Formed immediately after the breakup of The Secrets in early 1984, The Michael Souther Band marked a radical change in direction and style for me. For the first time, I took over complete control of the arrangements of my songs and began introducing elements of serious composition, i.e., counterpoint, texture changes, and larger (more complex) forms.
All parts (except for improvisational sections) were written out, resulting in a tight, highly organized sound - unique, punchy and varied. The songs were composed in a classical manner (on paper), away from any instruments, which resulted in a freedom from cliche and standard ideosyncrasies. However, this led to songs that were more difficult to perform and, at times, lacked naturalness.
This change in style led to a greater interest in serious composition, and eventually resulted in my entering the UO school of Music in the fall of 1986.
Personnel for the band consisted of Robert Keller on bass and vocals, Monty Norris on keyboards and vocals, Mark Wilson on drums, and me on guitar and vocals.
The following samples are from a demo tape recorded in February 1985 at Triad Studios in Eugene.
What We Call Change (626k)
Cry (266k)
A Million Years Old (918k)
To see photos of the boys, press this button.
