Jump to content

Mortimer Nova

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Mortimernova (talk | contribs) at 12:57, 8 January 2014. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Mortimer Nova
Mortimer Nova Album "Terminal"
Mortimer Nova Album "Terminal"
Background information
OriginTampa, Florida, United States
GenresIndie rock
Acoustic rock
Shoegaze
Instrument(s)Guitar
Vocals
Piano
Bass
Harmonica
Drums
Other/Etc.
Years active2002–present
LabelsN/A
Websitewww.mortimernova.com

Mortimer Nova is an experimental indie / indietronic group fronted by former Halfway There drummer/guitarist/vocalist Michael Vilches based out of the Tampa Bay area in Florida. Early Mortimer Nova began as a solo indie-folk project. Over the years, the band has acquired more musicians that have come and gone but Vilches has always remained in the band. The bands particular brand of music acts as flowed stoytelling without any poetic rhyme. Mortimer Nova uses an effected acoustic guitar, multi-vocal harmony, synthesized/sampled noise and a drum kit.[1]

Biography

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 on 2 more members full-time to add a full band sound including Andrew Verastegui on lead guitar and Diego Verastegui on drums. Prior to that he had taken on guitarist Steve Martinez, formerly the drummer of Irrate. Mortimer Nova reformed in 2009 as lead guitarist A Verastegui left the band in May 2008. During August 2009, the band reformed with old drummer D Verastegui and Eric Hanson, formerly of Irrate and Faded Nimbus.[2] Mortimer Nova ended in 2010 with the lineup of Vilches and D Verastegui. In November 2013, Mortimer Nova became active again on the website SoundCloud and ReverbNation" by announcing upcoming shows.[3]

The Diary of Valerie Hutchinson

In 2003, the band recorded the album "The Diary of Valerie Hutchinson" (originally titled "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. 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 and it was released as a 17 song disc.

12 Long Hours

The band's next album "12 Long Hours" was recorded in 2004 but was never released. After recording the tracks for it, Vilches decided to merge this album with the first release, increasing the track count to 17. The tracks were recorded intentionally with a low-fi sound and 2 of the tracks were old Halfway There songs that Vilches and former band mate Brad Dipietro had written.

Medium

"Medium" was released as the band's second album in 2004. By this point Vilches had started doing all his own recording and spent the next 6 months recording the album. While playing many of the newly written/recorded tracks live, Vilches would destroy instruments while on stage typically acoustic guitars. Salvatore Monella of River Chicken referred to Vilches as the "Pete Townshend of acoustic folk" on the band's website.[4]

Drive In

The next album, "Drive In" was a mold breaking album as Vilches experimented more with effects, pedals, and violin bows. It was scheduled to be released in 2005 but 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 be re-recorded years later with a full band for the full length album, "Terminal".

Interstate

Vilches' next solo album, "Interstate" was released in 2005 briefly before Vilches stopped production and destroyed the masters. 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..[5]

If You Shoot for the Stars...

Released in 2005, the third 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 composed entirely of 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.

Terminal

In late 2006, Mortimer Nova recorded its 4th 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. The band had moved in together in a townhouse in Tampa, Florida while recording the album. The album was mastered by A Verastegui.

Terrible The Fish Has Drowned

The band reformed briefly in 2009 to record a 5th studio album. Eric Hanson joined D Verastegui and Vilches to record a 10 song full length album titled "Terrible The Fish Has Drowned". The album features strong psychedelic overtones and uses a lot of soundscapes. The band broke up during the final mix of the tracks but Vilches still released the album the same year.

Band Reformation

After a 3 year hiatus, in November 2013, show dates were announced on multiple websites for Mortimer Nova.

Listener Reviews

"Recommended album if you like any of the following bands: The Lumineers, Radiohead, Grizzly Bear (band), Ugly Casanova, Pinback, Elliott Smith, The Flaming Lips, Wolf Parade, Ruby Suns, Of Montreal, Fleet Foxes, The Dodos, Blonde Redhead, Sunny Day Real Estate, The Black Heart Procession, Apples in Stereo, Modest Mouse, Pedro the Lion, The Appleseed Cast."

Discography

Year Title Notes
2003 The Diary of Valerie Hutchinson Debut album
  1. "Bearded Lady"
  2. "Just Like Water"
  3. "Bitter Bite"
  4. "To Pass the Time"
  5. "Tuesday Night Mixers"
  6. "Sweater Birth"
  7. "Up on Trial"
  8. "Turtle Burp"
  9. "Ice Sculpture"
  10. "Be Fri"
  11. "St. Ends"
  12. "Going Home"
  13. "Frequent Changes"
  14. "3 Steps"
  15. "Harmonious Imbalance"
  16. "Can't Find Her"
  17. "Luna and the Silver Sunset"
Year Title Notes
2004 Medium Second album
  1. "The Children's Crusade"
  2. "Beware of the Leopard"
  3. "Familiarity"
  4. "Caligula's Senate"
  5. "Hide"
  6. "Last Call"
  7. "Deliberation"
  8. "The Right Time for the Wrong Question"
  9. "Fluid Complacement"
  10. "Sieves"
  11. "Parachute"
Year Title Notes
2005 If You Shoot For the Stars and You Fall Short, At Least You Still Made It Into Space Third album; last solo album
  1. "The Secret Life of Mark Bristow"
  2. "Following the Interview"
  3. "Monument"
  4. "Skinned Knees"
  5. "To Connect"
  6. "The Impact"
  7. "Plastic Coating"
  8. "The Acrobat"
  9. "Replica"
  10. "To Reflect"
  11. "To Inject"
  12. "Declaration"
  13. "Afterthought of Grievance"
Year Title Notes
2006 Terminal Fourth album; first recording with full band
  1. "The Bully"
  2. "Piper of Rats"
  3. "Dicembre Piu Difettoso"
  4. "Revenge of Dona Maria"
  5. "Diagonals of the Pawn"
  6. "Last of the Mermaids"
  7. "Pair of Threes"
  8. "Last Time You'll Say Goodbye"
  9. "Ayane"
  10. "Suspect Fled the Scene"
  11. "Caught With a Smoking Gun"
Year Title Notes
2009 Terrible The Fish Has Drowned Fifth album; full band album
  1. "Contingent Upon Failure"
  2. "Arthur Digby Sellers"
  3. "Root and Stem"
  4. "The Unsuspecting Glass Man"
  5. "Suffering the White Hand"
  6. "The Plantation"
  7. "The Many Faces Of Ariel"
  8. "Ensemble"
  9. "The Atrium"
  10. "The Second To Last Time"

References

  1. ^ "Mortimer Nova on Last.fm".
  2. ^ "Faded Nimbus on Blue Distortion".
  3. ^ "Mortimer Nova 2014 shows".
  4. ^ "Salvatore Monella on Mortimer Nova".
  5. ^ "Michael Vilches on Mortimer Nova".
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mortimer_Nova&oldid=589763053"