albums
Sessions
1989 Master Practice 1
1989 The Party
1990 Master Practice 2
1990 Master Practice 3
1990 Master Practice 4
1991 Dead Practice 1
1992 Dead Practice 2
1992 Dead Practice 3
1992 Dead Practice 4
1992 The Floor Gig
1993 Stand Up Anchovies
1994 Super Studs Session
Compilations
1994 Complete Anchovies
2012 Anchovy Picks
  • Title: Anchovy Picks
  • Artist: Anchovies
  • Timespan: 1989-1994
  • Theme: trav's favorite Anchovies moments
  • Length: 78:15
  • Tracks: 17
  • Lyrics: 11
  • MP3s: 17 play all locally
  • Rating: (none) rate this album

Track List

# title lyrics time download listen started recorded rating
1 Anchovy Rock (2) - 3:13 download listen locally - 1989-12-21
2 All Blues (1) - 4:12 download listen locally - 1989-12-21
3 Fish Time (2) - 3:37 download listen locally - 1990-03-??
4 Christmas in Cancun (2) - 4:24 download listen locally - 1990-03-??
5 Canon (2) - 4:08 download listen locally - 1990-03-??
6 How Ya Is'n (2) lyrics 3:42 download listen locally - 1990-03-??
7 Anchovy Rock (3) - 3:24 download listen locally - 1990-0?-??
8 Fireflyz (1) lyrics 2:58 download listen locally - 1992-0?-??
9 Demian (2) lyrics 3:32 download listen locally - 1992-0?-??
10 Don't Disregard Me (1) lyrics 3:36 download listen locally - 1992-0?-??
11 Aren't You Sorry (2) lyrics 4:19 download listen locally - 1992-0?-??
12 Drizzle (1) lyrics 4:29 download listen locally - 1992-0?-??
13 Drizzle (3) lyrics 6:14 download listen locally - 1992-08-??
14 Anchovy Rock (Trav) lyrics 9:39 download listen locally - 1992-08-??
15 Drizzle (4) lyrics 7:05 download listen locally - 1993-01-??
16 Anchovy Rock (6) lyrics 5:57 download listen locally - 1993-01-??
17 Super Studs (4) lyrics 3:46 download listen locally - 1994-01-??
Total 78:15 play all locally album rating: (none)

Notes

These are my (Trav's) favorite Anchovies recordings, organized chronologically.

Better get the skip button ready!

Songs

Anchovy Rock (2)

This is a nice, fast version of our theme song. It sounds much more powerful than the one from the first practice.

All Blues (1)

This was written by Miles Davis. Jon transcribed it for us. It was years before I heard the original (on Kind of Blue).

I think Allen played bari sax, which means Anand was on drums. I was on mellophone, which is definitely not my most comfortable instrument. I also played a painful keyboard solo.

Fish Time (2)

My keyboards were mixed too loud. It sounds like they were connected directly to the tape deck. Ugh. Aside from that, and the sluggish playing, it's a decent version.

You can hear me clapping and counting in the background to keep Luke in time.

Christmas in Cancun (2)

Ahh, a nice clean version of my favorite Anchovies song. The mix sounds better than it did for "Fish Time (2)".

Unfortunately, the first couple notes of the song didn't get recorded; I don't remember why. I guess whoever was running the tape recorder (it couldn't have been been me since I was playing) was a little late.

Canon (2)

This seems faster and cleaner than the version we recorded at The Party. The drums (particularly the ride cymbals and toms) sound pretty cool.

How Ya Is'n (2)

The chorus is more established compared to the one at The Party. For some reason Jon didn't sing his two little parts. The solos are nice, though.

My vocals are light, not too worn out. I extended "his" a long time but didn't shriek it. Not a bad way to end our first [recorded] practice of 1990.

Lyrics to "How Ya Is'n (2)":

INTRO:
  and it goes a little something like this
  hit it!

VERSE 1:
  cruisin' down the street i got to the place
  where the weirdos hang out and i got my mace ready
  for an incident 'cause you never know
  what a blind quadroplegic morphodite might show you

  i kept my distance from the darkest alley
  where the schitzofrentic ninjas were having a rally
  i heard a noise and i spun around
  but couldn't [see who] made that sound

CHORUS:
  hey jon
  hey jon, how ya is'n?

VERSE 2:
  suddenly i saw what i really had feared
  worse than kleptomaniacs, he really was weird
  behind him was a trail of arms and legs
  he stuck out his tongue to show his underarms

  he said "you got a nice tan but i got a nice blue
  that's right, i'm a leper, you can be a leper too"
  i said, "god you're slimy" and walked my own way
  the guy was gross enough to finish my day

CHORUS:
  i said:
  hey jon, how ya is'n?
  hey jon, how ya is'n?

VERSE 3:
  i kept on walking to find my friend jon
  the leper had disappeared; i hoped he was gone
  i went to jon's place and he was waiting for me
  i was glad to be there, with a capital "e"

  i said, "hey jon, what's shaking?"
    [silence from Jon]
  i said "girlies!"
    [silence from Jon]

SOLOS

CHORUS:
  i said:
  hey jon, how ya is'n?
  hey jon, how ya is'n?

VERSE 4:
  i saw an ant by the side of the road
  beside him was a rabbit and a big fat toad
  i asked him to my house and see if he did
  he came instead with some friends of his
  

Anchovy Rock (3)

Wow, what energy! We rocket through our theme song. The only clunky part is the bridge, which was hard to play.

I mic'ed my keyboard, which helped preserve the live feeling of the mix. My vibe solo sounds distorted and cheesy, though. Can't win them all.

I only hear one sax. Where was Allen?

Fireflyz (1)

This was our debut of my swinging jazz song from College Collection. It sounds pretty lame with the canned drums; I think my Tripecac version sounds more lively.

Anand played the sax. I think this was the first time he played lead for us. I played the walking bass line with my left hand, and the piano sound in my right hand. I'm not sure what Luke did; maybe he just played the vibe solo?

It was very difficult to solo with my right hand while playing the bass with my left; that's probably why I said "oh no".

Lyrics to "Fireflyz (1)":

TRAV:
  oh no
  

Demian (2)

"Demian" actually sounded okay with the keyboard drums. This was more reggae than our version(s) with Jon.

Lyrics to "Demian (2)":

INTRO:
  this is take 3 demian, last time

VERSE:
  demian, the youth enlightened
  eva's sun who bares the mark
  satan's spawn, his simple shepherd
  savior of the light and dark

CHORUS:
  demian
  got hates you, demian
  but does he love you, demian?

  ok, here we go

  repeat
  ahhh
  

Don't Disregard Me (1)

I first wrote the lyrics back on 1988-01-26 for Trex. In 1992 I fit those lyrics to a completely different tune, which I arranged for the Anchovies.

This version is my favorite. The music is super-bouncy. It also contains the fantasy-themed third verse (the "punch line") which we later dropped.

Lyrics to "Don't Disregard Me (1)":

VERSE 1:
  will you understand me when i say i'm in a fit?
  my life is left in shambles and i feel like i maybe should quit
  will you still respect me when i ask for your advice?
  do you think you'll turn away or will you still be nice?

  the one thing that i ask of you is will you still love me?
  or will you just ignore me and pretend that you're feeling ill?
  if i'm turning left then must you always turn to the right?
  how long will you ignore me, keep me up so late at night?

CHORUS:
  please don't disregard me
  i goofed up but don't let this be the end
  please don't disconsider me
  i know you're hurt but try to stay my friend

VERSE 2:
  oh, i wonder if my courage failed when i first said "hello?"
  'cuz i forgot to tell you that they're something you really should know
  i get a little shy when there is something i must ask
  i thought you'd get upset when i must take away my mask

  go anand

  i'm not at all the guy you met when you first saw me blush
  i'm not so cool and more like a fool when it comes all in a  rush
  oh you were standing next to me when i happened to cough
  it was small at first but then it got worse and my head toppled off!

CHORUS:
  please don't disregard me
  i goofed up but don't let this be the end
  please don't disconsider me
  i know you're hurt but try to stay my friend

VERSE 3:
  oh everyone has his secrets that he keeps to his own self
  we all are different; no one's perfect as anyone else
  i must admit i hid it from you for a long, long time
  that i'm not really human - except maybe in my mind

  so don't you fret if i forget that you don't like surprise
  excuse me if i scare you when i'm taking out my eyes
  or if you see me washing off my heart with the above
  does not mean that i can't feel or that i cannot love

CHORUS:
  so don't don't don't disregard me
  i goofed up but don't let this be the end
  oh no, don't disconsider me
  i know you're hurt but try to stay my friend
  oh

  

Aren't You Sorry (2)

This is our first full version of "Aren't You Sorry". It's a vocal version of "Old Reggae Song", which we played before Jon joined us in 1989.

Luke and I did the vocals. We were a little negative about Jon, but not as bad as in Dead Practice 1.

The good news is the music. It's very bouncy. I was in the poppiest phase of my songwriting. Luke and Anand did a great job of bouncing along with me.

Lyrics to "Aren't You Sorry (2)":

CHORUS:
  aren't you sorry that you left jon, left jon?
  aren't you sorry that you left all this?
  the anchovies are not dead yet, dead yet
  we're not dead so suck on this

VERSE:
  jon you're a [censored]

CHORUS:
  aren't you sorry that you left jon, left jon?
  aren't you sorry that you left all this?
  the anchovies are not dead yet, dead yet
  we're not dead so suck on this

VERSE:
  jon you're a [censored]
  oh

CHORUS:
  aren't you sorry that you left jon, left jon?
  aren't you sorry that you left all this?
  the anchovies are not dead yet, dead yet
  so suck on this

VERSE:
  jon you're a idiot
  jon you're a putz
  jon you're a [censored]

BRIDGE:
  yuck
  allen foster on bass
  ??? on bass

CHORUS:
  aren't you sorry that you left jon, left jon?
  aren't you sorry that you left all this?
  the anchovies are not dead yet, dead yet
  bad choice, so suck on this

  left jon, left jon?
  left all this?
  left jon, left jon?
  left all this?

VERSE:
  jon suck on us
  

Drizzle (1)

This is the earliest recorded version of "Drizzle", which is a song that I later recorded for College Collage.

I wanted the music really moody, so I emulated The Cure.

This version crumbles at the end, and the lyrics are unfinished. However, there's a really nice texture here that we weren't able to recapture in later versions.

Lyrics to "Drizzle (1)":

[indistinct talking during early part]

VERSE:
  it was a night just like any other night
  but what is was ???
  it was playing hack
  ???
  oh, this is the ??? bridge
  

Drizzle (3)

I like this better than the Dead Practice 4 version. The sound quality is a little less muffled, and my vocals are more energetic, even a bit hyper. It even has a rare fourth verse.

The lyrics' "August" reference makes me think this practice was recorded in August.

Lyrics to "Drizzle (3)":

INTRO:
  this one is called drizzle

VERSE 1:
  it was a cold night in december
  he walked the steps all alone
  to the door, knowing that his friends were inside there
  and he stood (they're inside) on the porch (having fun)
  out in the cold

  here we go

VERSE 2:
  it was a wet afternoon in mid-april
  he locked his car and hurried though the rain
  all the raindrops they couldn't wash his tears away
  so he cried "let me in! let me in! let me in!
  i wanna be your friend again."

BRIDGE:
  it was a humid evening in july
  the band got together and played that night
  their music was loud and thick (thick!)
  they didn't need jon, had guitars and keyboards

  and crazy anand on the sax
  funky luke on the keys
  groovy trav on the bass
  what more did they need?
  yeah!

VERSE 4:
  it was a soft night in august
  the band was all huddled in the air conditioning down in the basement
  travis wished that jon could be here to hold his microphone
  but he ???
  he thought "they're not at home"
  

Anchovy Rock (Trav)

This is one of my favorite renditions of "Anchovy Rock". It's just me and my drum machine, live. It's not rock solid but it's got lots of really cool bits.

Lyrics to "Anchovy Rock (Trav)":

this is it

[scat]
  

Drizzle (4)

This is the final, live-drums version of "Drizzle". I rearranged it to fit my Tripecac version (on College Collage).

It's clumbsy as heck. The transitions to and from the reggae section are total clunkers. It's kinda funny, though.

I don't know what the phone call was. It sounds like one of us wasn't there, but I can't tell who. At times it sounds like there are three keyboards plus drums.

Lyrics to "Drizzle (4)":

???:
  it's so ???

TRAV:
  this is it
  we're recording actually
  not that it matters
  the anch--
  he's on his way

INTRO:
  aren't you sorry that you left jon, left jon?
  aren't you sorry that you left all this?
  the anchovies are not dead yet, dead yet

  1,2,3

CHANT:
  tell me jon, tell me jon:           whatcha gonna do?
  gotta tell me jon, tell me jon:     are ya feelin' blue?
  tell me jon, tell me jon:           you gonna cry too?
  you gotta tell me jon, tell me jon: whatsa matter you?

  tell me jon, tell me jon:           whatcha gonna do?
  gotta tell me jon, tell me jon:     are ya feelin' blue?
  tell me jon, tell me jon:           you gonna cry too?
  you gotta tell me jon, tell me jon: whatsa matter you?

VERSE:
  it was a cold night in december
  with a shiver and a tear and his saxophone he hurried through the rain (rain rain)
  down the steps, to the door, wondering if his friends were inside there
  so he knocked [knock knock] and he waited, but nobody came
  he could see them through the window, so he knocked again

CHANT:
  tell me jon, tell me jon:           whatcha gonna do?
  gotta tell me jon, tell me jon:     are ya feelin' blue?
  tell me jon, tell me jon:           you gonna cry too?
  you gotta tell me jon, tell me jon: whatsa matter you?

  tell me jon, tell me jon:           whatcha gonna do?
  gotta tell me jon, tell me jon:     are ya feelin' blue?
  tell me jon, tell me jon:           you gonna cry too?
  you gotta tell me jon, tell me jon: whatsa matter you?

VERSE:
  and on that cold night in december
  while the rain turned to sleet and then to snow
  the metal pads on his saxophone began to freeze (no pun intended)
  and the tears were running down his frozen nose

  the tears were running freely now
  does that make you feel sad?
  well, jon deserves no sympathy
  he's the one who left the band

CHANT:
  tell me jon, tell me jon:           whatcha gonna do?
  gotta tell me jon, tell me jon:     are ya feelin' blue?
  tell me jon, tell me jon:           you gonna cry too?
  you gotta tell me jon, tell me jon: whatsa matter you?

REGGAE:
  i'm bored, let's play some reggae
  drum fill
  chorus, chorus

  now you're feeling like a stupid idiot
  and now you're feeling a trifle left out
  you miss the fun times that we used to have
  and you miss the anchovies: al, anand, luke, and trav

  now you're feeling like a stupid idiot
  and now you're feeling a trifle left out
  you miss the good  times that we used to have
  used to have, used to have

  now you're feeling like a stupid idiot
  ??? second solo!
  you miss the good  times that we used to have
  and you miss the anchovies: al, anand, luke, and trav
  ???

  should we let jon in?
  no, keep playing!
  1,2,3,4

CHANT:
  tell me jon, tell me jon:           whatcha gonna do?
  gotta tell me jon, tell me jon:     are ya feelin' blue?
  tell me jon, tell me jon:           you gonna cry too?
  you gotta tell me jon, tell me jon: whatsa matter you?

  tell me jon, tell me jon:           whatcha gonna do?
  gotta tell me jon, tell me jon:     are ya feelin' blue?
  tell me jon, tell me jon:           you gonna cry too?
  you gotta tell me jon, tell me jon: whatsa matter you?

  1,2,3,4

VERSE:
  it was a la la la la... in april (in april, in april...)
  la la la la ... pouring rain
  la la la la ...
  let me in! let me in!
  please, please, let me in!
  please, please, please, please... let me in

  i wanna be your friend again

TRAV:
  okay, take two

ANAND:
  i wanna hear that first

TRAV:
  you wanna hear that?!?
  

Anchovy Rock (6)

This was our final version of our theme song, "Anchovy Rock". This one had three keyboard parts and vocals!

We switched parts (and tempos) in the middle of it. I moved from keyboard to drums. From what we were saying, it sounds like Allen was initially on drums. I don't hear Anand at all, so I'm guessing he had left by this point.

Lyrics to "Anchovy Rock (6)":

TRAV/LUKE:
  anchovy rock
  anchovy rock...

TRAV:
  anchovy rock
  anchovy rock
  here's allen with his vocal solo
  say something, allen

ALLEN:
  anchovy rock
  anchovy rock...

TRAV?
  ???

ALLEN:
  i can't --
  i can't sing and syncopate at the same time

TRAV:
  luke, wanna play the bass?

LUKE:
  i'll see what i can do

TRAV:
  allen, you and i can switch positions

ALLEN:
  anchovy rock
  anchovy rock
  let's see if travis can sing and play at the same time

TRAV:
  nothing
  ??? transition, wasn't it?

ALLEN:
  yeah it was

TRAV:
  wooh!
  ok, that's better
  yo, ok
  allen, can you turn down the, uh
  yes, that one
  travis is a pro

ALLEN:
  what key is this?

TRAV:
  it's e

ALLEN/TRAV:
  anchovy rock
  anchovy rock...

TRAV:
  anchovy rock
  anchovy rock...
  here's allen

ALLEN:
  ??? rock
  ???

TRAV:
  here, allen
  you fiddle with the ??? with the reverb box
  makes the voice do all sorts of fun stuff

ALLEN:
  no delay, no reverb
  there it is
  ???

TRAV:
  now here's luke with his vocal solo

LUKE:
  ???

ALLEN:
  the funky polka
  funny, this amp looks like the one from the band room

TRAV:
  this is stand up anchovies
  here's allen foster with his jokes for the night

ALLEN:
  what do you call a blonde with brain cells?
  pregnant
  

Super Studs (4)

This is the final version, which I included on the tape version of The Hermit (my 1994 Tripecac album). Luke wasn't there, but Allen was. We changed the lyrics to include Allen in the story.

We recorded direct line-ins this time. The difference in sound quality is enormous. I also added more sounds to the backing music.

This was the last thing we ever recorded together, and probably the last time more than two of us were in the same room together; after that we scattered to different states and countries.

It's interesting how the last words are "I'm free". I guess I was, for better or worse.

Lyrics to "Super Studs (4)":

TRAV:
  ??? speakers

VERSE: [Anand]
  it was a saturday, people walking around
  'cause it was christmas time and there was shopping going down
  there was one old lady who was walking really slow
  dressed in a scarf that covered her from head to toe

  she walked so slow like she was going in reverse
  a guy ran by her and then he took off with her purse
  she screamed for help but no one could hear
  the guy kept running and figured he was in the clear

CHORUS: [Anand, and then Allen+Travis]
  super studs, they call us, heroes of the day
    (heroes of the day)
  super studs, they call us, but the robber got away
    (but the robber got away)
  super studs, they call us, and they've never heard us play
    (and they've never heard us play)
  super studs, they call us, we made the old lady go away
    (go away!)

VERSE: [Anand]
  all of a sudden, caught by surprise
  the guy was tackled by four extremely good-looking guys
  it was the anchovies: allen, anand, travis, and luke
  the guy was so scared he gave up the purse and then he puked

CHORUS: [Anand, and then Allen+Travis]
  super studs, they call us, heroes of the day
    (heroes of the day)
  super studs, they call us, but the robber got away
    (but the robber got away)
  super studs, they call us, and they've never heard us play
    (and they've never heard us play)
  super studs, they call us, we made the old lady go away
    (go away!)

VERSE: [Allen]
  they walked back up the mall and returned the purse
  the lady was so happy that she asked them to sing a verse
  nando was the drummer, luke and allen couldn't sing
  but travis went first with some lyrics that he had to wing

BRIDGE: [Trav]
  oh, it's colder than a popsicle
  so pardon me if i don't carry your groceries
  but i like your checkered socks, ma'am
  okay, that's enough, gramma, get out of my face!

  i gave a little push and her legs gave way
  she hit the ground will a yell of pain
  anand and luke got their butts out of there
  but i ran too slow; the cops put me in jail

CHORUS: [Anand, and then Allen+Travis]
  super studs, they call us, heroes of the day
    (heroes of the day)
  super studs, they call us, but the robber got away
    (but the robber got away)
  super studs, they call us, and they've never heard us play
    (and they've never heard us play)
  super studs, they call us, we made the old lady go away
    (go away!)

VERSE: [solo]
  solo
  good solo!
  take it all on!
  we're out of lyrics
  ad lib

CHORUS: [Anand, and then Allen+Travis]
  super studs, they call us, heroes of the day
    (heroes of the day)
  super studs, they call us, but the robber got away
    (but the robber got away)
  super studs, they call us, and they've never heard us play
    (and they've never heard us play)
  super studs, they call us, we made the old lady go away
    (go away!)

VERSE: [Anand]
  sunday, travis was still sitting in jail
  we checked our pockets but couldn't come up with the bail
  we tried to plan a way to get travis home
  we sent out allen to bust travis on his own

TRAV:
  and what to my wondering eyes should appear
  but allen in his honda

ALLEN:
  blue honda

TRAV:
  blue honda
  i said "allen, my pal, whatcha doin' here?"
  and he said

ALLEN:
  trav, i set the t-n-t
  in 30 seconds you'll be free

CHORUS: [Anand, and then Allen+Travis]
  super studs, they call us, heroes of the day
    (heroes of the day)
  super studs, they call us, but the robber got away
    (but the robber got away)

  super studs, they call us, and they've never heard us play
    (and they've never heard us play)
  super studs, they call us we made the old lady go away

TRAV:
  i'm free!