20 Miles – Keep It Coming… (CD, US)

This version is almost identical to the European release except this version has an alternate barcode and does not have text running around the edge of the disc as seen on the European version.

Commercially released on CD in the US, Europe and Japan with a second booklet containing lyrics.

Originally this was issued shrink-wrapped with a sticker reading:

“20 Miles Keep It Coming… The new album from Judah Bauer, guitarist for the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion “Twenty Miles shape familiar blues figures into irresistably ragged pop songs much as Jagger and Richards could do in their glory days.” – Chicago Reader Fat Possum 0356-2″

The album doesn’t state who played on what songs but Steven Jordan performs on Rhythm Bound and Beautiful Dream.

Excerpt from an interview at The Empty Bottle, Chicago, IL (May 26, 2002):

“jojo: Were you listening to anything particular at the time that may have influenced some of the songs on the album? There are two particular songs that sound Tom Waits-ish to me and one with a Lou Reed type riff…

judah: The last song on the record sounds like a Tom Waits song to me, but that was an accident. The first song (“Well, well, well”) sounds like something off a Plastic Ono Band of Lennon’s solo record. That’s just what I think…it doesn’t really matter. Track 4 (“All My Brothers, Sisters too!”) is a Stones-y, blues riff. I was listening to these Stones bootlegs, where they were working up arrangements & stuff off of “Exile” or something. The record was supposed to sound like a bootleg; that’s how I envisioned it sounding. “The Only One” is my take on “House of the Rising Sun”. Reading Socrates – that’s probably where “Phaedo” came from.

jojo: Was “Keep it Coming” recorded the same time as “Plastic Fang”?

judah: I started working on the record a year ago, mostly for engineering – I wanted to become an engineer. I realized it was incredibly tedious and that I don’t want to do it. I ended up doing most of the record. I wanted to do both parts of it. It’s hard to keep your mind in the emotion of the song and then figure out why the signal path isn’t going to tape! I’d mess around with the microphones a whole lot. I recorded it a month after I finished the Blues Explosion record. It may have went on during the same time – I would get home from the studio around midnight or one A.M. from the Blues Explosion, and then I’d go and do 20 Miles until five A.M. The week I had to do the vocals, September 11th happened. I was like, “What’s the point in playing music? This is ridiculous!” I wanted to become a politician or something! Something that might have an effect. It seemed pretty frivolous to be doing music, especially when writing lyrics like, “Full grown woman wants to fuck!” or anything pagan like that. I had innocence on the record – the record is almost too positive in some ways. I thought it was a better way to go. (sings “Rhythm Bound”) “Heal myself/help myself/soothe myself” – it’s new age rock!

jojo: Did you record “Silver Strings” yourself? It sounds like it was recorded onto a computer.

judah: Why, couldn’t you hear the tape hiss on that? My recording technique is so bad that sometimes the drums sounded like a drum machine. Some engineers remarked, “It’s amazing – you got a real drum kit to sound like a drum machine – how’d you do that?” just because I know nothing about mic placement. You can see the evolution – “Streets & Lights” is the first thing I did; it’s kinda rough. The other songs start sounding better later. I started to figure out what I was doing. It was recorded in a box I built in my apartment, except for “Rhythm Bound” – that was recorded at a real studio. A couple songs were done at Fun House.

jojo: How did 20 Miles get started?

judah: Blues Explosion was supposed to go down South and do a record with RL Burnside & Othar Turner, and they didn’t wanna do it. We ended up playing with RL, but Othar got dropped. I went down there that summer to play with Othar & RL Boyce’s band. It became a record. I was hanging out in Mississippi and Matt was coordinating me meeting these guys, ‘cuz I wouldn’t have found them otherwise. We became friends and that’s why I’m on Fat Possum.” – angelfire.com/indie/jojo/interviews/judahbauer.html

Engineers: Jason Marcucci, Minoru Yokoo, Bill Emmons, Peter Arsenault, Tim Conklin, Chris Theodorou and Jerry Teel.
Mixed: Tim Conklin and Chris Theodorou at Sourcerer

Additional Credits:

01. Well, Well, Well
Writer: Judah Bauer
Published: Twenty Miles Music (BMI)
Recorded: At Home

02. Mend Your Heart
Writer: Judah Bauer
Published: Twenty Miles Music (BMI)
Recorded: At Home

03. Only One
Writers: Judah Bauer/Donovan Bauer/Phil Cohen
Published: Twenty Miles Music (BMI)
Recorded: At Home

04. All My Brothers, Sisters Too!
Writer: Judah Bauer
Published: Twenty Miles Music (BMI)
Recorded: At Home

05. Silver String
Writer: Judah Bauer
Published: Twenty Miles Music (BMI)
Recorded: At Home

06. Rhythm Bound
Writer: Judah Bauer
Published: Twenty Miles Music (BMI)
Recorded: At Home
Production Help: Steve and Tim at Soucerer

07. Fix Fences
Writer: Judah Bauer
Published: Twenty Miles Music (BMI)
Recorded: At Home

08. Beautiful Dream
Writer: Judah Bauer
Published: Twenty Miles Music (BMI)
Recorded: At Home

09. Late At Night
Writer: Judah Bauer
Published: Twenty Miles Music (BMI)
Recorded: At Home

10. Feel Right
Writer: Judah Bauer
Published: Twenty Miles Music (BMI)
Recorded: At Home

11. Streets & Lights
Writer: Judah Bauer
Published: Twenty Miles Music (BMI)
Recorded: At Home

12. My Baby Fell Down The Well
Writer: Judah Bauer
Published: Twenty Miles Music (BMI)
Recorded: At Home

13. Like A Rock
Writers: Judah Bauer/Luther Dickinson
Published: Twenty Miles Music (BMI)/North Mississippi Music (BMI) North Mississippi Music is Administered by Funzalo Music, LTD. (BMI)
Recorded: At Home

14. Phaedo
Writer: Judah Bauer
Recorded: At Home

15. I Believe
Writers: Judah Bauer/Greg Anderson
Recorded: Funhouse, NYC

BARCODE: 0 4577-80356-2 5

MATRIX: “80356-2 01 DISCTRONICS MADE IN THE U.S.A.”