I remember starting out back in 1985 in a local cover band (The Stand) and even then there seemed to be more off campus places to hold a show. After being in a short lived band with Will Simmons of Milkbadger and Bees Make Honey, I was asked to join Crayon as a singer in '89 (before the band became Blindspot). That was an amazing time and my exposure to the artists in that band (Scott Flory, Duncan Macomber and Yax Lacey) proved invaluable. I also ended up meeting our drummer of over 20 years in that band (Doug Eagle V.) and after a period of time in an alt rock band called Dirty Pictures (featuring D.W. Baugh on drums and Adam Hodge on Guitars), Doug and I began recording performance poetry using a 4 track as The Spooks in early '93. At that point we focused on doing XYZ benefits and local gallery performances and they have been our primary venues since then. We have worked/recorded with a few guitarists (also under the name the Spiritworld).
-2009
Crayon was a major template for us in later bands and the first band in which I was encouraged to actually sing my poetry during performances. Joining the band was something like being asked to play in Nirvana at the time for local musicians. Crayon gave us new courage to move forward and explore in later bands as well and there would never have been a Spectral Arts had we not had some role in Crayon in our early days together. We had somewhat of a (surprise) Crayon reunion this evening at our studio when Scott Flory arrived with his guitar (our last jam together was in 1993 with Duncan Macomber on Bass and Butch Lazorchek on drums). I mentioned to Scott that I had been trying to tell my band mates the significance of our early work with Crayon for years, but after he played a few songs with our group I think they understood. Crayon was a band that changed our lives forever.
-2013
Spectral Arts and Project Morning Star are the last incarnations of the early work we began in 1989. The spirit of Crayon has permeated those bands in regard to how we have approached our music collectively and in terms of artistic openness and spontaneity. What we learned about working together creatively has carried us forward 30 years now. God has given us a joy and love we have for creating with one another musically and that has endured.
-2021
by T. Byron K.
