My main instrument was a Yamaha SY55 keyboard workstation. I also added a Roland TR-505 drum machine on some of the songs. I used a four-track to record the SY55, and then adden vocals and sound effects to the remaining two tracks.
I was getting into UK punk (Clash, Buzzcocks), and wanted to make my own punk album. I was also really into Julian Cope's experimental albums (Skellington and Rite), which "proved" to me that truly cool music could indeed be made in a home studio. I decided to give "living room punk" a go.
The music conveys my mindset more effectively than the lyrics. I usually spent an hour or so on the lyrics for a song, and then recorded one or two takes before doing a final mix. The lyrics were analytical, self-conscious, often humorous, and tended to focus on whatever was on my mind that day, which was usually myself. :)
CD Liner Notes:
2001-05-10
The Hermit (recorded 1993-1994) is my favorite batch of songs for a couple reasons: the music is more focused, complete, and upbeat than on my other albums, and the lyrics focus on a simple, geekily honest theme: being a hermit. This album is a celebration of geekhood!
Unfortunately, the sound quality on The Hermit is awful! All of the songs have noticeable hiss and/or distortion, and there are several cut-outs and abrupt pans. Although much of the noise was generated by the equipment I was using at the time (e.g., a RadioShack reverb box), some of the glitches are probably from listening to the original tape over and over again for seven years before finally putting it on CD.
During the remastering I did everything twice: digitized from 2 different tape copies, used two different noise-reduction approaches, and made two different sets of fades/edits. I then picked the "best" digital version of each song to use for the CD. The end result still sounds cruddy to my ears production-wise (especially with headphones), but hey, it's the tunes that are important, not the production. Plus, I can always remaster the songs later...
For now I'm really excited about finally having these songs on CD. I can listen to them over and over without having to worry about tape degradation or consumption.
Meanwhile, I get to work on new music! I have a whole new set of gear now, a whole new set of ideas, and more free time than I have had in years... Can I churn out another set of tunes I like as much as The Hermit? Time to disappear into my room for a while and find out! :)
-- Travis (the Happy Hermit)
Production Notes:
For each song, I created the music on my Yamaha SY55 keyboard workstation, recorded it to tracks 3+4 of a Tascam 4-track, and then added vocals and other sounds to tracks 1+2. For effects I used a RadioShack reverb box and a SoundBlaster for the computer voices. I mixed down to a Pioneer tape deck.
Contributors: Beth Ogura - vocals on "Forever in Mind", "Little Ducky", "Amateur Night", and "Interview". Maureen Higgins - wrote lyrics for "Forever in Mind".
Brief Song Notes:
"Millions of Monkeys" is a "punk" song about winning women by acting childish; the intro is from the IPECAC song "My Familiar" (Catharsis, 1988). "Blame the Game" pokes fun at the "victims of Dungeons and Dragons". "The American Son" is... uh... easy listening??? ...with a democratic message? What was I thinking??? "New Moon" returns to familiar territory with tales of NetHack, computers, and role playing; can you guess which movie I'd just seen? "The Hermit" is pure Travis and reveals how I've lived most of my life: cooped up in my room playing games and writing music... this is not a sad song! "Who Needs People?" was my attempt to sound like a "big live band"; the lyrics are equally exaggerated. "Do My Heroes Pee in the Snow?" was inspired by Mark E. Smith's rude remarks to his fans on The Fall's mailing list. "Introvert" was for my then-girlfriend Beth when she asked me to make a melodic song; it's about me, surprise surprise... "Freud Couldn't Get a Date" vents my frustration at footprint-following psyche majors and professors. "Stop Playing the Blues" pokes (friendly) fun at my former bandmate Jon, whose later bands sounded way too serious and conventional for my tastes. "Down" is counseling for acrophobia. "Little Ducky" is about the ducks that Beth and I used to feed on the way to class, and she sings on it! "Amateur Night" was inspired by jazz poetry readings at First Night Virginia; I recorded the music first and then Beth and I improvised the "poetry"!
Here's the orginal tape cover (from 1994):
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
| This was recorded with DOLBY NOISE REDUCTION set to ON. |
| |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------|
| "The Hermit" |
| txe |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------|
|t x e|
| | | +--------------+ |
| -+- +-+ +-+ | | |
| | | | +-+ | | |
| +- +-- | GO | |
| | AWAY | |
| | | |
| | . | |o | |
| +-+ +-+ +-- +-+ -+- | | |
| | | +-+ | ||| | | | | |
| +-- +- | | |
| | | |
| | | |
|'93 ------------------------------------------------------------ '94|
+--------------------------------------------------------------------|
| SIDE ONE |
| 1) Millions of Monkeys - [3:26] |
| This is a "punk" song about ripping down a woman's protective |
| barriers with the help of a hoard of monkeys. The intro is taken |
| from the IPECAC song "My Familiar" (Catharsis, 1988). |
| |
| 2) Blame the Game / D&D Deity - [4:28] |
| This super-distortion reggae song pokes fun at the so-called |
| "victims of Dungeons." |
| |
| 3) Intermission I (The Burping Song) - [1:00] |
| |
| 4) The American Son - [3:51] |
| Easy listening? A democratic message? What was I thinking??? |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 5) Intermission II (It's All Relative) - [1:20] |
| |
| 6) New Moon - [4:50] |
| Yet another song about Hack, computers and Role Playing. The |
| music is a cross between "I'm Too Sexy" and "The Addam's Family." |
| |
| 7) My Computer and Me - [5:00] |
| I whipped up this NewAge-ish song in an afternoon. I couldn't |
| resist singing on the end and adding the computer voices. :) |
| |
| 8) The Hermit - [5:45] |
| This is how I've lived for the most of the past two and a half |
| years: cooped up in my room playing games and writing music. It's |
| not supposed to be a sad song, though! |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 9) Who Needs People? - [6:05] |
| This song is weak, very weak. It was a (very poor) attempt at |
| emulating the Siouxsee and the Banshees style. Too much distortion|
| and too little substance. In a word: annoying. |
| |
| 10) Eyed Closes - [1:08] |
| Vocals in one take, music grabbed off a long untouched track on |
| my keyboard. They don't really mesh, but I wasn't really trying. |
| Like most of the short songs, this was recorded simply to get it |
| off of the keyboard, so that I could have room for the next song: |
| |
| 11) Do My Heroes Pee in the Snow? - [5:20] |
| The groove was about three months old; the lyrics were inspired |
| by Mark E. Smith's rude treatment of his own fans on the newsgroup.|
+--------------------------------------------------------------------|
| SIDE TWO |
| 1) Introvert - [5:09] |
| Beth (my girlfriend) asked me to write a nice melodic song for |
| her, and here it is. It's about me, surprise surprise. |
| |
| 2) Freud Couldn't Get A Date - [5:45] |
| This is for all those ditzy psyche majors who worship Freud. |
| |
| 3) Intermission III (Orchestral Warmup) - [0:43] |
| |
| 4) Stop Playing the Blues - [5:15] |
| Another song written for the Anchovies lamenting the departure |
| of lead saxophonist Jon Friesen. The bass line is derived from |
| "How Ya Is'n," whose lyrics were written for us by Jon himself. |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 5) Down - [6:22] |
| Agoraphobic rambling put to music. The same style as the last |
| couple of songs on the first side; but this one I actually like. |
| |
| 6) SuperStuds - [3:35] |
| Actually an Anchovies song we played over Christmas, I included |
| it here because all the music was written and programmed by me; |
| we recorded it with my four-track, and added the vocal tracks |
| separately. Anand wrote most of the lyrics. Luke was out of town.|
| |
| 7) Forever In Mind - [5:15] |
| Maureen Higgins wrote the lyrics and asked me if I could make a |
| song out of them. I threw together some music and Beth and I sang.|
+--------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 8) The Littlest Ducky - [4:55] |
| Beth wanted me to write a cute, gentle song so I did. This one |
| is about the ducks we often feed on the way to class. Quack! |
| |
| 9) Amateur Night at the "Karokee Bar" - [5:15] |
| Inspired by some Jazz poetry readings I attended at First Night |
| Virginia in Charlottesville. It really made an impression on me! |
| Beth was afraid she couldn't improv; ah but she is so cute!!! |
| "Birds, birds, flying in the sky / I looked up, and something |
| plopped in my eye." Can't improv, indeed! |
| |
| 10) Interview - [4:10] |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------|
| All songs were written, performed, recorded, |
| mixed and mastered by Travis Emmitt |
| except: II/6 (The Dead Anchovies) and |
| II/7 - II/10 (Travis Emmitt and Beth Ogura) |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
Here's the original CD cover (from 2001):
