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The last word

« 10 March 2007 | 18:21 | default, music | No Comments »

Peter D’s 1988 post mortem
And so…they all went back to their respective corners. Peter borrowed equipment - 4 track, keyboard, drum machine, bass guitar, etc. - from various associates, and spit out the following from his apartment on rather bleak N. 7th St. These went pretty much unheard.
Been Here Before  
Not deja vu, but an […]



Hello little squirrel…

« 10 March 2007 | 15:44 | default, music | No Comments »

2-track “EP” demo - Fall 1982
Don’t Let The Beat  
As the band’s idea of being an entity, their identity, started to emerge, so did the need to document it. They needed a tape to promote themselves with prospective venues, and also to release something publicly, to spread the word. The vinyl “EP” format was in […]



Twitch and Die

« 10 March 2007 | 15:40 | default, music | No Comments »

Aborted 1987 demo
The Squirrels had broken off their relationship with Lynn Watts. They re-invested in their sonic infrastructure, a self-designed PA - new guitars, and effects. They breifly rented the basement of St. Thomas Chuch as an office/studio, but sadly lost it before getting to use it much. A new demo was tantamount to breaking […]



Twitch and Shout pt. 2

« 10 March 2007 | 15:23 | default, music | No Comments »

The Community Arts Center - 1986
Flash forward a couple years - the band comes on like a prizefighter.
Peter had a history at the Arts Center going back to ‘74, so it was like coming home. This show came about as the band tried to push into new venues, with the help of Weston Clemmons. […]



At the Hut - 1983-4

« 10 March 2007 | 15:20 | default, music | No Comments »

Be warned: these are embryonic in nature both in performance and recording, offering a glimpse into the sweaty creative process.
Strains of XTC’s “English Settlement” and U2’s “October” albums began to filter into the arrangements.

I Could Break Your Heart  
Dark romantic doubts.
Russ on keyboards. Paul was absent. Portentious?
Our House  
The Band of Bachelors. All dressed up […]



Squirrel ground zero

« 10 March 2007 | 15:20 | default, music | No Comments »

Cape Fear Foundation - Downtown Wilmington
Late spring afternoons after work, Peter, Paul, and Danny met up in the 2nd floor loft of 9 S. Front St. (later to become Front St. News, and the Caffe Phoenix). It had an urban-ness that fit their intent perfectly. It was a step up from the bedroom jams, as […]



Twitch and Shout pt. 1

« 10 March 2007 | 15:19 | default, music | No Comments »

Ocean Plaza Ballroom - Carolina Beach - 1982 (er…3)
Not a quality tape by any measure, but damn glad to have it nonetheless. It was apparently recorded off a shared echo feed which shifts the mix entirely. Aparently the soundman didn’t have posterity on his mind, but what can you say about the band? They sound […]



A walk on the wild side

« 13 February 2007 | 13:50 | default, venues, stories | No Comments »

April’s Disco-Lounge - S. Front St.
By the late ’70’s, downtown Wilmington was an interzone. Higher commerce had pulled anchor, and what remained were the less economically mobile, the ever hopefuls, and those just out for a good time.
Keith DeLancey recalls:
April’s Disco-Lounge was an amazing supernova that quickly imploded on Front Street. My brother and I […]



We’re not worthy

« 10 February 2007 | 19:44 | default, bands | 6 Comments »

Let’s Active
Truly a band of prominence, they played at the Mad Monk, and opened for REM at Trask Colisseum. Peter D adored them, so the scene was mostly on his stereo.
Mitch Easter’s DIY aesthetic must have launched a thousand (what would later be called) indie-rock bands. The band had a lot going for it, intelligent […]



A band by any other name

« 10 February 2007 | 19:07 | default, bands | No Comments »

Alias
Jeff McLean - Guitar, Vocals
Sam Bryant - Drums
Rick Byrd - Bass
Carlton Clark - Keyboards
Peter D - Keyboards, Vocals
Brenda (?) - Vocals
In the swirling events of ‘79, Peter D rebounded with some of his old schoolmates, with mostly jazz-fusion in mind. The Dixie Dregs were big at the time, but Alias’ M.O. favored funk overtones over […]