The Confetti Clatter – March 2016 Newsletter

Posted on April 2, 2016 by John Giotto

Recording Update

We continued to record tracks for our upcoming release. Due to the limited availability of the girls while school is in session, recording proceeded in piecemeal fashion.

We began with some unfinished business. On January 10, Paul Kanack laid down the upright bass track to “Little Town Flirt.” Paul was not available when the drums and guitars were recorded back in August. This new track added much-needed bottom to this song. At a future session, we will have Matt Doi add the baritone saxophone part, which will fortify the low end.

Paulsdigs into the bass while recording his part for "Little Town Flirt."

Paul digs into the bass while recording his part to “Little Town Flirt.”

Moving on, Sarah and Sierra recorded the backup vocals to “Little Town Flirt” on February 28. During this same session, Sierra recorded the lead vocals to “That Boy of Mine.” The playlist below shows excerpts from this recording date.

On March 13, Michelle and Sierra recorded the backing vocals to “Mister Sunshine.” The playlist below shows the girls singing two parts of the three part harmony, and then Michelle adding the third part. Notice that during this session the girls are not wearing headphones to hear the recorded music, rather, the music is being pumped into the studio by way of the studio speakers. This technique seems to create a more natural vocal performance, a positive that far outweighs the negative of any bleed of the music into the vocal track.

If you enjoyed this edition of the Confetti Clatter, please share it on social media by using the icons below. Also, if you have any questions about these recording sessions, use the comment area; we’ll get back to with you a response as soon as possible.

The Confetti Clatter – January 2016 Newsletter

Posted on February 2, 2016 by John Giotto

IT’S MY PARTY! returns to the Recording Studio

We went back into our recording studio on January 3 to track more music that will be used on a forthcoming, yet untitled, release. Our friend and fan, Ken Kleinendorst, drove up from Central Pennsylvania with his new video camcorder and camera to chronicle the session. If you have been following our recent newsletters, you are familiar with this evolving story, if not, please read our past issues.

Engineer Calvin May started setting up the session at around 11 AM. As planned, musicians JP Pitchard, Matt Doi, Paul Kanack and I warmed up, and then laid down the accompaniment to the song “I Almost Forgive Him.” We did most of the pre-production work for this song at an earlier practice in December, so things went smoothly.

Paul Kanack, JP Pitchard, and Matt Doi get ready for a take of "I Almost Forgive Him."

Paul Kanack, JP Pitchard, and Matt Doi prepare for a take of “I Almost Forgive Him.”

The instrumental tracks consisted of JP on the Fender Jaguar guitar, Matt Doi on the 12-string Rickenbacker electric guitar, Paul Kanack on the Fender P-bass, and me on the vintage 1962 Slingerland drum set.

Michelle sang a guide vocal as the ensemble performed five takes. A guide vocal helps the musicians in two ways. First, it helps to keep their place in the arrangement, and secondly, the guide vocal elevates the performance emotionally.

Once we were satisfied with the keeper take, we began the process of recording the vocals. Calvin brought his Sure SM7 microphone to the session to record the lead vocals. This is the same microphone used to record Michael Jackson on the Thriller album. Michelle recorded two separate lead vocal tracks as she listened to the instrumentation through headphones. We will blend these two tracks together in the mix to create the vocal doubling effect, used on many of the ’60s girl group records. Lesley Gore is famous for her vocal doubling. The Beatles cited Lesley’s double-tracked vocals as a example of how they wanted their lead vocals to sound when recorded. Doubling the vocal, when done correctly, can produce a nice fat sound.

Sierra and Sarah practice backing vocals around the Lawson L-47 microphone

At the end of the session, Sarah and Sierra joined Michelle to record the back up vocals to “I Almost Forgive Him.” We used the Lawson L47 microphone to capture the vocal ensemble. Back up vocals are best recorded using one microphone for all of the singers. It is up to the vocalists to create the correct blend and balance by moving closer to, or farther away from, the microphone and listening to each other. Some vocalists prefer to have one headphone off the ear, so they can hear each other in the room, rather than in the headphones. After the backup vocal session, we laid down a hand clap track, which included Ken as part of the hand-clap gang. Upon reviewing the instrumental tracks, it seemed as though something was missing in the percussion session, so we will add a tambourine at a later date.

Mystery Cover Revealed

In addition to recording “I Almost Forgive Him,” we turned out attention to another unfinished song. Back in the summer we laid down the instrumentation for what would have been our first recording featuring a male on lead vocal. James Schrag, our multi-talented musician, seen mostly on violin during the performance season, has a great singing voice. I wanted to give him a lead, with the girls singing the backup vocals. This format was very popular in the early to mid 1960s with artists like Bobby Vee, Del Shannon and Lou Christie, all of whom used The Angels for the backing vocals.

We chose the Del Shannon song “Little Town Flirt” for James to sing, which had also been covered by Jeff Lynne and the Electric Light Orchestra, a band favorite. Our version is a bit of a hybrid of the original and the ELO version. We chose the key of C, like the ELO rendition, because of James’ limited range in the high register. The feel of our take is more early rock n’ roll, like the Del Shannon version, as opposed to the more rockin’ version of the Electric Light Orchestra.

As the session proceeded, with James singing a guide vocal for the musicians to follow, it became apparent that even the key of C, a half-step lower than Del Shannon’s original, was too taxing for James to sing clearly without straining his voice. It seemed like the whole idea was going to be placed on the scrap heap.

Not willing to give up totally on the idea, I turned to Michelle and asked her to give the lead vocal a few tries. After all, it couldn’t hurt, so we “rolled the tapes” as she sang. The results were interesting. Although the lead vocal starts out very low for Michelle, it brings out a kind of sultry delivery, and when the vocal soars into what would be the falsetto for a guy singer, Michelle was able to belt out the passage. The song now becomes a girl warning a guy about the flirt, so no changes were needed to the vocal line — wow this had some real possibilities!

So, here is an exclusive video, shot by Ken, of Michelle singing the lead vocal, see what you think. We also quickly recorded the backing vocals, but since the girls had not practiced those parts since August, we would like to record them again at a future session, perhaps in March.

Call to Action

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The Confetti Clatter – December 2015 Newsletter

Posted on January 2, 2016 by John Giotto

Recording Update

We continued to work on our latest recording project in December. Our goal is to have a release, along with new merchandise, by the performance season this coming July. As a recap, we have three songs worth of basic tracks completed. These songs are, for the most part, instrumentally complete and ready for vocal tracks. One song “Mister Sunshine,” is further ahead, it has the lead vocal tracks recorded by Sarah, and only needs the backing vocals. “That Boy of Mine” is lacking all of the vocal tracks, as is our yet-to-be revealed classic cover song.

One of our goals in December was to assess the feasibility of a strong performance of the classic cover. Our recording of this instantly recognizable song is a half-step lower than the original, and was intended for a guest male vocalist, with the IMP girls singing backups. That idea being scrapped back in August, it remained to be seen whether Michelle could sing the lead vocal in the key of C. A December rehearsal showed promise, and although the melody begins at the low end of Michelle’s register, it may produce interesting results.

I will share one clue about this classic song, it was originally recorded and co-written by an iconic male singer/ songwriter from the 1960s. This artist saw his career resurrected in the late 1980s with the help of hit-makers at that time, who saw him as an influence and inspiration. I was very fortunate to have seen him perform live in the 1980s at the now defunct Rochester Festival Tent. His energy was palpable, and I was amazed to see so many college-aged kids rocking in the audience; newcomers, who most likely discovered his music on their parents old records.

One exciting aspect of this recording project is that we are working for the first time with Michael Lynch, a musician and songwriter from Downstate New York. Lynch submitted two songs, “Mister Sunshine” and “I Almost Forgive Him.” These tracks, when completed, will be the first group originals since the 2012 releases of “Dear Michelle (The Fighting’s Begun)” and “Bus Driver.”

Lynch’s songs fit our style, especially in regard to the lyrical content; more on this in the following article. Both tunes ooze with the girl group feel. Lynch left room for the backing vocals wide open; there is only a hint of backups during the fade on his demo of “Mister Sunshine.” In both of his recordings, Lynch has some two-part harmonies, not all that common with the girl groups, but more so with the solo singers classified in the girl group genre, like Lesley Gore. The instrumentation on both demos includes piano and guitar. With his permission, I have included both of Lynch’s demos for our readers to give a listen. It should be fun to refer to these again, after we release our versions of these two songs.

As a producer who dabbles in songwriting, it’s always cool to work on a fellow songwriter’s material. One thing I like to keep in mind is that these songs are almost like children to the songwriters, and you have to respect their artistic vision. I usually feel out how each writer receives my suggestions. Everyone is different, and how much, or how little, of an arrangement they provide varies from writer to writer.

Syeed Abdulal-haqq, our main songwriter — he penned “Bus Driver” — takes a simple approach. He passes his material to me as a live vocal performance. Typically, Syeed opens up a legal pad, and sings the melody to his jotted-down lyrics. I get to fill in all of the arrangement, instrumentation and backing vocals, giving me a tremendous amount of latitude.

Syeed is very easy to work with; in the end, he usually says, “I like what you’ve done with my song.” Song ideas come to Syeed spontaneously, so way back, we purchased a mini-cassette recorder for him to sing into, when the creative spirit moves him, so he doesn’t lose a possible new song idea. To this day, I’m not sure if Syeed plays a musical instrument.

Paul Kanack’s material comes to me in a more structured form. As a musician with singing ability, and a strong grasp of the girl group sound, Paul has a clear vision for his works. I can make some suggestions about the instrumentation and possible backing vocal arrangements, but, for the most part, his songs have few changes from his original ideas.

Two examples of Paul’s songs where I made some subtle changes come to mind. The first is his song “On the Beach Tonight.” On this song, I added the backing vocal chant during the fade-out, “Fun, fun for everyone; All day, out in the sun.” The other song is “The Joy of Love,” where I helped change the opening lyrics from “When he walked my home last night” to “Romeo just held me tight.” The latter change came during an inspired moment while dinning with Paul at the Burger King in East Rochester, perhaps channeling artistic energy lingering from Philip Seymour Hoffman, who once worked at this particular location. Always have a pen and napkin handy!

This is the first time I have worked with Michael Lynch. The challenge working with Michael, is that he is not local, so all communication has been through Facebook. Lynch, a multi-instrumentalist and singer, presented his material to me as completed demos (refer to the SoundCloud embedded tracks). As a producer, it’s easy to be swayed into using the exact same instrumentation, vocals, and arrangement as on a complete work. It’s not even a question of being lazy, it’s just too easy to be influenced by a song in finished form.

Phil Collins once suggesting that he’s not influenced by anybody; while that seems silly, he continued on to say that he does not listen to any music when he’s in creative-mode. For me, the more sparse the production is on the demo, the easier it is to develop an arrangement for the group.

We left Lynch’s “Mister Sunshine” very true to the demo when we recorded it back in August. During the “That Boy of Mine” session in October, we decided to defer the recording of “I Almost Forgive Him” until we could work out a new arrangement. So, on December 23, Michelle, Sarah, Sierra, and Matt Doi met with me to come up with some ideas. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to keep the opening riff of the song, which Lynch repeats again, in full, before the third verse. As I was about to search for something different, Matt Doi, one of our talented multi-instrumentalists, referred to the opening hook positively, identifying it as having a “Louie, Louie” feel.

“Hmm,” I thought, yes indeed, how could we change the opening after that comparison!

When listening to “I Almost Forgive Him,” I hear the Merseybeat sound, similar to Freddie and the Dreamers or Gerry and the Pacemakers. There’s room for a jangling Rickenbacker 12-string guitar, especially during the instrumental break. It all seemed to make sense. With the feel and instrumentation taking shape, we went on to consider the backing vocal arrangement.

Parts of “I Almost Forgive Him” are open to smooth vocal “oohs,” and, dare I say, perhaps some “yeah, yeah, yeahs.” The girls really dug the tune and started to offer some suggestions. Michelle and Sierra came up with the idea of using a call and answer, which would preserve the two-part harmonies in Lynch’s demo. In this idea, the lead vocal sings when there is no harmony, and the backups answer her in two-part harmony. As this idea materialized, it became apparent that we needed to change a few of the lyrics to reflect the lead singers point-of-view, and then the back-up vocal responses. We were all excited about this direction. Hopefully Michael Lynch will enjoy our interpretations of his songs.

We are going into the studio to record “I Almost Forgive Him” on January 3. We’ll let you know how things turned out in next month’s edition of the Confetti Clatter.

The Challenge of Covering Contemporary Songs

From time-to-time our fans have asked us to record a current pop song with an IMP twist. This idea piqued my interest, so I began tuning into the now-sound to see what grabbed me. I’m sure you’ve heard one of those stations that rotate the same 10 songs every hour. As tough as it was to listen to such a limited playlist, I must say, there were a few decent numbers in the short rotation, some sounding like possible targets for an IMP cover.

So, what have I heard lately? One song that is repeated every hour is a Fall Out Boy song called “Uma Thurman.” If you’ve been hiding under a radio rock since the early ’90s, like me, in this tune, Fall Out Boy lifts the Munster’s Theme by playing it on electric guitar over a thundering drum track. I’m not sure how that riff ties in with Uma Thurman, because that’s not the song she danced to in Pulp Fiction. Gee, I wonder if any of the kids listening to that song even know where that guitar riff comes from? Though it had a retro-feel, this tune was not a song I would consider for us.

“Uma Thurman” not being the best pick, the next song that lured me in was “On My Mind,” by Ellie Goulding. The song’s hook felt right, and, although it’s sung in a monotone, I thought it had potential. Feeling good about this track, I added the tune to my SoundHound app history, something I often do when looking for cover material. You see, at my age you get senior moments, but SoundHound will save the history of the songs you searched for future reference. For the record, Big Lots is an excellent venue for song ideas, they seem to pipe in a nice cross-section of music, so I always have my smartphone handy when shopping there.

Okay, so, SoundHound shows the lyrics of the song in real-time, and as I read the lyrics to “On My Mind,” this song went down the tubes as far as a potential cover song. Now I’m not a good-two-shoes, but girl group lyrics do have a sense of innocence or naivete, such can not be said for “On My Mind.”

And I quote from the song:

“Poured it down, so I poured it down
Next thing that I know I’m in a hotel with you
You were talking deep like it was mad love to you
You wanted my heart but I just liked your tattoos
Poured it down, so I poured it down”

I don’t think so, this isn’t even Shangri-Las material. I wonder what she’s pouring down? I have been warned by the IMP girls that today’s lyrics are the main hurdle in finding the proper fit for the group.

So, why record one of these songs in the first place? First, it’s a challenge, and could be fun. Secondly, and more important to exposure for the group, it has the potential to introduce us to a wider audience, that’s what covers do. Heck, even the early Beatles albums were heavy on cover music. Cover material, which I refer to as “islands of familiarity” hopefully lead the listener to your original material.

Call To Action!

Perhaps you know a current tune we can cover, feel free to leave a reply to this edition of our newsletter, perhaps we can get a discussion going!

Have you visited our YouTube page? This is where we post all of our video content. Watch, subscribe, and comment!

Are you connected with IT’S MY PARTY! on your mobile phone? Just text getimp to 444999 and you’ll join our mobile app, it’s another great way to keep up-to-date with our group.

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The Confetti Clatter – October 2015 News Update

Posted on November 2, 2015 by John Giotto

Group goes back into the recording studio

IT’S MY PARTY! returned to the recording studio on October 11. Although the plan was to record tracks for two songs, the musicians decided to table “I Almost Forgive Him,” an original track by Michael Lynch, so they could work out the proper key signature and arrangement. The group instead focused on a remake of the Sherrys’ original “That Boy of Mine,” a song created with that famous Philly sound of the early sixties, of which songwriters Madara and White were a part of. You may know the Sherrys more for their hit record, “Pop Pop Pop-Pie.”

Matt Doi, John Giotto, and Paul Kanack laid down all of the music tracks. First they recorded the bass, guitar and drums live (at the same time). Next, Matt Doi recorded a second guitar part, and then baritone and tenor sax; to say Matt is talented is an understatement. Finally, Paul Kanack and John Giotto added hand percussion, which included slapstick, hand claps, and maracas. There may be room for a symphonic chime part at a later date.

Giotto decided that Sierra’s voice was well-suited for the lead vocal on this track, and she sang live in a separate room during the basic tracks. By singing during the tracking, the musicians gain an extra emotional lift, which can help to elevate a performance. Sierra’s vocal did just that. Sierra will return to the studio at a later date to record the “keeper” vocals” along with Michele and Sarah on backing vocals to complete the tracking.

The photo of the Urei 809 speaker with the foam intact. Our Ureis were manufactured in 1987, and the foam lasts about 30-years.

A photo of the Urei 809 speaker with the foam intact. Our Ureis were manufactured in 1987. The foam lasts about 30-years before disintegrating.

On a side note, all was going well during the recording session, when suddenly the producer and engineer noticed that the left speaker in the control room was distorting badly, especially in the low, or bass, register. This was odd because all of the equipment, from the interface, to the amplifier, to the speakers, is top-notch. Giotto decided to pull the protective grill from the face of the offending speaker, and what the team saw was not good: The foam around the circumference of the speaker had deteriorated in many spots, leaving gaping spaces where the speaker was no longer supported. An inspection of the right speaker showed tears, the first sign that the foam would eventually fall apart, like the left speaker. Both speakers were removed from their cabinets, and sent to Orange County Speaker, in California, for re-foaming. Any additional tracking and recording has temporarily been placed on hold. If all goes well, the studio should be up and running by December. In the meantime, the group will work on the Lynch tune.

As we mentioned in our September newsletter, another idea 💡 from the team is writing an answer record for a song written and recorded in the late 1970s by a renowned artist, and then covered in the mid-1980s, when it became a big hit. An answer record borrows the elements of the original song, but takes the lyrics in a new direction. We will keep this song a secret until we actually begin the recording in December. We will say that the songwriter of the original song is someone whom Giotto has great respect for, and has had the opportunity to interview on two occasions in the late ’80s and early ’90s, when he worked at WBER, a community radio station, which broadcasts from Penfield, NY. Sadly this songwriter has passed away, and Giotto felt that it was time for a tribute record of sorts. Giotto and Kanack are working on the answer record, which should be completed soon.

New YouTube video available, more to follow

Ken Kleinendorst and Michele pose for a photo at one of our shows.

Ken Kleinendorst and Michelle pose for a photo at one of our shows.

Thanks to our fan, Ken Kleinendorst, several live performance videos of our group are now available. Ken makes his way up from Central Pennsylvania on many occasions to catch an IT’S MY PARTY! show, and when he does, he usually brings his video recording gear along with him. If you have been to one of our shows, I’m sure you’ve seen Ken. In his mid-eighties, Ken is still going strong, he has been known to arrive early on the day of a performance and help with the set-up of the equipment, as well as aiding the tear down at the end of the night.

Ken recently sent us a batch of DVDs with footage from shows including Batavia, Hammondsport, Burgundy Basin Inn, and Van Bortel. This is very fortunate because we find it very difficult to set up our own video taping equipment, with so much else to do before the show.

We are in the process of reviewing and then uploading the best performances to our YouTube channel. The first offering is a rendition of “To Sir With Love” from our August 11 show at the Burgundy Basin Inn.

One of the challenges working with Ken’s videos is that, although the footage was recorded in 720p, the aspect ratio was set at 4X3. Unaltered, these videos would display those ugly side bars on YouTube — think old television shows. So, we have to zoom into the frame, cutting off some of the top and bottom information, to create the look of a 16X9 video. We have spoken to Ken about this , and he has set his camera to shoot in 16X9 from now on. Ken is hoping to come up during the December recording sessions, so we will have some nice videos in the near future, which we will pass along to our fans. By the way, Ken performed the sleigh bells on our recording of “You Won’t Even Know Her Name,” so don’t be surprised if he puts down the camera and joins in again on the upcoming sessions. Ken is a great fan, friend and truly a high-energy guy!

The Confetti Clatter – September News Update

Posted on October 2, 2015 by John Giotto

August shows bring concert season to an end

Posing before the August 11 show at Burgundy Basin

IT’S MY PARTY! performed eleven concerts in August, concluding the season at Van Bortel Chevrolet in Macedon, NY, as the entertainment for a Corvette cruise-in. The weather for the event was perfect and Van Bortel graciously offered free food to attendees from various well-regarded vendors. In atypical form, the group stopped between songs and solicited requests from the audience. With many regular attendees at this finale, the more laid-back approach seemed appropriate. A couple from Ballston Spa, NY traveled a fair distance to see the group for the first time, having discovered IT’S MY PARTY! on YouTube, making the event even more meaningful.

In addition to the Van Bortel performance, August stops included returns to What’s ‘Ur Scoop Ice Cream, in Penfield, NY, Hammondsport. NY, Batavia, NY and Shortsville, NY. The group also performed for a second time in the season at the Burgundy Basin car show and Waterloo Premium Outlets. Another show on August 4 was a rescheduled concert at the Charcoal Coral in Perry, NY that had been rained out in July. New venues in August included a car show at the Genesee Brew House at High Falls in the City of Rochester, and a show at the Legacy community at Clover-Blossom. A concert promoter from New Hampshire approached the group at High Falls and talked about the possibility of regional performances next summer. He must have enjoyed the show, because he also attended our performances at the Burgundy Basin and the Legacy.

IT’S MY PARTY! returns to the studio

Tracking began August 21 on a new recording scheduled for release in 2016. The group is concentrating on two songs pitched by Michael Lynch, a talented songwriter. Lynch provided demos of his songs “Mister Sunshine” and “I Almost Forgive Him.” Lynch played all the instruments on the demos and even sang the vocals. These songs lend themselves to an interpretation by IT’S MY PARTY!

In addition to the two Lynch songs, the group will record two cover songs, one of which is a song by the Sherrys, a ’60s girl group from Philadelphia. The other cover will be a surprise for our fans, so we will keep that under wraps for the moment. Finally, the group’s producers are working on an “answer record” like those prevalent in the ’60s — think “Jerry (I’m Your Sherry)” by Tracey Dey. One of the issues with an answer record is the possibility of copyright infringement, so we will seek counsel regarding the proper crediting of the original song.

Advances in on-stage technology also bring new issues

Our entire show is run by way of an Ipad through a wireless network

Our entire show, sound and lighting, is run by way of an iPad through a wireless network. You can see the digital console and wireless router center-left in the photo.

Technology is designed to make our lives easier. This is especially true in the area of live touring. Through the years speakers and amplifiers have become smaller and lighter without sacrificing power and volume. Consoles are now digital, with on-board effects, making setup faster, and allowing scenes to be saved from show to show. You may recall from years past the image of a sound engineer stationed under a pop-up tent at our shows. The engineer was sitting behind a soundboard connected to the microphones and speaker system by a series of cords, including a long conduit called a snake. Perhaps you spoke with him about the mix. Now you may wonder whether we even have a sound engineer: No snake, no pop-up tent, no obvious console. That is because we are now being mixed on an iPad, which communicates with a digital board, located on stage, through a wireless network. Sound engineers are now free to walk about to venue, iPad in hand, as long as they are within range of the network.

The wireless setup has come in favor over the past five years. Wireless setups are less obtrusive; this is a big plus aesthetically. Although I can’t confirm it, there is a community that will not ask us back because of an incident at a show there in 2005. The person in charge complained about our sound mixing popup tent being set up in a position that could potentially block the view of audience members on a rise behind it. Trying to accommodate, we moved the tent from the optimum center position to the side of the lawn, apparently this did not propitiate the talent buyer .

Although digital advances have made for a cleaner and faster setup both for sound and lighting, with new technologies come potential issues. At our show in Hammondsport this year, the iPad suddenly refused to communicate with the board, in effect, our mix was frozen. We had to apologize to the audience and, much like a computer, restart the board. After restarting, the issue was resolved for the remainder of the performance.

Another issue is that sometimes– and this happens more during afternoon shows — the iPad overheats and shuts down, effectively freezing the mix and not allowing for any subtle changes. This has happened to us three times in the past two seasons. A quick search on this issue will uncover many discussions on iPad overheating and the causes, everything from the version of the iPad, to hot weather, the use of a protective cover, to the strain on the processor of a resource-hungry app — like our mixing app. Curiously, airplane pilots seem to have this problem with regularity when flying, though I ‘m not quite sure why.

If you would like to weigh in on some ideas how to keep our iPad cool, feel free to comment on our Facebook page. And next year, while attending one of our shows, disregard that wireless network found on your phone called It’s My Party, that’s just us doing our thing!

The Confetti Clatter July 2015 – News Update

Posted on July 30, 2015 by John Giotto

IT’S MY PARTY! added to Wikipedia

We are excited to announce that our group is now included on Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia. Apparently the name for the site comes from the Hawaiian word “wiki,” which means quick, and “pedia,” which originates from a Greek word, meaning knowledge. The inclusion on Wikipedia helps to build more credibility for the group, and ensures that its legacy will continue. You can visit our Wikipedia page here: IT’S MY PARTY!

IT’S MY PARTY! releases a new EP

After months of hard work, the group released its fourth single, entitled “He Wasn’t Like That (When He Used to Be Mine).” The release consists of three cover tracks: the title track, “In Your Letter,” and “You Won’t Even Know Her Name.”

Track one was originally recorded by the late George Hamilton. “She Wasn’t Like That (When She Used to Be Mine)” was written by Raleigh and Barken, the latter also wrote many girl group singles, including some recorded by Lesley Gore. The song lent itself to a recording by a girl group. I’m sure you will agree, when you listen to our version.

Track two was originally recorded by REO Speedwagon and included on their highly successful album, High Infidelity. Like the first track, “In Your Letter” opened itself up to a girl group rendition. An interesting side-note to this song is that is was covered in 1982 by Mike Zero’s Randy and the Rainbows, most famous for their 1963 hit song “Denise.”

The final track is one that has been part of the IT’S MY PARTY! live repertoire for several years. “You Won’t Even Know Her Name” was written by Mike Curb and recorded in the ’60s by the Starlets and Josephine Sunday. Our version has elements of both, but more closely resembles the Josephine Sunday version. Josephine Sunday was 18-years old when she recorded that track, and lived in Washington, DC.

Currently the EP is only available digitally as a download of the complete work, or as individual tracks. The release is in queues for inclusion on various digital services, like iTunes and Amazon, but is now available at CD Baby. “He Wasn’t Like That (When He Used to Be Mine)” will also be available as a physical CD, in the near future. Keep checking in at the media section of our website for updates on this release.

Performance season heating up

The girls rock out at Newark’s Music on the Erie Concert

The girls performed five times in July, and were rained out once in Perry, during a summer that has been trying and unusually wet. The highlights of the season so far have been the show in Newark, which always includes an enthusiastic audience, and Waterloo Premium Outlets, where the girls turned in a strong performance. August will be a very busy month with 12 scheduled performances, beginning on the first, when the group will return to What’s ‘Ur Scoop Ice Cream, and concluding with a Corvette car show at Van Bortel’s Chevrolet on August 22. Fortunately, the Charcoal Corral show in Perry has been rescheduled for August 4. The Rev-on car show, originally scheduled for August 4, has been moved to the new date of August 11. We would like to thank the Natalie B. Band for switching dates with us at the Rev-on show. Check the events section of our webpage for more details.

The Recording of the “That Boy John” EP

Posted on May 12, 2015 by John Giotto

That Boy John Cover

After the success of the single “Can’t” in 1997, IT’S MY PARTY! set out to record more material, with a goal of a 1998 release. Unlike “Can’t,” which took two years to complete, while enduring several vocal personnel changes, the next recording benefited from the polished vocal lineup of Vanessa, Roseanna, and newcomer Lauren, who had replaced Aubrey. Aubrey, finding it difficult to juggle her commitment to the group with the pursuit of her other passion, theater performance, departed on good terms, and would return for a second stint in IT’S MY PARTY! the following year.

I selected the material for the new release based on the relative strengths of the singers. Vanessa’s voice seemed to lend itself to a relatively unknown Barry/Greenwich composition, “That Boy John.” A decade before, in 1988, Paul Kanack and I visited Ellie Greenwich’s Manhattan apartment with the idea of working with her. She shared with us her frustration about the timing of the release of “That Boy John,” by her group, The Raindrops, in early December 1963, just weeks after the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The timing couldn’t have been worse, and the record failed to chart. It was her thought that a release at any other time would have produced a hit. Remembering this, Paul and I were determined to give this song a second chance. “That Boy John” became the title track of the new release.

The second song selected for the single was “I’m Bobby’s Girl.” Not to be confused with “Bobby’s Girl,” by Marcie Blaine, “I’m Bobby’s Girl” was an original song, written by Syeed Abdulal-haqq, especially for the group.

Another song that had remained a favorite was “The Boy Next Door,” a tune popularized by The Secrets in 1963. Although IT’S MY PARTY! had recorded this song in 1988, it was never released to the public. Vanessa had established herself as the lead vocalist of this lineup, however, Lauren’s perky vocal-style seemed perfect for “The Boy Next Door.” By adding this track the single became more of an EP or maxi-single with three song offerings.

Calvin May was the primary engineer during the recording. Eager to try digital recording, Calvin offered the use of his two ADAT recorders. These machines encoded digital information on magnetic tape that resembled VHS cassettes. The thought was that our 1/2″ 16-track analogue tape machine could not reproduce the low end needed for these recordings, whereas the ADATs could. However, halfway through the recording of “That Boy John,” Calvin left the project to pursue other interests.

With ADAT cassettes in hand, and hauling my 70-pound tape machine, I set out to a local recording studio with ADAT recording. All of the tracks on the ADAT were then transferred to my analogue tape machine, which was then returned to our studio to finish the project. Unfortunately, an amazing piano track was lost on “That Boy John” during the transfer. It is unknown why this happened, perhaps that track was placed in record mode, or, as we like to say to try explain away the woes of digital recording, perhaps a ghost entered the machine.

Two-track master label – test tones ensure that the playback machine runs at the same speed as the recording machine

Strong vocal renditions more than made up for any technical glitches, and the stereo master was finally compiled in August. One of the new twists on this release was the addition of horns and reed instruments, for the first time on an IT’S MY PARTY! recording. Bill Tiberio played some moving tenor sax solos, especially on “I’m Bobby’s Girl.” Derrick Lipp added trumpet, and David DeWitt played trombone. Jim Sawicki, who helped record some of the earliest IT’S MY PARTY! tracks in 1988, contributed a piano track on “The Boy Next Door,” and Jim Reilley, now in Nashville, added the guitar track to “I’m Bobby’s Girl.” (You can see other contributors by clicking on the track sheet links at the bottom of this post.)

Gene Paul, son of legendary guitarist, Les Paul, mastered the single at DB Plus in New York City. Sheila Bergel, an acquaintance, who lived in New York City attended the mastering session. Sheila is a girl group authority and publisher of Cha Cha Charming, the definitive girl group fanzine. Sheila added an enthusiastic presence at the mastering that gave the session a positive vibe.

After months of toil, “That Boy John” hit the stores in early December on both CD and cassette formats. The initial reactions were positive. Bob Scheffel of The One Magazine and WBER radio wrote, “This single is stronger than the first release.” Martin Natchez of The Flint Journal added, “On the new CD is ‘I’m Bobby’s Girl,’ featuring trio leader Vanessa singing in the style of The Angels’ ‘My Boyfriend’s Back’.” The tracks received airplay on stations in Michigan and Canada, and opened IT’S MY PARTY! to new markets and fans.

One track that was fun to record was “I’m Bobby’s Girl.” In the intro, there is a dialog between the girls. Janine, our fan club president, is one of the voices, and can be clearly heard on the line, “I don’t know what she sees in him,” adding to the vibe of the song. All these years later, with various girls taking turns at the lead vocals, “I’m Bobby’s Girl” remains a fan-favorite at live concerts.

If you would like a physical copy of “That Boy John,” click the “Add to Cart” button below to purchase the CD by way of Paypal.

If you prefer a digital copy, go to our discography section and follow the link of your choice for downloads.

The Confetti Clatter July 2014 – News Update

Posted on June 30, 2014 by John Giotto

Recording Update

We continued to add tracks to our recording of “You Won’t Even Know Her Name,” a song recorded in 1965 by the Starlets, and then by Josephine Sunday in that same year. Neither version was a hit, but both recordings are sought after by record collectors. The track seemed like a perfect addition to the IT’S MY PARTY! catalog.

Last month we mentioned that equipment issues forced us to step away from the recording process. The purchase of a Universal Audio Apollo Quad 2 interface solved our previous issues. Now the interface, computer and software are working in harmony to produce nice digital tracks.

On June 15, Matt Doi added baritone and tenor saxophones. Matt plays guitar in the band during our performance season, and in addition to guitar, plays some tenor sax parts. Matt is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist, and producer, John Giotto, is taking advantage of his many skills. “I wish I could clone Matt, and place him on more than one instrument,” said Giotto. Fortunately, with the advantage of modern recording techniques, this is possible, by recording overdubs, specifically, recording new tracks, while listening to pre-recorded tracks.

On the following Sunday of June 22, three talented students from the esteemed Kanack School of Music came into the studio to record violins. Daphne, Hassler, and Henry laid down four separate violin tracks, creating a nice layered effect. Engineer, Calvin May moved the microphone after each track to emphasize a particular violin in the ensemble during takes.

Next up, tracking back-up vocals, percussion, organ, and an additional guitar track. Hopefully, we will create the wall-of-sound present on the Josephine Sunday recording.

New performance date

IT’S MY PARTY! is performing on Friday, July 25, from 7-9 for the Village of Webster. Please add this date to your calendar. This spot opened up late on the booking season due to a cancellation, and although we feel badly for the group who had to cancel, we are excited to return to Webster after a ten-year absence. Some of our singers attended school in the Webster district, and we expect a strong showing from the hometown crowd. The venue in Webster is Veteran’s Park, located just north of the intersection of Routes 404 & 250. There are plenty of food vendors in the area, but don’t forget to bring a lawn chair, as seating is limited.

Stretching

(The ramblings of a drummer with too much time on his hands)

Breaking through the barriers that impede us, rather than find the path of least resistance, is good for the soul. In early June, I talked myself into taking the trip to Montreal to attend the F1 car race at Gilles Villeneuve Circuit. Just getting out of my comfort zone, and travelling to a different country took some self-persuasion. After all, with no effort at all, I could get the best seat in the house, in my man-cave, directly in front of the widescreen. The trip provided a needed break, and the race proved to be the most exciting of the season, with Daniel Ricciardo winning for the Red Bull Racing Team.

As an English speaker, visiting Montreal provided some language hurdles, however, as most of the residents spoke fluent English, it wasn’t too difficult to communicate. It was clear, none the less, that I was an outsider, “Dorothy, we’re not in Kansas anymore.” Montreal has the feeling of a European city, and I felt more than the hundreds of miles I was removed from Rochester, NY. I was determined to give a game effort at speaking some French, at the very least, to learn some polite responses. I picked up a few French lines with the help of the receptionist at my hotel, a nice young lady, who wore a backwards baseball cap. I think she got a big kick out of my questions and mispronunciations.

A Bixi bicycle sharing station in Montreal.

Once I had my bearings and figured out the subway system, it was time for
some recreation. I enjoy cycling, and Montreal, as it turned out, is bicycle-friendly, with designated, and clearly-marked, cycling routes throughout the city. I did not bring my bicycle with me on this trip, but that was not a problem. Montreal has strategically positioned bicycle sharing stations along its bike routes. The system is called the Bixi, which stands for “bicycle-taxi.” For $7.oo you can obtain a 24-hour subscription to the service. But there is a catch, as the hotel receptionist pointed out, if any of your rides exceed 30-minutes, you incur additional fees. Many a tourist has been surprised by this, and the Bixi is not recommended for visitors, who are unfamiliar with the fee structure. There have been some documented cases of folks buying a three-day pass for $15.oo, and racking up hundreds of dollars on their credit cards. The idea behind the additional fees is to have as many bikes available as possible. So, for a one-hour trip, you should stop before a half-hour, park the bike, then sign in again and take out a new bike, if you want to avoid the additional fees. I took this as a challenge, I would meet the Bixi head-on.

Well, this whole idea seemed overwhelming at first. How would I time my ride? Where was the next station, and was it within a half-hour’s ride? Would I be able to read the instructions at the kiosk? After some research and education on the Bixi, I was ready to take on the challenge.

A Bixi kiosk, it was difficult to read when in direct sunlight.

Initiating a transaction at the Bixi kiosk was a little daunting, it was sunny, and hard to read the French directions on the screen, but, with some guessing, I was able to acquire a one-day pass. I obtained a four-digit code to unlock any bicycle at the station, and proceeded to travel east down Rue Rachel, toward the Olympic Stadium, my desired destination. I was sure I could make it to the stadium in a half-hour’s ride. The weather was perfect, and the ride took about 25-minutes. After a somewhat frantic search, I found a Bixi station tucked under a line of trees. I will say, they could mark these stations a little more clearly. Again, the locals know the locations of all of these stations. I placed the bike in the docking station with a few minutes to spare.

For the return trip, I was determined to take a different route, rather than choosing the safe option of travelling back the same way I came. I used the four-digit code to take out another bike, and proceeded to travel back by way of Rue de Rouen. Rue de Rouen was a smaller street, and did not afford an actual bike lane. I changed bikes again along Rue de Rouen, near a park. After heading north for a few blocks on Rue Frontenac, I finished at the station I started at on Rue Rachel. Conquering the Bixi, as silly as it sounds, was exhilarating, and made it more than a bike ride.

So, what does this have to do with the band? In an effort to improve and refine our act, I watch as many shows as possible. There are many talented musicians in this area, but rather than dwell on individual attributes, I am more interested in how the performers present as a group. How do they take the stage; exit; interact with the audience? How does the set list flow? What do they wear, and do they present a unified image?

I have picked up a thing or two by attending shows. However, as polished as many of these acts are, there is an all too common thread, most recall the same presentation, year after year: the same set list, same order, same banter. This is where we draw the line. Whether it’s new instrumentation, new songs, different stage banter, or improved technology, we will not be complacent.

The line indicates my route, all of the circles are bixi sharing stations.

The very nature of our group is a stretch, and clearly, we are not all things to all people. Does this backfire on us sometimes? Sure! A talent buyer once asked how many hits we played. My answer was enough to give the audience a familiar island here and there, but the presentation was more important to us, along with the ability to play some of the lost treasures of the ’60s and our original compositions. This attitude costs us some gigs, but we are not a good-time party band.

One season we decided to cover a Monkees’ tune, a bit of a reach for the group. After a show in Williamson, NY, an audience member approached the stage and said, “‘The Girl That I Knew Somewhere,’ it just isn’t working.” We are lucky to have such an informed audience. After some reflection, we eventually dropped this tune from our list. An experience like this, though humbling, will not stop us from thinking outside of the box when considering new material. In the words of the late Casey Kasem, “Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars.”

Then there was the show last season where we unveiled our new string section. Now the safe thing to do is have the keyboard player cover the string parts, but we wanted authenticity. During a break in the music, I introduced the string players, and asked the audience how they liked the sound. The response was lukewarm. Once again, after the show, a member of the audience approached me, and said that he couldn’t hear a single note they were playing. This wasn’t the soundman’s fault, the strings were positioned next to the drums that night, so, when the live engineer tried to bring up the string section, all you could hear were drums. As this was a festival, and we we were not the only act that night, we did not have the proper time to sound check. We could have easily scrapped the whole idea, and gone back to the synth-strings. Instead, we experimented with different microphones and placements of the string section, eventually coming upon the right formula. You can go to our You Tube page and hear the results for yourself. And, for the record, be kind to the soundman, he is a highly-qualified technician, who knows what’s going on.

Changing the vocal line-up, while necessary as girls move on, is, at times, traumatizing to some of our fans. Some followers are so infatuated with one group or another, that they stop attending shows when their favorites leave the group. Clearly, a new group’s first season will not stand up to an experienced exiting trio, but their growth potential has a huge upside. And while we salute the talent and contributions of former members, we strive to create a group sound that transcends any individual member.

Keep stretching, and I hope you will have a chance to watch us stretch as well!

"Can’t," an IT’S MY PARTY! recording from 1995-97

Posted on July 27, 2013 by John Giotto

The cover of the “Can’t” CD Single from 1997

I’d like to tell you the story of the release of the IT’S MY PARTY! single entitled “Can’t” b/w “I’d Much Rather Be With the Girls.” It’s hard to believe that so much time has past since this recording, and I’d like to write down my recollections of this project before I lose any more memory of the events as they unfolded. Fortunately, we keep very good records of the recording sessions as well as saving artifacts through the years.

IT’S MY PARTY! got back into the studio in 1995 with the intention of recording and releasing a single. The group was in a state of flux for the previous two years, but the time seemed right in ’95, as new candidates auditioned for the vocal lineup and had shown potential.

I thought it would be a nice tribute to the original girl group sound to try to recreate one of the thousands of great tunes to choose from. I always liked Donna Lynn’s version of “I’d Much Rather Be With the Girls,” a Rolling Stones song from their album, Metamorphosis, recorded in 1965. Besides paying out the proper mechanical royalties, we needed to ask permission to change the name from “I’d Much Rather Be With the Boys,” to “I’d Much Rather Be With the Girls.” With permission from the publisher granted, we proceeded to track this one in the spirit of the Donna Lynn version.

We decided to rent the large room at the Penfield Baptist Church on Penfield Road in Penfield, NY for the recording of “I’d Much Rather Be With the Girls.” The price for the day was more than reasonable, and we thought that the large room would give us the big sound present on the original recording. Calvin May, the engineer, set up a microphone in the back of the room to capture the ambience of the drum set. Combining that ambient track with the close microphones created exactly the effect we were looking for. The tracking date was September 1, 1995. The take that we decided to work with was take-three.

We brought in musician Ted Paris to play bass on the track. Ted had played in various sixties revival bands and knew the style we were looking for. Ted also brought along his Rickenbacker twelve-string electric, the same instrument used on Donna Lynn’s version. Besides playing bass, Ted overdubbed many of the guitar tracks, including the twelve-string. Walt O’Brien, whom I will talk about later in this post, played the guitar foundation track, as well as some of the guitar overdubs. We ended up with a total of seven guitar tracks on our recording. As far as the percussion went, Billy Eberts played the glockenspiel, while I played the drum set.

Adding the lead vocal track was a challenge, the would-be singers lacked any real studio experience. We tried a few different vocalist before shelving the project. Then finally, in late 1996, the group enjoyed its strongest singer in years with Vanessa joining the group and taking on lead vocals. We also added Aubrey to the group, a great backup singer whose voice blended well and sat very nicely in the mix. Vanessa and Aubrey were friends from middle school. We were now in a position to complete this track. It was serendipitous that “I’d Much Rather Be With the Girls” was a perfect fit for Vanessa’s lead vocal. I remember posting the word “than” to the studio wall on a piece of paper so she wouldn’t sing the word “then.” We double-tracked Vanessa’s lead using an AKG 414 microphone. We completed the final backing vocal track on March 29, 1997. I guess you should never give up on your dreams, because the finished product was well worth the wait!

I wanted an original recording for the A-side of the project. As I mentioned earlier, Walt O’Brien played guitars on the “I’d Much Rather Be With the Girls” recording. Walt was, and still is, one of the finest musicians in the Rochester area. He cut his teeth on sixties music by listening to his older sister’s records. Walt is a natural, able to pick up, and master, virtually any instrument he touches. Much like Paul McCartney, Walt could easily multi-track himself as an entire ensemble, then sing lead and backup vocals over the top. Walt is also a prolific songwriter; at my request, he provided me with a cassette tape of songs he had written. I listened to the tune “Can’t,” originally recorded in the ’80s by Walt’s band called the Insiders. “Can’t” intrigued me, it had the obvious hooks and infectious melody, the Mersey-beat feel with walking guitar lines and driving harmonica, but there was more. I really liked the seventh chord vocal harmony, and the one bar of two beats that gave the song an interesting twist. So, “Can’t” became the choice for the plug side.

We recorded “Can’t” at Hat n’ Hat Studio in Penfield, NY. Many local and out-of-town groups enjoy the ambiance of that tiny studio, and it would remain the main recording facility for IT’S MY PARTY! through the years. Hat n’ Hat has two rooms and a small control room. Each room can be used for recording. Room one is larger and carpeted, it’s “drier” or “damper” than room two, which is tiled a livelier. The control room is fairly neutral. Sometimes vocals are recorded in the control room with the singers listening to the payback monitors rather than using headphones. We began the recording of “Can’t” on November 24, 1995.

I brought Walt into the studio to play the guitar tracks. We raised the key of the song to C to fit the vocal range of a female vocalist. Walt also played the harmonica solo as well, the only harmonica to date on any IT’S MY PARTY! recording. Calvin May added the final bass guitar track, as well as engineering the recording. The tracking consisted of three microphones on the drums, bass, five guitar tracks, harmonica, hand claps, and tambourine. Walt is one of the best tambourine players I have ever heard. The bass was re-tracked by Calvin on November 2, 1996. We sure took a long time on this, but, again, we were searching for the right vocalists. Vanessa sang lead, and Vanessa and Aubrey both sang the backups. You can clearly hear Aubrey’s voice making the seventh in the harmony.

We took the master tape to DB Plus in New York City to have Gene Paul master the single. It was nice having another set of ears on the project, especially a guy with Gene’s resume. He made some great suggestions for our next tracking and mixing sessions. And, I must say, he wasn’t too thrilled with our ’60s styled faux stereo mix of “Can’t.” Most of the 45 rpms back in those days were mixed in mono, with all the instruments and vocals in the center of the mix. Keep in mind that these songs were mixed for optimum sound from a single car radio speaker, where most people at that time became exposed to new music. Record companies began producing stereo records for stereo equipment, which was on the rise in the late fifties and sixties. The information from the original mono records would come out of a stereo system equally in both the left and right speakers, but this was not the effect stereophiles were looking for. Engineers went back to the master tapes and remixed, but what they had to work with consisted of two, three, or maybe four tracks. Usually the lead vocals on one track, the backing vocals on another, the basic music tracks on the third and any sweeteners, like hand claps and tambourine, maybe on a fourth. That really didn’t leave a lot of room for separation into left and right channels. Most of the time they would load the music on one side and the vocals on the other, this could create an irritating effect where, if the vocals dropped out, your ear missed that information, creating an imbalance of sound. If you listen to “Can’t,” that is precisely what’s going on. We could have balanced the stereo field, but got a little too cute with this mix trying to replicate a four track effect. Remember, we had five guitar tracks, and we could have balanced them equally across the stereo field. Gene really took us to task on that mix, and we never tried that again. On a side note, Phil Spector was never a fan of stereo. He liked the full, fat sound of mono; the meddled effect of mono also made it more difficult to pick out individual instruments, and in a age of fierce competition, more difficult to copy a producer’s techniques.

“Judy’s Turn To Cry” picture sleeve

Calvin designed the sleeve of the CD, which was inspired by the Lesley Gore picture sleeve for “Judy’s Turn to Cry” b/w “Just Let Me Cry.” The inspiration came to Calvin and me over a meal at Dell Taco in Henrietta, NY — long since closed. We particularly liked the monochrome printing on the Lesley Gore Picture sleeve, and wanted to produce the same effect. Here again, we perhaps reached too far. Our CD replicator was a sort of one-stop, providing in-house printing. While this was convenient, I’m not sure they knew what they were doing when it came to printing anything out of the ordinary. Calvin suggested we print in true monochrome. Rather than approximating the one-color by using the four-color printing process, we wanted the pure one color mixed and loaded into the printing press, the end result would be a grayscale of that particular color. The replicator said that, in order to do this, they would have to stop all production, purge the machines, and set up our one-color, adding an additional expense to the project. We agreed, determined to make this look like an old ’60s picture sleeve. The cassette proofs came back from the manufacturer before the CD, and boy was I upset. The printing looked just awful, the product was dark, with black ink clearly present. Obviously, black ink had leached into our printing from somewhere. I wondered who proofed this thing before they sent it along to us! I was on my way to the Grey Cup football game in Edmonton, and steaming mad! I cooled off in Toronto, so I could enjoy the cross Canada trip. After sending the sample cassettes back, with few apologies from the replicator, we eventually received a new batch of passable cassette covers. The CD jackets ended up looking okay, but this incident held up production, and they arrived a few months after the cassettes.

Advertisement for Educational Expo

The “Can’t” cassingle was available for our performance at the Eisenhart Auditorium on East Avenue in Rochester, NY. The girls performed to pre-recorded music from 11:30-noon on October 26, 1997 as part of a larger event called the Educational Expo. And now for one of the best kept secrets of the group; we only had two singers on these recordings, that makes a duo, not a girl group. Insert Lorraine, a friend of mine’s daughter, into the photo shoot, and voila, IT’S MY PARTY! was a girl group, at least for appearances sake. Just in time for the Educational Expo show, we welcomed Roseanna as our third singer. This show was their second performance as a trio.

IT’S MY PARTY! (Vanessa, Aubrey & Roseanna) performing at the Eisenhart Auditorium 10-26-1997

I remember what a trooper Roseanna was at the Educational Expo show; here she was performing, but not on the cover art, not having sung a single note on the release, and she had an ear-to-ear grin the entire show. She was also eager to point out our cassette to onlookers. We easily sold over one hundred cassettes that afternoon in a short period of time, and I thought to myself how easy this was going to be, we were going to sell thousands of these singles! What I didn’t realize at the time was A: the music business is flush with talent, competing for the consumer’s discretionary income, and B: sales were artificially high that day because all of the relatives of the IT’S MY PARTY! girls were purchasing them, especially Roseanna’s family! Getting back to Lorraine, she actually ended up performing in the band, playing hand percussion, when we transitioned from canned backup music to a full fledged live ensemble. Lorraine reminded people of Tracy of the Partridge Family, played by Suzanne Crough, who had the same assignment of percussion, usually tambourine, and looked very similar to Lorraine.

To mark the official release, the group hosted a record release party on Sunday December 28, 1997 at the now defunct Spinner’s Family Fun Center in Macedon, NY. The admission was only five dollars and included skating and free pizza. The CD singles were in stock by this time, and once again, like the Education Expo performance, sales were brisk. We had a nice turnout, and went through many sheet pizzas. The group was already working on a new recording which would become the “That Boy John” maxi-single. The “That Boy John” session would give Roseanna a chance to record and promote her own work, as we released the single in 1998. I will tell the story of that recording in my next post.

If you have any comments, or if you were at the Educational Expo or the “Can’t” Record Release Party at Spinners, please leave us a message on our contact form.