Have A Sandwich Artists
Here is a list of some of the artists who have released music on Have A Sandwich over the past two decades.
FREEBUS
Freebus is a Chicago-based singer/guitarist who has been performing throughout the Chicagoland area and greater Midwest since 1986. He got his start playing at parties, clubs, rallies, and festivals in the mid-Michigan area while in attendance at Michigan State University. In 1991 Freebus moved to Chicago where he has continued his pursuit of music. From 1992 to present, Freebus led several prominent Chicago groups including Food Chain, Dude Parlor, Kentucky Jelly, and Woody Wagon. While working with these groups Freebus spent much of his spare time writing and recording solo material; culminating in the release of his first solo record “The Yeti” during the summer of 2000. His second solo CD "Songs about Fishing" was released in 2002 and features (Crazy) Tim Rutkowski on drums, sax, and percussion. Since the beginning of 2008, Freebus has been focusing on producing video for his music. Shortly thereafter a video for “People Too”, the second track on “The Yeti”, was released. Other video releases since 2008 include “Nocturn”, a song originally recorded on 4-track the summer of 1990, “Livin’ It Up” a remake of a song he did with his first band back in Ithaca NY, and “These are our Days”, a song from the album “Honeymoon Tunes” which was recorded during his honeymoon with his wife Anne. In 2019, his video “Lansing, MI” went viral in the Lansing area. He was contacted by the Lansing City Pulse and the article “Meet the man behind Lansing’s weirdest music video” was published.
SCANNING BABIES
After having worked together in the cover band "Hit Machine", Roy Wollen, Peter Michael Downes, and Tim Rutkowski decided to take a stab at doing some original music. At the end of the first session, the three went to a party where they ran into an old friend who had recently become an ultra-sound technician. When asked what he'd been up to of late, he replied, "I've been scanning babies." The three busted out laughing and quickly agreed that "Scanning Babies" should be the name of the band. More writing and recording sessions followed and soon Scanning Babies was ready to start mixing down their first full-length CD Government Approved. In 2007, with Tim now gone, Roy and Pete got together to revisit the music that was written and recorded after the release of Government Approved. The two found a ton of great material; plenty enough to put together a second full length CD Devolver which was released on May 3rd, 2008 at the Gallery Cabaret in Bucktown on Chicago's near northwest side. R. Huiskens sat in on drums and the three put on a great show in Tim's honor. Most of these performances can be viewed directly from this site. Plans are also underway for additional single releases, as well as another video.
KENTUCKY JELLY
The original 5 members of Kentucky Jelly (Pete Downes (guitar/vox), Tim Rutkowski (sax), John Duncan (bass), Matt Fisher (bass), and Dominic Vaglica (drums) first recorded in August of 1999 as a continuation of the double bass concept originally explored with the Mega Esophagus sessions in early 1998. The session was a huge success so three more sessions were booked. After the fourth session, the group found itself ready to release it’s first record, a 15-song CD titled “Cold Fusion Winniebago”. The album features the best of the best from these four sessions. The record proved to be the springboard to much greater things, with one of the cuts “New Dude Parlor” getting air-play on WXRT. The group was then asked to do a Friday night performance at the Double Door opening for the cult phenom Pere Ubu. With a live on-air performance at WZRD featuring on-air live improv performances of topics phoned in by the listeners, the group was suddenly starting to really make a buzz. In 2002, the band followed up the Cold Fusion Winniebago CD with a second release, Heavebucket; an album that was written and recorded in just one day and features the hit “Boogie Sugar Man”. Beginning in 2003 the group took it’s improvisational style to the road and started doing full-on live improv shows. During this time, and up until Tim Rutkowski’s passing in March of 2005, the group also did a lot of recording with Roy Wollen on second bass (replacing Matt Fisher). In 2012, the surviving members released “Milk of Amnesia” the third Kentucky Jelly record featuring material from this era. Many of the surviving members still perform together in the improv group “Woody Wagon” wherein the spirit of Kentucky Jelly continues to live on. More sessions have recently been unearthed and more releases should be coming in the near future so stay tuned!
Beginning in 2003 the group took it's improvisational style to the road and started doing full-on live improv shows. During this time, and up until Tim Rutkowski's passing in March of 2005, the group also did a lot of recording with Roy Wollen on second bass (replacing Matt Fisher). In 2011, the surviving members are planning to release "Milk of Amnesia" the third and likely last Kentucky Jelly record featuring material from this era. Many of the surviving members still perform together in the improv group "Woody Wagon" wherein the spirit of Kentucky Jelly continues to live on.
WOODY WAGON
The first Woody Wagon sessions occurred during the summer of 2003 at Fat City in the basement of a Bucktown 3-flat on Chicago's near northwest side. It began simply as an experiment combining musicians of varying backgrounds to see what the combination would wind up producing. Notable tunes from this session included "Panic Attack", "Licenses for Bribes", and "Ride". With Kentucky Jelly going strong during the same time period, Woody Wagon took a back seat until early in 2005 when the passing of saxophone player Tim Rutkowski (Crazy Tim) brought with it the end of Kentucky Jelly and allowed room for development of the Woody Wagon concept. On March 26th, 2006 Woody Wagon took the stage at the Gallery Cabaret for an all-improv show with Mike Mikalunas on drums, L.Roy Wooley on bass, Wigsten on keys, and Freebus on guitar and vox. The show was a big success producing some of the earliest live improv video performances. Some of the highlights include "Turtle Man", "Firehouse Hotels", and "Grizzly Man". Woody Wagon has gone on to do numerous other live improv performances; with most of them being at the Gallery Cabaret: 10/1/2006, 3/31/2007, 9/7/2007, 5/3/2008, and 8/14/2008 with another show at Weed's on 6/14/2008. In addition to the live shows, Woody Wagon has done numerous studio improv projects including Kimchee Taco, and Pineapple Fatwa to name a couple. A full-length DVD of the Pineapple Fatwa session is scheduled for release in 2011 so stay tuned!
TURTLE PORN
After working together in Hit Machine, Kentucky Jelly, and Scanning Babies, Tim Rutkowski and Peter Michael Downes began a different kind of experimental recording project focusing on improvisation and overdubbing. The early sessions featured Tim on drums and Pete on bass, with Tim then overdubbing sax and percussion and Pete overdubbing guitar and vocals. At the end of the third session it was decided that a CD had to be released with the best of the best. A name for the project proved elusive until late in one of the mixdown sessions when Max and Venus (Pete's turtles) began getting amorous, and Turtle Porn was born. After the release of Turtle Porn's first record Big Action Issue, Tim and Pete continued recording; becoming increasingly more and more experimental. A session with Tim playing stand-up drums and Pete on guitar and vocals resulted in several great cuts including "Buy the Limes" and "It's Raining in Blue". Subsequent sessions became more and more experimental featuring looping drum beats and Tim even stepping up and taking a stab at vocals and guitar. With Tim playing guitar and singing, and Pete using unconventional instruments including an accordian-style keyboard he picked up for 5 bucks at a garage sale, some very unique and interesting sounds emerged. None of the music created during these sessions has been released so the Have a Sandwich team is currently working on the logistics of making a second Turtle Porn album a reality.
GOD WAFER
God Wafer was formed early in the twenty-first century by guitarist Gusto Tangerine, bassist Superfly Russell and drummer Dyno. The band started playing shows throughout the Midwest and immediately began to develop a loyal following. The band decided to add a member to expand their already dynamic sound, and in 2003, keyboardist/drummer Johnny Everwood joined the group. The stage show started to become more elaborate, including various props, "visual aids" and the development of a dual drum sound, adding a tribal percussive element to the funky groove. The Host With The Most, the first official God Wafer CD, was released in 2003, followed by a flurry of touring. Early in 2005, God Wafer added vocalists Vapor and Rooftop Honey, completing the vision and propelling the group into new realms of entertaining musical performances. In June 2005, 3 songs from the CD were featured on the Discovery Channel TV series Urban Explorers. Music For Heathens, the second official God Wafer CD, was released in the autumn of 2006.
DUDE PARLOR
On May 4th 1994 the members of Food Chain and Drainsnake met at the Aftershock bar. Both bands were there to audition for Freefest. Both bands were selected to perform at the event and at the same time became fast friends. Drainsnake members could frequently be found hanging out at the Food Chain loft on the Chicago River. Then the members started mixing up the jams. One of the early combinations became Dude Parlor. Dude Parlor had Kent Kurzka, John Vaglica, John Cucka, Dominic Vaglica, Peter Michael Downes, and John Duncan. Ten years later, Dominic Vaglica, John Duncan, and Peter Michael Downes resumed recording at the new studio in Roselle, IL. The most recent Dude Parlor recordings have included Eren Reddick (keys), Ron Sacher (drums), John Duncan (bass), and Peter Michael Downes (guitar and vox).
HYPER JIVE
Peter Michael Downes and Yorg Rinker first connected through bandmix in July of 2015. The two found they had much in common in many ways. Besides having common musical influences, the two also found that they had similar goals about what they both wanted to achieve. Consequently, a list of movie concepts, song concepts, and album concepts were drafted; before they even picked up their instruments together. Once they had determined exactly what it was that they wanted to do, the search for the right people, first and foremost a drummer, began. As the search for the right drummer was being carried out, improvisational versions of many of the songs from the album “Children Of Gaia” were drafted. In July 2016, Dan Dirvin joined the group. Dan dovetailed seamlessly into the mentality that Yorg and Pete were after with their music. Perhaps just as importantly, Dan quickly took to the existing drafts for the record; taking them to another level. In November 2016, Lisa LoGrasso joined the group as the Gaia persona: the loving, maternal spirit of the universe. Lisa, with her plush, booming voice, was exactly what the project was missing. In 2020, with recording about to begin, covid hit and the project was derailed. Exasperated, Rinker left the project; leaving it to Downes to complete. Downes roped Dirvin back into the project and the Children Of Gaia was completed in September of 2024. While no longer recording as a group, there is an enormous back log of Hyper Jive recordings and many releases are expected in the upcoming years.
KILLER VOYAGE
Killer Voyage came into existence in the summer of 1997 when Peter Michael Downes drove in from Chicago to Ithaca, NY for Jon Morse’s wedding. As was always the case when Downes would visit, an improv jam was scheduled. Jon Morse, Andy Wyatt, Tim Odell, and Peter Michael Downes had been jamming together since the late 70s when they had their first band “Voyager”. Downes moved to Michigan in 1980, but the four of them would continue to get together and jam whenever it was possible. The summer of 1997 was different. Two new players were added: Tommy Whittle (harmonica) and Pete Bosanko (guitar and congas). The addition of these two great musicians completely changed the dynamic of the recordings and all six were present for all or part of the next six sessions: HLP (Hydroponic Lettuce Project) 2000, FKS (Fishless Kids Subcommittee) 2001, CLM (Clandestine Little Monsters) 2003, TJA (The Johnson Array) 2009, ADP (Amphibious Dude Parlor) 2015, and most recently TSW (The Sideways Wind) 2022.
ARMADILLIA
In the summer of 2000 Adam Lacca came to Chicago with an old friend of Peter Michael Downes. The two came out and watched Kentucky Jelly perform an all-improv show at Dilligaf’s on Chicago’s west side. Adam was impressed with Downes’ spontaneity and asked him to come visit his studio in Ann Arbor to do some improv in his studio with drummer Jody Yvonne. Downes came in on a train with an ADAT and the required odds and ends to set up a digital 8-track recording. The three wrote and recorded for 3 straight days May 4th-6th 2001. The sessions produced the Armadillia album “Duderonomy”. In 2006 Downes, Lacca, and another drummer produced the record “New Dude Attitude”.
47 TYME
John Duncan and Peter Michael Downes began collaborating on producing songs written by Downes in the summer of 87. Duncan had a 4-track cassette recorder (Tascam Porta-01), a drum machine, and Yamaha DX-100; enough gear to flesh out some working demos of the material. In early 1990 they joined with Wes Stewart and Ed McCoy to form 47 Tyme. They brought in the material they had produced together, along with some material Downes’ earlier original band Mebal Chimney, and began performing throughout the Lansing area. The band had a great run performing in a Haslett area bar called “Ruskin’s Reed”, performing outdoors at a marijuana legalization rally; where the crowd literally created a wall; preventing the police from getting to the stage and stopping the show. The band broke up at the end of 1990 when Downes and Duncan moved to Chicago.
MEAT SANDWICHES
The story of Meat Sandwiches begins during the summer of 1983 in the basement of 612 Virginia Street in East Lansing, Michigan with Space Dogs, a story of two characters, Norris (Jeff Szeremet) and Emerson Maxwell (Pete Downes), in an improvised radio play about two mad galactic conquistadors plundering the cosmos. The two quickly decided that Space Dogs required a deeper exploration into musical collaboration. Several projects followed; eventually culminating with Mebal Chimney, a project that was primarily comprised of songs the two wrote together, but also incorporated several Nipsey Russell Dream Machine classics such as “Clay” and “Takin’ Her Back To The Car”. Some of the boombox recordings from this era still survive and will be available on this site at some point in the near future. The two separated in 1987 when Jeff enrolled at the University of Cincinnati. Then the summer of 1991 arrived, and they each learned from a mutual friend that the other had also recently moved to Chicago. A phone call later, and the two were in Jeff’s apartment in Andersonville with a keyboard and a boombox banging out their unique brand of musical expression. Soon Jeff successfully landed Pete a job at his place of employment, and Pete started building the foundation blocks that would eventually become Bigger Than Huge Studios. While recordings were still often done on boombox or 4-track, particularly when jamming with Patrick McCarthy at his “Red Room” studio, sessions in Pete’s studio were now, more often than not, recorded on his newly acquired Teac 38 reel-to-reel machine. In an instant, professional-sound, multi-track recordings were being produced. Some of these early sessions include “The Fighting Cocks”, “Stone Cold Groove”, and “Gentlemen Beware”. Because ½-inch tape, our preferred method of recording at the time, was expensive, we reused tapes on a regular basis. Therefore, none of the original tracks still exist from these early sessions so re-mixes are not available. However, nearly all of the original cassette mixdowns have been digitized and the process of mastering them, ripping them to mp3, and loading them up on this site has begun in earnest. Meat Sandwiches’ run came to an end on December 23rd 1999 with Jeff’s passing. Have A Sandwich Productions has, and will continue to, place a high emphasis on keeping Jeff’s memory alive. On July 18th, 2004, on what would have been Jeff’s 40th birthday, a Meat Sandwiches tribute band comprised of myself, and several members of the Have A Sandwich roster, performed a set at the Beat Kitchen comprised of select songs from this era. Jeff was a complicated man, and like most geniuses, troubled. Being friends with Jeff was a complicated proposition, but there are few who knew him that would not say their life was richer for having known him. Those who worked with Jeff creatively share the feeling of having been part of something special. I can think of numerous musicians who clawed their way into a session with Jeff just so that they could say, “I jammed with Jeff Szeremet.” And Jeff, wherever you are, I apologize for it taking so long to get this site up, but I know that you are smiling down knowing that a big chunk of your enormous body of work will now be available to anyone who has an interest in giving it a listen. The 300+ songs on this site are just the tip of the iceberg so be sure to check back often as we’ll be adding even more songs in the very near future.
FREEBUS
Freebus is a Chicago-based singer/guitarist who has been performing throughout the Chicagoland area and greater Midwest since 1986. He got his start playing at parties, clubs, rallies, and festivals in the mid-Michigan area while in attendance at Michigan State University. In 1991 Freebus moved to Chicago where he has continued his pursuit of music. From 1992 to present, Freebus led several prominent Chicago groups including Food Chain, Dude Parlor, Kentucky Jelly, and Woody Wagon. While working with these groups Freebus spent much of his spare time writing and recording solo material; culminating in the release of his first solo record “The Yeti” during the summer of 2000. His second solo CD "Songs about Fishing" was released in 2002 and features (Crazy) Tim Rutkowski on drums, sax, and percussion. Since the beginning of 2008, Freebus has been focusing on producing video for his music. Shortly thereafter a video for “People Too”, the second track on “The Yeti”, was released. Other video releases since 2008 include “Nocturn”, a song originally recorded on 4-track the summer of 1990, “Livin’ It Up” a remake of a song he did with his first band back in Ithaca NY, and “These are our Days”, a song from the album “Honeymoon Tunes” which was recorded during his honeymoon with his wife Anne. In 2019, his video “Lansing, MI” went viral in the Lansing area. He was contacted by the Lansing City Pulse and the article “Meet the man behind Lansing’s weirdest music video” was published.
SCANNING BABIES
After having worked together in the cover band "Hit Machine", Roy Wollen, Peter Michael Downes, and Tim Rutkowski decided to take a stab at doing some original music. At the end of the first session, the three went to a party where they ran into an old friend who had recently become an ultra-sound technician. When asked what he'd been up to of late, he replied, "I've been scanning babies." The three busted out laughing and quickly agreed that "Scanning Babies" should be the name of the band. More writing and recording sessions followed and soon Scanning Babies was ready to start mixing down their first full-length CD Government Approved. In 2007, with Tim now gone, Roy and Pete got together to revisit the music that was written and recorded after the release of Government Approved. The two found a ton of great material; plenty enough to put together a second full length CD Devolver which was released on May 3rd, 2008 at the Gallery Cabaret in Bucktown on Chicago's near northwest side. R. Huiskens sat in on drums and the three put on a great show in Tim's honor. Most of these performances can be viewed directly from this site. Plans are also underway for additional single releases, as well as another video.
KENTUCKY JELLY
The original 5 members of Kentucky Jelly (Pete Downes (guitar/vox), Tim Rutkowski (sax), John Duncan (bass), Matt Fisher (bass), and Dominic Vaglica (drums) first recorded in August of 1999 as a continuation of the double bass concept originally explored with the Mega Esophagus sessions in early 1998. The session was a huge success so three more sessions were booked. After the fourth session, the group found itself ready to release it’s first record, a 15-song CD titled “Cold Fusion Winniebago”. The album features the best of the best from these four sessions. The record proved to be the springboard to much greater things, with one of the cuts “New Dude Parlor” getting air-play on WXRT. The group was then asked to do a Friday night performance at the Double Door opening for the cult phenom Pere Ubu. With a live on-air performance at WZRD featuring on-air live improv performances of topics phoned in by the listeners, the group was suddenly starting to really make a buzz. In 2002, the band followed up the Cold Fusion Winniebago CD with a second release, Heavebucket; an album that was written and recorded in just one day and features the hit “Boogie Sugar Man”. Beginning in 2003 the group took it’s improvisational style to the road and started doing full-on live improv shows. During this time, and up until Tim Rutkowski’s passing in March of 2005, the group also did a lot of recording with Roy Wollen on second bass (replacing Matt Fisher). In 2012, the surviving members released “Milk of Amnesia” the third Kentucky Jelly record featuring material from this era. Many of the surviving members still perform together in the improv group “Woody Wagon” wherein the spirit of Kentucky Jelly continues to live on. More sessions have recently been unearthed and more releases should be coming in the near future so stay tuned!
Beginning in 2003 the group took it's improvisational style to the road and started doing full-on live improv shows. During this time, and up until Tim Rutkowski's passing in March of 2005, the group also did a lot of recording with Roy Wollen on second bass (replacing Matt Fisher). In 2011, the surviving members are planning to release "Milk of Amnesia" the third and likely last Kentucky Jelly record featuring material from this era. Many of the surviving members still perform together in the improv group "Woody Wagon" wherein the spirit of Kentucky Jelly continues to live on.
WOODY WAGON
The first Woody Wagon sessions occurred during the summer of 2003 at Fat City in the basement of a Bucktown 3-flat on Chicago's near northwest side. It began simply as an experiment combining musicians of varying backgrounds to see what the combination would wind up producing. Notable tunes from this session included "Panic Attack", "Licenses for Bribes", and "Ride". With Kentucky Jelly going strong during the same time period, Woody Wagon took a back seat until early in 2005 when the passing of saxophone player Tim Rutkowski (Crazy Tim) brought with it the end of Kentucky Jelly and allowed room for development of the Woody Wagon concept. On March 26th, 2006 Woody Wagon took the stage at the Gallery Cabaret for an all-improv show with Mike Mikalunas on drums, L.Roy Wooley on bass, Wigsten on keys, and Freebus on guitar and vox. The show was a big success producing some of the earliest live improv video performances. Some of the highlights include "Turtle Man", "Firehouse Hotels", and "Grizzly Man". Woody Wagon has gone on to do numerous other live improv performances; with most of them being at the Gallery Cabaret: 10/1/2006, 3/31/2007, 9/7/2007, 5/3/2008, and 8/14/2008 with another show at Weed's on 6/14/2008. In addition to the live shows, Woody Wagon has done numerous studio improv projects including Kimchee Taco, and Pineapple Fatwa to name a couple. A full-length DVD of the Pineapple Fatwa session is scheduled for release in 2011 so stay tuned!
TURTLE PORN
After working together in Hit Machine, Kentucky Jelly, and Scanning Babies, Tim Rutkowski and Peter Michael Downes began a different kind of experimental recording project focusing on improvisation and overdubbing. The early sessions featured Tim on drums and Pete on bass, with Tim then overdubbing sax and percussion and Pete overdubbing guitar and vocals. At the end of the third session it was decided that a CD had to be released with the best of the best. A name for the project proved elusive until late in one of the mixdown sessions when Max and Venus (Pete's turtles) began getting amorous, and Turtle Porn was born. After the release of Turtle Porn's first record Big Action Issue, Tim and Pete continued recording; becoming increasingly more and more experimental. A session with Tim playing stand-up drums and Pete on guitar and vocals resulted in several great cuts including "Buy the Limes" and "It's Raining in Blue". Subsequent sessions became more and more experimental featuring looping drum beats and Tim even stepping up and taking a stab at vocals and guitar. With Tim playing guitar and singing, and Pete using unconventional instruments including an accordian-style keyboard he picked up for 5 bucks at a garage sale, some very unique and interesting sounds emerged. None of the music created during these sessions has been released so the Have a Sandwich team is currently working on the logistics of making a second Turtle Porn album a reality.
GOD WAFER
God Wafer was formed early in the twenty-first century by guitarist Gusto Tangerine, bassist Superfly Russell and drummer Dyno. The band started playing shows throughout the Midwest and immediately began to develop a loyal following. The band decided to add a member to expand their already dynamic sound, and in 2003, keyboardist/drummer Johnny Everwood joined the group. The stage show started to become more elaborate, including various props, "visual aids" and the development of a dual drum sound, adding a tribal percussive element to the funky groove. The Host With The Most, the first official God Wafer CD, was released in 2003, followed by a flurry of touring. Early in 2005, God Wafer added vocalists Vapor and Rooftop Honey, completing the vision and propelling the group into new realms of entertaining musical performances. In June 2005, 3 songs from the CD were featured on the Discovery Channel TV series Urban Explorers. Music For Heathens, the second official God Wafer CD, was released in the autumn of 2006.
DUDE PARLOR
On May 4th 1994 the members of Food Chain and Drainsnake met at the Aftershock bar. Both bands were there to audition for Freefest. Both bands were selected to perform at the event and at the same time became fast friends. Drainsnake members could frequently be found hanging out at the Food Chain loft on the Chicago River. Then the members started mixing up the jams. One of the early combinations became Dude Parlor. Dude Parlor had Kent Kurzka, John Vaglica, John Cucka, Dominic Vaglica, Peter Michael Downes, and John Duncan. Ten years later, Dominic Vaglica, John Duncan, and Peter Michael Downes resumed recording at the new studio in Roselle, IL. The most recent Dude Parlor recordings have included Eren Reddick (keys), Ron Sacher (drums), John Duncan (bass), and Peter Michael Downes (guitar and vox).
HYPER JIVE
Peter Michael Downes and Yorg Rinker first connected through bandmix in July of 2015. The two found they had much in common in many ways. Besides having common musical influences, the two also found that they had similar goals about what they both wanted to achieve. Consequently, a list of movie concepts, song concepts, and album concepts were drafted; before they even picked up their instruments together. Once they had determined exactly what it was that they wanted to do, the search for the right people, first and foremost a drummer, began. As the search for the right drummer was being carried out, improvisational versions of many of the songs from the album “Children Of Gaia” were drafted. In July 2016, Dan Dirvin joined the group. Dan dovetailed seamlessly into the mentality that Yorg and Pete were after with their music. Perhaps just as importantly, Dan quickly took to the existing drafts for the record; taking them to another level. In November 2016, Lisa LoGrasso joined the group as the Gaia persona: the loving, maternal spirit of the universe. Lisa, with her plush, booming voice, was exactly what the project was missing. In 2020, with recording about to begin, covid hit and the project was derailed. Exasperated, Rinker left the project; leaving it to Downes to complete. Downes roped Dirvin back into the project and the Children Of Gaia was completed in September of 2024. While no longer recording as a group, there is an enormous back log of Hyper Jive recordings and many releases are expected in the upcoming years.
KILLER VOYAGE
Killer Voyage came into existence in the summer of 1997 when Peter Michael Downes drove in from Chicago to Ithaca, NY for Jon Morse’s wedding. As was always the case when Downes would visit, an improv jam was scheduled. Jon Morse, Andy Wyatt, Tim Odell, and Peter Michael Downes had been jamming together since the late 70s when they had their first band “Voyager”. Downes moved to Michigan in 1980, but the four of them would continue to get together and jam whenever it was possible. The summer of 1997 was different. Two new players were added: Tommy Whittle (harmonica) and Pete Bosanko (guitar and congas). The addition of these two great musicians completely changed the dynamic of the recordings and all six were present for all or part of the next six sessions: HLP (Hydroponic Lettuce Project) 2000, FKS (Fishless Kids Subcommittee) 2001, CLM (Clandestine Little Monsters) 2003, TJA (The Johnson Array) 2009, ADP (Amphibious Dude Parlor) 2015, and most recently TSW (The Sideways Wind) 2022.
ARMADILLIA
In the summer of 2000 Adam Lacca came to Chicago with an old friend of Peter Michael Downes. The two came out and watched Kentucky Jelly perform an all-improv show at Dilligaf’s on Chicago’s west side. Adam was impressed with Downes’ spontaneity and asked him to come visit his studio in Ann Arbor to do some improv in his studio with drummer Jody Yvonne. Downes came in on a train with an ADAT and the required odds and ends to set up a digital 8-track recording. The three wrote and recorded for 3 straight days May 4th-6th 2001. The sessions produced the Armadillia album “Duderonomy”. In 2006 Downes, Lacca, and another drummer produced the record “New Dude Attitude”.
47 TYME
John Duncan and Peter Michael Downes began collaborating on producing songs written by Downes in the summer of 87. Duncan had a 4-track cassette recorder (Tascam Porta-01), a drum machine, and Yamaha DX-100; enough gear to flesh out some working demos of the material. In early 1990 they joined with Wes Stewart and Ed McCoy to form 47 Tyme. They brought in the material they had produced together, along with some material Downes’ earlier original band Mebal Chimney, and began performing throughout the Lansing area. The band had a great run performing in a Haslett area bar called “Ruskin’s Reed”, performing outdoors at a marijuana legalization rally; where the crowd literally created a wall; preventing the police from getting to the stage and stopping the show. The band broke up at the end of 1990 when Downes and Duncan moved to Chicago.
MEAT SANDWICHES
The story of Meat Sandwiches begins during the summer of 1983 in the basement of 612 Virginia Street in East Lansing, Michigan with Space Dogs, a story of two characters, Norris (Jeff Szeremet) and Emerson Maxwell (Pete Downes), in an improvised radio play about two mad galactic conquistadors plundering the cosmos. The two quickly decided that Space Dogs required a deeper exploration into musical collaboration. Several projects followed; eventually culminating with Mebal Chimney, a project that was primarily comprised of songs the two wrote together, but also incorporated several Nipsey Russell Dream Machine classics such as “Clay” and “Takin’ Her Back To The Car”. Some of the boombox recordings from this era still survive and will be available on this site at some point in the near future. The two separated in 1987 when Jeff enrolled at the University of Cincinnati. Then the summer of 1991 arrived, and they each learned from a mutual friend that the other had also recently moved to Chicago. A phone call later, and the two were in Jeff’s apartment in Andersonville with a keyboard and a boombox banging out their unique brand of musical expression. Soon Jeff successfully landed Pete a job at his place of employment, and Pete started building the foundation blocks that would eventually become Bigger Than Huge Studios. While recordings were still often done on boombox or 4-track, particularly when jamming with Patrick McCarthy at his “Red Room” studio, sessions in Pete’s studio were now, more often than not, recorded on his newly acquired Teac 38 reel-to-reel machine. In an instant, professional-sound, multi-track recordings were being produced. Some of these early sessions include “The Fighting Cocks”, “Stone Cold Groove”, and “Gentlemen Beware”. Because ½-inch tape, our preferred method of recording at the time, was expensive, we reused tapes on a regular basis. Therefore, none of the original tracks still exist from these early sessions so re-mixes are not available. However, nearly all of the original cassette mixdowns have been digitized and the process of mastering them, ripping them to mp3, and loading them up on this site has begun in earnest. Meat Sandwiches’ run came to an end on December 23rd 1999 with Jeff’s passing. Have A Sandwich Productions has, and will continue to, place a high emphasis on keeping Jeff’s memory alive. On July 18th, 2004, on what would have been Jeff’s 40th birthday, a Meat Sandwiches tribute band comprised of myself, and several members of the Have A Sandwich roster, performed a set at the Beat Kitchen comprised of select songs from this era. Jeff was a complicated man, and like most geniuses, troubled. Being friends with Jeff was a complicated proposition, but there are few who knew him that would not say their life was richer for having known him. Those who worked with Jeff creatively share the feeling of having been part of something special. I can think of numerous musicians who clawed their way into a session with Jeff just so that they could say, “I jammed with Jeff Szeremet.” And Jeff, wherever you are, I apologize for it taking so long to get this site up, but I know that you are smiling down knowing that a big chunk of your enormous body of work will now be available to anyone who has an interest in giving it a listen. The 300+ songs on this site are just the tip of the iceberg so be sure to check back often as we’ll be adding even more songs in the very near future.
