Watch The Stereo

There was a band called A Guide to Personality made up of long-time friends Ricky Walker, Jason Koba and Will Simons. In fact, they had been making music together even prior to A Guide to Personality. But anyway, the three friends decided to expand their sonic landscapes and add a fourth member. Soon Omaha was littered with quirky fliers calling for trumpets, accordians, glockenspiels, etc. This brand of personable off-humor caught the attention of several local musicians, but the band didn't feel like anyone was a good fit.

Then along came Alex Boardman. He respondeded to a flyer that was beautifully hand-written in ink featuring several comical drawings, thinking it might be a great opprotunity for himself--to see what this "Personality" was all about. So he called Jason to set up a time when he could come over and try out. Alex was a hit among the members of A Guide to Personality, and he soon became the fourth member.

Alex was a happy type-B personality. He helped develop a set of instrumentals in which each band member made individual contributions. But change was eminent; Ricky's academic career was calling. So after Ricky went off to college, the remaining members thought a name change might be cool. Many names were pitched: The Back Alley Slashers, Leroy's Hat, Professor Stinky Trousers. These names were no good, so Alex, Will and Jason thought up "Watch the Stereo" and that was pretty much that. They played as a three-piece for about year or so, and then Will's brother Ian Simons joined up on violin, eventually switching to saxophone. (You can hear Ian blowing away on "Silent Drive.")

The band took a two-year-too-long break, but would later reform in late 2004 without Ian. During this period, Watch the Stereo only played a few shows focusing primarily on solid songwriting, including several instrumental pieces. As a band, they went through a great deal of material used solely for musicality purposes to futher their home-recording techniques.