Tote Bag by Joe Fahey

Joe moved around the country quite a bit as a kid living in Hyde Park, New York (where he saw the Beatles on the the Ed Sullivan show, in other words, he watched TV); Boulder, Colorado during the colorful 1960s as the Boulder Beatniks gave way to the Boulder Hippies; Auburn, Alabama during one of the George Wallace regimes; the small town of Marengo, Illinois located somewhere between Rockford & Chicago where one of the most popular ways to pass the time was cruising the country roads listening to Pink Floyd and smoking pot. But Joe took no part in that, umm activity because he was more involved in ... uhhh ... let’s move on, or back.

As a Junior High Schooler in Alabama, a new series of “mini-courses” were added to the curriculum and it may as well have been called the “DIY Rock & Roll Band Prep School.” The first quarter was “Typing” which would come in very handy for someone who might write a band newsletter later on. Next was “Pin-hole Camera Photography” which also proved to be a valuable training ground for self-promotion. 3rd Quarter was “Drama” which comes into play heavily if you know any musicians. And finally, the crown jewel “Guitar” or “Git-Tar” as it was pronounced.

The guitar teacher was the choir teacher and was given a crash course in guitar and she was about 2 weeks ahead of the students. For the most part it was a room full of kids strumming off-beat to “I Think I Love You” by the Partridge Family. At the end of the session, the students performed for the school, sitting on bales of straw and playing songs by Johnny Cash and fellow Alabaman Hank Williams Sr.

Around 1990, he formed a band called Carp 18 with Paul Schmitt and Dave Helgerson, They were together until 2000, releasing a cool CD called Russian Racehorse in 1997.

Carp 18 took a record length hiatus to "get it together" following the infamous Y2K Disaster and its lingering effects. But, everything seems cool now and Carp 18 is back together playing & writing music and celebrating the release of their 2nd album/record/CD "bug rump."

Joe also released his solo debut "Tote Bag" on October 31st (Halloween), 2006.

Joe also has played in an acoustic duo with Tom Herbers, acoustic jazz standards with vocalist Sarah Greer and currently plays in a 3-piece acoustic cover band (Johnny Cash/ Beatles/DEVO) called "The Bottom 40" with djembe-ist Kraig Olmstead and bassist Mike Mahin.

1. rhibrhumba (0:59)

joe: baritone guitar, non-tubular bells,

no lyrics

tom herbers: wurlitzer sideman, acoustic slide guitar, theramin, tabla

aquarium community: background vocals

percussion by bell & howell, great

northern railway & the freight elevator

2. Porta One (3:14)

joe: acoustic guitar, electric guitars, bass, fuzz bass

tom: skeletons-playing-fussball sounds

3. Are You Here to Dance? (2:39)

joe: acoustic guitar, electric guitars

tom: bass

kraig olmstead: drums

4. Any Given Tuesday (4:25)

joe: acoustic guitar, bass, arp, piano,

high-strung guitar

tom: casio, electric guitar, carnival-cruise-line-shuffleboard sounds

5. Early Bird (2:59)

joe: electric guitars, acoustic guitar,

banjo, pump organ (he said pump organ)

tom: bass, chamberlin, stylophone

bob herbers: drums and short notice

6. nordeast berlin (1:31)

joe: electric guitars, munchkin music &

rainy nights

tom: airwaves

7. Final Destination (Part XLV) (2:55)

joe: bass, electric guitars, acoustic guitar,

dead poet thievery

tom: piano, shakers, snare, pigeons-

eating-angel-food-cake sounds

john bonham: kick drum

charlie watts: snare drum

ringo starr: floor tom

d.j. bonebreak: tom-toms

keith moon: clave

8. Words to Hold Onto (2:52)

joe: acoustic guitars, electric guitar, talk box, handclaps, vox jaguar, rabid muskrat love explosion

tom: bass, acoustic slide guitar, shakers, stomp box, triangle (a vintage grimley)

kraig: drums

9. Fancy Mansion Party (3:57)

joe: electric guitars, accordion,

pump organ (light chuckle)

tom: optigan loop (buh-duh-dah-DAH-dah), electric guitar

mike whitney: bass

logan erickson: piano, prepared piano

lucy the sheepdog: howling

10. Doesn’t it Break Your Heart? (3:40)

joe: acoustic guitar, silly strings (arp)

tom: wurlitzer electric piano, bass

kraig: congas, tambourine,

shakers, claves

mr. roboto: cold, calculated drum beat

11. che lives in penguins (0:53)

joe: electric guitar, high strung guitar

tom: non-tubular bells

mike whitney: bass

12. Let Me Have the Sunrise (3:31)

joe: acoustic guitar

13. Electric Coffee (5:08)

joe: acoustic guitar, electric guitar

kraig: drums

14. Fancy Mansion Party (Reprise) (2:16)

joe: high-strung guitar

tom: pump organ

train: clang

thomas: crash

Mostly recorded on 8-track tape at Third Ear in Minneapolis during the festive & stress-free holiday season of December, 2004. Most songs were started in a fairly spontaneous manner and finished on the same day. Cassette 4-track recordings were done at Can Crusher Sound & The Scotch Room, Fridley, MN. rhibrhumba recorded while wandering around a switch yard and a warehouse with a laptop using Garage Band and the built-in mics.

Produced by Tom Herbers & Joe Fahey

Mixed, mastered and that kind of stuff by Tom Herbers • Studio assistance by Mike Whitney

Thanks to Mark Downey at Nerve Center for getting the CDs made

Album art, design & some photos by Joe Fahey

Tote Bag photo by Jerry Fahey, London, 1969

Tofte Riviera photo by Kathy Fahey, 2004

Dock photo, plus help putting the dock in, by Dave Helgerson 2006 (thanks, man)

Additional photos by various people

Thanks to Kathy, Ryan & Sean for

making me homesick 24/7

Thanks to my Mom, Mary Sue, Pam, Scott, Paula & Colleen • we miss you Dad

Thanks to Tom Herbers for the relaxed, creative environment and the scared-straight Marine-drill-sergeant/Southern-gym-teacher-with-a-whistle approach to producing and all the hard work ... yes folks, it takes a lot of hard work to be a Hippie these days

Thanks to Carp 18 for finally coming back its nonsenses

Special thanks to Randy Justesen, Steve Hendrickson, Mark McCauley, Mike Whitney, Michele Beardsley, Marcie Stresemann, Kim Horecka, Sarah Greer, Bob Herbers, Kraig Olmstead, Paul Martinson, Logan Erickson, Rev Ripple, Udupi & the Life Aquatic

All songs by Joe Fahey

Tuar Mhic Éadaigh Music

© ASCAP 2006

Rough Fish Records

P.O. Box 21568

Minneapolis, Minnesota 55421

(763)-574-2277

joefahey@carp18.com

www.myspace.com/joefaheymusic

www.myspace.com/carp18

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