from the King Crawls (demos), released June 16, 2015
Sampling, Programming, Flextime, Loops and Bass overdubs (both synth bass and those played on my 1981 Peavy 'Patriot' & by the "Jazzmaster P. Franken-bass" by Jay Sharp, Esq
Additional Keys, Xylophone and Synth Solo - Elijah Should
Live Drums by Archelao Macrillò
Additional Bass (played live) by Jay Giacomazzo
Live sessions of Scatterbug Vigilantly recorded to DAT by the illustrious John Morgan at Fontanas NYC, shortly before its closing due to new ownership of the building wanting everyone out in the name of "change and progess and modernization and gentrification" My rent in a brownstone doubled from 1 to 2 grand a month, their rent went up to 30 Large. $30,ooo !? A month. Can you imagine ANYONE swinging that? ANYwhere?? Ever?? Let alone down on the Lower East Side, ON the cusp of Little Italy and the border of Chinatown. For Shame for Shame.
I solemnly thank Deannie and Holly for the permission and access. Thanks for the wonderful memories. Such weirdness in that space, everyone from Seth Rogen to Jeffrey Ross, Jim Gaffigan, Miley Cyrus (allegedly) and we even had a sleepover with Interpol who shot a pretty lame music video for a pretty mediocre song there. I'm being biased as I absolutely adored their first two albums. Went to go see them live a bunch and even liked the third outing while Carlos D was on the outs... but since then. I dunno what happened. It's so EASY to think, well he was the talent/influence keeping the band's sound the way it was( that way) but it can't be... could it? I know he wrote the orchestrations and did all the midi, key and synth arrangements for Our Love to Admire- and obviously he played bass, wonderful, weird, overly complicated but melodic and heavily derivative (to the old post punk ways of Depeche Mode, the Bunnymen and Joy Division, New Order etc) But I've played in a dozen bands, and even I find it hard to believe that one members departure, not even a member listed as having principal songwirintg credits, mind you! Could exit and shake up a group ergo make THAT much of a difference and seemingly be the missing X factor. Like is it just me?? Have you HEARD the Interpol records since 2007??
Is it just in my head? By the 4th LP, the self titled, which they claimed was intentional, kinda marking a rebirth, or trying to re-establish itself then. As if we could all just forget what happened on their way up with Carlos and dismiss the first albums. And At first i liked that Interpol record too. Compared to the recent ones Its fucking phenominal, but man, something about it just irked me. From the get-go it didn't sit well with me, and admittedly sometimes the old computation machine up top doesnt work so swiftly, and it took me YEARS to figure out what it was. And that was it was an indication of things to come. A declaration of intent. And the future was bland. Derivative and more directionless. Obviously a vehicle for a singer/songwriter who, in College, just happened to meet the right band, with the right influences and the right hunger at the right time. And after all was said and done, nearly a decade later, youd gone from being the guy who SAT in on a rehearsal at New Yorks Funkadelic with the band you're "auditioning" for - but,
for shyness? or honesty? inferiority complex? imposter syndrome? for reasons still unknown, Banks didn't say - well, "sing" rather in this application. He didnt open his mouth once.
He just listened. And I was told he wasnt taking notes either.
The set, as played, was not a jam , nor was it recorded. It was just the songs. Played live, as-is. Instrumentals. That would largely become the EP with the specialist and the NYC record and eventually the larger-part of the material released on "Turn on the Bright Lights"
An album that was SO FUCKING GOOD at the time (when i first heard it, I was on a bus- going to see WEEZER at JONES BEACH in support of the GREEN ALBUM, which as aformentioned - the intentional "back to basics" even including a re-hash of the producer, having it helmed by Ric Ocasek once more- THAT couldn't even save it- I happen to like it, as the thick slice of rock cheese, but even with every guitar solo literally mimicing the EXACT vocal melody of the verses or choruses that preceded it, the crucial calculating , dare i say "corny" overtly deliberate effort Weezer made to kinda, RE-Announce itself, they would, famously release two more self titled records in time, with both the Red and White self-titled albums, come to think of it, didn't they eventually pull a Metallica and do a "black" album as well, ? Well. I don't know. I never claimed to be a Weezer historian. Nor will i be bothered to waste my time and look up their discography on wikipedia.
Speaking of Wikipedia, whos dick do i have to suck to get my records, THIS RECORD, i mean, it was literlally the most important thing I had going on in my life for the last fucking decade in my head. Even superceeding homelessness, and yes I am well aware of the irony there- I'm in agreement with any assessments that one might make and one PROBABLY COULD argue that my drive and ambition the finish the record was teetering on insanity and borderline obsessive. That THAT is precisely why, no eviction, not circumstances, not drug use, abuse or dependency or whatever you "sayers of Nay" want to call "it.". It being MY life. Let's not forget, Youre reading the track credits for a song on bandcamp.com, but this is not just track credits. It's not just a critique of the later output of NYC goth-tinged post rock revivalists Interpol. This is my life.
Music saved my life. Music claimed my life. It drove it, and at more than one time even brought me to the verge of insanity.
I'm not even going to finish my thoughts on Weezer and Interpol.
I just tried to pull you into the landscape and point out the rough shape and scale of music in the 00s. How pitiful and disparate (not desperate, but if you look at the self titled albums Cuomo and Banks released in the years to follow- DESPERATE is apt too). Personally, and I HATE To say this, I hate to even GIVE credit. To even give creedence to it as a "terrorist" attack. But it is, Twas. The September 11 2001 psychological attack on the american people, and I am not calling it that on my own, no sir ee Bob. THats a direct quote from Cheney, when he manned the think tape "the future " blah blah blah security of America... in the 90s he was calling for a major re-shaping of governmental control and espionage. A pretty harsh re-writing of our constitutional rights and civil liberties, and I quote claimed that only an attack, (or a psychological attack) the size of Pearl Harbor, which in my opinion also constitutes as an admission of guilt that Pearl Harbor was a flase flag (an inside job) mission. I saw 911 from the rooftop of a luxury penthouse I was working on/in on the corner of lex and 86th. I saw the 2nd plane. "the second "PLANE" hit. I'm quoting and pointing out things btw that I question. I dont claim to know the truth. I just KNOW what we've been told IS not it (the truth)
So I saw the 2nd plane hit and the first building fall.
I high-tailed it out of there. Shaking , trembling, not quite remembering the 70 or so flights of stairs i ran down in an emergency exit. War of the Worlds. "World War III" these were just a couple of the unknown, but declaratory statements people around me were making.
Id spend the next 11 hours stuck, kinda trapped really in a small car with the one co-worker I hated. ANd I'm truly a lover not a fighter. I don't typically claim to say I hate anyone, but this person HATED me and he would tell me as much. Near-daily.
Personally I think he used me as scapegoat and was vilifiying me with his own angst and vitriol against the latent homosexual feelings he himself had deep down within (or maybe not so deep down, its often, more often than not, I've found, that the people who are the first to throw stones at me and calling me names like gay or faggot, spitting into my face, tripping me up in public or throwing rocks into and through, breaking my bedroom windows... yes, all true accosting i've lived through, brought on by complete strangers. My crime? Just being seen. Being me. I don't even wear female clothing or color my nails, dye my hair or walk, present or flamboyantly carry myself.
I sometimes feel like I can not even FATHOM the inner hatred and fear and uncomfortability a gender fluid, transitioning, questioning, curious or trans person might feel in these united states.
But on my way home, united by Fear. This dude who would try to get me to cry or anything. He seemed to want nothing more than to evoke some kinda reaction out of me, taunts, name calling, practical jokes, nothing was off limits with him. It didn't matter whether or not he was coloring within the lines of the law or breeching the moral ethics or bro code or even the simplest ways of human life. When you hear of
"a brotherhood of man" or the "city of love" you have to be really really really in denial NOT to recall the George Floyds
or the --- fuck i cant think of the kids name.
ANd its one of those whole "lest we forget" kinda names
that a fund, or a benefit or a holiday or a whole freaking MOVEMENT is birthed from the sacrifice that this, kid, this like, MARTYR

for shame for shame

anyway to tery to wrap up what i was syaomh I would argue the downfall of the (now largely revealed to be much on a ponzie scheme and bait and switch racket originally dreamt up, run and utilized by the mafia, YES that mob, back in the day) recording companies.

is kinda indirectly related to 911


and that even though I ran home. after 11 hours of my nemesis looking up to me, like TOWARD me as if im going to bail him out and GIVE him hope after nearlt two years of abuse (disclaimer- i did help) after 11 hours pf not being able to reach my girlfriend (still in college) i guess the phoens - cell phones were down longer than landlones
(or maybe it was the other way around?) i cant remember
i just knoe i got to speak to Andrea and make syre we were each oK
LONG beforre I could get through to my folks on a landline in nbrooklyn

so i wrote the solo to that cold,m that night.
and then the band broke up
the lawyer stopped lawyering
the jobs dried up
the business faltered
i was fired (again for no fault of my own, a common theme in my life) for lack of work to do
the entire shop actually closed

suddenly in the wake of 911, restoration of a gothic cathedral and polishing up thsoe stained glass windoes didnt seem all that important anymore
or even if you thought it was
where this all stems from
the powers that be
the ereverse trickle don effect
if you wanna mock reagan omics
came from

the money to fund all the arts stopped
that pipeline, as if its NOT directly correlated and tied to that spigot owned by the bigots who orchestrated this attack on american soil werent the same folks responsible for it in the first place.

sigh

but i'm just tryong to explain why music sucked

why i had to make this record

why it took me 10 years

and WHY for the result of me being an album conniseur
a record nerd
a true musician and artist at the height of my legion of powers-
due to what ive learned of the perfect record
and what i feel to owe to the listener
as a thank you
as to not contribute (to ear fatigue) to
or violate healthy listening

that its my first time making a MONSTER - deep dark rock record
as dark a shade black as the truth lies long-
the King Crawls needed to adhere to the usual 1-2 punch that kicks off all classic LPs
but I also wanted to offer a respite from the chugga chugga chugga
of a big dumb guitar-rock riff
and said "the second song- it cant have any guiatrs at all"

sure i had melodies. I ALWAYS have a list of prosperctive song-ideas in the tank

but I didnt know which or what. yet
so conjuring up all the necessary guidelines
and prospective rules
(gotta be melodic, an earworm, something not quite dour, but it cant be funny. we're not looking for a good time but we cant hit the listener over the head with a wave of depressiomn right out of the gate either)
at the time, i was recording a lot of elijah shuld
and getting some great ol critical acclaim from 2010s Songs about Girls

all my girl friends in bands were rocking and rolling
mariel was in the slap bracelets, drumming for colin on son of man and i cant remembe the name of that group but i was a fan, i think i even played bass for one of the songs on their first EP (shti, and i cant even remember the projects name. this should be proof that im sometimes "doing too much" ya know? talk about burnout and obsessive work habits. Im on so many of other artists records I cant even REMEMBER all of them. shit. I was just telling Tozzi in lioght of my mom telling me my dad wont be willing to drive to Tampa for it, that i sometimes suspect hes senile... shit. what about me??

anyway, all of this is my long- unorthodoz way of giving, what i hoped to be a humorouys , good -nantured tongue- in-cheeck jay sharp Esq twist on the same-ol- lame-brain album credits liners
because i've alays intended the JSE to cater to other small-town artists and record nerds.
other intellectuals, like the way the Why files is called a cult on reddit
i'm trying to CULT-ivate that here on my bandcamps and youtubes.

the pay is shit, but i treat it like a full-time job.
and that is why, the long answer- Scatterbug (like elijah should) has no guitars on it,.
NO GUITAR! NO GUITARS!! NO GUITARS AT ALL!!!!!!!