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 Had a Friend lyrics 0:50 download listen locally - 1997-0?-??
2 Other Idea lyrics 1:07 download listen locally - 1997-0?-??
3 Other Idea Unveiled lyrics 0:49 download listen locally - 1997-0?-??
4 Even More Mindless lyrics 0:50 download listen locally - 1997-0?-??
5 Sicklick - 0:25 download listen locally - 1997-0?-??
6 Around the World lyrics 0:11 download listen locally - 1997-0?-??
7 Lost Parrot lyrics 2:54 download listen locally - 1997-0?-??
8 Throne lyrics 0:05 download listen locally - 1997-05-??
9 Thrown - 3:08 download listen locally - 1997-05-1?
10 Pondering - 2:03 download listen locally - 1997-05-1?
11 Worth Repeating lyrics 2:42 download listen locally - 1997-05-1?
12 Dead Honda lyrics 0:10 download listen locally - 1997-05-1?
13 Third Fret lyrics 0:30 download listen locally - 1997-0?-??
14 Got a Buzz lyrics 0:06 download listen locally - 1997-0?-??
15 Practice Reggae - 1:04 download listen locally - 1997-06-??
16 Practice Rite - 2:03 download listen locally - 1997-06-??
17 Dullaby - 1:37 download listen locally - 1997-06-??
18 Suspect - 3:02 download listen locally - 1997-06-??
19 Ghould - 2:24 download listen locally - 1997-06-??
20 Woof - 4:59 download listen locally - 1997-06-??
21 Dog Dreams - 6:50 download listen locally - 1997-06-??
22 Chasing the Buscuit - 6:33 download listen locally - 1997-06-??
23 Zippy - 0:41 download listen locally - 1997-06-??
24 Banging - 3:08 download listen locally - 1997-06-??
25 Bossanova Practice - 0:26 download listen locally - 1997-06-??
26 Accelereggae - 0:57 download listen locally - 1997-06-??
27 Bossanotsonova - 1:42 download listen locally - 1997-06-??
28 I Want to Buy a Drumset lyrics 1:43 download listen locally - 1997-06-??
29 12june1997 lyrics 0:06 download listen locally - 1997-06-12
30 Preparations - 0:59 download listen locally - 1997-06-??
31 Unleashed lyrics 2:55 download listen locally - 1997-06-??
32 Can't Go Dirge lyrics 2:32 download listen locally - 1997-06-??
33 Blame the Deck lyrics 0:02 download listen locally - 1997-06-??
Total 59:33 play all locally album rating:

Notes

In the Spring of 1997 I got accepted to graduate school. The meant I had to find a way to tell my employers that I would be leaving them. Luckily, I found a graceful exit from my job: "educational leave of absence". This meant I had a job waiting for me when I finished. Nice!

To make the transition from working world to academia even more fun, I decided to leave work a few months early so that I could devote the entire summer to travelling. My plan was to take a biking trip somewhere in Alaska.

I bounced back and forth between my apartment in Alexandria (where I had the acoustic guitar) and my parents' house in Charlottesville (which had the piano). At my apartment, I focused on packing and winding up my projects for work and Tripecac. At my parents' house, I started preparing for my trip (which included loading up my bike). I also bought a video camera, which resulted in a dearth of still pictures from that time; hence the weak cover photos.

This collection of piano and guitar ditties, exercises, and improvs captures those last few weeks in Alexandria. I was very happy to be leaving Northern Virginia (hopefully for good), but was anxious about the upcoming trip and grad school.

The music isn't as profane or abrasive as before, but it sometimes seems distracted and unfocused. I think I was using it theraputically rather than as a means of communicating. Overall, I think it's a decently listenable effort, though none of the songs stand out.

Note: The original tape cover said "March - June 1997", but I have another tape which says "April 1997", so I'm guessing that these songs were recorded in late April at the earliest.

Songs

Had a Friend

This is a kinda cute piano and vocal ditty about my family's pets (Woodie, Peta, Daffy). I recorded it while visiting my parents in Charlottesville.

Lyrics to "Had a Friend":

there once was a dog named woodie
and he had a friend named peta
and she had a friend named daffy
and she had a friend named me

there once was a dog named woodie
and he had a friend named peta
and she had a friend named daffy
and she had a friend named mom

there once was a girl named jessie
and she had a friend named rosie
and she had a friend named travis
and that boy is me

ugh
  

Other Idea

Kinda dumb piano idea.

Lyrics to "Other Idea":

here's that other idea i was working on
  

Other Idea Unveiled

This explains the chords in "Other Idea". Not that that song needed any more attention.

Lyrics to "Other Idea Unveiled":

here's the chords for that
it was simply e minor
to c
and then i think either
this could be either b minor or, or d
uh, d augmented
and then we go back to e minor
c
d augmented
and then uh
and then simply f major 7th
and then down to d minor
with a uh 7th and 9th
and then back to f major 7th
and then repeat
do something, try to add some tension
maybe add a 9th
and then you go back to e minor
very stupid
  

Even More Mindless

Trying to play punk/rock on piano. Hmm...

Lyrics to "Even More Mindless":

this one's even more mindless
rock
rock
rock
  

Sicklick

Sick-sounding cyclic licks. Get it? Short.

Around the World

I guess I was getting psyched about my upcoming travels. Too bad I didn't have enough stamina or creativity to stretch this song out a bit!

Lyrics to "Around the World":

aruond the world in a day
aruond the world in a day
  

Lost Parrot

I was back in Alexandria, and back on guitar. Singing about something that I have long since forgotten.

Lyrics to "Lost Parrot":

[scat]
what can't we play guitar
??? i wanna string? i wanna make a gun? ha ha ha
i'm living in the snow
i know where to go
???
living in the snow
we're out in the snow
we're out in the snow
trying to sound like syd barrett
but all i sound is just a parrot
  

Throne

My "throne" was the piano bench.

Lyrics to "Throne":

travis seats himself on his throne
  

Thrown

I was back down in Charlottesville, flailing away on piano again. There's a couple nice solo attempts in here, but lots of sloppiness. I had more enthusiasm than skill, which usually happens when I return to an instrument for the first time in months.

Pondering

The semi-interesting trills in the beginning segue into a boring piano dirge. Zzzzzz...

Worth Repeating

Silly song whose words of advice I have never been able to heed. The music is kinda decent. The lyrics are funny.

Lyrics to "Worth Repeating":

oooooh
not everything is worth recording
not everything is worth putting on tape
not everything is worth repeating
got blank media and i'm afraid to set an example
but the world

not everything is worth repeating
not everything is worth putting lyrics to
not everything is worth repeating
not everything is worth committing

especially this

not everything is worth repeating
not everything is worth repeating
not everything is worth repeating
not everything is worth repeating

not everything is worth putting sustain to
not everything is worth submitting someone to pain for
not everything is worth rep-
  

Dead Honda

My car's timing belt died when I was driving back home to Alexandria from visiting my parents in Charlottesville. The "funny" thing is that my dad had just been telling me that weekend that I should get the timing belt checked. What an annoying coincidence!

This "song" is my "live" commentary on what happened. It's "interesting". "Right"?

I have a video of the broken-down car. I haven't reviewed it yet, but I'm pretty sure the date was mid-May. Hopefully when I review it I will get an exact date. I'm guessing that the piano songs recorded right before came from that same week.

Lyrics to "Dead Honda":

i'm out in the middle of nowhere on 20
and the car's dead
it's 11:20
the battery's still there
it's just motor won't go
rpms are 0, it can't start it
strange
  

Third Fret

Simple guitar riff with an explanation. Short. This was the last bit of music I recorded I Alexandria. Sniff.

Lyrics to "Third Fret":

this is just um 2nd and 3rd strings hit the 3rd fret
  

Got a Buzz

I was remarking on my low alcohol tolerance. In the background is "Demian", from Tripecac's College Collection.

Lyrics to "Got a Buzz":

gotta buzz after one and a half
ha ha ha oh ain't that a laugh?
  

Practice Reggae

Back in Charlottesville. Back to boring riffs on piano. This one is supposed to be reggae, but I got bored so ruined it.

I'm guessing that this and the next several piano songs were recorded in June, after I had moved out of my Alexandria apartment and into my parents' house while preparing for my first Alaska trip.

Practice Rite

This reminded me of Julian Cope's "Rite" projects. It's okay.

Dullaby

I thought this sounded like a dull lullaby. Snore. Actually, it's kinda pretty at times. In a "snore" sort of way.

Suspect

I was trying to play "Suspect Device" by the Stiff Little Fingers, but, well... Now you know why I don't play cover songs.

Ghould

I think the title is a combination of ghoul and Gould. I was reading some science writing by Stephen Jay Gould. I don't know how the "ghoul" fits in. Maybe I thought the music sounded haunting? It doesn't. It's just repetitive and semi-trancy.

Woof

One of the dogs started barking towards the end, probably because someone was coming home. That's what gives the song its title.

What gives the song its annoying cheesiness? My brain, that's what!

Dog Dreams

I guess I had just seen one of the dogs' legs moving in his/her sleep. Time to write a song about it!

It's a decent mid-tempo improv, pretty at times, sloppy and/or boring at [most] other times. You can hear one of the dogs shaking its collar in the background.

Chasing the Buscuit

Chasing the bus / chasing the biscuit. Get it? I was getting read to take my first Alaska trip. My plan was to take a bus from Charlottesville to Bellingham, where I would catch the ferry to Alaska.

The music is repetitive and driving. Hmm. Driving. Get it???

Zippy

This song was named after the neighbors' little white dog, who was a real brat. It's very fast, blurry, and kinda annoying, just like Zippy.

Banging

This isn't as bad as the title. It actually has a nice melody to it. Relatively speaking. I doubt I could whip up something this tuneful today. I'm too old and boring now.

Bossanova Practice

This was my attempt at a bossanova pattern. Did I work? Don't know and don't care. Thankfully, the recording fades as quickly as my interest.

I'm pretty sure it was recorded on a different day than "Banging".

Accelereggae

This mindless reggae pattern accellerates. Wow, how neat! Not.

This was recorded on the same day as "Bossanotsonova".

Bossanotsonova

Another not-so-new sounding bossanova practice. Blech.

This was recorded on the same day as "Bossanotsonova".

I Want to Buy a Drumset

I was getting bored of the piano and my keyboard's fake drums, and was thinking about buying drums. Of course, I never did, because drums are incredibly loud, and most of the time I lived in apartments.

This song is okay. Par. In other words: pretty horrible. Its gets better towards the end, though.

I have a note that says this song was recorded before 1997-06-12.

Lyrics to "I Want to Buy a Drumset":

this is called "i want to buy a drumset"
  

12june1997

I'm not sure what other songs (if any) were recorded on this date.

Lyrics to "12june1997":

all right those are miscellaneous things 1997
today is the 12th of june 1997
and everything preceded that date
  

Preparations

This songs seems like mostly intro (preparation). As soon as the main theme gets started, the song quickly ends. The title refers to preparing for my first Alaska trip.

Unleashed

This song starts off slow and constrained but about 1/3 of the way speeds up and then turns into an improv. It felt like it was a dog that was "unleashed" and running wild.

Lyrics to "Unleashed":

1 2 3 4 hit it hit it uh uh uh uh
  

Can't Go Dirge

I guess I was worried that something would prevent me from going to Alaska. I don't remember what the threat was. Must not have been that serious.

The music is okay. The beginning is similar to "Peta and Woodie", which was recorded a few minutes, hours, or days later.

Lyrics to "Can't Go Dirge":

this is called my what if i can't go to alaska dirge
  

Blame the Deck

Final words. Blame the equipment!

Lyrics to "Blame the Deck":

i think this tape recorder's broken