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» member profile:
haarp recording
» genre:
Electronic >
Ambient
» location:
Brian Vaughan
» label: unsigned
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TOTM
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Artist description
A project devoted to the creation of new,different music in the electronic genre. It will be conceptual, sometimes with spoken word & theatrics and often instrumental soundscapes of a musical nature (mostly musical, anyway).The only governing principal will be to do something different for every album, to not get into a set pattern that repeats (that's achievable for about 5 albums most likely!). Of course, certain thematic content like apocalyptic stuff may get different treatments, since that sort of thing is so appropriate for our time(!).
A project devoted to the creation of new,different music in the electronic genre. It will be conceptual, sometimes with spoken word & theatrics and often instrumental soundscapes of a musical nature (mostly musical, anyway).The only governing principal will be to do something different for every album, to not get into a set pattern that repeats (that's achievable for about 5 albums most likely!). Of course, certain thematic content like apocalyptic stuff may get different treatments, since that sort of thing is so appropriate for our time(!).
Why this name?
The bandname in full was originally Theatre Of The Mind. I got the idea from a song by Hawkwind, "Steppenwolf", on their "Astounding Sounds, Amazing Music" album. In my concept, the experience of music & other things takes place in the Theatre Of The Mind. I later changed the name to the acronym TOTM because there is another electronic band in the eastern USA called Theatre Of The Mind as well.
Do you play live?
I do play live whenever possible. My first gigs were on underground radio stations (KKUP 91.5fm & KFJC 89.7fm), these were among the most special moments. The TOTM material that has been played live was under my HAARP UNIT name thus far. I sometimes do a mixture of tunes from both projects at a gig.
How, do you think, does the internet (or mp3) change the music industry?
Speaking of the internet, please visit our MySpace page, check out the friends area, it's pretty cool:
T.O.T.M.
http://www.myspace.com/121785966
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Both the internet & MP3 technology makes it possible for people like me (& countless others) to actually have a chance to get our material heard by some sort of general public, as well as other artists & possible music industry folks. This opening has actually gotten me out (some of my material at least). I've made friends & contacts all over. Before the internet & MP3[s], the only audience I had was mostly housemates, friends, & an occasional band I may have joined or helped form. Most of the projects I was in before going solo didn't get out of the "woodshed", so to speak. So, I've been able to go from completely unknowable to an obscure artist with a few fans. It doesn't seem like a lot, but there's a big difference.
T.O.T.M.
http://www.myspace.com/121785966
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Both the internet & MP3 technology makes it possible for people like me (& countless others) to actually have a chance to get our material heard by some sort of general public, as well as other artists & possible music industry folks. This opening has actually gotten me out (some of my material at least). I've made friends & contacts all over. Before the internet & MP3[s], the only audience I had was mostly housemates, friends, & an occasional band I may have joined or helped form. Most of the projects I was in before going solo didn't get out of the "woodshed", so to speak. So, I've been able to go from completely unknowable to an obscure artist with a few fans. It doesn't seem like a lot, but there's a big difference.
Would you sign a record contract with a major label?
That would depend on the contract, but anything is possible.
Band History:
Artist history:
T.O.T.M. (Theatre of the Mind) was formed in the fall 1996 when story & play writer David Thompson & I began working on a radio play he had written called "Corporate Razor Blue". I composed & recorded all of the music, & recorded all voice overs, added sound effects from the Hollywood Edge Co. (& some of my own home-grown sounds,too).The finishing touch was a set of 5 tracks of instrumental space music,with mixing & mastering of finished tracks in late october 1997. The project name has been modified a bit because there is another project called "Theatre Of The Mind" as well. We had already been using the name 3 years before we discovered it (the other project)! So our name is condensed to "T.O.T.M.", which seems to be on course for us with the idea of name symbolism. That acronym was used by us from the beginning anyway, to shorten writing chores.
In late June 2003, a new collaborator came on board, Brian "Follicle" Fowler, from the bands Superczar, Jones Ave., & San Francisco Blue (a project he had with Bob Harvey, the first bassist for Jefferson Airplane). Brian has contributed lyrics, vocals, lead guitar & bass to a song called "Walking Drowned" (it's his title, too), which is here in demo form at the present time.
Since 2004, Follicle has also been a member of Spaceseed, playing bass, theremin & other intruments, contributing lyrics & other writing. Now, in 2006 Follicle has joined TOTM as a complete member, so this is a sort of band now instead of another solo project with just the occasional contributor. This came to pass after our collaboration on Follicle's great track "Alien Streams", which is streaming here now. Currently we are sending tracks back & forth & putting things together, so more is coming up.
T.O.T.M. (Theatre of the Mind) was formed in the fall 1996 when story & play writer David Thompson & I began working on a radio play he had written called "Corporate Razor Blue". I composed & recorded all of the music, & recorded all voice overs, added sound effects from the Hollywood Edge Co. (& some of my own home-grown sounds,too).The finishing touch was a set of 5 tracks of instrumental space music,with mixing & mastering of finished tracks in late october 1997. The project name has been modified a bit because there is another project called "Theatre Of The Mind" as well. We had already been using the name 3 years before we discovered it (the other project)! So our name is condensed to "T.O.T.M.", which seems to be on course for us with the idea of name symbolism. That acronym was used by us from the beginning anyway, to shorten writing chores.
In late June 2003, a new collaborator came on board, Brian "Follicle" Fowler, from the bands Superczar, Jones Ave., & San Francisco Blue (a project he had with Bob Harvey, the first bassist for Jefferson Airplane). Brian has contributed lyrics, vocals, lead guitar & bass to a song called "Walking Drowned" (it's his title, too), which is here in demo form at the present time.
Since 2004, Follicle has also been a member of Spaceseed, playing bass, theremin & other intruments, contributing lyrics & other writing. Now, in 2006 Follicle has joined TOTM as a complete member, so this is a sort of band now instead of another solo project with just the occasional contributor. This came to pass after our collaboration on Follicle's great track "Alien Streams", which is streaming here now. Currently we are sending tracks back & forth & putting things together, so more is coming up.
Your influences?
Musical influences:
Hawkwind, Tangerine Dream, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, Black Sabbath, Robert Fripp, Brian Eno, Mike Oldfield, Larry Fast, Kraftwerk, Faust, plus other "Krautrock" influences.
Hawkwind, Tangerine Dream, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, Black Sabbath, Robert Fripp, Brian Eno, Mike Oldfield, Larry Fast, Kraftwerk, Faust, plus other "Krautrock" influences.
Favorite spot?
There couldn't be only one! I like San Francisco, Berkeley, & Santa Cruz in California, & I'm sure there will be other favorites if I get the chance to get out more.
Equipment used:
Instruments:
Brian Vaughan: Guitars (Gibson, B.C. Rich, Fender, GTX, Charvel acoustic), synthesizers (a MicroKorg & Kawai K-11), bass (B.C. Rich & Epiphone),loopers ( Lexicon JamMan & Boss loop station), a whole list of effects (Boss DD5 delay, Boss BF2 flanger, Boss octave pedal,Boss noise supressor, Boss enhancer, Boss Heavy Metal pedal, DOD digital delay, DOD stereo phaser, Snarling Dogs Black Dog distortion, Crybaby wah pedal, Rolls volume pedal, J-Station guitar amp modeling & effects box, mixers (Tascam digital 16 channel, Ross analog 12 channel, Behringer analog 6 channel), 2 drum machines, one electronic drum kit, digital workstations (2002 iMAC G4 with flat LCD screen, loaded with MOTU DP3.02 & MOTU 828 interface,Roland VS-880 ).
Brian Fowler: Fender basses,Mccormick Mandolins,Gibson SG,Hi Watt theremins,violin.
Brian Vaughan: Guitars (Gibson, B.C. Rich, Fender, GTX, Charvel acoustic), synthesizers (a MicroKorg & Kawai K-11), bass (B.C. Rich & Epiphone),loopers ( Lexicon JamMan & Boss loop station), a whole list of effects (Boss DD5 delay, Boss BF2 flanger, Boss octave pedal,Boss noise supressor, Boss enhancer, Boss Heavy Metal pedal, DOD digital delay, DOD stereo phaser, Snarling Dogs Black Dog distortion, Crybaby wah pedal, Rolls volume pedal, J-Station guitar amp modeling & effects box, mixers (Tascam digital 16 channel, Ross analog 12 channel, Behringer analog 6 channel), 2 drum machines, one electronic drum kit, digital workstations (2002 iMAC G4 with flat LCD screen, loaded with MOTU DP3.02 & MOTU 828 interface,Roland VS-880 ).
Brian Fowler: Fender basses,Mccormick Mandolins,Gibson SG,Hi Watt theremins,violin.
Anything else...?
Albums:
"Corporate Razor Blue" is the current offering. Basic tracks for a second album have been under way. A re-mixing & re-mastering of C.R.B. is in the future as well due to the fact I have a great new MAC workstation that makes everything I did sound better. The current version doesn't really suck, though, in case you wanted to know.
Press & Publicity:
There has been some. "C.R.B." has gotten airplay in Europe at Radio ARA in Luxembourg (D.J. Matrixx 411 was a big fan), Radio DVN in Rotterdam, Netherlands (on Ronald Boortman's show), Radio Mafia in Helsinki, Finland (on Jukka Mikkola's show "Spacejunk"), was included in Andrew Garibaldi's C.D. Services catalog & given a very good review by Andy (all this in 2000). In the U.S.A. airplay was given by Don Campau at KKUP 91.5 fm, also Solomon Grundy & Angel D. Monique (formerly of KFJC 89.7 fm, they are no longer with the station, unfortunately). "C.R.B." got some exposure on Internet Radio Free Kansas in early 2001. The project has been well recieved by artists & D.J.[s] alike.
"Corporate Razor Blue" is the current offering. Basic tracks for a second album have been under way. A re-mixing & re-mastering of C.R.B. is in the future as well due to the fact I have a great new MAC workstation that makes everything I did sound better. The current version doesn't really suck, though, in case you wanted to know.
Press & Publicity:
There has been some. "C.R.B." has gotten airplay in Europe at Radio ARA in Luxembourg (D.J. Matrixx 411 was a big fan), Radio DVN in Rotterdam, Netherlands (on Ronald Boortman's show), Radio Mafia in Helsinki, Finland (on Jukka Mikkola's show "Spacejunk"), was included in Andrew Garibaldi's C.D. Services catalog & given a very good review by Andy (all this in 2000). In the U.S.A. airplay was given by Don Campau at KKUP 91.5 fm, also Solomon Grundy & Angel D. Monique (formerly of KFJC 89.7 fm, they are no longer with the station, unfortunately). "C.R.B." got some exposure on Internet Radio Free Kansas in early 2001. The project has been well recieved by artists & D.J.[s] alike.