Rumtoad: 2011

*Disclaimer*

Disclaimer

This is a site I use to post work I have created or been a partner to, as well as a platform to connect and collaborate with musicians from around the world who are interested in challenging, or thought provoking musical compositions. My studio includes Logic 9 and tons of analogue and digital equipment. I tend to work fairly quickly, but the more interesting a project, the more I want to do the best I can to add something profound, so time is relative. My stylistic interests include everything as long as it is good, although I am not a huge fan of most of what passes for music on the radio these days. I enjoy writing and playing, and I am comfortable with most styles. I currently have 2 "long distance" projects that are on-going, but would love to collaborate with others, with the goal of releasing our collaborations to the public, even if only electronically!
Definitive interests and influences include the usual suspects:
The Beatles, Early Stones (through 1975), Paul Revere and the Raiders, The Who, etc,
but also:
Prog - Genesis/Gabriel/Hackett, Emerson,ELP/The Nice, etc
Canterbury - Hatfield, Softs, Caravan, Gong,etc
Zeuhl - Can, Magma, Neu!, etc
R.I.O - Henry Cow, Aqsac Maboul, Muffins, etc
Bop and Free Jazz - too many to list, but Miles, Shepp, Pharoh, McCoy, Threadgill, AACM, etc..
Fusion - Return to Forever, McLaughlin, etc
And so on. You get the picture. I also love 70s and 80's Southern Cali punk, and British Proto-Punk (the Jam, and did I mention XTC?) through a lot of the good new wave from the 80's (Japan,Prefab Sprout, etc)
Classical - Schoenburg, Eisler, Messiaen, etc
*whew*
I was also a fan of the 45. Two songs, approximately 7-10 total minutes to state your case. Nice...

I have been a musician for over 30 years, and have played live with musicians like Eyvind Kang, Dave Trenkel, Burned Mind and Fred Challenor as well as with members of Caveman Shoestore, The Tone Dogs, Jade Warrior, Group Du Jour, Thinking Plague, Hamster Theater and others, and have opened for everyone from Nirvana and the Sun City Girls to Elliot Sharp and They Might be Giants. I currently play music with Daniel Crommie, Bruce Hazen, Colin Henson, David Duhig, Jon Davis Miller, and some great avant-garde musicians in Argentina. Please feel free to contact me if you are interested in creating something cool!

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Wolf Time

This is a piece I wrote about the current "trend" of joining loosely affiliated and politically vague groups hell bent on destroying everything that makes them uneasy or forces them to think. It has a Randy Newman meets Floyd Cramer kind of lope to it, but trust me, you don't hear many country tunes written in Bb, and they certainly don't use many 11ths and 13ths. I do hope certain fringe elements listen to this and hate it. Then my work would be complete!

Rumtoad- Vocals, Bass, Piano, Guitar Solo, Drum Pattern

Wolf Time by Rumtoad

Cymbaline

The track below is a recent version of an old Pink Floyd tune I recorded. It is an unfinished demo, but it was a lot of fun to record. For this session, the musicians were:

Rumtoad- Bass, Piano, 12 String guitar, Drum Patterns and Vocals
Kevin Elmore - Electric Guitar
Daniel Crommie - Mellotrons and Flutes

Cymbaline by Rumtoad

Amazing

This is a short piece that I composed for a class I was taking. The total length was not to exceed 3 and 1/2 minutes. Its kind of baby techno, but I really like it, especially the ending.

Rumtoad- Bass, Mellotron, Keyboards, Samples and effects.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Ella Fitzgerald Week

This is a song I wrote in 1991, but I like this version best, which I re-recorded in 2009, and then created a video for. It means a lot to me, considering the state of the world we live in now.

Rumtoad- Nylon and Electric Guitar, Bass, Organ,Drum Patterns, Vocals