THE METESKY-GRAVY CONNECTION
by Eric Roalson
Scott Morgan, Chad Barker, and I were doing some experimental music and theatre performances (among other things) under the name, "Metesky" in the late 70s and the early 80s. We invited various musicians, artists, or unclassifiable weirdos to perform with us on different projects, but the three of us were the only true members. All three of us also became members of Pink Gravy.
Metesky performed live only about 3 or 4 times, mostly at the IMU Wheelroom. These involved some music as well as some theatrical elements. In this way, there was some correlation with a Pink Gravy performance. However, the music of Metesky was more centered around avant-garde music than rock'n'roll (although we did a little of that, too.) However, we mostly just worked on various recording projects.
I don't remember exactly how I met Thomascyne, but I have some vague memory of the two of us exchanging stories about eccentric artistic projects we were both involved in. This conversation led to a friendship. It also lead to meeting her posse of crazed art students. I witnessed, but did not participate in the Hamburg Inn protest of the killing of eggs. I recognized that these folk were kindred spirits and liked them right away.
I was invited to be involved in the Sunny Side Up Benefit concert. Sunny Side Up was the Eggthing killed by the malicious RV people in front of the Hamburg Inn. This seemed like a fun next step in this ever-evolving myth-theatre. The idea of having a "punk group" as part of the benefit concert was suggested. Someone thought it said "Pink Gravy" instead of "punk group" and the name stuck.
Thomascyne knew a couple of musicians, Paul Bergman (guitar) and Bob Thompson (drums) that could be brought in. I suggested Chad Barker of Metesky as the bass player. This would become the solid rhythm section that Pink Gravy needed.
In Metesky, Chad played flute as much as he played electric bass. Metesky was more oriented around instrumental music, often outside traditional harmonic parameters. However, he did play flute on at least one Gravy tune, "Writhing With Words". In both Metesky and Pink Gravy, Chad was very involved in recording and mixing the music. He was definitely the audio-archivist of both groups.
Scott joined some time after the Sunny Side Up Benefit Concert. He wrote several songs for the group. He sang some of these himself, such as "Lonely Assassin." He also wrote songs with Brenda and Thomascyne in mind. For example, Brenda sang the country song, "Sometimes The Rain (Keeps Falling Downward)". Thomascyne and Scott both sang on "Dirty John", about some creepy predator in the Art Department.
I wrote a few songs, most notably "The Intellectual Cowboy", which became my persona in Pink Gravy. I wore a western shirt and a plastic Amoco cowboy hat at every Gravy concert after that song became part of our repertoire. (There was one exception: when Thomascyne had us all wear pink robes for a Halloween show).
In between songs at Pink Gravy rehearsals, Bob would riff behind me when I would do some "free jazz" improvs on my Wurlitzer piano. I was knocked out by how he could use his rock drum licks and make it work in that context. I invited Bob to do some drumming on some Metesky recordings and he fit in beautifully. I still have some of these sessions, now in a CD format.
Thomascyne and Brenda also became involved in a Metesky project. Scott and I wrote a musical about a charlatan guru named Erroneous Monk. I still have my favorite piece from that musical on CD, "Jesus Was A Carpenter" penned by Scott.
"Jesus Was A Carpenter" was performed by the Saw Family, a hillbilly gospel group singing at an Erroneous Monk for President rally. (Only now that he was entering the political arena, he changed his name to Erroneous Bunk). The Saw Family was comprised of Scott, Thomascyne, Brenda, and I. The musical accompaniment was nothing but a montage of electric and "acoustic" saws. We borrowed the saws from my brother, Brad, a professional carpenter.
Scott and I wrote some dialogue setting up how the Saw Family came into existence. For me, nothing else sums up the connection between Metesky and the Monos'labs better than the Saw Family. The Saw Family was a mythic, humorous, quirky musical invention born in the same spirit as the Monos'labs.
