The Secret Origin of the Band Name
I have a lot to do today, so I'll spin you a brunch-hour yarn and begone.
As you may know, "Woodburning" is the name of a Toad the Wet Sprocket song on the Dulcinea album (1994). I like the song well enough, but I like the word even better. Since there's a pretty well-established precedent for band names being pilfered from other groups' song titles (Radiohead is the only one coming to mind right now, but I know there are others), I didn't feel too badly about using it for the name of my little venture.
What's interesting though, is that appropriating this name for my band constitutes a 2nd-generation borrowing, as the Toad song pays tribute to fellow Santa Barbara band The Woodburning Project (Toad thought the track was reminiscent of the other band's sound). So the plot thickens, eh?
In '94, TWP released their one and only album, Watershed. After that, they signed to a record label (Columbia, I believe??) in '95 and were subsequently dropped in '97 without having recorded anything further.
This is a real shame, because Watershed contains some lovely music, with one song (their self-admitted masterpiece) in particular distinguishing itself so effectively that I have no choice but to include it in my *drumroll* TOP TEN SONGS OF ALL TIME list. (More about said song in a minute.)
So, during my period of rabid Toad fandom (between about 1995 and 2001), I repeatedly saw mentions of TWP, but there was very little info of any substance to be had. In early 2003, I happened upon a useful lead; two of the former members, Angus Cooke (cellist) and Thom Flowers (guitar) had founded a studio in California called Orange Whip. (Both Toad and Lapdog have recorded there during their respective tenures, so it's definitely a pro-level operation.)
Intrigued and wanting a copy of the disc - which I couldn't find anywhere - I called the studio and got Angus on the phone, who very kindly fielded my questions. Upon hearing that I'd like to have a copy, he personally mailed me a home-burned CD-R of the album, complete with home-printed liner notes - free of charge. He didn't have any sealed copies laying around, and this was "the best he could do." Wow. Somebody needs to buy that dude a pint...
As I said, the album is good, but the special song, "La Lune," is outstanding (and incidentally was covered on Glen and Nickel Creek's Mutual Admiration Society album). With permission from Mr. Cooke to distribute the material - as Watershed is long out of print and unavailable for purchase - I present to you one of my personal very-favorite-songs: "La Lune."
As you may know, "Woodburning" is the name of a Toad the Wet Sprocket song on the Dulcinea album (1994). I like the song well enough, but I like the word even better. Since there's a pretty well-established precedent for band names being pilfered from other groups' song titles (Radiohead is the only one coming to mind right now, but I know there are others), I didn't feel too badly about using it for the name of my little venture.
What's interesting though, is that appropriating this name for my band constitutes a 2nd-generation borrowing, as the Toad song pays tribute to fellow Santa Barbara band The Woodburning Project (Toad thought the track was reminiscent of the other band's sound). So the plot thickens, eh?
In '94, TWP released their one and only album, Watershed. After that, they signed to a record label (Columbia, I believe??) in '95 and were subsequently dropped in '97 without having recorded anything further.
This is a real shame, because Watershed contains some lovely music, with one song (their self-admitted masterpiece) in particular distinguishing itself so effectively that I have no choice but to include it in my *drumroll* TOP TEN SONGS OF ALL TIME list. (More about said song in a minute.)
So, during my period of rabid Toad fandom (between about 1995 and 2001), I repeatedly saw mentions of TWP, but there was very little info of any substance to be had. In early 2003, I happened upon a useful lead; two of the former members, Angus Cooke (cellist) and Thom Flowers (guitar) had founded a studio in California called Orange Whip. (Both Toad and Lapdog have recorded there during their respective tenures, so it's definitely a pro-level operation.)
Intrigued and wanting a copy of the disc - which I couldn't find anywhere - I called the studio and got Angus on the phone, who very kindly fielded my questions. Upon hearing that I'd like to have a copy, he personally mailed me a home-burned CD-R of the album, complete with home-printed liner notes - free of charge. He didn't have any sealed copies laying around, and this was "the best he could do." Wow. Somebody needs to buy that dude a pint...
As I said, the album is good, but the special song, "La Lune," is outstanding (and incidentally was covered on Glen and Nickel Creek's Mutual Admiration Society album). With permission from Mr. Cooke to distribute the material - as Watershed is long out of print and unavailable for purchase - I present to you one of my personal very-favorite-songs: "La Lune."
posted by b at
9:47 AM
4 Comments:
I agree on "La Lune". When I heard it I immediately recognized it as an amazing song. This was a sound that really forged its own path. Who sounds like these guys? Nobody I've found, and yet so many bands that have cult followings are an amalgamation of the TWP sound.
wait...let me get this straight...Columbia signs a band, puts out like 1 album, and then drops them...That doesn't sound like something they would do.
[if you can't smell the sarcasm here, get your olfactory sense checked out]
actually Columbia never released anything of theirs, they bought the rights to "Watershed" but didn't do anything with it and never gave th eband money tomake a second record, Sean's story differes from his former band mates, he insists a second album was recorded prior to Columbia inking them but that the masters dissapeared.
he hasn't been seen in years though and never made any more music sadly
Keep up the good work.
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