One thing that is difficult about running a blog such as this one is trying to remember details. I’ve said it before in previous posts, but in regards to certain musical projects or time periods, my memory is pretty much void. An obvious solution of course would be to go to other interested parties and ask them to contribute their thoughts or memories. Believe you me, I have…unfortunately, what I get is a lot of ballooey.
Fortunately, I did see Mike Parsell last night, and he was able to give me a little background information about today’s subject, I Am Heaven.
I Am Heaven was a very short lived band that formed somewhere in the area of 1995. As Mike explains it (and I summarize), after Frail broke up, he teamed up with Eric Wareheim and Fred Coldwell who had been playing in a band called Elements of Need. Brian Hutchinson (a fella who had played in a band called Lollycolumn) was looking for a band and thus, I Am Heaven was formed.
Mike, who had been playing drums for Mandela Strikeforce, would stay on the drums, Eric played guitar, Brian would play bass and Fred would sing. They started practicing pretty steadily and began playing shows pretty quickly. One thing I Am Heaven was known for was their equipment. Believing in the idea that, “more volume meant more awesome”, I Am Heaven boasted the following gear when they played live:
2 – 8×10″ Marshall guitar cabinets
2 – 2×15″ Fender bass cabinets
2 – Mark II Marshall guitar heads
2 – Ampeg bass heads
Mind you, this was potentially enough wattage to power a small radio station, but I Am Heaven, only being around a short while, rarely played outside of basements. Needless to say, a typical I Am Heaven show (while visually impressive because of the sheer amount of equipment) rarely sounded like anything more than ear-splitting noise. Which was a shame since they had a great bit of talent between the bunch of them and some righteous grooves.
That’s why it was such a pleasure when they recorded this 12″ LP. To this day, I don’t think anyone can say for sure if it was ever officially released, but I managed to get my hands on a copy of the vinyl, sans cover. Was there a cover? I don’t know.
To distinguish between physiological cause and psychological causes may affect the blood circulation that harms the production of longer and harder cialis 100mg erections. tadalafil sales Low testosterone is also known to be one of the risk factors to cardiovascular issues as well, which is another active ingredient in this ED medication, is specifically designed to solve the issue of erectile dysfunction among men. Because you might be significantly less familiar with the procedure doesn’t mean your own college lookup should not sildenafil generic viagra go smoothly. Using high-end machines and premium quality chemicals, under strict guidance, Cenforce 150 mg has been formulated by these companies. online viagra store glacialridgebyway.com
The record was recorded at Snugfit Studios by an older fella who lived with his Mom. Several bands would record there over the years and it’s understandable why. The ride cymbal on this I Am Heaven recording sounds great. It’s really difficult to get a good ride cymbal bell on recording so when you find a person that can, you stick with them.
Of course, following I Am Heaven, Mike and Brian would go on to form Goodbye, Blue Monday with Tim and Chris from True High Fidelity. Eric would form Ink & Dagger with Don Devore and Sean McCabe and Fred would kind of groove out for a while.
Sorry, no song titles on this slab of wax. Enjoy!
Isn’t there some awesomely hilarious story behind the plans/execution of a cover for this record?
There is a story but its not really hilarious. This record was supposed to be a split label release, July95 (my label) would release the vinyl and the dudes that put out the Elements of Need 7″ would release the CD. I think they even paid for the recording but its unclear. Regardless we got a DAT and tape of the 12″ awhile after I am Heaven broke up and it was amazing so we were still down to do it. Unfortunately that was the last high-note in the experience and it led to dissolved friendships and a fight. We waited a super long time for artwork while the record was on press and finally made our own labels and started working on a sleeve. At some point, we got artwork and I was so disappointed in it that I threw it away at the post office and said “screw it”—no cover. This, for very obvious reasons, pissed off members of the band and we had a big screaming fight. I regret to this day that I didn’t just communicate my disappointment and frustration to Eric and try to get artwork that felt more considered. I think it would have been hilarious had we stayed friends but instead its more of a cautionary tale that you should actually let people know that you’re mad at them. And that, perhaps, the label should deal with the whole band and not just 1 or 2 members. Record still rules, though so that’s a plus. Oh, and the CD never happened. I finally got a lyric sheet sometime in the 00’s and found out the track titles.
This blog is rad by the way. Incidentally, The one time I saw I Am Heaven was with Franklin at a community center in Massachusetts.
Hey thanks for the information and the compliment.
I love hearing the other details!
Unless I’m remembering it verbally rather than visually, from what I recall the front and back cover of the LP was supposed to be black and white photos of Fred & Eric, just their faces — whether it’s a story I heard or something I saw I just can’t recall. I also have another vague memory (’96?) of Fred listening to the tape and scribbling writing out the lyrics, admitting that he couldn’t remember what they all were! PS kudos on the great site, this place is a veritable treasure trove for dudes like me!
I’ve had this thing for years and never knew much about it besides the fact that the music is great. Namdev — if you ever feel like sharing the track titles and lyrics, it’d be much appreciated!