I was going to post some Poetry/Lyrics I recently wrote today. But I figured that before I did I would start at the beginning with Preston, Imbibe, my A.K.A. and its evolution and why I write.
I have always loved writing. I loved English classes (even though I slept through most of my High school English). I think I developed a taste for writing while attending a religious private school called Heritage Academy. They had a unique discipline practice for kids, who like me, where not very quiet and/or obedient.
Every time I would get in trouble (once or twice daily), they would take me to an empty room, give me a pen and paper and have me write an essay. The length of the essay would depend on how big of trouble I was in.
After a few months of doing this, I could pump out a three page essay, about anything, in 5 minutes or less. The up side; I could get thoughts on paper quickly and clearly. The down side; my B.S. meter grew and my handwriting/spelling went down hill (good handwriting and spelling took to long). My handwriting and spelling have never recovered!
Let’s fast forward a good 10 years later and post high school. While I would journal and write my thoughts down (pre blog) I never wrote poetry (mostly because I didn’t think I was any good).
It was a summer day, I was relaxing on the couch and I had decided to listen to a CD that was given to me by a friend, under the pretext that it wasn’t very good. It was the first time I slowed down to listen to it since I received it and I was blown away by the complexity of the Lyrics, the potency of the message and the uniqueness of the production.
That day I listened to that CD; the Anticon Sampler Music for the Advancement of Hip Hop, over and over and was never the same.
While I had listened to Hip Hop in the past, it was more of a gimmick, something to listen to for fun as a gangsta white boy. But this music was different! For a long time one of my favorite bands was the Dead Kennedy’s. I was always impressed with how much Jello Biafra had to say and how every time I listened to his music I learned something new and/or heard it in a new way.
On this Anticon CD there was a ton being said! I realized that with Hip Hop you can cram in one song more words, and more messages because you aren’t trapped to the same type of melody that punk or rock is hooked to… And I had a lot to say!
After that day, I was hooked… Little did I know, my soon to be Best Friend Preston Goold (A.K.A. Fyzyk), was listening to the exact same CD, at the same time and having a similar epiphany. We didn’t even know each other yet.
I memorized every word of that album. I found the different artists on the label and bought their CD’s. I found out that most of these artists were geeky college kids, mostly white, with a focus on expanding vocabulary and the mind and not focusing on girls, guns and clubbing.
However, it wasn’t until two things happened that I got the courage to start writing myself. First thing was, I met Preston and we couldn’t help but create our conversations into written works. Second, I went through the Great Life foundation and had a Stewart Smalley moment (good enough, smart enough, etc…). From there Preston and I would write hourly…
We worked together at a screen printing shop and we would write, memorize and practice while we worked. Stopping, in the middle of production to go try out lyrics on each other and working right next to each other while practicing our cadence. Our days where spent swapping music, memorizing other people’s material and most of all, finally getting all of the things we wanted to say out!
I believe that one of the reasons Preston was inspired was because of his big brothers Kimball (One L I T), who had been creating Hip Hop for a while. He was like our Hip Hop yogi… and still is! Thank goodness for big brothers!
After a while, there begin to be a group of us, some of us in Utah, with Preston and I and some of us in Vegas, with Kimball Like the conglomerate Anticon, we begin to go by the communal name of Imbibe Records. Imbibe means to take into ones self.
Years passed, poetry was written, lyrics were memorized, readings, shows, etc. and eventually the music making part of the process needed some attention. At the time there weren’t very many “geeky” Beat Makers in Utah. Some how, using my4 years of piano lessons and a knack for computer software, I started making beats and recording our vocals.
At first I really sucked (I am not saying I am great now but I really sucked at first)!! And it took me two years to realize that production and music/lyric creation are two different and conflicting parts of my brain!!! But during that time, The Phantom Tollbooth (named after my favorite cartoon) was erected in my basement. This was a box that resembled a tollbooth, made out of ply wood, carpet pad, an old screen printing glass window (an inch thick) and a microphone.
I recorded some pretty good stuff in the Phantom Tollbooth. I recorded some of Danny from Wrong Around, some ofBJ’s blues riffs, Chuck from Bombs and Beating Hearts doing his solo stuff and Preston and I’s lyrics. (Eventually I will put out a sampler of the Tollbooths golden years with all of these recordings!)
However, it was short lived due to Preston moving to Portland.
After Preston left, I started to immerse myself into my profession and instead of memorizing lyrics and music, I started to memorize business systems, equations, best practices, sales techniques, etc. and my music took the back seat. Then family, new baby, etc, kept it back there all for almost 3 years.
What can I say, everything has its seasons. The seasons have changed and now I am back into the music season, with more passion for it then ever!
While the Phantom Tollbooth is in peaces in my new house, I still have a studio/office and my music equipment collection has increased. I probably won’t put up the Tollbooth like it was and will instead turn a whole room into a sound booth (so I can record whole bands, instead of individual parts).
When I produce something in what I call the man cave (studio/office), I do it under the label name of Phantom Tollbooth Records, to pay homage to Preston and I’s pinnacle of music production together and the make shift, awesome, vocal booth.
I am currently working on my own projects as well as some collaborations that I will discuss in the future as well as explain in more detail the different parts that play with Imbibe Records and Phantom Tollbooth…
While it has been ruff not having Preston around all the time to create music, we still stretch each others brains and we have both continued and grown musically as individuals. He has been creating some amazing music with his brother Kimball and they have been doing shows. The just did a huge show in Vegas a few months ago that was epic!
And while I would like to think I am pretty damn good with my lyrics, I know that do to my OCD nature, my music game has more to go. It has become tons better since I stopped trying to produce and create lyrics/music at the same time!
But instead of waiting for perfection before I share it (with anyone but my wife, Preston, Kimball and a handful of others under the preface that only they can listen), I am going to start letting it out and sharing it with all who will listen. And working with all those who are patient and willing!
And on that note, I used to go by the name Obsessively Disordered (O.D.). Yes it is a play on words. Yes O.D. usually stands for over dose and yes it is a contradiction of its self… But hey, that’s how I roll. I have been told I am OCD by many a people and I also know that I thrive in chaotic situations that I can organize. I was and to a huge extent, I still am Obsessively Disordered. But the name has changed to ODeasy. Because while I am still O.D. I am going to make this so much easier!!!
Edit: Yes O.D. Easy has gone through another and hopefully his final identity crises. John Rogers is now going under the name Intro*Spec. As in Introspect and Introspection. More on this is future posts 2/3/11
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