 The Cat Ranch Studio |
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The Cat Ranch Studio |
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It was a tiny room under a tiny porch at the back of a house in Paradise. The name came from John Kelly, joking about the fact that Bonnie the girl from Jacksonville and I had just gotten a couple of long-hair tabbies. He called our place the Cat Farm, but I revised that to Cat Ranch, thinking it sounded cooler. I didn't know that there already was a place called The Cat Ranch in Nevada. Recording techniques advanced by trial and error. Things like RCA to 1/4" patch cords seemed exotic, and purchasing cassette tapes 10 at a time to get a price break felt wildly speculative. Mixes were done on a Peavey mixer, which was also the band's PA system. It had seven channels, a spring reverb and a chunky graphic equalizer. With a cassette recorder on one side and a Sony 350 reel to reel from a New York DA's office on the other there was enough gear to bounce tracks a couple of times and build up something similar to multitrack recordings. Everything was analog. I had a Hohner tape echo, a Roland phase shifter, and an Ibanez AD100 delay for effects. We were using a high-impedance microphone that an auctioneer had rejected, and a pair of white Peavey mics that looked like they came from the movie 2001- a Space Odyssey. Eventually a Roland DR-55 drum machine and Arp Axxe and Korg K-1 monophonic synthesizers were added to the instrument roster. Long loops of 1/4" tape could be strung across the control room around mic stands and played back through the 350 to serve as sampled beats. The place was a laboratory where, knowing nothing of the science of recording, we investigated the properties of sound, music, and song like it was alchemy. We made some bad recordings and we made some good ones. A lot of paths fork off from the Cat Ranch. Here's some of the stuff recorded there over roughly ten years, written by me unless otherwise indicated. Band songs may be covers or written by others in the band. Selected titles are linked to song files. |
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Bill Nork- Tourist Attraction Bill on Wurlitzer piano and precision guitars, me on synth bass and underwater vocal. Terry Keating- Real Love Is Real Sweet lyric and vocal from Terry. All the sounds came out great. |
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I Have My Doubts Big Red- How Many Times Jungle Kenny Gross- Trenton Noway You Look So Good Dark 30- Because You Believed It Hold Me Robert Bobby- Jonesin' for Your Love Again Listen to Me Linda Bob Esbenshade- Lookin' Through Your Eyes If I Were You |
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Lil' Nita- Now I'm Ready Anita, the younger sister of a friend who stopped by to see the studio, had the perfect voice for this. Grizzly Delights This became a hit at the Cone House upstate. |
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Bill Nork- Boss Machine Not Like You Dark 30- You Make Me This Time Big Red- My Pride Hurts |
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Dark 30- The Wave Written and sung by Glenn Redcay, one of the best from the first Dark 30 recording. The Stokers- Wallpaper Saga This hyper-sonic gem of a jam includes the sounds of those glass light shades in the Main Room. |
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Robert Bobby- Saturday Mornin' That's the Way Dark 30- Aint No Sunshine Wrap-Around Girl Kenny Gross- Ugly Girls One Way Glass |
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Kenny Gross- The Taking It's got 50's sentimentality and 70's rawness, with a 90's bridge. Stix Patton on drums. Dark 30- Sometimes in the Night Our rock anthem, written and sung by Bob Esbenshade on the first Dark 30 release. |
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Jack O' Diamonds- Arcade This Roland DR-55 driven instrumental was inspired by Centipede. Robert Bobby- My Baby Loves Her Man Mr. Bobby came to Paradise to commit about a dozen originals live to tape. |
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Robert Bobby- Saturday Mornin' I Haven't Got Time for it Now Kenny Gross- Mix and Mingle Make Believe Stories Big Red- Between You and Me Life on Earth No Chance of Meeting Dark 30- Keep on the Move Crossing State Lines Big Red- It Don't Matter Anyhow |
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Skamatix- Drug War Game Recorded for a Rich Stewart single, transferred from the test pressing. Big Red- Frogtown A smokin' instrumental, recorded live, and typical of their live performances. |
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Take It Back Kenny Gross- I Dont Need It Gone, Gone, Gone Dark 30- Aint No Denyin' Contraband Bob Esbenshade- The Beat of Her Heart |
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Fall Right Through Here's a bridge! Bill Nork- No One Wants to Talk to You This one has a real Farfisa and that swingin' Casiotone drum sound. Da Da Da. |
 some lab notes |
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Big Red- Come and Get Me Coppers Teenage angst, back when teenage angst was cool. Surfin To You I wrote a lot of beach songs. |
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The Blame- Public Places Last Weekend Robert Bobby- Just a Smile Away From Cryin' Sally Big Red- Apolitical Blues The Stokers- Say Wen |
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Kenny Gross- Ozone The original radio head. Butcher at Your Door Scene at a drive-in, probably. |
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Dark 30- One Lucky Roll Sweet Talk Bob Esbenshade- Streets of Love The Man with the Bosses Face Bill Nork- Friendly Bank Lover You Are Robert Bobby- Come On The Stokers- Dinosaur Wagontrain On the Beach Bob Esbenshade- Complication Lesson One Big Red- How Long |
 the Holy Book |
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Bob Esbenshade- Livin' in a Lonely Place Bob and I take a little trip to Berlin. The Shocking Truth Some people say! |
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Dark 30- No Time I'm Amazed Robert Bobby- Silver Mary Angelique Bob Esbenshade- Waiting for Your Love The Stokers- Saka1 Kenny Gross- About Half |
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Another Country Take a little trip with me-e. Bill Nork- Living Alone You gotta do it. |
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Robert Bobby- In My Own Selfish Way It Must Have Been in Spring Big Red- Take Your Time Everyday Bill Nork- Bad Jazz Moonlight Serenade Big Red- I Know Saving It for You Kenny Gross- The Boy Alone Body of Fire Bob Esbenshade- Don't Think I'll See You With the Boys |
 big iron table |
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The Blame- I Believe It Glenn wrote and sang this one. Turnin Out Wrong Ain't it the truth. |
 Stevie and Guy |
The Blame- Slumber Party One Lost Time Bob Esbenshade- Pretty Baby Because You Believed It Kenny Gross- To Lonely People Summer's Over Big Red- Middle Class White Boy Blues That's a Mother Robert Bobby- Feel So Blue Since You Been Gone |
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Yerd Eployed V2 How much bass can I get on tape? Robert Bobby- Genuine Queen of Milwaukie A signature song. |
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Dark 30- Toward the Light Another song by Glenn from the first Dark 30 release. Kenny Gross- Nucular Rat After Three Mile Island, Kenny finds that he's become project X-S-T. |
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Really Over You Bob Esbenshade- Is It True? What Goes Up Kenny Gross- Dress and Dance My Instructions Bill Nork- Surf is Up |
 Nork and Loretta |
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E.S.P. My ZZ Top phase. Bill Nork- Better Man An early one for me and Bill. |
 Rick at the Wurlitzer |
With Your Heart Bob Esbenshade- You Can't Go Home Amore Lights Out Kenny Gross- Princess Raincloud Wild and Woolly Days |
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Big Red- You Oughta Be My Baby Filling local dance floors on a weekly basis. Lie A favorite of mine. It came along without a fight. |
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Crossing State Lines Robert Bobby- Sounds Like You to Me Jack O' Diamonds- Alien Beach Party Bob Esbenshade- Apocalypse You Make Me |
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When I Fell Another one that came along sweetly. The Stokers- Science Loop Modified tape loop of the coda of "She Blinded Me with Science" under it all. |
 Ford |
Bob Esbenshade- Heart Like a Badge The Gunfighter Jack O' Diamonds- Egg Whip Crime of Love Away Jack O' Diamonds-H-M Synth |
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World of Our Own Takes me back to the rainy night Glenn and I recorded it- finished way late. Bar Apartment What could be better in your early 20's? One of John's favorites. |
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Bob Esbenshade- The Side Show The Blame- Girls, Girls, Girls On Those Legs Bill Nork- Bring Back the Limbo Desperate |
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the Thirties |