I found another TMC + The New Generation moment that made me fall down laughing.
For one reason or another, it seems that at least once during each of our shows a sound came out of one of our keyboards that wasn’t supposed to be there. One time, a menacing bass line in a song called “Death Row” came out as bells.
But on one occasion, which was captured on video and can be seen at the link below (or by clicking on this post’s headline), a saxophone started playing wildly at the end of a song called “Don’t Die Poor.”
Now, I’m not 100-percent sure of this, but I think this is what happened…as “Don’t Die Poor” was coming to an end, Christian wanted to load his sampler with the sounds he needed for the next song — and that included a sax.
Unfortunately, when the sax sound loaded, it was on the same MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) channel as a percussion sound that was still playing. I don’t want to get into a explanation of how MIDI works, so I’ll just say that because the two sounds were on the same channel, the sax sound came out as the percussion part (which was still playing underneath the sax sound in the mix).
Now, it may not be as funny to somebody who doesn’t know the song, but — to me — it sounds pretty obvious that the sax part was not supposed to be there.
Well, I came across another classic comedy moment of the comprehensive video history of TMC + The New Generation…
…we were playing a show at the ol’ Green Parrot Rock Club in Neptune, NJ, and — as usual — we had a sequencer malfunction. Well, actually, this was more a BK brain cramp…as you will see in the video, we were starting a song called “Stop the Violence!” (featuring a few notes borrowed from the “Hawaii Five-0” theme) and after Christian played some samples and TMC yelled “Stop,” I was supposed to step on a foot switch and start the sequencer to play the background tracks of the song.
One problem…I forgot to switch songs on my Kawai Q-80 sequencer and had to make a quick lunge over to turn the Q-80’s “alpha wheel” to the correct song. As you can see, it took a little bit of time to accomplish that and it resulted in an awkward silence…if you listen hard enough, I think you can hear crickets chirping.
Since I took some time off to take care of some things, I am going back to Ocean County to spend some time at the Jersey Shore (and I picked a great weather week to do it, apparently).
I am hoping to get together with an old friend and music collaborator, Christian Beach, to reminisce about the old days in what may have been the most oddly constructed musical group in history (and that’s including the Polyphonic Spree)…TMC + The New Generation.
Now, TMC+TNG’s execution was pitiful, but what we were trying to do was pretty ambitious at the time, especially for two kids from New Jersey in their mid-to-late teens.
Here’s the story…Christian and I first met around the mid-80s when a one-time mutual friend named Andy Benton invited me to join them in their project, White Noise. But after Andy disappeared following the infamous “Swiss Miss” incident, Christian and I went our separate ways for awhile until I found out that somebody I worked with was in a high school class with Christian. We regained contact and tried doing some synth-based, new age stuff…as you can tell, that went nowhere. However, we soon were told about an Asbury Park-based rapper who went by the name of TMC (and whose real name we were never 100 percent sure of because we couldn’t understand him half the time) and was looking for real musicians to back him up instead of using samples and a DJ.
With a background that was mostly in jazz, new age, and progressive and alternative rock, Christian and I started working on some songs we thought could be considered rap. We did this by “borrowing” pieces of mainstream rap songs of the time, but we inevitably added some advanced layers to the rap foundations. Some of the first stuff we worked on actually sounded pretty cool, but the only time we used any of it was at an open mic night at the now-departed Green Parrot Rock Club in Neptune, NJ.
We played behind TMC that night as kind of an audition and we wound up sticking together despite the fact that the performance was one of several in a series of Spinal Tap-like disasters that would plague us during TMC+TNG’s existence. We were using the basic, 8-track sequencer in my Ensoniq ESQ-1 at the time and when I turned it on at the club, somehow every sequence except for one had been deleted. Now, this was one sequence of a song, so it was basically just a verse. Instead of playing two or three songs, we were reduced to playing over the same eight bars or so for what seemed like 10 minutes…with TMC rapping the whole time and waiting for the music to change. It was a nightmare, but it pales in comparison to things that would happen to us later.
That being said, as Christian and I discussed recently, some of the things we tried doing back then were ahead of their time. It’s just that we weren’t experienced or focused enough, perhaps, to pull it off. After a couple of years, I started doubting myself and my place in the music world and decided to leave TMC+TNG, giving Christian the rights to everything we had worked on together. I also felt like I was holding Christian back because he was the musical force behind the band with tons of talent and creativity, but I could tell it wasn’t all coming out. A couple of years later, Christian started getting airplay on WHTG 106.3 with his band, Slave of Id. I was listening to G 106.3 one day in late ’92, I believe, when they ran a promo for a benefit show in Long Branch, NJ. Instead of just saying “Slave of Id” was playing, the promo said “Christian Beach’s Slave of Id.” I always felt that was some cosmic signal to try to get back in touch with Christian, which I did by showing up at the gig.
Anyway, Slave of Id’s first single was “What Does It Mean to You?” — a song that featured a few lines of lyrics I had written during the waning days of TMC+TNG (actually, by that time, Christian and I started getting into industrial music and we changed the name of the band to Interläken Pröbe, since nearby Interlaken, NJ, had a European-looking name and I was driving a Ford Probe at the time…plus, it sounded somewhat experimental).
So, thanks to Christian and Slave of Id, I was able to hear words that I wrote on the radio, which I still find rather cool.
OK…so the purpose of this post. Well, one of the funnier moments in TMC+TNG history was a local cable TV appearance during a Muscular Dystrophy Association telethon. When I set up the gig, I thought it would be cool to get on television…boy, was I wrong! First of all, TMC had his numerous brothers and sisters dance on stage during our performances. I had told him that we were going to be in a small room and that we should probably leave the TV gig to just the three of us. He seemed to acknowledge that fact, but we get to the studio and he tells us that his brothers and sisters are on the way. Fortunately, only his brothers made it because the car the sisters were in broke down and didn’t get there until after we performed.
Anyway, here is the funny sequence of events leading up to our actual performance…the production guys in the room were under the impression that we were going on after the hosts finished up something in the lobby of the studios. I seem to recall they even started a countdown, but instead of cutting to us we heard one of the hosts on a nearby monitor say, “We have two clowns.” As the production guys tell us to relax, Christian’s dad — hiding behind a keyboard case on the floor to take care of any musical problems for us — says to me and Christian, “That must be you two!”
OK…that’s phase 1 of the sequence of events…after the clowns do their thing in the lobby, the host — a guy named Johnny Cal — comes into the room to introduce us and finally get the show on the road. Well, he left the door open a bit and when I went to hit the sequencer to start the first song, I notice out of the corner of my eye the two freakin’ clowns peeking through the crack of the door…clown hair, clown face, clown shoes and all. I almost lost it right there. The look on these clowns faces was priceless and I think they felt threatened by us, thinking we would be funnier than they were.
Well, they had every reason to fear us because we were damned funny. I took a short clip of our intro onto my .Mac site for all to enjoy. I edited the intro to give it more comedic value, but it gives you the sense of how ridiculous the whole thing was.
I did something fulfilling, yet pretty stupid today.
I live in Bucks County, PA, and figured I would stay at my parents’ place at the Jersey Shore for Memorial Day weekend. So I drove from my apartment to Toms River, NJ, on Friday night. I was supposed to get a haircut Saturday morning at the place I have gone to for years.
Well, I get in my car and go to put my key in the ignition…it won’t go in. I turned the steering wheel a bit to see if it was a wheel lock issue, but no dice. I call the local dealer and he says there is a similar problem with other models of their cars, but not the one I have…hence, they don’t have the part in stock. The best-case scenario is that I’ll have to get it towed to the dealer on Tuesday — thanks to the Memorial Day holiday.
Fortunately, since I wanted to do a little bike riding in the area this weekend — since I did a lot of it when I was growing up here — I brought my 12-speed with me. And with no other mode of transportation available to me, I decided I would go on a long bike ride.
Well, I wound up riding from Toms River to Bay Head and back. For those unfamiliar with the northeastern Ocean County, that is about a 35 mile round trip. Throw in the 5 miles or so of out-of-the-way cycling I had to execute due to road construction and traffic and it probably turned into a 40-mile trek. Now, I used to go on 20-mile rides at least twice a week during the summer in my late teens, but 40 miles definitely marks a new single-day high.
Why was it the bike ride from Hell? I was only going to ride to Mantoloking, which would have probably reduced the trip to about 30-32 miles. But — despite being in not the best of shape these days — I felt really good and decided to go to the northernmost point of Bay Head.
That’s when the Hell part started. It turns out I was tanked…and the wind in my face didn’t help. But I kept going…slowly…and eventually made it back to Toms River — three hours after I departed! After experiencing severe leg cramps for an hour or so and dealing with a really bad headache, which I think resulted from a lack of oxygen getting to my brain on the way home, I am doing OK. I don’t expect to repeat the trek again…at least not for awhile.
To give you a sense of my ride, just go to this Google Map…I left from a bit north of the word “Dover” and rode to the top of the last “t” in Point Pleasant…and back.
Well, it’s about time…the Associated Press has finally recognized the return of Doctor Who to the BBC after a 16-year absence of new television episodes (except for that promising, yet poorly executed FOX/BBC television movie in 1996).
Well, I have written, recorded and published the first complete song of what I am calling “my second musical phase” (or BK 2.0).
The song is called “Parting of the Ways.” I’m not sure this will remain the final product, but it’s a complete song for the most part.
I am trying to find time to “perfect” the vocals (with my definition of “perfect” being as good as I can possibly get them) and I may try to trim it down a bit. That being said, I’m quite pleased with it. I set a goal to write something this past weekend and, as Dubya himself would say, “Mission accomplished!”
Oh, one more note about the title…since this is the first song of BK 2.0 and it comes at the same time a new version of Doctor Who (Who 2.0?) is currently airing on BBC (and everywhere, it seems, except the USA…thanks for declining, Sci-Fi Channel), I couldn’t resist the chance to borrow a title from the new Who. The season finale, which airs in a few weeks, is called “The Parting of the Ways.”
You may recall that around this past Christmas an asteroid named 2004 MN4 was briefly given the distinction of having the best odds of any known space rock to hit the Earth in 2029. Of course, as often is the case, additional computations and observations showed that while it would be a close call, the Earth would get through the encounter unscathed.
In announcing the Earth will be safe from that flyby, the scientists apparently left out some significant information — that the 2029 encounter with the Earth is going to affect the asteroid’s path so that there is a decent chance of it hitting us — a 1-in-10,000 chance — in April 2036. In fact, there are several scenarios between 2034 and 2065 in which the same asteroid has even BETTER odds of hitting the planet.
While scientists are still confident further observations will likely reduce the odds to zero, there is a problem…the rock is going to be mostly out of view from some point in 2006 through 2012.
Anyway, there is a story on Space.com about a former NASA astronaut who wants Congress to approve a space mission to monitor Asteroid 2004 MN4, which is “only” about 1,000 feet wide in diameter so it should “only” cause local or regional devastation…as opposed to the whole wiping-out-mankind-global-annihilation type of thing.
Musical genius Ben Folds played a sold-out show at The Electric Factory in Philadelphia last night. Wasn’t able to get any pictures, though…since I realized earlier in the day that the display on the digital camera I bought less than two months ago cracked (GRRR!) and my cell phone camera just wasn’t cutting it.
I think I saw Ben play bass for the first time at the end of “Rockin’ the Suburbs” (have to check on that, though…I know I heard him play bass on a live version of “Rent a Cop” I downloaded). Also heard a new “Paul Simon” story that was nearly drowned out by the idiots screaming for “Rock This Bitch,” but it was a good story (especially since there was a Philly connection).
For my friend Katie out in the Ben Folds-free zone known as Seattle, here is the setlist from the show (courtesy of Chris at the Ben Folds Tribe…
1. In Between Days 2. Consider You Gone 3. There’s Always Someone Cooler Than You 4. Jesusland 5. Bastard 6. Still Fightin’ It 7. All U Can Eat 8. You to Thank 9. Landed 10. Bitches Ain’t Shit (Dr Dre cover) 11. Zak and Sara 12. Where’s Summer B.? Band leaves-solo Ben 13. Lullabye 14. Alice Childress 15. Brick 16. Army Band returns 17. Trusted 18. Carrying Cathy 19. Rockin’ the Suburbs 20. Philosophy Encore 21. Late 22. Not the Same 2nd encore 23. One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces
To make it easier to download and listen to my music, I am now posting MP3s of my work at my site on OurMedia.org, which you can visit by clicking on the headline above.
However, I am only going to publish what I consider “completed” songs on that site, as opposed to some of the musical sketches I have posted in the past. I have a bunch of ideas and emotions swirling in my head and need to release them in a creative way so I will be spending a lot of time with my keyboard and PowerBook.
I had a front-row seat to see music legends Joe Jackson and Upper Darby, PA’s own Todd Rundgren perform (with opening act Ethel, a New York-based string quartet) at The Kimmel Center’s Verizon Hall in Philadelphia, April 24, 2005.
What a freakin’ awesome show! Joe and Todd are personal music heroes of mine and to be able to see them that close in such an acoustically pleasing and incredible venue like Verizon Hall (its design is based on that of cello’s and was built specifically as a home for the Philadelphia Orchestra) was absolutely mind-blowing.
The photo was taken with my Motorola v265 camera phone at the end of the show as Joe (left, in purple coat) and Todd (right, in yellow coat) — with Ethel behind them — bid adieu to the crowd.
Brian Kelley 