ALBUMS
Mission 2 the Stars (M2TS)
The sequel, Mission 2 the Stars: King of An Alien Nation, was released in June 2024. Produced, again, by Marc Golde at Rock Garden Studios, it features the same basic band with some additional musicians and instruments, such as a pedal steel guitar (Frank Anderson), a brass section (Bennett Josephs, Nick Cooper) on one of the tracks, and a French horn solo (Evan Chancellor) on the closing number. Two songs showcase local favorites: the Plutoniate’s Ross Fale on drums and Steve Bossler on bass.
The music is even more varied than on the first album, mixing classic rock, punky rock ‘n’ roll, proggy moments, indie pop, and protest songs. This is another concept album, proudly in the tradition of Sgt. Peppers, Ziggy Stardust, and the Wall. The songs are arranged to tell a story about a rebellion on an alien planet, where an angry King tries to impose his will on his people, but they can also be read as a topical commentary on modern life.
This music can be found on all the major streaming sites. Copies of this CD and vinyl LP can be purchased from Music Boxx Records in Sheboygan, WI, from Rushmore Records in Milwaukee, WI, or by contacting me directly. Each copy of the vinyl LP comes with a numbered and personalized Certificate of Authenticity. Only 100 copies of the vinyl album were printed.
Covers
Behind the Scenes
Videos
Tracks
Mission to the Stars (MTTS)
The music to the first Mission to the Stars album was professionally recorded in 2021 with Marc Golde at Rock Garden Studios in Appleton, WI. It features Woodie Larsen on guitar, Sheboygan native Mike Underwood on drums, Amanda James on backing Vocals, and Marc Golde on bass, lead guitar and keyboards.
The songs are varied. Some are a little proggy and psychedelic, some are quite heavy, others a bit more rock-and-roll whimsical. The album is beautifully produced with soaring guitar solos, classic Mellotron and Hammond keyboard sounds, and spacey sound effects courtesy of NASA. The songs are arranged to tell a story, but the lyrics are meaningful on their own, rooted, mostly, in an exploration of human nature and the human condition. If you like Pink Floyd, Daevid Allen, T Rex and David Bowie, you will like this album.
This music can be found on all the major streaming sites. Copies of this CD can be purchased from Music Boxx Records in Sheboygan, WI, or by contacting me directly. Each copy of the vinyl LP comes with a numbered and personalized Certificate of Authenticity. Only 100 copies of the vinyl album were printed.
Covers
Behind the Scenes
Videos
Tracks
The Shebeegeebees
The Shebeegeebees was a rocky little three-piece out of Sheboygan WI, featuring me on voice and guitar, Ryan Brown (Pink Lipsticks) on drums, and Eric Rautmann (Absolute Zero, Vertigo) on bass and backing vocals. We played a selection of my songs, mostly of an up-tempo, danceable variety. We once played David Bowie’s Suffragette City, but not very well. In our bio, I described our music as “the bastard stepchild of John Lennon and Johnny Rotten.”
The group formed in November of 2018 and played several times in and around Sheboygan and Appleton. Our most notable achievement was winning a contest to play on the Sheboygan City Green Stage as part of the Levitt Amp music series, hosted by the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, in June 2019. The Covid shutdown and Ryan’s desire to move from drums to guitar brought the combo to a subdued end the following year, but not before we recorded a three song CD with Matt Planton at Rocket Vault Studies in Sheboygan.
This music can be found on all the major streaming sites. Copies of this CD can be purchased from Music Boxx Records in Sheboygan, WI, or by contacting me directly.
Covers
Behind the Scenes
Videos
Tracks
Hey Coat
Hey Coat features me on guitar and vocals, Ross Fale (Plutoniates) on drums, and Steve Bossler (Plutoniates) on Bass. We have all been friends for years, but this particular five song CD grew out of our regular performance at an 8th Street Ale Haus Open Mic event in Sheboygan, and a regular Monday night jam at a rehearsal spot.
The songs range in style from a rock n roll ditty about global warming, a ska song about the virtues of being weird, and reggae song that asks “how much is too much of a good thing?” The title track is a rousing, singalong tribute to the psychedelic sixties.
The music was recorded and produced by Marc Golde at Rock Garden Studios in Appleton, WI. The basic tracks were recorded in February 2018, with additional instruments and overdubs added later in the year. The cover comes from an original painting that hangs over the toilet in my friend’s house.
This music can be found on all the major streaming sites. Copies of this CD can be purchased from Music Boxx Records in Sheboygan, WI, or by contacting me directly.
Covers
Behind the Scenes
Tracks
It’s the Apocalypse Baby!!
It’s the Apocalypse Baby!! features me on guitar and vocals playing under the moniker, the Professor, with local Sheboygan County rock and roll heroes, the Dave Steffen Band, featuring Dave Steffen on lead guitar, Craig Neuser on bass, and Spencer Panosh on drums. This collaboration began when I joined the band on a few occasions at Open Mics, jamming on some of my songs, such as the Creation Song, or King of the World.
At Dave’s suggestion, we decided to do some recording with Marc Golde at Rock Garden Studios in Appleton, my first introduction to the place and the process. The basic tracks were recorded in early 2017, with additional instruments and overdubs added later in the year. Tom Sobel and Jack Naus played a variety of brass instruments on the tracks, and Marc added mellotron, Hammond and additional guitar parts. The CD features bonus tracks for each of the four songs. These “raw” tracks capture the actual sound of the original recordings.
Copies of this CD can be purchased from Music Boxx Records in Sheboygan, WI, or by contacting me directly.
Covers
Behind the Scenes
