openwebworks music gallery

Anandamide

One of the first songs we wrote in the project then known as SysRq. As was typical of that band, this song basically wrote itself. Gavin brought the opening bass line to rehearsal, and the guitar part just came to me, including the extended chord voicings during the sort-of rap part. We did have to work out some of the odd timings and stops, but the whole thing came together within about 30 minutes, except the words which I never quite felt were perfect. Basic tracks were recorded in 1994 in Jason Cox's Champaign, Illinois bedroom using a Tascam DA-88. Overdubs were laid down at WLRW in Champaign. It became the opening track of our self-titled disc "Brainforest," which became the name of the band.

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Attitude

Another track from the 1995 Brainforest CD. We played this one better live, but oh well. Members of Brainforest: Gaving Stolte, bass and vocals; Todd Asper, drums; Jack Brighton, guitar and vocals.

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Back of My Mind

Another track from the 1995 Brainforest CD. Playing this s#!t live was quite a workout

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From the Brainforest CD. The web was just a year or so old, and we were still dealing with Windows 95, so a dark view of computer technology seemed only appropriate.

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Lean Mean Dying Machine

Was this written during the Iraq War? Coulda been, but I think it was 1994 in the wake of the Persian Gulf War. Too many wars... We recorded the basic tracks (guitar, bass, drums) in Jason Cox's bedroom in Champaign. I remember being totally exhausted after laying this down, we were sweating, out of breath, and the whole thing feel like it cost something deep.

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Mellow Reign

A true spontaneous Brainforest jam. Just warming up, I started playing this minor chord cycle and Gavin and Todd jumped in. Listen closely at the beginning and you can hear me calling out the changes. We liked it enough to put this track on the Brainforest CD.

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Sysrq

You know that key on most PC keyboards that says SysRq? Does anybody know what it means or does? The question is rhetorical; nobody knows, it's just there, a legacy of some technology or function that got left behind. I wrote this during the early days of the band we called SysRq, but then we included it on the Brainforest CD. Used to really freak people out when we played this live!

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Stone World

Playing this live was truly exhausting for all concerned.

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Time

One of the best-sounding tracks on the Brainforest CD. Why? Almost no overdubs so it doesn't have that...not-so-fresh feeling. The whiny drill sound during the nutty solo sections is a cordless drill. During the second solo it drops in pitch as the batteries wear down. Fun!

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