These 15 tracks come from just seven jams that I attended between 2005 and 2009 – six Sheep Fiends events and one guest appearance with the Poker Night String Band. The most notable musical development that occurred during this period was the evolution of the Rumpus Room from a welcoming jam spot into a full-on multitrack studio. This volume of Scratchrock captures the end of the “tape deck” era through our first multitrack recordings. At times somber; at times preposterous, the addition of several new Sheep Fiends participants packs this collection full of surprises.
Four Track Sampler
Track 03 – The Sea Gull (Sheep Fiends)– An unexpected drum machine swings as slide guitar meets a delay pedal on this ornithological instrumental. You can almost see their reflections on the pavement. [Scratch on Guitar]
Track 04 – Uranium (Sheep Fiends)– Back to a more organic sound…and topic. Creepy bass anchors this droner where I celebrate the properties of all natural ingredients, and curse the regulations that get in my way. [Scratch on Vocals]
Track 06 – Theme From 7 on 15 (Sheep Fiends)– A happy little instrumental for a change. Steady drums allow me to try out a myriad of sounds on my Casio guitar from 1989, while a haunting mandolin plinks inside your mind. Kinda funky; kinda quirky, all Sheep Fiends. [Scratch on Casio DG-1 Guitar]
Track 08 – Fission Overlord (Sheep Fiends)– Reminds me of the mating call of the nuclear reactor. The Geiger counter chirps out its warnings. The oscillator screams at a constant dBm. Drums and bass lazily provide a low end to the techno-fission reaction. Is the Overlord here? [Scratch on Bass]
This album primarily captures a freaky weird Sheep Fiends jam from October 2009. Hillbilly adjacent cover songs mesh with menacing instrumentals. Haunting laughter and oddly wrong pop songs. A strong start for a new decade of Sheep Fiends.
Three Track Sampler
Track 04 – Dread Reaper (Sheep Fiends)– Sounds like noise fusion… maybe? A duet of foul intention is conjured from nothing as Faiz and I twist knobs and scrape metal. [Scratch on Guitar]
Track 06– A Different Set of Rules (Sheep Fiends)– An EXPERIMENT blending ambient discussion with random music bits. We were all so passionate at the time, yet I don’t remember what about attribution I was so upset about in the first place. But what you really need to do is make a song out of it. Make a make a song out of it. [Scratch on Bass and Vocals]
Track 08 – Nevermind Now (Sheep Fiends)– About as garage as rock can sound when improvised in a basement. [Scratch on Vocals]
This album catches a fascinating and dark jam from 2008. Fairly experimental groupings and genresploitation keep you guessing; while the ambiance is sparked by Faiz’s army of pedals dedicated to the cause. With our next release we begin the multi-track evolution of the Rumpus Room. And things would never be the same…because we never do the same thing twice…
Track 01 – Ever Ever Still (The Sheep Fiends)– Certainly a bold choice for album opener. Is this really even a song? Or a meditative drone pierced by shrieks of discontent? [Scratch on Guitar]
Track 11– Wench’s Lake (The Sheep Fiends)– Lead mandolin sheds tears as tales of my mid-teenage years are quietly revealed. [Scratch on Vocals, Acoustic Guitar & Giggle Stick]
Another entry in Brian’s series of musical unearthings. His cassette extraction execution. I only play on one track from 1999 here, and the recording is a bit rough to post here.
This is a fairly unique record that includes acoustic guitar and vocals from two-time attendee Des; a freaking trombone player, and rhythmically consistent songs played along with drum samples. We were closing in on our multi-track studio, but this is a strong mix for our two-track era.
Track 06 – Having a Great Fall (The Sheep Fiends)– Acoustic guitar and trombone punctuate this track sung by Sheep Fiend short timer Des based on the legends of Humpty Dumpty. My spooky guitar and Mark’s mandolin add to the ambiance and a few parts actually get a bit reminiscent of Pink Floyd – which you’d expect would happen with the Sheep Fiends sometimes but really does not. [Scratch on Guitar]
Track 13– Weirdos in the Band (The Sheep Fiends)– A sort of theme song with Brian M. summarizing the reality of being a Sheep Fiend. [Scratch on Guitar]
Track 07 – Mannheim Sheeproller Pt. 1 (The Sheep Fiends)– A sort of jaunty, new age Doors inspired track. A somewhat reflective mood for the Sheep Fiends. But then I start slamming on that bass harder. [Scratch on Bass]
Track 09– Trash Rash (The Sheep Fiends)– After a short intro to set the mood, this evolves into a solid rocker. Tense keyboards stab at my hypnotic guitar line; as I holler about something that you can’t really hear well enough. I figure I’ve got a shot subliminally though. [Scratch on Guitar & Vocals]
