The songs:
"These
songs were pretty much played out over the span of the band and its various gigging phases. A lot of them are already known
by fans, so when the recording came out, it seemed familiar, but new. The production and mastering sorta breathed new life
into everything. Everyone had heard versions of 'Down in the Dumps', and 'Elevator' before, but not proper
recordings. The newer material, like 'Model Citizen' and 'Unsure,' sorta blew people away"
Robbie Rist:
"Robbie had hit me up a long time ago, wanting to produce me. At that time the
band was called Clutter, and we were playing around quite a bit. I'd seen Robbie playing shows with bands we were friends
with. He's got a lot of expertise and talent and energy. When I finally had the funds, we went to work. It was a very
constructive period. "He really got
good stuff out of me, and even though there were times where we were at loggerheads, it passed, and we were both proved 'right'
and 'wrong' respectively about our choices later on. I'm trusting him with the follow-up CD because I enjoyed
working with him so much!"
...and what was that process like, anyway?
"We took
it one song at a time, and my voice changed as we went. One night was spent putting 'Unsure' together. I sang so much
my voice took on this very mellow sound, so I alternated between shots of booze and shots of water to keep it going too far
either way! Robbie had an idea that I try singing 'Wishing Well' in a whisper, which sounded great considering I had
any voice left, but then I doubled the vocal later because you couldn't understand the words in the final mix! Another
favorite night of mine was playing with feedback for 'Model Citizen.'"
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Promotion
"We tried
out a radio promotion through Tinderbox Music, and it got results as far as being heard. It hasn't translated into sales
yet. "We've also had quite a problem
getting a decent drummer for gigs! You'd think in Los Angeles everyone would be itching to play, but it just isn't
so. If the band doesn't sound like System of a Down, or any of those other bands you constantly heard on the radio, you
know, the growlers and yellers, no one wants a part of it! Right now we've got Robbie, and a fellow named Marc Joseph
who drums for a LOT of people. He even plays on the East Coast for some of them! Between Macus and Robbie, we're hanging
tough so far. We've played a bit
and usually bowl people over with our energy and vibe. We've been pretty much promised a spot in the next IPO (International
Pop Overthrow) festival, which Robbie said he'd play with us for that. I did a few solo-acoustic shows, and will probably
do a few more before we settle with a proper drummer. Scott is definitely as restless to play as I am. "Ironically,we're on iTunes and whatnot, but
no one knows we're there! That makes it hard for us to measure sales potential. The second CD is going to come out regardless.
We've gotta keep moving ahead. I know already people love us if they've heard us."
The cover
concept
"I'd had that idea for quite a while. My initial design was for a white table in a white room,
with this inverted glass half-full, and natural light sorta making an effect on the table surface. Mike Simmons corrected
me, reminding me how small a CD cover is, and blew up the glass idea. I was very impressed, especially considering he did
the whole thing in a day!"
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