreleased James Rabbit song "That's Why She's Sad" was inserted midway through "Ghost in Grey" to accomodate an extended sequence of Jamie, as a farmer, shaving his face with a kitchen knife.



Just Jokes Tour
In early 2011, James Rabbit toured in support of Cactuses with Seattle-based sister-band Iji. They passed through Canada, Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Colorado, Utah, Montana and Idaho. The lineup included Tyler, Conner, Max and Drew with Dylan McKeever on guitar and Jamie Burkart, who sang and controlled an elaborate lighting setup that he'd built out of coffee cans.