The year: 1998. The place: The Mississippi River college town of La Crosse, Wisconsin. Producer Michael von Muchow invites songwriter Mike Starling to his downtown studio to record a demo of his song "Insomnia." The two Mikes hit it off immediately and decide to produce a full album of Starling's songs.
To best fulfill their vision for the material, they felt it was imperative to put together a real working band for the sessions. They enlisted top La Crosse musicians Kevin Skrenes and Casey Virock and played a series of gigs to prepare for the recording sessions.
The chemistry between the musicians is obvious in the resulting high-octane 12-track CD that combines the off-kilter lyric sensibilities of Lou Reed and Elvis Costello with old-school Stones grooves and a healthy dose of Jimmy Page-like guitar layers and production values. From the contagious opening guitar hook of the funky blues-rocker "Fits Right In" to the final flurry of feedback on the tongue-in-cheek anthem "Last Generation of Rock & Roll", the Sons of Distortion's sole release is a "funky marriage of blues and garage" –Radio Nomad.
BAND MEMBERS:
A former deejay, concert promoter and music writer, Mike Starling started out performing on bass with La Crosse area bands like Buzz Butler, the Mall Weirdos and the Joe Price Blues Band. As he turned more attention to songwriting, he switched to guitar to front his own groups including Bean Hoy and The Sons of Distortion. Now based in Chicago, Mike's focus now is mostly on photography and instrumental music composition and production. Two albums, GUITAR MOODS and DIDJERIBLUE VOL. 1 are available on CD Baby; tracks from these recordings have also been featured on a number of movie and television soundtracks. Photos from Mike's travels have been published in the STREETS book series. More on all his artistic adventures at mikestarling.com.
Originally from the south side of Chicago, Mike von Muchow played in a number of bands in the Windy City and in Minneapolis before embarking on a career behind the board. He produced Bill Miller's CEDAR DREAM SONGS, which won a Grammy for Best Native American Album in 2005. Besides producing the Sons of Distortion sessions, he also contributed bass, guitar and background vocals. He owns and operates Actual Sound Studios in La Crosse.
Casey Virock first played with Starling in the Buzz Butler band in the late 1980s. His tastefully twisted guitar work and vocal harmonies have graced a number of Starling's subsequent recording projects, including the Bean Hoy CD, BOYS CAN'T BE TRUSTED. His own songs have been heard in releases by the bands Dream 13, Tripp'N Toe, Space Bike, Disorient Express and Porcupine.
Kevin Skrenes is another former member of Dream 13. His creative drumwork lays a solid foundation on the Sons of Distortion sessions. He also sang harmonies and played some piano, and was an integral contributor to the recording and mixing of the album. Kevin also plays drums on Starling's song "Rocket," available at CD Baby on the Bean Hoy album, COOL MUSIC FOR A BIG DUMB WORLD.
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