BLOG?
< home******
hey hey man what a break huh?
FEBRUARY 4TH, 2025
Recently Evan Minsker (of See/Saw, of Pitchfork, of music writing, of man) asked me simply if I ever write or journal about my
process of recording/writing songs and it really flipped my lid, because...not really?
It's something I don't think much about when I'm working on things and when it comes to putting words to the process I feel pretty vulnerable.
Is my process "legitimate"? Will I be mocked for not doing xyz the "right" way? I operate with broken things, junk, cheap tools and toys.
That's where I thrive when it comes to my creative process, whatever you wanna call it. I gotta surround myself with bright colors odds and ends
posters pictures action figures etc etc etc. Those things matter more than the guitar or drums I'm using, which are typically in various states
of disrepair, detune-age, brittle jangle making things. For the last couple of years the only guitar amp I've used for recordings is a 10 watt
practice amp which my dad got me around 11 years old, when I first started learning guitar (technically not the first time, but the time that took!)
It is my first guitar amp, ever. It sits on my desk, I prop a cheap copy of an SM57 on an old candle holder in the shape of Frankenstein's head
(the monster, not the man) and let have at it. This goes through a mixer that I bought in 2007, the only one I've ever owned, the first thing
I ever put on a credit card at the age of 19. From there the mix runs out into a Tascam 4track recorder which by the miracle of God is somehow
in good working condition and I pray speaking of this does not bestow a jinx or curse, because the Tascam is the diary and paper of my brain.
I find tapes wherever I can, a few friends have turned over their closet stashes of blank tapes and my supply is pretty well stocked, but on
occasion I will pick up tapes from thrift stores or repurpose shops that have been recorded on and have decades of dust caked on their magnetic
sheen, just to see what special gremlins it could add to the airspeak I'm generating at an unsustainable pace. Broken dusty moldy warped melted
forgotten tape lends itself to some real out magic for those who do not seek milky perfection and stepford gloss in their work (your guy here.)
I think that's all I have to say for now, but the process of creating music is as close to church as I could maybe get, so I do actually have
plenty to say on the matter, but as with any spiritual THING, getting it out onto paper or computerverse is an act of tedious thought translation.
Love ya
-WT
******
JANUARY 24TH, 2025I have a new release out called SCREWBALLS HIP FOLLY this week. I've been battling with some self doubt and had told myself I was making and releasing too much music,
that I should slow down etc. But it's not because I WANT to stop making music, it's because I have this made up thing in my head that I should only release so much music because that's how
"it works". It's really stupid and I took a couple of months off from writing or doing anything simply because I thought I had to. Ultimately I don't make music or art for anyone
other than myself though, so why do I care? Writing and recording are a compulsion and a way for me to regulate my brain, so I gotta do it. I love it! So anyways, the recordings on this release are from
the past month-ish. Some new songs, some tape rot experiments. Check it out! Also played a couple of shows the friends GNATS over the weekend, one in Gainesville and one in Jacksonville.
Great shows, love rockin. Gotta rock forever.
Peace!
-WT
******
JANUARY 16TH, 2025It's a new year, woohoo. Starting things off with two shows in January and a few new releases on FLOATING SKULL (my little cassette label) for some Gainesville bands
and and Orlando band. Tapes coming from CAT BATTLE, a hard to pin down Gainesville band of fresh high school graduates making anything ranging from harsh noise to
improvised acoustic skronk. This tape will be a compilation of two of their recent recordings. Also coming up is a tape I've been trying to get out for a year or so
now by my friend AJ Herring, aka VELMA AND THE HAPPY CAMPERS. AJ is an incredible songwriter and artist and this new album, ASHEVILLE, is a real gem. Coming out in February
(hopefully) will be the debut EP from Orlando noise twee band UBER CRUNCH. They're so bouncy and well, crunchy. Also in the works is a comp of Gainesville bands due sometime in
March called THAT NEW GAINESVILLE SOUND featuring songs from myself, Curleys, Control Freak, TVA, Algae Guck, Girl Fit, and maybe more?
Fun stuff. Busy busy busy!!! Here's a cool picture I found on the internet!
Love ya!
-WT
.jpg)
******
OCTOBER 11TH, 2024Missed all of September it seems. We've been fighting off back to back hurricanes (Helene and Milton) here in Florida, so not much time for anything else lol.
I released Head Full Of Jelly, proud of that one. Played a set of mostly those songs live with my friend Josh Ney at The Atlantic recently and it went great.
With all the storms and work and what not I haven't been super productive on the music end recently, but trying to get back in the swing!
(some morning coffee and songwriting, got a couple songs from this little session!)
-WT
******
AUGUST 20TH, 2024I've returned to working in my office and it is draining my life force! Mostly an exaggeration but...I miss working from home.
I finished "Head Full Of Jelly" I think. 10 songs at the moment, planning to do a self release of tapes on Floating Skull.
Also releasing a beat tape by Wax Atom (Bobby Harper) from here in Gainesville. I think about changing the name of Floating Skull and starting over often, so after this year I may do that.
Would be cool to pursue something more zine centric, since I view cassettes as audio zines, anyways. That's it for now, adios!
-WT
******
AUGUST 8TH, 2024Still working on songs for this tape called "Head Full Of Jelly". Been listening a lot of the "messthetics" post punk comps lately, man those are so good.
Endless inspiration. Love that none of the bands from that era necessarily sound alike but they all are taking a similar approach and embracing the mess. Same!!
Here's a few lil pics of my studio/work space while working on these songs:
.jpg)
(most of the tapes i've filled up so far this year on the tascam)
.jpg)
(the perfect drum setup. who needs anything else?)
.jpg)
(my no-name bootleg fender 12 string and squire jag. wonky work machines.)
-WT
******
AUGUST 6TH, 2024Lost power, internet, and phone service midday yesterday from Hurricane Debby.
The lights at least came back on later in the night but everything else took til the morning to get up and running.
Thankfully nothing at our place is messed up! A lot of trees down around here and a lot of flooding but otherwise doing good. Gonna be picking up limbs for a while lol.
Check out this cool bootleg Syd Barrett cassette art I came across. Looks like a bootleg of a bootleg? "Unforgotten Hero" is a Syd boot that's been around for a while of just collected
Syd tracks from Floyd and solo work, sometimes mis-spelling his name as "Sid".
I love the handmade art for this though!
-WT
******
AUGUST 5TH, 2024Currently goin through Hurricane Debby here near Gainesville! Been up since 5am when the wind really started whippin around.
Got up and made some coffee before the power could go out but it's still holding strong as of 8am. Looks like nearly 8 inches of rain since last night though, that's wild.
At least if the power goes out I can sit around working on songs on the porch lol.
Been listening to the band ALLIGATOR INDIAN from back in the 2010s this morning.
Somehow I missed them then but wow, great psych pop stuff.
I recorded 3 songs last week, hoping to do more this week around.
Thinkin about calling the next tape "Head Full Of Jelly" but that might change.
Bouncin around a song called "Are you and egg?" just keep singing it in my head around the house lol.
-WT
******
