History

When Catch The Reference? first started recording, it was as one half of the indescribably low-fi acoustic duo The Jester.  They formed December of 2005, after the dissolution of The Spiders, a band existing for only two days, with William, Catch The Reference?, and Joe SanFilippo. The Spiders were formed on December 23rd, 2005, and were first recorded on cellphones.  The next day, a tape recorder was purchased at a local radio shack.  After Joe left New York to return to Florida, the band that barely was no longer was.  Catch The Reference? and William worked as a duo, coming up with the name The Jester later, although applying it to everything after Joe’s departure.  It was constant collaboration and experimentation in The Jester with now seminarian William Gerrard that Catch The Reference? shaped his style.  Together as The Jester, they recorded hours and hours of tapes, and although a few gems are left to be discovered on them, for the most part, they are diamonds in the rough.  Some recordings were made at unusual spots like a mall food court, church, a relative’s house, the streets of Forest Hills, and so on, but mainly revolve around William’s basement, affectionately refered to as “The Batcave.”  A few gems over the years include what has been described as a “metal,” or “stoner” version of Pink Floyd’s “Astronomy Domine,” the original Gerrard composition “Pick & Gravel,” (the tune itself picking up some notoriety in William’s high school,) and “The Woodhaven Bull,” which was professionally recorded in a Manhattan studio, marking the first (and to date only) professional sessions that featured Catch The Reference?

The Jester expanded to a three-piece group with the addition of Peter Krow in January 2008.  It was starting a few days prior to his this that The Jester began session on what would be their demo album.  Catch The Reference? meticulously kept tracked of the recordings made (starting on the Winter Solstice of 2007).  After compiling a good sized stack of tapes, Catch The Reference? took the tapes and using the most interesting tracks, plus a fair amount of talking (in hopes of creating a documentary like feel), began putting together a demo album.  All recording sessions at this point, save a few rare occasions, had taken place in William’s basement, however, they began moving to Peter’s backyard shed, dubbed “Studio 8.”  There, The Jester was able to switch over from acoustic arrangements to electric, and also had access to a drum kit.  Again, Catch The Reference? kept track of the recordings, and used the best to complete the demo album.  The last recordings used for the demo album date no later the April 25th, 2008, meaning the album spanned about 5 months of sessions.

During an April meeting at Studio 8, the group came up with “Cait, Oh Cait!”  The first full take was recorded, put together on the computer, and was posted on MySpace (on the page of Cait, whom the song is a cheeky tribute to).  Because of the fairly risque lyrics, using the name The Jester was vetoed by William, and so it instead is credited to Peter & The Calypsos, a one-off pseudonym.

Meanwhile, starting on May 10th, 2008, Catch The Reference? started his first solo effort, when he recorded 16 minutes of experimentation with and manipulation of a maxi-mouse amplifier.  That recording began a rather dark journey into trying to discover what music truly is.  Catch The Reference? threw away conventionality, and instead of melody, meter, or anything associated with music, what was made was an often frightening, but all to revealing discovery of the beauty, fierceness, and altogether power of sound.  Two more full recordings were made (plus a short recording, mixed into the last track for the album.)  The resulting album is “Feedback-Laden Fantasies.”

During this time (or right after), Catch The Reference? decided to make a collage of sounds compiled from various Jester tapes, turning useless scraps into a cohesive work.  This track, given the working title “Batman & Robbin'” (which stuck, by the way) would be a catalyst for the next solo album.

In September of 2008, Catch The Reference? was turned on by a friend to the experimental collective \\\Maytag.  This friend, known as kboose, in parody of Sunn 0))), who he said sounded like broken refrigerators, decided to make msuic with actual refrigerators (which expanded to all kitchen appliances and essentially any non-musical object.)  Catch The Reference? immediately fell for the idea, and using various kitchen sounds, started a series of ambient recordings to submit.  While the first two proved jolting and trite, later ones proved to a show an emerging ability in manipulating sounds into atmospheric landscapes.  Catch The Reference? submitted the tracks under the name Tnuc Lana (spell it backwards.)  As Tnuc Lana, he even got his own EP, along with having 5 tracks on the first \\\Maytag album, “The Saga Of The Frostbitten Lands Of Frigidaire.”  (Remaining songs came from either school friends, or members of the online community known as the metal board on gamefaqs, where kboose first pitched his idea.)

Whether it was the last days of 2008, or the first of 2009, it was during Christmas break that Catch The Reference? decided to work on another solo album.  It was initially to be a history lesson of sorts, mainly compiling his work with The Jester, however, he made numerous new recordings, and decided to leave the old ones to the tapes (save for a few samples he converted into digital form, all hailing from his micro cassettes, recorded on a handheld speech recorder.)

Instead of a compilation, numerous new recordings were made (as stated above.)  They were made after Catch The Reference? finished mixing “Batman & Robbin'”.  Unlike prior efforts, these new recordings were recorded straight into the computer, bypassing tapes.  They were all made in the same chair, with the same few instruments.  Certain recordings were boosted with samples of Jester tapes (these samples generally hailing from the demo album, or “Cait, Oh Cait!”)

Work was done from early 2009 up until May 2009 for this second solo work, which was by that point titled “Stoned Alone.”  It featured jazz-based experiments, ambient tracks, as well as one or two more traditional DIY ballads, alongside curious snippets of sound.

Over the summer, tracks were remixed and cleaned, and properly compiled, and another set, “Stoned Alone the b-sides!” was put together. It is mainly the tracks from which samples were drawn from, plus an unfinished mix, an experimental tape of Catch The Reference? trying to fall asleep (edited severely from its’ full 20 odd minutes), and sound collage credited to MC Kala, which includes recording of the radio.  Also included are the samples from which some \\\Maytag tracks, as well as “Stoned Alone”‘s ambient tracks, are made from.

The final compilation of “Stoned Alone” takes some songs originally intended for the Jester Demo Album. The tracks are solo recordings, at the time placed on the Demo album to both increase the length and also round out the sound.  However, they were considered more appropriate for this solo release. Also, some outtakes and source tracks were compiled as “Stoned Alone b-sides!”

Currently, The Jester (which now has been declared “William’s band” in that the name Jester implies his leadership, which led to Catch The Reference? picking up the name “Catch The Reference?”), trudged through sessions for a song “Living In Tombs,” (sessions that Catch The Reference? is actively involved in as both performer and producer), although college has left little time for musical get togethers.

Catch The Reference? put together “Bad Omens For Good People,” which he first started recording in the summer of 2009. It is a more mature development after his earlier work. It focuses squarely on Catch The Reference?, with William appearing on only one track.

Currently, Catch The Reference? is working on LP number 5, and also has new \\\Maytag songs, which were submitted in hopes of a second \\\Maytag LP.Following that, another record was put together. It featured long, abstract takes on blues songs, sparsely arranged, plus a long sound collage. “The Boys In Blue” was released on the last day of 2009. It represents a weaker period, mostly uninspired, and hard to get through.

But the day it was released, new bits were recorded, and the long road to “The Bitches Kitsch” would begin. The album features new material alongside previously unheard recordings dating back to 2008, and some new mixes of songs previously available on other albums. It’s a sort of “best-of,” though missing some good tracks, excluding them for the concept of summing up Catch The Reference? thus far.

Currently, Catch The Reference? is working on a new direction, hoping to meld his strange visions with more mainstream approaches to music, via collaborations with friends and former classmates.