Ice cubes melting in my glass
why is everything such a pain in the ass?
I want to smoke a million cigarettes
And be buried in the ash
The sound of my own steps endlessly retracing
The droll mediocrity I'm forever facing
Never giving up hope to make something good
I'd do it, I swear, if only I could
Always trying to take this feeling that is so god damn old
and spin it into lines of shimmering gold
I have to put on my sunglasses so all the callous passersby
Won't have the satisfaction of seeing the tears in my eyes
I'm afraid what will happen to me under my own influence
Living a life of unearned affluence
Can we just go on a bike ride forever
And never come back?
Ride our puny minds into the void
and disappear into the black
Back in 2009 I had assembled what had probably been my favorite iteration of the Hifi Envelope I've ever had. It consisted of my friend Adam Hallock switching between drums and guitar, Charlie Pond on Bass, Shannon Sisco on guitar, violin and vocals, and none other than Steve Clay on guitar. It was a unit that worked remarkably well. Adam's drumming was perfect for the kind of soft, guitar-led indie pop I tend to like to make while my more assertive, fluid drumming suited Adam's songs on guitar to a tee. Add to it Shannon's knack for nailing a melody on the violin, her diminutive vocals, and capable rhythm guitar chops, Charlie's exactly what each song needed bass parts, and Steve's incredible ornamentation and second to none, understated style; we made for an impressive group.
Unfortunately for me, I did not push us to record as I ought to have done and the band began to dissolve as people were pulled in different directions by various academic, personal, and professional commitments as tends to happen to bands in a college town. Save for a few live videos from shows or from practices(like this one), sadly nothing much was documented from that period of this project.
After we went our separate ways Adam, Charlie, Shannon, and another drummer, Steve Freddo(who would go on to drum in Summer Swells) came together to record some songs Adam and Charlie had written. They played a couple of shows and recorded a really terrific ep which you can hear below.
I sometimes lament the fact that I have been recording and releasing music for no one much more than myself for some 23 years at the time of writing this. I like what I do or wouldn't keep doing it. Having said that, I am often surprised that more people do not respond to it. I have weird taste and I tend to trust my instincts so maybe the fact that it can be hard to classify what it is I am doing is part and parcel as to why I have not built a substantial following. Add to it that I rarely perform live, am not one given to self promotion, and one can begin to understand why I am not a raging success as a musician.
Then there are those dear unfortunate few that are immensely talented, get signed to big labels, and even tour the world, and still cannot connect with the public at large enough to eek out even a modest living from their art. Like Shelleyan Orphan, for instance. I was introduced to them by the video for "Burst" when I saw it during an episode of 120 Minutes on MTV in the early 90's. Not long after I found a promo cassette of 'Humroot' somewhere. I didn't know what to make of it at first, but it grew on me. Eventually, I would come to know their whole catalog intimately, as well as some of the story that accompanies it.
It's not an especially pretty one either: two young people with very specific tastes and ideas set out to do something true to themselves. They find some advocates on the way(enter Geoff Travis of Rough Trade), as well as some adversaries(namely the British music press), even embark upon a world tour as an opener for the Cure for which they were selected by Robert Smith himself, but still weren't able to find a larger audience. They disband and reform some years later to release a strong comeback album. They do not release another studio record before Caroline Crawley dies from breast cancer.
As a maker of dejected music I feel like it partly my duty to collect and honor other dejected musics so if you've read thus far, good on you. Might as well read this interview with Jem Tayle and watch a couple of youtube videos while you're here. Thanks for visiting.
The song/video that introduced me to them:
One of my favorite tunes from them:
The performance in 1987 on The Tube that caught the eye of Robert Smith:
And one more just to represent their second record:
Filmmakers Aaron O'Laughlin and Zane Hall shot this video of me improvising on electronics, guitar, and melodica in a disused phosphate silo. Aaron wove it all together quite nicely in the editing process. The acoustics of the space are such that it is an electrifying spatial, spectral experience. Imagine not just hearing a delayed signal or reverberation, but being inside of it. I hope to find time to go back and record a record of drones with battery powered equipment in the not too distant future.
I played in a version of this band along with Steve and Josh from Brittle Stars and Jeremy and Juliette from Plastic Mastery for a while. The record was never finished before the band started shedding members as far as I know. I seem to remember that maybe the record was done, but not mixed for whatever reason. I had left the band the year prior with the arrival of my first child. The French Horns were the best band that never was.
