Ben Kammin - seventunes&threesongs (2001)

I've been wanting to post this album for a long while but because I had nothing to do with this project I needed to get the OK from the artist. Ben Kammin is a fingerstyle guitarist in the style of Michael Hedges and Leo Kottke. I first ran into Ben many years ago when he was playing at a Barnes & Noble bookstore. I ran into him a few more times before striking up a conversation with him. There was a lot of common ground between us as musical influences go and I really wanted to work with him in some way. It took a few years but I finally got him into my basement studio to do some demos. These are not them.

What we have here is Ben's first CD. Recorded and released in 2001 it predates our demo sessions. This CD is sold out and out of print with no plans at this time to reissue. I wanted to share this for many reasons but mainly to give more people access to this album. More often than not I have had to listen to Ben tell inquiring fans about the unavailability of this CD. So with Ben's approval I am putting this up here for all to download and enjoy.

1. jesu, joy of man's desiring -j.s. bach (arr. david qualey)
2. amazing grace -traditional (arr. randy scruggs)
3. solitude -ben kammin (chorus by william blake)
4. the happy couple -michael hedges
5. too much saturn -francis dunnery (arr. ben kammin)
6. dreamsketcher -billy mclaughlin
7. ojo -leo kottke
8. let them in -anonymous (melody based on an arr. by david wilcox)
9. song for robbie -peppino d'agostino
10. first to go -leo kottke

For more information about Ben and his performance schedule go to his website then go out and see him, you won't be disappointed.

xxxCelerators - 2010

Here are four songs from a friend of mine Brian Wurch (rhymes with lurch or birch). While I had no hand in the production of these songs (although the bass line on track three is modeled on the line I did on the original demo) the CD these songs come from were mostly produced and engineered by me.

These songs originally were released on a 12 song CD called Book of Detroit by Brian Damage and the Accelerators. That band slowly mutated into The xxxCelerators and assembled in my humble basement studio over three nights and recorded some songs so that I could gain some experience with my new recording gear. We re-recorded the other eight songs from Book of Detroit along with five new songs.

Over the course of the next three years Brian and I layered more guitars, keyboards, horns, mandolins, violins and anything else we could onto those basic tracks. We also recorded one more song and added these four songs from Book of Detroit that we did not re-record to fill out the CD to 18 tracks.

Well after three years of dubbing, mixing, re-mixing, tweaking and more dubbing and mixing we have finally reached a point where we can do no more. It is done, finished. complete. To give you a taste of what's coming and while we wait for funds for duplication and packaging so we can get this baby on the market here are the four songs from Book of Detroit.

1. Nighttime
2. Blue Dress
3. Good Good Girl

The Spectaculars - Live at Maloney's (1994)

In celebration of the release of Supercomet's debut release here is a live set from Eric Olson's previous band. The band included Eric on guitar, his brother Mike on drums, their dad Leon on bass and on occasion playing harp was Southside Jimmy. Vocals were traded from song to song between Eric, Leon and Jimmy.

While their repertoire consisted of mostly old blues standards and rock classics their sound was modern and unique. Showing off their influences that ranged from classic blues to SRV to Hendrix to Pink Floyd to big band, they covered allot of ground. Although I had no input or took part in the creation of this music I did shoot the video that the audio was ripped from.

This is the amazing Spectaculars at the peak of their game. Recorded live using a video camera which was then dumped onto a DVD then the audio was ripped from that. Sound quality is surprisingly good but don't expect studio grade sound. The performance is typical of the band at that time which translates to amazing. Unfortunately I was dragged from the venue by my ride home so I was unable to catch the later sets which would normally get better and better.

I have included some studio demos that were done when the band was being courted by Alligator Records and features original material, the standout for me being Power but the other two are great also. Of note is a version of The Stud that predates a version that was recorded by another local blues outfit that Jimmy was also working with between gigs with The Spectaculars.

1. Quarter to Twelve
2. Wait on Time
3. Rock Me Baby
4. Walking to My Baby
5. Bama Lama
6. Scratch My Back
7. Running Shoes
8. Down the Road Apiece
9. Nineteen Years Old

Bonus Tracks Studio Demos

10. The Stud
11. Power
12. I Lost My Marbles

You can listen to Eric's new project at his myspace page, his page at ReverbNation or his page at BandZoogle. He also has a fan page on Facebook.

You can listen to Mike's latest project at the Emanate myspace page.

Both are well worth checking out.