Shelf Life University

In 2003 I was enrolled at Central Michigan University, but not really attending classes. I was focused on creating and recording music, my way, for better or worse. Three years prior to this the musical gear manufacturer Korg released their all-in-one digital workstation, the D16. This is what I was looking for. I was already using the D8, which was their first digital 8 track recorder. However, there were some limitations, as you could only record two tracks at once, no XLR inputs, limited “efx”, etc... The D16 excelled at everything where the D8 struggled. You could record 8 mono tracks, and 4 stereo tracks at once. It had 4 XLR inputs, a guitar pre-amp, and a mastering section which held quite possibly the best digital limiter both Mitch and I have ever heard. It's that “ONE” limiter that just did what every engineer, singer, musician, wants out of their recording. At the time the D16 was everything to me. I had a Crate GT15, a modified Fender Squire from 1996, an Ibanez 7 string, a 1997 USA Fender Stratocaster, a Roland XP-10, a Korg Drum Machine, and a 4 string bass which had no name. Besides the 20 seconds of vocals scattered about in one track, these are the only things I used for these recordings. The guitar is direct in using all Korg effects, distortions, clean tones, delays, all of it. The drums were done with the Roland XP-10 using my fingers on two stereo tracks. I did not sequence nor loop anything. Everything is played with no punch ins/outs, even with a digital workstation. I was, and still am, so stubborn about playing it “all the way through”. This is also one of the last times I would ever use a metronome for recording purposes. My mental shifts in recordings are so strange to me when I think about them at length. They seem to follow my patterns in life and all surroundings. I knew I was never going to graduate college. 2004 was my last semester at CMU. Three years later I would be in a band called Beast In The Field, two years after that I would meet Mitch while he was attending CMU! A year later Jess and I would meet, and by 2012 her and I opened a record store in Bay City, MI. The “Shelf Life” is there to keep you moving forward. Some of the songs do not have bass guitar on them. I either did not own a bass at the time, or it was not working. After much deliberation, Mitch and I decided that he would play to one of the tracks, “NIGHT WAGER”, and release it with the original tracks. However, we also decided that after the original tracks were released, he would add electric bass to the rest of the recordings and we will release those as they are finished! In my senior year of high school, beginning in 2000, I was influenced by a man named Roger Kares. He played in a thrash/tech metal band called AFTERMASS. They released one cassette in the late 80's, and has amassed a cult following. Several of the other members went on to play with Kid Rock, and Uncle Kracker, and still do to this day. I met Roger at Massimino Music in Fraser, MI. Yes, it was MASSIMINO Music, not “Massimino's Music”, NO apostrophe, not in Joe's House. Joe Massimino was one of my favorite people. He was serious, like, FOR REAL SERIOUS. And he could crush anyone's body with his bare hands in less than two seconds if he needed to. He also played accordion, and owned Massimino Music for over 52 years. I believe it was the longest, family owned music store in Michigan, but you'll have to fact check that. All that being said, Joe also seemed to attract rebellious people, and I believe owning a music shop will do that. But Joe hired them, and they stayed, and were a huge part of the environment that made up Massimino, and the musical culture of the surrounding areas. And I became part of that environment. I was hired to teach guitar at Massimino in 2000. This was all Roger's doing, and it was the greatest job I could think of. I was also working at a local park as an attendant, and playing in a cover band with friends from high school. In 2001 I would leave all of this and head to Mt. Pleasant to attend CMU, knowing darn well I would never graduate. Follow your dreams, my children, the rest is yet to come. ARC OF ALL credits released June 30, 2023 Arc Of All- electric guitar, electric bass, keyboard drums, synthesizer, voice, recording, artwork Super Tower - electric bass on "NIGHT WAGER", finalization, design layout