stubbadub

UMLAUT LAUNCH DEBUT S/T ALBUM AT THE EAST BRUNSWICK CLUB, JUNE 7

Bär McKinnon, former sax player from San Francisco’s seminal Mr. Bungle, is primed and ready to bring his specific brand of cartoonish, pop inspired tunes to the world with his new Melbourne-based outfit: Umlaut.

Featuring the radio single, Atlas Face, co-written and performed by former Mr. Bungle front man and music heavyweight Mike Patton (Faith No More, Fantômas, Peeping Tom, Tomahawk), Umlaut’s debut selt-titled album is whimsical, eccentric, dark and nothing you’ve ever heard before.

Umlaut launch their debut album on June 7 at the East Brunswick club with support from The Barons of Tang and An Easier Question. Entry price is $15.

www.myspace.com/umlautbarmckinnon

“…Easily his [Bär McKinnon’s] best work yet. Commendable.” – 4/5, Time Off

“It’s all here – dark ambience, metal guitars, shiny pop, cartoonish diversions, exotica, even Mike Patton.” – The Dwarf

Umlaut’s debut self-titled will be available now through AmpHead Music in Australia and The Orchard internationally, and is available now through Amazon.

Recently I had the pleasure of chatting to Bär McKinnon. The interview covers everything from where Kitty Puppy got its title, to Umlaut’s origins and Bär’s thoughts on a Mr Bungle reunion and their unreleased music; along with some great insights into the Bungle dynamic.

If you’re yet to hear the Umlaut album, you’re about to be converted. Atlas Face, Kitty Puppy and Work Truck all feature in this comprehensive interview. A word of warning, there is 29 minutes of audio here, so settle in and get comfy!

The interview is available for download here (megaupload: RAW WAV: 164.12 MB) (mp3 version on rapidshare here)

A shorter version was aired on my radio show but this is the full interview, so enjoy – another Stubbadub exclusive!

Thanks to everyone who entered, I wish I could give all of you guys a copy of the album (cos it rocks). Unfortunately I only have three though. I picked the winners using a random number generator and they are:

1. Kapusi Gábor
2. Paul Wright
3. Derek Lavery

I will contact you for your address info via email and get them off to you this week. Congrats!

For anyone that didn’t win and is still keen to get a hold of the album, the physical album is available on amazon now as well as the mp3 version.

If you’ve been hanging to hear Bar’s new Umlaut album, now you can. Check it out on Amazon.

Entries for the win an Umlaut album competition are slowing down so I will be picking the winners out of a hat over the next couple of days and will announce them on here soon. G’luck!

To celebrate the release of Bar McKinnon’s Umlaut’s self titled debut album, Stubbadub has three copies to give away!

To enter, answer correctly the three Bar related questions below and post the Umlaut album iTunes badge somewhere on the interwebs and supply the location of the badge below.

Posting the Umlaut iTunes should be fairly easy as most people have access to a blog/website/forum etc nowdays. If you are struggling to find somewhere to post the Umlaut iTunes badge, just post a link back to this post and supply the location below.

I will choose three entries randomly as winners. Please enter only once. I will announce the winners in a couple of weeks depending on the amount of entrants I receive. You will be contacted by email if you are successful.

The code to post:


Bar McKinnon's Umlaut on [block]1[/block]

It should look like this:
Bar McKinnon’s Umlaut on

cforms contact form by delicious:days

Much thanks to Sarah at Amphead Music for supplying the Umlaut albums and of course thanks to Umlaut.

Any problems or questions please contact stubbadub with your enquiry

UPDATE: Sorry the third Bar related question was published as ST and is meant to read DV. It’s fixed now.

Guys go grab a copy of Umlaut’s new ST Debut. It has hit the aussie streets as of Feb 14 and is a must have!

Stay tuned to stubbadub, I might be able to get my hands on a copy to give away in the coming week.

“Bar McKinnon, former sax player from San Francisco’s seminal Mr. Bungle, is primed and ready to bring his specific brand of cartoonish, pop inspired tunes to the world with his new Melbourne-based outfit: Umlaut. Playing like a film score, Umlaut is a mix of Burt Bacharach infused pop set in a cartoon-like world. The offbeat tunes fuse saxophone, flute and keyboards with more traditional rock guitars, an appealing mix that is quirky, energetic and beautiful.”

Umlaut Myspace

The artwork for the upcoming Umlaut debut album, due to hit aussie stores February 14 and worldwide in March. Yay!

“Umlaut will be supporting The Melvins in a killer show happening 27th Jan at The Ding Dong Lounge in Melbourne.
While on tour with Fantomas, Buzz and Dale thought a Melbourne Melvins show was in order- with Fantomas’ Trevor Dunn on the bass!
Umlaut are proud to support The Melvins as they perform their classic album, Houdini in full!

Sweet! It’s sold out! 2nd Melbourne show on sale now! www. dingdonglounge. com. au”

………and should be out November 9.

This interview appeared recently in melbourne streetpress.

Can you please give us your name, name of your band, and instrument you play? Bär McKinnon. My band’s name is Umläut. I play saxophone, flute and keyboards.

What do you think is your band’s greatest strength? The way my hair competes too much with my face.

What was your worst gig ever and why? Florence, Italy. Mr Bungle’s Disco Volante tour. Mid-way through Desert Search for Techno Allah the power cut out and we all ran off stage, while Danny, (Bungle’s drummer) kept on playing. It was pretty painful. We went to the bar and ended up handing out our entire rider to the people in the front…overall it was a cool gig just a bit…uncomfortable.

If you could time travel back to any gig in history which would it be and why? Van Halen at the US festival ’83.

What movie do you think your music would best accompany and why? Something by Woody Allen….? An Elvis film set in Hawaii? Why, you ask? Why not.

What are your plans for the immediate future? And the rest of the year? Cleaning out the roof gutters. And putting out an album in September.

What is your favourite song lyric and why? I love Faxed Head’s Bring the Dead Boy Peace- “I didn’t know the dead boy But I placed a bouquet of spirulina on his grave”.

LCD Sound System have a great track called North American Scum, “I hate the feeling when you’re looking at me that way, cuz we’re North Americans, but if we act all shy, it’ll make it ok.” Being an ex-pat, I feel pretty self conscious living here sometimes, I can relate.

Flight of the Conchords- “You’re so beautiful, like a tree.”

Favourite “pick me up for a big night” drink? High grade Peruvian cocaine.

Favourite hangover cure? High grade Peruvian cocaine.

More on Bar and Umlaut: www.myspace.com/umlautbarmckinnon

“Umläut will hit the stage with jazz punks, Sex on Toast and New York composer David Shea for a night of pop experimentation that for the first time sees Bär McKinnon and David Shea on the same bill since they appeared on Mr Bungle’s seminal debut album. Not to be missed. Friday 13th June and The Evelyn, Brunswick St, Fitzroy.”