photo by Steve Naccarato
Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Each and every Friday we offer songs by local artists. Today’s selection, featured on the Morning Show with John Richards, is “Seer” by Motopony from the self-released, self-titled album.
Motopony’s Daniel Blue is a subversive character in Tacoma’s tight-knit music scene. It could be because he didn’t start his musical career until the ripe old of 27 (previously he had his creative energies focused on becoming a fashion designer) or it could be that he was a contributing writer to a Tacoma-based blog where he publicly shared his thoughts on the milieu of Tacoma’s art scene. The first lines of today’s song “Seer” echo the audacity inherent in someone who is able to invoke such strong reactions in people.
I am a sinner, baby, I am a deceiver.
I am so selfish and so proud.
There is no question about my need to be delivered.
I’ll never get in if I’m afraid of coming out.
But it’s not as if Daniel Blue doesn’t have any friends or fans in this new incarnation of himself. He played some of his first songs in the home he shared with other creative and scholarly types which they affectionately dubbed “the warehouse” that also spawned members of The Nightgowns (when they were still The Elephants) and Paris Spleen among others. He also won the respect and eventual collaboration with Seattle hip-hop producer Buddy Ross who started out as a producer for Motopony but quickly became a contributor and eventually a fully-fledged band member. He also helped define Motopony’s sound as Blue started out much more as a folk artist than anything else. Now with Ross’ contributions (he also mixed the album in The Panther Palace), Motopony’s music flows effortlessly between the genres of soul, funk, rock, and folk much like Seattle’s Animals at Night. (Ironically, Blue worked with AAN’s Graig Markel, along with Barton Carroll, on a batch of songs that were temporarily set aside because they weren’t following the same trajectory.)
There aren’t any upcoming Motopony shows to tell you about (according to their MySpace page) so here’s a video of Daniel Blue performing “Alcoholic”:
12 Comments
-- a couple notes, “Seer” is off the debut “self-titled, self released” record from 09, not “all the pleasures of the world, on chapter music”, and it was mixed by Buddy Ross in The Panther Palace.
Motopony is fabulous! Seer is a wonderful song.
is this a joke? not pretty.
more notes:
Lyrics correction:
“there is no question, mama, need to be delivered”
Credits correction:
Graig Markel engineered two songs on the Motopony album “wake up” and “vetiver”, both songs were produced by Barton Carroll and recorded at Graig’s own Recovery Room Studios.
Correction:
Daniel Blue has been subverting tight knights his whole damn life.
Thanks to KEXP for helping this band to shine.
Motopony will play at The Rendevouz on March 27th with Luminol and Deepsleep Narcotics
Wow. If this person is representative of the music, fashion, and blog writing in Tacoma, I feel sorry for that city as a whole.
This is what the podcast is all about. Great song, decent album. Thanks for introducing me to them!
I really love this song.
So good live! They have put on a great show.
Seer is not the band’s best in my opinion. I feel like the song of the day should be one of the bands best songs...thats all. I like King of Diamonds. pop juice.yum
Great song! The new Motopony album is one of the best things I’ve heard in the last year. Thanks KEXP for the discovery.
Daniel started writing when he was just 13. Even then his lyrics were striking and fresh. He really is from another planet. I snagged some of his early words and had the good sense to not return them. Someday I’ll put them in a museum. Or maybe sell them for a shitload of money. Thanks dan