God damned Gritty.
He's been the spirit.. you know? So, let's find out more about someone who shares that spirit.
Hailing from Philadelphia, PA we have Waxium Ulysses Mekanix. You should probably get over to BANDCAMP and check out that album.
1. There is nothing more awkward than sophomore year of high school. Tell me about your circle of friends.
I was born and raised in a small central Pennsylvania town. I was a high school sophomore in 1977. Honestly, I recall feeling more hopeful and excited for the future than awkward.
Because I had a broad range of interests and activities, my male and female friends were more part of a ven diagram than a circle.
The groups included:
-Academics (I was working on a track to go to college)
-Sports (I played football, tennis, baseball, and basketball)
-Art and music (I was continuing to teach myself to write, draw, paint, as well as play guitar, drums, & harmonica)
-Outdoors (I enjoyed hiking, hunting & fishing).
A few friends were part of many of these distinct groups, but none were part of all.
2. By this time in my life, I'd given up on all extracurriculars in my school. Tell me about how you spent your afternoons.
I kept up with, and really enjoyed, my extracurriculars. During the school year, depending on the season, my weekday afternoons were consumed with sports practices of either football (fall), basketball (winter), or baseball (spring).
Weekends were for art and outdoors activities. I always had a part-time job, so I was working a bit, as well. Any free time was spent hanging out with friends listening to our favorite records...on vinyl.
3. During this time is when I finally discovered Pink Floyd. I had a copy of The Wall on cassette. It was a grey one. That album was my escape. Let's hear about your favorite album from back then. What format was it on?
Like so many others of my generation, KISS was huge for me. I simultaneously added "Alive" and "Destroyer" to my collection in 1976 and was playing them both front to back constantly.
KISS was so different from the AOR FM college radio that was all around me. "Alive" was dark, edgy, sexy, raw, trashy, and spoke to my primal rock instincts. A perfect soundtrack for a 15 year old boy. The other side of that was the polish and layered pop structure of "Destroyer."
It really opened my eyes to the possibilities of blending heavy rock with commercial sensibilities. It sparked me to start thinking about songwriting. These two albums fell like one musical statement and are inseparable for me relative to 1977.
Being a KISS fan required serious bravery in my town. On more than one occasion, defending my musical tastes required raised fists.
4. What was the name of your high school and did you have a favorite class?
My favorite classes at Bellefonte Area High School were a tie between Math and Science. My wonderful teachers prepared me well, and are the reason I earned engineering degrees from well-respected universities.
5. How did your school's football team do that season?
Although I was a member of the Red Raiders, unfortunately, we did not do well in 1977.
6. What instrument were you playing at that time?
I was teaching myself to play guitar, drums, & harmonica.
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