About Me
LOVE IN REVERSE was both the mutation & the progeny of DOG as well as its direct "postcursor."
Love In Reverse was leaning out the window of the vehicle which DOG had created, built and was driving, at breakneck speed, back UP the inverted side of a cliff which was the edge of a bottomless pit which it had just driven, headlong, into without the slightest consideration.
Love In Reverse was sticking itself out that window (while, also, cutting a moonroof in the top of the vehicle, simultaneously - with a laser!), giving the "metal fingers," flashing its tits, yelling at the top of its lungs and drawing its name in the air with it's piss, so skillfully that it, actually, appeared in the air, before being blown away by the speed or hitting the ground, as it hurtled along ...
The sound of it was massive, sleek, thunderous, psychotic, smooth, jagged, layered, sneaky, straightforward, brutal and comforting; all simultaneously....
In a more practical sense, Reprise records signed DOG [to our knowledge the first deal ever made over the internet - via e-mail-] but felt that the name of the band needed to change. Love In Reverse seemed a natural selection (and, yes, the name "DOG" was no longer as innovative in 1995 as it had been in 1988) --the name itself was the title of a song from DOG's premier album-- and... the new trip was born.
Dave Halpern was welcomed into the "DOG fold" and was a natural and organic addition. His intrinsic understanding and natural execution of the rhythmic structures created and developed by Andres Karu and his veritable encyclopedia of tonal and rhythmic variations, was the perfect fit for this new battering ram of musical proportions.
Those of you who've visited the DOG page and read the history there already know that Jon & Marsha Zazula acquired a DOG cassette, somewhence and contacted Michael and Andres in the interest of becoming their management. This is where the Love In Reverse "bus" truly began speeding upwardly backwards into the volcano.
Howie Klein, president of Reprise records became an instant fan of the music and sent LOVE IN REVERSE into the studio to; at first; record an EP - to demonstrate the band's capabilities and see what the market was for their array of musical flavors (which reached, essentially, into every travelled and untravelled area of said spectrum)- but, almost as soon as said EP was delivered, the company felt that a full-length was necessary/called-for and the same team went into the studio to continue working and put together what became I WAS HERE. This team consisted of Andres, Michael, Dave and Jimmy Bralower and Russ Titelman (both legendary figures in music) as well as excellent engineer and mixer: Dave O'Donnell.
Following completion of this project, LOVE IN REVERSE headed out on the road, almost immediately. They began opening for GRAVITY KILLS (who, soon after, began touring with REPUBLICA) and, also (a separate stint with) STABBING WESTWARD. The shows were phenomenal and the band received warm welcomes everywhere they touched down, as well as developing fabulous friendships with the interesting characters from the other bands. ...Things went so well that when Republica went out as a headliner, they requested that Love Rev. come along with them and the 2 acts did the entire U.S. together.
In the interim (between those 2 tours) LOVE IN REVERSE also got the chance to go on the road with HOLY BARBARIANS; which was the, rightfully, legendary Ian Astbury (THE CULT, The DOORS of the 21st Century...)'s new band-project, at that time (very unfairly -practically- ignored!).
The experience was unforgettable and thrilling. The bill received stellar welcomes at every venue they played. ...Love In Reverse also headlined a number of club shows in the tri-state area in this "interim period."
Following the conclusion of the Republica U.S. tour (which finished at CBGB's on Dec. 5th, 1996) the band took some down-time to recover from the touring grind, but, also, was already planning their follow-up album.
In the winter of the following year [January and February] the band; along with their Shaman; acquired, organized and assembled a brand-new, professional-caliber, project studio, in one of their homes.
In March, Andres and Tenno, began creating sounds for the upcoming project and by April, 32 tracks of digital sound gear were "rolling" and WORDS BECOME WORMS had moved into its creation process.
Feeling that both I WAS DOG [EP] & I WAS HERE had suffered from their (albeit: somewhat "necessary") "change of venue"
...from having been pulled out of the environment in which DOG had created its BEST work, "the boys" decided to "go back to the old way" and work in a more "insulated" environment and WITHOUT the "input"/interference of outside forces.
…And, somehow, they got Reprise to agree, to this ;)
They would, completely, self-produce, self-engineer, self-record (not to mention write and arrange!-duh!) their new album.
WORDS BECOME WORMS (the title inspired via SPEAK THE WORMS...) was destined to be a fascinating work, a challenge and, in the end, a masterpiece (or, at least, as close to one as LOVE IN REVERSE, on it's own terms, would ever achieve).
Dealing with all the new opportunities, in-studio, was, sometimes, a big challenge. "Limitations bring invention" - spur creativity, was the band's belief AND personal experience.
There were many fewer limitations, now, here and, sometimes, it caused a stumble; but, in matter-of-fact & practically speaking; the band dealt extremely well with those challenges and used any struggles to push the boundaries of their inventions and create things that NO ONE had expected (which was, after all, exactly the point !!:)).
...April and May were fantastically productive months, in fact, when Michael's medical issues struck, the album was ALMOST completed. ...But, not to the satisfaction of it's creators. So...some time off (due to Mr. Ferentino's health, among other things...) was taken. ...By July the album was ready to go.
...But Reprise was not. ***eyeroll**
Voluminous changes had taken place at the company over the past year or so. In addition, it was OBVIOUS from the "marketing" (if we can, truly, call it that!) of I WAS HERE, that, as much as the President of the company may have adored the band, no one else in that, so-called: "chain of command" ..."got them"
...or knew what to do with their music. No one.
This had led to problems in the previous instance (I WAS HERE & the I WAS DOG [EP], as well…) and would lead to Words Become Worms becoming the most overlooked album of 1998.
Yes, that's right !! Believe it or NOT !, but… from its, actual, completion in 1997 to its, eventual release, in 1998, took, almost exactly, a YEAR!
In spring of 1998, however, Love Rev. and the CLAN DOG, once again, took to the road. Excited ...thrilled to be playing for audiences again and playing every show (as DOG had always done) as if they were playing a sold-out stadium venue, whether there were 3 people in the joint or 30 or 300 ...or 3000...
This was, unfortunately, an extremely short-lived "tour" however. There was neither tour support NOR promotion for Words Become Worms, from the label.
It received critical accolades (as had the recordings prior to it) but, even there, there was some "head cocking"... Many weren't sure what to make of it ...Couldn't grasp it in it's entirety. It was ahead of it's time... (as is USUAL for this band/these musicians!) and this is only proven by the mentions that it got in the 4, or so, years following its release ...where people, actually, "caught up" and realized what a massive, inventive, intricate, explorative and detailed piece of work this IS !
It has been called, to my face, "The most important album of the Nineties!" [This, of course, occurred in 2002 ;)....] as well as: "The most unrecognized masterpiece..." of the same decade, and beyond...
The "powers-that-be" at reprise DID think enough of Love In Reverse --their skill at crafting both music and visual images !- to take such watered-down versions of what THIS band had been creating, such as the stagnant and useless Orgy, and push THEM and their trivialities!
So, LOVE IN REVERSE did a final series of dates in support of GRAVITY KILLS (who were just beginning to tour behind THEIR sophomore release, worked on by the brilliant Roli Mossiman.) and Cold, third on the bill.
Love In Reverse performed it's final live show, opening for Gene Loves Jezebel at the BRIGHTON BAR in Long Branch, N.J., on September 1st, 1998. No one considered this a "swan song" for the band, at the time, but, that's how it turned out.
Realizing that their label was, utterly, ignoring them and would continue to do so (instead, supporting numerous lame-asses, who shall remain nameless) and, eventually, breaking with their management team; the roster of Love In Reverse met and decided that it was time to move on. ...And that the hard-working band members were burned-out from all the unnecessary drama as well as un-dealt with personal issues and could, severely, use the break.
So could their long-suffering crew and family: Road Manager, Lighting Genius, Tech, "jack-of-all-trades": Matt Schmidt; Driver, Tech, Assistant: Sergio Aureo and Tech, Historian, Photographer, Historian, "various...": Tenno Andra.
Not too long after, the Amazing Meet Project was imagined and brought into reality. Clan DOG, once again, were surrounded with their friends and people who understood, or at least, weren't FRIGHTENED by, their propensities, ideas, creativity, experimentation, et al.
New muses were followed. New connections were developed. New sounds were tried. A.M.P. signed with GIG records and things moved, unstoppably, forward. ...Into the unknown.
....
LOVE IN REVERSE were and are, always, thankful to their fans. ...For listening, for "getting it" and for being as brilliant, as steadfast and as loving as they always have been. ...For taking any inspiration received from the band and using that to generate their own inventions and creations :).
The music is still there for all to experience and the band is thankful for all they learned in the process of this journey. All of them continue to expand from within and reach and flow into new areas that they would previously not have imagined, nor have been prepared to, except thanks to the experiences they had with one another. May we all live as well as our ideals state.
Tenno A. Andra - scribat [Apr./May 2006]
Please use the following links to look for and acquire LOVE IN REVERSE's music at
Amazon.com
and
HALF.com
It is available for prices FAR LESS than you would expect to pay.
Or access the iTunes Music Store to download LOVE IN REVERSE music as well as their classic video for "Blueprint For A Possible Song"
The final LOVE IN REVERSE album/compilation and the AMAZING MEET PROJECT releases are still available from GIG records.
LOVE IN REVERSE
AMAZING MEET PROJECT
MICHAEL FERENTINO solo albums
