Prior to Treat Her Right and Morphine, Mark Sandman, the father of “low rock,” formed Hypnosonics. Often referred to as his “secret band,” Hypnosonics remained a favorite side project until his untimely death in 1999.
On April 6, Modern Harmonic will release two never-before-heard Hypnosonics albums: Drums Were Beating: Fort Apache 1996 and Someone Stole My Shoes: Beyond The Q Division Sessions available on CD, LP and digital.
In 1996, the same year that Morphine recorded Like Swimming at the legendary Fort Apache Studios, Hypnosonics taped a live-in-studio radio broadcast on beloved local rock station WFNX. Drums Were Beating contains much of that session. Known for their unpredictable live shows, this collection features the band stretching out a bit, as well as some choice snippets of Sandman's witty stage patter.
Still touring with Treat Her Right, and before the now mythical Morphine, in 1986, Sandman assembled his “secret band,” which, at the time, included the founding drummer of Morphine, Jerome Deupree, and recorded five songs at Q Division Studio in Boston. These tracks are featured on Someone Stole My Shoes: Beyond The Q Division Sessions and supplemented by two more from the 1996 edition of the group.
While these releases pre-date Morphine on Sandman’s musical timeline, even at the height of their popularity, he embraced the opportunity to play in front of a small club almost in disguise with Hypnosonics.
Both LPs include zine-style inserts with the art and liner notes, while the CD includes the same content in the form of a booklet.
Drums Were Beating: Fort Apache 1996 Tracklisting
1. Intro
2. French Fries With Pepper
3. Bo’s Veranda (Travolta’s Walk)
4. Women R Dogs
5. Like A Damn Fool
6. Born Again
7. Drums Were Beating
8. Livin’ With You*
9. Insomniac*
*CD only
Pre-order here
Someone Stole My Shoes: Beyond The Q Division Sessions Tracklisting
1 Rub It In
2. Early Man
3. They Bent Me
4. Insomniac
5. Livin’ With You
6. Someone Stole My Shoes
7. Where’s The Girl?
8. Rub It In (Fort Apache Version)*
9, Early Man (Fort Apache Version)*
*CD only
Pre-order here
