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| Paul Sears Biography |
Born in 1953 into a musical family, I was exposed - continually - to symphonic and other contemporary music including Wagner,
Stravinsky, Delius, Gregorian Chant, Bartok, Donald Erb, Miles Davis, Gershwin, Karlheinz Stockhausen, etc., and a lot of other
contemporary 20th Century music. My dad was 1/2 of the music "department" at the Evening Star back when Washington DC had a sort of
credible newspaper. He also designed and played pipe organs, and taught music at Catholic University.
My mom was one hell of a singer. Gershwin her specialty. My First instrument, sometimes while tap dancing was the trumpet, but I
dropped that for the autoharp, guitar and bass when the Beatles appeared; then concentrated on what was to become my main instrument,
the drums after about 1966. Accidentally at my old friend Bruce Olivers' house I discovered I could somewhat play them better than most
other kids in the neighborhood (Except Horacio El Negro Hernandez, more later) in 1968. I still play guitar, bass, trombone and
saxophone from time to time, infuriating most. Go figure. I also used to get together with a "newer" Santana drummer (was my
childhood junior high school neighbor, actually) Horacio Hernandez, whom I knew during the mid 1960s when he briefly lived in DC
telling everyone he was Venezualen although I think he is Cuban. Being Cuban in 1968 was not an OK thing to say when you were in DC.
Around this time, I started listening to lots of psychedelic and progressive European prog rock music, including The West Coast Pop
Art Experimental Band, early Frank Zappa, Jimi Hendrix, King Crimson, Pink Floyd, etc., and, during the early 1970s I was introduced to
Henry Cow, Magma, and Canterbury music. I started playing in bands around 1970. Most of the groups I was in arranged a lot of their own
stuff; Thanks Carl Peachey and many others..I only very occasionally played in Top 40 club cover groups. Worked in several DC area
and east coast rock groups until 1975, then formed Magick Theatre with the jazz bassist Pepe Gonzalez and guitarist Ernesto
"Caracuchie" Herrera. This was a bit of an early Weather Report-later Miles Davis-influenced band. It was the first gigging band I
played in that free-improvised live. It was while I was with this group in the summer of 1976 that I was contacted by Michael Zentner
about playing, (to this day we have never played together) through Pepe Gonzalez. Michael was also recently an ex-Muffin. He even took
me to see the Muffs while they were a trio with Tom, Billy, and Dave. A powerful show it was. We met and hit it off quite well. The
rest is history.
TRUE HUMOUR NOTES:
1. I knew Tom Fenwick from the Random Radar band Mars Everywhere a year or two before I met the Muffins, and for at least a year before
I met them, he was telling me "you have to meet this band, you will really like them", (The Muffins) but could never recall their phone
number or any other details while we were hanging out. Then Mike Zentner hooked us up, so, serendipity...
2. The Muffins lived and practiced in Gaithersburg, MD. I lived in DC. When Dave came to pick me up that first day in the summer of
'76, his car was making this really weird gurgling/bubbling sound. After about 1/2 hour of driving and conversation, I had to say "wait
a minute, Dave, what is UP with this car?" He had a broken 8 track tape player under the seat with Edgar Froese's "AQUA" playing
continually, and did not know how to shut it off! Yes, even Matching Mole's Little Red Record was available on 8 track.
MUFFINS:
So, we got together and improvised through most of the summer of 1976. Dave and I worked up the arrangements that were to become
"Amelia Earheart", our first tune together. We debuted this quartet with the band "Grits" at American University in DC on my birthday
Oct 2, 1976. My parents even hosted a party celebrating all that night. The rest is well documented. Several events led to the demise
of the Muffs, frustration and ennui had set in, the local gig scenario was changing - the severely insular hardcore punk scene in DC
was starting up, Tom left, everyone had personal stuff to deal with, so the band split in 1981. I was the only one that stayed in the
DC area.
We did not see each other at all until 1990, when we got together for an impromptu gathering at my house when Billy happened to be in
town. Photos survive, but thankfully, no recording exists of that day. In 1994, we were inveigled, mostly by Steve Feigenbaum to
contribute to the Cuneiform project Unsettled Scores. So we got together for one day at my house, and
our track on that record is the result. The basic tracks were recorded in my basement during a party. I think there was one overdub
session. The result is amazing. By 1996-7, I had gotten heavily into the Internet, and was reading - quite surprisingly - A LOT OF
POSITIVE STUFF about the Muffins. I really had no prior idea....It's not like we bought houses with Muffin royalties.. So, during 1998
after much effort I managed to con the guys into a doing a small gig in July at "Chief Ike's Mambo Room in Washington DC, just to *see
if it would work*. It was rough, but it did. It was very tense for us. More so than our first gig. This club was also used in the
movie "Enemy of the State", but was called "Captain Ike's". Great place to play.
SOME FAVORITES and INFLUENCES:
Fred Frith and most of the HENRY COW clan, Tony Williams, Christian Vander, Rick Barse and GRITS, Buddy Rich, Billy Cobham, Dave Clark,
Stravinsky, Gershwin, Jamie Muir, Ken Hyder, Jannick Top, Ginastera, Messiaen, Stravinsky, Robert Fripp at times, John McGlauglin,
Prince, Iggy Pop, The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, Jimi Hendrix, AREA, BDB, Hugh Banton, Dzyan, Van der GRAFF, Guru Guru, Carl
Orff, Blodwyn Pig, Howard Roberts, Bela Bartok....you get the idea..
Many people I have encountered throughout my life have been a tremendous help. First, my family....my dad was a music teacher,
organist, and critic, my mom a classical and choir singer. And, I must acknowledge, without the help of Mark Klieger, Mike Odom,
Geoffrey Wright, Kirk Degler, Bruce Oliver, and the wildy amusing Doug Mendelson, the drums would not be my primary instrument. These
guys, all childhood friends, all let me play or actually lent me drumsets during the 1960s. I don't know how to reach all of them, so,
if you read this: Thanks, gents.
SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY:
Some I don't currently have - so I am unsure of dates, etc. If you have any skinny on any of these in question, or have questions, let
me know!
Sane Day - 1972 45 rpm privately pressed - Vinyl
Sane Day - Live at Fort Reno 1972 released in 2004 - CD
Tinsel'd SIN Live at Fort Reno 1973 released in 2004 - CD
Manna Mirage - 1978 The Muffins LP+CD
Gravity 1979 - with Fred Frith - Vinyl, Cassette, CD Several labels
Air Fiction 1978 - The Muffins - Vinyl - Pressed by the Muffs (Collectors only!)
Dancing in the Street b/w What a Dilemma/ 45 rpm vinyl from Fred Frith's Gravity - RALPH RECORDS
Frank Johnson's Favorites - RALPH RECORDS sampler Vinyl @ 198? W/ Fred Frith. ?? Used to have vinyl
"Best of RALPH RECORDS" - Sampler 198? Vinyl With Fred Frith
"185" - The Muffins with Fred Frith, 1980. Vinyl, CD
"Things Are More Like They Are Now Than They Ever were Before" With Scott & Feigenbaum, Vinyl 1980.
"Painting By Numbers" - by Mike Bass, with The Muffins, Vinyl 1979
"Cheap at 1/2 Price" - with Fred Frith, Vinyl, Cassette, CD
"Unsettled Scores" - w/ The Muffins, various artists, CD - Recorded 1994
"Loveletter #1" - The Muffins - 2001, CD
"Bandwidth" - The Muffins - May 2002, CD
"Live at ORION DVD" 2003 The Muffins
"Double Negative" 2004 The Muffins - CD
"Loveletter #2", 2005 The Muffins - CD
PAST and Planned PROJECTS:
1988-1991 "Chainsaw Jazz", with Mark Smoot (bs), Christian Nagle (gtr), Ed Maguire (mandolin, violin), Mark Stanley (gtr), Mark
Gilbert (saxes, woodwinds) - 1 CD "Disconcerto" on Cuneiform, 1994. I still have great studio outtakes and live recordings of this
group that may STILL someday see the light of day.
1995 - 1998 briefly with "9353"
1998-present- Summers with The Muffins. Inquiries welcome, promoters! paul@paulsears.net.
CURRENT PLANS:
SIDE PROJECT: Recording and gigs with Keith Macksoud / Bass in PRESENT
I have an all improvising band THEE MAXIMALISTS
with a rotating cast. To date we have had in the band at various times:
Yanni Papadopoulos From Stinking Lizaveta on guitar, Mark Stanley from
FARQUHAR on guitar, Dave Newhouse from the Muffins on bass clarinet,
keyboards and saxes, Werbinox from Earth on vocals and processors, Jim
Rezek from Iluvatar on Mellotrons, Adrian Bronson on cello & Cyndee Lee
Rule on violin.
Live release in the works.
Thanks for dropping by!
PS Feb 2006
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