Exclusive EP premiere of ‘Charlie No-Face’ by Michael James Tapscott, out December 15th, 2023 via Royal Oakie Records.

‘Charlie No-Face’ is the new EP by Michael James Tapscott, featuring contributions from Ed Askew, Aux Meadows, and Jeff Moller, in addition to contributions from longtime collaborators Raphi Gottesman, Isaac Edwards, David Glasebrook, and Josh Housh. The EP dives into MJT’s archives, serving to celebrate a productive year that saw the release of new full length album ‘The Beasts of History’ in May of 2023.

Comprising the EP are two outtakes and a reimagined track from ‘The Beasts of History,’ as well as an unreleased instrumental song recorded in Nashville. Notably, ‘Police Patrol the Border’ features vocals from psych-folk legend Ed Askew, ‘Cheap Hotel Reprise’ features a collaboration with ambient-country brethren Aux Meadows, and ‘Michael In Nashville’ features a collaboration with labelmate Jeff Moller.

<a href="https://michaeljtapscott.bandcamp.com/album/charlie-no-face">Charlie No-Face by Michael James Tapscott</a>

Michael James Tapscott discusses the songs appearing on the EP.

‘Michael in Nashville’
This song was composed and recorded on location to mark the occasion of my annual trip to Nashville to visit Jeff Moller. In the spirit of Paul McCartney’s ‘Ram,’ composition and instrumentation were kept swift and breezy.

‘Charlie No-Face’
My old friend and collaborator, Isaac Edwards, sent me a link to a Thrillist article about the Glowing Green Man aka Charlie No-Face of Western Pennsylvania. He thought it was the type of melancholy parish pump I might enjoy. It was the story of Raymond Robinson, whose horrific childhood trauma had to be borne out as an ostracized adult, as a monster for other’s amusement. I asked Isaac to help compose a coda as Philip Glass did for Paul Simon on “The Late Great Johnny Ace” from Hearts and Bones.

‘Police Patrol the Border’
Taking a blind chance, I asked Ed Askew if he would sing on one of my tunes. I sent him a rough mix of ‘Police Patrol the Border’ with no instructions. In a week, he sent me tracks. Ed is one of my favorite artists of all time and would be a legend based on the reputation of his 1968 psych-folk classic Ask the Unicorn alone, but it is his perseverance as an artist and his later work that resonates most with me. It was an honor of a lifetime to have Ed sing this track. It is a spooky song and his gravitas was needed.

‘Donner Lake Village’
The average price for a room is $124 per night.

‘Cheap Hotel Reprise’
From the moment I saw the name Aux Meadows, I knew I would love these guys. A more earnest and eager triumvirate cannot be found in our little Bay Area music community. They are a breath of fresh air, and, thus, bring the perfect sound to revitalize and recontextualize what has become a setlist standard for the MJT band. Aux Meadows may not have invented ambient country, but they are some of its better angels.

The EP was mixed and mastered by David Glasebrook (Sam Burton, Credit Electric, Spencer Cullum), who also produced four of the tracks, with Jeff Moller helming production on ‘Michael In Nashville’.

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