The Mad Dukes Sing and Play for You

Release date: 3/06

Available for purchase at CD Baby, iTunes, eMusic, and other fine outlets

Written and recorded by Kim Simpson in Austin, Texas.  

"A quirky set of folksy, indie pop tunes featuring strong songwriting
with a sense of humor." -ADD Reviews

1. Invasion Song
2. Joey Superteen
3. Looking for That Girl
4. Big Leg at the White Rabbit
5. The Pleasure is Mine
6. Morris Mayflower
7. Song of the Times
8. Face on the Dartboard
9. One Man World
10. Folk Festival
11. What Love Is
12. The Mad Dukes Sign Off





Liner notes excerpt from RiPPYFiSH owner Jerry Allen:

"Mad Duke. The term evokes images of an eccentric, often
reclusive character rumored to live in the darker corridors
of a society, going about his unknown business with a sense
of royal purpose. The description actually fits the musicians
featured on this first full-length release by both the Mad Dukes
and RiPPYFiSH Records pretty well. . .'Do you think we can
run with the rest?' Kim and the Mad Dukes ask nervously throughout
the course of their final song on this collection. I think you'll
all agree with me after listening to this CD that the answer is a
resounding 'Yes.' "




Notes from Kim
The Mad Dukes Sing and Play for You is me being a
one man rock band for RippyFish Records, a label that
was run by friends of mine in my hometown of Salt Lake City.
The label needed some product to experiment with and asked
what I thought, so I recorded an album at home in late 2005 -
early 2006. The drill was that I would write and record the songs,
then send them to my friends to do home studio mixes that we'd all pass
around and tweak until a general consensus was reached. Who knows if
that's the ideal way to do a record...? That entire process, from
start to finish, was a whole lot of fun on my end (even if the
promotional side of it made me uncomfortable). It was
me pretending to be a trio, which gave it a "mad," three-heads-of-Kim
quality I embraced at the time.

That the album didn't evaporate instantly when it was released,
even getting some airplay and prompting the odd thumbs-up/thumbs-down
comment, is a testament to RippyFish's hard work and heart. For better
or worse, "quirky" was the word we heard most about this record (with
"catchy" a close second). More than a few people also wondered, because
of the cover art, if the album had something to do with Opie and Anthony.


About the songs

Invasion Song: Inspired by two kinds of hubris - starting a
band and starting a war.

Joey Superteen: Written at an Austin laundromat as an attempt
to imagine the backstory of two kids who were also there. An updated version
of the song became the title track to a later Mad Dukes EP.

Looking for That Girl: Essentially a Lloyd Cole tribute,
this song has ended up being an overachiever in the business department.

Big Leg at the White Rabbit: A true story about seeing a
notice in an old Austin Chronicle about a band from SLC (one of
the members of which I'd known) and the author's amusing "rock renegades
from the land of the oppressed" perception of the band.

The Pleasure Is Mine: This is one of my old acoustic songs that
turned into a flangey, space-jangle affair for this album (with the line
"I am your servant" changed to "I am your Mad Duke").

Morris Mayflower: Written after reading Irwin Chusid's
Songs in the Key of Z.

Song of the Times: In spite of its title, this is probably
the oldest song on the album, going back to '88 or so.

Face on the Dartboard: Venting about 43.

One Man World: Probably a subconscious nod to the
one-man nature of the project I was engaged in but also a rewrite of
Bread's "He's a Good Lad." Appears as a remix on a later EP.

Folk Festival: At the first Kerrville Folk Festival I went
to in the early '90s, lots of buzz seemed to circle around a group of
goal-oriented folk-rock renegades who never played on the main stage
but were managing to divert attention away from it, gate-crasher style.
With "Folk Festival," I attempted to write their theme song.

What Love Is: Lots of mix philosophies thrown around for this
one, which is otherwise a pretty basic rock 'n' roll song. We finally had to
bring the experimentation to a halt, but I still like the resulting vibe.

The Mad Dukes Sign Off: This is me attempting to do a
"Ballad of Mott the Hoople" for my pretend group. When I listen
back to it now, I realize that there's very little about it that's
tongue-in-cheek, plaintive chorus and all. I remember how much I
(and my friends at RippyFish) really wanted people to like this entire
project. I'm glad that a few people actually did.




Published by Mad Duke Music (BMI)/Jackling Jaguar Music (BMI)
Produced by Kim Simpson, Jerry Allen and Cory Barber
Artwork by Jerry "Monk" Banks

© 2006, RiPPYFiSH Records





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