The songs off Sympophony 1 were recorded during sessions that happened in 1988 and 1990. It was recorded at a place called Beach recording in Hawthorne Ca, it was in back of a house of one of the people who played keyboards in Deep Purple. It was engineered by Dan Matovina, who among other things went on to produce an album of revamped Pete Ham (Badfinger) demos (which me and Adam Marsland both played on). I remember that we seemed to spend %25 of our time watching Dan fix things that were going wrong with the equipment. It was demo stuff and we would do it two or three songs at time. This was still at a point in time when the band would play gigs in LA regularly and was looking for "the deal". By 1991 I had decided that this was getting us nowhere and between that and an avalanche of personal problems, with a few exceptions did not do any serious playing in Los Angeles until 1995. It was early 94 when I put a cassette of five songs together and advertised it for sale in Yellow Pills magazine. Jordan Oakes liked it and asked if he could put "Nobody I Know" on the YP3 compilation. Then Bruce Brodeen from Not Lame asked to put the other four on the first collection that he was doing. It was also around that time that a friend of mine placed three of the songs on the first season of "Party of Five".

I Own the World
Just kind of happened. I don't really know what it's about. I really don't. I started off on it because I liked the title.

No Love Lost
Slice of semi-life amongst people that I knew at the time (1986). The line about all the breakables not being paid for was lifted from a joke that a friend told me about his parents.

Disconnected
self-explanatory

Dancing With Myself
Apparently my most "controversial" track (jeez) or at least in the "love it or hate it" department. I like it just fine myself. I only did this live once during a show at Madame Wong's West. Ismeal Hernandez (bass) player in LA punk legends Dr Know and member of the "Love and Rockets" Hernandez family) came back stage and said "Hey, I never knew that song was about masturbation, guess that's cause I never masturbate." He rocked.

Music For A World Without Limitations
me - bass / vox / occasional guitar
Steve-guitars
Rob-drums
Adam Marsland - occasional guitar/backup vox

Recorded over a thirteen month period from August 95 to September 96 at Steve's studio in Venice Ca. I had reconnected with him a little bit earlier in the year to give him some of the money that was coming from the music that got played on "Party of Five" when he told me that he was going to put together a 24trk studio out of equipment that he had purchased over the past few years. Ed had to bow out because of personal stuff so Robbie took over on drums.

Kill Kill Kill
Written of the course of summer 93 during a time when I was really sick. No real conscious explanation other than the fact that I thought that it would be really funny to write a pop song called "Kill Kill Kill".

Nobody I know
Actually a much older recording that was made around the same time that the Sympophony songs (89-90) written even earlier at a time when I was really unhappy about living in Los Angeles. (Pop geek note, monster rhythm guitar sound was achieved by double tracked 12 string Rickenbacker that used to belong to Paula Pierce of the Pandoras (RIP)).

Brenda Revisited
Initially inspired by Brenda Spencer, (the girl that "I don't like Mondays" was written about) a girl two decades ahead of her time as it turns out) and the realization that when I was that age that I was in the same logistical position to do what she did (I grew up across the street from an elementary school and my Dad's a gun nut).

Gun Heaven
In the tradition of the old spirituals and classic "folk" tunes. Basically "Big Rock Candy Mountain" with guns. Kind of a rip actually

Hologram Sam
Fun with light verse. Check out the big Attractions style jam at the end. I played the guitar lead on this, I rule.

Happygirl
Original title "The adventures of happygirl". Is not about anyone in particular. Partial attempt to rewrite "I wish I was you mother" by Mott the Hoople.

No Waiting
Original title "Bored in Heaven" which makes it clear as to what it is about (did not want to have more than one song on the record with heaven in the title). I swear I came up with the "all you can eat" food concept before Albert Brooks, But so it goes.

Dr Nu
Only song based on a real life event I was sick with an undiagnosed Epstein Barr type thing that left me barely able to get out of bed and caused chronic chest pains for about five months. The title refers to an amalgam of conventional docs who would not prescribe me painkillers because they thought that I was making it up (got some anyway, Fuck them).

Elephant
People hear this and think that I should make a children's record. Too bad I don't like kids.

No Junkies in West Hills
One of a few San Fernando Valley" songs that I have written dealing with it's reputation as a safe, sterile, white on white suburb with the actual strange reality of the place. How did I manage to spend almost my entire life here? WHY?

Wonderful Us
It's a HAPPY song. Which seems only fair considering the basic tone of the record. So there you go. Adam arranged and sang all the backups in the out-chorus.

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