A.D.A.L. Records

21/08/2025

In two words describe something that’s short, nonsensical, and requested by nobody.

The answer: REHEATING LEFTOVERS (a brand-new EP by your old pals, Sweet ‘N’ Gross!).

When Joe King, Kody Smith, and Mike King created/recorded music for their Machine Elf albums they wound up with a heap of unused material. Their plan is to transform those leftovers into a couple new projects. The first outing, REHEATING LEFTOVERS, consists of three cover songs and a reimagined classic Sweet ‘N’ Gross tune. If the 3+ hour Machine Elf soundtrack was too much to handle, perhaps this tiny album seems more reasonable.

Check ‘er out on the ADAL BandLab page: https://www.bandlab.com/adalrecords/albums/b4adeb18-357c-f011-b480-6045bd2d9184

08/08/2025

Early autumn, 2007. For the first time in his adult life, Chris Gooding cut his hair short.

“I was watching a lot of Wildboyz back then,” Chris says. “That show with Chris Pontius and Steve-O. Coincidently, I met Pontius years later – after I’d cut my hair short for the second time in my adult life – and he told me I looked like Crispin Glover: a bit of a wildcard himself.

“Anyway, I’ve always been keen on adventure. Trying new things. Hence, the new haircut and Wildboyz obsession. I’ve tinkered with music my whole life. At the time I was moving from the Hammer Head drum machine to the world of FL Studios. I wanted to be Korn. I wanted to be Mr. Bungle. I wanted to be Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin.

“I’ve always enjoyed things on the fringe, like diaper keg parties or having artistic folk in my life who I genuinely love and call my friends. The kind of folk who understand ‘we all ain’t right for normal society’ and are navigating through a world full of people who’ve never misjudged a fart while upchucking from a headful of ‘shrooms and booze. If you know what I mean by that, I probably like you already.

“I knew all the ADAL fellas. They’d been making music on the fringe for a couple years and I wanted in on the action. So, I burned a couple instrumentals I’d recorded onto CD and took a walk around Springhill.”

Kody Smith says: “You know Lefty the Salesman? He was that green Muppet on Sesame Street who would try to sell things he had hidden inside his trench coat to Ernie. Well, I was walking around Springhill one day and ran into Chris Gooding. I was Ernie. He was Lefty. I went home with a CD Chris made and was given carte blanche to manipulate those songs however I wanted.

“I finished one tune before I left to work in Alberta for the winter. Upon my return home in the spring of 2008, I ran into Chris a couple more times under similar conditions. Each time he gave me a CD with new instrumentals on them. Each time I’d take the music home and add to it.

“Back then, I was obsessed with the idea of death metal vocals over music normally not suitable for that style, so I modulated the concept into Chris’ tunes. Upon reflection, I may have taken that idea a bit too far. But that’s for the listener to decide. I was also ingesting a lot of Bruce McCulloch’s ‘Shame-Based Man’ album at the time. Its influence can be heard from me on a couple of the tracks Chris and I made.”

“We wound up with six original songs and a cover of The Cure’s ‘Close to Me’”, Chris explains. “Julian Merlin cameos with some vocal work on the latter.”

“We used our old ADAL pseudonyms: Pimp Daddy Hoe Bucket and DJ C. Screwtape Run," Kody says. "Chris created the front and back artwork for our little EP, he named it ‘Straight from the Heptagonal Ring’, we emailed it to friends, and that was that.”

The songs from STRAIGHT FROM THE HEPTAGONAL RING have since been added to the ADAL YouTube and BandLab pages. Here they are today accompanied with photos taken by different ADALians over the years.

Have Chris and Kody recorded anything since 2008? Yes! In 2023, they created a seasonal tune called ‘Halloween in Mortville’, but we’ll share that sometime in October.

Kody and Chris hope you enjoy their seventeen-year-old voyage through the heptagonal ring!

29/07/2025

Here at All Day All Long Records, we normally share lo-fi music created in basements, living rooms, and sheds around the Maritimes. Today we’re trying something a little different. Today we’re sharing a short story. It’s (sort of) a companion piece to Kody Smith’s MACHINE ELF novel.

Those who’ve read Machine Elf may remember the character, Jamie Thomas. Or not. He’s a minor character without many lines. And with the plethora of colourful individuals in that story, Jamie could easily be overlooked. He shows up, plays his part, and exits stage left. Quite literally.

Well, the story we’re presenting today is all about Jamie and what becomes of him after the events in Machine Elf. This story was written during the summer of 2020. It’s about friendship, finding your place in the universe, historiographic metafiction, and enjoying a few mugs of Keith's on tap. It's called THE LUCKY STAR TAVERN.

Do you need to have read Machine Elf to understand The Lucky Star Tavern, or vice-versa? Not at all. The stories can be enjoyed together or on their own, no prior knowledge needed.

Lastly, Kody wanted to point out that zero AI was used to write or edit this story (or any of his stories). The triumphs and failures in Kody’s work are his alone.

THE LUCKY STAR TAVERN:

Shared with Dropbox

20/06/2025

We’ve been quiet since the release of Sweet ‘N’ Gross’ Machine Elf (check ‘er out, if you haven’t already). But with summer coming tout de suite, we’re firing up the internet again and continuing ‘A.D.A.L.’s 20 Years of Nonsense’ celebration by sporadically shining the spotlight on other bands, artists, albums, songs from the past, and maybe we have more new material up our sleeves, as well.

Today we’re sharing four tunes by Ken Potter (DEADLORD KNOCKING, HAVE YOU EVER DRAWN THE TECHNODROME?, ANTIQUE SOUL, and DINOSAUR ON THE FLOOR), who creates digital music under the name QUEEN SLOWSTEP. Ken has been collaborating with the gang at A.D.A.L. since 2006. He’s the composer of dozens upon dozens of songs, he’s drawn the cover art for many Sweet ‘N’ Gross albums and other A.D.A.L. related projects, and, his most triumphant accomplishment, Ken is the creator of THE SUPER NINJAS: an old-school style video game (think Super Nintendo era Final Fantasy games) starring ADAL characters and music, plus just about everybody who lived in Springhill, Nova Scotia during the 2000s, and a plethora of original characters plucked from Ken’s imagination.

It’s fun. It’s funny. It took Ken, like, over a decade to finish. It’s THE SUPER NINJAS!

Here are links to Queen Slowstep’s SoundCloud page, where you can find more of Ken’s tunes, and also his Super Ninjas site, where the game can be downloaded for freebies!

https://soundcloud.com/slowstep

https://gamejolt.com/games/the-super-ninjas/131855

13/05/2025

A Nova Scotian chronicle. A coming-of-age tale. A haunted house story. A mystery. A tribute to '80s & '90s music. A collection of hallucinogenic experiences involving beings from other dimensions.

The MACHINE ELF novel is all of these things!

A triple album. A three-plus hour soundscape of genre-shifting music. A symphonic tale. A reunion from a band who sat stagnant for fifteen years.

The MACHINE ELF music is a Sweet 'N' Gross triumph!

Check 'em out! Bildungsroman!

Cover art by Ken Potter.

The Novel:

Kindle or Kobo: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/cg33j8drtoewwuwnxdyma/ANopEGSpKzspVs9hOfcYLIA?rlkey=p64mhgegkgkt30x3od4u2xwgx&st=opo5zy5t&dl=0

PDF: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/4elfwb4y9yhysqzbj2o4y/ANTbRJsFz00zu4oXPGcwdzg?rlkey=6x4qlnuryvzhbgx3i7tufkl3m&st=o8oagk10&dl=0

Word Files: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/bqpmjhciuojbu1vodb1hv/AE96y1x-S80nmtXwLFoRF7k?rlkey=5y29f4l4ghqutyw2nx7qv733m&st=ik1xvu8o&dl=0

The Music:

ACT I: https://www.bandlab.com/user8728201613315415/albums/f85fbdc8-781f-f011-8b3d-000d3a930a0a

ACT II: https://www.bandlab.com/user8728201613315415/albums/6d0d7bf7-751f-f011-8b3d-000d3a930a0a

ACT III: https://www.bandlab.com/user8728201613315415/albums/9ac42864-af1e-f011-8b3d-000d3a930a0a

The Videos: https://www.youtube.com/-g4g

04/05/2025

Enhance your May 4th with a couple ditties by Joe King! Here are: 'CREDITORS OF THE UNIVERSE' and 'THE MANDALORIAN THEME (with Kody Smith)'!

Happy Star Wars Day!

"I'll see you along the road." - Cassian Andor

28/04/2025

Is reading from a laptop or tablet not your preferred method? Well, good news! The MACHINE ELF novel is now available on eReaders (Kindle, Kobo, or any reader that accepts mobi or epub files). Huzzah!

The Novel:

Kindle or Kobo: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/cg33j8drtoewwuwnxdyma/ANopEGSpKzspVs9hOfcYLIA?rlkey=p64mhgegkgkt30x3od4u2xwgx&st=opo5zy5t&dl=0

PDF: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/4elfwb4y9yhysqzbj2o4y/ANTbRJsFz00zu4oXPGcwdzg?rlkey=6x4qlnuryvzhbgx3i7tufkl3m&st=o8oagk10&dl=0

Word Files: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/bqpmjhciuojbu1vodb1hv/AE96y1x-S80nmtXwLFoRF7k?rlkey=5y29f4l4ghqutyw2nx7qv733m&st=ik1xvu8o&dl=0

The Music:

ACT I: https://www.bandlab.com/user8728201613315415/albums/f85fbdc8-781f-f011-8b3d-000d3a930a0a

ACT II: https://www.bandlab.com/user8728201613315415/albums/6d0d7bf7-751f-f011-8b3d-000d3a930a0a

ACT III: https://www.bandlab.com/user8728201613315415/albums/9ac42864-af1e-f011-8b3d-000d3a930a0a

The Videos: https://www.youtube.com/-g4g

26/04/2025

We can’t find the exact quote, so we’ll paraphrase something composer Carl King (no relation to Mike and Joe) said about an album he created.

“I wrote some great songs and recorded them with my closest friends. I even paid a couple of my favourite musicians - heroes of mine - to play on the album. Everyone that worked on it was in love with the music. Elated, we couldn’t wait for release day. When it came, no one listened. No one said a word. It was like shooting a fireball in the opposite direction of where everyone was looking.”

And so we, Sweet ‘N’ Gross, invite you to join us as our own fireball of creativity is shot in the wrong direction. We give to you ‘MACHINE ELF: A Sweet ‘N’ Gross Opera’.

*Lightning Strikes the Ghost Ship art by Ken Potter

The Novel (Kindle or Kobo version): https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/cg33j8drtoewwuwnxdyma/ANopEGSpKzspVs9hOfcYLIA?rlkey=p64mhgegkgkt30x3od4u2xwgx&st=opo5zy5t&dl=0

or

The Novel (PDF version): https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/4elfwb4y9yhysqzbj2o4y/ANTbRJsFz00zu4oXPGcwdzg?rlkey=6x4qlnuryvzhbgx3i7tufkl3m&st=o8oagk10&dl=0

or

The Novel (Word version): https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/bqpmjhciuojbu1vodb1hv/AE96y1x-S80nmtXwLFoRF7k?rlkey=5y29f4l4ghqutyw2nx7qv733m&st=ik1xvu8o&dl=0

The Music:

ACT I: https://www.bandlab.com/user8728201613315415/albums/f85fbdc8-781f-f011-8b3d-000d3a930a0a

ACT II: https://www.bandlab.com/user8728201613315415/albums/6d0d7bf7-751f-f011-8b3d-000d3a930a0a

ACT III: https://www.bandlab.com/user8728201613315415/albums/9ac42864-af1e-f011-8b3d-000d3a930a0a

The Videos: https://www.youtube.com/-g4g

25/04/2025

Five-and-a-half years ago Kody Smith had an idea for a short story. As he began writing, the tale grew into a novel - MACHINE ELF - with cover art by Ken Potter. One of the novel’s themes was ‘Music: its healing power and its influence on people’, which gave Kody another idea. ‘What if the novel had a soundtrack?’

Kody, Joe King, and Mike King reunited as the band Sweet ‘N’ Gross and started recording music to accompany Kody’s novel. The initial plan was to create a ten-track instrumental album and a three or four song EP, where they’d play as a full band with vocals. But like with Kody’s original short story, the music grew. It expanded into a sixty-six-track triple album.

‘Why stop there?’ Joe, Mike, and Kody thought when they asked Chris Gooding if he’d make videos for their new music. Chris had been tinkering with AI generated photos, and he created videos for all twenty-two songs from ACT I of the Machine Elf soundtrack.

Frequently Asked Question: ‘If AI was used for the videos, I’ll bet it was used to write the novel and create the music, right?’

Answer: ‘No. The novel was patiently plucked from Kody’s brain with no help from robots. The music is Sweet ‘N’ Gross: about 80% Joe, 20% Kody and Mike. Half was digitally composed, and half was recorded as a band, the same way Sweet ‘N’ Gross has always done it.’

Five-and-a-half-years… and it’ll all be available TOMORROW! (wipes sweat from brow)

Until then, barbeque! Play fetch with a dog! Level up your characters in The Super Ninjas! Mow your lawn! Do whatever it is you do this time of year but be sure to check back tomorrow for a full serving of MACHINE ELF!

* ‘Lightning Strikes the Ghost Ship’ by Ken Potter
* ‘ADAL Nova Scotia’ by Ken Potter and Julian Merlin

09/04/2025

We're plugging the Machine Elf teasers one last time before the entire package is released.

When will it be released? Not sure yet, but before the end of the month. Kody is doing one final revision of the novel before he's comfortable setting his story free. Until then, enjoy the teasers!

Did you know: if you listen to MACHINE ELF (condensed) and watch Disney's Fantasia at the same time, it doesn't synchronize at all!

Cover art by Ken Potter!

Disneyland by Julian Merlin!

MACHINE ELF novel preview: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/b6lgwuabm27v2mwklg86u/Machine-Elf-novel-preview.pdf?rlkey=sf3t1usah2mvy8sszo49kkud3&st=ns3lmirr&dl=0

MACHINE ELF (condensed):

This first link will bring you to Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, etc. - https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/sweetngross/machine-elf-condensed

The second link will bring you to YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kzj28RBPPDBTyzTr09Y-58IaJFjqqcZZg

02/04/2025

Hey! YOU! Yeah, you!

Once you've cleared the beans 'n' weenies and Matt Tabors from your eyes, be sure to check out the new 'Machine Elf: A Sweet 'N' Gross Opera' teasers!

Cover art by Ken Potter!

Sunglasses by Julian Merlin!

MACHINE ELF novel preview: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/b6lgwuabm27v2mwklg86u/Machine-Elf-novel-preview.pdf?rlkey=sf3t1usah2mvy8sszo49kkud3&st=ns3lmirr&dl=0

MACHINE ELF (condensed):

This first link will bring you to Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, etc. - https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/sweetngross/machine-elf-condensed

The second link will bring you to YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kzj28RBPPDBTyzTr09Y-58IaJFjqqcZZg

28/03/2025

It's Friday! The weekend is nigh! There's no better time to fill your v**e and listen to 'MACHINE ELF (condensed)', featuring new tunes by Sweet 'N' Gross (Joe King, Kody Smith, and Mike King). Or maybe you'd rather relax and read a few chapters from an upcoming novel. Either way, follow the links below!

Cover art by Ken Potter!

MACHINE ELF novel preview: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/b6lgwuabm27v2mwklg86u/Machine-Elf-novel-preview.pdf?rlkey=sf3t1usah2mvy8sszo49kkud3&st=ns3lmirr&dl=0

MACHINE ELF (condensed):

This first link will bring you to Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, etc. - https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/sweetngross/machine-elf-condensed

The second link will bring you to YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kzj28RBPPDBTyzTr09Y-58IaJFjqqcZZg