Cotton Jones 'Rio Ranger EP' album

2009 has already turned out to be a banner year for Cotton Jones, the recording alias for Michael Nau and Whitney McGraw. What began as an early experimental outlet following the demise of Page France has grown into a fully cohesive songwriting, recording and touring entity. Their sun-soaked brand of psychedelia took them across the country in several directions during the first half of 2009, capped off by an appearance at Bonnaroo, and the band is set to hit the road again with upcoming performances at Colorado's Monolith Festival and Austin City Limits.

To coincide with the band's upcoming fall tour, On September 8th, 2009 Quite Scientific Records will release a brand new five song set of Cotton Jones material, the Rio Ranger EP. This collection of sweeping AM Radio style singalongs will be delivered to the world in less than mechanical fashion via limited edition hand-made Art-Books. Rio Ranger is the third in a set of three such books dating back to the first ever Cotton Jones material, released in 2007 under the band's original moniker The Cotton Jones Basket Ride. Only 1000 of copies the Rio Ranger EP will be made available for purchase. Each book will contain original illustrations in addition to a compact disc featuring fully unreleased tracks recorded while the band was touring this year in support of their debut full-length, Paranoid Cocoon, out now on Suicide Squeeze Records.

Though the books will be limited in quantity, a free mp3 of the new song "Where You Stop For a Minute" is currently being offered at the Quite Scientific webstore (store.quitescientific.com ... now taking pre-orders!). It is perhaps the most inherently autobiographical Cotton Jones track to date, telling the story of the band's early 2009 endeavors leading up to their full-length debut and first national tour. Below is an excerpt from Michael about the recording of the EP in general, and about this track in particular:

"...I guess, from an outside perspective, the start and completion of the EP was pretty abnormal, yet oddly comfortable for the 2 of us. We moved to Michigan in hopes of completing an EP, as well as get started on the next full length. neither happened at that time. We rented a moving van, stuffed our gear, furniture, and other moldy belongings into 15 inches worth of budget truck, and moved into a house with no lease, an inch of frost on the inside of its windows, no window on the front door, and just enough room for a futon on the front porch. Whitney, Todd, and I lived there for 2 months - set up a small studio in the back room, which was covered in wood panel, and was discovered to be the coldest room in the house (it was late January - we've experienced snow in MD, but Michigan is where it snows on top of yesterdays snow every day, it seemed), set the tape machine next to the refrigerator, and the drum set next to the trash can. We soon were off course. I began having panic attacks. I boxed up all of our belongings, and nailed blankets over each of the windows. I didn't want anyone to see in - not even the sun. We stayed there, sitting cross-legged in the middle of the living room, only leaving for food. Soon came a cat to the front porch. I'd fill a bowl with milk each morning, and filled his belly with tuna. He'd scratch on the door... I'd open, of course, and he'd left me a pre-chewed mouse on the door step. Slowly, he worked his way into the house, for good. I was a push over, and by the end we all were. 2 months passed, and the rest of the band came and stayed for 3 weeks, as we prepared for tour. At this time, our bus was being converted to run on veggie oil, in the street in front of the house. To shorten an otherwise stretched story, we eventually left for tour. But, not before stuffing our things into a storage unit, and attempting to take Don (the cat) to Cleveland, and so on. Don didn't want to tour. So, Whitney and I eventually retrieved our things from Michigan, and spent a period of homelessness making this EP in a mobile way. I miss that Cat, and I miss Michigan."

Cotton Jones tour dates
9/9/2009 Rock Island, IL Huckleberry' w/ Frontier Ruckus
9/10/2009 Omaha, NE The Waiting Room w/ Frontier Ruckus
9/12/2009 Morrison, CO Monolith Festival
9/15/2009 Salt Lake City, UT Kilby Court w/ Oh My God
9/17/2009 Olympia, WA Happy Beast House
9/18/2009 Tacoma, WA Urban Grace
9/19/2009 Portland, OR Music Fest NW
9/20/2009 Seattle, WA Sunset Tavern
9/22/2009 San Luis Obispo, CA SLO Art Center w/ Titus Adronicus
9/23/2009 Santa Cruz, CA The Crepe Place w/ Frontier Ruckus
9/24/2009 San Francisco, CA Bottom of the Hill w/ Frontier Ruckus
9/26/2009 Los Angeles, CA Spaceland
9/27/2009 Phoenix, AZ Modified
9/30/2009 Oklahoma City, OK The Conservatory w/ Darker My Love
10/1/2009 Lubbock, TX Bash Riprock's
10/2/2009 Dallas, TX Cavern Ale House w/ Wye Oak
10/3/2009 Austin, TX Austin City Limits Festival
10/5/2009 Memphis, TN Hi-Tone Cafe

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Cotton Jones - Rio Ranger EP