I met Dean Van Dyke at Smith Burnham Hall on the WMU campus in 1986. He had just dyed his hair black and it hung down in front nearly down to his chin. What a great guy. Dean was a huge Church fan and he introduced me to their back catalog. He also taught me many of the chords to Church songs and I've been a Church fan ever since. Over the years we stayed in touch and actually lived right behind him. Dave was dating some girl and I was dating her sister. I'd go to parties at his place from time to time and watched as Dave and Dean slowly morphed into something a bit more aggressive. They were really influenced by the Led Zeppelin direction the Cult were heading in. I recall Dean mentioning he was in a band called the Jet Boys before Murder of Crows back in Muskegon, but Dave Grant wasn't in that band. I still have a Murder of Crows sticker (unused).
At one point I sang a cover version of Unguarded Moment during one of the parties Dean and Dave put on. I think the band was Memories of Tomorrow. What a great time that was!
As for Dave Grant, I first met him at a Confirmation concert. What an awesome band! I used to have a cassette of their one and only album but it's long gone now. Dave was really influenced by Cactus World News and the Waterboys as I recall, and in the late 80's he was digging Runrig's first album.
After the Confirmation broke up, I bought Dave Grant's Rickenbacker 12-string and Jazz Chorus amp that he used in the Confirmation. Ended up selling them around 1991. Later on I remember Dave asking if I still had it. Around that time he was getting a divorce and had started Rolling Head.
Around Rolling Head broke up I ran into Dave Van Dyke. Apparently he was taking courses to become a Dental Hygienist or something. I haven't seen or heard from any of them since. Anyone have contact info?
As requested: Actors stuff is now online, four tracks, you can get 'em at http://www.lowgenius.net/lg_music.asp along with my rambling observations and apologies about each individual track.
Yeah, I know, I need to rework my navigation structure. Anyway, there's the mooziks, hope you enjoy them if for no other reason than they make a good giggle or three.
(Jeff - I'm going to get links up from my site to yours eventually, so thanks for letting me add my spam here...)
Well that's a fine howdoyoudo! In response to: Tricia Chappell on 05-09-08 for Fletcher
I used to make snacks for the Fletcher boys when they would practice in the Douglas St. house basement. I would make like ramen noodles on toast, potatoes w/ carl budding corn beef sandwich slices, sandwich cookies dipped in jello, that sort of fare. It really fueled the boys on & I feel somewhat responsible for their success. --- end of previous message ---
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Download music connected to your favorite 90s SW Michigan clique
LeonsTemple.com is a music download/networking site for people interested in, fans of, and contributors of music generated by the SW Michigan/Kalamazoo music phenom that happened in the early 90s. We're not sure what else to call it, but in 1992ish there were about 115 bands, 17 venues, and about a 1/2 dozen record contracts in a 70k-person town, with a bunch of hot bands creating genre-breaking energetic music. Basically, if you know what it is you know what will be here.
Find those elusive albums that you've long lost or never had and download them on MP3. Not only those, but everything in the family tree - hear what those freaks and geeks did before hand, afterwards, and even what their friends did. Hopefully rare live and b-side type stuff will be posted as well. Feel free to burn them to disc and share with new friends. Leave a message.
If you have something to contribute, i.e., music that belongs here, please visit the contribute page to submit material and help complete the project.
See the latest list and add you own. Latest: Top 10 Things I Don't RememberPosted on 2008-05-04
JOHN HENRY (is this an alias? I thought Dan Jager played drums for 4Peace) posts a good read and a neat flyer.
And because no story is true unless I was personally part of it, here's me at the 4 peace house itself:
BTW, here in Boston there is a popular (or at least well-publicized) rap band called Four Peace, you can check them out here: FOUR PEACE.
May 3, 2008
New music today: SPITE. This mid-eighties punk band featured the likes of Scott Boman, Tommy Fuller, Willie Badlands, and Dan-O. Got get em'.
As promised you can download three new tracks off of CHRIS BRYER's new album HAZEL AND THE BLACK RABBIT. Over time you can collect the whole album DOWNLOAD THEM HERE.
I find this hard to beleive, but 652 people downloaded GHG's "My Girl's Patriotic" in April alone (second place was "Dutch Mafia", with third, fourth, and fifth going to Killswitch and Crick). I have to wonder if there are MP3 spiders or something, but then they'd all be getting hit that much.
April 24, 2008
If you haven't already yet, go ahead a download the few posted tracks of HAZEL and the BLACK RABBIT because they are coming down next week and will be replaced with a few new ones. We've decided to give the album away for free, but in a clever, frustrating way where you'll have to collect all the songs over time. We'll be doing this with other new releases as they come. Perhaps even with the new THE THOUGHT INDUSTRY album that is forthcoming.
No update this week: A mixed Kzoo/Boston crew will be heading to hip and historical Portland this weekend to hold DAVID NASH's bachelor party. Yup, dude's getting married next month. I've just heard that Portland (Maine, not OREGON Geoff, Molly, Karla and Craig) has highest ratio of bars to people in the US, vying with San Fran for the honor.
Want an easy way to browse the songs on this site? Just use the ugly but simple root directory of the songs foler: http://www.leonstemple.com/songs/. Don't forget to look in the "Joby" folder, as there are treats in there.
DESCACRATOR metal maurader DAN ROE and his family are coming over today for a playdate. We both have little girls named Adelaide, and I expect Satan worshiping to be kept at a dim hum.
April 9, 2008
WTF? Kalamazoo's one and only Jewish guy sings on YOUTUBE. It's a video, but I'd keep yer dicks in yer pants.
April 6, 2008
"These are the greatest songs ever written" I believe is what SO THIS IS OUTERSPACE guitarist and voxalist BRYAN CHARLES says on the amusing STIO PDF you can download (a first for the site. The upcoming TASM record will undoubtadly have an Excel sheet attachment just for one-ups-manship). BRIAN KOSCUK sends this in, but inexplicably only sent two of the seven songs. Perhaps the others are for sale somewhere? Anyways, Check it out!
According to board rumors, SNORKEL will be playing a show in July. No one has sent me their MP3's yet though. I'd also like unknown person to send me RESIN MATTRESS and FATSACK recordings as well please. The 'Temple just wouldn't be complete with out them.
March 29, 2008
Here's a treat - NEW MUSIC: SELLING HEAVEN "BUTTERFLY" DEMO. I transfered the tape last weekend, probably the last time it could be played before it the tape itself would snap. Hissy, warbly, in mono, quiet - a terrible transfer. Maybe someone else could transfer it? Plus, just like the original cassette, it doesn't have any track listings broken out (like CDs do). You just download the giant 35meg MP3 and you're forced to listen to the whole album.
Songs on it include "My Country", "Napoleon's Homecoming", "Butterfly", "Waiting for Superman", and "Drone". It surprisingly holds up really well, with the song writing probably being more complex and progressive sounding than their later demo. It's neat hearing Chris Bryers sing after we knew he was good. I think when this came out, we weren't sure whether he was someone like myself, Chuck Bradford, Karl Knack, Kevin Oberlin or a hundred other guys who just did a good impression of being a lead singer, but wasn't a geniune vocal talent. When you hear it now, it sounds just like good ole' top notch Bryers. In context, this would be the first time we heard Clementsian super-bass, and it seemed more like the amazing achievement it was and not a foible that most of his *critics* feel these days. Of course, Butterfly is far and away some amazing bass playing. Dude plays feedback for chrissakes. Chris's lyric content paints him as having a mindset like a disgruntled vietnam vet politico, despite being a 19 year old from South Haven. I know, I know, its a song persona and I never owned a Bunnysuit, but if you thought it was real, you'd have to wonder why some chick didn't stomp on Chris' heart in highschool and bring out his girl and love themes earlier.
I'm SORRY I put up bad SNORKEL tracks. All but one file downloaded as a broken 1kb file. If anyone can download them and send them over, it would be greatly appreciated.
DOUG UDEL has posted his TOP TEN LIST. Check it out! I've recently talked to both BRENT OBERLIN and DAVE NASH recently who are both working on their top ten list, but can only get to about SIX before they run out of ideas/memories. As official rulemaker, let me say that a list of six is fine. You can write whatever you want and post it.
March 23, 2008
NEW MUSIC: SNORKEL. Go get it! It's just as you remember.
We have a board troller who is impersonating other members. I personally find it enjoyable to make fun of Brent and Bryers and Rit as much as anybody, but you have to identify yourself, otherwise its only a nuisance, and you don't get to be made fun of back. I'm going to resist putting a sign-up for posts. If there is any post you don't like, be it too cruel, mis-labeled, forged or whatever, send me a note at cool @ leons temple . com (remove spaces) and I will fix it / delete it.
Was it you, CHRISTOPHER LEE?
BRENT and his wife ERICA are having coffee in my kitchen right now. The newlyweds came here to the Till Manse to party hard - blow and vodka shots until the wee hours, up all night sleep all day. Actually, we played peek-a-boo and burped babies.
NEW MUSIC: BARNES-AMAINA! Go get it! Two little-heard projects from BRIAN & RUSS BARNES, the first was their band THE ENTANGLED, who played Soda to maniacal crowds (I have a flyer from an Overman show with them, I think), and the second is their more recent KNOW NOTHINGS, which, I think, but am not sure, is their adult-age hobby project.
CHRISTIAN HAGLUND from Sweden wrote recently (odd that we have so much representation in Sweden, given TOOLMASTER's manse location). Christian had a band in Sweden called KALAMAZOO, partly due to his appreciation of THOUGHT INDUSTRY and (I presume) some of the other related projects. Anyways, Christian doesn't play in Kalamazoo anymore, but you can check out his new stuff at www.myspace.com/depressiveart. He says he's famous in Sweden, but how would we know? He probably has a girlfriend in Canada too. (Kidding, I'm a goose). Anyways, he's promised to send some KALAMAZOO to the 'temple (as if we didn't have enough of it already -- Wakka wakka wakka!)
Here's some memories from PAUL TOTH, least of which is ROBIN (is she still alive?) on stage with the GOD BULLIES. Or is she on stage? I'm baffled, because it looks like the crowd is tuned into to something in the OPPOSITE direction, meaning their must be something more interesting than ole' googley eyes and Miss Grungy -- could it be ... what??? Maybe BLANE TOWNSEND telling a joke? GARRET giving out free Burger King? DARREN DOYLE doing a karate chop? I guess we'll never know, making us all KNOW NOTHINGS (see how I tied all this together?)
March 9, 2008
NEW MUSIC: FLETCHER! Go get it! This BRYAN CHARLES band. He sent me these files about a year ago, that's how far behind we are in posting, but we have the rest of our lives, right?
BREAKING NEWS - - Through our sophisticated network of street agents*, we've heard that a fine sampling of the 'Temple could be heard on WIDR today, thanks to DJ Irreversible (for his sake, I hope he hasn't seen the film of the same name. It's nasty.).
Here's his show, check it out. It looks like its every Wednesday:
The Sound & Fury of Kalamazoo, 12-1pm
DJ Irreversible brings you one hour exclusively devoted to the Kalamazoo music scene and the happenings of artists from every aural avenue and every sonic alley. Featuring music from current and former Kalamazoo acts, live in studio performances and interviews, concert listings, and more! It’s time to take back your music, Kalamazoo!
Here's the playlist, taken from WIDR's site:
Mar 05 - 12:59 PM
Feedbag
We Will Rock You On The Feast Of The Sabbath
No
e/d
Mar 05 - 12:51 PM
Doxie
Shots & Old Cigars
No
e/d
Mar 05 - 12:49 PM
Screwtape
Three Red Bicycles
Yes
e/d
Mar 05 - 12:46 PM
Overman
Free Delivery
No
e/d
Mar 05 - 12:42 PM
Dead River Drag
Stars
No
e/d
Mar 05 - 12:32 PM
Memories Of Tomorrow
Girl Jam
No
e/d
Mar 05 - 12:28 PM
Crick
Mad Hungarian
No
e/d
Mar 05 - 12:24 PM
Lo-Fi Scorpio
Code 5
No
e/d
Mar 05 - 12:19 PM
Bone China
Trauma 25
No
e/d
Mar 05 - 12:13 PM
King Tammy
Recession Of The Jaw
No
e/d
Mar 05 - 12:08 PM
Black Spring
The Last Season
No
e/d
Mar 05 - 12:04 PM
Genius Hired Guns
Centipede
No
e/d
Mar 05 - 12:03 PM
Area 51
Evil Things
The Sound And Fury Of Kalamazoo!!!
No
DJ Irreversible
e/d
* Dave Grant was driving to Burger King or somewhere and heard the totally unreleased "Stars" on the radio, called Mike Roche, who was installing insulation in his floor, who left me a message as I was giving my toddler a bath. That's how this sophisticated network works. Just a little howdoyoudo from me to you, fuckface.
March 1, 2008
NEW MUSIC - LT EXCLUSIVE: AARON WRITE AND MIKE ROCHE Go get it! Really, there are a lot of curios and nice historic snapshots on this site, but this one you might want to burn to disc and leave in your car.
February 24, 2008
NEW MUSIC TODAY: COSMONAUT. An all star line up including you-know-who from the MZD art-metalers makes this a sure win. Be sure to BUY a copy off of CDBABY as I'm sure the money goes somewhere good, but RODNEY JOHNSON has permissed us to make it available to the unwashed for dead fucking free. Enjoy!
Speaking of art-metalers, JEFF BORKOWSKI and his wife KENNYSON had a baby yesterday - a 10 POUNDER! Everyone's ok. A boy - Dino Lennon Borkowski. Congratulate him (here, if you want). Congratulations, Jeff!
February 18, 2008
As you'll see from the new banner today, FEEDBAG has gotten back together to record and release a brand new single "We will rock you on the feast of the sabbath". DOWNLOAD the new song, as well as read the lyrics and some commentary from the bloodletters.
Glad to have a break from the BRYERS HAZEL AND THE BLACK RABBIT banner? Well besides it coming back, you still need to go buy one.
If any of you miss TOOLMASTER (and who wouldn't?) you can see him and his handsome family below (scroll down). Mrs. Toolmaster and Toolmasterina are in queue (OK, actually Joel, Maria, and Miller) all the way from the European North Country.
No one has yet to volunteer any MONSTER ZERO nor PHIL A. SHEO recordings. Send them on...
February 1, 2008
New this week, Barkin' Tuna headliners CATHARSIS. This band, seemingly, was the only band I could seem to see when I was a 17-year-old WMU freshman. Also, living on the cusp of a technology sea change, Catharsis must of been last generation to sensibly put out VIYNL. You can get the whole album now on handy MP3. NICK PETROFF sends in these files, and should be commended for making it easy for me to post.
As a bonus, you can see his world-class, highest-order mullet in the band photo. I seem to remember BILL CLEMENTS with a mighty mullet as well. (top-ten list anyone? Best mullets? I know I could send a couple dingers from my late high school days).
BRIAN BARNES sends in this newly-crafted FEEDBAG logo. Enjoy!
When did you last hear from Hagen Fenstermaker? More importantly, check out SIMEON ESPER's band THUMPER who you would always hear about but have a hard time ever seeing. Hear them now! Five songs you've never owned. Get it!
January 18, 2008
Happy new year and happy birthday! It's been a year since LEONSTEMPLE.com has launched, so the site is a year old. It's also the birthday of my newborn son, HUXLEY RUDOLPH TILL, who was born on Janurary 4th.
It's barely an update, as MIKE hasn't sent the music in yet, but we've put up a page for TRIPLEMINT which at least has some funny pictures.
Also, LEE BARTON and myself have posted new TOP TEN LISTS for some of Kalamazoo best moments and cover songs.
December 22, 2007
New music: FEEDBAG. This gag rock spektakular includes jokey songs from the likes of PAUL RICHARDSON and EVAN SMITH, backed up by the likes of TODD MCNAUGHTON, MIKEY CONNELY, BEN RICHARDS, and so-what's/we-know-em-alreadies BRENT AND GEOFF. Big thanks to BRIAN BARNES for shipping them over. Make it an early X-mas gift. No stink available online.
Brian also lets us know that there is an EYETEETH album you've never heard. Now we just need TODD to give us the thumbs up to post it. Do it Todd, do it! I'm sure the guitar is fabu. Brian also sent his ENTANGLED album (remember them? No?) which we will be posting soon.
DOUGLAS GARNETT would like to announce the release of a new compilation: MORE THAN ONE WAY TO SKIN A CORPSE. (sounds christmassy!). Check it out.
BRYAN CHARLES posted his TOP TEN. About time our writer wrote something for us ;) Read his. Add your own.
Have a good one, and happy new year!
December 15, 2007
New music: THE RURAL ELECTRIFICATION ACT, which features along with some other brohamuli MATTCHEW SAHLGREN, my ole' OVERMAN compatriot and bass player from Toolmaster's MONSTER ZERO (everything is framed from my reference.) Their CD is still for sale, so go buy it. We've put a couple samples up to entice you.
As if on queue, KING TAMMY drummer sends this picture of MATT (that's the segue) and myself and CRAIG VERITY to Craig himself this week of Overman in John's basement, looking pretty dirtbaggish.
Matt, like me, is a daddy. I'll be one a second time over next week when my son is born. Updates may begin to slow for a tad. If I don't tell you otherwise, have a smashing holiday.
December 8, 2007
New music: RON MUNIZ and the PLASTIC FIVE, as promised, this is the Ex-FA-Q drummer's and art teacher's post-Kzoo big-Texas music project. Doesn't sound very Texassy though, sounds like faggitty artschool shit. Just kidding! Plenty Texassy. Go get er'!
December 1, 2007
New music: LOVE OFFERING, Road-I's post-grunge grunge band. You may not have this one yet. I think next week we'l finally get drummer RON MUNIZ' new music up. BTW, this is worst attempt at a bio ever done on the site. Anyone want to contribute? Or at least give us permission to post this?
November 25, 2007
New music up now: KILLSWITCH - ROSES, DAISIES, HAPPY DAYS. You may have lost this one, as it was probably the first slimline CD case ever released on the planet (so you didn't lose it, its just stuck inbetween the "Sailing the Seas of Cheese" and "Strap it on" discs you haven't gotten out in a while)
November 21, 2007
Its not really an update I guess. Loop D Loop asked me to be my friend (he's already my real life friend) and I found this picture he had posted which I figured needed more distribution. It complements (juxtaposes?) the King Tammy picture nicely.
New music today: LO FI SCORPIO is up to add to your collection. OVER 30 SONGS. Get er now!
The TOP TEN LISTS are a big hit, with four additions already. Join the party.
November 7, 2007
Not sure where to start...
DOUGLAS GARNETT has just released his new album VS THE SUCT LAB RATS. More than music, he's got all the trimmings with videos, a website, merchandise and more. Check it out at VS THE SUCT WEBSITE. You may know Douglas by his membership in Kzoo bands OBTRUSIVE MODE, KONICHI WAH, NAKED LUNCH and others.
If you haven't heard, THE SINATRAs are opening the Barking Tuna festival coming up soon at the State Theatre. CRAIG VERITY said this would be his dream line-up of bands:
MISSION OF BURMA,
Upsilon Acrux,
and THE SINATRAS!
Saturday Nov. 17 @ Kalamazoo's State Theatre
$15 in advance, $18 day of show;
Tickets available at Ticketmaster or State Theatre Ticket office
Apparently I'm totally out of it, because I thought the Tuna format was a dozen locals in a WMU parking lot, usually featuring Catharsis and BAV.
Speaking of the Sinatras, there has been a vocal push to put their archives together. Lead by Amy and Nathan, here's a repost of their post (BTW, be careful posting real email addresses because SPAM robots farm them from these types of post):
CALLING ALL FREAKS!
Do you have any old photos, bootleg audio, flyers, video, etc. of the following bands?
Sinatras
Sleestacks
King Tammy
Twister
Goldstar
Fortune and Maltese
LKO
Triplemint
New Real People
If so, would you be willing to share them electronically? We at Leppotone Electrical Recordings HQ are busily working on expanding www.leppotone.com to incorporate more history of the label and the kazoo ?scene? and would love to see whatever you?ve got. We?re discovering that the musicians themselves tend to be less-than-thorough record-keepers and there?s not much material to work with around here.
We can?t offer you anything but love in return, but isn?t that enough? I understand it?s what makes the world go around.
Any interested parties should respond to nmclaughlin@gmail.com or or amysult@yahoo.com .
Thanks for your consideration!
I'm hoping if they can get that together, LT will be able to cross-post or deeplink. Leppotone has their own cool and full featured site at www.leppotone.com. I'm putting a separate band list for Leppotone bands (with some duplication) on the sidebar now.
AMY STEVENS sent me a cool list of the Leppotone needs and catalog, which I've posted HERE.
TOP TEN LISTS
We've put up a spot for TOP TEN LISTS. We've set it up to encourage everyone to contribute their list, be it of favorite bands, favorite songs, favorite venues, favorite Bell Beer flavors, favorite Halsey Buttcrack sightings or whatever. I went first. We've set it up so that last person posted is at the top. I figured lists were good; people enjoy making them and some folks enjoy reading them. I encourage you to write you list in a separate app and paste in though (like wordpad) in case your browser crashes or something. JOIN IN.
Have you downloaded the album by THE SOFT TAKEOVER yet? You still can and should.
Hopefully you weren't expecting any new MUSIC in this update. It'll come, promise.
October 29, 2007
Its not really an update I guess. Mr. Barneveld asked to be my friend on Myspace (he's already my real life friend) and I found this picture he had posted which I figured needed more distribution.
October 27, 2007
ANOTHER LT EXCLUSIVE - THE CASIES. Have you heard this album yet? I think not! It's some prime metally alt pop stuff from MIKE ROCHE, JOE KIUPERS, BRET FIELDS, and MIKE YOUNT. Get it now baby!
October 22, 2007
One of the perks to doing this site with Jeff is Occasionally you get to pimp your own music, I won't babble on I'll just say that,
Thanks Alot to all of you for coming back to the site and Jeff for thinking of me when he made this site.Joby
October 13, 2007
Almost a month since an update - SORRY crue.
Today's update is SLEET, that hot college rock band headed by CHRIS BRYERS that had multiple versions living in both LA and Kalamazoo. Their two albums (both stellar) are available for sale in iTunes, but we have a few tracks available for sampling. One of them is "When she fades away" which may be my favorite LeonsTemple song of them all.
RODNEY JOHNSON wrote in giving us full license to post COSMONAUT, so that will be coming soon!
CRAIG writes in with a cause he'd like broadcasts for your noble consideration: CHECK IT OUT.
Thanks wild ones!
September 16, 2007
First off, download the album you probably never had: THE SHILLS featuring COLIN BRADFORD are up now. Go get it!
Brother CHARLES BRADFORD sends in a memoir about playing with OWSLA. I wish other people would write in with this stuff, so please consider yourself formally invited.
I had the pleasure of seeing my old roomie STEVE LYNCH perform this week. He did a tiny cover of an OVERMAN song just as a private joke to me. Here's a snap from afterward:
CHRIS BRYERS new album "Hazel and the Black Rabbit" is now up at iTunes for you iPoders and probably a ton of other download sites. You should of course check out the samples on BRYERS LT PAGE.
We've put a DONATE button if you want to help out with the costs of this website. If you don't, don't worry I've got it covered. The button is below the band list.
September 8, 2007
Twitch and Sleet fans: check out the unreleased, unfinished demo by OWSLA!. CHRIS BRYERS leads CRAIG, BRET, and CHARLES in this post-Twitch pop band. The demo is unfinished, rough cuts. By rumor, Chris had a cold and the band was kicked out of the studio by up-and-coming KID ROCK who bought the place out for many months. LT has tried to sweeten the mixes with a little post-production, but they are still raw. That said, its the song that counts, and you should definately check out KISS ME MARY ANNE, arguabley one Chris's top 10 best. The ending is a lip-biter.
We've also cemented Kapn's request for a Venues page based on his comprehensive post.
August 29, 2007
Twitch and Sleet fans: BRYERS new album "Hazel and the Black Rabbit" is released today! Go buy it, it is excellent. To whet your appetite, LEONSTEMPLE.com offers some 5 of the 12 songs as free mini-album sampler:
HAZEL AND THE BLACK RABBIT
These are a few sample. You can purchase the entire album on CD BABY.COM
First off, an enormous LeonsTemple thank you to VLADIMIR who is funding most of this month's site upkeep cost with his generous donation. (in a way, this update is from him). The scene is gracious. THANKS!!
The co-masters of the site apologize for the late update (rumor is Joby's been laxing at the lake house and Jeff's been slacking in Kennebunk) but this one is a loo loo.
We've got THE SINATRAS page up. We've only got five songs, but both AMY STEVENS and RON CASEBEER have promised to send more. (Ron you may have to resend some of the stuff you tried to send earlier). It feels like LT has turned a corner with this addition. FROM THE BOARD: They just played Kraftbrau last week. GEOFF HALSEY gives a sunny account of the show. (was it Geoff? Or could it have been ARTHUR HALSEY?)
We've also got THE SLEESTACKS up and ready for download. It's a bunch of songs. Go gettem! We need real bios for both bands. Mark Peeters? Write back! (we'll get the TRIPLEMINT stuff up at sometime too. Promise!)
We've posted the THOUGHT INDUSTRY demo clips that were previously available on the ole' TI website. Its a cocktease though, as they are basement tapes and only short previews.
We're really excited about the upcoming release of CHRIS BRYER's new album HAZEL AND THE BLACK RABBIT. Just a warning: its going to be Bryers-mania here soon. You're going to love it. I predict that you'll be able to buy a copy of the 12 track album as early as October. Maybe sooner.
CHARLES BRADFORD submits a new bio for BLACK SPRING. Learn the truth from the pumpkinhead himself.
MIKE ROCHE sends in this fine video clip of a Kalapalooza newscast. CHECK IT OUT. (Mike, I know I should be fixing databases right now instead of updating this. Sorry!)
PAUL TOTH writes in with some BILL CLEMENTS news, including links to a feature in Bass Player magazine. More information can be found HERE at Bill's website.
SCOTT BOMAN sent us a bunch of links for SPITE which is now in our queue for posting.
DOUG GARNETT is releasing an album soon as well. Look for it soon!
This might be the stupidist feature that will ever be posted. In 2000 there was an e-mail game that was played by some Kzooers that resulted in HARVEY's THE MOVIE. The game was to cast a night at Havey's with hollywood talent. Should we continue? Please be as mean as you can...
CRAIG R. forwards a request for Michiganders to sign a petition to stop dumping in the great lakes. You can find it HERE.
July 23, 2007
New this week: It's BIG SAM. I don't know much about BIG SAM except that I think it's a chain of hot pretzel kitchens and that it shouldn't be mistaken for a HOT KARL. Joby doesn't seem to know much either (read the bio he wrote). Anways, download them now!
BENJAMIN RICHARDS wrote in with a cool account of recording GENIUS HIRED GUNS. We've posted it in the GHG page.
If you haven't checked the board lately, VEGAS E. TRIP also chimes in setting some rumors straight and introducing his Klown band, Gooferman. A klown band is exactly what you think it is (for the uninitiated).
While DOUG, the guitarist for FAT SACK wrote in with music to post (last week), their drummer did NOT send us a note this week. Nope.
From the dipshit department: We errantly coded the 'connections' board wrong so it was only showing 10 entries. There are in fact many more. Check them out, you can see everyone's exhibitionist Myspace tendencies. Also, post your page or website there.
July 17, 2007
Holy Shit! It's THE LANDLORDS. Two albums worth from Herb, Tommy, Eric, and Jamie. Download them now!
BRENT writes in to correct me: It's Vegas Trip not Trip Vegas. Thanks, Brent! Personally, I think it sounds awesome either way. Trip is 40 years old now, so if he's fat with a pony tail (unlikely) than either name is going to look weird on the job app.
It reminds me a little of BLANE seemingly every night singin' "Winoooonnnnaaa! Shoulda never got that TATTOOO!!"
Brent has signed up to find and send us some rare FEEDBAG footage. Look for it soon. Stink not included.
Show announcement: The VANTRELLS are actually reuniting for one night at Kraftbrau with the SINATRAS on Aug. 11.
DOUG has sent us some FATSACK. Also, SCOTT from THE DECONSTRUCTION is sending over some tracks as well. Look for those both in some not-to-distant future.
July 9, 2007
New this week: BONE CHINA. Relive the excitement of Trip Vegas and crew laying down rock music with actual blues influence.
PAUL BAYER of Phil A Sheo writes in to say that the 'non-bar' aspect of the post-hardcore scene is inaccurate since many of those guys imbibe. I agree, but I also sort of feel like the straight-edge/all ages vibe characterized it nicely too (anyone else?). Here's Paul's note:
“JOEL WICK's righteous brothers or the non-bar,
post-hardcore scene (1989-2006)”
funny but if this site is to be accurate Broken
Hearts, Deconstruction, Ordination O A, So This Is
O-Space, Vine and Fletcher all played Club Soda and
Harvey’s bunches. In fact, Fletcher played Dead River
Drags first show @ Club Soda and a time or 2 there w/
the Laughing Hyenas so…us “Joel Wick’s” got our drink
on too but wherein I remember a bunch of us going to
Twitch, Skrewtape, King Tammy shows I never remember
any of those guys coming to ours, well I Saw Bryers @
most of them but not really anyone else, so I can see
how it may seem that we none of these bands played
bars
For the record, I went to a show or two. Maybe I was with Bryers at the time. We are considering changing the category label now. Paul should also send some of the Phil A. Sheo songs to us for posting (?).
RON CASEBEER wrote in and promised to send SINATRAS. So get ready!
COLIN HOOPENGARNER chimed in and sending us stuff, as did and is BAD RONALD (AKA Ron Muniz ex-drummer of FAQ). BILL FERGUSON also wrote to tell us he is not going to write a ROLLINGHEAD bio, so its up to someone else.
Have a great week. It should be an easy one.
June 16, 2007
New this week: MEMORIES OF TOMORROW including the four song demo and a photo of the young lads who would later feed Rollinghead. Get it now! Anyone (Ferg?) want to submit a real bio? That name always blows my mind. Memories of... TOMORROW???? How can it be? That's some freaky, fucked up shit.
We need to thank PAUL TOTH for scanning the photos of MOT. Paul is sending us photos for a new photos and flyers section that will be up sometime. Amongst others, he submitted this doozy of FAQ
I took a moment to link the entire FAQ catalog. It's nothing new, as you could have just gotten it off of chonksworld.com, but it makes the entry look better.
June 10, 2007
New this week: SELLING HEAVEN. Oh boy oh boy we have their most awesome four-track demo, which may be the best thing on this site. Its also home to the original version of the site's namesake. Nine songs, pretty much a golden album that you may have forgot or never even heard. Get it now now now. You can brush up on some excellent work by Jeff, Bill, Mike and Chris.
Speaking of Chris, I just got an (advanced?) copy of CHRIS BRYERS new record "Hazel and the Black Rabbit". We will be posting instructions on where you can BUY it soon. We're going to try and convince Chris to put a sample or two up here.
I had previously suspected that maybe Bryan Charles hung out with SKIPPY. Turns out the dude IS Skippy. That makes me the monkey's uncle.
At the urging of a few, we've decided to put JOEL WICK's post hard-core scene in its own category. Someone wrote about this vital scene and compared it in opposition to the BAR BANDS, which I thought was an interesting characterization of the likes of Thought Industry, Twitch et al. Anyways, these bands played mostly all ages shows, answering that eternal question "if you remove alcohol, does rock music still exist?" (I know, its still a tough one to swallow) Some sort of followed an Ian McKay type arc in the sense there was a little hardcore punk, then some straight edge folks, and then into the Fugazi camp. By report, many of the bands were much warmly welcomed in other towns across the country. We'll post some stuff as it comes. It would be nice if someone wanted to take a moment and jot down the real list of bands that should be here. It would be neat if JOEL himself did it.
We're as eager as everyone to get THE SINATRAS up here. Amy wrote. RON CASEBEER even bought an OVERMAN CD recently, we just don't have any recordings from them. Anyone? Bueller?
PAUL KIRY wrote in too. Paul's great. Everyone say hi to Paul. Leppotone hero Sleestack MARK PEETERS also chimed in with some news. Somebody called me a poser, which I believe is someone who pretends to be punk rock but really isn't. Not too far off, really.
Thanks!
May 26, 2007
Hey Whizkids and Noizee Boiz (sorry) it looks like the site is picking up some community interest. Keep coming! If you put e-mail in the form at the bottom left of the page you'll get a bulletin every week or two.
New music this week includes KILLSWITCH's Bastard Story. Killswitch was either the Selling Heaven guys next project or the Burning Tent Revival's previous incarnation. Do check it out. Bill's tenure, in particular, is as impressive as his playing. We have "Daisies, Roses..." but its not up yet.
Ooh ooh we have FIRST TO THE FENCE now up. Go get it! Great heavy band with lots of hollerin'. Produced at Broadside. Jeff B (the only member who's slept at my house) tears it up and he's a swell and upstanding human.
Did you see? LEONSTEMPLE.com was featured in THE TICKET (note: I'm not sure if the link is permanent). The Ticket is like the new FRIDAY's but it's on Thursdays. JOHN LIBERTY posted this excellent plug and did a dandy job. On a personal note, it's my first mention in the Gazette in about 14 years. Back in the 90's you only needed to SHOW UP somewhere to be mentioned, now I actually have to build a website. BTW - upon reading the whole feature its seems that either KRAFTBRAU is the only place to play or the only place John likes to visit.
While I don't exactly remember how my conversation with John went, much of the part about being "arrogant, idealistic..." was largely about the memories stirred by reading BRYAN CHARLES' novel "Grab on to me tightly as if I knew the way". I finished it last week and really enjoyed it. You can read my entire book report here. Please order it from Amazon immeadiately if you haven't yet.
We have a very scientific process for who's on the list to the left, and originally FLETCHER was left off because nobody could remember who they were. A recent post has cooberated their existence and so up it goes. We're adding more and more, so if you see something MISSING don't necessarily assume it is on purpose, just politely suggest its inclusion.
Speaking of memories and memiors, I've decided to write down HOW I REMEMBER IT. It was fun to write, hope you enjoy reading it if you are that type, and I'm really hoping that others will write articles about their experience as well. We'll post them, really!
We've had a lot of people stop by and contact us. Of note AMY STEVENS wrote in promising some SINATRAs input. There was a PAUL TOTH sighting, we think. Last I saw Paul he did a Star Trek joke as a reverend at a wedding.
Thanks everyone!
May 13, 2007
This week we add TROCAR to the mix. Go gettem tiger!
BRETT FIELDS writes in, reminding us to post THE CASIES (we will) and that he's going to foward the OWSLA demo (we'll post that too!). CHONK chimed in as well. You can get all FAQ at his site: CHONKSWORLD.com. I guess LT doesn't have to duplicate the downloads.. maybe we'll deep link. DANA from Berwer also sent their catalog for posting and that will go up sometime as well.
I also started BRYAN CHARLES' book about being young and Kazooan in the nineties. I'll give a full book report when I'm done.
May 5, 2007
This weeks addition is the manic tech-fest of TABLE, Mike Roche's longly practiced but short lived heavy metal band. CHECK IT OUT. It's fun stuff.
I've been a long time lurker at this almost private site, but check out Leppotone.com. It's more of social networking site than a rock music site these days, but its a fun read. We'll get the Leppotone link up sometime. Recent postings on LT link to some fun videos from the Leppotone/King Tammy crew, including a bit from Boone DeGluken. There's also news of new bands from the guys in Sinatras and King Tammy. We've added them to the 'list'.
We also want to get the SINATRAs up at some point. Did they ever record?
The 'list' itself may be under contention. If something's missing then we'll add it if it passes the memory test. For example, we forgot to put such bands as TROCAR and IN OURSELVES in the first draft, but they are there now.
We got good chime ins from BILL FERGUSON this week who's promised to deliver some now-rare "MEMORIES OF TOMORROW" tracks and maybe even some ROLLINGHEAD treats. Live Spoonbender and Twitch drummer KEVIN FARKAS aslo sent a kind note and is going to campaign to get the lost TWITCH albums up. BLUE DAHLIA/LOW FI SCORPIETTE/TASM Fellow MICHELLE GRAF is coming over to sit on the lawn tomorrow.
Is everyone having fun?
April 27, 2007
OH BOY - We've got the most excellent WATERLADIES album up "Full Flavor Kings". It's an excellent listen. Anyone want to write a proper bio? This is Herb Ledbetter's post Braintree post TI project (I know there's other guys in the band). I only bring up Herb because of special place in the universe: he's the only person BRENT OBERLIN ever taught to dance.
Per your request, QUIXOTE is up too. This is a Joel Wick project. Paul Wartella is in it too. Who new these guys had instruments? I thought Joel just made flyers and Paul just liked to cuss.
Thanks to CRAIG (and myself) we've now got King Tammy's second LP "Welcome to the county fair...Motherfucker" up. Anyone who remembers Chris Simmons grinding on his distorted acoustic and rolling on the ground during "I built my house on top of store" is going to be shocked by the precision and the craft that went into this album. You'll even start to understand why John Barneveld always insisted on dragging the biggest drum kit in town around, because he actually uses that second kick.
Upward, onward!
April 22, 2007
We have some new stuff. Check out Crick's first album ready for download. By report, they have three others that hopefully we'll get up soon.
We just posted a live Thought Industry track called Whale. Check it out. We're hoping to get more live and rare stuff as we flesh this out.
Everyone should begin leaving their homepages and myspace addresses on our Connections page.
I guess we're looking for JOEL WICK Let him know.
TOMMY FULLER chimed in this weekend. He's promised (under no certain schedule) to deliver some rarish VIOLENT APATHY, MAN ALIVE, BLACK SPRING and even some PURPLE DAVE.
April 15, 2007
We've added two fairly RARE Twitch songs. The first is "Wick", which was the b-side of the Jedi 7-inch. If anyone mistook twitch for a heavy metal or a pop band, this song should remind them that they were 'arty' too. Its actually downright wierd. (although the revolving chorus of "maryjane" borders on being a little poochy, saying, 'in case you didn't know, this song is druggy'). Also a treat is their Frank Sinatra cover of 'pretty colors' which was done for a compilation.
Also added this week is the BC band Area 51. A three song, unreleased demo is posted. They sound downright irked, if not wholesale pissed. Download it now!
If you are in the Pacific NW region, CRAIG VERITY's new band "Miles Before" have been playing out. Perhaps you can catch them in Seattle or Canada or somewhere.
MOLLY HALSEY (formally of Doxie, now of Arthur) shaved her head for charity. Go to St. Baldricks to see her naked head and donate money.
There's rumors on the discussion board that KING TAMMY are going to stage a reunion. Last I heard, though, BARNEVELD was in New York. But that was years ago.
April 7, 2007
Hey! We've added cool band King Tammy to the site. The treasure "Think of what you are eating and how it powers you" is ready for download. If anyone has their follow-up, it would be greatly appreciated. Also, someone should write a proper bio. Send it on!
Speaking of proper bios, DAN ROE has written and submitted an awesomely detailed bio of pre-Thought Industry history. It's a fun read - CHECK IT OUT HERE at the Desacrator page. It would be great if everyone submitted something as detailed and clever as this. (So do it).
March 24, 2007
As promised we're launching in March, and here it is. You can read about this site on the right. There's been a couple tries at building a site this (thank you TCV and Angelrat) but I thought it might stick if there was some good, hard-to-find stuff on here and a really dumbed-down discussion board. While we're far from finished posting now-rare Kzoo music, we've got good treats that you can download, including:
Wow - unreleased Doxie and FAQ
Those TI and Twitch cassettes you long lost
Black Spring anyone?
Plus links to stuff you can still buy
Ultimately, we hope to have a link up for every band listed on the left, plus even adding more bands as we remember them. Look for updates every couple of weeks.
Other things you should do: Sign up for the e-list, we won't spam you. Add your MySpace page or e-mail equivalent to the 'connections' page so you're old friends can say hi, post a message on the discussion board, and if you have something cool and rare (missing albums, cassettes, video, you know) send in on and we'll put it up.
Also, check out stuff that folks are doing nowadays. There will be links to stuff that's for sale and you should buy them. We're only going to post stuff that's no longer being sold. In the spirit of copyright, please let us know if something should be taken down.
Lastly, this place and period is much better high school reunion than any my school could provide. With nearly a 15-year purview, much of this can be enjoyed as nostalgia. Thanks!
January 2, 2007
OVERMAN, that hot Kzoo trio, debuted at Club Soda on this exact date 16 years ago, on January 2, 1991. They were also the first ones of this type of band ever to play at Missiah's, and perhaps more historically, at Harvey's on the Mall, which would later become a fixture on the scene. Overman is now the first band up on leonstemple.com. Let's hope it sticks!
January 1st, 2007
The Leonstemple.com concept is reared after some well-intentioned but short-lived efforts in the past. Hopefully enough energy rallies around this to make it meaningful
Posted by: Rod MacQuarrie on 05-12-08 about Rollinghead
Man, this takes me way back...
I met Dean Van Dyke at Smith Burnham Hall on the WMU campus in 1986. He had just dyed his hair black and it hung down in front nearly down to his chin. What a great guy. Dean was a huge Church fan and he introduced me to their back catalog. He also taught me many of the chords to Church songs and I've been a Church fan ever since. Over the years we stayed in touch and actually lived right behind him. Dave was dating some girl and I was dating her sister. I'd go to parties at his place from time to time and watched as Dave and Dean slowly morphed into something a bit more aggressive. They were really influenced by the Led Zeppelin direction the Cult were heading in. I recall Dean mentioning he was in a band called the Jet Boys before Murder of Crows back in Muskegon, but Dave Grant wasn't in that band. I still have a Murder of Crows sticker (unused).
At one point I sang a cover version of Unguarded Moment during one of the parties Dean and Dave put on. I think the band was Memories of Tomorrow. What a great time that was!
As for Dave Grant, I first met him at a Confirmation concert. What an awesome band! I used to have a cassette of their one and only album but it's long gone now. Dave was really influenced by Cactus World News and the Waterboys as I recall, and in the late 80's he was digging Runrig's first album.
After the Confirmation broke up, I bought Dave Grant's Rickenbacker 12-string and Jazz Chorus amp that he used in the Confirmation. Ended up selling them around 1991. Later on I remember Dave asking if I still had it. Around that time he was getting a divorce and had started Rolling Head.
Around Rolling Head broke up I ran into Dave Van Dyke. Apparently he was taking courses to become a Dental Hygienist or something. I haven't seen or heard from any of them since. Anyone have contact info?
Posted by: John Henry on 05-11-08 about everything
As requested: Actors stuff is now online, four tracks, you can get 'em at http://www.lowgenius.net/lg_music.asp along with my rambling observations and apologies about each individual track.
Yeah, I know, I need to rework my navigation structure. Anyway, there's the mooziks, hope you enjoy them if for no other reason than they make a good giggle or three.
(Jeff - I'm going to get links up from my site to yours eventually, so thanks for letting me add my spam here...)
Well that's a fine howdoyoudo! In response to: Tricia Chappell on 05-09-08 for Fletcher
I used to make snacks for the Fletcher boys when they would practice in the Douglas St. house basement. I would make like ramen noodles on toast, potatoes w/ carl budding corn beef sandwich slices, sandwich cookies dipped in jello, that sort of fare. It really fueled the boys on & I feel somewhat responsible for their success. --- end of previous message ---
Posted by: Tricia Chappell on 05-09-08 about Fletcher
I used to make snacks for the Fletcher boys when they would practice in the Douglas St. house basement. I would make like ramen noodles on toast, potatoes w/ carl budding corn beef sandwich slices, sandwich cookies dipped in jello, that sort of fare. It really fueled the boys on & I feel somewhat responsible for their success.
4p's "Surrender" and "Mountain Song" covers deserve a note, if for no other reason that Dave's shrieking scream in the "MS" chorus that would later make a stolen career for that chick from Otep...and, of course, it's Cheap Trick. Also their "Ironfist," played at roughly the speed of light. You wouldn't think the melodic proto-grunge contingent of the k'zoo underground would be the guys to out-speed Motorhead on their own tune, but they did.
(Self-indulgent and over-opinionated sidebar/history lesson: Hoekstra was actually the first person I ever heard refer to a band as 'Grungy,' in reference to Cowboys from Hell...probably a year before the words "grunge" and "alternative" became trendy catchalls. I miss Dave. Dude had a depth of musical knowledge that I think a lot of people never quite realized, in spite of that wall o' vinyl he kept at the house on park street. Dustin turned me on to a lot of cool drum shit over the years and taught me a lot about how to listen to - and later create - the kind of percussive subtleties and gracenotes that you never quite hear but can totally make a song. Nobody would notice it if I didn't cop to it, but there's a poppy ride cymbal triplet pattern on one of the Actors tunes that was directly descended from the pattern in 'Chalice,' at least to the point that's what was in my head when I wrote it. Dave turned me on to damn near everything else between 89 and 92. First time I ever heard Pantera, Nirvana, Janes, Soul Asylum, Mudhoney, Mother Love Bone, Soundgarden...all Hoekstra's doing, and I'm not kidding even a little bit when I say it changed my life every bit as much if not more than Dustin's throwing everything from VH's "Outta Love Again" to FNM's "Zombie Eaters" at me changed the way I play. To this day, I don't care what *anybody* says, Temple of the Dog is the greatest musical experience ever shoveled on to one piece of plastic...and if it hadn't been for Hoekstra, I probably wouldn't have heard it until a year later when MTV got hold of 'Hunger Strike.')
One-offs: Bat's almost-solo rendition of "I Would For You" at a X's show at Soda, just because a) nobody had the slightest clue that the boy could sing and b) I was standing about five feet away on stage right and could literally *see* him shaking with nerves...and he did a real decent job of it.
Special mention because it was MY FUCKIN IDEA: The 'Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald' cover that Suiciety got a line in Spin for. (You can throw stuff if you want, but I *still* like that song and still think it would make a really great cover if you dumped fifty gallons of distortion in it and dialed Lightfoot's nose down into a more Vedder-esque hum on the vocal.) Ironically, I'd totalled my car and dropped off the scene by that point, but I did manage to catch it during the five minutes new Missias' was open.
Didn't 4p+X's Rob cover 'Hunger Strike' once, long before it hit MTV? Or maybe it was X's + Hoekstra...seems like I heard this happened, but didn't see it happen. Hope it didn't suck, I think Dave would have nailed the Vedder part, but I don't really remember if Rob had the pipes for a quality Cornell impersonation.
I blew this. The correct answer is: It means their name was really "FA" after that and they were just fooling us.
Or maybe they were just out of line (dequeued)?
In response to: Jeff on 05-06-08 for all
What's "DQ'ed"? Does it mean "dairy queened"?, as in Chonk got dairy queened? At first I thought it sounded yummy, but now I think it might be something sexual...
We'll post The Actors no questions asked. Quality nor intent has ever been posting criteria before. --- end of previous message ---
lol disqualified. Since consulting with my parentals, whose brains have almost as many holes in them as mine does, it seems I may be mistaken on that point; I'm hearing now that they came in second or third. My mom's convinced we won and the Sounds of Silence freshmen came in second, FA-Q (she calls 'em "fah kyew") third. Maybe it was the other band that didn't place, who knows? Chonk might, but Halsey won't - he wasn't in the band yet then.
I'll get a link up to Actors stuff in a day or so - don't worry about hosting it, I need an excuse to start delving into my musical past on my own site anyway, this is as good as any. I'd get it up (there's that secks agin) faster, but I've got a client with an active contract who has been gettin slacked on these last couple of days.
There was a 4th band on the bill as well I think - maybe even a fifth - but I couldn't tell you their names.
Hey, it's Tuesday. In some alternate universe, the Verve Pipe is playing Harvey's tonight...
In response to: Jeff on 05-06-08 for all
What's "DQ'ed"? Does it mean "dairy queened"?, as in Chonk got dairy queened? At first I thought it sounded yummy, but now I think it might be something sexual...
We'll post The Actors no questions asked. Quality nor intent has ever been posting criteria before. --- end of previous message ---
What's "DQ'ed"? Does it mean "dairy queened"?, as in Chonk got dairy queened? At first I thought it sounded yummy, but now I think it might be something sexual...
We'll post The Actors no questions asked. Quality nor intent has ever been posting criteria before.
I wanna hear Actors demos way more than "The Freshman" any day - simply not enough Turtles influence on the LT crowd back in the day. Michael Maltese freaked Flo and Eddie out by bringing a White Whale You Baby reel-to-reel to a Turtles show in Portage a few years back. Ronnie Sinatra asked 'em if they wanted to come out for drinks with us, and, well, "We Ain't Gonna Party No More" wasn't sung in response but it should've been.
But I digress - Actors demos - please post! Athens forever!
... a ridiculously poppy thing called "Some Kind Of Something" that got some airplay and sounded way too much like "Happy Together" by the Turtles but got some airplay.
Noooo. Totally different person. Guess it's bio time...
Dan *did* play drums for 4P. I played drums all over the place, but most of the bands I was in that anyone would know about were pre-grunge metal/hair bands - a MEHTULL cover band based in Galesburg called "Push" and then Axis with Jason Gentry and Mike McIntosh (Jason, as I've mentioned previously, passed away a few years ago; Mike is now the lead singer for popular coverbar band Drop35. Axis opened the very first multi-local-band bill, before there was a Lollapalooza let alone a kalapalooza, at the State Theatre, august 1 1987).
After that I was involved in the little godband thing that eventually became "Remnant," which was a godmetal band featuring Doug Garnett, Shawn Warne, and Dave Foxx of Obtrusive Mode/Louden (Gary Green was second guitar when I was involved).
Throughout the 80's, I was also just 'guy on the scene,' attending (and playing) a lot of basement parties (including Stosh Warner's birthday party featuring a little band from BC called Desacrator) and generally doing a lot of MEHTULL covers and a few originals, including the infamous "Looks that Kill" session with Steve Spaeth back when he was first learning to play, and later the St. A's Battle of the Bands that featured FAQ with a VERY poofy-haired Chunk getting DQd for f-bombing and I *still* can't remember 100% if we beat or came in second to Johnny with an Eye's cover of "Sounds of Silence." I went to alternative ed. in portage with JWAE vox Jim(?), who I think ended up continuing on with the VA's as they became VP. He asked me once if I wanted to join JWAE, and I turned it down...and have been kicking myself for it ever since I heard "Freshmen" on the radio the first time.
People called me Animal back then.
When I was in the godband with Garnett my gf got tight with a girl named Karen, who was Doug's betrothed at the time; she later ended up dating Dustin for quite a while. I had a daughter in 1989, which caused my removal from godband as having chilluns outside of marriage was a distinctly un-christian thing to do. Later, me mommy and baby lived on Rose street at the time, right around the corner from Dustin's apartment at dutton and burdick, the one with the smograsbroad wall - this is where Spaeth, G. Green and I recorded the original version of the weird bass-heavy offtime break/trippy thing that later made its way onto a Clockmaker tape sans the drum machine and vocal parts I recorded - and after mommy and I broke up (see my ref to Vegas Jenkins, toward whom I bear no animosity at all, but it's all relevant because that happened due to Kelly (mom) being friends with Karen who was dating Dustin who was buds with Vegas). I got wrapped up in vacillating between being daddy and being rock star, with daddy ultimately winning. Went without a kit for a couple of years - during the 4p era on westnedge and shurgard - and basically hung around, then disappeared into family life with my new GF, my kid, and her kid for a while around the same time 4P replaced Coville and became Suiciety.
I'd gone to school with Matt B (and way before that was in string orchestra with Karla W in elementary and middle school) and knew him and Greg from Worhead (actually jammed with them a couple of times on Bat's set over at Greg's house), knew Dan & Tracy from Star World days, knew pretty much everyone else in town from the same time period. Spent a lot of time with 4p as "manager" (trans: wanted to be playing but had no drums, but made a bunch of flyers at the copy shop at western and spend a lot of time driving around to and occasionally booking gigs including reptile house and the dance factory in chicago) Also booked some shows for 4P and a DC-Core band from Jackson called Sky Juice.
AFTER Suiciety broke up, I had made my way back onto the 'scene' a bit, spent some time living with Freedom Rock and Beaknose Greg at the fruit warehouse (Me and beaknose jammed with Halsey there once, I want to say? And me and Bogema and Reimer played the world's most sucktastic attempt at covering 'Stranglehold' there one drunk night as well, but mostly I did way too many drugs and drove a cab). Eventually, after 4p/Suiciety called it quits and Dave moved away, me, Matt, and Coville had a three-piece thing called Gypsy Blue that was actually quite a cool band but Matt's perfectionism kept us from ever playing out beyond having some parties at the rehearsal space (also my apartment at the time) above Stoops' furniture downtown, across MI avenue from the Whoarehouse. That eventually fell apart because of Coville's frustration with Matt for us never playing out, and Matt's frustration with me because I wasn't working at the time and he was working for Mick Stoops who was leaning on *him* about me paying rent, so blah. Around this same time, my folks moved to North Carolina and took my daughter with them since I was no longer really even able to support myself, let alone my kid, and when GB fell apart I followed them down here in August of '94.
Here in NC, I dropped my last name (DeJong) and started going by John Henry. I was in a Grateful Dead hippie band called Wax Planet for a while, and a three-piece that I actually forget the name of which was very Tool-ish, a brief stint with local heroes Jam Pain Society, and a four-peace bluesy/kinksy outfit called The Actors. The last is the only one I have music from, a rough four-track demo that had a couple of nice little rockers on it, one semi-punkish thing that I didn't like, and a ridiculously poppy thing called "Some Kind Of Something" that got some airplay and sounded way too much like "Happy Together" by the Turtles but got some airplay. That ended in 2002 when the bass player became convinced that aliens from mars were "fucking with his head" and I was controlling them (no kidding - he went in to a local psych hospital a few weeks after I quit for a voluntary eval and they refused to let him leave), and I ended up selling my kit to try and avoid moving back home with the rentals. It didn't work, and I've been kitless, bandless, and basically cashless ever since, as I was busy trying to be a rock star when I should have been busy trying to get an education.
These days I run an independent web design/IT consultancy making not nearly as much as I'd like. Still a musician at heart and fully intend to get back into instruments when I can afford it, but am long long past the whole 'living in a van' thing. Oh, and I spent a couple of years as a ring announcer/manager in local indy pro-wrestling outfits including OMEGA which (if you follow that silly-assed business) spawned the Hardys, Hurricane Helms, Shannon Moore, Joey Mercury, Joey Abs, and a few other ridiculous caricatures of masculinity that you can see on RAW every monday night. Having seen that the inside of that business was a really ugly place, and being highly pain-averse, I decided not to try and follow them to fame and fortune.
I've got some MP3's of The Actors, but they're really nowhere near the level of cool that Kalamazoo was pumping out, and probably not worth posting in the context of the MI scene.
My personal sites at www.lowgenius.net and has a few things on it now (in the middle of redesign); my business site is at lowgenius.com and is almost completely offline at the moment because I'm building a content management system for my clients to use so they don't have to e-mail me to find out how their projects are progressing. (In the middle of being an animal, I've also been a computer geek going back to the days of the TRS-80; I started getting back into database and eventually web development around 1995.) I've got no photos up and really nothing musical related, but will eventually, and would like to eventually get back to kalamazoo and plug back in to everything...maybe a decade and a half of growing up has tempered my ego and allowed enough water to pass under the bridge that I could help some folks somehow, or something, but who knows. Just taking it day by day right now, doing the best I can.
That's my little story, "who I am." Eventually I'll get some pictures up or something, but all my audio tape and pics and video from the good old bad old days is long-lost. I pretty well cut ties with everyone when I moved...the last show I saw in Michigan was the way-packed jesus lizard gig in 95 and I haven't set foot in Kalamazoo or talked to anyone from there other than via these boards and my high school reunion site since 2000. Karen moved to Detroit; my daughter's mom got married; you know what happened to Dustin, Matt, Dan, Karla, et. al.
Thanks for a great site that brings back some great memories.
Posted by: John Henry on 05-04-08 about contribute info
If anyone's interested, I've got 6 mp3 tracks here from SF band "Trichotic," which was J. Gentry's last gig before he went to jam with Jimi a couple of years ago. Doesn't quite fit, and no idea how you'd get permission to post 'em, but I have 'em if you want.
I tried to track down my liverbox shirt and get a picture of me in it (maybe someone will remember who the hell I am, but they still won't care...), but I can't find it right now. However, here's a lil treat for ya:
http://www.lowgenius.net/images/4pti.jpg
Sorry about the poor quality - it's a photocopy on red paper :P. I can't remember who did this one - might have been Dustin, or Amy (the girl Dave H. was dating).
I had the FourPeace/Tongue demo on tape, but I think the particles fell off about ten years ago. I've also got what I *think* is the only videotape in existence of Gypsy Blue, the three-piece thing me, Bogema, and Coville did post-Suiciety. I'll see if I can track it down, but the last time I saw it was about 7 years ago. If I can find it and it's got enough life in it to digitize, I'll do so.
And as bitter as my memories of Kalamazoo sometimes are, let me know if you need any space to store/serve this stuff.
Thanks again for a bittersweet set of trips down memory lane. If you can track down Matt Bogema, he'll have the 4P/Suiciety stuff somewhere. If he doesn't, Jimmy Black will (Coldwater or something last I heard). Riemer might have the Tongue stuff.
Posted by: John Henry on 05-04-08 about Thought Industry
One Hundred Eleven Million Zebras Dead. It's how Dustin's old Desecrator drumset was made, straight from the horse's mouth about 20 million years ago...
-jh
In response to: what? on 10-28-07 for Thought Industry
after 15 years of not knowing, what does 111mzd mean?
Posted by: John Henry on 05-04-08 about How Jeff remembers it
Another odd little vacation into the past...FP got undersold. I dumped my daughter's mom when she took off on my 19th birthday to bang Steve Jenkins over at Dustins little basement on Alcott. Hoping to make it up for the PHNS '88 20th in august (we finally found Karla).
A bunch of us must have boogied about the same time - I left in August of '94. First un-Kalapalooza was in '87 and the only one of the 'scene' bands that made it was TI, if I remember right.
That band with Doug Garnett and Shawn Warne that wanted to be Queensrhyche headlined with some outfit from Chicago; I borrowed Dave Fox's in the opening act with 'Axis,' which was me, Jason Gentry (RIP, j-bird), and Mikey MacIntosh playing one of those goofy Rail basses that Washburn was making.
I always dug FP the mostest - they had that weird kind of PJ vibe going on, really INTO what they were doing. Then they broke up and did the Suiciety thing for a while, then THEY broke up and Dave Hoekstra moved to Florida to be a chef. Me 'n Bogema and Coville did a kind of Janes-ish-meets-gin-blossoms things called Gypsy Blue that everyone was waiting to happen and never did, but we had some great great parties in the apartment above Stoops'...John Reimer told me there I reminded him of Stephen Perkins, best compliment I ever got...
...but honestly, what killed it was the cliquishness. Lots of fond memories, but also lots of memories of an ongoing circle-jerk where everybody was so busy patting each other on the back over how great they were that they didn't notice nobody else was really noticing. That's why ol' Johnny and his Eye ended up getting national (still remember beating them, or ocming in second, don't even remember now, in a Battle of the Bands at St.A's doing nothing but VH/Priest/Maiden covers) while some really great folks like Garnett, Gary Green, Spaeth, Warne, Dan Jaeger, Bogema, Matt Rapczynski, Dave Batey, Scott Vickery, MacIntosh, Hoekstra, Spider Krause (I remember her blowing me out of the water around the same time as the State gig because she was the only other available musician in town who could keep time for 'Diary of a Madman'...and she could play it on a *keyboard* of all things), Jason Gentry, John Reimer, Adam...Berg? Can't remember his last name, guy that played drums for Tongue and I think God Bullies...and a couple hundred other folks got bored, burned out, left town, OD'd, or just plain grew up and moved on.
Too much ego and clannishness, not enough real mutual support. If you weren't doing punk or art-metal, you got ignored...or at best, used and then ignored (those 'square pegs' sure packed a lotta folks in for beer and tunes every night running for a while on westnedge, hm?). Damn shame...so much talent went to waste because people were so convinced that our small pond was the next big splash, and if you didn't have your lips firmly affixed to the mudhole of the big fish, you weren't squat. Everybody talking each other up to their faces, and down to their backs. When the best we could collectively manage was Chris Altman running an after-hours club in an abandoned warehouse, I knew it was heading toward over even though I was living there.
Bygones and all that, and lord knows I was just as convinced as everyone else of my terminal coolness and entitlement to fame and fortune. Never got it, neither did anyone else. Except Johnny and his Eye. Seeing them open for KISS in Greensboro was simultaneously the proudest and most depressed I've ever been of my home town.
Marci was a sweetheart, though. And for all the crap people talked about me behind my back and thought I didn't know it, I still love and miss each and every one of you guys, and gals.
Too bad I don't have a kit anymore...it'd be fun to do it all again, but smarter this time, without getting distracted by pussy and blow every five minutes.
Would make a great penelope spheris movie though. And I still have my Liverbox t-shirt in red/white/green and a poster for the FP/TI show at the westnedge house...when Enzio was so new to the band that there's a big questionmark for his face.
Hope there's still a little of that fire around someplace. Be a damn shame if we all ended up like me.
Depression was Smelly, was Battle Creek and did put out a pecker tracks 7" which I do in fact own and will convert if I can ever find a needle for my record player.
I think Kevin and Mike abscounded the "depression" name from a larger Battle Creek heritage, and I do believe Pecker Tracks was part of that rich heritage, although I've yet to HEAR a Pecker Track track (almost sounds zen: "you've achieved depression when you can hear the Pecker track").
Anyways, in hindsight, I think we would have been better served going with "Swollen Lip", or perhaps eshewing the obligation of a label name altogether, since it couldn't make a lick of difference in the world.
BTW, my new records are coming out on the "Leonstemple" label, just like Black Rabbit did. Why? Best hookers at the release parties...
In response to: tony party on 04-30-08 for screwtape
I thought that Depression records was run by the Boom & the Legion of Doom guy...Smelly smoethin'
didn't they put out a Pecker Tracks record too? --- end of previous message ---
What part of that is funny or dubious sounding? The Screwtape part or the record label part? Or the Kevin Oberlin part? The exclusion of Mr. Mead? Fill me in.. In response to: Michael J on 04-30-08 for screwtape
Screwtape released on Kevin Oberlin's Depression Records?
I have a picture of
Geoff and Paul Richardson in their undies that I would like to forward to either of them.. If someone could contact me, that would be great.
I don't see a place here to upload stuff. Thanks-
Posted by: butterer@billions on 04-24-08 about Feedbag
OMG...this makes my week, people! Classic live Feedbag MP3s? You've gotta be kiddin' me!! Brilliant! I was a "satellite" member of Feedbag, so to speak...played that lovely keyboard line @ the Spork Club Soda show (Lordy, lord...makes me cringe to hear it now).
