Liner Note #2

Daron here with a Liner Note of Knowledge and Cool Stuff For You. That’s pretty much what the liner notes are, bits of info and fun videos and what have you.

I’ve lived in the Boston area most of my adult life now. I walked through Kenmore Square recently and man, that place has really snazzed up since I lived in the neighborhood. Not one but BOTH pizza places where I used to eat (Captain Nemo’s and the other one whose name I’ve forgotten) are gone. There’s a shiny new hotel taking up one whole block and an upscale bistro. The area used to be really “student ghetto” and so close to the Landsdowne Street clubs like Axis (previously Spit) and Venus de Milo. Also on that block, the most significant loss from my point of view, was The Rat.

Officially named the Rathskeller Pub or something like that, The Rat was one of the places to go to see live music any night of the week. I can’t tell you how many shows I saw there. Hundreds. Mostly bands you’d never heard of, since they were local, but sometimes up-and-coming ones that eventually made it, and sometimes big names when they were slumming or want to play a real “club” date.

It was at The Rat I met a guy named Bill T. Miller and bought a cassette off him of wacked out music he did under the name Out of Band Experience. Sampling was still kind of a new thing back then, and he had a toll free number (1-800-OUT-BAND) that anyone could call and leave him a recording, and he’d work it into a song somehow. (I honestly can’t remember if I ever called the number, but I bet I did…)

This being the 21st century now, of course, I Googled him to see if he’s still around and it looks like he is, with his own website and such: http://billtmiller.com/obe/

Of course, these days sampling is a standard tool in the toolbox, and with everything being digital now, with pitch correction and all… there’s some amazing stuff going on. Like have you seen this?

Stuff like that rocks my world.

Finally, a shoutout to Mr. Butch in the great beyond. Mr. Butch, the King of Kenmore Square. We miss ya.

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