Live @ Spaceland (Acoustic) is an unreleased live and video album by the American pop rock band Self. Originally recorded in April 2004 at the American alternative rock nightclub Spaceland in Silver Lake, Los Angeles, it was intended to be released as a DVD in April 2008, but legal issues with Self and collaborator Seth Timbs's cover of Back in Black rendered it shelved and unreleased as of 2026.
| Live @ Spaceland (Acoustic) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Mahaffey (left) and Timbs (right) performing | ||||
| Video by | ||||
| Released | Unreleased | |||
| Recorded | April 17, 2004 | |||
| Venue | Spaceland (Los Angeles) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Label | Independent | |||
| Producer | Matt Mahaffey | |||
| Self chronology | ||||
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| Self live album chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Live @ Spaceland (Acoustic) | ||||
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Background
editIn May 2000, the American musician Matt Mahaffey moved to Los Angeles to be closer to DreamWorks Records, the label his band Self was signed to.[1] In February 2001, a music video for "Trunk Fulla Amps", a song from Self's fourth studio Gizmodgery was released. It was created to air on MTV's "Indie Day", but Self was denied broadcasting due to their previous association with DreamWorks. The band stated plans to create a Gizmodgery DVD containing the album alongside interviews, photos, and the video for "Trunk Fulla Amps". This never came to fruition, and was shelved.[2]
In March 2001, Self announced that they had begun to record their fifth studio album,[3] Ornament & Crime (2017). It suffered from a series of delays, that eventually lead to its shelving after DreamWorks Records was bought and dissolved by Universal Music Group, who left the album indefinitely unreleased.[4] During the production of Ornament & Crime, Self performed various times at music venues in Los Angeles,[5] simultaneously uploading b-sides and demos to their website to keep fans updated. By April 7, 2004, the band had run out of music to upload on their website, but announced that they were to perform at the American nightclub Spaceland as Britt Daniel's opening act on April 17.[6]
Release
editIn a 2004 interview on the Middle Tennessee State University student-run college radio station WMTS-FM, Mahaffey voiced his plans in releasing the performance as a DVD. Explaining he had "so much fun recording an acoustic set," and stating he was interested in running a short acoustic tour.[7]: 7:20 By 2005, production had begun on the live video album and it was intended to release "soon".[8] In June 2006, Live @ Spaceland (Acoustic) had become stuck in development hell for more than a year, with Mahaffey having uploaded footage of "I Love To Love Your Love My Love" on YouTube that month.[9]
In April 2008, Live @ Spaceland (Acoustic) was made available for pre-order, but copyright issues arose involving the cover of Back in Black, which had been performed solely by Mahaffey on an Omnichord and drum kit. Mahaffey additionally released footage of the cover on YouTube.[10] In a 2014 r/IAmA questionnaire, Mahaffey stated he had "no plans" to release the Live @ Spaceland (Acoustic) DVD,[11] but stated his interest in releasing a studio version of Hellglass.[12]
Reception
editMahaffey's cover of Back in Black gained popularity online in 2009, with Mahaffey being flown to the British Motor Corporation's 2009 London showcase convention to perform for the company.[13] and by 2011, the footage had gone viral, helping Mahaffey gain a cult following online.[14] In 2010, Some Kind of Awesome labeled the cover "an oldie but a goodie", additionally stating it shows how "incredibly talented" Mahaffey is, and encouraging readers to search on eBay for Self records.[15]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Matt Mahaffey, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Stewardess" | 3:47 | |
| 2. | "Microchip Girl" | 3:29 | |
| 3. | "Brooklyn" | 4:20 | |
| 4. | "Paint by Numbers" | 2:50 | |
| 5. | "Coming Over" | 3:22 | |
| 6. | "I Love To Love Your Love My Love" |
| 3:38 |
| 7. | "Back in Black" | 2:46 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8. | "The Making of "Hellglass"" |
| 3:45 |
Personnel
editCredits adapted from available footage.[16]
- Matt Mahaffey – lead vocals, instruments, production, audio mixing, arrangement
- Seth Timbs – piano
- Dan Kilker – videographer
References
edit- ↑ Harkey, Scott (September 11, 2000). "Self / Interviews". Silent Uproar. Retrieved December 24, 2024.
- ↑ Duritz, Darius (March 10, 2000). "The PiG Interview with Matt Mahaffey". PiG Publications. Archived from the original on April 19, 2001. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
- ↑ Mailman, Craig (March 10, 2001). "Self announces new album, web site". Soluble Sound. Archived from the original on April 10, 2001. Retrieved December 11, 2025.
- ↑ Besecker, Gabe (December 11, 2023). "sElf-Indulgent: A Retrospective on the Band That Started Matt Mahaffey's Career". Woof Magazine. Archived from the original on December 26, 2024. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
- ↑ Eades, Michael (August 20, 2003). "Self plays LA, Self plays LA". Silent Uproar. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
- ↑ Eades, Michael (April 7, 2004). "Self plays live and acoustic". Silent Uproar. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
- ↑ Matt Mahaffey Interview on WMTS (YouTube video). WMTS-FM. August 15, 2004. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
- ↑ A.S. (2005). "Matt Mahaffey - Biography". MComet. Archived from the original on November 21, 2014. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
- ↑ knee, yew (June 6, 2006). "SELF CONTINUES TO TEASE WITH NEW RELEASE". Silent Uproar. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
- ↑ Roberts, Brian (June 14, 2008). "Matt Mahaffey playing with himSelf". Doc Pop. Archived from the original on December 7, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
- ↑ Mahaffey, Matt (August 27, 2014). "Hey Matt! Been a fan since seeing you play at 7 Willow Street in Port Chester, NY back in 1997". Reddit. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
- ↑ Mahaffey, Matt (August 27, 2014). "Matt! Big fan of yours! Glad to see you do an AMA. Will we ever get a studio version of HELLGLASS?". Reddit. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
- ↑ Kimpel, Dan (April 9, 2009). "Matt Mahaffey: Song of the Chameleon". Broadcast Music, Inc. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
- ↑ Britt, Bruce (March 1, 2011). "Matt Mahaffey, Now in Nashville and Ready to Play". Broadcast Music, Inc. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
- ↑ "[WATCH] MATT MAHAFFEY/SELF - "BACK IN BLACK (AC/DC COVER)"". Some Kind of Awesome. April 26, 2010. Retrieved March 25, 2026.
- ↑ Live @ Spaceland (Acoustic) (Media notes). Self. none. 2008.
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