#restaurnaut

now here i stand, i stand to fall

some might think that this isnt good at all

but i'll admit i've never felt so tall

about the little man

Every DIY music scene has individuals that always seem more active than others. People who are just constantly going and creating. Two years ago I played a show with Nick Dolezal the mind behind Restaurnaut in a small dilapidated building in the abandoned downtown of Fresno, CA. Dolezal is an odd prolific individual who makes music centered entirely behind the ukelele, electric and unplugged. The music he makes runs the gamut sound wise. There is everything from noise experiments to lo-fi singer songwriter work in the Restaurnaut library. Recently, Nick sent me a tape called the "Black Crow Marathon" in the mail. It was stuffed inside of two black socks that smelled like dryer sheets and to be honest this was mildly bothersome. Reaching into the socks to get the tape out freaked me out. I guess paranoia made me think something nasty could have been hidden in the foot covers. Either way, this tape is nearly impossible to digest in any real way. It's 90 minutes of experiments, covers, brain farts, and late night recordings. There are some real gems on here if you can hang around and this CS helps you to really get the feel of Dolezal's aesthetic. The Daniel Johnston influence is readily apparent and I could easily see Dolezal locking himself in an overheated garage recording into the wee hours of the night to make some of this stuff. Nick's music is immediately charming and to me as a character he is provocative and interesting enough to give a worthwhile listen to. While Dolezal and I are admittedly friends I will say that I think if he focused some of his energy into a concentrated release and took a step away from his prolific output he could make something truly stunning. Black Crow Marathon paints an interesting picture. Pushing Dolezal to a level of mild insanity rather than that of a revered songsmith. Take it or leave it these recordings have their moments and if you are a determined listener you could make it through the entire way!

Black Crow Marathon by Restaurnaut