Our drummer and best friend Ken passed away after a 4 year battle with stage 4 colon cancel on January 10th, 2016.  There were multiple articles and posts about him on various online papers and things, a local writer asked me for my thoughts in regard to Ken, below is what I sent him. All in, we miss him terribly and wanted to put some info here on the blog for anyone who occasionally reads it. RIP Ken McCray 1972-2016





Ken McCray passed away this morning. This is what I want to say about Ken. as a friend: just the best dude. Nicest, warmest big teddy bear. Always a hard worker and helpful with crap he didn't have to deal with. Loves Led Zeppelin and The Beatles and Pantera, and Tommy Lee. The best stories, long detailed story teller type St. Louis 80s south city dirty kid in the street stories that are always funny and interesting. Creatively and as a musician: just the greatest intuitive musician I will have ever interacted with. As a drummer it's like a mix of John Bonham, Bernard Purdie and Alex Van Halen, but totally unique and special in his own way above all those things. Not a stuffy musician, an economical player that always changes the song for the better and has chops to do 3x more than what he shows you, but totally humble. He will ruin your band when he leaves it. When Shame Club was signed to Small Stone records he was most of the reason why. To be losing this guy to cancer is the most devastating thing, I am almost 40. I smoked for 20 years and quit when he was diagnosed because I couldn't believe this guy who basically lived more healthy than me got it, he who worked tons of jobs, played in cover bands, selflessly did tons of thankless work for friends and bands and coworkers, is a terrific father of two, a great brother, son, friend....Only 3 years older than me, how can HE get this? We left Shame Club together and started Tilts in 2009 and he recorded mixed and engineered all the first 3 eps himself. He just had an ear for music. He used to tell me he had dreams about the song Ten Years Gone by Led Zeppelin. Music really spoke to him it wasn't something cool to do, but he was a very common guy that would poke around in your basement and try to buy stereo equipment from you on the cheap. Big guy, the biggest farts! The biggest laugh, laugh himself into silence and tears and send you there with him. The biggest heart.
And absolutely this will be one of the largest losses this city has seen from a drumming giant who touched a lot of people. And it is wrecking me, making me furious, lost and broken. But I am glad to have known this man and shared so much time in vans and dirty basements with him. It has made me better. I love you Kenneth - Andy White

http://www.stlmag.com/arts/music/friends-and-family-remember-drummer-ken-mccray/#next

DILTS

Basically, this is my favorite thing we've done. All the bumps, all the bruises preserved. This is the "director's commentary" of our band, demos here spanning the first week we were jamming up until the last week of writing for Cuatro Hombres. I mean, I love this kind of stuff. It's truly a snapshot of what it sounds like when we are fucking around and writing in the basement.  I don't think enough bands expose this side of it, as a recording packed with errors, imperfections and flubs could be considered by some not cool. It's a reiteration of our always mission statement :


"rock is not serious, stop taking yourself so...serious"


We made 50 of these by hand for the kick starter supporting Cuatro Hombres, and those are all gone. We are pleased to share it for download off our bandcamp page. Enjoy, farts n all.

Buy DILTS!

  



TILTS - DILTS demo(s) CD-R - DILTS is a handmade collection of personally recorded demos, weird bits, unreleased tracks, old versions of tunes and scratch pad wackyness spanning 2009 through 2013. There are 4 track recordings, studio masters that didn't get used, impromptu iPhone tracks, and boom-box-in-a-corner "we've gotta get that down" jams. Some of it is crummy and some of it will make you wonder "why wasn't this finished and used?". A secret peek at TILTS private vault and a must for the super fan or aspiring musician. A treasure chest from the inner workings of TILTS: all unreleased and unavailable to the public until now, made available ONLY in this campaign. Limited to 50: handmade and numbered by the band, mixed down in our home base of Marmadook Studios.

human recorded music circles

Cuatro Hombres is now available in its proper vinyl form on our bandcamp page - right now we have more records than we ever have so get them whilst we dew. We are also uploading the DILTS demos cd to our bandcamp page for download - more on that soooonly - - - -


shout out to Drafthouse Films in New York for the love!

Record pictures!

human recorded music circles

human recording music circles!

ALBUMZ ON VINYL CIRCLES SHIPPING IN THE MAIL NOWWWW

Added Cuatro Hombres remaining test presses and new repress of the S/t album in Booger Green Slimer Vinyl to the Bandcamp page you can now order these direct from us to anywhere in the world. We will be putting a few other goodies up this week, and will keep you posted. Thank you all, enjoy!! https://tilts.bandcamp.com/album/quatro-hombres-vinyl-limited-test-presses https://tilts.bandcamp.com/album/tilts

we never post on here

but we probably should!

just back from successful 6 day trip  -Milwaukee Chicago Pittsburgh New York Richmond and Atlanta all got rocked - we were on Fox news national tv in New York on the Red Eye ate night ./ early morning with longtime fan and wordsmith Greg Gutfeld - see that here:

Tilts Red Eye

our new album Cuatro Hombres is out on Robotic Empire Records and can be bought on their site or here:

buy stuff bandcamp

digital only for now -but we will be geting tons of goodies, demo album, t shirts, repress of the first, remaining copies of test press and copies of the new record on here sooooon!!!

huge thanks to Fister, bastard, RPG, Haymarket Riot, The Brought Low, Carousel, Dan Rugh, Commonwealth Press, Greg Gutfeld,  and all the clubs and bands that helped us and jammed with us this trip. Special thanks to Andrew Wimsatt for helping us at two shows, here is some footage he got live at Cake Shop in Manhattan:

hot fur pizza

Tight Falcs

sweat chylde oh myne

Out of records

sold out! First Tilts Full Length  . gone. 500 copies. go go gone.
Luckily we are working on new shit and will be doing a full length next not eps as previously, so when you hear new stuff there will be a big lump of it . Thanks to all!! Rad ballz!

Shirts Available!!!

Attention!!! Shirts available!!  On Tilts.bandcamp.com Now people not at a show can order them on the internet!! Not as many left as I had thought we had so act fast. Some of these are super mega limited. Duge itt!!


http://tilts.bandcamp.com/merch

Schlurts

Gonna finally get all these shirts organized and up on the bandcamp page for purchase. Tons of onesies and weirdos.
Some we have plenty. Soon soon soon.

Show at Firebird Thursday 12/27/12

blogging is for posers!

I guess we should post stuff here from time to time huh? ok. well, we should be recording some stuff soon, and every time we hook up and am, we write like 6 songs in a minute. No Shit. No but, in reality we are working on stuff. Keep yer eyes peepled and we will be on here more. toots!

records records robotic empire records

http://roboticempirenews.blogspot.com/2012/04/isis-and-pg99-represses-shirts-new.html

vinyl recordos

OK, so, we have hit the mark where this record is for sure getting made. I am re-posting this for the "dude, let me get one of those records??!!" dudes, pre-order this shit here to insure you get VINE - YILL!! Once these are gone or all sold in the pre-order, they will be no more. This is the remastered collection of our first three e.p.s , which we are no longer pressing, and this vinyl collection will be limited. Once they are gone it will be Itunes only on those songs, just fyi. Huge thanks to those who have contributed and ordered already and have insured this release will be made!


buy some fuckin' records here!

Kickstarter, new vinyl, ep collection.

Our first official full length will be a collection of the first three ep's remixed and mastered to vinyl. The shit sounds rad, cover art by Tom Huck from St. Louis here who has worked with the Roots and many others. we are mega psyched. Check all that out and preorder merch here:

http://kck.st/TILTSkick

What does a Tilts recording session at Red Pill for the new E.P. look like?

this.

The Pooter

Fuzz Andy

Skate Apes

Window Display

Kobra Kommander

Kobra Ka-dancers

Andrew Fuzz

Half Cab 360 Flip

e.p. collection to be released on vinyl

remixed by Ian Whalen (engineered Rah Bras, Lamb of God, Alabama Thunderpussy, RPG) and will be remastered for vinyl here shortly. Album will, peculiarly enough, be titled "Tilts", because "Ghostbusters 1" was taken. Presale should roll out shortly, more more info info whenfo we have it.

holy shit!

We start recording ep #4 this weekend. fucking pumped! Get ready to never be let down. Sessions occur engineered by Gary Copeland at Red Pill, and should take a couple hours. Then skateboarding. New e.p. tentatively tilted Sex. Debt. and should be avail sooner than later once finished, because we don't fuck around.

train kep' a rollin'

All tracks from the first three e.p.s being remixed for the master package by Ian Whalen who has engineered for Lamb of God, RPG, Rah Brahs and Alabama Thunderpussy to name a few. Shit sounds amazing and will be available by mid summer. Artwork to be executed by Tom Huck, whole general deal will be rad and we are pummmped. Tunes get worked on in the long distance format, Stay tuned for more rad shit from us.

Shows with Torche!

two shows with Torche!

Columbus Ohio Ravari Room Monday March 21st, also, St. Louis, at Fubar the following night on March 22. Both with The Post Teens and muffugin' Torche, watch Andrew do dub duty and shicherself!