This is a collection of songs Dan and I recorded between 2002 and 2005 which we published to coincide with the release of netqast.com, a project and client of Planet Telex. The recording quality is all over the place because each one was a different home recording made at a separate time, and sometimes, place. The exception is the first track, “The Eye,” which we recorded at the Conservatory for the Recorded Arts in Tempe Arizona, where we had friends going to school. The drummer who played with us learned the song about half and hour prior to recording. He was awesome, neither Dan nor I can remember his name.

This actually produced Sturgeon Mill album was recorded at Red House studios with Ed Rose and Casey Baum producing. We even brought in session string musicians for the last track, “A Waking Dream”. The crickets at the beginning of that song incidentally, were recorded in-studio and purchased from a local pet shop. They of course escaped and made trouble for the studio.

In the summer of 1998 Lonnie and I would jump in his run-down orange pickup, drive to Salina, and record these track at a buddy of his’ house, an old hippy dude with a home studio who also played keyboard and acoustic guitar on parts of this album. At the time Lonnie was listening to tons of vinyl records. None of us had a lot of money, so he would get the most for his dollar and buy these weird records from the discount bin, some of which get sampled here. I was the one able to contribute “The Old Philosopher” sample though from an old 45 of my dad’s.

This album was essentially complete when I joined the band, but I did contribute keyboards to “Virgin Mistake”. During my tenure with the band, we played a lot of these songs during our live show. Along with the title track, “Greasewood 14″, “Horses Say Whoa!”, and “Floating Palace” were a staple of our setlists. Horses developed into a nice alt-country pop tune live, and I consider Floating Palace to be among Lonnie’s best written songs.