Album #: 70
Recording Dates: 8/10/1999
Release Date: 2008
Catalog: SF
ScratchNotes:
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.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
No Track Sampler
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, recorded and produced by MX Skroch at home during the mid-1990s. This is primarily a song-based rock album which occasionally also ventures toward the unknown.
Lyrical inspiration provided by my friends, my actual ladies, my “wish they were my ladies”, introspection, depression, excess, and my general impression of existence.
Five Track Sampler
Track 02 – Monday on the Train Tracks (MX Skroch) – Back before the Internet we did things like walk down the railroad tracks to keep ourselves occupied. This song is kind of about that – but more about yearning. It’s got samples, acoustic bits, crunching riffs, wacky keyboards, and of course my sketchy crooning. A decent representation of the album as a whole. [Scratch on Vocals, Samples, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Bass, Keyboards, and Drum Machine]
Track 03 – Crusade (MX Skroch) – Sort of a country-tinged ballad about coming undone. A meditation on motivation and devastation – also one of the slowest songs I ever mixed down to a Maxell cassette. [Scratch on Vocals, Electric Guitar, Bass, Keyboards, and Drum Machine]
Track 05 – Average (MX Skroch) – Passing judgement on my fellow 20-somethings…I guess some things never change with me. Kind of a singer songwriter track for the disaffected set. Fairly unique here is the lack of electric guitar; but don’t worry – the keyboard picks up the slack. [Scratch on Vocals, Samples, Acoustic Guitar, Bass, Keyboards, and Drum Pad]
Track 13 – Extra Drunk (MX Skroch) – A heavy rager after all that contemplation. This song describes a typical Saturday night in West Chicago as I experienced it while delivering pizza in the early 1990s. Cars with subwoofers so huge their bumpers dragged on the ground raised the flags of their mother countries high. And drank beer. Lots of beer. It was quite a scene. [Scratch on Vocals, Electric Guitar, Bass, and Drum Machine]
Track 14 – Settle for Me (MX Skroch) – A good example of why I don’t promote myself as a singer – still I think this track tells a nice story. I enjoy that the bass holds down the melody and that the chorus sticks in my brain like tar. [Scratch on Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Bass, and Drum Machine]
Album #: 68
Recording Dates: 1992 – 1994
Release Date: 2007
Catalog: SMR28
ScratchNotes:
This is a compilation that captures other works of the Hidden beyond “Stop. I’m bleeding.”, “Brave New Failure” and the two comps listed below. Unreleased songs recorded in rehearsal or in concert; five bonus tracks recorded for the “Brave New Failure” album; sonic anthropology of life on the road via “Ladies Night with the Hidden” and “The Turdcutter Files”, and the title track of our very first release.
The album art contains many flyers from our days on the road, as well as homebrew marketing materials and video stills of honest moments.
_______________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Four Track Sampler
Track 03 – Are You My Daddy? (The Hidden) – I guess you could consider this the early 90’s version of a meme. We had a tendency to ask this question over and over…and I don’t recall why. [Scratch on Daddy]
Track 15– Bone of Contention (The Hidden) – This menacing track is the most experimental thing the band released – and was the title track of our debut tape. Since I’m a balanced individual I recorded multiple news reports when the crimes of Jeffrey Dahmer were revealed. Zack and I used cassette tapes to dub the sample track of these tapes with recordings of movie clips and commercials. Then just add some droning moaning madness and you’ve got “Bone of Contention”. [Scratch on Guitar]
Track 16– The Cleavage Enhancing Wonder Bra (The Hidden) – A really rough recording from our leaning basement. This was the final track the band came up with before going their separate ways, and features a number of slow building sections. The addition of Brian M. on guitar made us that much thicker. This sample track ends with a clip of Erik hawking the band and recounting our history on Y108. [Scratch on Guitar]
Track 17– Gnawing at the Stump (The Hidden) – This short outtake from the “Brave New Failure” sessions gets its point across with no delay. Sing along now! “I cut my feet, they’re bleeding…“. [Scratch on Guitar]
Album #: 67
Recording Dates: 1993 – 1994
Release Date: 2007
Catalog: SMR27
ScratchNotes:
The Hidden played live for a bit under two years. Our first appearance with Brian M. was at the infamous Czar Bar in January 1993. The band largely culminated with a three week tour in late 1994 that took us to Texas and New Mexico and back through Colorado. This collection features live renditions of eighteen original songs plus covers of Pink Floyd and Pat Benatar. A lot of these recordings originate from our VHS recordings from these tours. Yes kids, our VHS recordings. Despite this limitation many energetic rock occurrences erupt with reckless abandon throughout.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Four Track Sampler
Track 01 – In the Flesh (The Hidden) – Why not start a heavy rock show with this opening track from Pink Floyd’s “The Wall”? It even works at the Czar Bar despite the always occupied pool table providing real-time ambiance. [Scratch on Guitar]
Track 04– Salamander (The Hidden) – Dynamics is the name of the game as our protagonist questions his mammality. Live from Davey’s Uptown Ramblers Club in Kansas City, MO. [Scratch on Guitar]
Track 15– B.O.F. (The Hidden) – While latter era Hidden often delved into longer more progressive tracks, this stormer shows we could still blast out a fast track as needed. Perhaps not appropriate for modern sensibilities. [Scratch on Guitar]
Track 17– The Specialist (The Hidden) – Ten different parts in three and a half minutes? Damn right! It’s the Specialist! [Scratch on Guitar & Backing Vocals]
Album #: 66
Recording Dates: 1991 – 1994
Release Date: 2007
Catalog: SMR26
ScratchNotes:
After finally finishing up the Hidden’s “Brave New Failure” twenty-two years after its initial recording, I got the urge to re-evaluate our piles of recordings to finish filling out our legacy of non-success. First up was the initial era when I played with Paul, Zack and Erik as IMF and then for a while as the Hidden. This crew actually saw more recording studios than the later group – including time spent with Steve Albini and Chuck Uchida in Chicago. This collection includes live shows, radio performances and studio demo recordings.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Four Track Sampler
Track 10 – I’m Dead (The Hidden) – Acoustic guitars? Why not! The Hidden’s understanding of punk rock was indeed wide ranging. [Scratch on Guitar]
Track 12– How I Feel (The Hidden) – This one minute blast is the most frantic thing the band played live. A ruckus really. A beautiful beautiful ruckus. [Scratch on Guitar]
Track 15– I’m Your Bug (live on WZRD) (The Hidden) – In July 1992 the Hidden played a spirited live set in the Chicago studios of WZRD. It was a strange setup and I feel like maybe we were in different rooms? My poor memory aside, we delivered a rousing and thumping performance. [Scratch on Guitar]
Track 16– On the Mountainside (live on WZRD) (The Hidden) – This twisted love song gets a strange pulsing intro before blasting into its pre-emo big rock attitude. [Scratch on Guitar]
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 the three to include other musicians, mostly on one-off performances or looped multi-track creations.
From the 90-second whimsy of “Soundo Effecto” to the brutal cacophony of the 17-minute “Intended Sexual Assault”; “Loophole” throws something completely different and unexpected at you every few minutes. Soundscapes, industrial music, loop built tracks, recordings of pizza delivery interactions…it’s all that and more!
Four samplings from this album can be accessed below. Enjoy!
P.S. You can click the cover image for a larger version.
Four Track Sampler
Track 01 – Tingle (MX Skroch) – A spooky cloud moves in from the distance. Your skin begins to crawl. Something is bubbling within. Suddenly it bursts out! [Scratch on Sequencer]
Track 03 – Sitting Duck (MX Skroch with Suneel V.) – Piano rock turns into crushing heaviness before bridging into a dance bit that turns into satellite signals reaching out for spiritual assistance when suddenly your messages get a response and a plea as sad orchestral music begins to take shape… Also featuring a rather unique vocal performance as I elucidate the context of modern life. [Scratch on Bass, Vocals, Drum Beats, Galactus & Space Phone]
Track 08 – Cotton Candy (MX Skroch) – A drum driven, mostly sample based slap across the face. I’d recently taken a liking to obtaining collections of samples to play with. Where they came from wasn’t important – sometimes they came from CDs I bought; boom box recordings of the TV in my living room, or a small pocket tape recorder I kept handy for those special occasions. [Scratch on Guitar, Drum Beats & Samples]
Track 13 – We Used to Wear Toughskins (MX Skroch) – This time it’s personal as I share recordings of pizza deliveries; answering machine messages from the Chophouse and our landlord trying to throw us out, and commentary about Jeffrey Dahmer. Oh, and I guess I made recordings of my neighbor’s kids in the mid-1980s so I fit that in as well; and some movie samples from 1961. So something for all ages I suppose! [Scratch on Recorded Pizza Delivery, Guitar, Bass, Vocals, Keyboard, Drum Beats & Samples]
Album #: 64
Recording Dates: 08/25/2007
Release Date: 2007
Catalog: SF
ScratchNotes:
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.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Three Track Sampler
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 09– Chapel of Regrets (The Sheep Fiends) – Drumlessness is a way of life. At least is is on this short instrumental. [Scratch on Keyboard]
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]
Album #: 63
Recording Dates: 2002
Release Date: 2007
Catalog: SF
ScratchNotes:
I only appear on one track here and the rest was recorded prior to my Sheep Fiends tenure. If I loved the track I’d share it below. But I don’t.
But here’s a photo from this era instead of a cover image.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
No Track Sampler
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 would come later – first I focused on my solo recordings. Looking for themes I came up with a 3 CD set: “InSkroMental”, “Loophole”, and “Ugly Music for Pretty Girls”.
“InSkroMental” features compositions I’ve recorded completely by myself that don’t contain lyrics; newly remastered to optimize fidelity. These tracks were recorded everywhere: my Chicago apartment on Wolcott, then the Leaning House of Trog, then my apartment in Chicago on Larchmont, even at my Mom’s house over many years. Despite a wide range of styles this is the most straightforward approach to music I took during the 1990s.
Since this is a retrospective it features dozens of different instruments and effects I used over the years. The cover captures many of the tools used in the creation of these tracks.
I consider this set one of my more critical releases, so a full five song sampler is provided below. Enjoy!
Five Track Sampler
Track 01 – The Implant (MX Skroch) – This frantic opener was created when I got a new synthesizer/sequencer and tried to figure it out. Of course I went aggressive, dark and dissonant. Wouldn’t you? [Scratch on Sequencer]
Track 03 – Covered With Blood and Twitching (MX Skroch) – This is one of the most fully realized tracks I’ve written and recorded over the years – the Hidden even did a version on the “Brave New Failure” album. This mix is mostly instrumental and uses a wide collection of guitars, keyboards, and kazoo to tell the sad, sad story. [Scratch on Kazoo, Guitars, Bass, Keyboards, Drum Machine, Samples & Vocals]
Track 06 – Toilet Sonata (MX Skroch) – Sometimes you need your soul to quiet down for a bit. In these times of introspection a piano ballad is often appropriate mood music. Are the sounds of my upstairs bathroom also welcome? Toilet Sonata makes the case that yes they are…yes they are. [Scratch on Piano & Samples]
Track 12 – Vikings (part 3) (MX Skroch) – A follow up to some instrumental tracks from a few years back, the third incarnation of “Vikings” brings back pounding drums and jazzy horn sounds to accompany this fast paced and ever modulating rocker. I find the use of tension to be particularly effective here. [Scratch on Guitars, Bass, Keyboards & Drum Programming]
Track 17 – Eyesore (MX Skroch) – Another sequencer creation exploring my twisted vision of chamber music. Or something. [Scratch on Sequencer]
Album #: 61
Recording Dates: 2000-2002
Release Date: 2006
Catalog: SF
ScratchNotes:
You are a smart person. You can figure out what Leftovers, Vol. 3 is all about…
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
One Track Sampler
Track 11 – Miracles (The Sheep Fiends) – Just an everyday proclamation. [Scratch on Sampling Keyboard]
Album #: 60
Recording Dates: 2001-2002
Release Date: 2006
Catalog: SF
ScratchNotes:
As I see over at SheepFiends.com “Leftovers is a CD series of fun tracks that almost got looked over. Enjoy!”. This version covers 2001 & 2002.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Two Track Sampler
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]
Album #: 59
Recording Dates: 2005
Release Date: 2006
Catalog: SF
ScratchNotes:
This disc primarily features recordings from 1995 that predate my tenure in the Sheep Fiends. Also included is one track from 2005 that I do play on – but I don’t like the song so we’re going to skip the sample for this release. Really the best thing about all this is the swirling cover.
_______________________________________________________________________________
No Track Sampler
