Details

I have received many inquiries about my equipment, influences, personal information, etc. So, I will add this below, if anybody really wants to know:

Gear Geek Stuff:

I don’t have a rehearsal space, just a tiny apartment that serves as my home studio/office (aka The Spacejunk UFO). My recordings tend to have an unpolished lo-fi production sound, as a by-product of the makeshift equipment used. It is a lot of cheap gear that I’ve fixed up, built myself from whatever parts that were available, and hand-me-downs donated by generous friends.

I have two multi-track machines;

one cassette (Tascam 488 MKII 8-track Portastudio)
one digital (Roland VS-1688 Digital Audio Workstation)

The computers that I use are kind of an unreliable crap-shoot, rebuilt from multiple discarded PCs. I use whatever freeware programs that are available online. Mostly, they are used for sampling and drum programming. Old broken boomboxes serve as studio monitors. I also collect various types of tape recorders; reel-to-reel, cassette, microcassette, 8-track, etc.

I prefer recording electrical instruments directly, via preamps or cabinet emulators, and mic-ing up an ambient “room sound” for acoustic tracks. Analog tape is good for getting a saturated compression sound, well-suited to percussion instruments or creating tape noises. Digital is good at preserving a cleaner sound. I record the bulk of my material in my apartment. Sometimes, somebody will let me use their garage. My original plan was to lay basic tracks on tape, bounce them to digital for overdubs, then take the tracks somewhere else for mixing & mastering (maybe at a higher quality studio with a good engineer) when I can afford it or figure out how to do it myself.

I have a compact P.A. system, about the size of a large suitcase. I prefer playing in groups, even though they never last very long. I don’t enjoy performing in public alone very much. But, if it weren’t for playing music I would have no social life at all.

I mostly have shitty microphones;

A modified telephone receiver, with an XLR jack installed
an old abused Radio Shack mic, that I bought secondhand in 1985
another stolen from a karaoke machine
two USB microphones, from Guitar Hero, I think
several consumer-grade tape recorder mics from the 1960’s-1970’s
Shure SM57 and a pop filter! I finally got one decent professional microphone!

My bass/guitar setup has evolved into an unusual hybrid rig, splitting the instrument signal three ways, combined with various effects, into a “sonic sandwich”;

one through a bass amp (SWR)
one through a lead guitar amp (Marshall)
one direct to mixer (Line 6 POD)

Miscellaneous samples and noise collages are prepared on cassette tapes and played back with a pair of foot-controlled Dictaphone machines fed directly into the mixer.

I have two basses;

A modified 1987 Guild Pilot with Kahler tremolo. I use 1mm recycled copper/nylon picks, for more attack and articulation.
Jay Turser replica of a Höfner’ 500/1 violin bass (similar to Paul McCartney’s). I use this short scale instrument mainly for clean fingerstyle techniques.

I have two guitars that I have modified;

Ibanez RX60, with a Seymour Duncan Humbucker installed at the bridge, regularly used for alternate tuning.
Line 6 Variax, to achieve a wide variety of tones. Adding a Roland GK Pickup soon is on my to-do list, making this axe MASSIVELY flexible!

I prefer GHS Pressurewound or Brite Flats (ground round wound) strings, for their smooth feel, yet bright tone. Stainless steel armored instrument cables are also very durable and minimize ground noise.

I built a homemade drum kit, affectionately referred to as The ShitKit. It is a hodgepodge of crappy drum parts acquired from thrift stores and garage sales, with a collection of metal junk added… for a clunkier sound, including; pipes, pots & pans, folding chairs, a trashcan, IV drip stand, helium tank, and gasoline tanks; 1969 Plymouth Roadrunner, Ford F-100, and one of unknown origin.

I have collected a bunch of old keyboards and electronic toys from thrift stores to mess around with. My attempts at circuit-bending experimental instruments have yielded mixed results. I can get some interesting sounds out of them, if the darn things don’t self-destruct first. I have design ideas for custom building basses & guitars. There is lots of debt to catch up on, first, before it is affordable for me.

My collection of effect pedals varies. Some have been sold when I really needed money badly. Others, I have fried beyond salvage. Sometimes, I can replace these. Sometimes, I can’t. Pedals are expendable. It is best not to get too attached to gear that may no longer be available. They are great to mix & match together for finding different sounds. But, that is one reason why I like sampling and tape manipulation. You can save all these unique creations without depending on a mountain of equipment to lug around.

I may rely on a few tried and true things when performing live. Onstage, durability takes priority. If it cannot be repaired or replaced quickly it doesn’t belong out there with me. Something always gets lost, damaged, or stolen. It is not a matter of if, but when. In the studio though, it is all about tone, anything goes; whatever that’s available that I can use to get the job done.

Creativity Stuff:

My songwriting style is a mix of eclectic influences juxtaposed together. I like combining a bit of everything, when I can.

Sometimes it is harmonious.

Sometimes it is schizophrenic.

Sometimes it is simple and accessible.

Sometimes it is noisy and irritating

Depending on my mood, it can be almost anything. I am writing within three basic categories;

Solo: material that I can play alone without additional players.
Band: material that requires other musicians to perform live.
Album: material that is very difficult or impossible to be played live at all.

Lyrics are an afterthought for me. I’ll write down any ideas I get, then return to them later. But, the music comes first, almost dictating the lyrics phonetically. They are are a mix of the little world, the big world, and the surreal.

I’m a huge record collector and music fan. I love attempts at all genres and styles – constantly finding inspiration from diverse albums that are just all over the map … and I’m all about that. I’ve played with musicians from many genres at every level of proficiency (or lack of it). Everything in my output is interconnected. It all just comes out mixed-up together, a bit like combining Frank Zappa’s Freak Out List and the Nurse with Wound list into one twisted mutation!

Chameleonesque Polystylism

If there is any common theme in my music & art, I guess it would be; entropy, death, and rebirth. Without exception, everything breaks down and dies. Something often grows out of the rotting corpse. This can manifest in the disparity between the external world of the material and the inner world of the mind. Sometimes, you can rebuild from the leftover pieces. Bricolage is the creation of a work from a diverse range of things that happen to be available. That is kind of what I do, repurpose found junk, make something out of nothing.

Techniques:

I will play almost any instrument available to me. I might not be good at it. But, I’ll try anyway. My pitiful attempts at drumming have been terrible. Taking inspiration from Rahsaan Roland Kirk and others, I put together a reed trumpet. To me, it sounds kinda like a saxophone. But, I’m probably playing it wrong.

My vocal type is in the Baritenor range (I think), kinda high and nasally. But, I give it a little growl on the low end, incorporating wordless mouth sounds, screeching, gurgling, screaming, babbling, and electronic effects.

My guitar / bass playing skills are pretty good, not virtuoso… but still, pretty good. My techniques aren’t meant for showing off, just to be used as an accent. I believe that I’m a better bassist than a guitarist and a better composer than a musician. Having a style is defined by repetition within your limitations.

I visualize music as abstract sounds, in waves, shapes and colors… like a rainbow oscilloscope. Tape editing / manipulation is often used as a composition tool. Sheet music feels a little too rigid to me. I’ll score pieces out on paper, sometimes, such as percussion instruments. Sometimes, I’ll jam riffs onto demos and pick out the best ones later. Sometimes, I’ll sing everything acapella, bang on junk, make noises, and interpret it later. On rare occasions, I’ve had entire songs pop into my head while I scramble to get it recorded before I forget.

“Thinking too much can ruin a good time” – D. Boon (Minutemen)

When I am creating music & art I probably do my best when my brain is just fingerpainting on autopilot. Everything that I am doing is sort of revealed to me as I am doing it. So, I don’t really know what it is until I am finished. Conscious messages don’t work very well for me. Stressing-out about money, transportation, food, and living conditions REALLY destroys my mojo, though.

“Write with the door closed, rewrite with the door open.” – Stephen King

Collaboration:

I’m a good collaborator, even if my social skills are crap. I’m not into ego trips. If something works, it works, wherever it came from. Sometimes I need a goal to work towards, to focus my direction. Having someone around to check in on me gives me some motivation. Left to my own devices, unguided, I often go in all sorts of crazy directions and have difficulty getting things finished. When I do lock in on something, though, I tend to hyperfocus. To get around this I keep it simple and work quickly, before my brain knows what I am doing. Otherwise, I’ll just get in my own way, with nothing done.

Everybody has their own creative process. It usually takes awhile to figure out each others’ Modus Operandi. I tried different methods in the past. Often, it starts by jamming with a tape recorder left on, then editing pieces of “jam-paste” together from that into something. It usually comes down to trading homework back-and-forth until something is agreed upon.

Artwork:

My overall aesthetic has a certain cheepniz to it; Lo-Fi, DIY, and No-Budget. The style looks homemade, with a little polish on it.

My drawings tend to be a bit stream-of-consciousness and surreal. My painting is often a mixed-media style, layering different techniques together, using whatever materials that are cheap and readily available; spray paint, acrylics, house paint, stencils, marker pens, found objects, and collage.

I have very little to no training at anything. I did well in high school drafting, wood shop, and art classes. That’s about it. Regretfully, I never attended an art school. I would have liked to. I am mostly self-taught, occasionally reading books on the subject. But, I don’t really spend a lot of time trying to figure out what’s up with art trends these days. I like to call my style Outsider Pop Surrealism. But, to me… art is art. You either like it… or don’t.

In the past, my paintings & drawings were usually given to friends or destroyed and discarded. I started selling them locally in the 1990’s. But, not really understanding how the professional art world works, I only sold items in person at music venues or record stores, wherever I happened to be. I’ve been reluctant to take it any further than that. But, there seems to be a growing interest in my stuff. So, I’m making it more available.

Physical Appearance:

Having a standard uniform of your own is useful. People like Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud, and Steve Jobs wore clothing everyday that was nearly identical. It saved time and brainpower finding something to wear, when their entire wardrobe was virtually the same.

My physical appearance doesn’t change much, day-to-day, either. I’ve always been a t-shirt and jeans guy. Nearly everything I own is secondhand. Sometimes I’ll try out new things, making small modifications to my so-called image. None of this is permanent. But, my typical everyday outfit includes;

Goatee & long pageboy hairstyle.
Black jeans with a black button shirt (black goes with everything). A key ring prevents the zipper from coming undone.
Converse Chuck Taylors (black, of course) with boot laces. They have always been my go-to shoes. Tying them around in a marine-style, with a surgeon’s knot, prevents them from coming undone.
Belts adorned with a Captain America shield buckle.
Mix it up a little with different t-shirts, according to season.

I constantly carry a soft drink around with me (Diet Cherry anything), earning me the nickname, by employees at The Record Collector, “The King of Pop.” I just think that is funny. If any sponsors from Pepsi or Faygo want to fund my work, I’m right here! I generally disdain large corporations being involved in art or politics. But, I would rather they pay me than having to pay them for using their products.

Personal / Rules of Conduct:

My lifelong struggling with mental illness sometimes gets in the way. Clinical depression, social anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive tendencies are a debilitating combination. Medications help to keep the highs and lows manageable. But, they aren’t a cure. Music & art is my other world, to deal with it.

I seldom drink alcohol (preferably alone, when I do) and I loathe beer. I don’t smoke tobacco or abuse any drugs. It doesn’t matter to me if anybody else does, unless it gets in the way of working or becomes obnoxious. Marijuana and hallucinogens are more tolerated than harder drugs.

I am an atheist. I don’t believe in whatever Hell you think I’m going to, let alone your invisible friends. You can believe whatever you want to believe. “That’s just, like, your opinion, man.” If you’re a religious zealot (e.g., an anti-science creationist who is deluded into thinking that the flat Earth is 6,000 years old, or 72 virgins await in the afterlife because you won’t eat bacon) I would prefer not to hear about it. MAGA is a fucking death cult, too. Qanon and FOX “News” distribute their propaganda. Career criminal, con man, Donald Trump would make Jim Jones and Marshall Applewhite envious.

I am open to different ways of thinking – but hostile sexism, racism, homophobia, or transphobia is not tolerated. I am LGBTQ+ supportive and have friends from all sorts of different backgrounds. Bigots are not welcome. Go away.

There are not many groups that I believe I would fit into if I didn’t begin from scratch. I never had any delusions about “making it big”. Earning a decent living as a self-employed artist-musician would be great, if possible. I am content if I make enough money to eat, cover expenses, and pay a few bills.