Album Notes

Austin record label Almost There Records announces the release of Rock Folk Suicide, twelve previously unreleased recordings by 90's L.A. band Ventilator. Self-recorded in 1997-98 on an 8-track reel machine in a North Hollywood apartment, Rock Folk Suicide is atmospheric rock and psychedelic pop by way of analog design -- with tape vari-speeding, track bouncing and treating, and embracing chance events. Featuring Byron Reynolds' inventive drumming and Matt Devine's and Jeff Caruana's colorful instrumentation -- including lap steel, toy keyboards, ukulele, magnus organ and tape loops -- Rock Folk Suicide documents various headphone trips, such as the ambivalence in dealing with indie-rock machinations ("Drift"), the diminishing returns of the nightlife (the Byrdsy "Fader"), and the sad good-bye ("Morning Prayer"). An impulsively recorded cover of Stevie Wonder's "Have a Talk with God" is presented, as well as an extended version of popular standard "Bye Bye Blackbird" and two co-writes with Brad Laner (Medicine, Electric Company): "Cherry Flavor Night Time" and "Thanks". Ventilator's lone CD Reseda Spleen (Delmore Recordings) was released in 1996. Poorly distributed, the response from the few people who heard the record was positive. Larry Crane (Tape Op) dubbed Reseda Spleen "power pop of the highest order" and Jack Rabid (The Big Takeover) noted that "the arrangements are advanced beyond 99 percent of indie records, much less self-produced ones." Despite limited resources, recordings for a 2nd Ventilator release were begun in 1997 with a couple of demos produced by Ward Dotson of The Gun Club. During this time, Matt's creative relationship with Byron extended to include Possum Dixon, culminating with Matt's contributions to their final release New Sheets, produced by Ric Ocasek. As Byron soldiered on with Possum Dixon to see out that band's final hours, the 8-track eventually fell out of alignment and Ventilator dissolved. Ventilator's follow-up recordings to Reseda Spleen would remain unreleased until now. In the end, Rock Folk Suicide is another piece of evidence that Ventilator existed to make a strange and beautiful sound. Recommended if you like Wizard, A True Star; Big Star's 3rd; Let It Be.