The Extraordinaires were formed during the harsh Philadelphia winter of 2004, when Jay Purdy set out to write and record his second solo acoustic album. Very shortly after the project left the ground Matt Gibson, a long time friend and band mate, decided to lend his talents on bass and harmonizing vocals. It was then that The Extraordinaires (named after the urban exploration group the Expedition Extraordinaires) were born. From these sessions came their first album release on Envoy Records entitled "Ikua" (now out of print), a live recording that painted scenes of family heroes, adolescent curiosites, and a random assortment of short stories both fictional and true.

During their first tour in March of 2005, gears began turning on their current project, a operatic tale of tragic romance set against a timeless backdrop named "Ribbons of War". After being approached by Frede Zimmer of Punk Rock Payroll, the idea was pitched for a labor intesive DIY project that would take nine months to fully complete; 1,000 limited edition hardcover books that illustrated the entire narrative from start to finish. With a handshake the project was in full swing. The album itself was recorded in a renovated barn in Lansdale, PA, over a week long retreat at then drummer Justin Wolf's (Lux Perpetua) grandparent's house. One by one pieces to the puzzle were acquired. Illustrations were sketched and inked to fully realize the visual potential of each song, sheets of masonite wood were cut to size and fabric was tested with cover art, and all of the other acoutrements slowly found their way into Punk Rock Payroll HQ. After nine exhausting months of extensive prep, the Punk Rock Payroll Family (which includes Frede and Misty Zimmer, Jay Purdy, Matt Gibson, Jonny the "Corndawg" Fritz, Brandon Joyce, and many other close friends) have released their first album in the form of an illustrated 36-page book that accompanies a recording of wildly imaginative arrangements and lyrical storytelling.

The Extraordinaires embark on their first US tour in January of 2006, which promises to be less of a show and more of a theatrical expirience featuring costumes, set, and narration in full character.

Not bad... I like the melody, but the arrangment could use some work.

Everything just seems a little too loose. I'm sure that's intentional, but it almost feels like the tracks just don't line up and they didn't want to bother. It's a good song, but the way it was put together kind of made it hard to listen to.

I definitely wouldn't mind hearing more if I can do so without spending money...

<shifty glance>

link forwarded

you could at least do them the favor of checking out their website.