This grouping of songs were written in my apartment. When the other musicians first came on board (Joe on bass, Kevin on woodwinds, Billy on trumpet, Sarah on keys, Bill on guitar), we composed their arrangements primarily at this gazebo in Salisbury University.
We did this usually around 12-4am. Then we played on most of them for about a year before we started to record.
In various places too, such as boardwalks, coffeshops, sidewalks, basements, and living rooms.
We ended up with a stripped down, melodic, jazz/punk/folk/rock feel which was energetic but didn't need much electricity to reproduce live. Ever since i was a teenager I've played in rock bands. So being devoid of the logistical inconvenience that big amps, PA's, and drumsets bring was a new and interesting way for me to write and play. Even though the songs are still rooted in rock music the addition of the keyboards and woodwinds inspired me to think past the boundaries of that idiom.

Actually this current musical incarnation reminded me a lot of the origins of Rainy Day Cacophony. Before the rock bands, my friend Nate and i started playing ukulele/bass/guitar in high school and were recording our 'original compositions' on cassette. When it came time to name the tapes, Nate wanted it to incorporate 'rainy day' a Bob Dylan reference. Since i was a little punk rock shit at the time, i hastily added 'cacophony' to it. We figured it was a good warning to what the 'band' sounded like.
Nate's also a habitual photographer and has always supplied my musical adventures with great cover art. As i was clicking on his photos i happened upon the picture that you see now. 'Dirty words' carved on a tree? Not the usual scrawling of 'motherfucking shitass?' Brilliant! So i decided the whole album had to be named after it. It's a great warning to the lyrical content and i wasn't going to think of anything better on my own anyway.

We didn't have money to go into an established ($40-$90 an hr) studio. But that was OK. I wanted Dirty Words to reflect the organic, raw, unpredictable, but spirited feel that my new found band conjured up. I also really dig the qualities of a live based "lo-fi" recordings. Whether it be field recordings of old blues singers or demos and bootlegs found from famous bands. Or the humble 4-track and cassette recordings of artists such as Daniel Johnston and Sebadoh.
With that in mind we decided to record in my apartment.
My friend/roommate Ben supplied a Boss digital recorder and mics. He ran the machine and provided various musical suggestions along the way. To cut more financial corners we taped a mic onto a vacuum, (for the rhythm guitar) laid mics on the cat's tower, (for the woodwinds) and propped mics on shoes (next to amps) as we did not have mic stands. Jackets on chairs were used to seperate bass and guitar during live takes. My friend Geoff and my girlfriend Jess also came around and added vocal harmonies. This setting helped ease the tension of recording and the relaxed feel brought a few spontaneous moments.
Listen for examples: My cat, Darby meowing during "Jazz Song," the frog tank sounding like rain (i forgot to unplug the filter) during "Bermuda Triangle,"
and Kevin's ba-ba-da that starts off "Another Bridge."

I was going to take the recordings up to the University's studio for the mixing and mastering process. But my friends Bill and Mike, who have had considerable audio experience in their bands, wanted to help me out instead. So we uploaded the tracks onto Bill's old computer. I drank lots of tea, and they smoked cigarettes, and we listened to the album over and over again. I learned what it means to 'record in the red' and they added different effects to augment the album. Listen for: The subtle flange on the guitar and the "lost out to sea" echo in "Jazz Song" and the old timey radio effect at the end of "Another Bridge." They still threaten me with a disco re-mix of the album....Bastards!

During the recording process i was getting a lot of advice from a book called "Wouldn't It Be Nice: The Making of Pet Sounds." I was trying not to turn these notes into that. But i suppose every album has a story behind it. I was also listening to London Calling by the Clash and Soft Bulletin by the Flaming Lips. Also some Neko Case and Andrew Jackson Jihad. Thanks for listening, and adding Dirty Words to your musical collection. Whether it be physical, digital, or a combination of both.