10 Items or Fewer

It's a tiny virtual Gilligan's Island, right here inside my phone. Or perhaps my phone was having a dream on my behalf, I'm not sure.

My phone helpfully assembled a "People & Pets" gallery for me, featuring myself, my wife Jen, Luke Skywalker, 10 Items or Fewer bassist Matt Regan and harmony vocalist Rhiannon Fiskradatz, and a guy who plays in @joefaheymusic.bsky.social's band, who's very nice, but who's name I don't know. <more>

It me!

It was a pleasure once again to witness Eric’s songcraft, and the accompanying stories woven in and around them. John Timothy Saunders joined Eric on some sweet sax for a few numbers.

Make sure to check out Eric’s latest rekkid “Second Husband”!

Photos by Pope Kate Blanchard and yours truly.

Thanks to everyone who came out to see Eric Ziegenhagen with the 10 Items or Fewer Action Squad Beta trio (featuring myself, harmony singer Rhiannon Fiskradatz and guitarist Dan Gaarder) opening up! <more>

The songs have gelled in this more minimal arrangement, and– crucially in these close quarters– my deodorant held up great. Come and check out Minneapolis’ least olfactorily objectionable vocal/ guitar trio early on a.Sunday night!

Final rehearsal (with Dan and Rhiannon) of the 10 Items or Fewer Action Squad Beta trio before our Bryant Lake Bowl show on Sunday Rocktober 19th at 7 pm, opening for Eric Ziegenhagen! <more>

Bryant Lake Bowl Theater Eric Ziegenhagen returns to the Bryant Lake Bowl and the old country for the first time in forever, bringing evocative songs played on a four-string guitar that land somewhere familiar and dream-like ...

Eric Ziegenhagen with 10 Items or Fewer, Sunday Rocktober 19th, Bryant Lake Bowl Theater, 7 pm. Tickets: www.bryantlakebowl.com/theater/eric...

Eric is coming all the way from Portland for this show, and I’m coming all the way from my house. Don’t let this idyllic diptych pass you by! It’s nice and early, so even without a disco nap you can still get home at a decent hour on a school night. <more>

Hey, this is a week away (in Chicago) and a little less than that (in Minneapolis):

Bryant Lake Bowl Theater Eric Ziegenhagen returns to the Bryant Lake Bowl and the old country for the first time in forever, bringing evocative songs played on a four-string guitar that land somewhere familiar and dream-like ...

Tickets to Eric Ziegenhagen and 10 Items or Fewer at Bryant Lake Bowl on 10/19 at 7 pm: www.bryantlakebowl.com/theater/eric...

But I don’t think Thoreau knew how much fun it is to also play with a rhythm section + keys, which might be why when people talk about “Walden”, u don’t hear them list the awesome drum solos as a standout feature. I do list photos by @pablojones.bsky.social as a standout feature here, though. <more>

When Thoreau said “Simplify, simplify simplify”, I think he was referring to the practice of experimenting with quasi-acoustic renditions of songs that usually feature a rhythm section and keys. <more>

The “Action Squad Beta” trio formation of 10 Items or Fewer that you’ll see at the Bryant Lake Bowl on Sunday Rocktober 19th, opening for @eziegen, amounts to an exercise in reductive arrangement focus. <more>

The Fossil Record, by 10 Items or Fewer 13 track album

“The Fossil Record” by 10 Items or Fewer: 10itemsorfewer.bandcamp.com/album/the-fo...

Second Husband, by Eric Ziegenhagen 10 track album

“Second Husband” by Eric Ziegenhagen: ericziegenhagen.bandcamp.com/album/second...

branching out into assorted arrangement strategies that envelop country, rock, bluegrass, and synth pop– plus the occasional descent into maelstroms of warbling synths, field recordings, and variously sculpted noise. Links to both Bandcamp releases in the comments! <more>

trying unsuccessfully to banish someone from your thoughts, and a post-apocalyptic world where cockroaches dream up mythic creatures with only two arms and legs apiece. The music proceeds from a template of acoustic guitar and vocals... <more>

On 10 Items or Fewer’s “The Fossil Record”, the lyrics meander through topics like having lunch with your ex, the crash of the Russian Space Station Mir, dinosaurs, wooly mammoths, the frustration of staying the same when a friend has changed, ants in amber, Star Wars... <more>

...in which the characters dodge monsters and love each other in the same kind of dreamy haze.” <more>

...wanting to make something that matched that specific week, that place, that time of year, that moment in life. The Chicago Reader has described Ziegenhagen’s lyrics as “a sort of atmospheric poetry of extremity... <more>

Produced by Steve Albini, Ziegenhagen’s “Second Husband” features 10 songs set in a Chicago era that has moved from recent past to distant past, played on a four-string nylon-string guitar. The songs were often written for an occasion: a living-room show or a backyard party or a club... <more>

On Bandcamp Friday, Bandcamp waives its revenue share and passes the funds directly to artists & labels, which has resulted in millions of fans paying over $120 million directly to labels and musicians they love. This, in short, is your chance to give me and Eric 120 million dollars. <more>

It’s Bandcamp Friday! And while you can hear songs from both Eric Ziegenhagen and 10 Items or Fewer at the Bryant Lake Bowl on Sunday Rocktober 19th at 7 pm, today is a chance to support us directly by purchasing our music! <more>

Chicago & Minneapolis, playing two shows this month:

Sunday 10/19 at Bryant Lake Bowl (Twin Cities) with 10 Items or Fewer (trio) @10orfewer.bsky.social

Wednesday 10/22 at The Hideout (Chicago) with Shredded Sun and Leigh Stein

That's that!

Bryant Lake Bowl Theater Eric Ziegenhagen returns to the Bryant Lake Bowl and the old country for the first time in forever, bringing evocative songs played on a four-string guitar that land somewhere familiar and dream-like ...

Tickets here: www.bryantlakebowl.com/theater/eric...

Eric Ziegenhagen is fleeing antifa-ravaged Portland to bring you his songs! In Minneapolis on Sunday Rocktober 19th at Bryant Lake Bowl, you can catch the 10 Items or Fewer Action Squad Beta trio formation open for him at 7 pm .Ticket link in the replies!

2. When it comes to improvisation, the 10 Items crew has a way of digging deep to find something truly personal, truly off the beaten path— something only that person would offer. Stirring all that into the same pot is one of the many joys of this project. I’m grateful. <end>

Accordion overdubs at Cool Cat Audio on the upcoming 10 Items or Fewer album with the maestro himself, Jon Duncan!

Two things I noticed after this session:

1. Making good music happen with good people has a way of lifting one’s spirits, a boon in times like these. <more>

Bryant Lake Bowl Theater Eric Ziegenhagen returns to the Bryant Lake Bowl and the old country for the first time in forever, bringing evocative songs played on a four-string guitar that land somewhere familiar and dream-like ...

Tickets here: www.bryantlakebowl.com/theater/eric...