Head In A Bird Cage, by Buck Gooter

Head In A Bird Cage

by Buck Gooter

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$9.99 USD or more
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Comes with:
- LP jacket with embossed lettering
- Printed sleeve w/ hand-drawn lyrics and a drawing by Terry Turtle
- A print of "Bird Brain" drawing by Terry Turtle
- "I Want To Be Alone" rubbing taken from a cabinet in Terry Turtle's house
- "Nailed To A Cross" lyric sheet print

Includes unlimited streaming of Head In A Bird Cage via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

ships out within 10 days

edition of 40

Purchasable with gift card

$24.99 USD or more
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Vinyl comes with embossed lettering on the jacket, printed sleeve w/ lyrics and drawing by Terry Turtle, and download Code.

Includes unlimited streaming of Head In A Bird Cage via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

ships out within 10 days

Purchasable with gift card

$21.99 USD or more
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Red splatter vinyl! Comes with embossed lettering on the jacket, printed sleeve w/ lyrics and drawing by Terry Turtle, and download Code.

Includes unlimited streaming of Head In A Bird Cage via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

ships out within 10 days

Purchasable with gift card

$24.99 USD or more
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Limited to 14 copies. All orders come with a print of Terry Turtle's lyric sheet for "Nailed To A Cross" and an additional handwritten lyric sheet from a random song on the album.

Includes unlimited streaming of Head In A Bird Cage via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

ships out within 10 days

edition of 14

Purchasable with gift card

$44.99 USD or more
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Limited to 14 copies. All orders come with a print of Terry Turtle's lyric sheet for "Nailed To A Cross" and an additional handwritten lyric sheet from a random song on the album.

Includes unlimited streaming of Head In A Bird Cage via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

ships out within 10 days

edition of 14 4 remaining

Purchasable with gift card

$45.99 USD or more
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Limited to 50 copies, each vinyl comes with a 8x10 inch print of Terry Turtle's "Bird Brain"

Includes unlimited streaming of Head In A Bird Cage via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

ships out within 10 days

Purchasable with gift card

$34.99 USD or more
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Limited to 50 copies, each vinyl comes with a 8x10 inch print of Terry Turtle's "Bird Brain"

Includes unlimited streaming of Head In A Bird Cage via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

ships out within 10 days

Purchasable with gift card

$35.99 USD or more
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Limited to 20 copies. After Terry passed away Billy ripped off a cabinet in his home that had the words "I Want To Be Alone," which is featured on the back cover of 'Head In A Bird Cage'. Each LP in this bundle comes with a pencil-rubbing made from the cabinet.

Includes unlimited streaming of Head In A Bird Cage via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

ships out within 10 days

Purchasable with gift card

$45.99 USD or more
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Limited to 20 copies. After Terry passed away Billy ripped off a cabinet in his home that had the words "I Want To Be Alone" written on the side. The cabinet is featured on the back cover of 'Head In A Bird Cage'. Each LP in this bundle comes with a homemade pencil-rubbing made from the cabinet.

Includes unlimited streaming of Head In A Bird Cage via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

ships out within 10 days

edition of 20

Purchasable with gift card

$44.99 USD or more
T-Shirt/Apparel
Screen-printed on black American Apparel T-shirt

ships out within 10 days

Purchasable with gift card

$18.99 USD or more

1.	Nailed to a Cross 04:31 video	lyrics	buy track
ENTERING FROM DARKNESS SOON IT’S RIGHT BACK OUT JOURNEY IN BETWEEN WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT? LAUGHTER FROM THE YOUTH TERROR FROM THE OLD JOURNEY THROUGH A GAME INTO WITHERED COLD OF COURSE WE’RE DOOMED TO SUFFER IN BETWEEN NAILED TO A CROSS WE’RE ALL NAILED TO A CROSS BATTLE OF THE FLOWER AND WEED BEAUTY AND RUST DECREE COLORS AND INSANITY SOME ELECT EARLY FLEE UP THE DIFFERENT PATHWAYS ALWAYS TURNING KEYS THEN IT’S TIME TO EXIT LIFE WAS BUT A SNEEZE
2.	Cobwebs 03:02	lyrics	buy track
BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE I CLEANED THIS ROOM STILL NOT ENOUGH COBWEBS TO FILL MY WOUNDS UH UH MISERY FOR ALL TO SEE PAVE IT ALL - PLEASE SCREAM INTO THE CYMBAL LET YOUR SOUL SING EATING GLASS ‘CAUSE IT’S THE ONLY OFFERING EATING GLASS ‘CAUSE IT’S THE ONLY OFFERING DIE CRYING THE WORLD LEFT A SERIOUS WOUND IN ME MY LIFE IS DEFINED BY THIS INJURY A SPIDER’S SILK COULD ONLY RECONNECT ME IF WEBS REPLACED MY BODY DIE CRYING I’M NOT A HUMAN BEING I’M NOT AN ADULT GRATEFULLY IRRELEVANT COLLISION RESULT DIE CRYING
3.	Things 01:41	lyrics	buy track
THINGS ABOUT MY HEART THAT I WANT EVERYBODY TO KNOW
4.	What We Do Is Pathological 01:43	lyrics	buy track
WE'RE ON THE SADNESS STREAM THIS IS SUCH A TRAGIC DREAM WHAT WE DO IS PATHOLOGICAL THAT’S ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW
5.	We Let The Blood 01:56	lyrics	buy track
WE LET THE BLOOD OUT OF OUR EYES AS WE SCREAM INTO THE NIGHT I KNOW YOUR FACE SO WELL IT IS BLOOD, IT IS LIFE WE LET THE BLOOD WE LET THE BLOOD HARDEN UP, SCAB OVER, SOLIDIFY AS WE LEAVE THE PAST THAT HAUNTS US AND FROM IT REFUSE TO DIE WE LET THE BLOOD FOR THE TRUTH TO SHINE WE LET THE BLOOD GUIDE US TO HOME IN TIME HOME IN TIME WE LET THE BLOOD OUT OF OUR VEINS WE LET THE BLOOD INTO OUR EYES WE SEE THE TRUTH AND NOT THE LIES
6.	Certain Times of Day 01:30	lyrics	buy track
CERTAIN TIMES OF DAY WE ARE WIDE AWAKE TO KEEP YOU SOUND ASLEEP YOU DON’T LISTEN TO ME MUSIC IS ANSWERS THIS MUSIC MAKES ME HELL
7.	Tusks 02:28	lyrics	buy track
TUSKS MADE US WHAT WE ARE WE REPAY TUSKS WITH DUST LUCY LUCY LUCY LUCY LUCY CAME OUT OF HER TREE TO MAKE A LIFE OUT IN THE CLEARING MANKIND CAN’T BE WITHOUT BULLDOZERS TUSKS FIRST PROVIDED THIS NEED, YEAH TUSKS FIRST PROVIDED THIS NEED, YEAH BULLDOZER IS OUR ONLY CULTURE YEAH EVERYWHERE TUSKS WENT WE WENT EVENTUALLY “PAVE IT ALL - PLEASE!”: OUR BIOLOGICAL CREED WE’RE JUST FOLLOWING THE TUSK’S LEAD THEY NEVER KNEW WHAT WOULD HIT ‘EM! “THESE LITTLE APES GOT OUT OF HAND… CAN YOU BELIEVE IT, MAN?”
8.	Like a Prayer Days 02:18	lyrics	buy track
WHEN I WAKE UP TO YOU I’M FEELING FOR DREAMS MADE REAL THE ONLY WAY TO HEAVEN IS THROUGH YOUR HEART THE ONLY WAY TO GREET THE DAY IS TO START LIKE A PRAYER DAYS KEEP ME SANE LIKE A PRAYER DAYS WITH MY HEAD IN A BIRD CAGE SUFFERING IS A HUMAN CONCERN …YOU CAN BET HIS HEAD IS SO FAR UP HIS ASS IT’S POPPING OUT OF HIS NECK BUT IN MY NEST NOTHING BUT THE BEST: SMILES AND ALL THE REST
9.	Craters of the Moon 01:52	lyrics	buy track
GOLDEN DRAGONFLY HOVERING OVER CRATERS OF THE MOON
10.	Paid Blues 02:39	lyrics	buy track
PAID BLUES NEEDING HELL IT’S OVER AMERICA THE FUCK-YOU-TIFUL IN THE COURT OF PUBLIC OPINION EVERYONE WILL FACE THE GALLOWS
11.	Flinch for the Butterfly 01:12	lyrics	buy track
I FLINCH FOR THE BUTTERFLY CROSSING THE HIGHWAY COLLISION IS IMMINENT YOU ARE OBLIVIOUS
12.	Three Wordless Books 03:43	lyrics	buy track
WAKE ME UP WHEN IT’S ALL OVER! I’VE DONE ALL I CAN DO I KNOW ALL I NEED TO KNOW: THERE’S LESS OF ME THAN YOU THREE WORDLESS BOOKS I THINK ABOUT ALL THE TIME AND NO ONE HAS PAID FOR THOSE CRIMES EVEN THE KNIVES ARE BLEEDING YOUR EYES ARE FALLING OUT YOUR HEAD BUT YOU DON’T CARE YOU DECAPITATED YOURSELF GIVE THE BOOKS THEIR NAMES BACK SACRIFICE THE SUN PULL ITS SOULS OUT
13.	Sun is Beaming 04:28	lyrics	buy track
SUN IS BEAMING BEAMING THROUGH THE CLOUDS THE ACTUAL BOTTOM IS SUNLIT A WRAPPED ENGINE GIGANTIC WHITE WRAPPED ENGINE LIKE KING KONG’S ARTIFICIAL HEART LIKE KING KONG’S ARTIFICIAL HEART SPEEDING AWAY THE SUN KISSES IT TOO FIFTY DEGREES AND THE SUN IS BEAMING SUN IS BEAMING THROUGH BEAMING THROUGH THE CLOUDS BEAMING THROUGH THE CLOUDS ALL LOVE IS KNOWN AND CAN’T BE SHOWN NOTHING CAN BE DONE THAT CAN’T BE DONE ALL LOVE IS KNOWN AND CAN’T BE SHOWN NOTHING CAN BE DONE THAT CAN’T BE DONE SUN IS BEAMING SUN IS BEAMING BEAMING THROUGH THE CLOUDS
14.	Dying to Believe 03:38	lyrics	buy track
NO, KURT, I DON'T HAVE A GUN OR THIS MADNESS WOULD BE DONE MY COLD HEART IS MADE OF SLEEVE I'M DYING TO BELIEVE DYING TO BELIEVE I'M IN DARKNESS DYING TO BELIEVE FROM THE SHADOWS DYING TO BELIEVE I'M DYING TO BELIEVE THERE'S SOME THINGS I WILL NOT DO TO COMPROMISE MY MUSIC CLUE SO TODAY I WILL NOT LEAVE I'M DYING TO BELIEVE DYING TO BELIEVE I'M IN DARKNESS DYING TO BELIEVE FROM THE SHADOWS DYING TO BELIEVE IN SOMETHING DYING TO BELIEVE I'M DYING... NO, KURT, I DON'T HAVE A GUN NO, KURT, I DON'T HAVE A GUN NO, KURT, I DON'T HAVE A GUN NO, KURT, I DON'T HAVE A GUN I'M DYING TO BELIEVE

about

“When he was dying, and they had to rush him into another room because he was flatlining, Terry was singing.” That’s Billy Brett of Virginia industrial blues band Buck Gooter - he’s relating bandmate Terry Turtle’s last Earthly moments, rocking out as he crossed to the other side. For fifteen years, Buck Gooter has been one of the underground’s hardest working bands, releasing fourteen full-length albums and playing over seven-hundred shows. Buck Gooter is the story of two musicians who went from acquaintances to friends to family, creating a singular discography in the process, and not letting anything stand in the way. At the end of his life, Turtle charged Brett with continuing as Buck Gooter. It has always been in the Buck Gooter DNA to work through the impossible - on new album Head In A Birdcage, this includes death.

Turtle died on November 20, 2019, but worked on new material with Brett until he no longer could. While laid up in a hospital bed, Turtle assured Brett what he really wanted was “get out of this bed and rock with Buck Gooter.” He was pretty much in the hospital from August 30th, 2019 until the end of his life. It’s unknown when the cancer started, but Turtle was admitted after a constant shoulder pain became untenable. Upon performing a CAT scan, doctors let Turtle know that he had a broken neck, spurred by a large, malignant tumor that had eaten away his vertebrae. He wore a neck brace -- a “bird cage” -- until the day he died.

The hospital stay was brutal and the staff was indifferent - Turtle’s sole respite was honing new material. “Send me some beats so I don’t blow my brains out,” he said. Though Turtle was often hopped up on painkillers, when his attention rose out of the opioid fog, he wanted to create and record - his appearances on “Nailed To A Cross,” “Flinch For The Butterfly,” and “What We Do Is Pathological” were recorded while at the hospital.

Due to logistical difficulties, Head In A Bird Cage was created unconventionally. Take lead single “Nailed To A Cross,” a haunting, slow-burner with plodding beats, psychedelic guitar, Brett’s seething growl, and Turtle’s crooning baritone - Turtle insisted that Brett include it on the album, but couldn’t remember the guitar chords. Then Brett found an archived facebook live video where Turtle plays a rudimentary version of the song. “I'm like, ‘Fuck yeah!’” Brett says. “So we cut that into little pieces, dropped it on a grid on the computer. He had chosen the beat before, and then in the hospital, he sang ‘nailed to a cross,’ which is the chorus.”

Head In A Bird Cage functions as a testament to the band’s legacy and ethos - songs like the industrial nugget “What We Do Is Pathological” are up front. “What we do is pathological. That’s all you need to know,” yowls Brett on repeat, atop undulating synth, far-away metallic rhythm, and a Terry Turtle vocal sample. Brett calls this song a “manifesto.” Another song with “manifesto” lyrics is the sneering “Certain Times Of Day,” a song pulled from a tape of Turtle’s riffs - “You don’t listen to me - music is answers, this music makes me hell,” Brett screams, nodding to Buck Gooter’s dogged determination and heart.

That Buck Gooter work ethic, restless touring, and steady output touched a lot of people. Prior to Turtle’s passing, Brett made an announcement via social media that Turtle was not doing great, asking for remembrances and letters. The outpouring was staggering. Those who bore witness to Turtle’s life wanted to pay tribute. Turtle also wanted to establish a memorial fund, which Brett began on Gofundme - once again, people participated, eventually culminating in thousands of dollars raised for various charities. There was also a two-day long tribute concert held in Brooklyn with proceeds benefiting the Terry Turtle memorial fund, as well as a new ongoing project - The Terry Turtle Archives, available through Bandcamp, and which highlights the musician’s visual art. Anyone who knew Turtle knew he was a talented illustrator with a penchant for capturing the colorful, psychedelic, and surreal - monsters, gods, and the natural world collided in his drawings as much as they did in his music. He was also notoriously generous, often giving out prints for free to friends, though always laminating and keeping the originals. “For now, it's a blog,” Brett explains, “but maybe one day it'll expand into a more organized, massive vault.”

Turtle’s presence on Head In A Bird Cage is ubiquitous - so much so that it can be hard to believe he’s no longer alive - but in many ways he’s still here. “There's more to grab Terry samples from,” Brett says. “He wrote other songs that were never finished or released. Buck Gooter will always have Terry in it.” Head In A Bird Cage is far from an epitaph - it’s a metamorphosis, an exercise in persistence after a band member has graduated from their earthly body. It’s Turtle with a sheepish grin, putting an arm around you, reassuring the living that death is not the end.

- Jordan Reyes

credits

released September 3, 2021

REC’D ON 1/18/20 & 1/19/20 AT BIG COIN, DUMBO, BROOKLYN, NY BY ANDY CHUGG
MASTERED BY JAMES PLOTKIN
PHOTOGRAPHY BY PAUL SOMERS

BUCK GOOTER IS (ALWAYS AND FOREVER):

TERRY TURTLE - GUITAR, VOCALS
BILLY BRETT - ELECTRONICS, VOCALS

OTHER HEADS IN THIS BIRD CAGE:

GRAHAM BROUDER - BASS ON #9, RECORDED TT’S VOCALS ON #12
PATRIK “PAPPY” DOUGHERTY - SAXOPHONES ON #3
JOSH HEBDON - DRUMS ON #14
BRIAN KLIMA - AUDIO HELP ON #6 & #13
ALETHEA LEVENTHAL - SYNTH ON #1
JUSTIN RANDEL - LOOP HELP ON #1
ZACH WILLIAMS - LIVE RECORDING ON #14

THANKS TO ALL HEADS IN AND OUT OF THIS BIRD CAGE FOR YOUR BELIEF AND SUPPORT.

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about

Buck Gooter Harrisonburg, Virginia

Ghost-motivated electronic rock.

TO BE PLAYED AT MAXIMUM VOLUME.

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