I spent most of this morning transferring tracks from CD to my laptop to prepare to send them off for mastering. In the process, I came across recordings and mixes I didn't know existed, versions of songs with alternate lyrics. For example, Chuck Parish had mentioned that he recalled a recorded version of You Just Can't Hide It with Rosa on lead vocals. Found it! Along with it was a version of Rosa singing lead on Call Your Name. I also found a full-length project I did by myself at Michael Ketter's COMPLEX VARIABLES Studio.
When Rosa, Andy Hoke and I were performing as The Mercenes, I prepared a limited-edition of hand-made copies of a beautiful batch of songs, WHEN IT SNOWS. That's going to be coming out.
The edition of The Little Wretches with Rosa, H.K. Hilner, John Carson, Mike Madden and Robert Andrew Wagner recorded two albums. One was released in a very limited edition, maybe 100 copies. It was recorded at Cycling Troll Studio in Erie by Tom Hitt, and we called it, PLUMS. Another project was recorded by Dave Granati, and I never pressed any copies because it was obvious the band wasn't going to tour or build a substantial following in our region, and any money spent would have been money wasted.
Both will be sent out for mastering and will hopefully be available for download soon.
Not sure what to call them. Melodramatic titles appeal to me. The Granati-sessions will probably be titled from a line in the song, "All of My Friends." I think I'll go with UNDESIRABLES AND ANARCHISTS. As for PLUMS, I'm not sure. Its title was originally inspired by the William Carlos Williams poem, "This Is Just to Say."
I'm also preparing the last batch of songs Dave Losi and I were working on before he left the band to raise his family. I was thinking of calling it, DROPPED A LANTERN. It includes Straight into the Center, Since I've Been Riding, and Call Your Name.
And lastly, we're finally going to unveil the batch of songs that appeared only on the cassette, WHY WERE THEIR POETS SILENT. Those sessions featured gorgeous lead-guitar work by Jon Paul Leone, and Dave Losi sat in on piano. Angelo George is constantly reminding me how proud he is of those recordings, and Jon Paul Leone lamented before he died that he had no "signature" work of his own. For me, the POETS tape is Jon Paul's signature project.
So anyhow, I hope this stuff finds an audience some day some day.