What Are They Saying About
Turkey Makes Me Sleepy?

Never let it be said that C. Goff III makes "strange" music... well, maybe a "little strange", but not abominably so... it's actually "forward looking" music. This CD by "TMMS" is their 10th anniversary recording... C. Goff, of course, is a member, along with Michael Adams & Eric Matchett. Heavy electronic editing ensured that only the relevant portions of their electronic experiments made it onto the album. Strangely enough, it was track 5, "Turkish Coffee", that was my favorite ride - that may (or may not) have anything to do with my having been (nick)named "Cp'n Cappucinno" in an earlier time, but the energy levels on this particular piece (second longest on the album) approach the same 'igh eye get when on my coffee I.V. It's also the nearest to a piece that is "accessible" by the masses (not that that is a "goal" of "TMMS"... after all, accessibility is purely in the mind of the beholder). Another excessively odd (& eminently enjoyable) cut is "Deeple Speak", #3 on the CD... totally engaging (tho' if you're "normal", don't let yourself become too engaged, eh). I rate this a definite MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for those who are experimentally inclined!

review by Rotcod Zzaj, Improvijazzation Nation

fact: the tryptophan in turkey doesn't actually make you sleepy, it's a myth. unless you eat half of the bird, you're not going to get enough of the stuff to induce drowsiness. now that that's out of the way, this project consists of michael adams, charles goff iii and eric matchett.

the big part of the wishbone celebrated the ten year anniversary of this group on april 26th, 2007. they decided that getting together (eric's in portland, i believe that adams is in kansas along with charles) to have a day-long marathon recording session, would be appropriate. this disc sees that session edited down and occasionally spliced together to present the ripest fruits of their labor.

tmms opts for a lot more of a widely embraceable sound than goff's disism project. granted, that disc was nearly nineteen years old, but i need a base of a comparison. the results, i have to say, are rather mixed. one of the things that i'm taking the most issue with is the lack of restraint. too often throughout wishbone, i'll pick out certain elements that i really enjoy, but they'll pile on more and more different things, and more often than not, i find that these additional layers aren't congruent. it almost comes across as forced experimentation that mucks up the better structure. take the first track, for instance, it starts off with a real nice guitar riff, some ambiance in the background, and light electronic sounds fleshing everything out. while it's not really my thing, i could see this being something that a lot more people could get into. the focus will shift from the guitar (the great initial riff gone, as it finds itself mixed far too low) into more of a clamorous affair. not bad, but i think they missed out on a golden opportunity. actually, the second track is an even better example. it begins with multiple repetitious layers, i especially like the repeating bass chord (and.. is that a cowbell?), i don't even mind the vocal sample that pops up, but then it starts to go downhill when they just add way too much stuff to it. instead of letting it simply be a hypnotic electronic track, it almost sounds like a parody. if they would've just held off on the vocal sounds, the keyboard fuckery and that awful repeated sound of a baby, this would've been so much better. i dig that droning guitar, though. twelve minutes was way too long. the fourth track, is a great example of what they can do when they leave well enough alone (for the most part). beautifully bare in the beginning, with some good acoustic strumming. the droning guitar in the background is perfect as well. they will add some electronics towards the end, at first i was thinking, "no, NO!", but one of the two layers is really great. the other one sounds like a computer spewing forth a read out. i like the sixth track, quite a bit, and it's no big surprise that it's the most held back piece of music on the cd. just a really enjoyable track that centers around acoustic guitars. i could've gone for an album's worth of this...

turkey made me sleepy was far more accessible than i imagined that they would be. i love pop music, give me something catchy, that sticks with me and i'm happy. i just didn't like how some of the catchier elements were presented on this disc. the electronic ambitions as well as the samples (especially the phallic-obsessed ones during the last track) weren't doing it for me. it did have its moments.

review by avantgardening, smooth assailing

Mee-ster Goff (as in Charles Rice) & his pals Mike Adams & Eric Matchett have stirred up some stuffing you won't be able to wash away with any Pepto-Bismol, or Tums. I'm reminded (greatly) of some of the earliest tape works I heard Bret Hart doing in the mid to late '80's - in a very favorable way. The sonics & all the little nuances are perfect for gobble-talkers, tho' not for sleeping, I'd say. My particular favorite is track 3, "I Dropped Science On The Taped Rug". Strange voices remind you rather quickly that sanity is truly in the mind of the beholder... some very interesting piano strokes (which I'm sure CRG III knew I'd be interested in), also combined with (what sound like) snatches from The Twilight Zone shows. "Encounter At The Water's Edge" is also an earthshaker, full of clanking bells, guitar buzz saws & some great percussion that will (either) tear or mend the fabric of your brain... very interesting.

As a warning, I must tell you that this is odd music (we wouldn't expect anything less from Mee-ster Goff & his associates), but for those listeners unafraid to jump in, it will be a rewarding challenge. If you're looking for something sonically different, you'll agree when I declare it to be MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. If ya' ain't schizoid yet - you will be after listening to "Six With Pix".

review by Rotcod Zzaj, Improvijazzation Nation

Click For Handwritten Greg Stomberg Six With Pix Review

Rocks On Mars

Taped Rugs has a long tradition of hosting improvisational experimental jam sessions on July 4th of each year. In 1997, Turkey Makes Me Sleepy took on the traditional date by incorporating an outer space theme into the session, based on that day's landing of the Pathfinder Rover on Mars. Occasionals inputs from the live CNN coverage of the Pathfinder landing, random audio excerpts from science fiction story records, readings from Ray Bradbury's "Martian Chronicles", and a data inspired rendition of David Bowie's "space oddity" lead the jammers into an uncharted area. Contained on this cd is the experience, pretty much as it happened; an unrehearsed excursion into the cosmos. Best of all - it rocks.

Review by Patrick Parent, Red Neon

The Fluff Of A Feather Pillow

Turkey Makes Me Sleepy may well be my favorite Taped Rug project after The Magic Potty Babies. And no surprise given that Charles Goff III and Mikadams are one half of that band. The snoozy Turkeys are a trio and the lineup is rounded out by Eric Matchett. The songs on The Fluff Of A Feather Pillow were recorded between 1997-1999. "Sandman" consists of totally freaked out unintelligible vocals and spacey vibrating guitar chords against an electro rock beat with a semi-dancey feel. This would be a cool soundtrack song to use in Night Of The Living Dead as the zombie hordes are lumbering across the field. Throughout "Faith Healer" we hear a sample of what sounds like a Jim and Tammy Fay Baker type pair doing their PTL shtick. The music is ambient and floating - in an Alice In Wonderland kind of way - and we also hear dreamy oriental themes. But of course mucho weirdness makes its way into the mix in the form of bubbling UFO synths. The first several minutes of the 14 minute "Disquietude" consist of mindfuck music that I can only describe as Phillip Glass meets Dr Who at the Space Ritual for a cosmic alien jam in a psycho ward. The craziness never really lets up though the band does explore a warped form of floating space that is a soothing as it is disturbing. An excellent track, though I'd check with your doctor before listening if you take Prozac or any form of anti-depressant. "Edna Lena Loo" recalls the Residents' earliest fun tunes. "Silvertone Wires" includes guitar that has a Roger Trigaux sound, so that we've got this dark Univers Zero motif mixed with quirky dancing synths and other strange electronics. It's An odd combo that somehow seems to work well, making this the most thematic track of the set. I really dig the blend of intensity and whimsy. But after a while it transitions to more a peaceful sympho-ambient ride. "Nocturia" is another varied blend of styles, this time including free-jazz, Etron Fou organ, and mish mashes of prog rock. Like "Silvertone Wires", much of this has a composed feel and creates a dark and mightily intense atmosphere. Finally, "We're An American Band" is a drugged Bluesy cover of the Grand Funk classic, with hysterical screaming tongue-in-cheek passionate rock n roll vocals. An excellent set.

Review by Jerry Kranitz, Aural Innovations

A brave adventure into scary county with C. Goff III, Mikadams and Eric Matchett. This is an eight track album, that kicks off with the very, very odd Sandman, again it's in the Residents style. What I've found most striking about Goff III's work is despite the fact that he does produce music in a definite style, it's so varied. I'm constantly surprised how CGIII continues to amaze and stretch the limits of experimental music. The Faith Healer starts with an eerie layer of organ music with overlaid samples of religious ramblings, cheering and then we're off. The whole album's a really unsettling experiment on the marriage of sound and cut ups, dialogue and music. Tracks such as We're An American Band, Perry Coma, and Disquietude are all marvellously rich and at the same time unnerving. In many respects this album represents a totally new direction in not just music, but the moods it conveys. Dark stuff.

Dave Hughes, Modern Dance

A creepily insistent voice sounds like someone selling shares for Ralph Records, simple and place-creating bass behind a phased and metronomic drum machine figure, each 'song' is a psychodrama unto itself - perfectly in the very literate and equally edgy spirit of other Charles Rice Goff III projects and involvements...signal processing figures heavily across the board, with sweeping old flangers, diminishing echoes, and crusty fuzz and distortion crackling like overdone bacon. then, as here, waxing into an orchestral place, like an electronic chamber quartet, evoking feelings like those I get when experiencing paintings of the Impressionists. Co-released by Prion PRIONMUSIC@YAHOO.DE

Review by Bret Hart, The Unheard Music

Sings Songs For Ding Dongs

This firmly lurks in that magical void called "UNCLASSIFIABLE." On the one had, these are very definitely melodic "songs--sometimes in the vein of the Residents, and elsewhere like a mellow version of the Butthole Surfers with Tom Waits on Casio playing cocktail lounge Dada. The singer can really sing, but what a peculiar voice! -sort of a Spandau Ballet/Paleface Funk soapy style, but infused totally with that strange, malignant "on the edge-about to crack" quality shared with Norman Bates and the Residents--the psychotic zone where the anourak wearing nerds are far scarier than the testosterone fueled bruisers.

Add on top of all this lush melodic tomfoolery, a huge truckload of out and out STRANGENESS (everything is always Bigger in America)--all sorts of other elements are thrown into the music--from jazzy textures to the all out pause button slurp frenzy to tonal acupuncture to even some good humored lifting from the Beach Boys. A totally unique mix that traverses effortlessly from the farthest reaches of the avant garde to the sing a long splendor of Casio Pop.

Review by Stream Angel

My First Adventure Into 3D

This kooky project is fronted by veteran home taper, Charles Rice Goff III. He also has a song project under his name but this is a wild ride with found sounds, electronic and acoustic jamming and just plain weirdness. Maybe this is sub sub genius.

Review by Don Campau, Best of 1998

Aberrations Of Collaboration

Has this ever happened to you? While playing a droning answering machine message, reality becomes somewhat fluid and the tones begin melting and twisting (a la Salvador Dali). A thirty-second message stretches on for minutes upon minutes. If this hasn't happened to you before, you'll live the experience in Hall McGee and Brian Noring's "The Situation," the first track on the cassette compilation "Aberrations of Collaboration." Next comes the delightfully manic "Nocturia," sounding like the ToonTown orchestra warming up. It features live grooving from Dave Haney and some pretaped noises from Anthony Washburn and John Dent. The sounds become more ambient and psychedelic in "The League of Crappy Guitarists," which is a live jam from Stu Sands. "Sinister French Elves on Film," a live track by Dave Haney, is like a large hallucinogenic circus comprised of mechanized animals. In "Vain and Bitter," Stu Sands adds a heavy dose of nervous tension by combining surreal self-help vocal samples and manic keyboards and guitars. "Vincent Price Surrenders to Communism" is another effort by Hal McGee and Brian Noring, featuring electrified pulsing tones and out-of-context samples of Vincent Price, backed up by the ToonTown orchestra. The cassette ends with "The Last Days," an apocalyptic track featuring Dave Haney playing live alongside prerecorded material from Anthony Washburn and John Dent. With this sort of collected talent, you really can't go wrong.

Review by Craig Conley 5/1/99.

ADDED COMMENTARY: "This fine review neglects to mention the members of the project who provide the backbone of sounds and the production for all the pieces on this recording. Turkey Makes Me Sleepy (Mikadams, C. Goff III, Eric Matchett) created these compositions by collaborating with the artists discussed in this review." --C.Goff III

Swimming In The Sound Soup

TURKEY MAKES ME SLEEPY's music is almost as trippy and silly as its name. But not quite. Each member of the TURKEY triumvirate was responsible for one layer of this hazy calamity, though with Hoss Goff 3's pop spine to hang things from, you can guarantee it'll be engaging. The opening cut, "Sandman," is sung entirely in some bullshit fake language ("yulll yi yi yi, hee yull, na hi yulll hi" etc), with a drum program that's not a million miles removed from the ANDY PARTRIDGE demo "This Is The End" (who's with me here!?). "Edna Lena Loo" is a silly-ass bit of psychedelia...the vocal line sounds like a child's song, but lyrics such as "I heard a rumor you have a tumor, is it true Edna Loo," and "I know you've been out with a guy who works at the gas station..." make sure no children will ever sing this song. Though maybe they should. It's like a playground rhyme from a DAVID LYNCH film. I think. Later in the tape is "Inaugural Balls," which combines fucked-with samples of former presidents Bush and Reagan with grumbly sounds and a few bars of "Hail To The Chief." I'm not sure what it means, but I bet it annoys people who drive red pickup trucks with rebel flags in the back, which makes it punk rock in my book.

Review by Ian C Stewart

Avant crazies hit the record/play buttons and start up a Jacob's Ladder of hometaping. Bloop, bleep, and delayed vocal insanity do most of the work, though hints of melody find their way into mix occasionally. Similar Artists: Negativland.

Review by Kelly B., Listen.com

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