Auspicious Beginnings

In lieu of writing a novel this November (see http://www.nanowrimo.org/), I am assembling a band to record an album. Friends received an email earlier this month with instructions on how to become a rock star, an idea based on my woefully bad third novel, The Aluminum Album.

Potential band members were advised not to worry if they, like myself, have no musical ability whatsoever. They would be heartened to learn that musical ability was not a prerequisite to be part of the band. Every interested and committed party was promised a role. Let’s just say our triangle and cowbell sections look to be very strong on this album.

The album will be begun and completed in the month of November. Since 30 days is not a whole lot of time to form a band, learn songs, record them, respond to fan mail, shave your head and enter rehab, etc., the schedule will be both grueling and rigid.

The name of the band is Know Eye Inn Teem. It comes from the novel. Yes, the novel I wrote.

The name of the album is “The Aluminum Album.” Again, from the literary masterpiece of the same name.

Auditions began on October 21. Peter Tatian wowed with a Queen song on his trombone. Julie Flinn came equipped with a Restoration Hardware "Country Band" set of instruments that included a banjo, a harmonica, and a washboard, and she offered a stirring tambourine accompaniment to U2.

Further auditions took place on October 26. The multi-talented Cerin Lindgrensavage, our band's only Andalousian lute player, tore up "What a Wonderful World" on acoustic guitar. Brad Scriber electrified with "Sunday Bloody Sunday" on the the violin, then he and Cerin turned it into a spontaneous duet. I detracted from the magic by chiming in with flat vocals. Mic Murphy arrived and set up his keyboard apparatus, jazzed around on it expertly for a while, and then took our "Sunday Bloody Sunday" to a new and wonderful level. We explored some variations after that, such as "Salsa Bloody Salsa."

Alas, after a week of unsuccessfully wooing drummers, I am still without someone with any experience in this area, but I think that with a combination of Julie "Thud" Flinn's improvisation and Mic's keyboard-created pseudo-drums, we will get by just fine.

I am not exaggerating when I say I am blown away by Know Eye Inn Teem's raw talent. I was really prepared to marshall a bunch of trianglists and cowbellers, and was quite happy with that plan, but now I see that we have potential to be genuinely musical. It's going to be an exciting November.