For this tape, I decided that I wanted one of the members of the band to tell me all about 'em, because I know next to nothing. I asked my good friend, Rymodee to write up something and he obliged in the best way possible....through the US postal service...even though I could bike to his house in 15 minutes if I wanted to. So, here's Modee to tell you everything you ever (or never) wanted to know about the TUBE SMUGGLERS
(Click to enlarge...yeah, yeah, I typed it out too in case your eyesight kinda sucks like mine)
I haven't heard or even seen the TUBE SMUGGLERS tape in several years, so when I saw it online recently, I was surprised that it had been labeled "Florida folk punk". Listening now, I understand, and I might even call it that myself but back then, well, it wasn't what we were going for.
This one day, Chris showed on on our front lawn. I think he was heartbroken, but I could be making that up. My partner at the time, Jen and I said he could stay and get all put back together again and things seemed swell.
Jen and I could get pretty lit and play Irish songs on a firewood piano til dawn, and we worked 100 hours a day, at least, but somehow, a few weeks later, we noticed we had also written a few songs. All of them about cooking or murder. Chris on guitar, me on mandolin and Jen on a fucked up, homemade stand-up bass (which terrified her).
We looked up one day and realized that all of a sudden we had 7 people living in our house and they were all in our band. . A spit jug player,washboards & castanets, guitar, mandolin, fucked up bass, spoons, saw, a hammered dulcimer with steel pipes instead of strings and a nose flute.
I don't remember where the 8 track recorder came from, but what I do know is that none of us really figured it out. We ended up doing each track one at a time with headphones, and there are a few terrible spots on the tape that we should have done over, but it took a pretty long time, and one of us was on the verge of a mental explosion, due to cramped quarters.
Anyway, we recorded it , played two shows (one being a house band feud, which I have come to realize happens in Pensacola much more than anywhere else.)
This tape is really great if you can bear to make it through to "Gold Rush", where Samantha's lovely baritone still makes me laugh and cry at the same time.
Chris Clavin - Guitar
Rymodee - Mandolin
Hannah Jones - Washboard, Castanets
Jen Knight - Stand up bass
Samantha Jane - Spit Jug
Mikey Hotsauce - Lead Vox
Teddy Ted - Saw, Spoons, Hammered Dulcimer, Nose Flute
We disbanded almost immediately afterwards. All of Chris' friends who traveled to our home in his time of need felt their job was complete. Mikey put out a handful of copies on those tiny CD's and I heard some crew of New Orleans punks were making bootleg tapes, which was fine by us.
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