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In early 2002, as Mudhoney was finishing the astonishingly good "Since We've Become Translucent", guitarist Steve Turner was at Egg Studios with Johnny Sangster laying down 13 demos of his own. While not a classic in the field of recorded music, it got the ball rolling. Stone Gossard liked it and offered the services of Studio Litho. Something for nothing being a pretty good deal, Steve took him up on it. May 2002 found Steve rehearsing with Johnny on guitar and keyboards, Stone on the bass and Mudhoney's Dan peters on the traps. The four seasoned (grizzled?) musicians worked quickly and in a few days had what they needed: Steve's first solo record, ambitiously titled "Searching For Melody". Steve says he wanted to make a folk record, and he almost did. There's no doubt that the ghosts of dead folk singers (Tim, Tim, Tim, Townes, Fred, etc.) are well represented - there's a Dave Van Ronk cover for Christ's sake! But Steve can't shake the punk rock completely, as the cover of Seattle's late great Macs Band's "I'm 37" (learned on Steve's 37th birthday, a little too much perspective, as Nigel might say) can attest. But that's just the signposts: the 12 originals stand up just fine, nestled somewhere in between. The sad and lonely "Idiot Blues", the pensive "Living Through The Mistakes", the urgent "Searching For melody", these just might be classics in the making. Nothing fancy, though. Just Steve. COUNTDOWN TO SOLO DEBUT X-Mas Day 2001: Steve spends beautiful sunny day alone. After spending time gardening and a few hours at the Butter Bowl (legendary skate spot in West Seattle,) Steve vows to learn to sing a song while playing guitar. Furtive attempts are made and by the end of the day, Steve is singing and playing like a natural. Over the next few months he writes a bunch of songs and, after finishing the latest Mudhoney opus "Since we've Become Translucent," books a day at Egg Studios with Mr. Johnny Sangster, who is fresh from work on 1/3 of the Mudhoney disc. They manage to record 13 live songs that April day. Steve thinks it sucks and there's a lot of work still to go; Johnny sort of likes some of it... Later that same week: Steve gives a tape to long-time friend Stone Gossard. Gossard goes ape for it and offers Steve free studio time at his own Studio Litho in beautiful Fremont WA, the center of the known world. Steve of course takes him up on his offer, hands him a bass and says, "Play this!" Stone agrees. Dan Peters, another legendary member of Mudhoney is recruited as "The Drummer." With the aforementioned Johnny Sangster on board as producer/guitar/keyboardist, the team is in place. A few rehearsals and they're as ready as they'll ever be... August 13, 2002: The record is finished and Steve has his first live show as a solo artiste. Steve remembers none of it, but is told it went OK... Feb 2003: Steve finds himself in La Coruna, Spain, all by himself, playing at some sort of beach cabana. He is truly a wandering troubadour now. God help him. June 2003: Who knows what trouble lurks, as Steve's record hits the stores and Steve hits the road... TO BE CONTINUED... "When Todd Snider ribbed 'Mud n'honey' on his 'Talkin' Seattle Grunge Rock Blues,' he wasn't banking on Mudhoney guitarist Steve Turner joining him in folkie bro-hood. And yet, here he is. Now, just as his most famous former band wasn't dyed-in-the-flannel grunge, neither is Turner's singer-songwriter stuff traditional folk or singer-sonwriter fare. The songs whiz by in under three minutes (if that) and Turner handles the acoustic guitar like it's one of his trusty electrics. And he's got an all-rock backline in Mudhoney beater Dan Peters, bassist Stone Gossard and producer/multi-instrumentalist Johnny Sangster (Posies, Supersuckers). While the songs fit square in the folk pen, plenty pack rock wallop ('The Idiot Blues,' 'Searching For Melody'). To wit, in dialing back the decibels and turning on the introspection and observational radar, Turner working his own Northwest version of Anti-Folk." Harp Magazine "Mudhoney guitarist Steve Turner turns in a bare acoustic based effort that's pensive, urgent and raw, sometimes all at once. Originally, these recordings were laid down as demos and then fleshed out with the help of local friends, legends and scenesters Johnny Sangster, Dan Peters and Stone Gossard. Turner's delivery crosses from tube station troubadour to indie-folk café crooner. At the core, Searching For Melody captures the spirit of avant-folksters like Tim Buckly, Tim Hardin and Phil Ochs but is filtered through his history as grunge rock pioneer. Notable are the two anomalous tracks. "I'm 37" has the dry wit and thin Casio drum backing and guitar work reminiscent of Wall Of Voodoo while the closing number is an a cappella cover of Dave Van Ronk's "Last Call". " Miles of Music Check out the artist's website: http://www.roslynrecordings.com Track List: 1. The Idiot Blues 2. Living Through The Mistakes 3. Searching For Melody 4. I Want You In My Arms 5. Smart Operator 6. Not Only You 7. Sometimes I'm Wrong 8. Nothing But The Blues 9. You, My Girl 10. I'm 37 11. Instro #1 12. New Years Day 13. Take Care 14. Last Call Suggested CDs:Other Genres:
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