The World of Stuff .com

Improbable, but not impossible

Last summer, my band, Vine Ripe Tomatoes, played its last gig, if you could call it that. Due to scheduling conflicts and personal differences, our quintet appeared as a trio; only Mark, Nick, and I were present, but we made the best of it. Though we weren’t mad at Sean or Alex, we agreed that it was time for us to go our separate ways. I think Sean had an interest in starting a ska/punk band, so once we broke up, he was able to pursue that goal. Nick, Mark, and I were immediately interested in starting a new band. It was pretty much an idea that got kicked around for months and months until finally, something happened.

Yesterday I joined Nick, Mark, and Mark’s sister Kim to start Improbable Mission. I had gotten the idea for the name from a game on “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” The name could be funny or it could be serious; it goes with anything, I think. It also doesn’t seem to suggest a particular genre of music, which is good because I think that with our diverse tastes, we wouldn’t stand up to being pigeonholed into a certain category. I had described the style of VRT as “rock variety.” That label might be the best to use for the new band, if we really needed to label it. Rock has become a very general concept.

Since this band has been a long time in the making, we had already determined that we would be called Improbable Mission and that Kim would play the bass, Mark would play the drums, and Nick and I would play the guitar. So we got right down to business practicing songs. After we jammed for a little bit, I broke out my digital multitrack recorder and we started recording ourselves practicing. In particular, we stuck to a few old standbys: “Seven Nation Army,” “Secret Agent Man,” and “Norwegian Wood.” For a change, it seems that I won’t be the only vocalist in this band; Mark and Kim each took a hand at singing “Seven Nation Army,” thanks to the miracle of overdubbing. I don’t know how we managed to go without it.

I figured it would be important to have some photos of the whole band in case we ever have things like promotion or publicity. So between recording songs and after eating dinner, we went to the nearby park, where Mark and Kim’s dad took pictures of us, including the one shown here. (Like the photo? I’m the pale, unsmiling one with the bad hair and the creepy bone structure.) We took various pictures until the sunlight (and the batteries of my camera) ran out. Later, after recording some more, Mark, Nick, and I played video games and watched a movie. By then it was late, so I left, declining an offer to spend the night. I really enjoy sleeping in my own bed.

And so, May 20, 2006, the first day of Improbable Mission, was a success. Hopefully we’ll do some live shows, make a record, or at least practice a lot and have fun.

At last, the secret to pouring ketchup out of a glass bottle is revealed.

Onomatopoeas from “Batman.” The site is in Spanish, but it doesn’t really matter. You should know what onomatopeya means.

One year ago: “There were police cars near the ticket booths and we had to wait.”
Two years ago: “And he doesn’t have a care in the world, no projects due, no parties to go to, just being with his best friends in the whole wide world, very serious about his recess games.”