Change My Mind? Don't Bet On It!

Skate the Razor,
Both Friend and Foe,
Greetings.


Change My Mind?

Not a chance! I still believe now, what I believed then, way back in early 1994 when I wrote those lyrics.

Even then, I knew who was fooling who, and if you’ve ever listened closely to the words, they remain eerily accurate, and stunningly relevant. At the time, there was a handful of back-wood dinks who thought their stupid little dog and pony show was going un-noticed. Alas, it was they who were the fools. I have a long history of exacting revenge through my lyrics. Change My Mind is a classic example.

Life is funny like that. Jack my chain, and see what happens? Karma drops from the sky like thunder.

The version of Change My Mind available on this blog was recorded for, and originally appeared on Edge of the Century, a limited, numbered, release. Later, it was made available online, via Garageband.com, where it peaked at number six, among thousands of other modern rock entries.

The recording process for this song was in itself, quite unique. Basic tracks were recorded by the Moran brothers, ( Demon Dave, and Michael ) in western New York, with help from fellow band-mates and life-long friends, Chris Hansgen, guitar, and Mike Celotto on drums. The tapes were then shipped to Ryan who was living in North Carolina at the time. Ryan, of course, did his thing, even tweaking the arrangement in spots, before stuffing the tapes back in a box and shipping them off to me.

The vocals were recorded by Josh at Octane Records in Mesa, Arizona. He and I then proceeded to do the mixes. Additional sampling and mastering was then conducted by my buddy, Dave LaBounty, at his facility. Little about the recording was ideal, and yet, the final product is great! Again, everyone rose to the occasion. A true Skate the Razor classic!

Skate the Razor 2006
http://skatetherazor.blogspot.com/

Where's The Website?

Skate the Razor,
Both Friend and Foe,
Greetings.


Where’s The Website?

Good question…
glad you asked.

Having determined to post the entire Trance Factor CD online for our true fans, it occurred to us we would be well served to go ahead and re-activate the Sound Foundation website at this time. According to my assistant Nick, we can expect the site to start re-appearing gradually over the next few weeks. He’s now got a whopper of a workload to look forward to, so remind me to go easy on him.

There has been some debate among those interested as to which songs should be posted, and in what order. Let’s just start at the top. Skate the Razor often began shows with She Love’s Jesus, and since it’s also the opening track on Trance Factor, it seems like an obvious place to start. We will also be making these tracks available at the website, again, without charge.

I will be heading to New York a week from tomorrow. I guess the guys had a show somewhere this weekend, but I’ll have to catch them another time. I look forward to attending one or two rehearsals, though. In fact, I’m expecting to have a lot of fun!

Only this time, Jimmy is not tagging along for the ride.
Entiende?

Brad


Skate the Razor
http://skatetherazor.blogspot.com/

RIP, Old Friend

Skate the Razor,
Both Friend and Foe,
Greetings.

I have about two weeks before my wife and I fly out to New York. I was able to reach Dave night before last, but I still haven’t been able to reach Michael. I’m sure by now, he has heard we are coming.

Before I return to my Power Station yarns, I think I should say a few words about someone who won’t be waiting for our arrival this time.

I met Ralph Burgess shortly after relocating to New York State, and he remained a close friend, and a reliable member of the Razor organization up until his unexpected passing, due to a sudden heart attack. Some of you may remember him, as he was always present, having video recorded nearly two hundred live Skate the Razor performances. Rip, as he preferred to be called, contributed far more to our success than we often have opportunity to acknowledge. He drove us all over New England. The experience would have been much different without him. As much as anyone, band members included, Rip would have been very excited about any future Skate the Razor speculation. He was my friend.

Rest in peace, old buddy.


That reminds me…
My wife and I will be passing right through Elmira, which is where Rip's brother lives. It is also where Mark Twain is buried. Perhaps I should plan to stop in town for a spell.

Later,
Brad Cooper

Skate the Razor 2006

The Power Station Years, Pt. 2

Skate the Razor,
Both Friend and Foe,
Greetings.

To prepare for the recording of Trance Factor, the band played dozens of gigs. In fact, we played just about every gig we were offered for a while there. We spent what little we earned, recording demos at various studios in the Buffalo area. (you thought I was about to say we spent it all on beer, didn’t ya.)

The idea was to work the songs (and the band) into shape before entering a facility as intimidating as the Power Station. The guys were great. We were all determined to get this thing done. We approached our songwriting with a sincerity that was immediately obvious to our growing fan base. Even Tony was amazed by our artistic growth. Developing some ‘road muscles’ made a big difference.

I recall one night in Rochester, New York. We were gigging downtown at a club called Boscos. It was bitter cold outside, and the snow was about two feet deep, so naturally, only a few real die-hards showed up for the show. Dave (Demon Dave, the Desecrater , as we called him) was livid. He was fit to be tied. We had worked so hard and traveled too far to play for tables and chairs. He was right, of course. But something different happened that evening during the show. I heard it, and so did the others. What we heard was the sound of Skate the Razor kicking ass! It was ringing off the walls, and it was indisputable. Crowd or no crowd, Skate the Razor was becoming a top notch recording and performing unit.

We were just about ready for the Power Station. Now if only the Power Station was ready for us.

Next time:
The Power Station Years, Pt. Three

Thanks for dropping by,
Brad

Skate the Razor 2006

Free Skate the Razor Downloads

Skate the Razor,
Both Friend and Foe,
Greetings.

Nick and I have come up with a wonderful idea. Once we clear it with Ryan, we will get right on it.

Here’s the deal, and I think you’re all going to be stoked about it.(that’s a good thing) Why should all you people be paying good money to download Skate the Razor songs from someone not authorized by the band, when you can download higher quality versions of the same songs from us for FREE.

As it stands, no members of Skate the Razor earn a dime from these “unauthorized” downloads available all over the internet. We own the publishing rights, so why not just give the songs away? We will post one song from Trance Factor per week, until we’ve made the entire CD available to our die-hard fans.

However, we will soon be re-releasing Trance Factor, with all new packaging and liner notes, including lyrics, and a bunch of never seen before photos. The CD is also being re-mastered in "32-bit Floating Point" for modern digital players.

Those fans interested in the re-release, will of course, be able to purchase the CD directly from us, or at any number of online locations. I have already lined up limited distribution in some areas, which I will discuss in greater detail later.

On a different note, my wife and I will be heading to New York in August for our fifth anniversary. I hope to meet with the Moran brothers while I am in town, at which point, we can begin to hammer this thing out.

I'm stoked already.

Brad
Skate the Razor 2006

The Power Station Years Pt. One

Skate the Razor
B. Thomas Cooper

Skate the Razor,
Both Friend and Foe,
Greetings.

I am often asked what it was like to work with legendary record producer Tony Bongiovi. For those of you unfamiliar with the story, Tony is the first cousin of superstar Jon Bon Jovi, who changed the spelling of his name to simplify pronunciation. Jon was still in diapers when Tony began his career at Motown Records in Detroit, where he polished his production skills working with,and alongside some of the greatest recording artists in history, including Dianna Ross, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, and of course, Barry Gordy himself.

Following the riots of the late sixties, Tony relocated to Manhattan where he could be closer to his elderly parents. There he recorded a host of superstars, including Jimi Hendrix, Aerosmith, the Ramones, Blondie… The list goes on and on.

Tony used the profits from his success to purchase and renovate an old Con-Edison building deep in Hell’s Kitchen, where he built and operated Power Station Studios, a world class recording facility. Soon, the stars came calling. Everyone who was anyone, lined up for an opportunity to record at the studio.

By the time a young Jon Bon Jovi came into the picture, the Power Station had already racked up dozens of Gold and Platinum records. Tony worked with Jon for nearly three years, before Jon eventually signed with Polygram, at which point Tony and Jon went separate ways.

I didn’t arrive on the scene until 1992. Tony and I met at the Empire Music Conference in Rochester New York. I was looking for a producer. Fortunately for me, Tony was looking for a new artist.

Tony and I hit it off right away. This however, did not entirely go over well with my other band members. Although I had been through this sort of thing in the past, it was all new for these guys, and this often led to anxiety. As Tony began to understand my talents better, he became more involved with the band. For awhile, he through every gig at us he thought might stick. Mostly independent film soundtracks and such.

Tony and I were beginning to trust each other,but Skate the Razor had a lot of work to do before we’d be ready to begin recording Trance Factor.

Continued.

Skate the Razor 2006