Carp 18 was formed in 1991 as bombs fell in Baghdad and the nation was lead by a dude named George Bush.Here it is, 15 years later and Carp 18 is still together, there are still bombs going off in Baghdad and the nation is still lead by a dude named George Bush. Except, and this may be a bit confusing, this is a different George Bush. He looks a little like the original but he's a whole lot dumber and snorted a whole lot more coke.But ... back to Carp 18.The band was originally a Thursday Night Music Club thing, a chance for 3 suburban Husband/Dad-types to chug-a-lug a bit of MGD and rock out on tunes by their beloved musical heroes such as Neil Young, Dylan, the Stones, the Replacements and R.E.M. (to name a few).And did I mention they wrote songs too?Singer/guitarist Joe Fahey had been playing bass and guitar in various cellar-dweller, and, occasionally gigging bands since the late 70s; always careful to stay out of the way of the strobe light. Being a rock star was his backup career plan as he devoted most of his creative energy toward a more secure career as an abstract expressionist painter.Joe had written a few songs while in the Pungent Reflection, a band he formed with Randy Justesen in the mid 80s, they'd been in bands together off and on since about 1978 while living in north Minneapolis, both were troubled teens I believe. The Pungent Reflection later changed their name to the Tangents and began gigging at (gulp) Fernando's on Lake Street.Say ... if anyone's been missing a mic stand from about 1987 or so, you might want to leave a comment on Carp 18's MySpace page, and if you know the whereabouts of a purple, Knut-Koupee guitar cord, feel free to provide that information as well.The last year of the Tangents span was filled with a revolving cast of band members after longtime bassist Hugh Robinson split for North Carolina and drummer Chad Boughten escaped to form Vinegar Madonna.An ad was run in City Pages (the local music and Meth-supporting paper) for a drummer and bass player. Joe received many calls from drummers who talked about Neil Peart quite a bit, but one night, a guy named Paul Schmitt called and they gabbed on the phone for at least an hour like a couple teenage girls from geometry class who shared a crush for an actor name Corey, except in this case, the crush was for a band called the Replacements.Joe was convinced this guy was "The One" even if it were to turn out he couldn't play, but as luck would have it, he could play ... this guy, as Cartman might say, kicked ass. Plus he liked to drink beer and he had a strong work ethic for a little task known as rock & roll.Paul grew up in Stanley, Wisconsin, a small town near Eau Claire where he raced motocross bikes and jammed to Thin Lizzy. His first concert was Brownsville Station at a local county fair who just may have been the gateway drug to AC/DC and the like. He later moved to Brainerd, then landed in the Twin Cities where he joined a band called Rock Bottom.One night, in late August in the Year of Our Lord, 1990, The Tangents were preparing for their big shot at fame. They had signed up for the Minnesota State Fair Talent Show Contest where they actually got to play in "The Bandshell". Unfortunately, the newest Tangents bass player (I'll call him Number 6 to protect his identity) had not returned any calls and it was unknown if he was planning on showing up or if he was still a member.As he walked out the door from the previous week's practice, he said something like "Uhhh, yeah, I think I'll grab my bass amp and bring it home cos, ummm, like uhhhh, yeah, my roommate needs to ... like ... use it as part of a PA for this, ummmm, thing he's got going on." He then scanned the room for spare picks, filled his pockets with what was left of the little, broken pieces of Doritos, grabbed the last can of warm Buckhorn Beer and he was out the door with a little puff of cartoon smoke shooting off the sole of his shoe.Paranoid, yet perceptive, Joe was rumored to have thought to himself "Hmmm, I'll bet I'll never see that fucker again."The clock was ticking toward 5:00 on that fateful summer's eve, the audition time was for 7:34. Joe put a call into The Tangents soundman Dave Helgerson and told him of their dilemma. Joe had wanted Dave in the band for quite some time, but Dave had no experience playing bass and had never even been in a band before. Remember, this is the friggin' Tangents we're talking about here ... a band with a string of Fernandos showcases under their collective belts ... chops essential, no big hair and no egos allowed Man, maybe an occasional "id" but check your ego at the door.They shared a lot of musical interests and had been getting together for acoustic guitar "living room" sessions. It was very natural and it was a good chance to try out original songs that didn't quite fall into the Tangents pop-rock style. Dave was impressed with Joe's new song called "I Ain't Gonna Write a Song About Elvis Presley" and he helped Joe figure out what was going on in Twin Peaks.Dave grew up in Albert Lea, Minnesota. His Dad played guitar and took him to many shows featuring country music legends such as Buck Owens & The Buckaroos, George Jones and this singer-songwriter from Arkansas named Johnny Cash. The family lived in St. Louis for a couple years but ended up back in Albert Lea.Dave was the first person Joe ever hung out with who had kids so he had to make sure and not light up next to the portable crib where the baby slept as they worked on music. It was a new era.Oh yeah, there was this story line going about the Talent Show ...So, as Joe told Dave about the "Mystery of the Missing Bass Player" (coincidentally, one of the later titles in the Hardy Boys series), Dave piped up and said "I'll do it" with a mere couple of hours to hightail it to Fridley for a quick rehearsal and then off to the razzamatazz of the Minnesota State Fair Bandshell.Though in their late 20s and early 30s, the group prided themselves on their "dangerous" persona by sneaking beers into the bandshell dressing rooms and sneaking sips while getting concerned looks from an older married couple who sang Christian Hymns & Gospel music for their shot at "The Show." They disguised their fear by flashing their big Christian grins of acceptance and forgiveness. Before they walked out onstage though, Tammie Faye turned to these rapscallions and said, "Can I have a hit 'uh that hootch please?" Though still technically Tangents, it was a glimpse into the future of Carp 18's essence and their ability to corrupt and cloud people's better judgment.After a fine set of moving, spiritual Christian numbers; a band of Stillwater teens who called themselves "Quake" rolled their massive Marshall stacks (and brand new I might add) to the center of the stage and began blasting out a song by the Bullet Boys called "Smooth Up in Yuh".Yeah, it was just that kind of night as all involved dreamt of performing at Minnesota's Great Get Together." After Quake tore the toupees off the judges, the next act took the stage. There was a sea of young, 12-ish maybe?, girls dressed in glittery gold costumes awkwardly dribbling basketballs and tap dancing to the lazy, whistling playback of the Harlem Globetrotter's theme song, Sweet Georgia Brown. It was a fairly uncoordinated spectacle with misdribbled basketballs flying off the stage in all directions and the judges could not have looked more delighted.Next up were the Tangents playing a Randy original called "My Car". A great 3 minute pop song performed in under 6 minutes with every member of the band playing extended, ham-fisted solos of some kind. Dave looked like a real rocker onstage, little did anyone know that soon, there would be a new band forming on the horizon.A week later, Buffy, the lead tappist from the Sweet Georgia Brown Tapettes, called Joe and they discussed putting together an act. They quickly recruited Dave and Paul who were chomping at the bit to be involved in a project such as this and they began work on a combination rock opera/tap dance spectacle entitled "Rust Never Dribbles."Wait a minute ... what the hell? How am I supposed to write a bio on these guys if they keep providing me with bullshit like this? It's 1:30 and I need to take a break.By the way, the Tangents never made it to "The Show" but they did receive some black T-shirts with big, bright yellow letters that said "Talented Amateur."(In the next installment, Carp 18 takes further steps toward their formation)... TO BE CONTINUED ....
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