the arrogants
news archive
monday,
october 17th, 2005:
slight delay on the new c.d. sorry. it's still travelling UPS ground
as i type. delayed out of the factory. please be patient until wednesday
or thursday. thanks. again, available at www.tweekitten.com
for a mere $7.50 plus shipping to your door.
in the meantime, visit one of the many blogs kind enough to post
some tracks for us. here is a list.
monday, october 10th, 2005:
our new cd -- "you've always known when best to say goodbye..."
-- will finally be available on Monday, 10/17/05, through www.tweekitten.com.
23 songs. listen to a few sample songs here.
hope you dig it.
want to help promote the arrogants? go here
to send a very friendly spam email to some of your friends and then download
a full acoustic radio session that we recorded many years ago. don't worry,
it's a nice email, nothing crazy! thanks for helping! again, send it from
here.
thursday, september 22nd, 2005:
for those of you who have been asking, the arrogants do not have
any shows scheduled. we're sorry about this. on a positive note, jana
is very pregnant with her 2nd child, so there is good reason for us not
taking the stage in the coming months.
if you haven't done so yet, check out "wishing
well" on our online singles page
here.
wednesday, september 14th, 2005:
item #1 : new website. it's been a long time coming. this is just
the basics right now. coming soon we will have -- new album info, all
lyrics, guitar tab, more mp3's, etc. right now though, you can find the
lyrics for "nobody's cool"
and "your simple beauty".
item #2 : the new c.d. is at the pressing plant. it's out of our hands.
so, whenever it comes back from them, it can go to you. some time in october
we are told.
item #3 : for months now, i've promised that our new c.d. would be sold
for $5.00. blame it on my total idealism. well, it's not going to happen,
unfortunately (i know, i'm really making a liar of myself here). because
of rising costs and overambitiousness on our parts (23 songs, dvd, etc),
the new c.d. will now sell for $7.50 plus shipping through www.tweekitten.com.
so, expect to pay $7.50 + $1.25 for shipping (USA). the original plan
was to do everything ourselves, but we would end up sending the cd's out
far too late, cause we're far too busy with normal life. so, we've decided
to go with a distributor that is totally reliable like tweekitten. forget
amazon, forget insound, forget them all, tweekitten is the best operation
in town at a still incredible price.
so, $8.75 delivered to your door (well, that's the USA price at least,
but tweekitten serves the rest of the world too, so don't despair). still
not a bad deal. trust me, we've tried our best to deliver this at the
best price imaginable. please know that it stresses us out far beyond
how much it should really stress us out. we get weird like that.
in conclusion, let me just say this... if you like the arrogants at all,
you should buy this c.d. it's our best by far. we all think it's actually
quite good and we hope that you find some songs on it that you like.
much much more soon...
- jayd
tuesday, august 2nd, 2005.
our new cd -- "you've always known when best to say goodbye" is still not finshed. the music is totally done, but we are putting the finishing touches on the artwork and accompanying dvd. realistically, it will be released end of august or early september. you will be able to buy it through here for $5.00 for the first little while after it comes out. not a bad deal really.
more news soon. thanks for your patience!
- jayd
download our first 2 cd's for free here or at our myspace page.
thursday, may 5, 2005
(this is jayd, the guitar player)
so, i'm getting married tomorrow. in spite of being inundated with the
usual list of last-minute preparations, i'm insanely excited. i feel like
my life is about to get even better. to join the fun and hear an exclusive
new arrogants track, visit our wedding website here.
the new arrogants CD will officially be released on july 4th, 2005 (unless
it gets postponed, of course). i can confirm (mainly because i've been
intimately involved with the entire project) that this CD will contain
23 tracks. yes, that's right, 23 tracks. a ton of new songs (duh) plus
some revamped oldies like "lovesick" and "another cold
morning". call us sell-outs if you will (we'll still hunt you down),
we just got caught up in the fun of it all and rerecorded some of our
faves.
i can also confirm that the CD will be exclusively available through arrogants.com
(your current location) and the first press will cost you a mere $5.00
plus $2.00 for shipping in the U.S.A. (we'll sort the rest of the world
out later, and, yes, i can say 'sort' like a Brit now, cause i'm marrying
a Canadian and that's the way they say it up there).
the CD also finally has a title - "you've always known when best
to say goodbye". read into what you will...
by the time you read this (assuming anybody ever does), i'll probably
be a married man (weird) honeymooning on the west coast of Turkey. i suppose
life could be worse...
friday april 22, 2005
in non-arrogants news:
i'm getting married two weeks from today. bizarre. i'm stoked.
in arrogants news:
1 - we need a new website. desperately. well, not desperately, this one
works for now. but, it's been far too long...
2 - the new CD (thanks primarily to steve brown) is coming along swimmingly.
end of june 2005 release date. sample songs: "i
want you". "wishing
well". many many mucho more where those are coming from. the
new CD will be availabe through arrogants.com once it is ready. expect
a very nice low price. cause we love you. whoever you are.
3 - our friend neil carnahan has been filming a documentary about the
"making of" this new CD for about two years now. this documentary
film (plus many other fine treats) will be released with the new CD as
a freebie DVD (really, we are far too nice to you). here is his website
- www.carnahanfilms.com.
to view a sample from the forthcoming arrogants documentary, click here.
4 - i think we finally have a (much needed) graphic designer to knock
out the new CD's artwork (procrastination...). i hope she works out!
if you are still bored, click
here for the old old news. or, bypass this nonsense and listen
to some tunes.
03 january 2005.
happy new year everybody. crazy. another new year is upon us and yet our
new c.d. is still not out. shocking. started rather humbly in may 2003,
it is finally approaching its finishing touches. just two more songs to
mix, then it's mastering time, then artwork, then off to the factory,
then... argh... this is still going to take forever. alas, no fear though,
it will be complete soon enough. let's put realistic estimates out there
as a release date of the 1st of may 2005. how does that sound? if you
want it faster, finance our lives so we can quit our day jobs!
about that new c.d., it's shaping up to be quite sizeable. after two short
e.p.'s, we've really opened up the floodgates. expect at least 15 new
songs, plus some rerecordings (we have an incredible drummer now so we
strapped him down and gave a few old tunes some new life).
here are two demo versions of some of the new songs (also available on
our myspace
page):
"wishing
well".
"i want
you".
in other band-related news, jeffrey's much promised child was born some
time (i'm a bad uncle) back in august. ian james mcferson. quite a looker.
and quite an eater too. his mom is keeping him healthy indeed.
here is the proud father right after birth - pic;
and ian about a day later in his first photo session - pic.
for those curious about the progress of lily belle heller (jana and steven's
kid), go to their
family website. if you are too lazy for that, here are some pictures:
lily early in
life (summer 2004).
jana pregnant.
steven being
a supportive hubby.
finally, jayd (your fearless host) is getting married. i got engaged on
december 16th, 2004. then we went to shanghai china for Christmas and
that was of course amazing, and she gave me an IPOD!(the new 60 gigger
even), so really things are quite nice in my world at the moment (and
hopefully for many moments to come). so, yeah, i fell in love. happens
to the best and worst of us even i guess. i'm a happy man.
finally, i just found this and it sounds alright - the
original recording of "nobody's cool" done in march 2002
sung by me.
happy new year.
08.18.04
not much to report from here.
jeffrey's wife is due any day now with a baby boy, as yet untitled.
here is a cover of "lovesick"
by river
from france.
the new c.d. is coming along swimmingly, it's just taking forever, thanks
to day jobs and life in general.
for pics of our last show, go here.
take it easy...
07.02.04
yes, it's true, we are playing a show. a free show no less, at a house
party in brea california, hosted by our friends. unfortunately, it's yet
another farewell party for the heller family, who are once again on the
move to the pacific northwest. click here for further
information...
06.15.04
please welcome lily belle heller into the world, the daughter of jana
and steven heller. jana is the first arrogant to bring a child into this
world. running a close second is dex (jeffrey), who's wife is about seven
months along at this point.
in music-related band news, that new cd is coming eventually. jana is
singing again now, which always helps. what we've lacked in speed this
time around, we will make over for in lack of brevity. no more EP's. this
one will take hours off of your life.
stay tuned...
05/05/04
happy cinco de mayo!
an overdue update again, but nothing too concrete to say yet.
here's what happening:
01 - jana is fiercely pregnant, jobless, and waiting at home to deliver
the next generation of hellers, a baby girl already named lily (well,
i'm not sure if the spelling is right).
02 - jeffrey's wife is likewise pregnant, although a few months behind.
a boy is in the works there.
03 - the recording of the new c.d. is also very pregnant, but nowhere
near delivery time. it's progressing, just taking time time time. it's
going to be A LOT of songs. ok? no more E.P.'s here. we're making up for
lost time. so, be patient. someday soon i'll post little samples, hints,
previews, foreshadows. you know the drill...
04 - nothing much else going on. except day jobs and new x-box sports
obsessions. it's so sad, i know...
in the meantime, if you want to hear some good new tunes, find these:
- the walkmen "the rat"
- bikini atoll "desolation highway"
- the new stills cd
- ambulance "stay where you are"
- anything by mos eisley
go to the links page for more info...
01/13/04
happy belated new year everybody! unless you are chinese, in which case
it is not yet belated, so happy chinese new year!
so, what's happening? well, here goes...
1 - jana is pregnant and soon to be a happy little mommy.
2 - we are still recording like madmen and madwoman. 15+ tracks that will
silence all those people who keep asking us when we will finally deliver
the big first full-length. please, we've only been together for almost
six years, no need to rush us on these things.
3 - as far as the imminent next release goes, expect it to sound different.
yeah, all those lovey dovey romantic arrogants feelings are still in there,
but it's a bigger sound this time around. we haven't gone rock or anything,
we've mainly just picked up an incredible drummer who now makes us play
as we should have been playing all along. as they say in snowboarding
land - "go big or go home". and that we have. aarrgghhhh.
4 - we don't have a label to release the next CD yet, so if you are personally
interested or you know somebody or whatever, get a hold of us. i'm warning
you now that it will be by far our best yet and may even include a couple
of revamped previously released numbers. we'll see what happens. we may
be desperate for the now patented not-so-hidden tracks. anyway, help us
if you can. contact us at info@arrogants.com.
but, don't come on expecting that you'll be able to charge $15.99 or some
crap like that, cause we're not buying that. i'd sooner just post all
of the MP3s for free on our website (wait, haven't we always done that
anyway?!?!?) anyway again, if you can't help us, we'll just do all the
work ourselves and force it on you, like it or not, and you will be missing
out on selling about 1,000 whopping CDs!
5 - the mighty arrogants are featured on a rather
obscure new soundtrack playing an old lutheran song called "rock
of ages" that many of you have probably sung in church over the
years. you can listen
to it for free here. go grab it. and, if you are really feeling dangerous,
listen
to the first ever recording by THE LOOSE (again a cover of a church
song), comprised of jon, dex, and jayd, the not-so-mighty mcferson brothers.
6 - the web version
of a print interview we did.
7 - some of jayd's favorite sounds
from 2003...
peace.
news archive.
09.01.03
the strangely timed indonesian conquest continues. after six suspenseful
weeks in the OZ Radio Bandung Top 40 Charts, we've slithered our way up
to the #6 slot. astonishing. honestly, it is weird.
here are the charts for you doubtful souls:
september
07 2003.
august
31 2003.
august
24 2003.
as a consequence, we've been getting a lot of emails from the asian portions
of the globe, asking about how to purchase the CDs. here's the answer:
to
order "your simple beauty", click here - shelflife.com.
to
order "nobody's cool", click here - shelflife.com.
and, if you are looking for lyrics, they are all included with the CDs.
so, if you don't know what the lyrics are, then we know for sure that
YOU ARE RIPPING US OFF!!! fortunately, we don't care, and even highly
encourage it. rape and pillage us freely...
08.21.03
just another reminder about the show at club
violaine. come join us.
here are some more reviews of "nobody's
cool".
and, thanks to a new licensing deal in indonesia and the cassette release
of "your simple beauty" there, we've slipped into the indonesia
radio top 40 at #17 this week with "let you down", just
ahead of jessica simpson, good charlotte, and sting. weird...
08.11.03
hello again. just a few items to report from here.
1. we are indeed recording and things are going incredibly smooth. better
than ever actually. but, it's going to take a long while yet.
2. for the los angeles based among you, we are playing at club
violaine again on friday august 22nd with petrocovich.
it's a special cocteau twins tribute night. see the shows
page for more information.
3. we recently did an interview for www.cornersound.com.
it's in chinese, so i have no idea what it says, but here
it is (beware, it's a HUGE file).
take it easy...
06.06.03
tons of new pictures in the pics section. if you
understand chinese, read these - review
/ interview.
studio shots from last
year and this year.
live shots from los angeles
to huntington beach.
also, the new c.d. is being recorded and we are getting radio play and
a cassette release in indonesia. for those of you who still don't want
to pay for product, shoplifters of the world unite.
05.01.03
cinco de mayo is fast approaching, so we'd like to welcome yet another
drummer and our third consecutive of latin extract. first there was lopez,
then sanchez (massive thanks to both of them) and now there is pena.
billy pena of arkham
fame has now played his first
arrogants show and is practicing and preparing to record with us.
yeah, we're going to record again. but, to quote BRIGHT EYES - "these
things take forever, i especially am slow". so, don't hold your breath,
our timeline is always painfully slow. but, if all goes well (and why
wouldn't it, right?) then we'll be recording our (not so highly) anticipated
first full-length cd. in other words, lots of songs.
in the meantime, buy "nobody's
cool". it's pretty good, trust me. it just takes a few listens
to seep into your needy soul. try it at one o'clock in the morning.
reviews of nobody's cool here.
go here for old news.
03.18.03
the arrogants will be playing a show at club violaine on friday, march
28th, 2003. go to the shows page for more information.
12.05.02
get "your simple beauty" (the first ep) on
sale for $5 now at shelflife!
10.14.02
reviews of "nobody's cool".
10.02.02
the new cd is finally out. it will not be in shops until november, so order it now at shelflife.com.
it's a CDEP called "nobody's cool",
and the tracklisting is as follows:
01. the
distance between us.
02. another cold morning.
03. the moment's
gone.
04.
feels like falling in love.
05. skyscraper.
06. the incurables.
07. words apart.
and, the last time i checked, there were a couple of other goodies thrown in there somewhere.
cd release party at 221 17th Street Huntington Beach CA on friday november 8th, 2002.
09.18.02
our show at the hub planned for friday, september 27th, is now cancelled. blame it on work and the cd not being done. our apologies for any inconvenience.
however, a replacement show and cd release party is now planned for friday, november 8th, 2002, at the hub in fullerton california. the show is free as always and all ages, so bring all your people.
we have two touring bands opening up. shelflife records labelmates the maybellines from denver colorado will go on at 9 PM followed by our friends radia from phoenix arizona at 9:45 PM.
our new cdep "nobody's cool" will be available for purchase, along with some stickers (free actually), t-shirts ($5!), and 1-inch buttons ($1!). the arrogants capitalistic merchandising machine in full swing.
08.11.02
jeffrey "dex" just got married to alison yesterday. it was an amazing day all around. massive congratulations to them.
check out some pictures of our new nephew nathan.
the cd should be out in early september. we're slow...
07.30.02
thanks to the good people at www.auralgasms.com for our new artist page.
check out "the moment's gone" from our new ep. it's old. one of the initial three songs.
07.29.02
thanks to all those who attended our show at the hub this past friday night. view the flyer here and the setlist here.
the new cd entitled "nobody's cool" is still slated for release on shelflife records at the end of august. stay tuned.
07.01.2002
alright, the new ep is finally finished. well, the music at least. expect it on the streets in august 2002 courtesy of shelflife records.
it is titled "nobody's cool"
(blame jana) and the tracklisting is as follows:
01. the distance between us
02. another cold morning
03. the moment's gone
04. feels like falling in love
05. skyscraper
06. the incurables
07. words apart
"the moment's gone", "skyscraper", and "words apart" are old arrogants songs from back in 1998. oldies. "the distance between us" and "another cold morning" were written in 1999. "feels like falling in love" and "the incurables" are fresh for 2002, never played live before.
speaking of which, we are playing in southern california at the hub in fullerton on friday july 26th with fellow shelflife artist river from france.
more info soon.
01.28.02
an update of sorts here.
the arrogants would like to welcome yet another drummer to the fold (silence those spinal tap jokes). jose sanchez is the new man of the hour. the first arrogant to have a criminal record and to have done hard time. six practices in and things sound as good as ever. new EP on deck courtesy of the always good people at shelflife records. check back in May 2002.
jana is still in spokane washington, but the band is still together. tell her how sorely missed she is.
for the bored among you, check out
jayd's best of 2001 list,
unless of course you hate the strokes, in which case you need to get over
the hype and dig the sounds. do you listen to the beatles? radiohead?
the cure? good tunes will always prevail.
12.15.01
please,
squelch the incessant and obnoxious rumors that the arrogants are no more.
i don't remember anybody
asking us if we'd broken up.
and, if you're asking now, the answer is "no".
so, now you know.
expect a new cd spring 2002.
in the meantime,
Merry Christmas to the world.
the only peace around right now may be in our hearts, but be good and
keep smiling.
and go buy somebody an unexpected and amazing present.
Merry Christmas.
05.18.01
Today is Dex's birthday. 25. Old goat.
Happy Birthday to our resident nerd.
Congratulations to Jana who was married
to Steven Heller on 05.05.01. Sadly, they are moving to Spokane, Washington.
The Arrogants future? Who knows.
I'm always one for surprises though.
We are featured on a few new compilations
coming out soon. No new material with the exception of a cool "You
Trip Me Up" cover from last summer's archives.
Check the songs page for mp3's.
"Intertwined" online CD compilation featuring "You Trip Me Up" cover from excellentonline.
"Nothing Good Will Ever Come of
This" drum version will also be featured on the
"A Boy, A Girl, and A Rendez-vous" compilation out from Red
Roses For Me.
Dex has a side project (one of many) with Steven Heller called Project IP. Amazing website. Check out their first Internet-only release on mp3.com. Beware of the extremely subtle Numan and Kraftwerk leanings.
05.01.01
Rumor has it that MTV's Undressed is playing one of our tunes. I can only imagine what's happening in that scene.
The acoustic version of "lovesick" tied for #1 song of 2000 with "Ruth Marie" by that Red House Painters guy, on the always wise and prescient War Against Silence Best Songs of 2000 list. "Unforced grace". It's always nice when someone gets it. Where do we send the check?
21.march.01
we're actually playing a gig! please come and support.
if bored, check out www.tangents.co.uk,
the best website around.
03.march.01
yo, people. jeffrey is selling
some arrogants gear.
now is your chance to get some 'arrogants technology' gear.
see the equipment list.
20.february.01
hello again. is anyone still
paying attention?
the arrogants will soon be returning to the studio.
don't hold your breath.
the acoustic version of "lovesick" tied for #1 song of the year with "ruth marie" by that red house painters guy, on the always wise and prescient War Against Silence Best Songs of 2000 list. unforced grace". it's always nice when someone gets it. where do we send the check?
still looking for further tips on what to listen to? try television ("marquee moon"), ryan adams (note -- that is not mr. summer of '69), life without buildings, low, vintage new order ("every second counts"), mahalia jackson, the donnas, comet gain... you heard it here first. or maybe not.
long live napster and free mp3's.
our's or anyone's. music is living not a living. power and
purity to the people.
03.january.01
happy new year's to all.
"Your Simple Beauty" was the #6 best-seller on the www.tweekitten.com Top Sellers
for 2000. We are thrilled and only slightly perturbed to be
edged out by the devious StunGun
in the #5 slot!
03.novemeber.00
(latest transmissions)
hello all. fairly dormant period lately with dex going to england and
jon and jayd headed to japan.
please check out the shows list and support
some cool upcomings shows with stungun and
jason sweeny of sweet william fame coming all the way from australia.
if we're lucky, we'll be hitting the studio again for another e.p. very
soon. fingers crossed.
anything special you'd like to hear
on the next release?
the tyranny of gush and bore cannot destroy the arrogants democracy. feedback
is welcome.
in the absence of any exciting news,
if you are looking for something new to listen to, here are jayd's latest
obsessions:
sigur ros. icelandic spacey bliss. www.sigur-ros.com.
gorgeous.
coldplay. you should know this by now. www.coldplay.com.
broadcast. somewhat stoic but it connects. www.broadcast.uk.net. check out extended play two. amazing
live.
godspeed you black emperor. www.brainwashed.com/godspeed.
instrumental. captivating.
teenage fanclub. www.teenagefanclub.com.
i'm always a sucker for hooks and melodies. new cd out now.
alright. that's enough. just trying
to help. peace out. jayd.
08.24.00
yet another band roster move.
steven lopez is welcomed as the arrogants new drummer.
original drummer jon mcferson moves to bass guitar.
07.05.00
apparently "lovesick" was
played once again by steve lamacq on bbc radio one in the UK.
07.04.00
be forewarned, the arrogants have recently
been invited on to many compilations, including the following:
1 - "lovesick" will be appearing on a compilation of california
pop bands to be released in japan on the contact records label (http://home9.highway.ne.jp/contact/)
2 - "smile lines" will be appearing on an indiepop compilation
by morgan leah records out of oregon (http://www.eskimo.com/~moogle/teatime/)
3 - "costa rica" will be appearing on the "summerpop"
compilation being put out by planting seeds records out of virginia
(Neil DelParto c/o Planting Seeds Records, PO Box 64665, Virginia Beach,
VA 23467 USA)
we also have the following tentative
invites to do tunes for cover compilations
(no guarantees to these ever materializing!!!):
1 - "you trip me up" for a Planting Seeds Records Jesus and
Mary Chain tribute compilation
2 - "stanlow" by OMD for a shelflife records "pretending
to see the future" OMD tribute compilation (www.shelflife.com)
to read an interview with jayd, click
here!
thanks to joe's musical circus!
for updated reviews of the arrogants, click here!
for a look at the arrogants bio page, click here!
06.30.00
next big news is that "lovesick" was played on the steve lamacq show on bbc radio one in england. yeah. dreams do come true. many thanks to janny for the hook ups and constant faith. people like her make all the gear-carrying and general hassles of being in a band completely worthwhile.
peace.
old news as follows...
the cdep "your simple beauty"
is still available online at the following locations:
in the USA:
www.tweekitten.com
http://members.aol.com/littleprints/alphabet.htm
www.clairecords.com
roundabout pop
pal mailorder
in the UK:
boa melody
bar or email
read the first reviews here.
if you want to post a review, send it to info@arrogants.com.
we will post all, good or bad, as long as they are sincere, not random
heckling.
if you have any problems purchasing the c.d., please write us at info@arrogants.com.
the "your simple beauty" cdep track listing is as follows:
01. let you down
02. smile
lines
03.
lovesick
04. costa rica
05. will you notice when i'm gone
06. nothing good
will ever come of this
vinyl stickers are also available.
5.5" width by 2.14" height.
black background with the arrogants name/logo in white.
trust me, they look really cool.
in the USA, 3 for $1 plus stamp.
elsewhere, write us.
the arrogants address is:
the arrogants
1514 shasta way, placentia, california, 92870, usa.
visit the arrogants webpage courtesy of shelflife
records:
the
arrogants on shelflife