Back in 1991, I purchased a Tascam Porta Studio. It was the entry level four track cassette version but I pushed it to its limits. It unlocked a creative stream that saw me writing and recording the equivalent of nine albums over then next two years.
I started to record and took the name Rough Spots as my fictional band. It summed up the sound of the music I was recording. Solid but with rough spots. The band had three fictional members, each with one of first, middle or last names.
At first, I had no drums so the songs were mostly acoustic guitar/folky sounding. Then I picked up a used Dr. Rhythm that I programmed to create a virtual Keith Moon, John Bonham or Ringo. Unfortunately, all the music store had was the Electronica
version so all the songs have the sound like the 80s New Wave never went away. A few songs were covers but 98% were songs I wrote, usually in one sitting.
As time went on, I added more instruments. A Chicken Shaker (a plastic egg filled with BBs), a children's harmonium and others. The flood gates opened when I got a Casio synthesizer. Suddenly, I was able to add strings, brass and piano.
So why nothing new in 15 years? Unfortunately, life got in the way, I grew up, had kids and my recording studio became a nursery. It was some time ago and the trade off was well worth it, but those couple years were an incredible learning experience.
With the Tascam being an entry level four track, I really had to learn basic ways of creating additional tracks much like the early pioneers. To add tracks, I would bounce the four tracks to two. I then had two new tracks for additional tracks and vocals.
Sometimes, I would bounce it again, so I ended up with 8 tracks. It was very low-fi as there was no equalization.
Click on the playbuttons to start the Yahoo! Media Player. I hope you enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed recording them.
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| Track |
Album |
Recorded |
| Ask Me |
Drumming Up Support |
03/92 - 03/92 |
| Starts off with a pre-programmed drum pattern that always cracked me up. Kind of a fun little syncopated pop song. |
| Remember (He vs She) |
Alewives in the Basement |
03/92 - 05/92 |
| Inspired by the song I Remember It Well from the musical Gigi. For the uninitiated it is a song where Maurice Chevalier and Hermione Gingold sing to each other and each remembers the same events slightly differently. All married couples should relate. |
| White 48 (Lovely Lass) |
Rough Spots |
12/92 - 07/93 |
| At the time this was written there a band called Black 47 that was supposed to be this great Irish Celtic rock phenom. I felt they were fakers and showed how easily someone who isn't Irish can write a song that sounds like they are. |
| The Fish |
Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before |
08/93 - 01/94 |
| I've always loved Chris Squire. This is his song. I just had to record a version of it. It was a hoot. |
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