22 Happy Songs

41 Happy Songs (a.k.a, Lumberjack Isto’s Chophouse of Fun) was recorded one weekend in September of 2008 on a very cheap tape recorder borrowed from Mr. Greg Guinan. The cheapness of the tape recorder is responsible for the low fidelity. I personally find the recording quality on this album charming. 35 Happy Songs was assembled quickly so as to have a new album for fans when Isto went on a three-week tour of the Northeast and Midwest with Stephanie Nilles. It consists of about 1/3 songs that Isto had been performing for a long time already, 1/3 new songs, and 1/3 little bits of noise. I think these ratios are pretty ideal, and I’m happy with the overall product, as well as with the way I am represented by it. In general, I prefer the way I sound on cheap equipment to the way I sound on anything I’ve done in a studio. I hope it isn’t too much of a turnoff for the listener.

-Isto

Isto - Think of All the Things You Can Do with a Chair!

Isto - A Tuna Salad Sandwich

Isto - Sparkling White Wine

Isto - The Naughty Song

Isto - Transcendentalisto

Isto - I Love You from the Bottom of My Pocket

Isto - Composition 1006 (Excerpt)

Isto - Jump Up and Down

Isto - The Flight of the People/The Nones of the Goats

Isto - Open the Door and Go Outside

Isto - The Happy Song