An Interview with Carl Elizondo of SIN & Jag Wire
By Andrew Daly-Vinyl Writer Music Rocks
In the 1980s, the Sunset Strip was a hotbed. Amidst the chaos, and debauchery, there was a deep-seated layer of superb musicianship brimming to the top, and overflowing with grandeur.
Amongst this bustling scene, was throwback drummer Carl Elizondo, who as a member of The Greg Leon Invasion, SIN, and Jag Wire, proved an integral piece to the 80s glam metal bubble, which unfortunately burst before Elizondo and his cohorts could claim their portion of the lion’s share.
In the wake of three near-misses with SIN and Jag Wire, Elizondo would be offered a gig with W.A.S.P. and an audition with Ozzy Osbourne. While he ultimately passed on W.A.S.P. and missed out on Ozzy, one thing was clear, Elizondo’s hard-hitting, yet low-key impact left a permanent impression from, if nothing else, a historical perspective.
From his home in Nevada, Elizondo recently ran through his memories of the 1980s rock scene, as well as his various trials, tribulations, and triumphs.
Andrew:
As a burgeoning musician, take me through some of your early leanings which gravitated you toward music.
Carl:
I have always been drawn to music, my father was a singer in a band in the early 50s and I believe I got my love for music from him. As a hypoactive child, I have always had a hard time staying still, and in my youth, my brother and I would jam along to records, he on a guitar and me on a conga, the closest thing I could get to a drum set at the time, so playing a physical instrument fit in with my need to move. I always watched the music shows in the 60s on TV like The Real Don Steele, etc. I really loved the idea of becoming a musician, in fact, I put all my efforts into becoming a professional musician. My folks were not keen on the idea so to buy my first drum set I had to convince a family friend to co-sign a loan for me, she did and I bought my first kit. I played alongside records for hours on end, usually 4-9 pm every day, and at the time had the most glorious blisters to prove it, boy I was proud of them.
Andrew:
What were some of your earliest gigs where you first cut your teeth?
Carl:
I was in a few high school bands, “The Mystics of Wizard” and others but my first real gig was playing with Chris Holmes (W.A.S.P.) Roger Renick & Don Peterson in SLAVE, we were mostly a Black Sabbath type band playing parties around the Pasadena area, Ed Van Halen was a good friend to the band and even borrowed Chris’ Marshal cabinets for Van Halen gigs. From there I went on to the Greg Leon Invasion. This was a pretty successful band playing all over So. Cal and the San Gabriel Valley. We were fortunate enough to record a single and an album which I am very proud of. GLI opened for Metallica at the Whisky A GoGo, which was a fantastic gig. From there I went on to gig with Razu, playing college frat parties as well as The Starwood and Gazzaris in Hollywood.
Andrew:
Paint a picture for us of the early 80s Sunset Strip scene. What are some of your most vivid, and wildest memories?
Carl:
The Sunset Strip in the 80s was electric, there were always people walking going from club to club with bands playing seven days a week. The lesser-known bands played during the week and bands like The Greg Leon Invasion, Guns N’ Roses, or Mötley Crüe played on the weekends. One of my fondest memories was when I was in Jag Wire and our manager rented a limo for us to go to The Rainbow Bar & Grill, as we spilled out of the limo onto the sidewalk, laughing and spitting up our beer, some girls walked by and one screamed there’s Carl James! In The Rainbow, the management played our album over the speaker system (as well as other local bands). Many bands show up to The Rainbow as it was thee hang, i.e. Scorpions, Deep Purple, Van Halen, etc. and we commenced to drinking and partying all night until closing.
Andrew:
You were a member of SIN, which was a very underrated band. Take me through you joining that band.
Carl:
I was contacted by Vince Gilbert I believe to come and audition for a band in Downey Ca. I have always been compared to Cozy Powell or John Bonham, and that was the type of drummer they were looking for and I happened to fit right in, to me it was a perfect match. We rehearsed long and hard as the 80s hair metal was just taking off in Hollywood. Along with Vince on Keyboards was Howard Drossin on guitars, Rik Fox on bass, and Art Deresh on vocals. I thought we were a fantastic band, and we were playing all over Hollywood and getting great reviews. We recorded a picture disc that we distributed ourselves, and it created quite the buzz we were looking for.
Andrew:
How and why did SIN eventually morph into Jag Wire? What prompted the name change and rebranding?
Carl:
At some point, there came a rift between Rik and other band members, over some management issues and probably creative differences, but it was bad enough for Rik to split with the band. I always liked him but after he left, he started speaking badly of me, which I never understood, I’m sure he was hurt and upset with us. Apparently, Rik had the copyright to the name SIN, so we came out with S.I.N. (sex in numbers), but after a while, a name change was suggested and Jag Wire was settled on. About this time we got a manager, and he hooked us up with a small record label, so recording was the next step.
Andrew:
Jag Wire’s album, Made in Heaven, is a low-key staple of the genre as a whole. If you can, take me through the writing, recording, and reception of that album.
Carl:
The writing was usually a group effort, Howard or Vince would bring in a riff or idea, and the band would work from there. We all liked Blackmores Rainbow and other bands of that ilk, so we built the sound on those ideas. Very heavy but melodic with great musicianship. The recording was at Fiddler’s I believe, and all I remember was having sushi being brought in all the time. We recorded late at night to get off-hour rates. The recording went pretty fast as we were pretty well rehearsed having brought in Joey Cristofanilli on bass, and working all the material with him.
Andrew:
Ultimately, why didn’t Jag Wire hit in the same way that song of its contemporaries did? Was it oversaturation? Lack of a major tour? Label issues?
Carl:
At this time The Strip was saturated with hundreds of bands, however, we did have a great following and potential. We did some minor tours playing alongside Great White and Legs Diamond, as well as many others. I believe a lack of touring, and lack of press led the band to be glossed over. Internal issues were developing at this time as well, too many parties, too much booze, and other illicit items also derailed the boys. I have always been vocal about songwriting credits as I was in GLI, and I believe I touched too many nerves and was asked to leave the band, but at that time I was fine with it as I had just been asked to join W.A.S.P. and had scored an audition with Ozzy Osbourne through my friend Jake E. Lee. I turned down W.A.S.P. and didn’t get the Ozzy gig. Such as life.
Andrew:
Can you tell me more about the Ozzy audition?
Carl:
Sure. So, while I was in the Greg Leon Invasion, we had various members come through the ranks of the band, at this point, we had Bobby DeLellis (Eddie Money) in as our rhythm/lead guitarist, he brought a great feel to the group, I’m not quite sure why he left, others such as Kenny Kauffman also came through the group as well. During one particular vacancy, we brought on guitarist Jake E. Lee (Williams). Jake, up to this point was just starting to make a name for himself in Hollywood, he and I became fast friends and we would hang out quite a bit going to clubs, and being on the scene. Jake was a great addition to the group and we all had a great time. Jake played with GLI for a few months and all was well until Jake received a call to audition for Ozzy Osborne, which he took and landed and became a part of the group.
The Invasion continued on playing the circuit. At one point, as I said earlier, I was approached by Vince Gilbert of the band SIN to drum for them, and since things weren’t moving forward for GLI, I left to join SIN which made a decent splash in Hollywood at the time. After signing to management and being picked up by a smaller record label, we changed our name to Jag Wire and recorded our only LP, Made In Heaven. We toured the album and played the circuit. Jag Wire was a fantastic group of musicians but after a few years, I left the group as we weren’t moving in the direction I thought we should be.
Late one night I received a call from Jake to see if I wanted to audition for Ozzy as they needed to replace ailing Randy Castillo, but the only catch was I only had three days to prepare for it. That was it! Well, I figured I’d take the gamble and drive to tower records just before midnight and pick up the Diary of a Madman LP. Jake didn’t know what songs would be played, so I tried to learn as many as possible. When I showed up, Jake was there at Mates rehearsal in North Hollywood along with Bob Daisley on bass. We waited for an hour and Ozzy hadn’t shown up, so we started jamming which was cool. I was very nervous and felt unprepared for this but I threw everything I had at it.
So, finally, a very inebriated Ozzy Osbourne finally shows up and we played “Over The Mountain”, “I Don’t Know”, “Crazy Train” and a few others. It’s hard to concentrate while your brain is screaming Bob Daisley and Ozzy all the while trying to nail the parts. [Laughs]. As I was packing up to go home I could see other drummers filing in to audition. At the time I was very young looking and felt that looking too young (around these older-looking blokes) may have done me in. I’ve always been grateful to Jake for the opportunity.
Andrew:
Why did you ultimately turn down W.A.S.P.?
Carl:
Back in ‘77, I joined a band named Slave, out of Pasadena, Ca. That consisted of Roger Rennick (vocals), Don Peterson (bass), and Chris Holmes who was the best guitarist I had seen since Ed Van Halen and myself. We played the party circuit around Pasadena/Altadena area. What was cool was Ed Van Halen would hang out with us a bit and use Chris’s cabinets for the shows they played. Fast forward nine years and Jag Wire was playing two sold-out shows at the Troubadour in West Hollywood. During the first show, I noticed my old guitarist Chris Holmes and Blackie Lawless in the crowd and they were watching me mostly, it was strange. After the first show, Chris and Blackie walked me outside of the club and down the street to discuss my time with Jag Wire and simply said, “Would you leave to join W.A.S.P.?” By this time W.A.S.P. was known for having a revolving door of musicians and that was the first thing that came to mind, however, I asked the guys to let me think it over and they said sure. Jag Wire had just dropped their album and things were moving fast with bookings, shows, limos, and all of the great trappings of being in a band. A few days later I called Chris and said thanks for the invite but I couldn’t take it, he wasn’t too happy but understood and that was that. I did wonder if I had taken up the offer, where my life would be today. I’m one of those who don’t live with regrets, it is what it is.
Andrew:
The 90s was a particularly tumultuous time for 80s rockers. Looking back, what are your thoughts on the changes which swept across the scene around that time?
Carl:
After I left Jagwire, I met back up with my bass player from RAZU and we formed Heroes in Love. This was the late 80s and was the perfect blend of hard rock and melodic sounds. We rehearsed and giggled all around the San Gabriel Valley up through ’93, and the band seemed to lose its way when the main songwriter left the group to move back home. So as far as tumultuous, no, we were busy gigging, however, I did see the hair metal genre dying out, and many of those bands fell by the wayside.
Andrew:
What led to the reissue of the self-titled Greg Leon album, which was changed to Guitars, Cars, and Women?
Carl:
Well, it was probably a marketing thing. The album was done in 1983 as a picture disk titled The Greg Leon Invasion. It was re-released in 2010 as Guitars Cars & Women. It was a fantastic time for both of us, even though we did hook up with a rather unscrupulous manager that seemed to derail us.
Andrew:
It seemed that you had tremendous chemistry with Greg. Why didn’t you continue to work together moving forward? Will we see you two record together in the future?
Carl:
I have only had magic chemistry with two musicians in my life, one was Bob Loza (Razu) and the other was Greg Leon. With Greg, we got on well and had so many laughs, I really considered him my brother. We always had the same goal in songs and the band direction as well. Where things got rocky was as we were ready to record our first album, I found out that Greg and I had different ideas on the intricate specifics of each song on the fourth coming album at the time. This turned into a major disagreement between the two of us, and I believe that ruined the camaraderie between the two of us. Much time has passed and we are just fine now. I would love to work with him again in the future, as we do have great chemistry, and I still consider him a dear friend.
Andrew:
Pushing forward, take me through the inception of The Royal Union Of Architects.
Carl:
The inception of The Royal Union Of Architects came out of songwriting credits, or lack thereof. As I wanted to continue to play music, and the only way I could guarantee songwriting credits was to write the songs myself, which I had been contributing to in the other bands but with no recognition. This was a daunting task of taking the helm of my own ship as there was no one to blame poor songwriting or musicianship on, but myself.
Andrew:
You’re working on a new album, Gentlemen Of The Finest Order, right? Tell us about the record.
Carl:
As with my prior seven albums, I write, play, record, and produce all of the songs myself, which is a lot of work. After the demise of Heroes in Love, I took several years off to learn guitar, bass, and keyboards with this project as the final result. I usually lay down drum tracks with the song playing in my head, then go on to lay down guitars, keys, bass, and finally, vocals all recorded in my Soundesign Studio V.C. here in Nevada.
Andrew:
As you’ve moved forward in your career, how have you progressed as a songsmith? What’s changed, and what’s led you to this musical point in your journey?
Carl:
While I was the drummer for the aforementioned groups, I studied the way the songs were put together, in RAZU, it was like going to songwriting school and watching these masters of the craft put together a song. I quietly watched and listened, took notes, and learned proper songwriting. Now doing this yourself is quite hard as I have no one else to bounce ideas off of so I just go with my gut as to what sounds good. I feel my original complaints back in the day regarding songwriting credits were justified as I have penned over ninety published songs to date.
Andrew:
What’s next for you in all lanes, Carl?
Carl:
I have just released Gentlemen of the Finest Order this spring (2022), and I am currently in the studio working on my ninth release scheduled for August 2023. If anyone is interested in my project, that information can be found via my webpage.
– Andrew Daly (@vwmusicrocks) is the Editor-in-Chief for www.vwmusicrocks.com and may be reached at andrew@vinylwriter.com
Biography
Music has always been in Carls blood, from his earliest years playing violin at the age of 10 in Catholic school he has always felt the calling. "I remember jamming to songs with my older brother in our room, me on a conga of all things & my brother on guitar" During Carl's grade school years he dabbled in other passions such as art & guitar, which quickly fizzled out when the gu told his parents "you're wasting your money, your son plays by ear!
Carl soon found the world of drums. After destroying a drum set his parents bought him from Sears, he convinced a family friend to co-sign on a drum set from a local dealer, now, he had found a passion he could build on.
In high school Carl's passion for music only grew, he formed the rock band The Mystics of Wizard with some high school friends, rehearsing as often as possible. " I actually had band practice on prom night, as if I would have gone to that anyway!"
With Carl's drive for music and honing his skills on drums, he modeled his playing after his drummer idols Hal Blaine, Cozy Powell, John Bonham & Neil Peart. In 1979, after playing in local groups (such as "Wizard" & "Slave" which featured a then unknown guitarist named Chris Holms ( WASP)) from the San Gabriel Valley of California, Carl was introduced to bassist Bob Loza and joined Razu, a popular band that had a huge following and who played along side many well known acts such as Van Halen, Stormer, Yesterday & Today and Sky People. The band had won a Battle of the Bands at the nightclub Gazzaris in Hollywood. " We turned down the prize because Phil Spector or someone on that level was in on this & would have produced our album and offered a horrible deal!" The band thrived until the departure of Guitarist Chris Eads, and from there, the group seemed to lose its way.
In 1982 Carl ( now playing under the stage name Carl James ) joined up with master guitarist Greg Leon to form The Greg Leon Invasion, The two of them collaborated on many songs as the group saw a revolving door of members from Joey Vera (Armored Saint) Chuck Stevenson, Kenny Kauffman to Jake E. Lee (Ozzy Osbourne) . They produced a single and an L.P. titled "Guitars, Cars & Women" that moved very well in the local music circuits. The Greg Leon Invasion was fortunate enough to play a gig with a newly formed band Metallica at the Whiskey a Go Go. The Greg Leon Invasion ran in the same crowd that included good friends Guns N Roses, Motley Crue, Yngwie Malmsteen, and many many other well known bands. Dung this time, because Carl was one of a few drummers that was said to have a sound reminiscent of drummer Cozy Powell, he was recruited by Jake E. Lee to audition to replace Ozzy Osbourne's ailing drummer, he didn't get the gig, but was honored to have had the opportunity. By this time, Carl was getting tired of waiting for a break with The Greg Leon invasion.
In 1984 Carl was recruited and took up the offer to drum for SIN, a Los Angeles based hard rock band. Sin quickly gained fame in the Los Angeles music circuit playing and selling out clubs playing along with the likes of Metallica, Great White & Armored Saint. The band was fortunate enough to recruit bassist Joey Cristofanilli (Ratt) and the group changed their name to Jag Wire and were immediately signed to Target Records. Once again Carl's Drumming talents were recognized by his former Slave band-mate guitarist Chris Holmes , now of W.A.S.P & offered Carl the drum position with the band. After much thought, Carl turned down the offer, as Jag Wire were just at the peak of their international popularity. Jag Wire released the well received album Made In Heaven in which writer Laura Canyon from Kerrang Magazine sites "this will place them among the royalty of rock".
As with many groups, the fruits of their labor were short lived, and Carl left the group & met back up with bassist Bob Loza (RAZU) to form HEROES IN LOVE, this was an band with writing that was seldom found in unsigned groups. The band played the local circuit for a few years and were able to release a demo of well written songs which included "Touch The Blade" and "Is This Your Love" which peaked the interest of an A&R executive from a top ten record company. Unfortunately at this time, for reasons unknown, the guitarist & main songwriter for the group decided to make an untimely exit from the group, which left the rest of the band treading water. After much thought and the years of running in music circles, the remainder of the band decided to call it a day and disbanded. Rumor has it the boys may try to record long distance via the web, we'll see. Some embers never die,they just smoulder.....
Carl has jammed with other bands throughout the years but refused to commit to the ties that come with joining a group. Now, in the role of record producer, as well as a multi-instrumentalist, Carl has formed The Royal Union Of Architects, heading in the well proven British pop/rock vein. They have relefull length albums with Carl's Bella Kai Music through Soundesign Records & Studios. "The Crystal & The Cross", "The Tomes Of Lore", "Pieces Of Eight,"At Her Majesty's Command, We Present:" Curious Amusements For The Ingenious , The Keeper Of The Kings Conscience ,The Exchequer Of Pleas, Gentlemen of the Finest Order, My Lion In Winter and Greatest Hits Never Heard. These are available at Amazon, iTunes, and wherever music is sold, worldwide.
Rumor has it this new group consists of either real band members, or of the multiple voices in Carl's head, the jury is still out on that one .....but this story continue.
Pens Eye View Magazine
6 February 2008
Talk about taking the road less traveled – jack-of-all-trades Carl Elizondo is only interested in success one way: his way. How else can you describe an artist who has played in thriving bands that have sold records, toured the country, even opened for Metallica… yet keeps breaking away to make the music he feels deep within; “music about his dreams and nightmares.” Elizondo, a drummer by trade has found musical glory in the past by admitingly “submitting to the ideas” of whatever band he was in at the time.
Elizondo soon realized it was not the recognition he was playing for, but instead for the fact that the music is his life’s blood. This uncompromising drive is what allowed him to not only learn how to record and produce his own music, but to play the guitar, bass and keyboards as well. The unbeaten path indeed. There’s more than drive and passion behind the work of Elizondo – his influences are impressive as well, drawing mainly from both The Beatles and Oasis. He explains that he “has always loved the older Brit sound; it reminds him of a time of discovery.”
You can hear this style, mixed in with some “psychedelic reverberations and a hint of India… birthing fresh ideas based on a familiar sound” on both of the albums “The Crystal & the Cross” and the upcoming “The Tomes of Lore.” “The Tomes of Lore” will hit the streets some time later this year, but you can check out his current single “Crash Landing” on internet radio stations such as Pandora Radio. Learn more about this artist by jumping into the XXQ’s.
XXQs: Carl ElizondoPensEyeView.com (PEV): How and when did you first get involved with music? Carl Elizondo: As a kid growing up in Los Angeles, I used to watch my cousin and his band play music in their house while on summer vacation from school, I was always drawn to watching the drummer, I thought how cool to move arms & legs at different times all over the place, I really got bit by the bug. I must have been 10 or 11. PEV: Growing up, what kind of music were you listening to? Do you remember the first concert you ever attended? CE: I used to listen to what ever was on the radio, mostly rock radio so Tom Petty, Kiss, Rush Oh and YES, I was a real Yes fan! One of my first concerts was Yes, & Kiss, who ever was coming through town. But I’ve always liked older rock.
PEV: Was there a certain point in your life when you knew that music was going to be a profession rather than just a hobby? CE: In high school, that’s when, I always really had a bad time in school, and didn’t get very good grades, except in art, I was damn good at drawing, painting and conceptual art but of course I was always thinking of music, I would doodle on paper different concert scenes or drum set up’s, I was imagining it to make it become real.
PEV: What were your first years in the music business like for you? Did you ever think you’d be where you are now, then? CE: The first years were ok, I would rehearse at a buddies home after school, I mean nothing would get in the way of rehearsal, I even missed the prom, parties, dates with girlfriends at the time. I wanted it bad. I ended up playing all over Los Angeles with various groups that I was in at the time. I honestly always knew I would be in music , as far as where I am now, well that’s hard to say, I suppose I would always welcome a higher level of success, but really I play cause its my life’s blood, not for the recognition…
PEV: Having The Beatles and Oasis are the main influences, is there someone you have not had the chance to work with or collaborate with, that you would like to? CE: I would like to collaborate with Noel Gallagher, now that would be stellar! PEV: When the band is not traveling or performing, what can we find you doing in your spare time? CE: I am actually always in the studio, really or watching reality TV, ah! I am addicted, of course I like a cold ale, or a great cigar…
PEV: What’s one thing we’d be surprised to hear about Carl Elizondo? CE: Well its either that I taught myself all the instruments with out any help or lessons, or that I make goofy faces in the mirror when I am alone, which ever you think is more interesting. PEV: If we were to walk into your practice studio what would we find? CE: Awesome question! A Beatle album on the turntable, a Beatle Bootleg in the CD player, various Rolling Stone magazines, books on Shakespeare, an easy chair… Oh! And Christmas lights hung up!!!! Very Zen, or does that qualify as very Hippie ( which I am not) but I’m not sure.
PEV: What is a live Carl Elizondo performance like? Its Usually an acoustic show, I have really produced my albums to the extent that I face the same problems of many bands, where its very hard to reproduce live, what I have recorded in the studio, I like to talk to my audience between songs, so its not so structured PEV: In one word, describe Carl Elizondo. CE: Introspective. PEV: So, what is next for you? CE: Aah! “The Tomes Of Lore”, my next album (2008)… I know I just released The Crystal & The Cross (2006), but I have got to get this music out of me and to the masses. I have recently realized that between the two albums, I have a particular sound and I am very proud of that!
Carl Elizondo's Crystal Ball-by Bobby Collini- Freelance Writer
It was up an elevator to the 22nd floor of an undisclosed hotel deep in the city of New York, not far from the now infamous Ground Zero, where I found myself not knowing what to expect from this relatively unknown artist. I went over some of the questions in my head as I walked down the hallway on a French style carpet in the hotel. My knock on the door brought a shorter, rather wild raven haired guy with a big smile to greet me. After getting the formalities out of the way, I made myself comfortable in the rather uncomfortable hotel chair, as Carl moved his open luggage bag to relax on the sofa, and opened a Diet Coke.
BC : So what prompted you to write this collection of tunes? CE ; Woah!, talk about to the point! (laughs) Uh, well... I don't know Hmm BC : Ok ok , what's your music background?? CE : Whew! better. I grew up in Los Angeles back in the late 70's early 80's in the local music scene. I played in many local groups at clubs like the Starwood or the Whiskey, where it was common to see David Lee Roth, or Joey Ramone hanging out at the bar. I'm a drummer by trade, but I always remember hearing a million melodies in my head at two o'clock in the morning serenading my insomnia. Without formal song writing abilities, I sat back, played drums and learned from those guitarists and bass players around me who knew how to write a song, kinda mentally took notes 'ya know. I've always been torn between the very heavy loud aggressive songs and real wimpy sappy kind of broken heart songs.
BC: some of the tunes have a very 60's British feel to them, what influences you in your song writing? CE: Years ago I was introduced to a little group known as the Beatles, my guitar player at the time, Tony Perez from a former band insisted I really listed to the song structure and their writing because before this, I kinda hated the Beatles since I was so into heavy Metal. Then a light went on in my head... Wow, this music is a deep well of intrigue, these songs blew me away. All I wanted to do was get into the head of John & Paul, George too, I still love Ringo for his impeccable time keeping! That Beatle feel is so cool, it reminds me of a time of discovery!
BC: The CD has you listed as playing everything? Really? CE: Wow, you say that as if its a bad thing? BC : No no, just unusual. CE: Look, I had been in groups with a dictator leading us and groups with no direction at all, band members punching it out or long drawn out screaming matches, its really like being in a relationship, you have to learn to get along or face the demise, so I decided to go it alone and teach myself guitar, bass, keys and production. Looking back if I had known how hard it would have been...Shit I still would have done it, after all I am a control freak in a sorta kinda way. The only person I can argue with is myself, and I need a mirror to do that! (laughs).
BC: So you are self taught? CE: Yep, lots of hours with blistered fingers & finger tips! BC: What do the songs on this E.P. convey, or what do you want them to say? CE: I kind of write from the hip, but that being said, some of the subjects would fit nicely into somebody's' life that was going through some shit or had some problems or whatever, really I don't think it out too much.
BC: What has been your biggest challenge? CE: Hmmm, my biggest challenge is life and trying to be not dead, I wrestle with alot of crap in my head and......Oh oops, sorry, you mean on this album? well, being the producer and trying to critique myself, listening and re-listening to the songs, does this sound good here and is this stupid, things like that. Carl releases his self produced E.P. titled " The Crystal & The Cross" soon (2006)..
BC : Carl, what's behind the title of the E.P.? CE: Its the daily fight that some people have compromising between their beliefs and life, ying and yang, you know, the good and not so good. A shot of whiskey or an ice water...which is better?
BC: Tell me one thing about you that most people don't know. CE: I'm insane, no!, really insane, depressive, dark, and dank, Shit!... I don't know, I make faces in the mirror at myself.... There!... Damn, that is insane isn't it?------Bobby Collini- Freelance Writer .
Music Store
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The new album song listing for Curious Amusements For The Ingenious is now out: Pauper Millionaire, 32 Ford (working title), Wish It Away, Bittersweet, You won't (ever) Know, Window, Anymore, Spy vs. Spy (working title), Tell Me Summat, You're Leaving- This was written during a challenging time in life, and it shows, there are many hidden messages as well as blatant castoffs to those who know! enjoy.
We are, now working on the next album after Curious Amusements, which has yet to be released. We don't have a name for album # 6 but we do have a hand full of great songs. we have an unusual opportunity, and must take advantage of this time that w
Coming in 2026
"Stories My Father Told Me"
A Book About
Anecdotes,Lyrics,Poems,Thoughts
and musings from the voices in my head.