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The Fossil Record

by 10 Items or Fewer

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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

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1.
2B Young in the 21st Century 03:03
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2.
Technology 02:08
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3.
Ants in Amber 00:29
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4.
Evel Kneivel 01:27
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5.
Space Station Mir 03:03
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6.
Triple Ex 04:33
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7.
If I Was A Woman 02:10
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8.
Weight 05:59
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9.
I.D.L.Y.L. 02:02
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10.
Do Not Think of a White Bear 01:49
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11.
Up in the Air 06:22
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12.
Is That Star Wars? 02:25
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13.
The Fossil Record/ Miss You Love You Bye 02:43
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about

“Trapped like ants in amber/ like a coelacanth in the mud/ everything will stay exactly the way it never was”, concludes the final, titular song on 10 Items or Fewer’s “The Fossil Record”. It’s a fitting wrap to a 13-track collection of wide ranging indie-folk meditations on intersections between the past, the present, and the future.

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, 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, 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.

10 Items or Fewer is the brainchild of singer-songwriter Mike Hallenbeck, known back in day as Mike Merz (of Mike Merz & the Can o’Worms and Pimentos for Gus), who racked up accolades like Best Songwriter in the Twin Cities (City Pages) before sliding down the slippery slope of audio engineering and music composition first in theater, then for media projects, leaving this half-recorded album unfinished circa 2022. Fast forward to 2020 COVID quarantine, where the idea of completing the project took hold.

To bring the songs (and new ones currently under construction) alive, the band has coalesced as a live combo featuring some of the Twin Cities’ finest: Jon Duncan (keys, accordion), Ben Glaros (electric guitar), Keely Lane (drums), and Matt Regan (bass). All appear on the album, as does harmony vocalist Rhiannon Fiskradatz, slated to join the band live later this fall. The record also features performances by Liz Draper (standup bass), Rich Rue (banjo, mandolin, Resonator guitar, ukelele), and many others.

credits

released September 12, 2023

10 Items or Fewer is music by Mike Hallenbeck: Acoustic guitar, vocals, drums and percussion, bass guitar, piano, Hammond organ, chord organ, synth, melodica, VSTs, field recordings, programming

with

Ben Connelly: Bass guitar on “I.D.L.Y.L.”, "Space Station Mir" and "Up in the Air", lap steel on "Space Station Mir"
Liz Draper: Standup bass on "If I Was A Woman" and "Triple Ex"
Jon Duncan: Piano on "Up in the Air"
Rhiannon Fiskradatz: Backup vocals on “Up in the Air”
Charles Gillett: Bass guitar on "Weight"
Ben Glaros: Electric guitar on "Up in the Air" and "Weight"
T, Hallenbeck: Cello on “Weight”
Billie Jo Konze: backup vocals on "Do Not Think of a White Bear"
Keely Lane: Drums on "Technology"
Dan Luedke: Bass guitar and electric guitar on "Do Not Think of a White Bear"
Matt Regan: Bass guitar on "2B Young in the 21st Century"
Rich Rue: Banjo, Resonator, and mandolin on "I.D.L.Y.L.", _______ on "If I Was A Woman"
Davi Seru: Percussion on "Weight"
Dan Zapruder: Backup vocals on "The Fossil Record"
Lucie Gaw: voice mail on "The Fossil Record"

Engineered by Mike Hallenbeck and Brad Cassetto
Additional engineering: Zack Lozier, Sergio Gabaldón, Ben Glaros, William Heingartner, Keely Lane, Dan Zapruder
Recorded at Cool Cat Audio, The House of Rock, Melvin Ray, Minneapolis Central Library, North Side Cat Ranch, Pillsbury Hill, and the residences of remote session performers
Mixed at Cool Cat Audio
Mastered by Greg Reierson at Rare Form Mastering
Cover art by Kevin McLaughlin

Thank you: Jennifer Paige, Ricky, Blanche, Abigail, Stella, Melinda Childs, Meleck Davis, Annie Enneking, Dan Forslin, Andrew Hunter, Brian Kelly, The Reverend Matt Kessen, Steve Price, Dave Russ, Wendy Ruyle, Mike Sundlin

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10 Items or Fewer Minneapolis, Minnesota

10 Items or Fewer is music by Mike Hallenbeck & co. Formerly the leader of Mike Merz & the Can O’ Worms (and known previously for work with Pimentos for Gus, Lori Wray, and Brown Rainbow), Hallenbeck has now graduated from the Witness Protection Program, assumed his real name once again, and is preparing to inflict his upcoming album “The Fossil Record” on a hapless public. ... more

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