Tag Archives: True High Fidelity

FRANKLIN LIVE ON RODMAN STREET


Posted by Brian

Thank god for saving random VHS tapes. I’ve had this one sitting around for years that had a short recording of Franklin playing on Rodman Street in Philadelphia and fortunately, I stumbled across it. This video must have been shot in 1995 and features Roy “the Binnion” on bass guitar which is pretty awesome.

This show was at a fella named, “Pappy’s” house and the show was with True High Fidelity, Franklin and Frail. Sadly, in 1995, mini-VHS tapes only had about 20 minutes of recording time available on them so whoever shot this video only captured Franklin.

True High Fidelity had played before Franklin (Greg’s using Tim-Bear’s drums), but after we played the police showed up. Sadly, Frail never played. The best part of this video is Pappy trying to encourage everyone who was hanging outside the show to come into the house and down into the basement. His logic was that this would allow him to refuse police entry into his home and allow the show to continue.

As you can imagine, that logic did not work. Nonetheless, it’s a nice bit of video.

There’s a sweet Don “I-have-too-much-saliva-in-my-mouth” Devore cameo as well!

Songs in this clips are 2 Billion AM, Sliding, Super Esperanto

Songs in this video are Bookmark, Decatur and Pagefinder.

P.S. – Extra points if you know who the band is playing at the end of the second vid at the church.


TRUE HIGH FIDELITY


Posted by Brian

In the mid 90′s we got it in our heads to start another record label. In High School, Greg and I ran a label called Elbohead records (named after one of Greg’s teachers) and we put out a few seven inches for local bands and were on our way to doing an all local Philadelphia band 12″ compilation when it sort of fizzled out. I hesitate to call it a label tho as we really didn’t have any idea what we were doing. However, in terms of putting out pieces of vinyl that contained recorded content from local bands in the area, I guess we were successful. Distributing those recorded artifacts? Not so successful.

However, as I mentioned, by the mid-90′s we thought we would give it another go. This time around, we named the label Energy Network. We wanted to get records out for our band Franklin and our other friends bands. We thought being a little older would provide the necessary experience to run a more professional label and result in our music and the music of our friends finally being heard by a national audience. Surprise! We weren’t that successful.

But, being able to document the music that we were all making at the time was a reward in itself so there’s that!

True High Fidelity was made up of Dave McCall, Chris Staley, Josh Mills and Tim Gavin. I had met Dave during the days of the JC Dobbs all ages shows in the early 90′s and by 1994 and 1995 we were all becoming closer as friends. The boys had been playing in a band called Heel Nation. A funk/punk mess outfit that was more jokey than serious and several of us played with them at the Fiesta Motor Lodge in Willow Grove. However, their tastes changed and True High Fidelity was born.

Originally, Mark Scott, who’s band Fracture had recently split up, sang for the band. There is a three song demo floating around somewhere that was pretty killer. But, after a short spell Mark was no longer in the band and Chris and Josh took over singing duties. They recorded this 7″ for Energy Network with Charles Jamison down in Baltimore. It’s an odd recording. Strangely antiseptic which is odd. Part of the reason the boys recorded with Charles was that he had recorded the Franklin, Go Kid Go LP and we all thought that sounded pretty, “live”. The recording here didn’t do True High Fidelity justice. They added an additional track onto the 7″ that was recorded live which gives a different perspective to the band.

True High Fidelity would go on to record another 3 song EP which was never released unfortunately because it was another killer recording which would have effectively represented the band.

Senator

A Direct Channel for Information

Pennsylvania Trust Project

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