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Usually, "side projects" offer an outlet for renowned rockers to explore sounds and approaches that they are not normally affiliated with. Case in point,
Goon Moon. Led by ex-
Marilyn Manson bassist
Twiggy Ramirez (who has since become a touring hired gun for
A Perfect Circle and
Nine Inch Nails) and
Masters of Reality's
Chris Goss (also known for producing some of the best albums by
Kyuss and
Queens of the Stone Age), the group also includes drummer
Zach Hill, from noise rockers
Hella.
Goss first discovered
Ramirez after catching an early
Marilyn Manson show at the Whiskey a Go Go. The pair soon became friends, and when
Goss realized that
Ramirez helped co-pen many of his favorite
Manson tracks (including one of their best-known hits, "The Beautiful People") and had a similar schizophrenic appreciation of music styles, they began jamming together and penning songs. After
Ramirez left
Manson's band, these sessions became more regular, and it was at one of these get-togethers that
Ramirez brought along drummer
Hill to join in on the fun (with
Ramirez and
Goss splitting vocal duties, and playing various instruments).
With no expectations or pressure from a record label, the trio recorded a vast amount of songs at Rancho de la Luna by early 2005 (rumored to be around 50). From this pool of songs, the trio assembled a ten-track/just-under-30-minute EP,
I Got a Brand New Egg Layin' Machine (whose title comes from an episode of the TV show Green Acres). Released in June 2005 on the Suicide Squeeze label, the EP was a very unpredictable recording -- incorporating a wide variety of musical styles, with little reference points to the hard rock that
Ramirez and
Goss are known for.
Goon Moon planned to tour in support of
I Got a Brand New Egg Layin' Machine, but with
Ramirez committed to
Nine Inch Nails for most of 2005, they were put on hold. Up next for
Goon Moon should be a full-length release, which will undoubtedly showcase some of the tracks that went unused for the EP. ~ Greg Prato