
- 1I Remember Hugo
- 2Ballad of a Don
- 3Pop Your Pimples, Brat
- 4You've Extended Me
001
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Open edition
Vincent Katz:
It was 1978, or maybe late 1977, and I was contacted through the NYC East Village poetry world grapevine. Someone named Tom Carey had a band that had fallen apart. He had taken his drummer, Greg Masters, and fled the flames. He’d heard I was a keyboard player and songwriter. Would I be interested in joining them? Tom had some good songs, including one called “Small Strokes” and another called “The Sewer Line.” They were catchy, and I helped Tom re-arrange them. We also collaborated on “Further Proof” (Tom’s lyrics, my music) and “Mr. Wonderful” (same deal). I loved Greg’s drumming! We had fun playing several gigs around town, most notably at CBGB.
After some years had passed, and both Greg and I had bounced around different bands and situations, I suggested he and I start jamming in my basement studio. We did, and it was fun. Greg wanted to invite other musicians to join us. I liked the idea in theory but wanted to find the right folks, people who would blend in psychologically as well as musically. In a sense, I was bringing up Isaac and Oliver to fill those roles. I gave them their first CD, knowing it would play a formative role: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. The next after that was The Boredoms, whose song “Acid Police” became a favorite. Then large doses of The Clash sealed the deal. Flash forward, Isaac and Oliver have done a lot of music, played in bands, and are back in NYC. We invite them down, and the sound fits.
It was 1978, or maybe late 1977, and I was contacted through the NYC East Village poetry world grapevine. Someone named Tom Carey had a band that had fallen apart. He had taken his drummer, Greg Masters, and fled the flames. He’d heard I was a keyboard player and songwriter. Would I be interested in joining them? Tom had some good songs, including one called “Small Strokes” and another called “The Sewer Line.” They were catchy, and I helped Tom re-arrange them. We also collaborated on “Further Proof” (Tom’s lyrics, my music) and “Mr. Wonderful” (same deal). I loved Greg’s drumming! We had fun playing several gigs around town, most notably at CBGB.
After some years had passed, and both Greg and I had bounced around different bands and situations, I suggested he and I start jamming in my basement studio. We did, and it was fun. Greg wanted to invite other musicians to join us. I liked the idea in theory but wanted to find the right folks, people who would blend in psychologically as well as musically. In a sense, I was bringing up Isaac and Oliver to fill those roles. I gave them their first CD, knowing it would play a formative role: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. The next after that was The Boredoms, whose song “Acid Police” became a favorite. Then large doses of The Clash sealed the deal. Flash forward, Isaac and Oliver have done a lot of music, played in bands, and are back in NYC. We invite them down, and the sound fits.

