1. Noisediver – Toothache

We played and recorded a number of versions of this song. It was a fun jam that we’d play whenever we hung out after work. My part was written about a bad coworker. My buddy wrote his part, and it worked. Energetic, heavy, and aggressive, with some melody to balance it out.

2. Ariel Powell – PriVate Sector

Another aggressive tune, from probably ‘08 or so. This one’s a political rant!

3. Ariel Powell – Floodplains and Dr. Paul

Here’s the first song I recorded after moving into a bungalow on stilts by the river. It was a beautiful setting in which to play music.

4. Ariel Powell - Repugnant As I Try

This repugnant little tune was inspired by a girl who liked me. I liked her at first, until I realized that all she ever did was complain.

5. Ariel and Casey – Haunted

I once dragged a coworker home to the loft studio at my parents. He rocked at guitar! We figured out a way to play to some lyrics that i had laying around, which had come to me from someone in prison who I didn’t know, through a mutual. This is not at all what he had envisioned for his song, but oh well, haha, we had fun!

6. Ariel Powell – Trainwreck Waiting

An ex wrote the chorus for this song, and I had fun making it. I somehow found a cool vocal harmony here. It’s cheesy and dumb, but whatever, YOLO!

7. The Lightningrod Salesman – Dawg Fighting

Remember Michael Vick, the NFL player, and the dog fighting scandal? WELL, let me tell you!

U.S. Senator Robert Byrd, the KKK grand wizard or whatever, was getting kinda old at the time, and made a wonderful, epic botch of his speech regarding this issue. He had many papers, with HUGE print, and there was much shuffling of them.

I’m pretty sure he didn’t care this much when it was humans whom he voted to torture and kill, so I feel ok laughing at him through this fun track. I did surprisingly little editing to his speech, this is pretty much how it was delivered.

8. The Lightningrod Salesman – Shake Me

Get into your headphones, so you can hear the dice tumbling and the paint can spraying. This one’s an immersive experience.

9. Ariel Powell – This Perfect Day

Ah, young romance! ‘05-’06-ish. Like some of the other older songs on this collection, this was recorded on a 16 track recorder. It was digital, but worked like a multitrack tape recorder. This process of recording was very different than the new, computerized, visual way. Something about the sounds I found on this song reminds me of how good my old 16 track could sound.

10. Ariel Powell – After the Waves Break

Well dang it, it’s another young romance song. This one’s a bit more distant and desperate. Also ‘05-’06.