The Sadder Songs Session

      If you were in your early 20's during the early 2000's, liked to party and lived within two hours of Morehead Kentucky, then you probably spent a night at Lloyd Woods's trailer. Lloyd was a close friend of mine growing up. He was a college student at Morehad State University during this time. He more or less had an open house/couch/floor policy to anyone with a pulse. My brother was Lloyd's roommate during those days, and therefore an integral part of this scene.

     It was during my brothers extended stay in Morehead, that we started working on a music project. This project included a group of rotating musicians that frequented Lloyds trailer. My brother decided to create a name that we could all work under.  That name was "The Great Went Band." My brother's philosophy for the band was that anyone who passed through the circle of the Morehead scene could contribute to the project. The end result was a circus of a recording featuring a hodgepodge of styles. Though Great Went was lacking in audio quality and narrative, it was a unique opportunity to work with so many different musicians on a project with no rules.

     My favorite Great Went memory was in February of 02, when I lugged an entire drum kit from Hazard to Morehead for a recording session. There was a sense of anticipation in the air prior to my arrival. Lloyd's trailer had become a commune, with a growing fan base of young college students/groupies. Once the word got out around the campus about the recording project, it was only a matter of time before Lloyd's trailer turned into a 24/7 hang out for those wanting to be a part of "something big".

     I opened  Lloyd's front door on that February day, and instantly I was meet by at least six total strangers who knew everything about me. It was like Ringo Star had just walked into the building. This was hilarious to me, because I'm not even a "real drummer". Sure I had taken drum lessons when I was eight, and had only recently picked up drumming again out of necessity during my school of worship. I was like the guy that you would call on in a worst case situation if your official drummer was M.I.A. So, I just put a smile on and played the part. We had a party that night with plans to record the next morning.

     I managed to set up the drum kit in Lloyd's bedroom with the kick drum literally against the foot of his bed. People lined the walls of his bedroom like sardines in a tin can. We would finish a rough take, and people would be grinning from ear to ear, as though they just witnessed the launch of the first Apollo rocket. Despite being completely green behind the drum kit, I managed to turnout some of my best drumming to date. I attribute this to the atmosphere and vibe of the folks crammed into that little bedroom. Its easy to believe your the greatest drummer of all time when everyone in the room thinks you are! These photos are from that magic session.

     In summary, The Sadder Songs session was a fun project with a spontaneous, no holds bars spirit. It was fueled by the enthusiastic college partying scene of Morehead State University. The below link is from that recording session. Enjoy!

http://greatwent.bandcamp.com/track/sadder-songs