albums
Compilations
2012 Casio Picks
2012 Piano Picks
2012 Acoustic Picks
2012 Electric Picks
2013 Trex Video
Childhood (1974-90)
1977 Firsts
1978 Seconds
1985 Cacappella
1986 Eye Beater
1987 Guitarded
1988 Kim 1
1988 Kim 2
1988 Kim 3
1988 Kim 4
1988 Kim 5
1988 Kim 6
1988 Kim 7
1988 Kim 8
1988 Kim 9
1988 Kim 10
1988 Kim 11
1988 Kim 12
1989 Kim 13
1989 Five Dollar Drummer
1989 Wino Three Girls
1990 A Caustic Gutter
1996-1999
1996 NoVaSoCa
1996 Fullerton
1997 Soundtracks
1997 Walk Around
1997 Riding the Greyhound
1999 I Mowed
1999 Simulameous
1999 Yikes
1999 Piano Farte
2000-2008
2001 Marathon
2001 Days Like These
2001 Alcan Back
2001 Sleepy Sloppy
2001 Dad Day Jam
2002 Unfit
2002 The Key of G
2003 Daffy Day
2003 Januweary
2003 Post-Key
2003 Fatiguitar
2003 Oh No
2005 Waiting
2005 Sun Strike
2006 Stinky Room
2006 Schtupid
2007 Coy Pun
2007 Post-Ides
2007 Post-Ideas
2007 Post-Ideals
2007 Warble
2007 Another Same Day
2007 And Another
2007 Bald Ballads
2007 Lunch Broken
2007 Mayo
2007 Mayon
2007 Mayonandon
2007 Mayoff
2007 Juneo
2007 Juneon
2007 Juneonandon
2007 Two Song Rule
2007 Cavy Fury
2007 Infinity Daze
2007 Fall Start
2007 False Tart
2007 Fall End
2008 New Ear
2008 Decadend

Track List

# title lyrics time download listen started recorded rating
1 Coconuts lyrics 6:08 download listen locally - 1988-01-29
2 Sunset Intro lyrics 1:04 download listen locally - 1988-01-30
3 Sunset - 8:13 download listen locally - 1988-01-30
4 Sunset Midtro lyrics 2:08 download listen locally - 1988-01-30
5 Sunset 2 lyrics 0:53 download listen locally - 1988-01-30
6 Sunset 3 lyrics 2:41 download listen locally - 1988-01-30
7 The Big Waste lyrics 25:36 download listen locally - 1988-02-03
8 One Thing lyrics 6:58 download listen locally - 1988-02-24
9 Let Me Go Revive lyrics 4:47 download listen locally - 1988-02-24
10 Confession lyrics 11:16 download listen locally - 1988-02-24
11 Rusting lyrics 4:55 download listen locally - 1988-0?-??
12 Cemetary Flowers - 5:00 download listen locally - 1988-0?-??
Total 79:39 play all locally album rating:

Notes

This next batch of songs for my cousin Kim is a real mess. It was recorded in January and February 1988.

The January songs are disappointingly sloppy and boring, with no writing or inspired moments. "The Big Waste" is a huge messy improv, but the rest of the February songs have some catchy and pretty moments.

Songs

Coconuts

This is a very dumb reggae song about tropical fruit. It's sloppy and mindless.

Lyrics to "Coconuts":

hooray reggae, hooray reggae, hooray reggae
hooray
hooray
hooray
hooray

coconuts
pineapple
tropical
fruit we eat

coconut
pineapple
tropical
fruit that we eat

coconut is good for us
coconut is good
coconut is good to drink
cocogut is good

pineapple is good for us
pineapple is good
pineapple is good for us
good to drink

coconut is good for us
and so is pineapple

tropical fruit
the root
is the tropical fruit
the root
is the tropical

coconut
pineapple
tropical fruit
at the root

coconut mile
and pineapple juice
fruit

coconut coconut
coconut
coconut
coconut

coconut
coconut
coconut
it's fruit mon

coconut
coconut
coconut
coconut fruit
it's at the root
coconut fruit
it's at the root
coconut fruit
at the root
coconut fruit
  

Sunset Intro

I was talking about my very first band, which was with Kush and Lav Batra. We ended up playing once or two, and recorded a reggae song which made fun of one of our teachers. Unfortunately, I don't have that recording. I think at that point the Batra brothers had a bass and a guitar; I guess drums were too expensive?

Lyrics to "Sunset Intro":

hello, are you there
of course you are
this is a song called sunset
and i wrote this morning before playing basketball with my father
today is january 30th 1988
i'm trying to get a job so that i can get money
that's the main idea of getting a job
and with that money i want to buy equipment
that i can record better songs
and so that i can buy different instruments and stuff
and i'm also getting 2 of my friends who are born on the same day as me
and we're gonna have a band called the triplets
but they can't work until this summer
and one of them, lav batra, he wants play drums
and his brother kush wants to play bass
and i'll play keyboard
and i have no idea how it's gonna work out
but it'll be in the summer when they get money
and i'm trying to get a job right now
so i want to have a head start and
they don't have any musical talent right now
so you can't expect all that much
and they're gonna be starting from scratch
so this song is called sunset
but it's also called starting from scratch
and here it is
  

Sunset

This is a slow and boring piano song. The chords are very cheesy.

Sunset Midtro

More babbling about my plans for the band with Kush and Lav. And air.

Lyrics to "Sunset Midtro":

it's 9:14 and i hear air
air, leave
man, i hear air
i'm sorry, air is driving me crazy
can't you hear air
and i hate air
i hate it so much
that was sunset
and now you know how i can scre things up
hello, hello
my name is travis
my name is travis
and i live in a house
wooh
well, i gotta go
i'm gonna pig out 'cause nobody else is here
party time
i recorded something on tv about how to play reggae
and i'm gonna watch that
i'm gonna try to teach kush and lav how to play it
i dream about the day when my music actually is decent
no, i'm kidding
i never dream about that because i can't imagine that
you're only dreaming about what you can imaine, right?
well, anyways i will get a job
anyways, i got a little anxious when your letters were a bit late
but nothing against you, it was just against the world
ha ha, god, cliche
just my health teacher, full of cliches, eww
i'm not full of cliches, am i?
my tapes to you got mailed today
the one with guy in the middle cannot solve this riddle
so we so we so we... so we play in the rain
and land of hunger
and then the other one where i talk the whole last side
god what a waste
daffy get out
daffy
want to talk to daffy?
say something
daffy's very talkative
i choked her
that's why she can't say anything
she can't breathe
i'm so cruel
i'm kidding
oh god
i have a headache because i messed up on the piano so much
i'm so crazy about reggae that people think i'm crazy
anyways
if i say that once more i'm gonna choke myself like i do daffy
i'm driving myself crazy, bye
i just hope that when i get my band going
that we will actually be a band and we will work together
not competing against one another
that's the worst thing
well that's not the worst thing
the worst thing is having a girl in the band
psyche
well actually girls probably cooperate a lot better
than some of the friends i have
the next song is gonna be sunset 2
and there's not gonna be enough time for it
but i'll play it
  

Sunset 2

This is a keyboard version of "Sunset", which was awful. For some reason, I thought it was too fast.

Lyrics to "Sunset 2":

this is the same song
except on the keyboard

god that sounds terrible
let me slow it down, have a totally different rhythm
  

Sunset 3

This is slower and more boring. The vocals are very accurate.

Lyrics to "Sunset 3":

yeah
god

how many times will i mess this song up
i'll never get it perfect, never get even close
how many times will i murder this song
how many times will i forget the notes

must i always screw up this song
must i make it so long and so boring
why oh why must i have such a bland voice
why is my father snoring

why is he asleep
are my songs really that dull?
don't answer that because i know i know
god, yes they're dull
  

The Big Waste

This is a very long, slow, sloppy improv that consumed the entire second side of the tape (45 minutes). I've edited out around 20 minutes of it (most repetition), but kept all the main parts so that you can get an opportunity to hear my "powers" of improvisation at their rawest.

I think I played just about every instrument in my reach.

Lyrics to "The Big Waste":

[yelling]
little frustration there
travis on trumpet
here we go
travis on trumpet
he's not even warmed up
he's just gonna pick it up and play
if i can find it
where is it
the trumpet
barf
hit it
dance, come on everybody rock
yeah
ow, there goes my teeth
wooh
let's hear it for travis
wooh
more, encore, encore
let's hit it
wooh
wooh
wooh
travis on french horn coming up
my god, he's on a roll, hit it
wooh
wooh
frustrated
[scat]
wooh
travis emmitt on the french horn, how about that
applause, applause, applause, wooh, wooh
wow ???
travis emmitt on guitar
[scat]
let's just start with this
let's just start
let's just
let's just listen to this and see if i got it
oh my god, it's been a while since i've played guitar
forget it, i'm hanging up the guitar right now
yes, i am that bad
well next we have travis emmitt on --
um on, on thingagmajig
this is called the thingagmajig
and that's exactly what it is, don't argue
oh
do i need like a penny or something
forget it
ok that was travis on the whatamajig, wooh
now we have travis humming
thanks for kneeling on the keyboard, travis
you're welcome, travis
travis on keyboard, that's a thought
see, let me, let me see how well the drums sound with this
forget it, forget it, just forget it, forget it, forget it, forget it
come on, equipment, cooperate
it will take a lot for me to call this a wrap
especially if you keep up this cr--
[screaming]
all right i'm bored
out comes the mousse
great, super
now if that drops on the keyboard, i will kill it
but i don't think it will
mousse
what else
it's gonna drop, it's gonna drop, it's gonna drop
let's see if i can catch it before it hits the keyboard
ready
great oh great, oh, sick
man i got a mess to clean up here
it's all over the on-off switch
sick
oh no my hands are sticking to the keyboard
psyche
oh 1 2 3 1 2 3
oh that's sad
so in order to demonstrate our frustration
i will wipe the mousse off the microphone
what's left of it
the rest is on the keyboard
which i'm not gonna clean up because i don't
oh great you know what i did
i just flicked it and it's all over my dresser now
great, sick, sick, disgusting
i'm just blowing it off the mic
god
you want me to try to taste some of it?
no way
um what can i do?
[scat]
i bet you didn't expect that
i didn't
[scat]
hello
i like you to know
that i am alone
you can record over this tape if you want
'cause it sucks
that's the gentlest i can put it
it is almost 8; it's 7:46
what a way to waste the tape, don't complain, you can record right over it
what a way to waste the tape, you can record right over it
what a way to waste the tape, but you can record right over it
what a way to waste the tape, record right over it
what a way to waste the tape
what a way
what a way
what a way to waste the tape, you can record over it
what a way to waste the tape, you can record over it
ow [scat]
what a way to waste the tape, but you can record right over it
ow
what a way to waste the tape, but you can record right over it
what a way to waste the tape, and you can record right over it
what a way to waste the tape, but you can record right over it
what a way to waste the tape, but you can record right over it
what a way to waste the tape, but you can record right over it
what a way to waste the tape, but you can record right over it
what a way to waste the tape, you can record right over it
oh god
what a way to waste the tape, what a way to waste the tape
what a way to waste the tape, but you can get right
oh wait a minute
you'll get over it
you'll get over it
you'll get over it
you'll get over it
what a way to waste the tape, what, what a
i screwed up so sue me
what a way to waste the tape, you can record right over it
if you want to, if you really want to
if you need to, if that's what you want to do in life
oh wow [scat]
you can record right over it
you can record right over it
you can record
[scat]
funny
it's not funny
it's not funny
it's not funny
it's not funny
it's not funny
wooh, wooh, wooh
god
i have some energy
what a way to waste the tape, but you can record right over it
oh wait, not much time left
pbbbt
just had to do that
something about mousse on a microphone just makes me crazy
crazy
what a way to waste the tape, but you can record right over it
today is february 3rd 1988
  

One Thing

Yet another stab at teen insecurity. Yawn. It's almost catchy in parts, but very repetitive and sloppy. At least the lyrics aren't about death. And the solo isn't too bad. However, overall, it beats a not-so-clever horse to death.

I won't win any hearts with this clunker.

Lyrics to "One Thing":

1 2 3 4

i feel i will never change
i will always be the same
i feel i will never change
i will always be the same

oh things will just not work
i will remain a stupid jerk
oh things will just not work
i will remain a stupid jerk

i feel i will never change
i will always be the same
i feel i will never change
i will always be the same

there will never be the connection between me and love
i don't even believe that there's a heaven up above
there will never be the connection between me and love
i don't even believe that there's a heaven up above

one thing that i don't know
is there gonna be a friend that loves me so?
one thing that i don't know
is there gonna be a friend that loves me so?

i feel i will never change
i will always be the same
oh things will just not work
i will remain a stupid jerk

i feel i will never change
i will always be the same
i feel i will never change
what a shame

there will never be the connection between me and love, me and love
i don't even believe that there's a heaven above, a heaven above
one thing that i don't know
is there gonna be a friend that loves me so?
one thing that i don't know
is there gonna be a friend that loves me so?

one thing that's will i change?
will my life be turned around and rearranged?
one thing how do i start?
is my music what it takes to win your heart?

one thing how do i start?
is my music what it takes to win your heart?
is my music what it takes to win your heart?

is my music what it takes to
music what it takes to win your heart
is my music what it takes to
is my music what it takes to win your heart?

oh i feel i will never change
i will always be the same
oh i feel i will never change
i will always be the same

oh things will just not work
i will remain a stupid jerk
oh things will just not work
i will remain a stupid jerk

one thing that i don't know
is there gonna be a friend that loves me so?
one thing that's will i change?
will my life be turned around and rearranged?

hey one thing, that is how do i start
is my music what it takes to win your heart?
is my music what it takes to win your heart?
is my music what it takes to win your heart?

is my music what it takes to
music what it takes to win your heart?
is my music what it takes to
is my music what it takes to win your heart?

i feel i will never change
i will always be the same
oh things will just not work
i will remain a stupid jerk

oh one thing that i don't know
is there gonna be a friend that loves me so?
one thing that is will i change?
will my life be turned around and rearranged?

one thing, how do i start
is my music what it takes to win your heart?
is my music what it takes to win your heart?
is my music what it takes to
win your heart
win your heart
win your heart

music what it takes to
oh is my music what it takes to win your heart?
music what it takes to
is my music what it takes to win your heart?
  

Let Me Go Revive

This is a dumb semi-religious song. Double yawn. It sounds suspiciously like the previous song ("One Thing").

I later reused some of these lyrics for "I Do Care".

Lyrics to "Let Me Go Revive":

wooh

i'm not a messiah
come and run with me and you'll find my flaw
my life is in the hands of jah
i trust to living with the higher one

i tell you that i'm leaving and you start to cry
but my mind is made up and the decision is mine
i'm going on a journey before i die
i'll be talking with jah, our god so high

so let me go, let me go, let me go talk with jah
oh let me go, let me go, let me go cleanse my soul

it's my day of judgement and i've got to be true
so please let me go; i don't mean to hurt you

so let me go, let me go, let me go talk with jah
oh let me go, let me go, let me go cleanse my soul

  [repeat bits of the above]

oh let me go, here i go
run and talk with jah so cleanse my soul
let me go, let me go
i will run and talk with jah so i can cleanse my soul

let me go, here, here i go
i will run and talk with jah so i can cleanse my soul
let me go, here i, here i go
i will run and talk with jah and cleanse my soul
  

Confession

This is a long, slow, melodic song which starts as an instrumental. It sounds very cool coming after the monotony of the previous songs. It was recorded late at night (11:52pm according to my notes).

The lyrics again revisit the themes of teen angst and "Jah". I was listening to lots of reggae at the time. The funny (but not so ha ha) thing is that this song sounds nothing like reggae. It's more like semi-cheesy, jazzy slow rock. I really like the vibe, though.

Lyrics to "Confession":

with every loss, there is a gain
when tears are falling like the falling rain
when you find there is no way to ease the pain
you've got to learn to play the game

you've got to get yourself together
just got to pull yourself together
you've got to move yourself together
you've got to force yourself together

it's for the good of you, it's for the good of all
it's to show your love, your love for jah
confess your sins, tell me what you saw
and he'll forgive your every flaw

just get yourself together
just pull yourself together
you've got to move yourself together
and you've got to force yourself together

you've got to get yourself together
just pull yourself together
you've got to move yourself together
you've got to force yourself together
  

Rusting

This is a very cheesy instrumental. The most interesting thing about it is the moment of silence in the middle. That's my favorite part.

I don't know when I recorded it.

Lyrics to "Rusting":

what a monster
  

Cemetary Flowers

The end of the tape cut this song in half. The first half is slower, but more soothing. The second had the chord changes in double-time, which was too fast for my clumbsy fingers (and brain). I stiched the two parts together, so you can't hear the break. But the song still feels a bit schitzo. And cheesy. Very, very cheesy.