Erin Joins the Band
Erin and I became quick friends and by January I asked her if she would like to play bass in Short Wave. We were both still playing in Ataraxis, and would continue to, but I was also eager to keep developing Short Wave. Erin was serious about her instrument and playing and after a series of acoustic and bass rehearsals she had learned all the old material and a few newer songs.
Easy (acoustic and bass demo, April 2005)
One night Erin and I sat down in the home studio and spent a few hours tracking all our songs with just acoustic, bass, and vocals. This version of "Easy" was recorded in my home studio to a TEAC A-4010.
Taking a cue from these acoustic practices, when it came time for the first Short Wave show with Erin we decided to tune our sound towards a mellow style. By chance our friend Brian Welesko (former Ataraxis drummer) was in town from Chicago, and he agreed to play drums. After a couple rehearsals we had our 'mellow' set ready for JONAH.
Fortunately Gone (Breeders cover)
Erin and I were both big fans of the Breeders, so it was natural that we would choose one of their songs as a cover. Fortunately Gone, a favorite track from the first Breeders album, Pod, was an obvious choice. This recording is from a JONAH show on February 11, 2005. Unfortunately a technical error prevented the drum microphone from recording, but if you listen close you can hear Brian keeping time with us in the background.
Neil Returns for Spring Break & Living Room Show (March 2005)
When spring break came around in March Neil came up from Virginia for a visit. Still lacking a drummer we coaxed him into playing with us for the week.
A rehearsal was recorded in which every song was played at least twice. Andy, Neil and Neil's partner (at the time), Paige, took an overnight trip to New Hampshire. The spring break was topped off by a gig at the Living Room.