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Current Project: AUTOEROTICK
You are listening to "Autoerotick: Gardens of Hell", from a forthcoming CD due out in Summer of 2007 e.v.
Click Here For AE's MySpace Profile
At the start of 2006 I decided to focus on working on a solo project and decided on using the working
moniker of AUTOEROTICK. The term refers to the act of satisfying one's own desires without the aid of other individuals and
this perfectly describes how I feel about performing at the current moment.
After leaving Barbed Wire Play Pen in 1995, I have struggled in vain to work with a band that would have
had as much success and potential as BWPP did. Unfortunately each chain is as strong as it's weakest link and inevitably
for one reason or another it has only left me cynical about working with other musicians. Despite the fact that I was able
to form various projects over the years, the lifespan of these groups was short due to the inabilty of some of my past
bandmates to overcome their weaknesses in one form or another.
My motivation to play music has also changed over the past few years and so being the frontman in a
group is not something I'm currently not interested in doing at the moment. Being a singer means that you have to have a band
behind you backing you up and I'm tired of endlessly searching for other musicians who I share a common ground with musically
and esthetically.
Over the past three years since my marriage and our travels to Massachusetts and back, I have grown
and changed in ways that are incompatible to a certain degree with being the musician that I once was. There is a certain
wisdom that I have felt akin with during this period of growth and it is my desire to bring more substance to my work as a
musician. The message and the delivery of that message are not compatible with past avenues of expression and therefore I
feel that bold measures have to be taken in order to see that vision to fruition. Inevitably this means that I must take an
unorthodox approach to my work and thus the performance of this music will be equally unorthodox. It will be met with
hostility, this is not a bar band, it won't exist in that realm. I even hesitate to call it a band, because it's just an extension
of me. It will be hated and despised, misunderstood and criticized, but if I am the only one who "gets it" then so be it.
So far my equipment is stacked upon itself, it will be multi-layered with various units running
at once, "randomly" and divinely inspired. It will be my background noise, my back up band. The machines will replicate the
humans, and I will be the sole dictator for once. My task will to be act in accordance with my will and with the will of the
machines. And it will be beautiful.
Various concepts are being organized, lyrics written, loops created, tapes taped. When the time comes
there will be ample notification of the sacrifice.
Much love,
AE 144 21/1/6 EV
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TOMB OF THE UNKNOWNS
(March -December 2001)
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| (L-R: Andy Furda, Phil Murray, Chris "Box" Taylor(background), John Griffin(foreground), Adam) |
'Tombs' was a short-lived but popular ensemble that really could have gone far
if the band wasn't collectively flaky. The line-up came together in March of 2001 when I met Adam(L.B.S.) after quitting Liberation
Beat Threat. Soon afetr I recruited Box and Andy was summarily invited to join as well. The following July we finally found
a bassist, Phil Murray who quickly jumped onboard and learned our set withing a few practices. We began a small string of
shows at various bars, one of the best being the opening act for the Deniz Tek gig in November at The Blind Pig. But in December
Lightnin Bug left to visit his family in Arizona and we began to wonder if he would be returning anytime soon due to the fact
that Adam was always kinda sketchy. With Adam being gone we had no way of continuing the practice scehdule and the momentum
suffered. In January of 2002 Phil left to pursue other interests and I left soon after feeling frustrated at our inability
to preserve the line-up. A demo that was recorded at The Deniz Tek gig was recorded, one track was used on the Coallition
for Independent Artists's benefit CD.
LIBERATION BEAT THREAT (September
2000 - January 2001)
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| Liberation Beat Threat:New Years's Eve 2001(L-R: Steve Bradley, John Griffin, Dave)Not Pictured:Karl |
Liberation Beat Threat was formed by ex-Wailing Wall members Steve Bradley and Karl Henning and myself. Eventually picking
up ex-U.A.W. bassist Dave(?) and performed one show together on New Years' Eve 2001. I left the band soon after and the band
broke up shortly after as well.
SPICEHOLE (Winter
1997)
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| Live At The Red Light Lounge 1/12/96(L-R: Be Hussey,Tom Hohlman, Thom Klepach, John Rastafari) |
A very short-lived project that played one show at The Red Light
Lounge. Among the line-up was Brian Hussey ( Morsel ) Tom Hohlmann ( USA Is A Monster ) and Thom Klepach ( Scheme ).
THE WAILING WALL (1996)
The Wailing Wall was a project that came out after playing with Steve Bradley in another short-lived
project known as "The Breathing Selenas" with ex- Barbed Wire drummer Steve Chesney. Karl Henning eventually replaced Steve
on drums and future "Mazinga" guitarist Chris "Box" Taylor was brought in on bass. Recording one song:"The Al Gore Version
Of The Macarena", things fell apart before anything other than a couple basement shows would happen. One notable show was
"The Samhain Acid Test" at The Red Light Lounge opening up for Butterfly and Perplexa. Drummer Karl Henning was not present
so another drummer was recruited and the project was named "Karl Couldn't Do It" for that one show.
BARBED WIRE PLAY PEN (August
1992 - November 1995)
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| Summer Of 1995 Line-Up (L-R: Nate Buker, Steve Chesney, Tim D'Annunzio, Rob Banks, John Rastafari) |
Barbed Wire Play Pen had existed for several years before I had
joined in as the lead vocalist. Formed by bassist Rob Banks and his brother,they mainly performed as a blues band until I
was asked to join in August of 1992. I auditioned for the part and got it,but along the line there were 3 other singers which
would eventually be streamed down to just my Kate Ragsdale and myself. Tim D'Anunzio was the primary guitarist during our
line-up, but was occasionally accompanied by other random guitarists,none of whome would stay around long. We also had a revolving
slot for drummers,going through at least a dozen during my three year tenure as singer. Our shows would get out of control,usually
with the help of our crew and friends. Besides being the house band at the now infamous LAB, we did numerous shows at other
underground locations, rarely playing a bar. After alot of internal tension and my desire to move onto new ideas, I quit the
band in the Fall of 1995, playing our last show at the Halfway Inn. There has always been talk of a reunion but it looks very
unlikely. Rob continues to play in other bands, his most recent project being "The Bitter Pills". Tim has moved out of playing
metal music and now plays blues music in his own side-project. Most of the other temporary members have moved on and are playing
in bands of their own.
UPDATE:
Barbed Wire Play Pen did a series of reunion shows between
May and June of 2003. The line-up consisted of Tim, Rob and myself as well as Leighton of Chapstik/Glori5/Elbow Room, etc.
There were about six shows as well as an appearance on WCBN. The last and final show was at the Old Miami on June 28, 2003.
This was undoubtedly the last time that Barbed Wire Playpen will play together.
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