albums
Underway
2023 Battle of the E-Bands
2006 Wonday
Compilations
1993 Songs to Sleep By
1997 Songs to Sleep By 2
2002 Sunday Sampler
2002 Dad's Picks
1999 Mix 1 (sy55)
2010 Mix 2 (triton vocal)
2010 Mix 3 (triton instr.)
SY55
1991 Archives
1992 College Collection
1993 College Collage
1994 The Hermit
1997 Where's My Muse
1999 South or Southeast
Triton
2001 In the Margins
2002 Renewal
2002 Re-treat
2002 Convenience
2002 Back Up
2003 So So
2003 So On
2003 So Long
2003 Baby Steps
2003 Baby Talk
2004 Schmocial
2004 Brroom
2004 Chuckadee
2004 Disco Hike
2004 Extra Extra
2005 Coma Pill
2005 Ourboretum
2005 Jaminy
2005 Padden Drift
2005 Gorilla Love
2005 Aminals
2005 Vegibles
2006 Fruitine
2006 Dignored
2006 Miner
2006 Mouseculine
2006 Yata
2007 Zipit
2007 Sixawon
2007 Halfdosin
2007 Whatcom Home
2008 What Roses
2008 Pho Kit
2008 Composed Pile
2009 Decomposed Pie
2009 Swaddlicious
2010 Lost Train
Soft Synths
2011 Out the Margins
2011 Redebut
2011 Reprogression
2012 Working Progress
2013 Tripico
2014 Aerosol Concrete
2015 Reduced to Clear
2016 Motions
2017 The Walking Dad
2018 Mockolate
2019 Still Testing
2020 Slow Wins Teddy
  • Title: College Collection
  • Artist: Tripecac
  • Timespan: 1992
  • Theme: sophomoric sy55
  • Length: 76:15
  • Tracks: 30
  • Lyrics: 21
  • MP3s: 29 play all locally
  • Rating: (none) rate this album

Track List

# title lyrics time download listen started recorded rating
1 You Run lyrics 4:28 download listen locally - 1992-02-19 (none)
2 Hard One - 3:34 download listen locally - 1992-02-19 (none)
3 Aspirin lyrics 1:29 download listen locally - 1992-02-20 (none)
4 Work It Out lyrics 3:00 download listen locally - 1992-02-27 (none)
5 Anchovy Rock - 2:57 download listen locally - 1992-02-28 (none)
6 Ten Thousand Intros lyrics 1:38 download listen locally - 1992-04-08 (none)
7 Ten Thousand Dogs lyrics 2:50 download listen locally - 1992-04-08 (none)
8 Bari Intro - 0:45 download listen locally - 1992-04-08 (none)
9 Pillary lyrics 1:49 download listen locally - 1992-04-08 (none)
10 Procrastinate Intro lyrics 0:46 download listen locally - 1992-04-08 (none)
11 Procrastinate lyrics 2:29 download listen locally - 1992-04-08 (none)
12 Procrastinate Instrumental - 2:29 download listen locally - 1992-04-08 (none)
13 Not a Day of Rest lyrics 3:42 download listen locally - 1992-04-13 (none)
14 Hit It lyrics 0:02 download listen locally - 1992-04-17 (none)
15 Better Off Live lyrics 2:15 download listen locally - 1992-04-17 (none)
16 Demian lyrics 3:20 download listen locally - 1992-04-20 (none)
17 Voice Mail lyrics 1:30 - - - 1992-05-05 (none)
18 The Dairy Poops lyrics 3:42 download listen locally - 1992-05-05 (none)
19 Coming Home - 2:05 download listen locally - 1992-05-05 (none)
20 No No No Instrumental - 1:56 download listen locally - 1992-05-05 (none)
21 Fireflyz Intro lyrics 0:18 download listen locally - 1992-05-06 (none)
22 Fireflyz - 3:14 download listen locally - 1992-05-06 (none)
23 Smoke and Choke lyrics 4:43 download listen locally - 1992-09-17 (none)
24 Baby Beth lyrics 3:55 download listen locally - 1992-09-28 (none)
25 Early Release lyrics 4:31 download listen locally - 1992-11-01 (none)
26 African Roots - 1:39 download listen locally - 1992-11-15 (none)
27 Drizzle lyrics 6:25 download listen locally - 1992-12-01 (none)
28 Christmas in Cancun 2 lyrics 3:50 download listen locally - 1992-12-25 (none)
29 End Chatter 1992 lyrics 0:38 download listen locally - 1992-09-28 (none)
30 Reverse Drums - 0:16 download listen locally - 1992-12-25 (none)
Total 76:15 play all locally album rating: (none)

Notes

I recorded these songs in 1992, during my first two years of college. "Early Release", "African Roots", "Drizzle", and "Christmas in Cancun 2" were recorded at the end of the year; they originally appeared on 1993's College Collage. For chronological and space reasons, I moved them here.

The music is poppy, but the lyrics are usually juvenile, with occasional crudeness and profanity. I guess I felt that since I was at college, away from my parents' eyes and ears, I could say whatever I wanted. What I didn't realize is that over the years my parents would become the primary listeners to Tripecac... my main audience. Nowadays, I wince at this albums' lyrics but enjoy the music.

My main instrument was a Yamaha SY55 keyboard workstation. I also added a Roland TR-505 drum machine on some of the songs. I synced the drum machine to the keyboard via MIDI cables. This was my only use of MIDI until 2000, when I got into computer-based recording.

I still used a mixer (rather than a 4-track back then. I recorded the keyboard, drum machine, and vocals simultaneously. I also used a cheap reverb box on some of the later tracks; that was my only effects box for the next 8 years.

Here's a scan of the original tape cover (from 1992):

College Collection tape cover

Participants

Name Performed Wrote
Travis Emmitt Yamaha SY55, Roland TR-505, vocals all music and lyrics except where noted

Songs

You Run

This is a remake of a song I first recorded in 1990 (see Trex's "You Run (demo)"). The verses are straight from an ex-girlfriend's break-up letter. It's the same "joke" that I used on "All My Love", although this time the words are more vehement (and self-important). The music isn't as gleeful and melodic, so it's not as funny and memorable (in my opinion).

I still think it's interesting, though. Here was this "scathing" criticism that was supposed to humble me and martyrize the girl... but I added a little poppy background music and suddenly her letter becomes a joke. If anything, her words (in the context of this song) make me look like a strategic studmuffin and her a gullible, melodramatic, yappy-dog. To a 17/19 year old boy, this power to "deflect" someone's words through music (turning punches into punch-lines) was extremely appealing. It still is, but nowadays, I'm a little more sensitive. A little.

For this 1992 version, I got my friend Sachin to read the letter. I sped up his voice to make him sound [more] like a girl. I wrote and sang the chorus. The distortion is pretty bad, but I'm guessing that it's the lyrics that'll make you wince more! :)

Lyrics to "You Run":

VERSE:
  travis, you told me a bunch of lies, and shoveled a whole lot of sh*t
  well, here's the truth; i've kind of pieced it together

  one:
  you never cared
  you just asked me to go with you because you knew i'd say yes

  two:
  you couldn't handle the commitment
  you wanted the benefits without the responsibility
  relationships don't work that way

  three:
  you got bored, so you mess around with liz, my former best friend
  then you thought,
  "hey, i don't need to be going with liz to be able to mess around with her"
  so you dumped me
  you just don't know what you're missing

  four:
  why didn't you tell me the truth?
  i've figured that out, too
  you wanted to save your and liz's reputations
  well, i guess i got forgotten
  travis, you can shovel more sh*t than anyone else i know

CHORUS:
  your life is a misery
  sloshing like a pig in self pity
  you just want to get away
  you've got nothing to say
  hey hey, hey hey!
  so you run

VERSE:
  you've taught me a lesson
  you cannot trust anyone but yourself
  thanks for the lesson
  i will never forget it
  just like i'll never forget what you and liz did to me

  i once stood up for you
  when you dumped me, people called you names
  but now, i just agree

CHORUS:
  your life is a misery
  so why do you blame it on me?
  you just wanna be left alone
  your tears are your home; you're all alone
  so you run
  so you run
  hit it trav! get funky now!

CHORUS: [synth solo]
  with the bass!
  come on, now!
  funky bass!
  run away! run away! run away! run away!
  run away! run away! run away! run away!
  run away! run away! run away! run away!
  oh!

CHORUS:
  your life is a misery
  you're sloshing like a pig in your self pity
  you just want to get away
  you've got nothing to say
  hey hey, hey hey!
  so you run
  so you run
  so you run
  so you run

VERSE: [keyboard solo]

VERSE:
  travis, i can run pretty fast
  i also know places to hide
  if by chance you do catch me, and touch me in any way, I'll get violent
  i've gotten pretty good at fighting boys
  just ask mike and keith
  they know
  just leave me alone
  i can't stand to look at either you or liz
  and I definitely don't want to talk
  go away
  burn in hell
  s------
  

Hard One

This song was written for guitar, but I didn't get an electric guitar until 2000. My poor-geek's solution was to simulate a distorted electric guitar on my keyboard. You can't hear it very well, because the organ and drums ended up dominating the song.

Aspirin

This music half-mimics and half-mocks avant guarde jazz. I think I was getting into Frank Zappa at the time. This was the first post-IPECAC song on which the lyrics were completely improvised.

Lyrics to "Aspirin":

it's monday morning (sigh)
i don't feel like getting out of bed
i feel kind gross
i think i had too much aspirin last night
way too much aspirin
my head's like, spinning around
i feel sick
sick to the stomach
i think i had six tylenol
ugh!!!
  

Work It Out

This song was written during an experience that cost me some friends, screwed up my grades, and made me fiercely intolerant of liars, cheaters, and closed-minded people in positions of authority. On the positive side, I developed an obsession with leading a life where no one could ever doubt my integrity or honesty. It's like I became a monk... Well, sorta.

Notice the punk-like beat. I was just then getting into into UK punk bands like The Clash. I certainly felt like an angry young man too!

Lyrics to "Work It Out":

INTRO:
  gotta work this out
  gotta work this, work this out
  gotta work this out
  gotta work this, work this out

  gotta work this out
  gotta work this, work this out
  gotta work this out
  gotta work this, work this out

VERSE:
  oh i've got into a dilemna
  i'm in for something i didn't do
  you never take things seriously
  until they happen to do

  what now? i ask myself
  and shake my tired head
  what's the point of studying?
  i think i'll go back to bed

VERSE:
  oh my belt broke the other day
  my roommate caught the flu
  my girlfriend left last week
  i'm out of money too

  my physics grades are falling
  i never go to class
  i'm terribly out of shape right now
  my life sucks, my life sucks my a**

CHORUS:
  oh instead of getting pissed
  i'm gonna keep my cool
  i've gotta keep a level head
  if i wanna stay in school

  instead of getting casual
  i'm gonna think things out
  i've gotta clear my brain of guilty thoughts
  gotta work this out, gotta work this out

BRIDGE:
  gotta work this out
  gotta work this, work this out
  gotta work this out
  gotta work this, work this out

  gotta work this out
  gotta work this, work this out
  gotta work this out
  gotta work this, work this out

VERSE:
  well, in a week i'm going to florida
  where it's warm and sunny too
  i'm gonna be with all my friends down there
  gonna sit in the sun and drink some brew

  gotta work this out
  gotta work this, work this out
  gotta work this out
  gotta work this, work this out

VERSE:
  oh i've got into a dilemna
  i'm in for something i didn't do
  you never take things seriously
  until they happen to do

  what now? i ask myself
  and shake my tired head
  i think i'll miss my classes
  i think i'll stay in bed

CHORUS:
  oh instead of getting pissed
  i'm gonna keep my cool
  i've gotta keep a level head
  if i wanna stay in school

  instead of getting casual
  i'm gonna think things out
  gotta clear my brain of guilty thoughts
  gotta work this out, gotta work this out

  instead of getting pissed
  i'm gonna keep my cool
  i gotta keep a level head
  if i wanna stay in school

  instead of getting casual
  i'm gonna think things out
  gotta clear my brain of guilty thoughts
  gotta work this out, gotta work this sucker out

  work it out
  

Anchovy Rock

This is a remake of the Master Anchovies' theme song.

I wrote most or all of the music. I used to think Jon Friesen wrote the sax part, but I'm no longer sure, since the first recording of "Anchovy Rock" was with Allen Foster on sax rather than Jon.

I like this solo version a lot. It doesn't have live drums, but it has a tight energy that the Anchovies never captured on tape.

Ten Thousand Intros

Long, rambling intro to "Ten Thousand Dogs". This contains some musicial false starts at the end. I was being annoying.

Well, at least you can see tht I wasn't taking myself seriously. That's a good thing, right?

Lyrics to "Ten Thousand Intros":

testing
can you hear me out there?
i don't know if i can hear you
come on, speak up
speak up
this is the new ipecac
by the way
and if you don't like it
i suggest you go listen to something else
because it's not ipecac
it's just travis
i have the fake jon
do you want to hear the fake jon?
the fake jon is a sax, actually
um, does my voice sound like it's getting louder?
uh, i don't know if it is
i think its be-- sorry
i think it's about time to begin the song
ok i think we're about ready to start
hit it, trav
here we go
1,2

  [music starts and stops]

just kidding

  [music starts and stops]

come on, get real now
this is a serious matter
there's a lot on the line here
lots of people are listening to this
they want you to be good
they want you to be good
they want you to be good
they want you to be good
yes they do
  

Ten Thousand Dogs

I think this my idea of a joke. There's some false starts (which I moved to the "intro"), and a repeating section near the end. It's annoying, I know. Sorry.

The juvenile lyrics were improvised. I don't know what I was thinking. Probably didn't then, either.

Lyrics to "Ten Thousand Dogs":

now go
now go

one fine day i was walking through the park
ten thousand dogs continued to bark

on this fine day i was looking through the trees
at a girl whose breasts were heaving in the breeze
let me draw
let me draw you a picture of those beautiful breasts

and i continued to look
and she stared back at me
and if you think this song is in any way true
you're dumber than i thought you were
how many times can you get sick of this melody?

if you don't like it that's just fine
  

Bari Intro

I used a [fake] baritone sax improv as an intro to "Pillary". I left it off the initial version of the CD. Can you tell why?

Pillary

This featured my roommate Christian reading an article from our college newspaper (called the "Pillary"). The article was really boring. I don't know why I (or Christian) selected it. Maybe it's because involved in tabulating a lot of surveys back then (for school and fun)?

The music isn't much better; it's a moody stadium ditty. If such a thing can exist.

Lyrics to "Pillary":

[from a published article in the Pillary]

february 7th
the day that will live in infamy or at least really taste

on this day, we at the pillary held a survey
in the lobby of the campus center

i'm not lying; we did really this
it's all true this time
well, maybe not all of it
but at least we accept this

we were inspired by a recent flat-hat poll
on the desired qualities of the next college president
and we thought to ourselves:
okay, what do the students really want to see in a new president?
the idea snowballed from there

164 students took the survey
of the respondents, 49% were male, 48% female, and
3% were smart-asses who left the gender question blank

class distribution was also fairly even,
with 23.2 being freshmen, 25% sophomores, 26.2% juniors, and 22% seniors

when we asked how helpful surveys were in measuring student opinion,
students had mixed opinions
  

Procrastinate Intro

Man, I could be annoying back then. This was supposed to be a joke. I was procrastinating the start of the next song ("Procrastinate") by babbling aimlessly. Get it?

I've left the [mild] profanity in there because, well, I haven't gotten around to censoring it yet. Get it?

Sorry, these liner notes suck. I need to clean them up a bit. Tomorrow, perhaps. Get it?

Lyrics to "Procrastinate Intro":

now
it is time
pay attention
listen to me
i've got something to say
i've got lots of stuff to do
lots of homework
stories to write
computers to play on
girls to see
guys to see
food to eat
life to live
honor councils to shove their butt up their mouth
or their mouth up their butt
whatever the case
anyway
i've got things of do
i've got reverb boxes to play with
keyboards to play
chairs to move
beds to sit on
peaches to plum
and here we go
procrastinate
procrastinate
no
i shall begin the song a little later
i shall continuing with my revelling
is revelling a word?
i don't know
i should look in the dictionary
or the encyclopedia
maybe i should sharpen my pencil while i'm waiting
while you're waiting
while we're all --
shut up, travis
play the damn song!
  

Procrastinate

This continues my then-habitual use of profanity. Fortunately, the vocals are muddy enough that you can't hear it very well.

The music's okay.

Lyrics to "Procrastinate":

VERSE:
  is it groovy?
  is it reggae?
  i should do my homework
  i need to study

  but is this groovy
  is it jazzy?
  i should do my homework
  or start my story

CHORUS:
  procrastinate
  procrastinate
  i gotta slack habit
  procrastin-astinate
  procrastinate
  why the f**k do it now
  when i can procrastinate?
  procrastinate
  why the f**k do it now
  procrastinate

VERSE:
  but is it groovy
  but is this reggae?
  i should do my homework
  or start to study

  but is this groovy
  and is it reggae?
  i should do my homework
  start to study

CHORUS:
  procrastin-astinate
  why the f**k do it now
  when i can procrastinate?
  procrastinate
  a little bit longer
  wait just a little bit longer
  a little bit longer
  

Procrastinate Instrumental

I felt bad about the profanity on "Procrastinate", so I recorded this instrumental version. It doesn't really add anything to the album. Maybe I hoped to one day recorded a cleaner set of vocals on top?

Not a Day of Rest

I liked this peppy instrumental so much that I put it on Songs to Sleep By 2. It's the only Tripecac instrumental that made it on there.

Lyrics to "Not a Day of Rest":

not a day of rest
not a day of rest
  

Hit It

Two words. Two seconds. And now it's time for my two cents.

In case you haven't heard it yet, this is just me saying "hit it". There's no music here, just those two words. There's not even anything special about them.

Why do I represent them as a "song", then? Why didn't I just either delete them or add them to the beginning of "Better Off Live"?

Well, the answer lies in two words: completeness and flexibility.

When I first digitized this album for CD in 2001, I deleted the "hit it" intro from "Better Off Live". For whatever reasons, I didn't like it there. I might have been struggling to keep the CD length to a minimum. Nowadays, however, CDs can handle up to 80 minutes, so space isn't an issue anymore (for this album at least).

My current project (as I write this) is to restore my old albums to as close to their original (tape) format as possible. This means extending songs to their full length, warts and all, and putting them in their original order.

The "hit it" intro was originally considered a "wart" (although it's not as bad as, say, "Procrastinate Intro"), so I snipped it. Now I have to add it back. It needs to go somewhere between "Not a Day of Rest" and "Better Off Live".

Therefore, my options are to either:

What's the smart thing to do?

Well, on the one hand, if I add it to an existing song, I keep the track count low. I don't have to create a new XML file for the "hit it" part, and there doesn't need to be an entry for it on the songs page. I save effort and ink (when I print out the album cover).

On the other hand, if I keep it separate, then I can more easily delete or move it later. I won't need to touch the adjacent songs' XML (e.g., remove "hit it" from their lyrics). I won't need to edit any mp3s, either. I can just move it somewhere else, with the least possible effort.

So there's advantages to both, but what's best for the user? Well, the user probably doesn't expect or want to see "Hit It" as a complete song. If usability is priority #1, then I should probably add the "hit it" to an existing song.

But I won't. Not for "hit it", at least. If I did, then these notes would have no "home", no reason to exist. And that would be a loss, a much bigger loss than "hit it".

These notes have value. The web site has value. Sometimes, the site and writing are more valuable than the music.

This "song" is an extreme case. But there are other instances out there, too, where the commentary and presentation (the "garnish") are more interesting than the audio (the "meat"). If this encourages you to hunt out more interesting song descriptions, great. If it makes you want to abandon my site and check out some "real" music elsewhere, well, that's great too.

Personally, I think there's a lot of enjoyable music buried in this Tripecac site. You've gotta dig for it, though. Explore around a bit, and you might find something truly valuable to yourself...

Tripecac is not for the lazy.

Lyrics to "Hit It":

hit it
  

Better Off Live

I liked this song's funky bass line, but thought the drums sounded too fake. I wished I could perform it with live instruments instead. This is the first hint that I was starting to feel constrained by my keyboard.

The title has a second meaning as well. It's a warping of the term "better off dead". My college (William and Mary) had been famous for its high suicide rate. I think I was making (very subtle and light) fun of people who took things in their cozy academic lives so seriously that they'd actually kill themselves. Suicide is a topic that I explored with greater depth (and humor) on my next two albums (College Collage and The Hermit).

Lyrics to "Better Off Live":

better off live
  

Demian

This is another Master Anchovies remake. I wrote the music, but the lyrics were written by people in our English class (for whom we performed the song).

This is tighter than the Anchovies or IPECAC versions. The keyboard sax sounds a little fake, but it's not too bad.

Lyrics to "Demian":

INTRO:
  another remake: it's demian
  here we go

VERSE:
  demian, the youth enlightened
  eva's son who bears the mark
  satan's spawn, a simple shepherd
  child of the light and dark

CHORUS:
  demian
  god loves you demian
  gotta book called demian
  wrote a song called demian
  demian
  

Voice Mail

I was checking my voice mail. These two messages are from Beth.

This isn't really a "song" but it helps set the mood for "The Dairy Poops".

Lyrics to "Voice Mail":

SYSTEM:
  all lines busy, please hold
  -- password
  or if you've entered the mailbox number, press star

TRAV:
  an allen foster production

SYSTEM:
  please h--
  you have 3 old archived messages
  first archived message
  message marked urgent

BETH:
  hi travis
  um, this phone system is so slow
  i'm still waiting for you to call
  where are you?
  i want to spend time with you some time today
  i'll be in my room
  so call me back, ok?
  bye, travis
  oh, you sounded so sad when you got off the phone
  it's nothing
  just remember that i love you, okay?
  bye

  hi, travis
  it's a little after 3 o'clock
  um, i'm gonna to go to blow
  and register for summer session
  and um pay extraordinary amounts of money for summer school
  at 3:30 i'm supposed to go to the train station with angela
  so, if, if you don't hear from me
  or if you call and i'm not in between 3 and 3:15
  or from 3:30 onward that's where i am
  but please call me and leave me a message
  even though it takes extraordinarily long
  okay?
  please please please please
  i want to do something with you tonight
  or let you study
  or maybe we can do both
  unless you don't want to
  

The Dairy Poops

I wrote this for my then-girlfriend Beth, who was lactose intolerant. The voice in the beginning is from the end of the Voice Mail that she left me. The music is catchy and the lyrics are funny, if a little gross.

Lyrics to "The Dairy Poops":

INTRO: [beth]
  so call me, call me, call me, call me
  call me, call me, call me, call me, call me!

VERSE:
  oh plain vanilla,
  strawberry, chocolate
  what is your flavor?
  do you have a favorite?

  or is ice cream too rich?
  you want yoghurt instead?
  allergic to lactose?
  or is it all in your head?

  rocky road,
  egg nog and milk shake
  keep you running to the bathroom
  make you stay awake

  are you terrified of milk
  of cheeses and cream?
  allergic to lactose?
  or is it all a dream?

CHORUS:
  you've got the poops
  the dairy poops
  you've got the poops
  the dairy poops
  you've got the poops
  the dairy poops
  you've got the poops
  the dairy poops

VERSE:
  you're allergic to milk,
  but you're still sexy anyway
  i'd pick you over cheese eaters
  on any and every day

  you've got dairy ease
  to keep you safe and satisfied
  and here's a box of depends
  in case emergencies arise

  so don't be ashamed
  you've got your bowels safe and sound
  but don't forget your pills
  if you want me around

  now smile my friend
  wipe the shame from your eyes
  i'll still hang around you
  after i milk this song dry
  no pun intented

CHORUS:
  now smile and say the poops
  now say the poops
  poops!
  you've got the poops, you've got the poops
  poops!
  now smile and say the, say the poops
  poops! poops! poops! poops!
  for life

VERSE:
  oh plain vanilla,
  strawberry, chocolate
  what is your flavor?
  do you have a favorite?

  or is ice cream too rich?
  you want yoghurt instead?
  allergic to lactose?
  or is it all in your head?

  rocky road,
  egg nog and milk shake
  keep you running to the bathroom
  make you stay awake

  are you terrified of milk
  of cheeses and cream?
  allergic to lactose?
  or is it all a dream?

CHORUS:
  you've got the poops
  you've got the poops, you've got the poops
  you've got the poops
  now smile and say the poops
  no pun intended
  now smile and say the poops
  you've got the poops, you've got the poops
  you've got the poops, you've got the poops
  you've got the poops, you've got the poops
  etc.
  

Coming Home

The title suggests that I was getting ready to return home from college for the summer.

It sounds a little empty. Perhaps I planned to add vocals at some point. I probably recorded it to tape in order to "save" it in case there was a problem with the keyboard during the move, and then never got around to adding vocals.

No No No Instrumental

I loved "No No No" from my previous album (Archives), but had by this time become uncomfortable with profanity, partly because my then-girfriend Beth never used profanity.

I found the sequencer data for "No No No" still on my keyboard, and recorded this short instrumental version. I may have been planning to re-record vocals later, but got distracted by some new song ideas and decided to get this off the keyboard ASAP.

Fireflyz Intro

Sleepy spoken intro to "Fireflyz".

Lyrics to "Fireflyz Intro":

ladies and gentlemen
here is a little taste of jazz
let's hear some applause
this song is called "fireflyz" with a "z"
don't go to sleep
  

Fireflyz

This was my most serious attempt at writing a standard jazz song. I think I was trying to entice Jon Friesen (who went to the same college) to rejoin me in music making. My plan didn't work, but I like the song.

Smoke and Choke

I wrote this for my sister Jessica, who had started smoking. She eventually quit, but I don't know if this song had anything to do with it.

I like to pretend that the chimes in the intro symbolize "time passing". It was now my next semester of college. They probably mean nothing, but let's pretend they mean Time Passing, okay?

This is the first Tripecac song on which I used my Roland TR-505 drum machine. I synced it to my Yamaha SY55.

Lyrics to "Smoke and Choke":

INTRO:
  this one goes out to jessica
  my litter sister
    [coughing]

VERSE:
  oh i know what you're doing
  everybody does
  you're selling your lungs
  for a momentary buzz

  so foolish, you're wasting
  your life's breath, you're tasting
  that god-awful gunk
  that they scrape out of chimneys

CHORUS:
  you suck and suck
  and puff and puff
  you smoke and smoke
  and choke and choke
    [coughing]

VERSE:
  oh if your dad had emphysema
  would you say that it's bad for you
  if your mother had lung cancer
  would their deaths be the answer

  oh, that's just in the movies
  you say to your friends
  and you keep sucking on those cigarettes
  again and again

CHORUS:
  oh i sing this song just for you
  but you suck and suck
  and puff and puff

  i wrote this song just for you
  but you smoke and smoke
  and choke and choke
    [coughing]

BRIDGE:
  oh i'm never gonna sing about smokin' again
  you can cough if you want to with your friends
  do what you want to; that's the rule
  you're never gonna screw up 'cause you're so cool

  you've got a mind of your own, free will you say
  take them camels and throw them away
  rebelling against mom and dad, is that it?
  do you blame them for your smoking habit?

  tell me, tell me little sister
  tell me, tell me little sister
  smoking, is it right for you?
  smoking, is it right for you?

  oh tell me, tell me little sister
  tell me, tell me little sister
  smoking, is it right for you?
  smoking, is it right for you?

VERSE:
  every couple of hours
  you step out of the house for a moment
  you come back smelling
  like cigarette smoke

  oh don't think that i'm stupid
  don't think i can't tell
  you've been smoking again
  'cause you reek like hell
    [coughing]

CHORUS:
  i sing this song just for you
  but you suck and suck
  you puff and puff

  i wrote this song just for you
  but you smoke and smoke
  you choke and choke

  when i want a buzz
  i just smile and kiss my girlfriend
  too bad you don't have a boyfriend
  'cause your teeth are yellow
  and your breath stinks
  

Baby Beth

This was a love song for my then-girlfriend Beth. I recorded it on her birthday. I included some clips of some voice mail messages she left me.

Musically, it sounds miles more mature than the other music I had created up until that point. It almost sounds like classic rock. With a fake keyboard guitar. And a drum machine. And a reggae beat. Okay, so maybe not classic rock, but it sounds mature. Or at least ambitious. Or pretentious. Take your pick.

Lyrics to "Baby Beth":

INTRO: [beth]
  attention,
  if you're listening to this side first, this is marked "a"
  you are listening to the second side because i didn't notice
  and i don't go by those kind of rules because i forgot (ha ha)

  anyways, this is tape number too out of...
  well, i only made you one before
  anyways [inaudible]
  i thought they'd call me
  but they didn't have my number

  but... [inaudible]

  i hope you're actually listening to this
  and not playing your music also
  i hope you're actually listening to this
  and not playing your music also
  i hope you're actually listening to this
  and not playing your music also
  i hope you're actually listening to this
  and not playing your music also
  not playing your music also

VERSE:
  i just wanted to talk to you
  i just wanted to talk to you
  i didn't expect to fall in love with you
  i didn't expect to fall in love with you

  i just wanted to see how you are
  i just wanted to know how you are
  i didn't expect things to go too far
  i didn't expect things to go this far
  hit it trav

BRIDGE: [beth]
  bye baby...
  hi baby, i'm back again
  i'm not feeling so well
  i want to make this a happy tape
  so i will stop talking to you
  'cause you always hear me cry...

VERSE:
  i had no way to know how this would be
  i had no way to know how this would be
  i had no way to know how you'd take to me
  i had no way to know how much you'd like me

  what a pleasant surprise that you took to me
  what a pleasant surprise that you took to me
  well, i am so glad how this turned to be
  what a pleasant surprise that you took to me

OUTTRO: [beth]
  i don't know
  i have a sense that something bad's gonna happen
  

Early Release

This was originally the opening song of my third solo album (College Collage). I recorded it (and the next 3 songs) at the end of 1992. I've moved it here because there was more room, and it makes sense to put all the 1992 recordings together on one CD.

"Early Release" introduces my reverb box. It also has one of the longest intros of any of my vocals songs (2:17 out of 4:31). I think I was aiming for an "epic" feel. The mix isn't that great, but neither are the writing, lyrics, singing, or solos, so it all evens out.

Lyrics to "Early Release":

INTRO:
  all right, come in, trav
  all right, come in, jon
  hit it, jon!
  [chanting]
  go!

CHORUS:
  oh, we're opening up 1993
  early so that we can get a good start
  throw down the scores and rip up the music
  let it all go now, let's play our own parts

  all right, get ready for the intrumental-mental solo
  here we go
  allen foster on the bass

BRIDGE: [solo]
  [inaudible]
  that's amazing!
  that's tremendous!
  how can you do that?

VERSE:
  ladies and gentle
  this is travis emmitt
  i'm proud to announce
  my third solo album

  first came love
  and then came marriage
  then came ipecac
  and now there is me

CHORUS:
  we're opening up 1993
  early so that we can get a good start
  so throw down the scores and rip up the music
  let it all go now, let's play our own parts
  hook
  

African Roots

This starts off cool and kinda "ethnic" but ends abruptly. I don't know why I didn't complete it. I doubt I was anxious to free up keyboard memory, since the next song wasn't recorded until a couple weeks later.

My friends said they really liked this song, and that I should finish it. I ignored them, prefering to concentrate on new ideas. This has remained my habit, for better or worse. Once I commit a song to tape (or CD), I consider it "off limits" to further editing. Perfectionism clashes with Tripecac's shotgun approach, which is to "record lots of songs, at least some of them good".

Drizzle

I wrote this for the Dead Anchovies, who recorded several versions of it. The lyrics are about Jon, who had left the Master Anchovies in 1990. The "aren't you sorry" bits are a reference to a different Dead Anchovies song: "Aren't You Sorry".

I really like this solo version. It's tight and peppy amd funny (though a little mean). There are some musical (and spoken) references to IPECAC that no one gets except me (and Jon if he ever listens to this).

Lyrics to "Drizzle":

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...

CHORUS:
  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?
  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?
  tell me jon, tell me jon:        whatsa matter you?

VERSE:
  it was a cold night in december
  with a shiver, a tear, and a saxophone he hurried through the rain
  down the steps, to the door, wondering if his friends were inside there

  he knocked [knock knock] and he waited but nobody came
  he could see them through the window so he knocked again [knock]
  with tears in his eyes he listened to them laugh and jeer
  they pointed and stared, and finally luke said,
    "hey everybody, look who's here!"

CHORUS:
  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?
  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?
  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 the saxophone began to freeze (no pun intended)

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

CHORUS:
  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?
  tell me jon, tell me jon:        whatsa matter you?

  i'm bored
  let's play some reggae!

BRIDGE:
  allen foster on the vibes

  and 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, and you miss the trav

  terry ashworth on the mellophone
  hey! that sounds like trek!
  all right everybody, give allen foster a hand
  nice vibe work

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

  should we let jon in?
  no! keep playing!

CHORUS:
  oh 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?
  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?
  tell me jon, tell me jon:        how ya is'n, jon?

VERSE:
  and if i ever, if i ever catch you
  outside and in the freezing rain
  staring in at my friends and me as we play

  well, i will go up to you to tell you
  it was your fault, jon
  you left us, now you have to suffer
  and that's all there is to it

  aren't you sorry that you left, jon
  left all this?
  

Christmas in Cancun 2

This is musically unrelated to "Christmas in Cancun", which I wrote for the Master Anchovies. The only thing they have in common is that I wrote them right before (or after) trips to Cancun.

I had emailed the Dead Anchovies that I was going to write a second song about Cancun. These lyrics are directed at them (Allen, Anand, and Luke). I was just basically bragging about going to Cancun while they stayed home. Pretty simple[minded] stuff.

People liked it. A lot. This was my first "hit" song (among my friends). I got tons of positive feedback for it and many people actually requested copies of it. It was a nice dose of encourage, a good way to end the year.

Lyrics to "Christmas in Cancun 2":

VERSE:
  have a merry christmas, y'all
  with plenty of good cheer
  and lots of toys to sing about
  to celebrate this year

  have a happy new year too
  don't forget your resolutions
  help out a little bit with cleaning up
  all the wrappings and ribbons

CHORUS:
  well, i'm gonna fly across the sea
  to mexico with my family
  where the air is warm
  and the palm trees sway
  and the sun is always shining

  i'm gonna fly across the sea
  to blue cancun with my family
  and never see a snowflake
  or a christmas tree worth buying

BRIDGE:
  i'm spend christmas in cancun
  i'm not gonna see you
  i'll be basking in the sun
  and vegitating all day too

  i'll be having christmas in cancun
  and i don't want to be you
  freezing off your butt
  and being bored out of your shoes

  watching the clock, too
  al, anand, and luke
  waiting for the school year to begin
  yippee

  christmas in cancun
  christmas in cancun

CHORUS:
  i'm gonna fly across the sea
  to mexico with my family
  where the air is warm
  and the palm trees sway
  and the sun is always shining

  i'm gonna fly across the sea
  to blue cancun with my family
  and never see a snowflake
  or a christmas tree worth buying

  oh no
  i'm feeling sick
  oh no
  i think i'm gonna puke

VERSE:
  oh have a merry christmas, y'all
  with plenty of good beer
  and lots of girls to brag about
  and rudolph the reindeer

  have a happy new year too
  don't forget to get wasted
  party 'til you cannot breath anymore
  and then you will be dead

CHORUS:
  i'm gonna fly across the sea
  to mexico with my family
  where the air is warm
  and the palm trees sway
  and the sun is always shining

  i'm gonna fly across the sea
  to blue cancun with my family
  and never see a snowflake
  or a christmas tree worth buying
  

End Chatter 1992

This started a tradition of speaking at the end of each album. It's not very interesting. I got better at it over the years, though.

It's funny how I wasn't thinking of the long term. "Newer stuff" and "newest" stuff are really short-sighted album titles, if you think about it. What, you don't want to think about it? Neither did I, back then.

Lyrics to "End Chatter 1992":

hello?
ok, that concludes, um --
that concludes this, uh, "trav's newer stuff 1992"
um, look --
be on the lookout for "trav's newer stuff 1993"
or it's probably gonna be called "trav's newest stuff 1993"
in any case, the --
i prefer the stuff on this side of the tape greatly
because, um, it's more professional
it doesn't have any of the obnoxious feedback or distortion
like the first half does
all in all, though...
each one of these songs is better than everything i've done previously
and so i consider it a great --
  

Reverse Drums

This is a backwards recording of the drum machine.