Cactus Vella Music

Hey everyone, it’s been a while. Here’s what’s been happening since May:

In June, Public Mess released a new version of “Garbage Island” with Jeff Robertson, former Sinkin’ Ships drummer. During a casual chat, we decided to give the song another go. Rob, our bassist, loved it, and we nailed it in one take, with Boxcar Sh’onn adding backing vocals. It turned out exactly how I imagined.

In July, we dropped our newest single “Summer Don’t Let Me Down”, featuring our new drummer Andrew McMullen. This track was an experiment, recorded remotely without rehearsing as a band. I made a demo of the track and sent it to Andrew. Andrew sent me his drum tracks back, I laid down the guitars and vocals, and Rob and Shawn added their parts. I’m proud of the result—some of my best songwriting yet.

August saw the release of my 1988 demo, Federal Dog. In late 1997, I moved to Toronto and I bought a used Tascam 4-track recorder and set up a mini studio in the basement of the Punk House where I lived on Federal Street. The demo features four of the earliest songs I recorded, with only 50 cassette tapes made and sold directly out of my guitar case at gigs and while busking. Including the original “Garbage Island” and “Sinkin’ Ships,” which later became my band’s name. I also did a cover of Johnny Cash’s “San Quentin,” a song that’s been with me since childhood. Only 50 cassette tapes were made, sold straight out of my guitar case at gigs.

In September, I put out the 1999 Dovercourt Rd demo. Originally released in the fall of 1999 as a short run of CDRs, this 6-song demo session was recorded between January and June of that year on a Tascam 4-track recorder. I burned the CDRs one at a time while at my day job and have no idea how many I actually made. It includes tracks like “Second Gunman,” “The New Welders Blues,” and a cover of the Jesus and Mary Chain’s “Head On.” The last track, “Dovercourt,” was an accidental late-night experiment that recorded over an Iron Maiden cover.

October brought Rhythm and the Rebel from 2000. Living in an attic apartment on Dovercourt Road, I rented an 8-track recorder for a week and captured these tracks. Though I intended to finish them later, this cassette version is the only one left.