SAD LITTLE DONKEY - Tape - 2003

   After the breakup of my old band, FORCED VENGEANCE, I felt despondent and weird about my life for a myriad of reasons (mostly documented here). This band started up shortly after the breakup and we spent a lot of time practicing in a cramped basement overlooking the city of Chattanooga on Stringer's Ridge. Daniel (also of ADD/C) played guitar and sang. Harry (from JARVIS and FV) played the other guitar and contributed a great deal of vocals as well. Chrissie (from BRIS and FV) played bass. I embodied my spirit animal more than ever before (probably from being so weirdly unstable) and played the drums. We practiced a bunch and played one show before the World Trade Center attacks in 2001. On that day, I was reading the RAMONES biography on Harry's porch when I heard about planes crashing into those buildings. I decided then to hitchhike to Asheville, for some reason. If you ever want to feel like an anthropomorphic burning flag driving a tank full of Iraqis through a line of toddlers and into the White House, be sure to hitchhike on the day of a national tragedy. Long story short: I was losing my mind and the band dissolved. I left town for a while, Harry fathered a baby, Daniel bought a house and Chrissie moved to Richmond.

   I ended up out in San Francisco for a while, but soon returned to Chattanooga, living in a big drafty attic on the north side of town. I spent most of my time locked in there writing, trying not to drink myself into oblivion and going to shows at Anarchtica. I was only in town for 6 months and wanted to play music with anyone, but everything I tried to start just fell apart before it got off the ground (including a band with Eric Nelson called SKELETON HEAD, WYOMING that only managed to write one and a half songs. We played on show with only half the band present and shit out an REM cover to try and fill up a 5 minute set. The touring band said it was the best band they had played with on their tour and I felt bad for them.). My friend, Cinque came to town for a month and I proposed that we get SAD LITTLE DONKEY back together with him on bass. (sidenote: the band actually never had a name, I just called it SLD because no one else would come up with anything). So, within a month, we practiced these songs, played 2-3 shows and recorded this tape which never had any sort of proper release.

   This tape was recorded in 2003 in Daniel's room in a big, old house on the south side of town near the toxic Chattanooga Creek and (now demolished) Wheland Foundry. Three of these songs ("Luka","How the West Was Won", and "Dental Magician") later turned into ADD/C songs after Harry joined that band and they appear on their newest LP and a 7" with LANDLORD. This recording is roooough but I love how it sounds. The old mixer for the four track was so close to me that I kept hitting it with my drumstick and you can hear the reverb coils rattling near the end of the first song. It was a fun time. It was also Harry's birthday and rather than sitting around and making this recording sound better, we all went out together, got drunk and ate burritos. A few days later, Cinque and I left town with our other band ALLERGIC TO BULLSHIT and this band never played another note.

 

 

DOWNLOAD HERE 

Re-uploaded June 2023