The Skekses: "Mama Says the River" Ellen Herget: I went to one or two of the big and little meetings in the backyard. There was a notepad, and Matt Frederick was in charge of it, but he'd always show up late, so Adam was in charge first. There were two to five subject headings with people narrating them, and there was just a huge discussion. People didn't raise their hands. They were encouraged to speak up, so it was way town meeting. There was a little nugget of business in the middle and lots of hangout time on other end. The result of all that was super cool because the first time I had heard it was at the listening party at Off Broadway, on the big speakers all echo-y. Aw, man, it's so bitchin'.
This City of Takers: "Never Leave a Bridge Standing" David Mahew: We were the first band to record for the compilation, and Jason Hutto (at Smoking Baby) really knows his shit. Even with the things he doesn't have, he makes up for with ingenuity. He doesn't try to define the sound of the band as much as get the band's best take. It's about making us questions ourselves about, "Was that a good take?" Listening to the full album, it's clear that he got the best out of everyone.
Bunnygrunt: "Debutantes in Bondage" (Welders cover) Matt Harnish: I don't really know what the vast goals are behind these little projects, and I think that's kind of good. If every project just has the goal of creating excitement and then spurring on the next project, that's how it should work. It's not trying to be this multi-billion dollar project. It's trying to do a little better than even but actually mean something in St. Louis. And the music scene will be better for it.
Bug Chaser: "The Quackiness of Donald Duck" Jake Jones: I feel like people make music a competitive thing, and it's not really about that. It should just be creation. The great thing is that this is grouping everyone together instead of just letting people duke it out. Not that we necessarily would, but it's important to reinforce that sense of community. I mean, we had never been in a studio before this, even.
Ransom Note: "Russian Blue" (featuring Rats & People MPO)
Peck of Dirt: "Making Mud Pie" (featuring Rats & People MPO) Sherman S. Sherman: When they approached me, I didn't know if it would work. Truth be told, we still don't know if it's going to work or if we're going to have boxes of records in somebody's basement. But the way people are talking about it and asking about it, it seems like we're on the way. There's all this excitement, and it just keeps building. I think it's a little too early to know what being a Tower Groove band is, but it means a lot to get to play with your friends. A lot.
