Dance Like the Dead -1/02
We gave this a sonic makeover for the "Revenge" disc but I knew it was a winner as soon as it fell out of me.

Shoot Me a Shotgun -2/02
This one was a candidate for inclusion on the Revenge CD but didn't make the cut. Would love to revisit it someday. It's an explosive little hand-grenade of a song.

Greenpoint -2/02
Already had a song called "Williamsburg," so I figured I oughta have one called "Greenpoint." Don't hold your breath for "Cobble Hill," though...

Everything Is Cool -2/02
The best part of this song is where the second chorus segues into the guitar solo. Basic powerpop dittie that's two minutes soaking wet.

Ten Hammers -3/02
I don't have a clue where this song came from. I wouldn't have the foggiest notion of when it was written, either, were it not for the fact that I date all the songs in my lyric book.

Leave You All Behind -7/02
Here's another song that's more than a little foggy in my memory. Who knows who or what inspired this? The whole summer was foggy. Anyway, this was a pleasant surprise to dig up. It's not quite fully baked but I think it's got legs.

Did You Do Something Good? -7/6/02
Can you guess which JAMC song this was inspired by? I wrote this really quickly. I came up with the verse melody on the guitar, then flipped that melody around backwards for the chorus. The best ideas are the simple ones.

Tonight -7/16/02
I remember singing this as soon as I got up, hoarse voice and all. A fun little firecracker, clocking in at an economical 2:15.

I'm Smokin' -7/02
I have no memory of recording this song. The intonation is all over the place! But kind of a cool pile-driving vibe to it.

Best of You -7/02
Another one that was up for possible use on The Revenge of P*S*K, but didn't get enough votes to make the final cut. "Spin On, Fuschia!" was written right around the same time.

Spin On, Fuschia! -7/31/02
Some serious tape drop-outs on this recording. When we worked this one up for the Revenge CD, I went back and tightened up the lyrics, which I like a lot better now.

Kiss of Death -8/1/02
A song composed almost entirely out of harmonics. It's got its charm, but I doubt I'll do much lobbying for it in the future.

Honey Gets Around -8/02
Purely a throwaway that I like anyway.

Insect Night -8/02
I'd just started checking out the band Japan around this time, and "Insect Night" was my way of writing a Japan song. I wrote it and recorded it between lunch and dinner one day. When P*S*K re-did this song for the Revenge album, I gave some of the verses to Glenn and Clancy so I wouldn't have to sing the whole thing live. It's so much cooler now! Like most of my solos, this one was the very last thing I put on the song, improvised in one take. I just learned it and played it a bit better on Revenge record. I'm really happy with it and with this whole song.

Hangin' On A -8/02
Here's an inscrutable little piece of pop for ya. Random, free-associated lyrics over a stark postpunk backdrop delivered to you from the putrid yellow summer of 2K2 in New York.

Kelly Scale Down -8/12/02
It was a pretty prolific summer, considering how much drinking I was doing! I remember that, on this day, I had a few hours to kill before G$ and I were to leave for the Berkshires (we were gonna hang out for a couple days at his parents' place). I thought it'd be cute if I could write a song before we left; "Kelly Scale Down" was the result. Glenn and I listened to it in his car that night. I was pretty psyched about it. When we recorded this for Revenge, I remember it was a bit of a trick recalling how I'd gotten some of the weird guitar sounds. I love the vaguely "Chinese" feel of the signature melody.

Drag Me Off -8/02
I'd nearly forgotten about this song. Hearing it now, it doesn't sound half bad!

Shimmer -8/26/02
Ah, the beauty of tape saturation! Can anyone tell how much I love Jesus and Mary Chain? I threw some Beach Boys harmonies into the chorus. Love that dirty fuzztone guitar. Mmmmm. I like how the instruments bow out one by one at the end.

Life Is Misery -9/02
More fuzzy fuzzy guitars in the verses. I dig the chord progression in the chorus. Would really like to do this song with P*S*K some time. JB always liked it.

Animal Wars -9/17/02
Here's another song that has some potential for future use. There's something about it that hits a nerve for some reason. It's all just pop music, but hopefully it can be transcendent sometimes as well.

Come On, Dear John -9/27/02
The invigorating first weeks of autumn '02 definitely inspired this breezy piece of musical sugar. It makes me smile.

Steamroller -10/10/02
Clancy and I talked about adding this as a hidden track to the Revenge album but then decided against it. It is a nice piece of hypnotic mood music, though.

Get Down Low -10/17/02
Foamy, fuzzy, noisy guitars make me happy. So do bouncy melodies. That's why I resurrected this lost gem.