Well, it all started one night in Cincinnati, years after quitting my classical music study, when I went to see the band Warehouse at Sudsy Malone's. I had just come from an inspiring performance by crazed genius violinist Nigel Kennedy at the Symphony. I struck up a conversation with Warehouse lead singer Dan McCabe, and I mentioned that I used to play the cello. "Cello! I LOVE cello!". The show was Warehouse's farewell performance, and Dan was looking for his next project. He suggested I dust off my cello and get together with him and Warehouse guitarist Steve Metz and see what we came up with. And so ROUNDHEAD and my rock-n-roll cello career was born.
(Roundhead in Austin circa 1999)At the second Roundhead performance (no surprise...it was at Sudsy Malone's, living room of the 1990's Cinci band scene), "industrial super group" PIGFACE came to the show after their performance at Bogart's. After the show I met Martin Atkins, who convinced me to hop on the tour bus the next day and head to Cleveland with the band. I'll never understand why I even thought twice about it (something about being afraid I would lose my $4/hr job at the mall?), but the decision was made to go for it. I learned some songs at soundcheck and played to a full house (Agora Ballroom, I believe). I'll never forget how cool it was to play Public Image Ltd's "Flowers of Romance" with the drummer from Public Image Ltd -- "holy shit...is this really happening?". En Esch from KMFDM licked my cello as I played. This band thing was already more fun than anything else I'd ever done.
(Pigface in Chicago circa 1991)After that came studio sessions with Pigface, touring with Pigface, and playing in Roundhead all the while. Then one day at work (still at a mall...but a BETTER mall) I got a call from John Curley of the AFGHAN WHIGS who asked me to head to Memphis to record on the Whigs record. And that started an amazing series of musical endeavors with Greg Dulli and the boys, including 3 albums and one tour, plus the debut TWILIGHT SINGERS album. Oh, and some memorable covers, especially Big Star's "Nighttime" and Percy Sledge's "At the Dark End of the Street", two of my favorite Whigs songs, even though they're not Whigs songs.In 2000 I left Cincinnati, moved to Seattle, and got swept up in the dot com boom. Cello was forgotten yet longed-for. Work took over (along with restless obsessions with hiking, running, cooking, gardening). In 2006 enough was enough -- I started practicing again, bought a bitchin new cello and got into the SEATTLE PHILHARMONIC community orchestra. Then came ingratiating myself to the likes of
MARK PICKEREL AND HIS PRAYING HANDS
and HALF LIGHT
...both of whom let me play on their 2008 releases, Cody's Dream (Pickerel) and Sleep More, Take More Drugs, Do Whatever We Want (Half Light). My thanks to them for helping me wake from my slumber!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~DISCOGRAPHY
Greg Dulli
Live at the Triple Door (2008)
Half Light
Sleep More, Take More Drugs, Do Whatever We Want (2008)
Mark Pickerel and His Praying Hands
Cody's Dream (2008)
Roundhead
Creature Comfort (1999)
Breathe Aim Slack Squeeze (1996)Afghan Whigs
Gentlemen (1993)
What Jail Is Like (EP, 1994)
Black Love (1996)
1965 (1998)
Big Star Small World (Big Star tribute album, 2006)Twilight Singers
Twilight as Played by the Twilight Singers (2000)Pigface
Fook (1992)
Truth Will Out (Live, 1993)
Notes From Thee Underground (1994) Throneberry
Sangria (1994)Wig
Deliverance (1994) Len's Lounge
...just a cassette demo long lost in the rubble, but it was nice. And they're still around, and still great.
Oh, and Mauch has reminded me that I also recorded with a great band called Stitch for their album The Vehicle. I can't remember what year that was, but I'm sure someone will remind me.
