Introductions

My introduction began, as early as I can certainly tell, in late 2009 or early 2010. I do not remember the first time I ever heard the name “The Disco Biscuits” (growing up in a Philadelphia suburb, they were very nearly a part of the collective consciousness) but I remember distinctly the first time I heard their music. The song was “Park Ave,” the venue was the Fuji Rock Festival in Japan, and the medium was YouTube. Listening back, there isn’t much special to this version, but at the time, watching that video, I remember thinking that there was no other music like this in the world.

The next step in my journey was the discovery of the Live Music Archive. I have always been an obsessive listener of music; when I discover a new band I devour every single album until I get bored and move on. I had found the studio work of The Disco Biscuits to be far less compelling than the live video and, for some reason, the obsession didn’t stick long enough for me to discover the live albums like The Wind at Four to Fly. In fall 2011 I discovered the Archive and rediscovered the band. I began vociferously downloading and listening to shows and learning the history. Finally an obsession I would never be able to work my way through!

Fall 2011 was not the best time to get into the band, and so I continued to listen to tapes for another couple years before I finally made it to my first show, 12/28/13. To make the show, I took the commuter train from Philadelphia to New York, and hung around in Penn Station after the show to take the same train home. I didn’t know a soul there, but because I had spent so much time listening to tapes I recognized every song played (minus the relatively obscure Resurrection), including every time they went into and out of Spaga and Floes. I continued to attend shows solo for years until I gradually formed a corps of like-minded friends, whose obsession with the music drove every desire to see this band.

I have always been a student of history. I tended towards a preference of the older Biscuits style and sound. In the beginning, I was a little self-conscious of the fact that I had started so late, that I hadn’t seen as many shows as my other friends, etc. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had missed the only wave that had mattered, and I would have to content myself with experiencing the ripples. However, I gradually came around to a more enlightened position. I am tremendously lucky to have discovered this band—which makes music like nothing else in the world—when I did, and especially now that they appear to be in something resembling a second renaissance, I no longer feel like their best years are behind them.

For me, the obsession with the music and the history has always been the driving factor. I am more excited than words can do justice describing to be a part of this project.

—Andy