some of you know that i played in a nc-based indie rock band called geezer lake from 1989 until 1998 (with a short reunion tour in 2000). some people have asked to hear some of the stuff, so i pulled what i feel are some of the better recordings from the 3 full-length records, as well as a few compilation tracks.
if you're interested in learning more, there's a
myspace artist page with loads of information and nostalgic ephemera. but the basic story is that this was my labor of love for a good ten years. the band produced 3 full length records, numerous 7" singles, split-singles, and appeared on several compilations. an award-winning claymation short-film created to accompany the track, "spent" was featured in international film festivals (director brett ingram recently released a documentary called 'monster road', about the claymation master bruce bickford, a frequent zappa collaborator).
the band received considerable acclaim (including a profile in billboard, great reviews in spin, alternative press, magnet, etc.), and toured with many great bands (polvo, ben folds five, archers of loaf, alice donut, etc.). some of the band also performed on eric bachmann's 'barry black' record. however, the band never really made it to that next level, despite being wooed by several labels who weren't quite sure what to do with us. the band also turned down offers from some larger indie labels who wanted us to sign away our firstborn. sooner or later it just came time to call it a day, unless we wanted to continue to live hand-to-mouth indefinitely. we had a good run, a lot of fun, and never compromised.
so, yeah. the recordings. as a perfectionist, i was never completely satisfied with any of the recordings. songs, to me, are always in some state of evolution, and sometimes the point at which the snapshot is taken is not always the most flattering moment. i always felt that geezer lake was a live band, and it was difficult to capture that in the studio. all of these records were recorded in marathon sessions with very little time to rethink, retool, or rework, so what you laid down was often what you got. this was also before digital recording became commonplace in recording studios.
that being said, i think there are some magical moments captured in some of these songs, and some of them i'm very proud of. if you're going to take the plunge, i urge you to listen to the compositions in full, as the band approached song compositions in a very non-traditional way. many of these are musical narratives. i believe we approached songwriting like we would approach writing a story or shooting a film. there are recurring themes and ideas throughout the compositions, but there are also sub-plots, car chases, love scenes, flashbacks, bursts of violence, epiphanies, twists, and climaxes.
anyway, i hope you enjoy some, a little, or all of it. i'd be happy to get entire albums to anyone if they are interested in going beyond these tracks.
