Album #: 94 Recording Dates: 2012 – 2014 Release Date: 2018 Catalog: SMR 34 ScratchNotes: After the artistic and recreational success of Sheep Fiends’ “Farm Jam” the group was eager for an encore…every single year! Aaron and Mark joined in on year two and thereafter. Matt joined the caravan in 2013. For the fourth Farm Jam I fell ill …
Album #: 69 Recording Dates: 1994-1997 Release Date: 2008 Catalog: SMR29 ScratchNotes: Here is the final release from the “InSkroMental”, “Loophole”, and “Ugly Music for Pretty Girls” trilogy. This collection was created when I decided to digitally remaster & EQ some of my best original material to optimize fidelity. “Ugly Music for Pretty Girls” is a collection of songs written, performed, …
Album #: 65 Recording Dates: 1992-2000 Release Date: 2007 Catalog: SMR25 ScratchNotes: Here is the middle release from the “InSkroMental”, “Loophole”, and “Ugly Music for Pretty Girls” trilogy. This collection was created when I decided to digitally remaster & EQ some of my best original material to optimize fidelity. “Loophole” is primarily focused on experimentation. This is the only album of …
Album #: 62 Recording Dates: 1990-2000 Release Date: 2007 Catalog: SMR24 ScratchNotes: My computer in 2005 was certainly laughable by today’s standards, but at the time it seemed so powerful that I decided to sort through all my recordings and digitally remaster & EQ some of my best original material. Remasters of the Raging Bellybuttons, IMF, and the Hidden …
Album #: 32 Recording Dates: 1999 – 2000 Release Date: 2001 Catalog: SMR18 ScratchNotes: Recording with the Sheep Fiends increasingly made up the bulk of my musical output as my free time turned to other endeavours. A sick fascination with the stock market ensued, and an emotional obsession was fostered by way of the rise …
Album #: 31 Recording Dates: 1991-1994 Release Date: 2000 Catalog: SMR17 ScratchNotes: Recording equipment and techniques change dramatically every few years. Sometimes you need to dig out the long forgotten gear and see just what you recorded. The “From the Vault” series gathers these leftover oddities into one place. Much of this collection was recorded …
Continue reading “From the Vault: Field Recordings 1991-1994”
Album #: 23 Recording Dates: 1987-1997 Release Date: 2000 Catalog: SMR15 ScratchNotes: My pal Joe G. was the first musician I ever wrote music with. This is a compilation I put together featuring all four configurations in which he and I played as well as most of the solo material Joe recorded over a ten …
Album #: 22 Recording Dates: 06/20/1993 Release Date: 2000 Catalog: SMR14 ScratchNotes: We watched the big game and were excited to be a part of history – the Chicago Bulls Three-peat! But our excitement was quite muted compared to that of the city. Sixty-four minutes of chaos and partying in the streets of Chicago were …
Continue reading “MX Skroch – From the Vault: The Three-peat Tapes”
Album #: 17 Recording Dates: 1998-1999 Release Date: 1999 Catalog: SMR13 ScratchNotes: I graduated from school, got married, landed a decent job and moved back to the dirty city. Our landlord spent every night for two months in our apartment installing a furnace. I ran into Brian C. at former Hidden voiceman Brian M.’s wedding. …
Album #: 15 Recording Dates: 1996-1997 Release Date: 1999 Catalog: SMR11 ScratchNotes: I was getting straight A’s at my joke of a school, but my musical productivity was lacking. A band formed with Joe G., his comrade Kirk K., and a singing lawyer named Tony. We were off to a fairly good start, when some …
Album #: 12 Recording Dates: 1995 – 1996 Release Date: 1999 Catalog: SMR10 ScratchNotes: I signed up at ITT Tech, but had eight months to kill. Working by night, I slaved away at unconventional pop music while the sun glistened. An experiment with the future Ms. Skroch was recorded. “The Monstrosity” was born. Former Hidden …
Album #: 11 Recording Dates: 1994 – 1995 Release Date: 1999 Catalog: SMR09 ScratchNotes: Climbing aboard a shit-brown truck dubbed the “Urban Assault Vehicle Turdcutter”, the Hidden began a two week U.S. tour. Colorado, Texas, New Mexico…the band played six shows in fourteen days for around $300 in payment. A video tour documentary was created …
Album #: 10 Recording Dates: 1993 – 1994 Release Date: 1999 Catalog: SMR08 ScratchNotes: Sales of “Stop. I’m bleeding.” proved that the Hidden was truly an underground band. The band and their art guru, “Saint” Allen Oaks, moved into a house on Chicago’s Northside that leaned excessively. They set up shop in their cracked foundation …
Album #: 08 Recording Dates: 1992 – 1993 Release Date: 1999 Catalog: SMR07 ScratchNotes: In a brazen attempt to rocket to the top of the charts, the Hidden replaces Paul M. with the more marketable Brian M. The new lineup releases the “Bone of Contention” EP in late ’92. They make the first of many …
Album #: 06 Recording Dates: 1991 – 1992 Release Date: 1999 Catalog: SMR06 ScratchNotes: I bought crappy used 4-track and immediately began exploring sonic oddity. The dissolution of Brain Plug had left me with a heap of creative energy, but no outlet. I played with samples and acoustic guitars, and while the results are less …
Album #: 05 Recording Dates: 1990 Release Date: 1999 Catalog: SMR05 ScratchNotes: The name Brain Plug came into play on July 4th, 1990. The band was at a huge party with fireworks exploding. We were talking to a drunk girl who told us, “I always thought Brain Plug would be a great name for a …
Album #: 03 Recording Dates: 1989 Release Date: 1999 Catalog: SMR03 ScratchNotes: In-between intermittent spurts of the Raging Bellybuttons, Brian P. and I hooked up for a project featuring electronic drums and guitar. Plans were made to segue James Taylor’s “Sunny Skies” into Slayer’s “Raining Blood”, but it never happened. We considered calling ourselves Hugs …
Album #: 02 Recording Dates: 1988 – 1989 Release Date: 1999 Catalog: SMR02 ScratchNotes: The Raging Bellybuttons find their voice (well, Scratch and Joe do while Kenny wears a T-shirt on his head). Bad fashion and lousy but enthusiastic renditions of songs by the Doors, Blondie, and Slayer. “Soundgarden Song” wasn’t a cover, just an …
