December 2, 2006: Hold The Phone

You never know what you're gonna get when the Prince George basement studio is open for business. Today Bob, via his alter-ego Bobby Delicious (he did the dishes at Frisch's), unveiled the funk song he put together years ago and has been carrying around in his head ever since. The song: "Hold The Phone". Is it funk? Is it rap? Is it hip-hop? Is it be-bop? Only time will tell, as we build on Bob's ideas for the song. One thing for sure, you won't hear lyrics like, "You're tore up from the floor up" and "Save the drama for your momma" anywhere else.

The bass line drives the song, so to get started we recorded the bass and a canned drum loop, plus Bob's scat vocals and the background chorus, performed by the PG singers, Mike, Doug and Debbie. Very funky, very loose and lots of fun. Funkalicious.

We also listened to the most recent mix from Alan of our last recording, "Rhythm Of The Radio (Favorite Position)" and came up with a couple of ideas for some minor tweaking. All in all, though, the song is close to being finished. We also have a little work remaining on the first recording, "Bad, Bad Man". Next in line is "Call Me" and, of course, "Hold The Phone".

November 20, 2006: "Call Me" Practice Session

The full band was in the basement for practice this morning. The focus today was "Call Me", another gem by Mike Casey. Mike added a minor change to the song and the rest of the band kicked in with some minor tweaking, including a short drum break and a touch of Rickenbacker 12-string in a couple of transition spots. We recorded a rough demo of the song on ADAT, adding a tracking vocal later. The core of the song is there, although we are still giving some thought to how best to end the song. It looks like we will end the song with back-and-forth guitar solos that eventually fade out.

Next week we will refine "Call Me" and hopefully get a good version recorded on ADAT, which we will then take to Alan's studio for final tweaking.

By the way, a 45 by one of Bob McCarthy's former Columbus bands, the Myrchents ("Darkest Hour/I Gotta Know If You're Leaving" on the Ironside label, a sub-label of Mus-I-Col) sold last week on EBay for $100. As the story goes, only 200 copies were pressed.

November 16, 2006: Return Of The Caravelle

Tonight's Windrush practice session was a special one, with ex-Caravelle Jack Vanderzee returning to Columbus and hanging with the band. We made some noise, rehearsed a little and reminisced a lot.

Back in the day, Jack played bass and rhythm guitar for Joe Walker's garage band, the 'Caravelles'. The Caravelles were one of the WR bands that sprouted on the far east side of Columbus during the mid-60's. As Jack remembers it, they played many street dances in the area from 1965 to 1966, usually for no pay - they just wanted the opportunity to play in front of a crowd (and impress their girlfriends).

For those of you not familiar with the term 'street dance', there was a time in Columbus when the moms and pops of a neighborhood could obtain a permit to block off a street and have a party, usually with a band playing. Anyone could attend and there was rarely a charge to get in. The bands that played were usually made up of local high-school kids, although occasionally a more prominent band like the Dantes or Fifth Order would play.

The street dance era was short-lived, but provided a great opportunity for many garage bands to (literally) get out of the garage and play a real live gig. The Caravelles were certainly one of those vintage street-dance bands. Although they did not leave behind any recordings for us to hear today, they played frequently in the WR area and were well known in that part of town.

On a hot summer night, what could be better than hearing a band at a street dance playing "Gloria" and "I'm A Man" and a pepperoni-and-mushroom pizza at Tommy's afterward? Joe Walker - where are you now?

November 12, 2006: "Rhythm Of The Radio"

Windrush returned to Alan's studio this morning to begin work on song #2 - "Rhythm Of The Radio (Favorite Position)", another Mike Casey original. This song was actually recorded a couple of months ago in Doug's basement studio direct to ADAT and we decided that we liked the original recording well enough to use the ADAT recording as the base for today's recording session. We dumped the ADAT tracks to the studio PC and began work on re-recording a couple of tracks, namely the vocal, bass and a couple of short drum sections.

Both John's bass and Mike's vocal tracks were completely re-recorded today and ended up as we had envisioned - significantly better than the original basement tracks. Bob's original drum track was superb as originally recorded, so only a few beats of an intro and a short lead-in break later in the song were added. We left the studio confident that our work on this son, performance-wise, is complete, leaving only Alan's post-recording 'magic' to be applied. This song has a raucous, raw and rocking feeling to it, which is exactly what we were looking for.

The plan now is for Doug and Mike to reconvene in Doug's basement to work on finding the right rhythm guitar sound for "Bad, Bad Man" so we can finalize that song. During the next couple of weeks we will be in the practice studio to work on the next set of songs prior to returning to Alan's studio.

We are energized and inspired. The 'rush' continues.

November 9, 2006: "Bad, Bad Man" Again

After listening to the rough remix of "Bad, Bad Man" from our previous session, Mike and I returned to the studio to touch up a few parts of the song. It's no surprise that the recording sounds different depending on what sound system it is played on, e. g., in the car or on the home stereo, so we spent a little time balancing and eq'ing some of the mix. Performance-wise, the vocals, bass and drum tracks were fine so no work was needed in those areas. However, some of the guitar work needed to be tweaked. We completed some touch-ups on Mike's lead guitar track and experimented with some different sound settings for the rhythm guitar track. The rhythm guitar sound seemed a little to 'jangley', so we were looking for something with a little more depth and definition. We expect to re-do the rhythm guitar track at the next session, which should wrap up this song.

Tonight we also took a big step forward with our second song, "Rhythm Of The Radio" (another original by Mike Casey), by dumping from ADAT tape to PC the tracks we had recorded in a basement practice session a few months ago. At our last practice we listened again to the ADAT recording of this song and quickly decided that we like the overall sound and performance of what we captured, with the exception of some bass and vocal parts that we will take another shot at. Using the ADAT recording as a foundation should enable us to knock out "Rhythm Of The Radio" in minimal time.

Following "Rhythm Of The Radio", we are anxious to continue work on our long list of originals, possibly "Call Me" (written by Mike Casey) or a new funk-oriented song that Bob McCarthy has come up with.

November 7, 2006: The Hillside Label Connection

If you are a record collector or a garage band aficionado, you probably already know about the Hillside '66 compilation album. If you don't know about the Hillside '66 LP, you may find this story more than just a little interesting.

As the garage band explosion happened in the mid-60's, the dreams of teenagers to be able to play in a real band, just like their idols they were hearing on the radio and seeing on the Ed Sullivan Show, suddenly became a reality. Equipment was readily available and affordable. The songs were simple. The chords were easy to learn. And singing the songs only required some attitude and style. Long hair helped, too, of course.

On the east side of Columbus, just as in other neighborhoods in other cities across the country, garage bands were popping up everywhere. Every part of town had its bands. Walnut Ridge High School (WR), on the far east side of Columbus, was an especially fertile place for growing garage bands in 1966. Maybe it was because the suburban kids had a little more money than most. Maybe it was because Whitey Lunzar's Music Store sold guitars and amps, gave guitar lessons and was located in the middle of the WR neighborhood at Livingston Avenue and Hamilton Road. Or maybe it was because street dances were happening all over the area and local swimming pools like Holiday Swim Club, Aquamarine Cabana Club and Swimland, eager to have local bands play at their parties, provided opportunities for start-up bands to play.

Whatever the case, in 1966 the WR neighborhood could claim the Marquis, the Deadlys, the Penetrations, the Caravelles and the Crests as their own. At the time, another phenomenon was happening - the availability of local recording studios. There was Musicol, McKenzie, Rome and Coronet studios, to name a few. The possibility of actually recording a song and having it pressed on vinyl was an incredible force for local garage bands. And to make it even more enticing, the legendary local AM radio station, WCOL, had an open playlist and eagerly played 'happening' records by local artists along side national recording artists. The Friday night countdown on WCOL almost always involved local artists - maybe the Dantes, the Fifth Order or the Rebounds, among others. For fledgling garage bands with big dreams, the situation was almost too good to be true.

McKenzie Studio, run by Larry McKenzie and located in an old house on the south side of Columbus, was an especially attractive and affordable place for a garage band to record a song or two, with the vinyl pressing being done by another local recording operation, Musicol Studio. Any band that could scrounge up a few bucks (around $50?) could record a single track at McKenzie Studio. Once there were enough tracks for an album, an LP on McKenzie's "Hillside" label would be pressed and band members could then buy copies to give to their friends, mothers and girl friends - or maybe even to a club owner in hopes of getting a gig.

During the summer of 1966, the Penetrations, the Deadlys and the Marquis each recorded one track at McKenzie Studio for an LP. The Penetrations did "Midnight Hour"; the Deadlys did "On The Road Again"; and the Marquis did "Little Black Egg". Other bands on the LP did their best renditions of the songs that were being played at street dances all around the east side: "She Don't Care About Time", "Stepping Stone", "Good Lovin'", "Hang On Sloopy", "Girl In Love", "Hurray For Hazel", "Walkin' The Dog", "Mister You're A Better Man Than I", "Time Won't Let Me" and "Under My Thumb".

Lo and behold, in the summer of 1966 there were enough tracks recorded at McKenzie Studio to press a compilation album, the now legendary Hillside '66 LP. The recording tools were primitive by today's standards and the overall sound was something akin to hearing the band in a gymnasium. Yet the recordings captured the essence of the garage bands of the day and presented that tier of local bands that never hit anywhere close to the 'big time' and probably only existed for a few months or a year. These were grass roots neighborhood garage bands at their very best, a rare audio slice-of-time showcasing what the 60's garage band phenomenon was all about.

No one seems to know how many copies of the Hillside '66 LP were pressed, but undoubtedly there were very few, maybe only a couple hundred. After all, this was a vanity or demo album, not a commercial product to be distributed for sale. The LP's were delivered in a plain white jacket - no liner notes, no pictures and no band info. Just the track listing on the record label, printed with the address and phone number of McKenzie Studio and the phone numbers for each band. Truly a time capsule.

Many years later, long after the garage bands were gone and the kids cut their hair, got jobs and raised families, the Hillside '66 LP was somehow rediscovered and brought back to life. Very quickly, selected cuts from the Hillside '66 LP began appearing on commercial (and bootleg) garage band compilations all around the world - in Germany, Australia, Japan - even though the entire Hillside '66 LP has so far never been legitimately reproduced for commercial sale. All of a sudden, copies of the few remaining original vinyl LP's were selling for prices in the $200 to $500 range and, to this day, continue to sell for those amounts, if not more.

So what does all of this have to do with Windrush? Answer: Two Windrush band members were in bands that appeared on the Hillside '66 LP. Bob McCarthy (drums) with the Deadlys doing "On The Road Again" and Mike Casey (guitar) with the Penetrations doing "Midnight Hour".

Another sidebar to this story is that almost 30 years after the Hillside '66 LP was recorded, the Deadlys and the Penetrations were finally heard for the very first time on radio on none other than WCOL, the Columbus radio station that was ground zero for local bands in the 60's. Their songs finally being heard on Columbus airwaves was a treasured moment for the band members who, as teenagers, could only dream of one day having their music played on the radio, proving once again that rock 'n' roll never dies.

And the spirit of the 60's lives on.

Note: The Marquis (original members Steve Jones and Mike Kinnett) are also back together once again and playing around town, this time as the Marquis66.

November 6, 2006: Who Is Windrush?

Windrush is a band project that was started about 2 years ago by old friends from the 60's with the goal of just playing the music we've always loved, as simple as that. At the time, we did not have visions of making money or playing in clubs. We knew that we just wanted to experience the joy of playing and the satisfaction of creating music once again, without the limitations, demands and compromises that the business side of music imposes.

We quickly assembled 4 friends with a similar musical mindset. The 4 members of Windrush all have a connection to Walnut Ridge High School in Columbus, Ohio. Mike Casey (guitar/vocals), Doug Tracy (guitar) and Bob McCarthy (drums) are WR class of 1967 graduates. John Green (bass), originally from Iowa and now living in Columbus, is an adopted WR grad, having married one of our WR '67 classmates, Sandy Noble.

In the mid-60's, Mike played in the Penetrations, a true classic garage band of the day. He plays guitar and is a gifted songwriter and he is currently a high school teacher on the east side of Columbus. The Penetrations' version of "Midnight Hour", recorded in 1966, can still be found today on garage band compilations.

Bob, our drummer, is also a veteran of the Columbus 60's garage band scene, beginning his musical odyssey as a member of the Deadlys. Over the years, Bob played continuously in bands around Central Ohio including the Myrchents, Crosswinds, Jamburger and Annie Oakley. Recordings by both the Deadlys and the Myrchents are still highly sought after by collectors.

John, 'Mr. Bassman', played in the 60's with the Trojans, a Des Moines, Iowa garage band. The Trojans recorded a handful of songs, none of which were ever released. However, two Trojan songs now appeared on the BeyondTheBeatGeneration internet playlist.

Doug picked up the guitar in the 60's and found himself jamming with friends and occasionally playing at parties and gatherings. Always fascinated with the Columbus area music scene, he became somewhat of a local music historian and now shares stories and artifacts about Columbus music on his ColumbusMusicHistory website.

As the Windrush journey began in 2004, the 4 founding members quickly melded in terms of musical tastes and preferences, but recognized early on that a true vocalist was needed for the band. We worked with a few vocalists without finding the right fit. Over time, we realized that Mike had hidden vocal talents and that Bob and Doug could still fill in vocally here and there, so we remain a unit of 4 without a dedicated vocalist (but we are still searching).

We eventually discovered that, as fun as it is to play the songs of our favorite artists, it is even more satisfying to write, develop and play originals. We began developing what has become a rapidly growing body of original songs, most of which we have recorded in our basement studio. We are eclectic in what styles we play, to say the least, and share a collective open mind as to what songs we decide to play. No era or style is off limits to us. If it rocks, swings and has something to say, we'll probably like it. In addition to our repertoire of original songs, we have worked up songs by everyone from Dion to Johnny Cash to Question Mark and The Mysterians to the Byrds. Good music has no boundaries.

Currently we are focusing on original songs, with a few covers that usually end up being twisted into something far from what we started with. By not focusing on playing in clubs or other venues, we have found a creative freedom to do what we like the way we like to do it. Maybe others will like what we do - we certainly hope so. And maybe we'll be invited to play a party or special event once in a while (as we have done a couple of times already). Whatever the case, it is a 'rush' to play and create music our way on our terms.

We are now in the process of professionally recording our favorites, beginning with originals, and have visions of a CD full of songs in the near future. Where all of this will lead is anyone's guess. We just know that it's a great ride and the possibilities are endless.

November 2, 2006: "Bad, Bad Man" Session #2

Thursday evening found Mike, Doug and Bob back in the studio, along with soundgirl Debbie, to add some touches to "Bad, Bad Man", as well as to hear Alan's first stab at a mix. John's bass part was solid the first time around and did not tweaking, so no work was needed on his track. Bob's mission was to add a mic'd hi-hat and some cymbals. Mike wanted to add some 'crunchy' lead accents at the end of the third verse, plus a few bars of lead at the end of the song. Both additions were accomplished, as well as some minor balancing of the mix and an echo effect added the end of the song. Doug had visions of replacing his lead guitar tracks, but in the end the decision was made to let them stand as is. We were happy with the additions tonight and Alan's last mix sounded great.

We are quickly finding out what studio-experienced musicians undoubtedly already know, which is that you cannot hear yourself the way others do. As a result, it's too easy to become your own worst critic, which results in a tendency to want to re-do everything ad infinitum. Knowing who's judgment to trust and, just as importantly, knowing when to stop tweaking are as essential as playing skills. It's all part of the journey and it's all good.

We left the studio with CD copies of the latest mix in our hands. We know that the sound we hear will vary greatly depending on what equipment the recording is played on, e.g., in the car, on the home stereo, on the iPod, etc. We'll listen closely to the latest mix for the next week or so, take notes on anything that might need adjustment and do the final tweaking of the mix next week so we can consider this first song 'in the can'.

We are anxious to move on to the next song, another Mike Casey original called "Listen To Your Heartbeat" aka "Favorite Position", which we plan to record Sunday, 11/12/06. In the meantime, tightening up the song will be the focus of practice this Sunday.

And the journey continues . . .

October 29, 2006: The "Bad, Bad Man" Session

It's the journey. That's what matters most. The journey. It's been over two years since the 4 of us, all survivors of the 60's, embarked on this musical magical mystery tour and it just keeps getting better with every twist and turn of the road. Today was an especially important stop along the way. We found ourselves in a recording studio beginning the process of recording what we expect to be a CD's worth of original material (and maybe a cover or two re-worked in our own way). Where all of this will take us is anyone's guess at this point, but after this afternoon's recording session, we are collectively inspired and can't wait to find out what's next for us around the corner.

We arrived at Alan Beavers' studio this morning for a 4-hour session, with plans to record two standout songs by Mike Casey: "Bad, Bad Man" and "Listen To Your Heartbeat". We have played both songs many times, but we had not yet come up with the definitive versions, so we were hoping that it would all come together in the studio - which it did. Mike completed the final (and best) lyrics for "Bad, Bad Man", which the rest of us heard for the first time this morning.

As it turned out, we spent the entire 4-hour session (minus a little equipment set-up time) completing about 95% of "Bad, Bad Man". We completed the first pass of the song, then did another bass track, a final vocal, a second rhythm guitar and a number of lead guitar track takes before calling it a day. All in all, a good result for our first time in the studio - one that we were all pleased with. The plan is to return in a few days to put the finishing touches on this first song and then get started on "Listen To Your Heartbeat".

After the session, I couldn't help thinking about the line at the end of the Tom Hanks movie, "That Thing You Do", where, after the band has finally bottomed out and disintegrated after completing an incredible ride with their one and only hit, one of the two remaining members turns to the other and says in bewildered amazement at the band's whirlwind journey, "How did we get here?"

How did we get here, indeed. Windrush came together seemingly out of nowhere. As teenagers during the 60's, John Green played in an Iowa garage band (The Trojans); Mike Casey played in Columbus, Ohio, with the Penetrations; Bob McCarthy played (also in Columbus) with the Deadlys (among others); and Doug Tracy kept practicing on his guitar and always dreamed about playing in a band someday.

Now, decades later and after our 4 lives have meandered in every which way, we find ourselves connected in this band, following our common passion for music that has never waned over the years. We are fortunate to be in this special place and we know it. This time around we are paying attention to the opportunity to do it once again and we are taking none of it for granted. We're not doing it for money, girls (well, maybe) or fame. We are simply following our passion and savoring every minute of the journey. Does it get any better than this?