The Tragic, Short Story of My Band's Demise- Featuring a Song from Our Great-but-Too-Late CD Recording, 1994
Boxes and boxes of brand new, shrink-wrapped CD’s that we, as a band, couldn’t afford anyway-- lost in a studio fire.
Shindig Shop- The Band
For a small time band during the 1990’s, producing a CD to sell on tour was a sign of success, and it was expected that any decent group of musicians would have such a way to get their music out there. My little psychedelic band Shindig Shop was trying to appear as such a band, and in 1994 we recorded and, with much help from a local recording studio, produced our very own CD, with spiffy jewel cases individually machine-wrapped like the pros. We couldn’t afford it, but we did it.
We Couldn’t Afford It
The problem was that we’d spent all of our money recording the songs in the studio, and then the studio had paid to have the CD’s pressed and packaged, but we really didn’t have much of a plan past that. Originally, the idea had been to pay for the CD’s production ourselves as a band using money from our gigs, but the phone wasn’t ringing like it had during our exciting rise in popularity the previous years, and the CD’s remained boxed up at the studio, waiting for the floundering band Shindig Shop to show up with some money.
Every band has it’s peak moment of popularity, when they can do no wrong and have shows booked everywhere-- I think we all knew by then that Shindig Shop had already seen that moment, and I could see too that many of our devoted fans had grown to like one another during our shows, and had birthed children of their own now, so that the dance floor became more ‘floor’ and less dance with each show. If your music is an aphrodisiac, then you have less than nine months to record and package the tunes, and we’d missed it by a year already.
The Studio Fire
Floating around on such a listless vessel, my mind had begun wandering in those uneventful days of the band’s life, so I was startled when I got the call telling me that the recording studio had completely burned down. First I thought of the beautiful grand piano that I had played while recording Everything Must Go, and then I thought sadly about the Hammond B3 organ with rotating Leslie speaker, and the Fender Rhodes electric piano, all burned to a crisp. Then I remembered the boxes of Shindig Shop CD’s.
As it turned out, a friend of the band had gone down to the drenched, charred scene and had actually found several of the boxes of Shindig Shop CD’s, and while mostly damaged, they had recovered some of them. Having few gigs to try to sell a few fire-damaged CD’s, it was more or less the final blow for the band Shindig Shop, and I wandered off into the hills.
This video features the first song on the disc, ’Tin Cups’, and below that will be the lyrics. Enjoy! It was rare yesterday, but now it's on Utube, while only here at Steemit will you find the lyrics and backstory to the recording.
Tin Cups
hold it under the streetlight, and there's that feeling again...
thanks for checking it out, all artwork on this package is mine except the letter logo which was graciously donated to the band by a friend. CD's are available, some fire damage, good prices- everything must go.
This is not the music I associate with the mid-west, somehow I see you touring through Seattle, with Harry Connick Jr., maybe Phish. I can't put my finger on the genre, but those are what came to mind. Love that sound :)
I'm sorry about your cd's, I know all about fire and loss. And the way it tends to put an end to things that you're not quite ready to end, and yet somehow you have to agree it was time. Or at least, I did. Twice. lol.
Would love to hear more of that CD!
We were one of the first 'jam bands' in Arkansas back in the early 90's but nobody could ever define it past that, it had an ever-changing feel.
I think everyone was already prepared for our end as a band, the studio fire only made it real.
I'm going to eventually upload all of the songs and put them here with lyrics and stuff ;)
WOOO!!! I didn't know you were in a band! That's so cool! @meesterboom was in a touring band too! Here I was thinking that I've been lucky enough to be in the company of great storytellers, but little did I know that I was in the midst of musicians as well! I played a little something something, mostly percussions, in different bands but I was never really a core member of one.
This is such a pleasing tune! Makes me think of that band Cake, but since you guys out age them, I guess they could be considered the derivatives. It's a shame that you guys didn't shot up the charts, but at least you were able to produce an album and tour however brief. Also, it's coll that you saved some copies. Put it up on iTunes and the like! Who knows, a reunion might be in the cards :D
Man, old is new again, nostalgia is almost a surefire hit these, so take the chance. What do you have to lose, right? I would love to purchase one of those CDs, but the delivery costs may be more expensive than the CD itself, so if you still have one in stock by the time I swing by your neck of the woods, it would be cool if I could purchase it first hand, with a signed autograph and a physical handshake :D If you ever put the album up on iTunes and it sells like pancakes though, it's cool if all of the CDs get sold :D
The trouble that I always have with these projects is that I busy myself with creating things, but never bother with trying to sell any of it. Even back when those CDs were still warm from the press, I was finished with them before we had sold even one. That studio fire was a relief really-- it meant that we didn't have to lug around so many boxes of unsold CDs in the following years-- we were saved the embarrassment of business failure, as we could always blame the fire instead of ourselves for the band's decline.
I have a feeling that when you get here, I'll still have a few of these Cds, and I'll give you one with the autograph and everything.
With my depleting finances, we'll see when I would be able to travel there haha! You know, I think that's a common speedbump in an indie's career. I mean, I went through the same thing with my debut novel. It's so easy to just get into the groove of creating things, that it feels tedious to be an entrepreneur.
Think about the iTunes idea, brother. Or even just in Soundcloud if you want to give it away for free. As you can see in the analytics, I have abused the replay button quite a few times last night. It may have been a few years past, but don't discount the possibility of it being a hit in the coming future :D
I appreciate the encouragement, and even though I've given away most of the undamaged CDs, I could share these song files beyond Utube, maybe iTunes or such.
Woohoo! You know, I'm really hoping your songs get picked up by someone and spread like wildfire. With all the nostalgia going around, it's great to strike while the iron is hot :D
That would be hilarious and unexpected. I think I only have a few physical copies that aren't water damaged from the fire, but with the story behind the CDs, maybe they'd be prized editions, 'original damage from infamous fire!' $10,000 with my autograph!
I wouldn't place it in the realm of impossibility. Stranger things have happened. Plus, I'm a firm believer that everyone gets their due. You put in the work, and eventually you'll get rewarded for it.
Did you do the artwork? I noticed some power lines in there and thought that might be your work. :-) Plus it's really cool.
I love the inner page. I don't know what it means, but it's very mysterious and eye-catching.
Yes I did the art and yes, my signature power lines, way back then, already running through the scenery. That middle sleeve drawing I wanted it to be mysterious, (I don't know what it means either) it was something I copied from a book on history of magic, and I liked the hand of god tuning the universe-- I tried to mimic the old art style there like etchings.
This is very good! I love it very much!
Nice! Thanks for commenting, I love the input!
That's too bad about the band and the CD's.
I wonder how this medium would be for selling music? I have boxes of 45 RPM records I produced for my sister still kicking around. I had 2,000 copies pressed and around 200 got sold or never returned from consignment stores that closed shop, so I have lots left.
I'm not sure there IS a medium for selling music anymore, all I know to do is somehow make each song on the disk a steemit post!
Hmmm... I just recently saw a post about a kind of shop that was about to open here on Steemit. I didn't book-mark it figuring I was sure to see more about it when it launched. I'm pretty sure they will take a percentage of all sales, but it might be something to look forward to.
Here is the link to the new shop. Music section is yet to come.
https://steemit.com/steemit/@steemporium/steemporium-is-now-live
Nice song, I consider myself pretty eclectic and I'm definitely digging it. Fire up a doobie and float on.
This one always had a good groove from the Rhodes piano, the song is about staying up 'til dawn, but the whole thing is written around that old 70's sounding piano, so the doobie is appropriate here, and even encouraged.
70s was best rock decade..
First rock concert I ever saw 1973, McGaw Hall, Evanston, IL. General admission, so rushed the stage of course!
Who was there? Three bands at every concert back then!
@therealpaul,
Amazing story and glad I have found you here. That beat i like it and yeah the lyrics! Just do a remix and get a new version out! I think it might hit again! Really appreciate your effort! Great work done!
(My voting power is still regenerating, therefore please allow me five more days to provide 100% upvotes for your posts)
Cheers~
I like the beat too, I thought I made it up, but it turned out to be disco!
amigo #resteemia at your service
'couldn’t afford anyway-- lost in a studio fire.' that's a shame :( you should try again. nice music @therealpaul
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Damm what a great story this is thanks a ton for sharing it on steemit
Thanks @blazing, glad you liked it, my pleasure to share