discography |

discography

THE STRANGERS
JOKER AND THE WHEEL
RELEASED 1991

ALTHOUGH THERE ARE RANDOM STUDIO CUTS AND HIGH SCHOOL BOOTLEGS PRIOR TO THIS, MY OFFICIAL RECORDING CAREER STARTS HERE. RECORDED AT MOBIUS MUSIC IN SAN FRANCISCO AND PRODUCED BY THE NOW FAMOUS OLIVER DICCCIO, THE RECORD IS DRIPPING WITH YOUNG IDEALISM AND WHOLESOME ENERGY.
I WROTE THE LEAD TRACK ON THE ALBUM; ITS A HIPPY-DIPPY SONG THAT MAKES MY TOES CURL NOW. THE SAVING GRACE WITH THIS RECORD ARE THE FANTASTIC HARMONIES AND A FEW MORE MATURE TRACKS WRITTEN BY THE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE BAND.

THE STRANGERS
LIFE ON THE ROAD
RELEASED 1993

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A FEW YEARS OF HARD TOURING WILL DO. I’M STILL VERY PROUD OF THIS PROJECT. L.O.T.R. REPRESENTS A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF GROWTH AS SONGWRITERS AND PLAYERS (SPURRED BY A MONTH LONG TOUR WITH JERRY JOSEPH AND LITTLE WOMEN IN OCTOBER OF 92). UNLIKE THE JOKER ALBUM, THE SONGS ON THIS DISK WOULD BECOME OUR STAPLE CATALOG FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS.
THE BULK OF THE MATERIAL WAS RECORDED LIVE AT THE GREAT AMERICAN MUSIC HALL, WHILE THE REMAINING TRACKS ARE FROM SOUND CHECKS AND SESSIONS AT DON ROSS STUDIOS IN EUGENE OREGON.

THE STRANGERS
MOBILEHOMECOMINGQUEEN
RELEASED 1995

KIND OF A BITTERSWEET RECORD. THE STRANGERS HAD PARTED WAYS WITH TWO CORE MEMBERS WHICH TOOK THE BAND IN A RADICAL NEW DIRECTION.
AS NORTHWEST GRUNGE BECAME HOT, THE MEMBERS OF THE BAND BECAME MORE INTERESTED IN A HARDER EDGE POP FORMAT. THIS FELT LIKE A VERY NATURAL DIRECTION TO GO SINCE WE HAD BEEN TOURING NON-STOP FOR MORE THAN FIVE YEARS -MAKING US CYNICAL ROAD DOGS.
AFTER MIXING, RE-MIXING, THEN MIXING THE ALBUM AGAIN WE ENDED UP WITH THE BEST STRANGERS RECORD SONICALLY.
THE GROUP DISBANDED A FEW MONTHS AFTER THE RELEASE OF THIS ALBUM.

THE STRANGERS
BOOTLEGGED
RELEASED 1995

NOT MUCH TO SAY ABOUT THIS ONE. IT HAS AN ALTERNATE VERSION OF “CALL ME CRAZY.” YOU CAN ALSO SEE WHAT KIND OF SCENE THE STRANGERS FIT INTO. WE PLAYED WITH MANY OF THE BANDS LISTED ON THIS COMPILATION.

THUS ENDETH THE STRANGERS CHAPTER.

JOHN SHIPE
UDDEN AND MERCILESS JOY
RELEASED 1999 (AS I REMEMBER)

NOT REALLY KNOWING WHAT TO DO MUSICALLY I STRUGGLED TO FIND A WAY TO KEEP MYSELF ACTIVE. AFTER PLAYING A FEW AWKWARD DATES WITH RANDOM FOLKS, I CONNECTED WITH JOHN SHIPE FROM THE RECENTLY DISBANDED RENEGADE SAINTS. ADDING FRED VAN VACTOR (DOCTOR LOVE) ON BASS, WE BECAME A TRIO CALLED “RED LEMON.”
ALTHOUGH THE GROUP HAD TREMENDOUS PROMISE, THE PORTLAND/EUGENE COMMUTE AND DR. FRED’S BUDDING SOLO CAREER EVENTUALLY SNUFFED OUR COLLECTIVE SPARK. RED LEMON WAS PROBABLY THE BEST “ALMOST” BAND I’D EVER BEEN IN.
DURING THAT TIME JOHN HAD WRITTEN SOME FANTASTIC SONGS WHICH EVENTUALLY BECAME PART OF THIS ALBUM. RED LEMON REUNITED FOR OUR ARRANGEMENT OF THE GEORGE HARRISON SONG “WITHIN YOU WITHOUT YOU.”

NICOLE CAMPBELL
DEEP ROOTS 3 COMPILATION
RELEASED 2000

AFTER RED LEMON FADED STUFF REALLY TOOK OFF FOR ME. I JOINED THE JUST ABOUT TO BE SIGNED “ON A LLAMA” FRONTED BY THE INCREDIBLY TALENTED LEA KRUEGER. AS LEA BEGAN RECORDING WHAT BECAME HER OWN SOLO RECORD (THE PRODUCER WANTED L.A. STUDIO MUSICIANS TO DO THE PROJECT) I HOOKED UP WITH ANOTHER INCREDIBLY TALENTED SINGER SONGWRITER NAMED NICOLE CAMPBELL. NICOLE WAS ASKED TO CONTRIBUTE TO THIS VERY COOL MUSIC COMPILATION WHICH INVOLVES STUDENTS WRITING POETRY THAT LOCAL ARTISTS TURN INTO SONGS. THIS PARTICULAR COMPILATION FEATURES MUSICIANS SUCH AS PETE KREBS, FERNANDO, WARREN PASH, AND LUTHER RUSSELL AMONG OTHERS. OUR TRACK WAS A CREEPY LITTLE NUMBER CALLED “DISEASED.”

NICOLE CAMPBELL
SONGS FROM THE RED ROOM
RELEASED 2001

AFTER MORE THAN A YEAR AND A HALF OF SUPPORTING HER RECORD “LITTLE VOICE,” NICOLE HAD WRITTEN A NEW BATCH OF TUNES. FROM THIS NEW MATERIAL, SHE AND PRODUCER TONY LASH SELECTED THE CREME DE LA CREME FOR A NEW RELEASE EVENTUALLY ENTITLED “SONGS FROM THE RED ROOM.” TONY, BEING A MULTI INSTRUMENTALIST/PRODUCER WHIZ, HAD A UNIQUE METHOD OF CREATING THE SOUNDS ON THIS PROJECT. CRACKED CYMBALS, LAYERED LOOPS AND A TOY DRUM SET ARE JUST A FEW OF THE ELEMENTS HE USED IN BUILDING THE PERCUSSION TRACKS. I WAS A BIT TAKEN BACK BY HIS APPROACH, BUT THE END RESULT WORKED OUT GREAT.
THIS DISK REPRESENTS A MORE INTENSE SIDE OF NICOLE AS COMPARED TO LITTLE VOICE. HOPEFULLY IT WILL BE HER TICKET TO BIGGER AND BETTER THINGS.

ALLEN BUSH
BALLADS OF GLORY AND GOOD INTENTION
RELEASED AUGUST 2001

THIS PROJECT WAS NOTHING BUT FUN. ALLEN WAS A MEMBER OF THE STRANGERS AND A SUBSEQUENT PARTNER IN CRIME EVER SINCE THE BAND BROKE UP. OVER THE YEARS I HAD BUGGED MR. BUSH ABOUT DOCUMENTING A WHOLE SLEW OF HIS SONGS THAT THE STRANGERS NEVER RECORDED. WELL, ALLEN FINALLY MADE IT HAPPEN. BACKED BY THE “PAN BIMBO” BAND (FEATURING NATE FROM THE DECEMBERISTS AND SESSION ACES MIKE WALKER AND AL TORIBIO), WE WERE ABLE TO TRACK ALMOST THE ENTIRE RECORD IN FOUR DAYS. THE RESULT: PURE ENERGY CAUGHT ON TAPE. FOR YOU NOSTALGIA BUFFS, THERE ARE MOMENTS ON THIS PROJECT THAT CAPTURE THE ESSENCE OF THE STRANGERS.

NICOLE CAMPBELL
SONGBIRDS FOR THE CURE
RELEASED SEPTEMBER 2001

THIS BENEFIT CD WAS CREATED TO RAISE MONEY FOR BREAST CANCER TREATMENT AND AWARENESS. RELEASED IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE “RACE FOR THE CURE,” THE DISK SHOWCASES CONTRIBUTIONS FROM SIX FEMALE SINGER SONGWRITERS INCLUDING NICOLE CAMPBELL. I PLAY ON NICOLE’S TWO TRACKS WHICH WERE RECORDED FROM HER CD RELEASE PERFORMANCE AT THE FEZ BALLROOM IN PORTLAND, OR.

LEA KRUEGER
STRANGE HALLELUJAH EP / FOLLOWED BY A FULL LENGTH RELEASE
RELEASED MAY 2003

WHAT A LONG JOURNEY TO GET TO THIS RELEASE. AS LEA BEGAN TO REGROUP AND MOVE ON AFTER HER DIFFICULT CHAPTER WITH RCA, SHE AND I BEGAN PLAYING TOGETHER AGAIN ON A REGULAR BASIS. LEA THEN RECRUITED MELANIE POE AND SUSIE BLUE TO FORM THE SUGAR HIGHS AND COMMITTED US TO PLAY A WEEKLY GIG AT THE GREEN ROOM (DOWNTOWN PDX) FOR OVER A YEAR. FROM THOSE SHOWS LEA FINE TUNED A SELECTION OF SONGS THAT MAKE UP THIS ALBUM (THERE’S ACTUALLY MORE DRAMA TO THIS STORY -BUT I AIN’T GOT THE SPACE TO TELL IT!). WITH THE EXCEPTION OF A FEW GUEST APPEARANCES, LEA PLAYED EVERY INSTRUMENT EXCEPT FOR THE DRUMS AND THE RESULT IS ONE OF THE FINEST PROJECTS I HAVE EVER BE INVLOVED IN.

SCOTT BOOTH
SAYLOVE
RELEASED 2004