It's safe to say by now that Ill Logic has gone digital, after a long period of changing formats (changing in the mind is much harder than simply changing gear) and low creativity. But slowly some new tunes are coming up, and hopefully they'll actually go somewhere.... like MusicFest NW, for example.
Recent mixdowns (still in the incubation stage but mix-ready nonetheless) include "Rock the Casbah", "Jamabalaya" (the old Hank Williams tune), "Gamin' on Ya" by Parliament, and some Circus-Reggae I've been fooling with, one version of which includes Mr. Al Logic telling stories about his grandpa bringing drum machines over the Rockies in covered wagons back in the 1870s. We are currently looking into the uh, 'veracity' of his story.
The most peculiar aspect of the situation is that the word "veracity" used to be the noun form of "voracious" which implies fierceness. However, when DC-based news services refer to the "veracity" of an allegation, it simply means "truthfulness". They'll say, for example, that the Speaker is doubting the 'veracity' of the Whip's claims, but they wouldn't say the Whip were 'voraciously' claiming anything. Very strange.
This group was together for ten months and A.I. Logic produced a disc for us called 'Tropical Island Melodies', which was issued at Water In the Ditch 2001. We played a very good set on Saturday night at the event, and as ill logic goes, our best stuff didn't get recorded. We did a mix of originals
and covers. Among the covers: Foxey Lady, Outa Space (by Billy Preston), Helter
Skelter, and a theme from Star Wars crossed with Stairway to Heaven. Originals included: Strathmore, Seesaw, Cross-Country Yoga, Bluglio, and Keif Riffards. José
Carter, keyboards; Damon Rose, drums; Jim Cass, bass; Beth Weisman,
congas.
José Carter met Damon Rose when they worked the dish-pit at Café Zenon in Eugene, Oregon, in 1996. Damon's band Whut had been together for two years and was in an 'undoing' process that spring when the dishwashers began talking about altering physical reality through sound. By the end of summer, they began jamming together at Damon's studio (#3 space at Bill's Electric, Eugene), and invited bassist Dave Smith to come in. Once these three sat down and made noise, there was an undeniable change in the magnetic field of the area, and probably not just because of the aliens hiding behind the studio.
The first official Sunday Brunch Breakdown occurred in September 1996, at Damon's house on 11th Street in Eugene... on a Sunday, at about 1 pm. Drummer Alex Dunn added punctuation to the mix, and Graham Mote washed his psychobilly guitar licks through an effects pedal-board made out of a whiskey crate. Brunch consisted of donuts, Northern Lights incense, and Fossi Rosso, a versatile Italian red wine.
Over ten months in Eugene, the group ventured into subspace with enough regularity to get some good tapes of the seeming audio terror they created. The music affected everyone somehow; it couldn't be ignored. Sometimes the music became intense to a point where many people witnessed unusual phenomena during the shows, including apparitions, sounds of unknown origin, and housequakes. Often it terrified the audience, but there was always somebody who could 'see' what was happening, and wanted more (like guy who sang endlessly for "one more song" after the Halloween '96 set). After capturing some apocalyptic sessions in April 1997, all members of the group left town except José, who began to work with Ill Logic.
In 1999, the group, minus Alex, came back to Idaho for WITD, this time scheduled in mid-summer. Playing outdoors under the sun for several days inspired them to get the whole group together in November of the same year, in Eugene, for a few days of recording music to a digital system. From this came 'Slumple SkinSkin', the first SBB CD. Their performance at WITD 2000 was recorded to 4-track and mixed digitally into a limited-edition double-disc set specially made by Dave and Damon. Dave prepared a disc for WITD 2001 called 'Backcountry Livin' with music from New Year 2001.
After SBB dispersed, José went to work with producer/ad-minister Al "Ill" Logic in 1997. The first official tape was a concept from SBB which never solidified-- a tale of failed unionizing and technology replacing a workforce in the near future, entitled 'The Electric Dishwashing Potato Peeler'. The tape was released to friends only and for now has been shelved, though the master tapes are still radioactive.
The group had two different 'house bands' in Eugene and Portland, Oregon. In the Eugene band, the bass player was Dan Baker, Ph.D (a very fine player from Minneapolis), and the drum chair was first taken by Al Dunn, sometimes Ramin Hatami from Whut. Dave Sistanich was the guitarist in the Eugene and Portland bands, though for the first few months, he was co-piloting with Jim Cass from Whut. A bassist was never established for the Portland group, but some recordings from New Year 1999 with Dave Smith were included on the tape finished in September of that year, 'Eyenet'. Nate Nolan was the part-time drummer in Portland for nearly a year but did not appear on the tape.
After 'Eyenet', Carter and Logic decided they needed time to re-establish their sound, and unfortunately this included parting ways with Dave Sistanich. As a 'duo' they promptly began recording new material, writing on the fly, and within 9 months, 'The Think-Happener' was born. Carter released an EP-length disc at WITD called 'Dracula Waveform' with some tracks from 'Think-Happener'. For info on hearing some Ill Logic music or anything else listed here, EMAIL US or go to the Ill Logic Recordings Page.
Every summer for the last twenty or so years, Roger Johnson, Damon's dad, has had a big party at his farm right across the Oregon border in Wilder, Idaho. The party used to be in May, but after the SBB's attempts to play outdoors on a stage covered with old tarps, which were torn off by a storm during a powerful jam (details on the Paranormal Page), the party was moved to mid-summer, and the last two years have been wonderful, especially last year, when many of the musicians and good friends came out for a whole week and we had a funkin' good time. Soon I'll post some memos and hopefully pictures of WITD 2001, which was nearly the best one we've had yet, even though we didn't get many good recordings from it. We played so well that the tape machines wouldn't take it!
