2012, Little Montana Records,

Conjuring up a new batch of songs from their magic lantern, Muzzleloader filters new songs through their movie projector for the modern viewer where the details of the streets in the background are just as interesting as the foreground figures.  Their album "My Cheap Sunshine" is a portrait of two young songwriters, the whole illuminated in the glorious summer's eve.  The rich, silvery-blue tones create a particularly dramatic atmosphere.  Enjoy the show!

"My Cheap Sunshine" is Muzzleloader's 5th full length album and was released on Little Montana Records in 2012.

All songs written, performed, recorded, and produced by Mark Edwards and Greg Llewellyn.

 2011, Little Montana Records,

The 4th full length album released by Muzzleloader marks a turning point for the band. Unlike their previous album "The Hand", which reflected a more abstract and removed process of collaborating, "Heretical Symphonic" once again finds the musicians together in Indiana, writing songs together in the basement studio. In this sense it is a return to the style of the first record, only this time the band has had two years to experiment with different sounds and approaches to writing songs. The rock/blues sounds are beginning to merge more organically with the midi tracks, and the band is really starting to find a distinct sound that blends the various styles and influences.

All songs written, performed, recorded, and produced by Mark Edwards and Greg Llewellyn. Phil Hook plays drums on "What Went Wrong". Lyrics by Mark Edwards and music by Mark Edwards and Greg Llewellyn.

 2011, Little Montana Records,

"The Hand" is the third full-length album from the band Muzzleloader. The band was formed spontaneously in Lowell Indiana upon the chance meeting of old friends, and continues to march forward despite practical setbacks and living in different cities. The band has increased its commitment to continue experimenting with the craft of collaborative songwriting.

This record was created by mailing tracks back and forth between Indiana and Colorado. Much of the material had been recorded on a digital 4-track almost 20 years ago, with new tracks being dubbed over the old material. At this point the future of the collaboration was uncertain owing to the geographical distance between the two members, but there remained a shared desire to march forward and try new ideas.

There seems to be a real feeling of maturity emerging from the collaborative effort as the band continues to write new material. While the second record, “Visions of Zosimos”, reflected a desire and willingness to experiment with different sounds and arrangements, "The Hand" returns to more crisp and straightforward songwriting.

Starting off with a bang, “Heads Up” is a thumping rock n’ roll muzzle-shot, followed by the subdued and groovy sounds of “Stereo Clown” and “Pump It” . Three songs into the record, one can discern that all sounds and times are welcome, material being pulled from as far back as 20 years ago, when the duo routinely played together in Bloomington, Indiana. It is in this spirit of timelessness and openness that Muzzleloader continues to march forward in producing material for what seems to be a prodigious discography.

Unable at this time to grind out performances in local bars and clubs, the band has increased its commitment to continue fine-tuning the craft of collaborative songwriting. This can be heard clearly throughout "The Hand", with songs like “Follow the River” and “Too Blue” sounding the melodic notes of friendship, struggle, overcoming obstacles, and perhaps even a bit of hope for the future. “Take Me Somewhere”, the albums last track, does indeed temporarily take us out of the grind, with hints of irony, poetry, and guitar-induced longing for something authentic and timeless.

Some really great songs emerge from the diverse track list as the band continues to search for a signature sound that reflects both of the member's distinct musical influences.

album credits:

Mark Edwards performs vocals and keyboard; Greg Llewellyn plays guitar, bass, piano, keyboard, Moog, drums, and programming. Art Markosov plays drums on "Pump It", Geyser Hendrix plays drums on "Blue Bomber Believing", and Phil Hook plays drums on "Take Me Somewhere". Lyrics by Mark Edwards and music written and performed by Mark Edwards and Greg Llewellyn. Produced and recorded by Greg Llewellyn.
 

 2011, Little Montana Records,

The album "Visions of Zosimos" is the second record created by the duo of Mark Edwards and Greg Llewellyn.  Zosimos, an ancient Alchemist, was prone to prolonged and wild periods of experimentation. The point of such experimentation was expansion, or growth.  If "When the Dolphins Died" is considered the birth of Muzzleloader, than "Visions of Zosimos" is an expression of growth or maturation through the process of experimentation. This expansion includes the use of more instrumentation, such as the use of keyboards and midi synthesizers, and also reflects utilizing the mixing phase as a vital component of the songwriting process. Experimenting with sounds and imagery required a willingness to let go of being attached to the final result.

This approach to working on the record is evident in the wide range and styles reflected in the songs. While songs like "Missing Children" and "Distillation Exploration" express a commitment to the rock roots of the band, songs like "The Finishing School" and "The Final Transport" indicate a willingness to expand across sounds and genres. After several listens to the record, one begins to detect layers of sounds and intonations that resonate between the extremes of harmonic melody and sonic dissonance, all manifested in a psychological netherworld of cartoon characters, ancient spirits, and futuristic longings.  The end result is a mad-cap romp through multifarious levels of mind-bending sound-based graphics, built up and sustained through the otherworldly sounds of Greg's signature four dimensional guitar and Mark's lyrical deep sea diving.

released in January of 2011 on Little Montana Records
 

album credits:

Mark Edwards performs vocals, bass, and percussion; Greg Llewellyn plays guitar, bass, piano, keyboards, drums, percussion, and programming. Lyrics by Mark Edwards and music written and performed by Mark Edwards and Greg Llewellyn. All songs recorded and produced by Greg Llewellyn except "Slimy Green Lake" recorded by Mark Edwards and produced by Greg Llewellyn.

 2012, Little Montana Records,

"Secrets Of External Combustion" is a seven song EP by the band Muzzleloader that was released in 2012 on Little Montana Records.  All songs written, performed, recorded, and produced by Mark Edwards and Greg Llewellyn.  Drums on "Time Remaining" by Geyser Hendrix.

 2010, Little Montana Records,

"The Corvette Sessions" were songs from a jam session that we did at a makeshift recording studio that we set up for a few days next to a Corvette dealership, in Lake County Indiana.  The Corvette dealership eventually went out of business and we moved our studio.  These songs were demos recorded in 2010 for the Muzzleloader album "Heretical Symphonic" which was released on Little Montana Records in 2011.  These four demos were recorded live using Protools by Mark Edwards and mixed later in Ableton Live 8 by Greg Llewellyn.  The guitars were played by Greg Llewellyn and the vocals, bass, tamborine, and drum machine were performed by Mark Edwards.

 2012, Little Montana Records,

This is the first in our "Anatomy Of A Song" series.  Featuring up first, our demos for the song "Testing One And Two".  There are five versions here of the song which originally appeared on the Muzzleloader album "Visions Of Zosimos" and was released in 2011 on Little Montana Records.  We would kick around different ideas for guitars, bass, drums, vocals, and eventually keyboards.  The first version of "Testing One And Two" is a remix I made and is heavy on the synths and drum machines with an electronic take on the rock and roll song.   The "original demo" is the first version we recorded late one night when we had the recorder rolling for hours on end to capture all our jams and ideas.  The "stripped version" is one of our early takes when we were laying out the different parts of the song and trying to figure out some kind of arrangement.  The "rock version" is one of our final takes when we were trying to tap into the energy level of the song and find it's dynamics.  Then up last is the final "album version" of "Testing One And Two" which can also be found on the album "Visions Of Zosimos".  -Greg

 2012, Little Montana Records,

This is the second part in our "The Anatomy Of A Song" series, this time featuring the song "The Jackpot" which was originally featured on Muzzleloader's second full-length album "Visions Of Zosimos" and released on Little Montana Records in early 2011.  The "orchestral version" features piano and strings with no guitars and more percussion like bongos and shakers instead of a typical drum set.  The "rock versions 1 and 2" are more stripped down rock and roll-like songs where we were just riffing on ideas to feel out the energy for the song and also to come up with different parts to work with later.  The "ballad version" is more of a slow ballad version done where we took it down a notch with Mark and I playing dueling guitars.  The "original album demo" was our first attempt at actually laying out the parts and trying to structure the song but the bridge in the middle was totally different and we decided to cut it from the final version.  The last version is the "album version" which also appears on the Muzzleloader album "Visions Of Zosimos". -Greg

 2012, Little Montana Records,

These are various demos we recorded for the song "Write It Off" from Muzzleloader's first full-length album "When The Dolphins Died".  The "original demo" was the first version of the song that we recorded and it was all improv when we kept the 4-track rolling for one of our 4-track jam sessions.  The "stripped version" was our first attempt at actually laying out, writing the riffs, and getting a composition together.  I played an acoustic guitar through a Boss  DD-6 Digital Delay.  This "stripped version" is a little more laid back where as the final album version was more rocked out.  The "album version" of "Write It Off" is a re-recorded version of the track which was originally featured on the Muzzleloader album "When The Dolphins Died" which was released in 2010 on Little Montana Records.  I had to re-record all the guitar parts on this version because for some reason all the guitars on the "Dolphins" recording session accidently got erased so I no longer have the original "Dolphins" version stored on my computer.  It was fun to re-visit this song and hopefully I'll get all the "When The Dolphins Died" songs re-mastered, which was a hard album to record and master because I had just purchased Ableton Live 8 to record with and had to teach myself in a crash course to quickly learn the program. -Greg

 2012, Little Montana Records,

This is part 4 in the "Anatomy Of A Song" series featuring the song "Translucent Demise" from Muzzleloader's first full-length album "When The Dolphins Died" and released in 2010 on Little Montana Records.  There are three versions of this song.  The first being the "disco version" featuring keyboards and drum machines which replace the electric guitars and acoustic drums of the album version.  This was a fun version to record and had me dancing around the room like a fool while recording the groovy synths.  The second song is an "acoustic version" of "Translucent Demise".  We thought about recording an acoustic album where we play acoustic versions of our rock songs.  We've recorded several acoustic versions of some of our other songs and I'll post some more of these acoustic jams at some point.  The "album version" is the final version of the song that we recorded and it was released on the Muzzleloader album "When The Dolphins Died".  - Greg

 2012, Little Montana Records,

This is part 5 of our "Anatomy Of A Song" series.  Part 5 takes us through the lifecycle of the Muzzleloader song "Black Door", from birth, to adolescence, to adulthood.  The "original demo" was our first take of the song and was all improv when we had the 4-track Tascam 424 cassette recorder rolling late one night.  "Demo 2" was our first attempt at arranging the song and writing it based on the parts we liked from the "original demo".  The "acoustic version" was a stripped down take with hand percussion and acoustic guitars and bass.  The fourth version is the "album version" which appeared on the Muzzleloader album "When The Dolphins Died" and was released in 2010 on Little Montana Records.  -Greg

 2013, Little Montana Records,

"The Anatomy Of A Song part 6" features the lifecycle of the Muzzleloader song "Missing Children" from birth to adulthood and it's various branching paths and growth spurts along the way.  The song "Missing Children" was originally featured on Muzzleloader's second full-length album "Visions Of Zosimos" and was released on Little Montana Records in 2011.  All the versions in part 6 were written and performed by Greg Llewellyn and Mark Edwards.  "The original demo" is the first version we laid down when we were jamming around one day while the tape was rolling.  "Rock versions 1 through 3" were various stages of the song when were were trying to find it's identity and direction in which we wanted the song to go.  The "acoustic version" was a part of a series where we were thinking about doing an all stripped-down acoustic album of our various electrified rock songs.  The "album version" is the final version which we thought best encapsulated what the song was all about.  Enjoy the journey, we did!  -Greg

 2013, Little Montana Records,

Here is part 7 in our "Anatomy Of A Song" series featuring the Muzzleloader song "I Love Heavy Metal". The first version is "country version" of the song. We played around with the arrangement using layers of pianos, acoustic guitars, and slide guitar. The spoken word intro was used in our original demo but we cut it out of the final album version because we didn't think it was needed but it works nicely for the country version. The "country version" is more stripped down than the album version with the pianos, acoustics guitars, and slide guitar replacing the walls of guitar distortion and synths. I played my drum kit and was happy with the way the new mic setup captured the stereo field of the drum kit. It was a lot of fun to record this bouncy little number. The "original demo" was our first version of the song featuring the original lo-fi guitars that were recorded with a mic placed in front of my little guitar practice amp while we were rehearsing and recording demos that day. Originally the demo was recorded to a basic metronome click track but we later replaced the click track with some basic drums just to try and figure out the dynamics of the various parts of the song from verse to chorus. The last version is the "album version" which appeared on the Muzzleloader album "My Cheap Sunshine" and was released on Little Montana Records in 2012. The drums were beefed up to sound bigger and more rocking. The guitars were re-recorded and layered for a wall of sound effect with them on the verge of feedback and then the synths were later added. Oh, and we love heavy metal. -Greg

 2010, Little Montana Records,

We would keep the tape rolling for hours on end and record everything during our jam sessions.  These are some of the improv jams we had.  Recorded on a Tascam 424 4-track cassette recorder by Greg Llewellyn.  Features Greg Llewellyn on guitar and keyboard, Mark Edwards on bass and vocal, and Geyser Hendrix on drums.

 2010, Little Montana Records,

These were improv recordings made on a Tascam 424 4-track recorder in the early stages of the band when we would just leave the recorder running for hours at a time and capture everything we played to maybe go through later and make proper songs.  This is just an early snapshot with Greg Llewellyn on guitar and keyboard, Mark Edwards on bass and vocals, and Geyser Hendrix on drums.  Recorded on 4-track by Greg Llewellyn.

 2010, Little Montana Records,

These songs are just improv recordings captured on a Tascam 424 4-track recorder in the early stages of the band when we would just leave the recorder rolling for hours at a time and capture everything we played to maybe go through later and make proper songs out of the material. This is just a look back in time with the band.  Featuring some sketches, ideas, and baking ingredients with Greg Llewellyn on guitar and keyboard, Mark Edwards on bass and vocals, and Geyser Hendrix on drums.  Recorded to 4-track by Greg Llewellyn.