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Category: Music
Hi All... First off, congrats to our good friend Brady Rymer for his recent Grammy nomination. Brady and I played together in From Good Homes back in the 90's. Brady also did a few gigs helping out Swampadelica on bass. I think he did a Wetlands show with us as well as a few others. Brady Rymer and The Little Band That Could (produced by another FGH alumni, Dan Myers) made a children's record this year called 'Here Comes Brady Rymer and The Little Band That Could'. Best of luck Brady!
In keeping with all things Good... Todd Sheaffer of Railroad Earth (and previously From Good Homes) will be joining Swampadelica this week for a couple of shows in Baltimore and Wilkes Barre, PA. Todd will be opening up with a solo acoustic set and then joining Swampadelica on stage for a few tunes that we've whipped up for the occasion. We're both stoked.
Those were some good days playing with FGH. I was a big fan of the band's since the first time I saw them back around '89... (oh shit that's a long time ago).
I dug Todd's writing immensely and felt as connected to it as I did anything. It seemed strange that they existed in my own backyard. I went to their shows for years, 1/2 loving it and 1/2 bumming that I wasn't a part of it. I truly felt that the only thing missing was the searing sound of the Hammond organ. At one point in the mid 90's, I almost made a tape of one of their records with my Hammond organ in it... but I thought that might be a bit odd. So I continued to hang in the wings.
Summer '98 or '97 FGH was playing their annual Waterloo show... pretty big show... maybe 5,000 folks come out.... and Len Mooney was playing keys. I was once again enjoyably yearning in the wings. Just prior to the start of the show Len's rig breaks down and he asks me if I can help out. During the 1st set I drove home (about an hour+ round trip) and got my portable Hammond for Len. He wanted the digital so he could tune down a 1/2 step with the rest of the band. (Later, in '99 when I joined the band I opted for keeping the tone of a real Hammond and had to play in all these fucked up keys... i.e., Gflat on a song everyone else was playing in G. For jazz standards it's one thing since that is the key the song was written for, but rock and roll in Dflat.... ewwwwhhh it's most peculiar. It was always a struggle, but I embraced it as a chance to form a better friendship with those keys.... sometimes at the listeners expense... sorry :-) ) <--- that's my double chin. neewayy.... I missed the first set, but hooked up my bud Len for the 2nd set. I felt that it was better to not see the show but some how be a part of making it happen. These are the pathetic little morsels that you have to hang on to when just loitering in the wings. That was then... the 2nd set rocked.
Erin Mills was always trying to hook me up with Todd and the boys... she was a good friend from way back in the Old Joe Bones and Which Exit days. She got that I got it. One time Erin tipped me off to an FGH reehearsal that was going on at the Rickie Barn in Vernon (the legendary 2nd Red Barn On the Right). She said bring your rig, I'll bet you can set up and play. So I loaded up the truck with my 800 lbs of gear and drove up to Vernon. When I walked in Len's rig was already set up. I hung around nonetheless... the band ended up playing one song about 18 times. It was cool to see how they rehearsed. I took a very good thing away from it. Most guys I played with in those days wouldn't want to play a song more than two or three times. I always felt like I could spend an entire evening on one song if were in it's early stages. So seeing that being done was affirmative. Love affirmation... but still had not arrived at my musical home.
I figured the only thing to do at this point was to form my own thing... and thus began Swampadelica... which is a screenplay unto itself (cheap B film with lofi acting... that I will avoid until it's over).
Swamp's 1st big show was at the Darress Theatre in NJ... it was a great way to introduce the band to an unprepared public. We had Patrick Fitzsimmons open the show with his burgeoning acoustic act... along with the Harpoon Daddies. It was something of a pivotal point in time.
At this show I met a man named Denny Tilton. We became friends that night. Denny expressed in no uncertain terms, as they say, that what Swamp was doing, was good, and that we should keep on and keep on... because it's good, but the path to musical validity can really suck and ruin the rest of your life... but it was good, so we should not stop at all that. Make sense? Anywerds, Denny and I and Patrick Fitzsimmons would go into the west village on occasion and play some of the singer songwriter clubs. Patrick was FGH's drummer... and I think this is where the first block in the wall started to wiggle free. We had really good times cavorting about like we were somehow tied to the streak of time and light that brought Dylan thru town.
One particular autumn night, after singing a few tunes, we went to Denny's favorite Italian restaurant (name?)... and I ate a BAD clam. I then ate a plate of broccoli raab with garlic and oil. Well the BAD clam went down my esophagus, but not much further... and the broccoli and garlic and oil lumped up in line behind it.. this situation remained fixed for about a week. It was the strangest most awful thing I have ever experienced. It was a poisonous clam that my stomach was stubborn enough to refuse admission. It didn't move for at least five days. It was fucking gross and it hurt and I thought I might die... I'll leave it at that.
Anyway... these are the days where my friendship with Fitz was born. I love that guy. The last time he was at my house, we stayed up really late talking and it felt like we still hadn't scratched the surface. I think Fitz was the hold out when the idea first came around about adding keys to FGH a couple of years earlier... but it's cool.. I usually not in favor of adding people to my band either.
Fitz and I started doing a little recording together... I forget what... a couple of his songs that I really like.. ah, 'One True Thing' was one of them. Not sure if that one saw the light of day... a great song.
Fall lead to Winter as it 'twer and Winter lead to New Year's Eve. Once again the Darress Theatre plays a pivotal role. From Good Home's decides to do their NYE show at the Darress. After a rise to near greatness, FGH was now starting to question itself. All of their friends that used to open for them have now gone on to solid careers... Dave Matthews, Guster, Hootie, Joan Osborne, etc... and the Homes had some big breaks, shit they sold out Irving Plaza 15 times, signed to RCA, toured with Bob Weir, but just couldn't get to the point where they were making a life sustaining profit. But they hadn't fully realized this just yet. For now it was New Year's Eve and the theatre was full.
A band named Alaskan was the opener... and they asked me to play keys for them. I canceled my New Year's plans and said yes... cripes I lived three blocks from the theatre at that time. I had just gotten my new Hammond rig with 2 Leslies. It sounded huge and I thought if ever there were a fertile petri dish, this could be it... I just needed one tune with FGH and they'd be sold.
Little did I know that they were feeling peeked and looking for a shot in the arm.
I think Erin and a few others were prodding behind the scenes for them to give me a shot. Brady asked me up for a tune near the end of the first set... after that asked me to stay for the rest of the set. At set break he was trying to figure out which tunes to have me up on during the 2nd set, and just said, 'shit, come up for the whole set'. Finally I was there... injecting that electric Hammond into the music I loved... but there was a sadness there before me.
It was as if I was being invited in to the final chapter of the book. They were asking me to save them from themselves.. but we all knew it was too late. The close friends of the band thought I could be that catalyst for a re-ignition.
Brady called me the next week and gave me all of their tour dates throughout the winter and spring of 1999. He said that the band wanted me to play any and all that I could. I only missed one weekend in February for my daughter's birthday. There was one particular show of all of these that felt like we touched on the potential of what could have been... it was February 18th at the Wetlands in NYC. Swampadelica had discovered Absinthe thru our producer/engineer John SIket. We were getting it shipped in from the Czech Republic. I had naturally brought this into the land of From Good Homes... there were some takers. This particular night at the Wetlands, I think Dan and Jamie and myself were all sipping. It ended up being one of those all time great nights. Musically it was electric... sheer energy... crackling... couldn't play a bad note. My Wurlitzer electric piano was set up on top of a speaker, off the side of the stage. This basically put it elevated, out in the crowd... so when ever I would turn to play it, it had people from the shoulders up, packed against three side of it! It was a fantastic way to play... especially when your playing well.
The shows went on from there.. but the sadness was ever present. I was the new guy, and all of the old guys had told their sides of the story to each other too many times... but I was a fresh set of ears. It was too big and old for me to do anything about. I really wish I could have single-handedly saved it, but it just wasn't to be. It was a cruel joke... we'll invite you in to the belly to watch the beast die from the inside out. It was almost as if I was spared the rest, but since I wanted it so bad, I was allowed to be a character in the final chapter... hence showing me that I was better off.
I'm not sure if I was better off, but I played my role to the fullest and rode and observed and listened. The farewell show was at Waterloo. I had all of my gear.. a Hammond, 2 Leslies, Wurlitzer, Clav, Fender Twin, Guitar Leslie for the Wurlie and Clav... it was insane... and a quart of Absinthe for the any takers.
The night was legendary for me. Swampadelica's new singers 'The Whoa Bips' (Nicole Grana & Kerri Lavin) were huge Homes fans... I had hooked them up with passes... they stood just off stage in the wings behind me most of the night egging me on. It was most glorious... and a fond memory.
After the concert we partied until dawn as it 'twer, at Todd's 300 year old Scottish farmhouse, 'The Lonecroft'.. (which, subsequently is where Railroad Earth made their most recent album 'Amen Corner'). A crazed good time... I ate tomato whole, like an apple (I'm one of those who normally get the jeebies from raw tomatoes.. i just feel like someone fucked up half way thru making it and left it in a larval state... half complete... i might grow out of it).
Come sunrise, my partner in crime back in those days, Eric 'Mookie' Hendricks, sped down Todd's mile long dirt and rock and potholed driveway, in a '93 Plymouth Voyager filled to gills with way heavier than necessary vintage keyboards, amps and crap, as if being carried by a protectant of sorts.... gliding effortlessly, not feeling a bump, not popping a shock, puncturing a tire, just simply flying... flying home.
Since these days, alot of good has happened for all involved on their separate paths... Swampadelica has been on it's continuing journey, Railroad Earth has conquered greatness and most recently being crowned by Brady and Dan Myer's Grammy nomination. The chapters continue to unfold. This week at the 8x10 in Baltimore and River Street in Wilkes Barre is yet another leaf... Swampadelica with Todd Sheaffer, the shows start on time, don't be late.
Cheers,
Damian
6:26 AM
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