Any request for sound clips? (Assuming it's okay for me to put them up - I'll ask Stephen).

Trav

Okay, Stephen himself requested 4 songs; I added them to the Sounds page.

T

Just want to say that I appreciate that the music I helped create is still being enjoyed by people.

Dereck -

Nice to hear from you! :)

What are you up to these days?

Travis

[Posted & editted by Travis]

[I have] a copy of unedited footage of two performances we of the TV show, "Trout Tunes", shot in June of 1994, a total of about 2 hrs 40 min. One performance is accoustic and the other is with their usual electric instruments.

If there appears to be enough interest (perhaps you could survey your website surfers), we could offer a produced version combining these two performances as well as a third I believe we have but have not been able to find for the time being.

The one mentioned to combine the the two June 1994 performances (which my partner on the show says are the best) might sell for aproximately $30.00 plus about $5.00 S&H.

We will offer it to the general public as a finished production [rather than raw footage]. I would like to have a fairly good idea as to how many at a minimum we could sell. I'd be looking for a likelihood that we could sell at least 25-50.

[Concerning the raw footage] some of it is rather dark (the problems we deal with shooting in dark night clubs). In a more involved produced version, this can be somewhat brightened and color corrected. Both were shot with two cameras, live switched and we mixed our own stereo audio which generally can be considered "CD-release-quality".

"Trout Tunes" showcased local, regional and some well-known national bands and musical artists performing in and near Omaha, NE. We covered bands perfoming primarily their own, original music in the classifications of Alternative, Folk, Blues, Reggae, World-Beat and others, generally trying to avoid blatent "pop". We totally avoided "Cover Bands". The creator and Exec. Producer as well as Director and host of the show is Mike Kronschnabel (known on the show by his radio DJ name, Ryan O'Connor and to his friends as "Kronch"). I and my company, Hollywood Export Video Production Services, provided the production equipment and I was the associate producer as well as a camera operator, editor and production engineer.

I'm also thinking of discussing with Stephen the possibility of making a live performance CD taken from the soundtrack of our videos. See if there is any interest there, too, if possible.

I enjoyed your site and look forward to seeing it after it takes more shape. I sure hope many others hit onto it too and that a fair number of them are interested in a video and/or CD.

Thanks for YOUR interest,

Roger Speakman

[I'm getting so much email from the band members that I'll start posting it on here rather than on the Articles page! --Trav]

The fellow who made the Digital Sex E&R T's does not have any more in stock nor does Randy. Mike Howard said the minimum order he would need to run them would be 24 shirts @ 6.75. These were gorgeous. They had a BIG E&R cover on the front in sharper colors, a BIG B&W photograph on the back of me, Dereck & John, a P-AM logo on one of the sleeves and the shirt itself was made from unbleached cotton.

[Note: E&R = Essence & Rarities --Trav]

Great site. For more info on Maureen Evans-Hansen's new solo release "Out Of The Blue" please look for her soon at our new homepage www.ultramarineblue.com. "News At Five" was written by Maureen. If you liked this cut, please look us up.

Did someone say video? Why, we have a video of The World playing at an Earth Day show in the Central Park Mall in Omaha just after Steve's trip to Europe to promote the band. It was shot by a friend of ours on a home video camera, so its not professional quality... but THE ENERGY WAS CAPTURED. We'll see what else we have that might be of interest. We'll being talking to ya.

Nice to hear from you guys! :)

[bunch of geeky comments about the discussion list software, snipped --Trav]

Lots of updates recently. Any requests for sound samples?

Travis

It's great to finally have a web site for a band that has meant so much to me and created the soundtrack for the last 8 years of my life. I still listen to the music once a week and every time the cd is over i re-live all the reunion shows and my many fond memories of the band and the members.

Hey guys. I'm trying to keep the steady stream of updates coming... Meanwhile, I am also starting to put together a respectable IPR web site. Please let me know what you think of it! Hopefully it'll help attract people to the Digital Sex, For Against, and Springhouse web sites...

The Articles page is getting huge. And it'll only keep growing. I initially envisioned it as one huge page which people could download and print out all at once. But I'm wondering if it's getting too unwieldy in terms of return readers locating the latest updates within it. So I might split it up into a page for each sections: Reviews, Interviews, Notices, Ads, etc. What do you think?

Also, I've finished my Julian Cope tribute CD. If you're interested in getting a copy, send me email. Or check out Rail On (the Julian Cope discussion list) to see what people are saying about it.

Later!

Travis

[Posted by Travis]

In the late 70's and 80's What (Stephen Sheehan) (Steve) did was pull together an art rock type of music, the art of promotional concert presentation, and art itself to create a scene that was both exciting and innovative. Omaha music scene benefitted from Steve's creative energy presenting his music in multiple mediums with the result being a real entertainment artform.

Rick Galusha

GREETINGS....AND A BIG WELCOME TO ALL YOU SEX FANS AND CLONES!! I HAVE FINALLY COME TO DEFEND MY TITLE AS THE UNDISPUTED AND UNTOUCHABLE FAN AND SOURCE FOR DIGITAL SEX. FIRST THINGS FIRST, A HUGE TIP O' THE HAT TO WHOMEVER RUNS THIS SITE. I JUST FINISHED MY OWN ANALYSIS OF THE ENTIRE SITE AND WAS QUITE PLEASED. GLAD TRAVIS, IS IT? DID SOME HOMEWORK AND DID AN AWESOME JOB! THE ONLY ERRORS IN THE ENTIRE SITE WERE 90% MISTAKES BY REVIEWERS AND FISH HACKS...AGAIN, KUDOS TO HIM, AS I DID NOT FATHOM ANYONE (OTHER THAN MYSELF) TO REALLY CONVEY THE MAGNITUDE AND MAJESTY OF MY BELOVED DIGITAL SEX. SO, JUST TO LET YOU FANATICS AND/OR CASUAL LISTENERS KNOW, I AM THE SOURCE FOR SEX ANYTHING! FROM VIDEO TO AUDIO I AM THE KEY MASTER..I GUARD, NOT OWN, BUT GUARD TAPES STARTING WITH THE 2ND D.S. SHOW EVER BACK IN 1982 (AT "SANER'S "BAR...FOR HIGGINS AND GREG T. ha ha) ALL THE WAY TO THE 3RD OR 4TH FAREWELL GIG IN THE MID-NINETIES. I HAVE IT ALL! I'M NOT KIDDING.. STARTING WITH THE UNTOUCHABLE ORIGINAL LINE-UP TO THE MILLER ERA, THE MILLER/TINGLE ERA, THE NORDINE FIASCO, THE HANSON/KENNEDY LINE-UP ETC..ETC..YOU GET THE POINT. WOW, I'VE RAMBLED THIS LONG AND I HAVEN'T EVEN SCRATCHED THE SURFACE OF MY D.S. MEMORIES AND TALES...FROM THE "HOWARD STREET TAVERN "(AND ALL THE TIMES THE BAND AND ME HAD IN MY CAR DURING SET BREAKS) TO THE PENTHOUSE FORUM-ISH GIGS AT "DON'T DRINK THE WATER" - ASK SHEEHAN, THIS BAND HAS PROVIDED THE SOUDTRACK TO THE BETTER PART OF MY LIFE. LITERALLY. FROM THE VERY FIRST TIME I WITNESSED THE SHEER FUCKING MAGNITUDE AND BEAUTY OF THIS BAND BACK IN '82, I WAS HOOKED. I MEAN HOOKED. AND FOR THE NEXT 13 YEARS I HAD THE PLEASURE OF WATCHING THEM, IN ALL THE CHANGES, PROBABLY CLOSE TO 100 TIMES, INCLUDING A SEMI-REUNION AT MY WEDDING! OK, ENOUGH ALREADY, I HOPE TO POST OFTEN, AND I HOPE YOU DO TOO.

P.S. IF BY CHANCE GREG, DERECK, MO, JOHN MILLER, OR THE TINGLER SEE THIS...WITHOUT YOU I'M STRANGE.

TONY B.

(This came to me via email from Harry in response to posting on the Sex site. Stephen)

hey steve, here are my few words:

Steve Sheehan singing, "Love Will Tear us Apart", wearing a garbage bag-- what more could you want?

Harry

(Email from a friend commenting on the reissue of EOTW. Stephen)

"Thoughts of You" is still a GREAT song (and this makes it my third CD copy of the song... ....meaning in my top Tracks-of-CD-Redundancy: "Thoughts of You" passes "Rescue Me" "Instant Karma" "The Needle and the Damage Done" & other two-timing duplicates and *ties* "East St. Louis Toodle-oo" "#9 Dream" "With Or Without You" and "Avalon" for top triplicate status)

News at 5ive was Maureen's song, eh? (it's like you're rapping...sort of...?)

"Swayed Sentiment" --quite a symphonic composition (you almost get into a Fresh Aire groove 3:15-3:25....but by 3:52 it's off into hypnotic splendor. Again, how do you get a band to agree on this? AND I like the Reluctant Rage tag...did I ever tell you how I was reminded of this song's melody whenever I heard kd lang's "If I Were You" ? )

I still have a video for "Radium Lovers" in my head. Perhaps a treatment should be typed and submitted for you to reject.

John Menzies

HEY JOHN, I'M PRETTY SURE YOUR POST HAD SOME SORT OF COMPLIMENT...RIGHT? FRESH AIRE? WHAT, ARE YOU KIDDING ME? THERE HAS TO BE AN INSIDE JOKE BETWEEN YOU AND DR. SHEEHAN IN THERE RIGHT? RIGHT? AND ALSO YOUR TAKE ABOUT SHEEHAN RAPPING MUST BE A PRIVATE RESET BETWEEN YOU GUYS AS WELL, HUH? JESUS, TELL ME YOUR JUST HAVING A FOND MOMENT AT HIS EXPENSE..COME ON PEOPLE, SHAKE YOURSELVES AND REALLY TRY AND EXPLAIN HOW VERY MAGICAL THIS BAND WAS/IS..WHETHER OR NOT YOU WERE BLESSED WITH SEEING THEM LIVE, OR JUST LUCKY ENOUGH TO AT LEAST HAVE THE CD'S AND THEIR MUSIC...CHRIST, I KNOW I COULD NEVER POUND OUT ANY COMPLIMENT OR ADJECTIVE TO EXPLAIN THE IMPACT AND FORCE THIS BAND COMMANDS...BUT I KNOW YOU CAN'T REALLY BELIEVE "FRESH AIRE" IS ANY KIND OF STANDARD...RIGHT. I PRAY THOSE OF YOU CHECKING OUT THIS SITE WITH NO KNOWLEDGE OF DIGITAL SEX, HOPFULLY DON'T KNOW WHO F.AIRE IS. OH YEAH, TO ANYONE WITH ANY SORT OF SEX IDEAS (CD OR VIDEO OR T SHIRT PRODUCT) PLEASE KEEP IN MIND, MY STAMP OF APPROVAL IS JUST AS BRUTAL AS STEVE'S...AND I PROMISE YOU, HE HAS WORLDS (NO PUN INTENDED, TEE HEE!) MORE TACT THAN I DO IN MY APPOINTED ROLE AS GUARDIAN OF MY BELOVED D.SEX...JUST ASK 'EM!!

P.S. MAN HOW AWESOME TO HEAR FROM HARRY...FOR AGAINST AND DIGITAL SEX...THE ONLY BANDS THAT MATTERED! OH YEAH..HEY HARRY FEEL FREE TO GET RUNNINGS TO GET "ECHELONS" OUT ON CD!!

[Echelons came out in 2004 -- see www.words-on-music.com -- Trav]

Hey, guys! Nice to see things are getting lively on here! :)

Tony, could you please ease up on the caps lock? It's really hard to read your posts when they are in all caps, and you have a lot of interested things to say. Could you please tell us how you first got acquainted with Digital Sex? Your first gig/listen, how you saw them evolve over the years, etc.?

What I'd love to get on the site is a RealAudio version of a Digital Sex live gig. I also might be coaxed into making a live CD, if the material exists and the band is interested.

Travis

Hello Sex maniacs,

First off--Travis, keep up the fine work! It's much appreciated!

Now, to the meat. Re: Travis' post regarding live Sex stuff for the net and possible cd release...

There's mucho live stuff to be had (thanks to Stephen and Tony B.). The bulk of it is of bootleg quality (good to great bootleg at that), but there are a few things in particular Stephen and I have spoken about over the years worthy of release.

First and foremost would have to be the Sokol Hall reunion gig from 12/9/89 (with a rocking Tom Ware on drums!). The version I have is from a video. Sound is great, but not true stereo. Is there a stereo master out there? (Stephen?). It's a relatively long show (27 tunes--too long to fit on one cd, but too short to completely fill up 2 cds), with covers of the Cure, the Names, Joy Division, and Cream (!)thrown in for good measure! We'd need copyright clearance to legally use those songs (which means royalty payments to the writers of the tunes).

Equally worthy of release is a superb show by the World at the Blue Barn Theatre on 4/13/91. It's a lengthy performance (27 songs--again, too much for a single cd release) that offers the most complete airing of Stephen/Sex material to date. Tingle does a totally headsplitting solo on the opener "The Days Go"; Sex classics "Roses On Wednesday" and "In Her Smile" shimmer alongside several unreleased World cuts including a ripping version of "Facing The Sun." Stephen had the show taped directly to reel to reel tape, so the sound quality is superb!

These are just a few of the projects Stephen and I have discussed over the years. I'd still love to see/hear the release of:

--remastered versions of:

• "Innocence At Will"
• "How Many More Times"
• "Dervish Dance"
• the "Charm" songs (minus the already remastered "Outstretched Arms")

unreleased songs/versions:

Digital Sex

• Believe It So
• Radium Lovers
• Red Girl (acoustic with John Miller)
• Self Interest (with Greg and Stephen sharing vocals)
• Several Seconds Later
• ..and even Blue Sidewalks!

There are cassette versions of these songs (live and rehearsal versions). There may be reel to reels...Dereck?

Stephen/World

• Dancing With William
• Eclipse
• E2
• Eye To Eye
• Facing The Sun
• Far Away
• In My Hands

Several of these songs really showcase Maureen's talents!

There are cassette copies of rehearsals, outtakes, and live versions of these songs.

These lists are just off the top of my head. I probably forgot a few things...

So, there's plenty of stuff left for hungry ears to hear. The questions are:

1) Who will foot the bill?

2) How many folks out there are willing to put their money where their ears are?

I'll let it be know here and now that I wish to take part in any ventures in cd making with my RAM Record label. I'm willing to put a good chunk 'o cash into any well thought out, well executed plans.

I've got 13 years experience in the music biz and I've got music contacts throughout the US and Europe.

Let's go!

Randy LeMasters

For those historians who are looking for articles concerning D. Sex... I'll be posting on my website (www.timmcmahan.com/lazyeye.htm) a piece that was written as a cover story for The Note (a monthly music publication out of Lawrence, Kan., now defunct, sadly) from the mid '90s, at the time of the last (that I know of) reunion of D. Sex. It was headlined: "The bizarre true story of a band too far ahead of its time, its international rise, drug-riddled disillusioned fall and now, its strange, clear-headed return." I've also attained a groovy outtake photo from the shoot that accompanied the story (the shoot that also spawned the image from the last D.Sex T-shirt). I'll have it up in the Hype area of my website probably by the end of the week, so check it out...

The d. sex article I mentioned in yesterday's post is now online at: http://www.timmcmahan.com/digitalsex.htm

Ye olde site webmaster, feel free to link to this article or to the lazyeye hype page (www.timmcmahan.com/hypebox.htm).

It's an old article, but then again, those d. sex guys are pretty old, too...!

Nice article!

Trav

Regarding live D.S. releases, I wouldn't mind doing a small one for band members and people who read this discussion list, like I did for my Julian Cope tribute CD. I have a CDR burner, a CD labeler, a simple sleeve maker, and an inkjet printer. Materials costs are around $2 per CD, including the label, jewel case, and sleeve.

It'd be a good waters-testing step. I only need make as many CDs as people want. So there's no risk of losing money (just time). If enough people on here like it, and there seems to be additional interest in it, then someone (Randy?) could release it "properly," with high-level mastering, nice labels, sleeves, liner notes, promotion, etc.

Trav

[Posted by Travis]

Hi!

I'm just dropping you a line because I recently saw your web page on Digital Sex. Digital Sex was one of my favorite bands when I use to live in Omaha during the early eighties. The Tsichlis brothers, Greg and Pete were great friends of mine and we never missed a show. I think I even still have my old digital sex t-shirt somewhere. (Black on red)

On the page titled "Digital Sex Notices" you run a picture of the guys that says source unknown, this was printed in the Omaha World Herald. During that shoe, Joe Budenholzer also joined them for a song. Joe was the orignal Disco Ranch guy, and I noticed an add in the Seattle Times the other day that he recently played with Lydia Lunch from NY at the O.K. Hotel in Seattle.

[...]

I was pretty good friends with Dereck and Greg in particular and once did promotions with a homegrown company, (read, did it for the free entrys, and chick connections) called Tra-La-La Productions. We did posters for the guys and I may even have a few, I'll look around and see. Perhaps I could scan them and send them to you. I remember one gig in particular that featured Disco Ranch, Digital Sex, and the Flying Kangaroos at perhaps the 18th ammendement. Greg Tsichlis played drums for all three bands!!!

Well, I could go on and on about the good times I had seeing the band, and I've been lucky because it seems like just about everytime I go back to Omaha, I see them play.

[...]

chow

Michael Stuck

[Posted by Travis]

Happy New Year, you guys!!! I had my website designer put some new touches on my website, so I now have a comment page. Only problem is.....I just got it up and running today, so I don't have any comments yet! Nature abhors a naked comments page. I invite you to come and check it out, and drop a note down. Anything at all, be it brief, comprehensive, insightful, or absurd.

Thanks!!!!

Maureen Evans-Hansen
Ultramarine Blue Productions

Love the web site....Sheehan used to to do a Monday night program at a pirate station in my parent's basement...actually, so did Dereck Higgins, for that matter...

A captivating live band if there ever was one.

Hope to see Omaha again soon..

-Paul

Has anyone heard from Craig Crawford? Last we heard he was in Chicago, but we have no way to get ahold of him. Maureen and I would love to hear more about what's going on with the other former members of Digital Sex and The World. How's the Reggae band going Dereck? What have Steve and John been up to? We've been busy trying to promote Maureen's solo cd and try to get some studio work lined up. Maybe a new project coming up - more on this later.

Talk to us.

David Hansen

Excellent site. I first got into Digital Sex after Jesse Hutmaker bugged me enough to listen to them. Around that time Digital Sex got back together and started playing shows again. That was an incredible summer that I will never forget. It didn't matter how many people were in attendance the band never failed to give it their all. It really did feel like magic hearing them play live. I wish I could've been there in the early days, I hear stories and they all sound like the stuff legends are made of. I would jump at the chance to buy live video's or cd's of Digital Sex. Also in a post from last year there was a possibility of reprinting the t-shirt. If that ever happens you could put me down for one of those also as mine has seen better days.

MarQ

It really WAS magic when band practice started every Sunday afternoon at Dereck's house...the strange sensation of watching Kevin, John,and Dereck, and hearing Steve behind me (I was always set up with my back to Steve, due to lack of space) made me feel like a spectator myself, entranced, playing on autopilot. The sound of it would catch me off-guard sometimes, and I would snap back to reality wondering, did I really HEAR that??

A label from California, Cleopatra, has issued a CD under the heading Digital Sex Hardcore. This is a collection of technoid music on one of Cleopatra's imprint labels, Hypnotic. The cover is horrible and I'm sure the "bands" are too. IN NO WAY is this CD associated with the band Digital Sex, which has used the name since 1982. Efforts to prevent further distribution of this CD have proven unsuccessful. Cleopatra/Hypntoic will not even sticker the CDs to clarify that this is a collection of forgettable drivel and NOT the BAND Digital Sex. Please do not buy this CD. I hope that this Hardcore CD is not the first of a series, further adding to the confusion and misrepresentation. Cleopatra tends to release loads and loads of pointless "tribute" CDs as well as CDs by gasping artists like Gary Numan and Dead Or Alive. I ask that you not purchase any product issued by Cleopatra or any of its sub-labels. Stephen

Stephen - Don't worry about the duplicate messages. When I archive the page I'll clean up any redundancies. For now, if anything it serves for emphasis.

John Tingle is selling a package of his home-made tapes. Check out his web site, accessible from the Links page.

Maureen's guestbook is up, but right now it has some bugs which make using it a little inconvenient. Hopefully she'll be able to fix it up soon. I'll let you know when it's in full working order.

Travis

I really enjoyed Digital sex when I lived in Omaha, and I can't wait to hear some new material. I now live in Colorado. I have heard rumors that you guys were big in Boulder during the 80's. Is this true? How often and where did you play in Boulder?

First, to address the issue of the bugs on my guestbook, they're fixed now...

Second, Digital Sex never played outside of Omaha or Lincoln during the time I was with them, so we never played Boulder, Colorado.

Once, when I played in The World, some drunk guy at the Howard Street Tavern in Omaha was overheard by our bass player, Craig Crawford...it seems he was trying to impress some girls by telling them that he played bass for Digital Sex when they went on tour in France. (Funny, I don't remember touring overseas at all!!) Perhaps he thought he was standing in for Dereck??? Yeah, RIGHT. Anyway, Craig called his bluff, and an argument ensued....it was hilarious! We were strictly locals, at least while I was in the band...sometimes it was a sellout crowd, standing room only. Sometimes we'd play for a pitiful few. Such is the life of a musician in Omaha, Nebraska...a very quiet type of fame. Damn quiet.

Bob... DS never played farther west than Lincoln. What you might be referring to is airplay. I sent out several hundred copies of records and CDs to some stations directly but mostly I sent to record pool promotional services, like Rockpool in NY and Pollution Control in Cleveland. They serviced subscribing stations and clubs that paid a fee for a monthly box of music. If Boulder had a college station back then, which it probably did, maybe a station played us. That's what happened in Pittsburgh with Randy LeMasters at WYEP who eventually put out the DS E&R reissue. I remember a fan in the very early days that lent us a few hundred bucks to press the Dervish single. I think he lived in Boulder. Maybe he got the airplay to help us sell records so he could get paid. Got any Atomic Breathing tapes you can send me?

I have been working on a new project called Bliss Repair. Click on the link after my email to read a review written by Tim McMahan from his great e-zine Lazyeye. I'm happy to say that Tim gets what Bliss Repair is about and I stand by his review. That's rarely the case with the stuff I do.

Stephen

YOU STILL TAKE GREAT PICS STEVE!!!!!

I had not allowed myself the pleasure of checking out the discussion group until now. I am pleased to see that there is life. I am not focused in my purpose for this visit. I just felt like coming here.

My recollection of the band is layered, to say the least. Some things I don't remember at all. It is worth mentioning that I can remember many moments we played when it felt transcendental. The music had a life of its' own and the moment was all that existed. That was the main reason I played music. To have that experience. I don't regret it.

For me, painful lessons have been learned from my days with Digital Sex. Some things are still coming into clearer focus. I want to publicly thank Steve Sheehan for all of the hard work he did to make things happen. I have not always been so appreciative.

Presently I am making music at home and have done so continuously over the years. Some of it can become available, possibly through the internet. More on that later.

I will return correspondence.

In response to David's query about the reggae band: I see that you posted this back in February. At that time things were moving along slowly. We agreed to call the band Righteous Vibration and had started to gig a bit. From the beginning of the project the band has had difficulty keeping the drum chair filled. In February it appeared that we had found our drummer. Then he didn't show up for a gig. Fortunately, Jerry Riggs (studio/session musician) filled in at the last moment and did a fantastic job,no less. We auditioned one fellow after splitting with the aforementioned nameless drummer.No dice. Then we hooked up with a fellow from Minneapolis with a bit of rep and experience. Things were looking promising, but he suddenly remembered some unfinished business he had to get back to. Therefore, the band is presently not present.Right now I am focusing more on preparing some of my own material for public consumption.