The Trouble With Roy

"The Trouble With Roy" is lo-fi, fun songs devoid of much larger meaning. It's a band that grew from the ashes of Rebellious Youth Without Phones and Critical Mass. Those are names that will mean something to exactly three people out there, but that's the way it goes.

You can now buy t-shirts created by The Trouble With Roy on Zazzle.com. There are Big Mouth Frog T-shirts, among others!

If you want to get some insight into me or my music, you can see my blog, "Thinking the Lions." The address is http://thinkingthelions.blogspot.com. You can also order tshirts from me, there.

I played live once at a family reunion. The kids liked it. I even did some Elvis covers. I also sang live two years in a row at "Law Revue," a stage show featuring law students. It was much better than it sounds, even if it did feature law students singing parodies of popular songs. I performed Beck's "New Pollution," the Talking Heads "Life After Wartime," "Summer Nights" from Grease, among others. I was pretty good, too.

I like every kind of music. On my iPod I have music ranging from the University of Wisconsin Marching Band to the Raveonettes. My own songs sound like something BareNaked Ladies might have written before they had a contract. In my life, I have liked only a few albums in their entirety the moment I heard them. They include Lou Reed's first solo album, Paul Simon's Graceland, and the Violent Femmes first album. My influences really are just things that I think are funny or rhythmic.

Don't mind the poor recording quality. As we improve sound technology, I always remember what my 10th grade English teacher told me: "How much better can the human ear get?" In the end, music isn't about hi fidelity but about a connection between the music, the words, the song, the singer, and the listener. It might be as significant as the song you danced to at your wedding, or as insignificant as a song that just made you laugh. As long as it sticks in your head and makes your toe tap, it will elevate you.