Pre-1988

High School

Dave plays bass in a band called the Pelvic Assault with Mike Wagner, Craig Comer and later Mike Cobb. Rock the house with such perennial favorites as "Born to Be Wild," "Stepping Stone," "Should I Stay or Should I Go?," play dozens of gigs and make more money in high school than he would later in his career. Get renamed "the Mike Wagner Band" under duress imposed by Green Hills High School, much to the shock of Craig and Dave when they arrived at the gig and saw the giant banner.  Mike is still living this down.   Played movie openings at Showcase Cinemas for "The Three Amigos" (faking Spanish songs for nearly an hour all based on the one Spanish guitar song Mike knew, dressed in sombreros and ponchos) and "Spaceballs" (played as full Pelvic Assault in the parking lot, wearing "Spaceballs" baseball helmets and shirts with Alf on them saying, "You're the one that's out of this world!").  Paid in movie passes.

Jude starts in junior high as the drummer for Deception: a ridiculously named Van Halen/Bon Jovi cover band, who nonetheless make more money for him than any subsequent group.  In high school he is asked to replace the lead singer of a band called the press after they heard him sing lead as Conrad in the musical "Bye Bye Birdie."  The press played at Sudsy Malone's, the Plaza (now a Chinese restaurant), Stepping Stones Special Education Center, the No Bar and Grill (in Muncie, IN) plus lots and lots of high school parties.  Their repertoire included lots of originals (featuring some of Jude's earliest, like "Cream Rinse" and "June Bug"), as well as perennial favorites like "Should I Stay or Should I Go?," "Steppin' Stone," but NEVER "Born to Be Wild."  Spending a lot of time locked in his attic room, Jude records dozens of songs on his 4-track with his keyboard, drums, and new instrument: the guitar.
 

INTERESTING HISTORICAL COINCIDENCE:  Jude witnesses the Spaceballs show before knowing Dave, bewildered as to what Alf has to do with this movie.  Also probably thought to himself, "I hope I never sink as low as that.  Born To Be Wild?"  Little did he know!  (Jude:  Actually, I thought-  "Gee, I wonder how I can get that job?")
 

1989

Spring: Jude and Dave meet in Dennison Hall at Miami University as battling troubadours, fighting for the hearts of the East Quad ladies.  (The result?  A draw.)

Summer: Jude comes to see Dave play dressed in a ridiculous outfit (Hawaiian shirt, Fake Ray Bans, boat shoes, white pants) in a show called "Surf's Up" at Kings Island Amusement Park (now called Paramount's Kings Island).  Jude makes tactless joke about K.I. musicians keeling over;  he is met with much scorn and derision (and rightly so).

Winter: Over Christmas break, Jude and Dave do their first 4-track recordings together (pretending to be a whole band) to submit as an audition tape for a high school prom.  The tracks include "classic" Jude songs such as "Gravitate" and "Ladybug," as well as covers like "Blood and Roses" and "If I Didn't Love You."
 

1989-1990

Dave and Jude play many shows at Miami’s Shriver Center to enthusiastic crowds with sets of Squeeze, XTC, Robyn Hitchcock, and the Smiths.  Many free caffeinated beverages are consumed.
 

1991

Fall:  Dave and Jude move in together and form the band "the Upset Bandaleros (featuring Chucklebutt Johnson)" with Brian Romick on bass and Tom Lempner on drums.  Tom is officially the loudest drummer on Earth.  Practice about 10 times and play at Sudsy Malone's, Lottie Moon's, several parties and Mac and Joe's. One memorable acoustic show at Mac and Joe's found Dave and Jude as an intermission to a punk/funk/metal band called “Brother Phantom” (who were known more for their goofy antics and tendency to change the lyrics to the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ song “Suck My Kiss” to “Suck My D**k” than for musicianship).  Surprisingly, Jude and Dave are very well received.

While living together, Jude and Dave develop a very dangerous CD buying disorder. Both CD collections grow exponentially.
 

1993

After graduating, Dave has a short stint as a bass player with Brian Lovely and also in the Wendell Brothers. The Wendell Brothers were a VERY LOUD BAND. Dave begins his distaste for lugging around his giant bass amp.

Jude and Dave form the Fidgetors with Sam Scott and Mike Wagner. Sam is a very good drummer for our style of music- solid and precise;  plus, he’s a super nice guy.  Play lots of gigs at Top Cat’s, Forest Fair Mall, Ivory's, etc.  Do a nice demo tape on 4-track.
 

1994

Dave gets a computer and a recording program. Jude is quite skeptical at first. (Dave:  I guess I would be too since the program crashed more than it worked.) 300 hours of manual reading hours and a couple thousand dollars later, Dave has a respectable studio.

Dave and Jude begin to call Ivory's "home" and play many now almost legendary acoustic shows.  Highlights include "How Deep Is Your Love?," "Viva Las Vegas," and "It's Now or Never," as well as Dave and Jude's blossoming willingness to play absolutely ANY song requested, whether they know it or not (especially if a cash tip is involved).

The term "Swankette" is born as lovely female fans coordinate dance moves to Jude and Dave’s songs.

Shintaro Ito takes over on drums when Sam moves to Florida. The Fidgetors subsequently split up into two bands:  Jude, Dave and Shintaro continue as the Fidgetors, while Mike, Dave and Shintaro form the Valdaramas.  Shintaro moves back to Japan and names his first born after Jude (Judo Ito).
 

1995-1996

Dave moves home and recording for what will become "Lemonade Stand Still Life" picks up speed (though much of the first year's "experiments" were later deemed unusable).  Jude and Dave nearly killed by giant spider in Dave's new basement studio.

Acoustic shows continue. Dave and Jude's home base Ivory's shuts down without warning, leaving them stranded with dozens of die-hard fans coming and no place to play.
 

1997

Dave and Jude continue their acoustic shows with a long summer stint at Watson Brothers' Brewery.

Studio moves again to Dave's new apartment.  The name the Bees is chosen in the tradition of the Beatles and the Crickets (rejected names: Electro-lites, the Swanky Modes).  "Lemonade Stand Still Life" is completed in the fall and released in December.
 

1998

Jude takes a break to prepare for parenthood.  Dave delves into the production world, working on CD's for Marc Sennet and Leichman.  Dave learns a lot about recording.

Jude and Shannon's bundle of joy Declan is born in January.  Nicknamed "the Boy" in fine Simpsons tradition.

Dave and Jude begin work on the second CD, under the working title "Cosmonaut." It will feature a few already well-known originals like "My Favorite Marcia," "Oh No! Vertigo" (formerly "Never Gonna Look Back Down") and "Clever Word," along with several new songs.
 

1999

Recording for "Cosmonaut" is going very well-  both Dave and Jude are extremely pleased with the overall sounds and "feel" they are getting with the new recordings.  With any luck, the CD will be finished by the end of the year!

2000

Well,  the CD wasn't finished by the end of the year.  Our nimble little fingers are hard at work and "Cosmonaut"  is sounding great.  Distortion and liberal dollops of swank were added to the mix and the sound is certainly more gritty than "LSSL."  The arrangements are much more complicated and some of the songs are even longer than 3 minutes!  Look for a release this summer after the studio moves to Wyoming.