Hello and welcome to the music Monday. Here we are. Is that called the slide whistle? Yeah, that was actually left over from the session, the raw impressions session from my colonoscopy.
This happened to be on the tape, so I kept it on there. Okay. Just like in my announcement for many music, many music Monday, man. It was poised right there.
Like at the end of the slide whistle, so I just kept it. You know what I'm liking about summer? We've been in summer one day, but you know what I'm liking that so far? What's that?
That you're looking at me a lot. Or maybe it's because you're home after being gone for a month, but you're giving me a lot of like good like eyes, like you're checking me out. Oh, really? Yeah, it's fun.
Well, is it because people wear less in the summer time? Well, humidity, I don't know. It works for me. Turns you on.
It kind of does. To be frank. Oh, to be Lou. It's so lewd.
To be Lou, Lou, Lou. It's so mean. It's so mean. It's so mean.
It's so mean. Exhale, exhale, exhale, exhale, exhale, exhale, exhale, exhale, exhale. Again, an attractive, sad, sloppy mess. Looking for approval and easily impressed.
But where they say, but why would I listen when it feels this good? Everyone lives their life doing all the things say they should. Let's be upside down. I've lost as quickly as I've found.
I've turned enough for turns around. I'll call it fate a true love. Never for strumming. Just falling to a new love.
Maybe perfect love my chance. But where they say, but why would I listen? I need to know what I've been missing. But when you can't try, I'm all little, loyal, only curious.
Lost. I've turned up upside down. I've lost as quickly as I've found. I've turned up upside down.
I've turned up upside down. I've lost as quickly as I've found. But turning up tends around. On the rebound.
On the rebound. On the rebound. Okay, that was a rebound. And it's original tuning.
The tuning that's on the album, which is in D sharp. Okay, do you typically play a different or? Well, after playing it live, I realized I couldn't sing loud enough because the singing was low on the record. But when I was playing live, my voice couldn't really get over the top of the drums and the guitar and stuff.
I used a capo or a capo as they refer to it in England. A capo. I used a capo to make it so it's higher. So for instance, this is kind of where I play it.
Hard and broken and attractive. Sad, subbing. Yes, sounds familiar. See, that's what I've been playing it for the last, I don't know, 25 years.
But originally it was this. Hard and broken and attractive. Low. So I did that in the original pitch.
Needle. So that's for purists. That's a bit doodles. Some people notice that kind of stuff like, wait a minute, it's pitched up.
That sounds lower. Some people can notice that stuff. They can't bring this for it. They can notice.
That's true. Can I ask you a couple questions about that song? Yeah. What inspired it?
Well, I had broken up with my first girlfriend. Okay. You know, she sent me packing more or less. I went back to my parents' house.
You know? And I began writing songs and I wrote Soul and Fire in two years, two days. Is that also on this record? No.
Oh. That's on the record called Bubble and Scrape. So anyway, when I started to emerge from my funk, from being dumped, I got a new girlfriend. So it was kind of inspired by a rebound.
It was literally a rebound. Literally a rebound. Okay. Did you feel empowered writing it?
Yeah. I was in a good spot writing songs. I feel like that one's really catchy. It's a really good for lack of better word like pop song.
Yeah. It's a hit. Well, bake sale of the record, it kind of did. It was the most well received of any of the Saburo records.
Easy. Easy. It got really well reviewed and people were psyched about it. We were psyched about it because the record came very easily.
Where did you record it? Well, we did four songs first before Eric Abney quit the band. We did four songs at Steve Albini's house. Oh.
Recorded by Bob Weston. But Steve was around. He actually came over my shoulder once while I was mixing one of the songs and he said, are those bells? And I was like, oh, God.
Because I was like, oh, God. It's Steve Albini. I feared the man. I feared him.
Okay. He was in the presence and he was right behind me. And I was like, what does that mean? Was that in Chicago?
Was it in Chicago? Where were you staying? I don't remember. Possibly there.
Bob Weston. Or maybe Bob Weston. We probably stayed at Bob Weston's place. He did.
Same place. No. No. So he's moved since then?
He's moved since then. We stayed at that place. But Bob had just gotten back from recording Nirvana. So he had the Enuidero record on cassette.
So we listened to that. Wow. So you got to hear it before the world? Yeah.
But we were recording at that time at Steve's house. Because they were all back in a Steve and Bob were back from recording Nirvana. So when was this? Like this was the early 90s?
Early 93? Yeah. Okay. Yeah.
93-ish. Didn't look that up. So it was you and Jake and Eric Gaffney. Yeah.
Okay. That's who was at Saboteau at the time. Not too Saboteau was. It was Eric's last recording with the band.
He did four songs. And he was the drummer. Sorry. Sorry.
He was the drummer of Saboteau. He was the drummer for my songs. Okay. See, this is the thing.
I don't know. That's something I can always say. So you guys enjoyed the Colin S. Oh.
If I used to do a live event. I just liked to sing the song one of the songs. That's when we played it. Did Jake ever play drums with you guys?
Yes. Jake played drums on Eric's songs. And I played bass on Eric's songs. Oh.
And Eric played crazy guitar. So you guys were like passing the baton around all the time. Yeah. It was interesting.
Yeah. That's a big part of Saboteau. That's one of the big ones. I don't know.
I know. Okay. Oh, anyway. So Eric quit the band.
He wasn't required to know that to date you. So. I couldn't envision the band. I didn't know what it was.
And then I realized I had no idea what Eric did. I would have liked to consider us a collective. That's what I wanted. I wanted us to be a collective.
The collective of songwriters that all supported each other. And we did that by switching instruments. Okay. Artsy Fartzio.
It wasn't unheard of, but it was kind of our thing. So all three of you guys were there with Steve Elbyini's house recording bake sale. Yes. No, we didn't know it was going to be bake sale.
We just did four songs. We were on the road. Oh. And I was like, we got to get Eric.
I was like, we have to record these songs now live because we were playing them live. We were in a really good spot. So they were no songs that did not exist on an album yet. Exactly.
And I desperately wanted to capture Eric playing drums because he was like, it was rare to catch. I mean, like if we were, I was like, if we weren't on tour, then getting him to focus on drums would be almost impossible. But if we're on tour and we've got Eric, I've got him. He's captive.
He's trapped. Eric's trapped. I'm taking him to the studio to capture his drumming because his drumming was so unique and dynamic. I was like, I've got to get it.
So four of the songs, none of which were rebound. So were you just like, how did you, can I ask another thing? Like, how did you, so if you're in the middle of a tour, a US tour, obviously, were you guys like in a van? Yeah, we were in a red team in the gym.
Did you have a tour manager? We were in an era, a Ford Aerostar van. No, we didn't have tour managers. So it's just the three of you.
Three of us. Okay. Yeah. I don't know.
I mean, because you said later that you had a tour bus with Saburo. So I didn't know when that was. We did. That was later.
Okay. That's when we got big. Okay. After bake sale?
Okay. Bake sale was van. Actually, at one point, we had a van and another car, which was super fun. We had CB radians that we talked to each other.
Okay. So I'm just trying to understand what happened. So you were on tour with Jake and Eric for, what were you supporting then? Bubble and Scrape.
Okay. Thank you. Bubble and Scrape. Bubble and Scrape.
You were playing these new songs and you were like, okay, I'm going to seize this moment. Was this spontaneous? Did you literally land in Chicago? No, no, I set it up.
How did you set it up via email? This is the 90s. On the phone and also we called them. Did we have email then?
Our book? No. Our booking agent. Our booking agent, Susan McCarthy also made in Chicago.
It was like, I had a real, I had a support system. So, people that I could directly meet. That still seems kind of last minute, right? Because you were like, no, it wasn't last minute.
I was thinking ahead. I was like, we had done it before. So you almost played in Chicago then too? Of course.
Okay. Yes. Got it. Probably played, Lounjax.
I don't know. Maybe. I'm just asking. I'm curious.
I'm just curious to know how this all happened. So no, we happened to be in Chicago and I was like, okay, let's take a day and record. Just one day? Maybe.
It was one day. It was easy. Because we were on tour so we knew the songs really well. Okay.
That's the thing is, because I had Eric, I mean, getting Eric in that zone was impossible. So Eric played out four songs at Steve L. Beanie's house with Bob Weston recording it. And then Eric quit the band, Bob Fay, who had always been our sort of trusty fill-in drummer guy, but mostly.
He was my connection from marijuana. Oh. And he was also a good friend. Listening to records and smoking weed with Bob Fay was like the best.
Okay. And so he could kind of play drums. So he came along. He just became the full-time drummer.
Before that he always filled in for Eric. Whenever Eric decided he didn't want to play with us. So after he recorded these four songs, in the middle of this tour, did Eric finish the tour? He did.
No, he finished the tour. So he finished the tour. And then when you finished the tour, you were like, hmm, head scratch. I think we need to do another album.
And then Eric quit the band. Eric quit the band. Okay. That's sort of the legendary thing where he said, I don't want to go on tour.
I don't want you to play on any of my songs. This is me personally. And I want one third of the record advance. And I was like, and for me, who had no boundaries pretty much.
That was my boundary. I was like, no way. No way, Eric. I'm sorry.
Maybe we need to continue the bake so I'm starting next mini-music Monday. I'm intrigued. I've got more questions. Oh, this is it.
This is like the people in episodes. All right. It's all good. Bake sale.
Bake sale. Bake sale. You know that bake sale. Mini-music Monday concludes.
Thank you so much for listening.