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Label: Land Speed, Zero Sum
Year: 1993, 1996
First and foremost, Jerry Fuchs is not on either of these 7"s. He played in the band starting around 1996, and there is an album worth of unreleased material from his tenure in the band, but sadly, it languishes in somebodies closet somewhere.
I wanted to post the Vineland records, not only because they're great records, but because when I think of Jerry Fuchs, it's Vineland that I think of. I think of seeing Vineland play in the front room of a friend's house, the Landfill (what up Jon Milavec!), and being so stoked because the drummer was "one of us". A guy who left his small town to join up with one of his musical heroes, not ever thinking for a second what a hero he would become to so many other people. And of course the band killed it, especially that drummer. He always killed it, it was just how he played. Such a natural dexterity, such seemingly effortless talent. He was unreal, and it was that one performance that really opened my eyes to just how great he was.
Think I'm exaggerating? Ask anyone who saw him play. Shit, just a couple of months ago, a friend of mine who's been playing in bands for years, a guy who's run sound at a local rock club, a guy who records bands for a (partial) living, a guy who's seen his fair share of bands, he saw Jerry playing with Maserati, and was compelled to pull him aside after their set to tell him how outstanding his drumming was. He had never met the guy, and didn't realize who he was, but Jerry made such an impression, he just had to say something.
That was the effect his talent had on people. It will be sorely missed in the years to come.
*Fixed link
Hey thanks for the great music and memories. Just to let you know the link for Obsidian is actually for turing machine.
ReplyDeletethank you for these.. he will be missed..
ReplyDeletethank you.
ReplyDeleteGreat job. You are really doing an amazing music and soul blog
ReplyDeletevery sad story. NYC elevators are fucking dangerous.
ReplyDeleteHey...
ReplyDeleteSomeone just sent me to this post. I was the latter of two second guitarists in Vineland (there were 3 drummers and 4 bassists in my tenure or something... so I tend to give myself points for being in the band so long!) I played on the second of these two 7"s.
Is the house show you're talking of the one in Athens, where we played with Galas Cerdd(sp)? If so, coincidentally that's the night I quit the band, which eventually led to the final break up.
Jerry and I were roommates and remained close after the breakup, when we had a band called Reddy Kilowatt, where Justin Chearno (later of Turing Machine with Jerry) played bass and I played guitar. Unfortunately the band never recorded proper recordings, but here are two demos that Jerry and I recorded by ourselves in March of 1996:
"R-60"
http://www.apocalypsetheapocalypse.com/label/mp3s/rkilowatt_r60.mp3
"Harbison Walker"
http://www.apocalypsetheapocalypse.com/label/mp3s/rkilowatt_harbison.mp3
Actually... the voicemail at the end of "R-60" is one left on our answering machine by Nuci Phillips (who you might also have known) while we were recording the songs. We thought it was silly, so we dubbed it on the end. Sadly Nuci died eight months later.
Jerry and I recorded together again in 1999, but I never finished the songs. Unfortunately that was the last time we played together, despite the fact that we toured together several times (I was tour manager for Maserati in recent years) and also visited and traveled together many times as well in the decade since.
Sadly I was supposed to go to France this week to hang out with Jerry while he played at a festival over there. And we were also excited to play together in January since I'd relocated back to the northeast this summer.
But less sad, I got to spend 7 weeks with him at the end of his life (Maserati finished a tour the Monday before his death). Jerry and I shared far more time together in 15 years than most lifelong friendships have, so I'm happy for that.
Still it's a tremendous loss for me, and one that has shaken me so much that I thought the other day that I really couldn't remember how many other things in life ever seemed to matter.
Vineland did make a record that was recorded with Steve Albini in Chicago in April of 1996. I'm intending to transfer the tapes and put mp3s of it up soon. I also have some demos that we recorded in my studio before that record was made.
Sorry if this is rambling. I'm sorry for your loss as well as mine.
Best,
Fred
It was Galanas Cerdd in Athens that night and we played with Vineland at BLT's the nite before. We were cray proud to be playing with Vineland and were in (understandable) awe of John Fine and Gerry.
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