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release date announced

september 21, 2001

moth wranglers - the bi-coastal musical collaboration between ld beghtol (nyc) and chris xefos (sf) - is pleased as punch to announce the release of their debut cd, NEVER MIND THE CONTEXT, on october 2nd, 2001 on magnetic. in recognition of this event, moth wranglers will perform at the eagle tavern, san francisco, along with close chum/magnetic head victor krummenacher and local band, sinombre. please note that moth wranglers are often joined onstage by eleanor - a small pink leather pig - as well as assorted other friends, musicians and ornaments.

moth wranglers was formed in 1998 by beghtol and xefos to explore their mutual love of obscure pop histrionics and arcane instrumentation — and perhaps as a creative way to use up some frequent-flyer miles. In addition to their debut full-length, the mw catalogue includes: a track on lifelike records’ PIXIES FUCKIN’ DIE! (a tribute to the late, great pixies), a vinyl single on mother west about british serial killer/cannibal denis nilsen, and a 47-second piano balladette on BRIDGE magazine’s recent compilation cd of spoken word and song.

never mind the context, moth wranglers’ star-studded full-length debut, features a baker’s dozen songs exploring nearly as many genres, ranging from psychotic hoedowns and bright ’n’ bouncy sing-alongs to psychedelic rockers, gospel-tinged laments and swinging 60s pop tunes full of summer sun and good old-fashioned california dreamin’. armed with a skewed pop sensibility and a slew of weird instruments and toys, moth wranglers make a noise one critic calls “a disconcerting, beautiful dichotomy of sound, dark humor and light-hearted horror.” beghtol and xefos think of their album (and the moth wranglers experience in general) as a good old-fashioned indiepop vaudeville. NMTC features guests performances by: stephin merritt and claudia gonson (the magnetic fields), ken stringfellow (the posies), victor krummenacher and jonathan segel (camper van beethoven/monks of doom, etc.), lorin sklamberg, frank london and dave licht (the klezmatics), alison faith levy (the loud family) and many others.