Two Years in the Making?

We were rehearsed and ready, we had a seasoned pair of audio engineers both in the band and nearby, and had their own professional grade studio at our disposal.  Yet Killer Filler’s debut album took far longer than hoped.  What caused the delay? Striving for perfection?  Artistic differences?  Someone go crazy and shave their head?  Nope—Here’s what really makes a recording get delayed.  Future indy CD makers, if there are any of you left—take note!

One:  Our drummer quits; it takes nearly a year to find a replacement.  Think instrumental music is easier than the lyrical stuff?  Try telling that to the 10-plus drummers we had audition that couldn’t even play our demo CD, even after having weeks of rehearsal with said CD before hand.  Even Mark, our current drummer, would admit he only had about 75 percent of it right when he auditioned for us and got the job.  Good thing he got the job, too—another couple of weeks, and we’d have all joined him in Raleigh playing Jimmy Buffet covers ‘till our souls were sucked dry.  He saved us, and we saved him.

Two:  Vintage recording equipment isn’t always reliable.  People often espouse the virtues of analog recording; the warmth of the sound, the unique and full tones you get from tape saturation.  Unfortunately, they forget to mention that analog recording machines are cantankerous, unreliable devices that can freak out faster than a Diebold voting machine, and that analog tape is also very fragile, temperamental stuff.  Guitarist Bryon Suttle was under the hood of his Otari 16-track recorder more than he was under his Volvo 240, which is saying something.  In honor of its’ final use after years of service in the Chapel Hill area, the Otari will be taken behind the barn and shot.  Humanely.

Three: We’re poor now; we were poorer then.  It’s tough to fix busted recording gear when your band made a grand total of 35 bucks at their last gig, and half of that went to beer.  Thank God we’re doing better than we used to.

Four:  Cutting edge gear isn’t always easy to operate:  Bryon and co-engineer Mike Beard get a spiffy-new CD mastering device called a Masterlink; using it is not unlike programming a 1970’s digital watch, provided the watch has about a hundred more tiny black buttons, all of which have more than one function than necessary.  Weeks drag on as the boys go through careful rounds of hard learning, followed by few more rounds of mental decompression, and back again.  Not a device for beginners. 

Five: We become the first band ever to legally cover Vinnie Bell’s “Bellzouki” and Santo & Johnny’s “Mucho Tempo”; No one knows who owns the rights anymore.  Our other covers, like “Fever”, the Ventures’ “Wild Trip”, and the Flat Duo Jets’ “Go This Way”, were all licensed without a hitch, but the remaining cover songs were more enigmatic, to put it mildly—the folks at Harry Fox were stumped. Eventually, we found out that Vinnie Bell’s publishing company had folded over fifteen years ago, with the death of his former agents’ wife.  Luckily, Mr. Bell himself is around, still spry and active in the recording scene at nearly 80 years of age, and after several wonderful, funny conversations with the man, he gave us permission.  “Mucho” on the other hand, was in active publishing, but its’ publisher had been swallowed up by several larger publishers over the years. No one among them seemed to know exactly who owned how much of what, leaving things in limbo for months on end. Our kudos goes to the folks at the mega-publishing house Windswept Pacific who, after a few E-mails explaining our situation, managed to dig through their own bureaucracy and take our money as planned.

Six:  Yahoo! Mail decides all E-mails involving CD production are spam.  One last banana peel in the road, as Yahoo, for unknown reasons decides local CD maker Kdisc ranks right up there with penile enhancement and Nigerian money scams.  Letters for approval of proofs and billing take months to exchange instead of days.  Is it any wonder their stock value is down?

What the Press Is Saying:

“It's beyond cliché to declare an instrumental album the perfect soundtrack for a party. But you could get more specific: A soiree at the Jungle Room of the local roller rink/ drag strip in 1968, with go-go dancers and Ennio Morricone as the special guests. Actually, even that attempt at scene-setting doesn't do the songs on Killer Filler's debut, Filler Up, and the ground they cover, justice. Neither would a run at a nifty tag like sloungeadelic, even if you tacked on the suffix "& the MGs." You still need to account for "Kiddie Pool," an organ-heavy Young Fresh Fellows-ish giggle gone wordless. True to its title, it captures the joy of a splashing romp but adds a hint of danger that comes with the threat of pee in the pool. Then there's "Wild Trip," which could just as easily be titled "Bo Diddley is a Secret Agent," one of a half-dozen non-originals the group tackles here (including Flat Duo Jets' "Go This Way"). The other 10 tracks sprang, alternately greasy and gliding, from the mind of band anchor and multiple threat Crispy Bess, who displays the dexterity and wit you might expect from someone with Uncle Tupelo, Southern Culture on the Skids and game show host on his résumé.  And, yes, an instrumental band can display wit, via resourceful playing, clever titling, and even inspired motto-ing: "We don't sing, but we don't suck, either." Party on. “

--Rick Cornell, The Independent Weekly

“...Anchored by the band’s progenitor Chris “Crispy” Bess, these five musicians work in hues of 1960s Memphis soul and California surf music to paint a pretty picture in your head of all those 50s and 60s memories you had personally, or lived vicariously through movies and TV.   Filler Up puts together a combination of original tunes. Each piece holds its own with just enough hooks and catchy riffs to keep it pleasantly in your noggin. The band relies heavily on reverbs and other trademark sounds of the period, giving the sixteen tracks an authentic sound. Nevertheless, they still manage to inject a little something of themselves, making the CD a worthwhile addition to the collection of anyone who loves this kind of music.”

--Richard Davis, Car Kulture Deluxe Magazine

"Hillsborough's Killer Filler ain't the most photogenic bunch, yet the band's new album "Filler Up!" is still highly visual music. You just can't listen to these 17 sleek instrumentals without being put in mind of a really cool heist caper starring George Clooney dressed to the nines and masterminding a convoluted plot to get the money and the girl. Which is not to say it's just background music, so pay attention because it's worth your while.

--David Menconi, Raleigh News and Observer