Thursday, January 31, 2008

Just For Fun #6

Metal XOR Studio is not one to sue every time one of its songs is copied, plagiarized, or just plain ripped-off. But there was an incident in 1995 that could have warranted it.

The story starts back in 1986 when Jason started recording his own songs with his first keyboard. On his fourth tape, titled Quadraphonic, was a song that had been recorded in 1987. It remained nameless along with most of the songs on that tape until January 1, 2004, when the songs were finally given titles. This nameless song was then titled "Coeur de Coward". Why such a weird name? Because it was the pseudo-French opposite of the words brave and heart.

Fast forward to 1995 when the Mel Gibson epic "Braveheart" came out in movie theaters. Jason and Jimmy went to see it (several times) and it quickly ranked in their top 5 movies of all time. During the movie Jason recalls "...something was familiar to me as I watched the film... it finally occured to me that I had recorded this Braveheart song eight years prior!"

There is a slight difference in the two songs, but that is probably because composer James Horner changed "Braveheart" slightly so it would not be a direct copy of Jason's song. Most people will be able to hear how similar the two songs are. Give a listen to each song and make your own determination as to whether Mel and James owe Jason a few greenbacks or not.

Just For Fun 06

Click here to listen to Jason's song (unmodified recording from 1987).

Click here to listen to a "Braveheart" song (from 1995).

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Musician Profile #6: Brad P

Brad was a drummer by trade. And Phil Collins of Genesis was the drummer Brad wanted to be. It was in high school, when Harry and Jason were learning to play synthesizers and guitars, that Brad the Drummer was discovered.

He was the drummer for the band Pheonix starting around 1986. That lasted a couple of years.

In early 1989, he was the drummer for the high school 50's & 60's band The Traveling Deengelburys. Later that year, after high school graduation, Brad moved away to college.

It was around 1990-1991 when he returned to town and stopped by Metal XOR Studio. The Studio was enjoying its new drum machine and 4-track recorder. Songs for the Mune Mud album Olympus were being recorded. It was the Golden Era of the Studio. Brad contributed by programming a few drum patterns that would be used. He also recorded vocals for a couple of unused songs during the Olympus era.

Of those associated with the Studio, Brad was the only one that had a personal computer. So Jason had Brad design the album cover for Mune Mud's 1992 Underwater Problem Factory.

Also during this period (1991-1993) Harry, Jason, and Brad played together again as The Spartans in garages and a couple of parties. Brad was still the drummer.

In 1993 Brad moved away again but left his drums in Harry's garage. So when Isthmus was created in 1995, Brad's drums were used. In fact, they were used throughout the entire Isthmus career.

It has been 15 years and Brad has yet to be heard from.


Next week: Darrin R

Monday, January 28, 2008

ORC Update: Week 4

This feature will be posted every Monday to document the weekly progress of the new ORC album at Metal XOR Studio.

This week illness tore through the Studio and the house it occupies. Although there was a lot of time to work on music, it was the last thing on the sick peoples' minds. But still, there was a little progress.

Song 01 - "Silver Sphere"
In the first session for this song a new arrangement was made as decided in the first ORC recording session. In the second session this week a "Lyric Splice" mix was created using clips from the first ORC session. This will be used to help finish the final lyrics.

Song 11 - "Of Plants and Machinery"
The first version of this song was recorded during ORC session 1, but the lyrics were actually being read from a book. This week a new set of lyrics were written to accompany the great music. It is planned to record the new lyrics at the next ORC session.

Song 12 - untitled
This fast-paced song was started but it didn't get too far. Time will tell if anything comes of it.


And here's to a healthy upcoming week. . .

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Album of the Week #23: Sleep State F

Project name: Mune Mud
Album name: Sleep State F
Release date: September 23, 1997
Release format: cassette
Studio name: Metal XOR Studio

Mune Mud - Sleep State F

Tracks:
1. WaxedTrack list - Sleep State F
2. Ginkgo Biloba
3. Reflection
4. Occam's Razor
5. Locker Life
6. Contact
7. Before (Again)
8. Sleeping with the Fishes
9. Last Five Miles
10. Dofuzia
11. Molybdenum
12. Clouds Set Free (Silent Cumulus Mix)
13. Overfed
14. The Phantom Funeral
15. Dolphins and a Seahorse
16. Biobot
17. Just Denied
18. Etesian Wind (Denny's Mix)
19. Prospecting Saturn

This album had a couple of alternate titles before Sleep State F was decided on. It was almost called Equation of Time II (since many of the songs were left over from the Equation of Time album) or Equitation of Python.

"It was observed that sleep could be divided into six distinct typed or levels. These are labelled A, B, C, D, E, and F, and each night we progress from sleep state A to sleep state F. It is in the level of sleep labelled F that unusually rapid eye movements (REM), under closed eyelids, were noticed." This comes from The Dreamer's Workbook, a book that sits on the Studio bookshelf. Since Jason has always had a fascination with dreams, he named the album after the REM sleep cycle (not to mention R.E.M. is his favorite band).

This album came with a 3.5" floppy disk called Chimera. On the disk was information regarding the album, including lyrics.

The front of the album cover sported a sticker that said "Basis of A Dream Journal". To expand on the idea of dreams, Jason was going to release a book of short stories as a companion to the album, with each story being based on a song from the album. But this project was never started.
Sleep State F - A Dream Journal

Another project that never saw completion was a compilation of music videos from the album. The only video that was filmed was for "Molybdenum".

Sleep State F video

Much of this album was an homage back to Mune Mud's 1991 album Olympus in the fact that only the equipment used for Olympus was used on this album. Jason was getting back to basics.

The only guest musician was Jason's dad who provided the sample of him saying "42" for the song "Molybdenum".

This album was re-released in 2007 as Sleep State F 10th Anniversary Collection, containing bonus unreleased tracks.


Next week's Album of the Week: The Search for Metropolis by Mune Mud from 2001.

Friday, January 25, 2008

Listen Online!

"Of Plants and Machinery"

These are the first sounds of the new ORC album made available to the public. This song was recorded during the first joint recording session on January 19.

New lyrics have already been written and the song will receive further attention in the coming weeks.

Click here to listen to the song.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Blog News: Sidebar Player

The Studio is proud to announce a new feature to the Metal XOR Studio Blog... the Listen Online! Music Player located in the sidebar on the right side of the page.

This is a collection of the songs that have been written about in the Listen Online! feature over the last few months. You simply click on "Choose Your Song Here" and select the song you want to hear from the drop-down menu. It may take a moment to load the song. The [play] button will turn black when the song is ready to be played. Then just click [play].

As new Listen Online! features are written, those songs will be added to the player.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Musician Profile #5: Paige W

At age 4, Paige is by far the youngest artist that works with the Studio. And her music career has just begun. Update Paige is now 5.

In August of 2007 her first album was released, titled My First Album. Since that release she has had a recording session once a month to record songs which will be on her second album due out this fall.

She has also been learning to play the piano. Her lessons started a few months ago and they will continue as long as she shows interest.

We are looking forward to many years of music from Paige.

Update
She performed a Vacation Bible School song at church on Sunday, October 5, 2008. Click here to read the post and watch the video.


Next week: Brad P

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

This Day in Studio History

Back in 1994, Jason wrote the music for a promotional video for a local company called Lefton Productions that rented carnival games and supplies.

It was on January 22 that the song was recorded. The following day Jason took it to a co-worker, whose wife worked at Lefton Productions. The video was then edited on January 27 and Jason received his copy of the tape on January 28.

This was the first time he made money on his music.

Blog News: 150th Post

This is post 150!!!

Will this ever end? I'm starting to wonder. This blog will be 5 months old tomorrow! And this is post #150.

150

In case you hadn't noticed, many of the features have been put on hold. There have been no Collector's Corner, Listen Online, or A Look Back features for a few weeks. I knew once January 1 rolled around most of my time would be dedicated to the new ORC album. I just haven't had the time to post the extras that I had before this big project began. And it will probably remain this way for a few months, until the album is complete.

So for now I am just posting the weekly features that appear on their own days: Album of the Week will continue to be on Sundays, ORC Update on Mondays, and Musician Profile (which replaced Project Spotlight) will be on Wednesdays. I will still post the occasional This Day in Studio History or Studio News, but there will be more quiet days than in previous months.

So now I say to you, it may take slightly longer to reach the next milestone, but I will see you there at post #200!!!

Monday, January 21, 2008

ORC Update: Week 3

This feature will be posted every Monday to document the weekly progress of the new ORC album at Metal XOR Studio.

This week had new songs created, lyrics written, and the first joint recording session for the album. Things are progressing nicely at Metal XOR Studio. There is a solid foundation of many songs started, now ORC will focus on fine-tuning those songs and try to complete some within the next few weeks. Meanwhile new ideas are written down or record almost daily.

Test 05 - untitled
This hasn't become an official song yet, it's still in its raw idea stage. But there were some lyric ideas written down in case it becomes a song.

Song 02 - untitled
This is the quickly "thrown together" song mentioned in week 1. A demo was recorded and reviewed at the ORC Session #1. When lyrics are written and recorded this song will be complete.

Song 07 - "The Moon Balloon"
This is the working title, it may change. Lyrics were started for this song this week. It's a story that somehow involves Palnashet Rebrakon, a cruise ship captain.

Song 08 - "The Wind in the Barley"
This week the song was named and a demo was recorded for review at the ORC Session. It's still very short, but it was agreed that it will be worked on further.

Song 09 - "Clunky the Fisherman"
This was formerly Test Song 02, it has now become an official song. A new arrangement was made for the verse to accommodate the lyrics that were written. A demo was also recorded of the new version.

Song 10 - "OCD"
The music hasn't been recorded yet, but the lyrics for the song have been written.

There was an additional song recorded at ORC Session #1. It was called "Of Plants and Machinery" and will be posted on this blog as soon as editing is finished.


See you in seven days. . .

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Album of the Week #22: Equation of Time

Project name: Mune Mud
Album name: Equation of Time
Release date: August 13, 1996
Release format: cassette
Studio name: Metal XOR Studio


Mune Mud - Equation of Time

Tracks:
1. Fake Houdini Track list - Equation of Time
2. In the Memory of Man
3. Follow the Steps
4. En Crypt
5. Krietner
6. Summer Song
7. Essence of Pearl
8. Bumpy and Jumpy
9. I'm With You (Outcome)
10. Ever Regret
11. One Night (v2.0)
12. Under Venus
13. Before
14. Nightspell
15. On Good Terms
16. One Lunar Minute
17. Deviate

This was the first full-length Mune Mud studio album in three years. The last was Pryme Material from 1993. Since them there was the debut album re-release, the EP Devaulted consisting of unused material, and the "live" album Monograph which was new performances of older songs.

The album title was a revisit to the astronomy theme. When the astronomical equation of time is zero, it means that when the sun stands at its highest it really is "high noon". And the graph on the album cover was clip art found on the Internet.

On the inside of the album cover were the letters NPSYAJBEAEAULLL. This was an anagram that nobody solved. The answer was 'Japanese Lullaby', which was also the name of the lyric booklet that was released one week after the album came out.

Although all of the music for this album was recorded at Metal XOR-B Studio, it wasn't until the move to Metal XOR-C that the album was mixed-down and released.

Many of the songs on this album were stories. The story-teller was coming out in Jason. He told stories of deer, letters written in secret codes, a summer day, bunny rabbits, and more.

Other than the traditional guitar, keyboards, and drum machine, Jason also played the recorder on "Nightspell" (which was the name of some incense he used). He started out strong but by the time he neared the end of the recording, the notes were sounding rather weak.

This album was re-released in 2006 as Equation of Time 10th Anniversary Collection, containing outtakes and alternate takes of songs.


Next week's Album of the Week: Sleep State F by Mune Mud from 1997.

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Studio News: ORC session #1

Even though the members of ORC have been working on songs in their own studios since January 1, today was the first time they came together to work on the music.

ORC session 1b

They met at Attic Works Studio this afternoon for three hours. Although no songs were finished, a couple of them were worked on heavily. Lyrics were written and a new arrangement was made for "Silver Sphere". They worked on combining two halves of a song they each worked on independent of each other. And a live song called "Of Plants and Machinery" was recorded.

ORC session 1a

The entire session was recorded with a standard cassette recorder to be reviewed for song ideas and other valuable information. They have plans to have joint recording sessions every few weeks, usually to record vocals.

At this point it doesn't look like the album will be finished by March, but with additional sessions such as today's it will turn out to be one great album!!!

Friday, January 18, 2008

Article: Project Chronology

This is a complete chronological list of all projects that have been associated with Metal XOR Studio.

[Harry and Jason] - 1985 to 1987
Pheonix - 1986 to 1988
[early keyboards] - 1986 to 1987
X-Selsior - 1988
The Two-Tones - 1988 to 1990
[Darrin and Jason] - 1988 to 1989
The Traveling Deengelburys - 1989
Mune Mud - 1990 to present
The Spartans - 1991 to 1993
Young Herbage - 1993
NueroMorgue - 1993
The Duke Boys - 1993 to 1995
Binary Pipedream - 1994
ORC - 1994 to present
NueroMud - 1994 to 1995
Isthmus - 1995 to 1998
Nikki and Jason - 1998 to present
Parvo - 2000
Muffin Loaf - 2003
Paige - 2006 to present
Equinox Dulcet - 2006 to present

More to come . . .

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Musician Profile #4: Nikki W

Nikki grew up with music. She took piano lessons when she was young, she was in the school band, she even went to college and got her degree in teaching choir and band. She has played nearly every band instrument available. But her most prominent are the saxophone and her voice.

She met Jason in February of 1998. It didn't take long for them to start recording songs together, usually with Jason writing the music and Nikki writing the lyrics and providing vocals. In 2001 they released an EP called Love Songs under the name Nikki and Jason Watson.

They also wrote a couple of songs that Nikki performed at church.

With their busy schedules they have not recorded anything together for quite some time, but eventually they will create more music together.

Monday, January 14, 2008

ORC Update: Week 2

This feature will be posted every Monday to document the weekly progress of the new ORC album at Metal XOR Studio.

This week saw the completion of the first step for a couple of songs. The first step is to get the initial sequence finished in the computer. Then the sequence is recorded. Then it is ready for additional instruments (such as guitar and bass) to be recorded. And finally vocals can be added. And after the complete song is in the computer, post-production can begin of adding effects, cleaning up the song, re-arranging parts, etc. Then, and only then, is the song completely finished and ready for the album.

Song 03 - untitled
Metal XOR Studio's half of this song was finished this week. Some slight changes were made and a second demo was recorded. Attic Works Studio's half is also finished, or near complete. So the task of merging the two halves together is underway.

Song 04 - an unannounced cover song
The music for this song was finished this week. One demo version was recorded with guitar. It just needs vocals recorded. This version of the song is almost identical to the real song. There is talk of doing an ORC version, heavily modified from the original. That version has not been started yet.

Song 05 - untitled
This was recorded in one session. It started out to be a heavy, fast, guitar song and ended up the total opposite. It is an atmospheric slow song that threatens to put the listener to sleep before the first verse is over. A demo of the finished song was sent to Attic Works Studio. Lyrics still need to be written.

Song 06 - untitled
This is the song Song 05 was supposed to be. It's fast, heavy, loud, and unfinished. Just the foundation of the song was finished this week and recorded as a demo and sent to Attic Works Studio.

Song 07 - untitled
If ever there was a pop song, this is it! Just the first verse was finished, then Jason had to quit working on it to allow the dust of this pop/disco song to settle. It remains to be seen as to whether anything comes of this dull gem, but the first demo was recorded and sent to Attic Works Studio this week.

Song 08 - untitled
To get the taste of Song 07 out of its mouth, the Studio recorded this slow, short song with nothing but a strumming guitar and a violin. It's in a very rudimentary stage at this point.


See you next week. . .

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Album of the Week #21: Monograph

Project name: Mune Mud
Album name: Monograph
Release date: July 16, 1996
Release format: cassette
Studio name: Metal XOR Studio

Mune Mud - Monograph

Tracks:
1. Etesian Wind Track list - Monograph
2. Castor & Pollux
3. Believe Me
4. On Good Terms
5. Infernal Tree
6. Essence of Pearl
7. Mystical Dream
8. Clouds Set Free
9. You and Me
10. Moon Mud
11. In the Memory of Man
12. So Many
13. I'm With You
14. Moon Garden
15. SC Paradise
16. Slow It Down
17. Another Troubled Night
18. Telescope

This "live" album was recorded in one day on Saturday, June 15, 1996, and released one month later. It was "live" because Jason sung all the songs live to the pre-recorded music in one take. The music was from the original 4-track master tapes, so the only thing new were the vocals.

There were three types of songs: the first was old Mune Mud songs (mostly from 1991's album Olympus) being re-sung. The second was unreleased Mune Mud songs. The third was preview songs from the upcoming Equation of Time album (released in August of that year).

The session was videotaped but the audio level was too quiet on the video tape, so nothing was ever done with the video.

There were five additional songs recorded that day but not used for various reasons.

This album had a very limited release and there are no plans to re-release it any time soon.


Next week's Album of the Week: Equation of Time by Mune Mud from 1996.

Saturday, January 12, 2008

This Day in Studio History

It was Friday, January 12, 1996, that Isthmus had a jam session called Gemini Jay.

For the debut Isthmus album (Electric Field Donut, recorded on February 5, 1995) the band consisted of just Harry and Jason. The second album (Lambskin Temple, recorded on September 21, 1996) had Jimmy as a member of the band as the drummer. And between those two recordings fell the Gemini Jay session.

The Gemini Jay session may have been the first time Jimmy played with Isthmus, thus securing his position in the band. The name of the session came from the statement Harry made at the beginning of the session "This is Jim and I, and Jay", thus the play on words created the title.

Most of the songs played that day were covers, only a few originals were created. This was recorded in the Metal XOR-A Studio, the same one Electric Field Donut had been recorded nearly a year earlier.

Although this session never became an official Isthmus album, it was recorded and a bootleg album was put together called Gemini Jay. The Studio hopes to start releasing some of the early bootleg recordings this year. If so, this will definitely be one of the first.

Friday, January 11, 2008

Studio News: New Interview Scheduled

The fictional music magazine Eclectic Musician has contacted the Studio once again. They want to interview Jason about the recent changes to Metal XOR Studio and get the latest news on the new ORC album. The interview is scheduled to happen within the next few weeks. They hope to publish it in their March 2008 issue. The last time they interviewed Jason was for their June 2004 issue.

As soon as the interview is public it will be made available to read right here on this blog. So watch for it in February or March.

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Musician Profile #3: Jimmy D

Jimmy began his music career the same as Jason and Harry with piano lessons at a young age. He then played in his high school band.

It was on October 10, 1993, when he walked into Metal XOR Studio as Jason was recording the song "Two-Tone Rhythm Kill" (a song appearing on the 1993 NueroMorgue album Devis Tortura). Jason decided to have Jimmy sing the verses of the song. Thus began a long musical relationship with the Studio.

After that song Jimmy was invited back to sing vocals with Jason on "Pedestal Song", a NueroMud song that was on the 1994 album ...Libra 971. The song also appeared on the 1994 album Binary Pipedream.

Jimmy soon became a regular in the Studio, not only recording vocals but eventually playing bass guitar, acoustic guitar, keyboards, recorder, and whatever else was needed for the songs. By now Jason and Jimmy were working on their own project which they called ORC.

In 1999 ORC released their first album, Purging the Great Abyss. After the album's release they immediately started work on the next album with several recording sessions. But Jason got married and there was not as much time for music as before. So ORC was put on hold.

While in ORC, Jimmy was also a member of Isthmus from 1996-1998, performing on three of the four Isthmus albums. He was primarily the drummer but also played some bass and sang when needed.

He has since founded his own studio called Attic Works Studio and has recorded various songs in the last few years. He has yet to release his first solo album.

As of the writing of this article ORC is back in the studio, finally recording their second album. While Jason does his recording at Metal XOR Studio, Jimmy does his recording at Attic Works Studio. Then the two will combine their material in ways yet unknown to produce an album destined to be greater than the first.

Update - The second ORC album has yet to be completed.  But in late 2010, Jimmy provided bass lines to half of the songs on Mune Mud's The Zodiac Road.  This was the first time he appeared on a Mune Mud album.  He also mastered the entire album. 

Next week: Nikki W

Monday, January 7, 2008

ORC Update: Week 1

This feature will be posted every Monday to document the weekly progress of the new ORC album at Metal XOR Studio.

The Studio has set a goal: to finish at least one song per week for the next two months. Depending on the progress of the album the project could extend another month or two (or however long is needed to complete the follow up to the 1999 album Purging the Great Abyss). This weekly update will chronicle each song that was worked on during the previous week.

Gargoyle just couldn't wait for 2008. On Monday, December 31, 2007, he was already in the Metal XOR Studio working on the first song for the new ORC album. The song was "Silver Sphere".

Song 01 - "Silver Sphere"
There were four sessions last week for this song. The first session was to get the general idea started. A short demo was recorded and sent to Attic Works Studio for feedback. With each session the song became more complete. In all there were four demos recorded to help with the mix and arrangement of the song. With a little more work the music will be finished.

Song 02 - untitled
This was a short experiment in simplicity. There were two tracks of rhythm recorded (consisting of drums, scratches, and voice effects) and two tracks of instruments. This was to see how quickly a song could be "thrown together" to become a real song. In two sessions the music was complete.

Song 03 - untitled
This will be the song that gets split between the two studios. Attic Works will record the first half and Metal XOR will record the second half, neither of them knowing what style or tempo the other is recording. Two versions of this song were recorded this week. The first version was the neutral version (called "Combo") that was one instrument playing the chord structure for the verse and chorus and a second instrument playing the melody/vocal line. It's the base from which both studios will record their version. The second version of the song recorded is Metal XOR's version of the song. Attic Works Studio sent their version of the song last nite to Metal XOR, so now it's a matter of splicing the two together.

Song 04 - an unannounced cover song
Whether this song makes it on the album or not remains to be seen. But in last nite's recording session the first half of this cover version of a popular song from 1970 was finished. The entire song should be done this week.


Also last week the ORC blog was closed (for now). This will keep all Metal XOR Studio news on this site.


See you in one week with the next update. . .

Sunday, January 6, 2008

Album of the Week #20: Devaulted

Project name: Mune Mud
Album name: Devaulted
Release date: August 2, 1994
Release format: cassette
Studio name: Circle IX Studio


Mune Mud - Devaulted

Tracks:
1. Decomposition of a Song Track list - Devaulted
2. I'll Be Here
3. Plutonic
4. Suburban 70
5. Tip 26
6. Leaves Fall
7. Eighty-Eight
8. Disco Approve
9. Beautiful Land

The years 1986 to 1990 are rather blurred when it comes to the music and projects that existed. Jason had started his solo keyboard project, Jason and Harry recorded their first songs using music from the radio, Jason recorded his own songs using music from the radio, and he started experimenting with "multi-track" recording techniques with his own music and lyrics. By 1990 dates started appearing on lyric sheets and recording notes, so starting in 1990 the records were better kept.

Although Devaulted was released in 1994, it was an EP that collected various unused songs from around the year 1990. Some of the songs were outtakes from the debut Mune Mud album which was finished in 1990, some predate that album and fall into the gray area between early keyboards and Mune Mud.

While it is obvious why some of these songs were not used on albums, they were worth hearing in some fashion. So this collection was put together and released in 1994. It had a very limited release though, so many still have not heard these song.

The album cover was designed in Paint on Jason's first computer. It contains various hidden messages in the vault door.

Update: Although some of these songs were used for the 2008 Mune Mud compilation Precursory 33, there are no plans for a re-release of the original Devaulted album.


Next week's Album of the Week: Monograph by Mune Mud from 1996.

Friday, January 4, 2008

Blog News: ORC Blog Closed

With the new ORC album currently being recorded, the question arose as to whether ORC news should be reported at this main blog site or on the ORC blog site. If ORC news is posted at the ORC blog site it might slow the posts at this site to a crawl since ORC will be the Studio's focus for the next few months.

So the decision was made two days ago to close the ORC blog and keep all Metal XOR Studio projects on this main blog site.

The ORC blog may return in some fashion in the future, but for now all of the ORC news will still be reported here.

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Musician Profile #2: Harry D

Harry's music career began with piano lessons when he was young, the same as Jason W. Their music would cross paths around 1986 when they began recording themselves singing ad-libbed lyrics to instrumental music on the radio.

Then Harry got a Korg synthesizer in 1987 and helped form the band Pheonix with Brad P and Mark A.

This incarnation of Pheonix didn't last too long, but it led to the creation of the Two-Tones for which Harry played synthesizer and drum machine.

In 1988 Harry was part of a 3-man Christmas show in high school, along with Jason and their Spanish teacher Mark S. This led to the 50's & 60's band the Traveling Deengelburys which played on March 31, 1989, at a high school fund-raiser dance.

In the early to mid 90's, Harry, Jason, and Brad P got together as The Spartans. By now Harry was playing electric guitar and singing. This band only lasted a couple of years.

Then Harry and Jason went solo once again, playing much of the music The Spartans had played. This time they were known as The Duke Boys. This bridged the gap between The Spartans and their next band, Isthmus.

Isthmus was his next band. From 1995 to 1998 he played keyboards, electric guitar, bass, and drums at various times on the six albums that the band has released thus far.

He was the drummer for the short-lived band called Muffin Loaf where he and Jason played with co-workers for a one-night performance in 2003.

He has been in other various Metal XOR Studio projects including Binary Pipedream and Young Herbage.

The Studio has not heard the last of Harry. He will continue to be on the roster of musicians as long as the Studio is around.


Next week: Jimmy D

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

State of the Studio #5: January '08

2007 ended with a bang with the release of Paige's first album and the creation of this blog and its many sister sites. And 2008 looks to be an even more active year for the Studio.

The biggest news at the moment is the start of the new ORC album. They began working on new music last nite. Stay tuned for more info on ORC in the upcoming weeks.

Have you ever wondered what the original hand-written lyric sheets to Metal XOR Studio songs look like? This year a new series of PDF's will be released showing the original lyrics sheets as they have been preserved for the past 10, 15, and even 20 years! The first few releases will be from Mune Mud albums, then it will branch off into other projects. Watch for the first one to be posted soon.

Paige recently had another short recording session, so her second album is still on track to be released this fall.

Another project has begun in the Studio. Old video tapes and audio tapes of jam sessions from various projects are being transfered into the computer. Once everything is digital it will be sorted and organized and a new series of bootleg albums may be released. This may happen around the middle of this year or later in the fall. New info about this project will be posted here.

And will 2008 see the return of Isthmus? It was May of 1998 when their last album, Parabolic Dish Festival, was recorded. Will the ten year anniversary see a new album? Talks are underway with the original three members (Harry, Jason, and Jimmy) for a jam session in the first half of the year. Again, any new information regarding this project will be posted here.

The big question at the moment is: how will this blog hold up for the next couple of months? With all efforts being thrown at the new ORC album and the ORC blog, will there be time to maintain this blog? Yes there will. This may be when the daily posts get reduced to just a few posts per week, but at the same time the ORC blog will become very active documenting the progress of the new album. So there may be a period of adjustment in the next couple of weeks until some kind of schedule is figured out.

And the last item of interest is the new blog feature called Musician Profile. The preview post in this series was made on December 22 and discussed the Studio founder Jason W. This will be the new Wednesday feature, replacing the Project Spotlight.

As previously stated, this looks to be a busy year for the Studio. Stay tuned for more. . .