I toured with Mike Keneally in 1997. Most people know Mike from his tours and recordings with Frank Zappa, or Joe Satriani. On the “Thanks Toss” tour I was basically subbing for Toss Panos who took over the chair when I got back. It was an interesting experience. I was going through a lot of personal stuff at the time and thought getting away for awhile was the answer, it wasn’t.

I am proud I was picked for this tour, and was able to pull it off, despite the gig not being in my wheelhouse, and having to read charts because I didn’t have time to memorize most of the show.

Potato was recorded in one take. “Briggs’ charts flew away in a tornado” lyric is about a concert at the University of Maine where the charts I was reading blew off my music stand just before a tune that had a different meter every bar. There was no way to fake it so I sat it out. Ah, showbiz. I don’t miss it.

“Looking for Nina” was recorded at my studio. I got a writing credit for coming up with the ‘verse’ changes and soundscape. The drums are played by me, and sampled. I then mapped the various samples of grooves and fills across a keyboard and Mike played them.

It was also nice to get singled out in Modern Drummer Magazine’s 5 star review of the album.

I recorded this in 1985 in Auburn, NY with a great guitar player named Joel ‘Hotz’ Converse. Hotz is no longer with us, but this music lives on, and I’m so glad it does. I didn’t get to hear my track until almost 20 years after I recorded it. I think Hotz knew he was sick and finished up some recordings he had lying around. Apparently the reason it wasn’t finished at the time was the bright tempo we chose. This is my only take. He played a guide guitar track with me in the studio. I don’t believe there was a click track, and of course the session was recorded to tape. After the first pass, he says to me “that’s perfect” and wouldn’t let me do another take. I was using Pete Mendillo’s (Survivor, Savoy Brown) Recording Custom set. It reminded me of The Dregs in some ways, and I think Ann Adessa kills the vocal. Hotz wrote this song, and is playing guitar and bass.

This was an interesting situation. I used to have weekly jams at my house. The piano player on one of them was Maxine’s husband. Apparently she heard the rough recordings I made and wanted to use the band for this recording (which was done live in my studio) and a gig at Catalina’s Jazz Club here in Los Angeles.

Few people know I was the first drummer for Masters of Reality. I performed one gig at a club called The Lost Horizon in Syracuse NY in 1987. I passed on the next gig which was a showcase in NYC where Rick Rubin saw the band and signed them. Oh well. I thought the band was great and had cool songs, but I had just left a band after 8 years and was needing a break.

Vinnie Ludavico and I swapped gigs. He gave me his top 40 gig and took over the drum chair for MOR. All’s well that ends well, and it did, at least for me. The recording quality isn’t great, but you will hear a few tunes that ended up on their debut album, and the introductions. “We got a drummer now” Chris Goss gave everyone nicknames, mine was ‘Spiney’. In retrospect that was quite observant of him. 

Recorded sometime in 1990 or late 1989. The band ‘Free At Last’ was from Syracuse, NY. I played a rented DW set. Vocalist Jeff Gordon really stood out to me, still does. Great voice.