Mortimer Nova
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| Mortimer Nova | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Tampa, Florida, United States |
| Genre(s) | Indie rock Emo rock Acoustic rock |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar Vocals Piano Bass Harmonica Drums |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Label(s) | Depressing Music |
| Website | www.mortimernova.com |
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Mortimer Nova is the current brainchild of former Halfway There frontman Myke Vilches. It can best be described as sad/angry/folk and is the culmination of years of playing music, now reaching the ending stages in a long musical journey. The music acts as flowed stoytelling without the poetic rhyme. Mortimer Nova is driven by an acoustic guitar and vocal harmonys. Live shows are few and far between these days.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] Formation and Debut
The band formed in Tampa, Florida in 2003. Vilches had already been playing solo shows for some time and decided to bring along 2 more members full-time. Prior to that he had taken on guitarist Steve Martinez, formerly the drummer from Irrate. Currently, Mortimer Nova is again in the reforming stages as lead guitarist A Verastegui moved to Jacksonville in May of 2008.
[edit] You Only Hurt The Ones You Love...
In 2003, the band recorded the album "You Only Hurt The Ones You Love and the Others Even More" at Caulkhead Productions studio and was recorded by Salvatore Monella. It was a soft recording featuring Vilches on guitar and vocals, Monella and Vilches on percussion and included Nathan Land on the harmonica. This was the first album recorded under the Mortimer Nova name and set the standard for what the rest of the career of the band's sound would follow. Originally the album was only set to have 13 tracks with an EP following shortly after the release but Vilches decided to combine the 2 albums shortly before the release.
[edit] 12 Long Hours
The bands next album "12 Long Hours" was recorded in 2004 but could not be classified as the second album as it was never released. After recording the tracks for it, Vilches decided to merge this album with the first release, increasing the track count to 19. The tracks were recorded with a rougher sound and 2 of the tracks were old Halfway There songs that Vilches and former band mate Brad Dipietro had recorded. The combined albums end on the track "Luna and the Silver Sunset", the band's first suicide ballad. This would be the first in a long-chain of controversial topics Vilches would write songs about.
[edit] Medium
"Medium" was claimed as the bands second album and was released in 2004. By this point Vilches had set up his own portable recording studio and had stopped working at his job for 5 months to write and record the album. Vilches sunk into a state of uncontrolled substance abuse during this time and wrote what he considers his finest album. Song topics ranged from heroin and overdosing to spousal abuse to abortion.
[edit] Drive In
The next album, "Drive In" was a mold breaking album as Vilches experimented more with effects, pedals, and bows. It was scheduled to be released in 2005 but this 5 track EP never made it to release as the half-finished recordings were all lost due to a hardware malfunction during the recording process. These tracks would later be featured on "The Diary of Valerie Hutchinson".
[edit] Interstate
Vilches' next solo album, "Interstate" was released in 2005 briefly but not to the public. The entire album, including artwork and photographs, was a combination of Vilches' likes and dislikes. The songs included on the album were all covers of other favorite artists including Pedro the Lion, The Appleseed Cast and Elliott Smith. Vilches made the decision to get rid of even the master recordings as he never wanted to be considered a cover artist.
[edit] The Diary of Valerie Hutchinson
Incomplete
[edit] If You Shoot For the Stars...
Released in early 2006, the album fully titled "If You Shoot For The Stars and You Fall Short, At Least You Still Made It Into Space" was the last solo album recorded by Vilches. By this point A Verastegui was already recording with Vilches and can be heard on guitar parts throughout some of the album. The album was comprised of all one-time recordings and scratch tracks as Vilches decided to do a one time recording on all these tracks because there was more focus on the upcoming album, "Terminal" which would feature a full band.
[edit] Terminal
In late 2006, Mortimer Nova recorded it's 5th album. This was the first album recorded as a full band and included Vilches and A Verastegui on guitar and vocals and D Verastegui on drums and percussion. By this point, the band was living together in Tampa. The album was recorded at their home in Tampa and was mastered by A Verastegui.
[edit] The Future
Vilches has gone on record stating the future of Mortimer Nova is unclear and that it may regress once again into a solo project. Currently Vilches is back working with Dipietro (former Halfway There) on their new project, Vondoway Drive.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- 2003 - You Only Hurt The Ones You Love and the Others Even More
- 2004 - Medium
- 2005 - The Diary of Valerie Hutchinson
- 2006 - If You Shoot For the Stars and You Fall Short, At Least You Still Made It Into Space
- 2006 - Terminal
[edit] Track Lists
- You Only Hurt The Ones You Love and the Others Even More
| Track | Song |
|---|---|
| 01 | "bearded lady" |
| 02 | "just like water" |
| 03 | "bitter bite" |
| 04 | "to pass the time" |
| 05 | "tuesday night mixers" |
| 06 | "sweater birth" |
| 07 | "up on trial" |
| 08 | "confessions of an armenian late bloomer" |
| 09 | "turtle burp" |
| 10 | "ice sculpture" |
| 11 | "be fri" |
| 12 | "st ends" |
| 13 | "going home" |
| 14 | "frequent changes" |
| 15 | "3 steps" |
| 16 | "harmonious imblance" |
| 17 | "cant find her" |
| 18 | "last of the mermaids" |
| 19 | "luna and the silver sunset" |
- Medium
| Track | Song |
|---|---|
| 01 | "the last time youll say goodbye" |
| 02 | "ayane" |
| 03 | "pair of threes" |
| 04 | "the atrium" |
| 05 | "beware of the leopard" |
| 06 | "caught with a smoking gun" |
| 07 | "familiarity" |
| 08 | "caligulas senate" |
| 09 | "dicembre più difettoso" |
| 10 | "diagonals of the pawn" |
| 11 | "hide" |
| 12 | "arthur digby sellers" |
| 13 | "contingent upon failure" |
| 14 | "deliberation" |
| 15 | "the right time for the wrong question" |
| 16 | "the plantation" |
- The Diary of Valerie Hutchinson
- If You Shoot For the Stars and You Fall Short, At Least You Still Made It Into Space
- Terminal
