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Tedd VanWagner - Bass
Close to the Edge – a cover of the song by YES featuring Richard Trudeau, Peter Goindi, Fred White and myself. Over the almost 2 years it took us to pull this one together we all went through some real changes (health issues, technical difficulties, etc.), but here we are at the finish line at last. CttE, in all it's 18+ minute glory, is the mother of all prog rock songs, and being able to play it with such talented friends is a personal high point in my “career” as a musician.
If you are looking for interesting music performed by some amazing players, you should really check out these Fandalism pages:
Richard Trudeau (http://dev213.fandalism.com/bodhisattva435) – guitars, lead and bg vox, vocal production
Peter Goindi (http://dev213.fandalism.com/petergoindi) – drums
Fred White (http://dev213.fandalism.com/tader) – keyboards, bg vox, video production
Hope you all enjoy this. It's a little on the long side, but worth every minute. Cheers!
Uploaded 3 years ago
How long have you been playing?
First let me say that as I look through the other musicians profiles here some of them are pretty brief. This one won't be. I'm an old guy. I've had a lot of experiences and I've got a lot to say about them. Sue me. I started playing when I was 11 and the year was 1965. A group of kids from the local jr high came to the elementary school I was in and played a show (all instrumental, Ventures, surf music, stuff like that). I was hooked.
What was the first concert you ever went to?
The first major concert I went to was B.B. King at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY (my mom worked there at the time and scored a pair of free tickets). This was probably 1967 or'68. I went with my friend Gary Ohlhorst, who was the drummer in the band I was in at the time. What was memorable about it? It was B.B. King, do you really have to ask?
What are you looking for from Fandalism?
Talented and open minded people. The kind of people who chew their food to the rhythm of the music playing in their heads....I am also looking for people to collaborate with - any type of music, any location - don't be shy now...
What gear do you use?
My current favorite is a late '40s Magnatone lap steel that I have modified extensively. I also have 2 other home-made lap steels, one of which I have modified into a percussion guitar. For basses I have a 4 string that I put together from various parts I had laying around my workshop, and a home-made 5 string bass lap steel that I use for slide hammer work. My 6 string is an old Korean Telecaster copy that was given to me some years ago by my friend Bob Payne. I don't really use an amp anymore; everything just goes direct into the computer. The only outboard FX I am using are a Roland GR-55 Guitar Synth for guitar and lap steel. On the bass side I use a Pigtronix Philosopher Bass Compressor and occasionally a Mantic Vitriol to add some stautration. All other FX are in the box vst plug-ins. For recording I use Reaper. Currently I use a combination EZ Drummer and an old Alesis SR-16 for all my drum and percussion tracks.
Who was your biggest musical influence growing up?
My father was one of my earliest major musical influences for two reasons. First he owned the guitar I learned to play on and had no problem making it available to me. It was a Gibson J-45 that he bought used in the late 1940's after he got home from the war. I'm looking at it as I write this. The second reason is because he exposed me (inadvertently) to forms of music that I normally would not have heard. My dad really enjoyed Country music but there was no local stations that played it at the time. He had a friend from the war who lived in the south who would record shows off of WWVA in West Virginia onto reel to reel tapes and then send them up to my dad. When I was little my dad had a woodworking shop in the basement of our house and in addition to his day job he would make money doing custom cabinetry for a few local contractors. Every night as I fell asleep he would be working down in his shop and listening to these tapes. I heard a lot of bluegrass, western swing and hillbilly gospel music, none of it written later than 1960. I didn't particularly care for any of it at the time, but later on when my musical horizons began to expand past the music that was popular with all my peers I discovered that my early exposure to this music had seeped in to my playing and had given me a musical vocabulary that I wouldn't have otherwise possessed. My dad passed away in 1980 when I was 25 years old, and not a day goes by that I don't miss him. OK, that's enough sentimental crap... let's move on to my other influences. Because I play a number of instruments, and really enjoy playing in a wide variety of musical genres, I've had several major influences for each of them. I tended to switch back and forth between bass and guitar so let's start with guitar. In the early years it was all rock all the time. First it was Jimi Hendrix followed closely by Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, and Johnny Winter. Then in 1970 I saw NRBQ perform at the Clinton Hollow Rec Park in upstate NY and they had this astounding guitarist named Steve Ferguson who shoved me off in a whole new direction. These guys ignited an interest in not only where music was headed to, but also where it had come from, what had come before that was the foundation of the music I was enjoying now. After that I was open to lots of different players in many different styles (Frank Zappa, Carl Perkins, Muddy Waters, Chet Atkins, Roy Clark, Bashful Brother Oswald, Robert Fripp, John Lee Hooker, Al Anderson, Little Walter, Steve Howe, Gary Green, Vaughn Brothers, Danny Gatton, Allan Holdsworth, and so on...). Suddenly those recordings that my dad had been playing all those years became a lot more interesting.
I started playing bass early on mainly because I just loved the sound of the thing (and also as one of the few bass players in my school I was always busy playing or jamming with somebody). First came the Jacks (Bruce and Cassidy). Then, at the NRBQ show where I first saw Steve Ferguson, I was introduced to their bass player, Joey Spampinato. For a while there I couldn't figure out what it was about the way he played that worked so well. The tone he uses and the peculiar right hand technique he has sometimes makes it difficult to hear exactly what it is he is doing, but whatever it was it made the rhythm section of the band really percolate. This was my introduction to the Groove, which in turn opened me up to funk and players like Larry Graham and Rocco Prestia. Shortly after that I discovered Yes and the world of English progressive rock and players like Chris Squire, Ray Bennett (Flash), and Ray Shulman (Gentle Giant). In the mid-70s my friend Nick gave me a copy of King Crimson's USA album and their bassist, John Wetton, hit me like a ton of bricks (that great big nasty TONE he got on that record just amazed me). After that I saw Tony Levin play with Peter Gabriel, and then later with the new version of Crimson which got me started playing the Stick.
About 2007 I picked up an old lap steel and in short order I discovered Hawaiian music (Sol Hoopii, Benny Nahawi), early western swing (Joaquin Murphy with Tex Williams, Bob Dunn), Bob Brozman (who pretty much defies categorization), and Sacred Steel players like Aubrey Ghent, The Campbell Brothers, The Lee Boys. I also really like Steve Cunningham, a really amazing player down in Atlanta.
I started playing bass early on mainly because I just loved the sound of the thing (and also as one of the few bass players in my school I was always busy playing or jamming with somebody). First came the Jacks (Bruce and Cassidy). Then, at the NRBQ show where I first saw Steve Ferguson, I was introduced to their bass player, Joey Spampinato. For a while there I couldn't figure out what it was about the way he played that worked so well. The tone he uses and the peculiar right hand technique he has sometimes makes it difficult to hear exactly what it is he is doing, but whatever it was it made the rhythm section of the band really percolate. This was my introduction to the Groove, which in turn opened me up to funk and players like Larry Graham and Rocco Prestia. Shortly after that I discovered Yes and the world of English progressive rock and players like Chris Squire, Ray Bennett (Flash), and Ray Shulman (Gentle Giant). In the mid-70s my friend Nick gave me a copy of King Crimson's USA album and their bassist, John Wetton, hit me like a ton of bricks (that great big nasty TONE he got on that record just amazed me). After that I saw Tony Levin play with Peter Gabriel, and then later with the new version of Crimson which got me started playing the Stick.
About 2007 I picked up an old lap steel and in short order I discovered Hawaiian music (Sol Hoopii, Benny Nahawi), early western swing (Joaquin Murphy with Tex Williams, Bob Dunn), Bob Brozman (who pretty much defies categorization), and Sacred Steel players like Aubrey Ghent, The Campbell Brothers, The Lee Boys. I also really like Steve Cunningham, a really amazing player down in Atlanta.
Are you in a band? Have you been in bands?
I don 't play in a band at this point in my life. Right around 2001 I was diagnosed with a rather painful ulnar nerve impingement in my left elbow and playing guitar or bass for any length of time really aggravated it. I still collaborate with former bandmates for songwriting and recording projects though. My current focus is on the lap steel. I've found that the left hand position allows me to play without any discomfort. Also I have a background in woodworking and cabinet making and have recently starting applying those skills to build lap steels for myself and others. As for former bands: Right out of high school ('72) I was invited to play bass in a band that was being put together by former NRBQ guitarist Ken Sheehan. I did that for about a year and a half before switching back to guitar to play in a very busy local club band. When the bass player quit I switched back to bass and we continued in the clubs until it fell apart. After that I pretty much stuck to the bass in a number of bands that slowly moved away from club music and more towards progressive and hard rock, with a few side ventures into western swing and jazz. I had also met a singer/songwriter from California by the name of Bob Payne and we put together a group to play acoustic style original music (it was pretty common for me to be involved in several musical projects at the same time). In the early '80s I connected with another singer/songwriter named Roy Atkinson, and we worked and recorded together as a duo for 4 years or so. At the same time I was invited to form a band with ex-Flash bassist Ray Bennett. He had switched to guitar and was looking for some players to showcase his new original music. We picked up drummer Jef Close and got down to work. Working with Ray was a very challenging experience for me. I was always a guy who collected a lot of different instruments, whether I could play them or not. Ray insisted that I play them all, sometimes more than one at a time. The next thing you know I've got a Mellotron in front of me with a set of Moog bass pedals stuffed underneath it, and a guitar around my neck. And here I thought I was the bass player in this band. I went back to the woodshed and the end result was a three piece band that sounded more like four or five. We recorded a demo in our rehearsal space (Ray could do amazing things with a 4 track), and set out to play some gigs and try to attract some record company interest (we couldn't, not enough commercial potential). Even though this band failed to reach escape velocity it was, on the whole, a tremendous experience. About this time I began to realize that the styles of music I enjoyed playing the most had little mass audience appeal, and I needed to adjust my definition of success from one in which the band gets a recording contract, fame, fortune, etc., to one in which success means personal and creative satisfaction. Next I formed a 50s style R&B dance band that stirred up the drunks for the next couple of years or so. Then, in the mid '80s I took a couple of years off to work a real job (3rd shift). Shortly after I got to 1st shift I met a guitarist/singer/songwriter named Hawksbrother Kirouana. He was putting a band together and invited me to audition. Turns out the drummer was a guy I sort of knew from back in the day that I had always wanted to play with, and we clicked right away. After a couple of rehearsals I offered the opinion that the Stick would be perfect for this kind of music (I had sold mine about 3 years prior to that). It couldn't have been a week later I found a used Stick in a local music store, an incredible piece of luck. I snapped it up and began the humbling experience of re-learning how to play the thing. We named this band The SuperWindows and, in one form or another, we spent the next 10 years writing, recording and playing some of the most peculiar and satisfying music of my career. Then the elbow blew out, you know the rest.
If you could jam with anyone, who would it be?
That's easy. Guitarist Hawksbrother Kirouana and drummer Gary Sherow, my old bandmates from the SuperWindows. We spent a huge amount of time recording jams and improvised music. We would then dig through these recordings for inspiration when writing new songs. After a while we developed an almost telepathic ability to play improvised music that sounded as if it had been written and rehearsed. A most satisfying experience.
What's the biggest audience you ever performed to? What's the smallest?
Roy Atkinson put together a band to record an album which was done live at The Chance in Poughkeepsie, NY. The place was sold out so there had to be 450-500 people crammed in there. Then I remember a gig with a band called Men in Debt where the band outnumbered the audience. I guess that happens to everyone. I remember going to see NRBQ at a place in Mt. Tremper NY called the Horseman. There couldn't have been more than 20 people in the room. They did two hour and a half sets and played like they were having the time of their lives...As for most memorable: that had to be the time we played on a Thursday night that also happened to be Beer night as well as St. Patrick's Day. The place was full of bikers. Someone drove a motorcycle onto the dance floor in the middle of the 1st set. At this point the band was becoming concerned that maybe the crowd was becoming just a touch too rowdy, so in an effort to calm things down we decided to stop in the middle of whatever song we were doing and play a nice soothing lullaby. Unfortunately, for some odd reason the lullaby we chose to play (a real nightmare version of Born to be Wild) practically incited a riot. Much alcohol was consumed, hilarity ensued...we barely escaped with our lives
You're stuck on a desert island and only get to bring one album with you. What do you pick?
King Crimson - USA. Bassist John Wetton just blew my mind wide open...Everything changed for me after hearing this record.
'Tis the season for collaboration!!!! Hi boys and girls, it's your old pal Tedd here. I just want to take a minute to wish all of my fellow Fandals the best of the holiday season. I also wanted to let you all know that my latest collaboration with Staffan Fenander is now up over on Staffan's page (see the comments section for a link). For those of you who aren't familiar with Staffans work, you should do yourself a favor and hurry over there without delay. Staffan is not only an extremely talented singer and guitarist, he is truly one of the most gracious people I've ever had the pleasure of knowing and working with.
Staffan and I both share an admiration of the band Little Feat in general, and Lowell George in particular, so when he suggested we cover a Little Feat tune, I didn't take much convincing. Staffan sent me his version of Roll em Easy, a beautiful but obscure song from the Dixie Chicken LP, and I set to work learning the parts. Everything was going along pretty well until it came to putting together a solo (there isn't one on the Little Feat recording, so I was on my own). Nothing I was coming up with was really doing it for me so I sent a preliminary mix back to Staffan and suggested that maybe he would like to add the solo. He replied that he really wanted a lap steel solo and would I try again? As I flailed around trying to come up with something I started to move away from Lowell George and toward Adrian Belew territory. Fearing that I had drifted a little too far off the path I sent the track back to Staffan to get his opinion, fully prepared to have to start over from scratch (again). Lucky for me Staffan is a pretty open minded guy and didn't mind me taking it in a slightly odd direction.
Anyway, it's up now on Staffans page for your listening pleasure. Hope you like it! To those of you who might have already heard it we thank you for your time and comments and support! Enjoy the holidays! All the best, Tedd



Tedd Vanwagner
- Lap steel
Photo
Shokan, New York
Hi boys and girls! It’s your old pal Tedd again. What an amazing couple of weeks I just had! Two of my very favorite musicians here on Fandalism asked me to contribute tracks to their projects. I was all over that like a dog on a pork chop!! The first invite came from Staffan Fenander over in Torsby, Sweden. Staffan is a GREAT guitarist and singer with a huge musical vocabulary, and a vast storehouse of cool songs, stories and musical history. He sent me some tracks to choose from and we settled on “I Can’t Be Satisfied,” that great old Muddy Waters tune. No sooner did I finish the tracks for that one, than I get an e-mail from Doug Steigerwald out in San Francisco. Doug is not only an extremely talented guitarist/singer/songwriter, but is also an amazing recording engineer. His scratch tracks sound way better than my finished product. He’s written a song called “My Situation” and thinks maybe it would sound good with some lap steel on it, and would I like to play? I thought I’d died and gone to Heaven. Suddenly it’s raining pork chops, if you will.. And as fate would have, both of these collaborations were posted on Fandalism on the same day (Sunday, November 11,2012)!!! I’ll post links to them in the comments. Please check out these two amazing players, if you haven’t already done so. If you have already heard our efforts I thank you for your generous comments and support. Plans are already afoot for more…Thanks everyone!!!!




Tedd Vanwagner
- Lap steel
Photo
Shokan, New York
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8 1/2 - a musical homage to Federico Fellini. Features Melani Cholie (vocals, lyrics, melody, video) and yours truly (everything else). A short, proggy thing....




Tedd Vanwagner
- All instruments
Video
Shokan, New York
Throw Your Head Off - Head Light. Hi everyone! Long time. Here's a song my friend Hawks wrote called Throw Your Head Off. He did the lead vocals and I played everything else. Hope you dig!




Tedd Vanwagner
- Tyho
Video
Shokan, New York
The Creature - Halloween 2021. Thunderbucket returns with this light-hearted romp written by Sleepytime Gorilla Museum. A musical allegory that demands to be played LOUD!!!!!




Tedd Vanwagner
- The creature
Video
Shokan, New York
A Shot of Love - Some funky prog. Melani Choli - all vocals, melody, video. Janice Zamb - lyrics. Tedd VanWagner - music, all instruments/programming, audio. Play it LOUD!!!! Hope you all enjoy it!




Tedd Vanwagner
- A shot of love
Video
Shokan, New York
Not a Clown - Original music from Head Light. Some things never change. Play it LOUD!!!




Tedd Vanwagner
- Not a clown
Video
Shokan, New York
Breath of Life - New music from Head Light. Hawksbrother Kirouana Paddaquahum - words, music, arrangement, lead vocal. Tedd VanWagner - all instruments, BG vocals, arrangement, audio & video.




Tedd Vanwagner
- Breath of life
Video
Shokan, New York
The Thing Strikes was written by Henry Mancini for the 1953 film It Came From Outer Space. Lately I've been trying to learn how to program orchestral instruments more effectively/realistically so I combined that with my love of vintage horror/sci-fi movie soundtracks. Enjoy!




Tedd Vanwagner
- The thing strikes
Video
Shokan, New York
Crazy 'bout an Automobile. Written by Billy "the kid" Emerson. Been covered by a couple different artists (most notably Ry Cooder), but never got too far away from it's original shuffle arrangement. Then my daughter turned me on to a version by the acapella group Rockapella. Their arrangement dropped the song into half time and turned it into a doo-wop song. That got me thinking, and this is what happened. Enjoy!




Tedd Vanwagner
- Everything
Video
Shokan, New York
The Garden of Eden - a Melani Cholie/TeddVanWagner collaboration. Original song about the haves and the have-nots. This is a piece of music I find myself returning to for some odd reason. I wrote the first version as an instrumental named Algebra about 10 years ago. Since then, Thunderbucket used it as a launch pad for a song called No Place For You that ended up as one of our Halloween projects. After that a really bizarre version called Starve Doodle appeared on the Head Light cd. I was rearranging it yet again when I had the bright idea of asking Melani to put a vocal on it, and it again flew off in an unexpected direction. Get ready for some serious social commentary. Melani Cholie - words, melody, all vocals. Tedd VanWagner - music, all instruments & programming, audio & video. Please enjoy (play it loud...).




Tedd Vanwagner
- Instruments
Video
Shokan, New York
Where Have You Been Before? Melani Cholie - lyrics, melody, all vocals, video. Tedd VanWagner - music, guitar, bass, programming, audio




Tedd Vanwagner
- Anything that makes noise.../happy spring!
Video
Shokan, New York
The Captain of my Soul - Original music from Melani Cholie & Tedd VanWagner. Some advanced funk for your Sunday!




Tedd Vanwagner
- This & that
Video
Shokan, New York
Shining - New original music from Melani Cholie and Tedd VanWagner. A song about the unpredictable nature of dreaming.




Tedd Vanwagner
- Anything that makes noise...
Video
Shokan, New York
11780 Disco Donnie's Dance Party (if you’re a Trump supporter you should probably skip this one)
Unless you’ve been living under a rock you are probably aware that on Sunday, January 3, 2021, there was a phone call between Donald Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, during which Trump pressured Raffensperger to “find” enough votes to hand him the election. You’ve probably heard soundbites from this conversation on the news, but most people don’t have the time or patience to sit through the entire call, which lasted just over an hour. So as a public service, I have taken excerpts of the relevant parts, set it to a snappy disco beat, and added some photos to set the mood. I started working on this before the insurrection occurred and had second thoughts about posting it at all, but I figure what the hell – we could all use a laugh right about now. Headphones recommended. Play it loud.
PS: Everything on the soundtrack was actually said during the phone call. All of it.




Tedd Vanwagner
- Bass
Video
Shokan, New York
Lark's Tongues in Aspic Pt 2 - A cover of the King Crimson song by Useful Mutant




Tedd Vanwagner
- Anything that makes noise...
Video
Shokan, New York
Evil - Original prog featuring Melani Cholie (all vocals, lyrics, melody). Due to other commitments, I was unable to participate in the annual Halloween project this year. Then this happened.




Tedd Vanwagner
- Anything that makes noise...
Video
Shokan, New York
The Porter's Jig - Free Salamander Exhibit (cover). FSE is an experimental rock band from Oakland, California, that is made up of former members of Sleepytime Gorilla Museum. The Porter's Jig is an instrumental that is a feature of their live shows. Like most bands that earn the bulk of their living from touring they are probably slowly starving due to the current pandemic, so if this kind of music appeals to you I'm sure they would appreciate your support. Hope you enjoy! Headphones recommended. Cheers!




Tedd Vanwagner
- Everything
Video
Shokan, New York
Indiscipline – a cover of the song by King Crimson. Featuring Kent (FiveG) Taylor on drums. You may have seen a FB post touting the poetic stylings of Donald Trump. We set it to music…. Headphones recommended. Please enjoy, and if you don’t, try not to get too worked up about it.




Tedd Vanwagner
- Agitator
Video
Shokan, New York
Believe It - Protest music from Head Light. This one is a little rough around the edges, but given the current situation here in the US we felt it important to get this out there as soon as possible. Hawks and I would like to thank Aleah Long and Yaniyah Pearson for their vocal contributions to this.




Tedd Vanwagner
- Everything
Video
Shokan, New York
Einstein's Vacation by Useful Mutant. Remember when Niels Bohr dosed Big Al with LSD? Good times....




Tedd Vanwagner
- Everything
Video
Shokan, New York
Cry a While - cover of the song written by Bob Dylan. Enjoy! (that's an order).



Tedd Vanwagner
- Lap steel
Video
Shokan, New York
Party til the Money's Gone - a cover of the song by The World Famous Headliners




Tedd Vanwagner
- Everything
Video
Shokan, New York
You can check out the video and song over on Pat's Fandalism page: https://fandalism.com/thefatmouth/eWwO
Cheers, all!




Tedd Vanwagner
- Bass & lap steel
Video
Shokan, New York
BEHOLD!!!! Thunderbucket has returned for the 2019 Halloween Project! This year, Albert DeSoto, Channon Reed, Kent Taylor and yours truly have crawled out of our respective crypts to present to you Museum Glass, a cover by the band Skeleton Key. Please to enjoy - headphones good. Please visit Al, Chan and Kent on their Fandalism pages for more wacky stuff!




Tedd Vanwagner
- Guitar/guitar synth
Video
Shokan, New York
Tri Clops MHC by Useful Mutant. I played an early mix of this for a friend. His impression was that it sounded like a mental health crisis set to music, so when it came time to produce the video I embraced that idea. This is a modified version of a song I wrote a few years back for the Head Light CD called The Tyranny of Expectation, Please enjoy (headphones recommended).




Tedd Vanwagner
- Everything
Video
Shokan, New York
That Voice in Your Head? (it's not Jesus...) - Useful Mutant. A brief ambient public service announcement.




Tedd Vanwagner
- Everything
Video
Shokan, New York
Useful Mutant – Can't Complain. This one goes out the Alan “Stig” Jones, without whom this song would never have been written. A few years ago Stig and Pat Clarke spearheaded the Great Experiment here on Fandalism in which a bunch of the folks here all wrote songs based on a chord pattern that Stig wrote. This is the one I came up with for the occasion. Stig is currently in hospital and isn't feeling his best at the moment, so I thought I'd trot this one back out in an attempt to cheer him up! Feel better soon, my friend!




Tedd Vanwagner
- Useful mutant
Video
Shokan, New York
Useful Mutant – The Rabbit (not the insect…). This is a remix/remaster of a song I posted a few years ago. It was originally inspired by a snippet of music I heard as a child while watching cartoons. This one (and others soon) is also available on the major streaming sites (Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music, etc.). Check me out on Spotify and add me to your favorites and playlists! https://open.spotify.com/artist/1O0VyMgyPlvalNZW67ihVo
Cheers, all!




Tedd Vanwagner
- Useful mutant
Video
Shokan, New York
Useful Mutant – The Occassional Danse. This is a remix/remaster of a song I posted a little while back. I am also beginning to place my original music on the major streaming sites (Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music, etc.). Check me out on Spotify and add me to your favorites and playlists! https://open.spotify.com/artist/1O0VyMgyPlvalNZW67ihVo
Cheers, all!




Tedd Vanwagner
- Useful mutant
Video
Shokan, New York
Supply and Demand - new music from Head Light. A song about materialism/consumer culture. Being a musician is hard enough. Being in a relationship with one is no picnic either. Many of these relationships disintegrate up contact with the "artist lifestyle...."




Tedd Vanwagner
- Lap steel
Video
Shokan, New York
Stockport Stomp - Written by Nige Robinson & Pat Clarke and originally posted to Fandalism about four years ago. I loved it the first time I heard it, so I recorded a lap steel part (unknown to both Nige and Pat), then promptly forgot all about it until last week when I stumbled onto it in a dark, dusty corner of my hard drive. So, here it (finally) is! Enjoy!




Tedd Vanwagner
- Lap steel
Video
Shokan, New York
Madonna and Child – more original music from Head Light. A song about watching your child starve to death while on the other side of the planet tons of food are thrown away every day. Words, music, guitar and bg vocals by Hawksbrother Kirouana Paddaquahum. Guitar, lap steel, bass, programming, audio & video production by yours truly.
We are joined on this song by three of the most talented people I have ever been in the same room with. Anais Wolf performed all the vocals in the introduction. Yaniyah Pearson performed background vocals, chanting and bone language. Aleah Long performed the lead vocal, background vocals and chanting. Hawks and I are in your debt.
Please enjoy. Cheers!




Tedd Vanwagner
- Lap steel
Video
Shokan, New York
Sleeping With My Teeth Clenched – new original music from Head Light. One mans lament about the current socio-economic climate.. Words, music and lead vocal by Hawksbrother Kirouana Paddaquahum. Dobro, lap steel, bass, piano & drum programming, audio & video production by yours truly. Please enjoy. Cheers!




Tedd Vanwagner
- Lap steel
Video
Shokan, New York
When The Lights Go Out!!!! 2018 Halloween Project! SURPRISE!!!!!! We decided to post early....Have fun!




Tedd Vanwagner
- Anything that makes noise...
Video
Shokan, New York
Behind the Scenes: The Halloween Project/Name the Band Contest. The video THEY don't want you to see!!!!!!!




Tedd Vanwagner
- Psa
Video
Shokan, New York
The Witch's Music Box - More Semi-Ambient Music for Impatient People (Halloween edition).



Tedd Vanwagner
- Anything that makes noise...
Video
Shokan, New York
Halloween Project/ Name the Band Contest. Join the fun! All are welcome! https://www.facebook.com/groups/115333852484390/




Tedd Vanwagner
- Anything that makes noise...
Video
Shokan, New York
Meanwhile, at the Renaissance Disco... An instrumental in the style of Gentle Giant. I was trying to write an intro for a different song, but I ended up with this one instead.. Headphones suggested. Please enjoy!




Tedd Vanwagner
- Everything
Video
Shokan, New York
Ted Bundy Takes a Nap (and has a dream...). This the final installment of Semi-Ambient Music for Impatient People. This one got away from me a little bit...Headphones recommended.




Tedd Vanwagner
- Lap steel synth/ programming/ etc
Video
Shokan, New York
The Deep Blue Question. We're born. We live. We die. More Semi-Ambient Music for Impatient People.




Tedd Vanwagner
- Lap steel/ programming/ etc...
Video
Shokan, New York
In The Hour Of Scampering - Part 2 of Semi-Ambient Music for Impatient People.



Tedd Vanwagner
- Lap steel/ programming/ etc...
Video
Shokan, New York
We Thought You Were Dead
My interest in ambient music has recently been rekindled. Here is what I think about most ambient music. I like it when I'm getting a message, or trying to go to sleep. The rest of the time it doesn't really do anything for me (except if it's “creepy” ambient music. I could listen to that stuff all day). I think the problem is, for me, it just goes on too long without going anywhere. If I'm going to listen to a 20 minute piece of music, it better have a payoff. For me, there's a fine line between entertainment and endurance. There are obvious exceptions to this here on Fanda - Tommy and Pierre just to name two. I also find music with no obvious rhythmic element vaguely uncomfortable. So after thinking about these things, I wrote a couple of pieces with the idea that they should have at least some kind of pulse, and also not exceed 3 or 4 minutes in length. After I wrote them I also figured out that some sort of accompanying video might help hold peoples interest, but the video can't be too interesting or the music will end up taking a back seat. Anyway, here's the first one. It's called “We Thought You Were Dead.” Welcome to Semi-Ambient Music for Impatient People.
Also – Things in my life are very hectic at the moment so there may be a delay in my acknowledgment of your comments. Please accept my apologies in advance… Cheers, Tedd




Tedd Vanwagner
- Lap steel synth/ programming/ etc
Video
Shokan, New York
In the Jailhouse Now – a Pat Clarke/Tedd VanWagner Collaboration. Pat and I recorded this one about 3 years ago, We had planned to put together a proper video, but events conspired and we never got around to it. The song was written by Jimmie Rodgers back in the 1920s and subsequently covered by everyone from Johnny Cash to Clint Eastwood (really), so we had a lot of different versions to assemble an arrangement from. Anywho….give it a listen, hope you like it! Cheers, all!
Pat Clarke – Harmonica & Vocals
Tedd VanWagner – Guitar, Lap Steel & Vocals




Tedd Vanwagner
- Guitar/ lap steel/ vocals
Video
Shokan, New York
Head Light - The Tyranny of Expectation. Here's another song from the Head Light cd that was recently released. Hope you enjoy it!



Tedd Vanwagner
- Everything
Video
Shokan, New York
Within You Without You – this is our arrangement of the song written by George Harrison that appears on the Sgt. Pepper album. This one covers a lot of ground stylistically speaking... Ambient to Rock to Scary Stuff and back again. Big fun! Please enjoy! Features Hawks Brother Kirouana Paddaquahum on vocals, slide guitar, percussion and native flute, and yours truly on guitar, bass, lap steel, programming and percussion.
Please join us on our FaceBook page at https://www.facebook.com/UsefulMutant/ Each week we will be streaming a new song from the cd, posting video and adding other interesting (hopefully) content. Like our page and help us build a community of similar minded people where you can post videos of your cat, pictures of what you had for breakfast, and discuss the weighty topics of the day. Hope to see you there. Thanks for listening! Cheers!
PS: When I was creating the Head Light band page over on Facebook some weird gremlin manifested itself during the set-up process. Over half the people listed as friends on my FB profile did not show up on the list when it was time to invite friends to the Head Light page (grrrrrr). If you didn't receive an invitation, consider yourself officially invited.




Tedd Vanwagner
- Guitar/guitar synth
Video
Shokan, New York
This is a Test – the title track of the recently released CD by Head Light. This number features Hawks Brother Kirouana Paddaquahum on guitar and lead vocals, myself on bass, guitar, lap steel, programming, audio and video. We are joined on this one by Aleah Long and Yaniyah Pearson on backing vocals. Words and music by Hawks. This song is about tests both literal and figurative. Sometimes your knowledge gets tested. Other times it's your spirit.
Please join us on our FaceBook page at https://www.facebook.com/UsefulMutant/ Each week we will be streaming a new song from the cd, posting video and adding other interesting (hopefully) content. Like our page and help us build a community of similar minded people where you can post videos of your cat, pictures of what you had for breakfast, and discuss the weighty topics of the day. Hope to see you there. Thanks for watching! Cheers!
PS: When I was creating the Head Light band page over on Facebook some weird gremlin manifested itself during the set-up process. Over half the people listed as friends on my FB profile did not show up on the list when it was time to invite friends to the Head Light page (grrrrrr). If you didn't receive an invitation, consider yourself officially invited. Don't be shy now, c'mon over!




Tedd Vanwagner
- Guitar/ bass/ lap steel/ etc...
Video
Shokan, New York
Greetings fellow Fandals! For the past couple of years I've been using my increasingly limited creative time in an off-line project writing and recording music with my long time friend Hawks Brother Kirouana Paddaquahum, which explains my dwindling appearances here in Fandoland. Our “band,” (such as it is) is called Head Light and we will be releasing a CD entitled “This is a Test” on Friday, September 15th. The video here contains excerpts from some of the songs. Some of it is pretty accessible, and some of it is downright strange (those of you familiar with my work will no doubt not be surprised at that…) So, have look and let me know what you think! I look forward to your comments, criticisms, death threats and referrals to mental health professionals.
Also! Please take a moment to visit our FaceBook page at https://www.facebook.com/UsefulMutant/
After the official release date we will be streaming complete versions of songs, posting video and adding other interesting (hopefully) content. There will be a link to our BandCamp page should you so desire to make a purchase (shameless self promotion). Like our page and help us build a community of similar minded people where you can post videos of your cat, pictures of what you had for breakfast, and discuss the weighty topics of the day. Hope to see you there. Thanks for watching! Cheers!




Tedd Vanwagner
- Multi
Video
Shokan, New York
Music Collab - The Story in Your Eyes
The video can be seen by clicking one of the following links:
http://fandalism.com/themelvinator/en8r
http://fandalism.com/xtra/en8s
Also, please take a moment to visit the pages of my fellow musicans on this project to hear some really outstanding music!
Remco Heemskerk: http://fandalism.com/heems
Annemiek Beex: http://fandalism.com/micks01
Joan Berly: http://fandalism.com/sillygirl
Bob Clements: http://fandalism.com/xtra
Marc Roberge: http://fandalism.com/mroberge
Mel Donovan: http://fandalism.com/themelvinator




Tedd Vanwagner
- Bass
Video
Shokan, New York
King Crimson cover of Level 5 - featuring Richard Trudeau, Peter Goindi, Bill Watkins, Fred White, and your humble servant. The video can be seen here: http://fandalism.com/bodhisattva435/ed3H Please take a moment to visit the pages of my collaborators for more fine and interesting musical adventures. Thanks, everyone!




Tedd Vanwagner
- Bass
Video
Shokan, New York
Cash? Beer??? PANCAKES??????




Tedd Vanwagner
- Guitar/guitar synth
Video
Shokan, New York
Soul Love - a David Bowie cover by Sheepshanks. This is the 3rd alternate version of this song to be posted over the last couple of days, so here's the story behind that.
Jim (Jenkin) had been invited to submit a track for consideration of the annual Fruits de Mer David Bowie cover compilation CD. He picked this song (Soul Love) and suggested we try to put a reggae spin on it. Everyone who heard the end result or played on the project thought it sounded great. Unfortunately, the guy at the label who makes the decision about what goes on the CD didn't agree (not a reggae fan, this guy). So with three days to go before the submission deadline I decided to re-record the guitar tracks (since that was supplying most of the reggae flavor), and also I recorded a lap steel solo in an attempt to put on some more distance from the reggae feel. Unfortunately, the guy at the label still didn't go for it, as the song just didn't mix well with the other submissions he planned to use. Oh, well. Anyway, that's how we ended up with multiple versions of the same song.
SHEEPSHANKS:
Jim Jenkin - producer, keys, bg vox (http://fandalism.com/videojim)
Chris Reid - percussion, horns (http://fandalism.com/bopster)
Andy Gay - drums (http://fandalism.com/pixelpusher50)
Simian Crease - lead and bg vox (http://fandalism.com/simiancrease)
Amy Crown - bg vox
Tedd VanWagner - guitars, bass, lap steel
Please take some time to visit the pages of my co-conspirators. Thanks a bunch for stopping by!
Cheers, Tedd




Tedd Vanwagner
- Guitar/ bass/ lap steel
Audio
Shokan, New York
Never Quit (Before You Try) - Albert DeSoto, Channon Reed and Tedd VanWagner. Hope you like it!




Tedd Vanwagner
- Lap steel
Video
Shokan, New York
Daddy's Little Secret - original music from Albert DeSoto and Channon Reed, with added insanity from Kent Taylor and myself. I'm pretty sure this song is about infidelity, although at one point we discussed the idea that the little secret was daddy sneaking out at night , putting on spandex and a leather mask, and competing on the semi-pro wrestling circuit. Have a listen and then check out some more cool stuff from my co-conspirators...
Albert DeSoto: http://fandalism.com/albeone
Channon Reed: http://fandalism.com/chanthemanbassinhand
Kent Taylor: http://fandalism.com/kentavious
Thanks, eveyone!




Tedd Vanwagner
- Lap steel & guitar synth
Video
Shokan, New York
A Gentle Giant collaboration featuring Richard Trudeau, Fred White and myself. Check out the video on Richard's page at http://fandalism.com/bodhisattva435/dZWc




Tedd Vanwagner
- Bass/ guitar/lap steel synth
Video
Shokan, New York
Don't Get Rough - written by HG Schmitz and embellished by Pat Clarke and Tedd VanWagner.. You know it's a good day when Pat Clarke asks you contribute to any project he's working on, and especially if the song was written and produced by HG Schmitz! It's always a pleasure to work with two of Fando's finest!!. This one took the long road, but it has finally arrived. Please give it a listen , and we all hope you enjoy it! Cheers everyone!




Tedd Vanwagner
- Hg/pat/tedd collab!!!!!
Audio
Shokan, New York
Not a Clown - original music written by my friends Hawks Brother Kirouana Paddaquahum, Gary Sherow, Paul O'Reilly and myself. We wrote this over 20 years ago when we were all in a band together. For the past year or so I have been getting together with Hawks every 5 or 6 weeks or so and re-arranging and re-recording some of our old original songs, and this one is the first one finished. We're hoping to present many more.
Hawks - Lead vocal, guitar solo, lyrics, arrangement and production
Tedd - Bass, lap steel & guitar synth, backing vocals, drum programming, audio mix and master, production
Mahatma Kane Jeeves - Ringmaster
Thanks for listening - hope you enjoy it!!
All Rights Reserved
PS: Headphones recommended
I just see bones that are on the street
with a snake on a roof that controls the strings
on these things
They buy a hot dog, they drink a cola,
radiation tube tells 'em what to get
they swallow it.
You need a cool car, to hide your love scar,
blunder through a magazine
to find a life that's peachy keen
You stick your ass out, and glue your hair back
sniffin' down the sidewalk with a big red nose
and funny clothes.
I just bought the tickets for the game
But you see our clothes are all the same
I've got the latest technological devices
I cruise the net for the lowest prices.
You need to wake up, take off your makeup
You can stride with the tide
Just hope the road is good and wide
Here come that bozo, that happy yo-yo
He takes his trip out on the hip
you fear the chair, you feel the whip
You pay your local king, to make your world swing
Put it in his filthy hand
so he can buy a promised land
Go walk a tightrope, inhale your death, dope
There ain't no net, you're goin' down
Are you so sure you're not a clown?
Who's cool this week, Jesus or Satan?
Lady Ga Ga's new haircut's got my heart palpitatin'
This shoe is the finest Italian leather
It's the way I'm really happenin' that keeps me together.
They told you your choice as a new generation
Killed your culture without representation
They provide you pens to learn your clowny relation
To the other graduates of technological mutation
Like a dog on a chain you keep in check
They stole it from the hungry put 'round your neck
so you can show it off at the big, big mall
Oh it's a shame you let 'em whittle yer brain down so small
Those things you crave make yer eyes pop
As you wander 'round the big top
Fashion is fascist, little party stooge
They designed your life so how can they lose?
They take your dough and put it in their pockets
And as the planet blows up in your face from air too toxic
The rich chosen few will head out into space
In absolutely and totally clown funded rockets.
This show is three ring, you do your free thing
Read the past, sweat the present
future, see you're still a peasant
You join the freak show, commercial go-go
Headless man, human worm
Live the dream, accept their terms
You meet the fat man, down in the fryin' pan
Owe him for the cotton candy
Hope the Vasoline ain't sandy
That juggling jester, White House investor
Willing 21st century serf
You fight their wars, you eat their dirt.




Tedd Vanwagner
- Bass/ guitar/ etc...
Audio
Shokan, New York
Message from God - a pre-apocalypse public service announcement. A couple of months ago I saw this hilarious short video on the Onion website in which a newscaster was conducting an interview with God. Before this guy could finish asking the first question a giant flaming skull appeared out of a hole in the sky and reduced him to a pile of ash (I guess you had to be there...).
http://www.onionstudios.com/videos/onn-exclusive-one-on-one-interview-with-god-2182
Most of my original music begins with me thinking "I wonder what it would sound like if (fill in the blank..)." In this case I was thinking: What would happen if God decided to wipe out all life on Earth (after all, He's done it before (allegedly...)). Would we get any warning, or just poof!!! So I decided to create this song and video as a kind of "heads up." Luckily I didn't have to guess about the kinds of things God would be likely to say in such an event, because the Bible is littered with harsh threats by God against humanity.
Disclaimer: I have always had a questioning and skeptical nature about most things in life, including the idea of the existence of a supreme being. I'm not saying that strange, unusual and unexplained things don't happen in this world. I'm just personally not in any hurry to assign a supernatural explanation to any of them. But that's just me. Take this video and it's message with a grain of salt. It is not my intention to mock or belittle anyone else's beliefs (as long as I am not being forced to subscribe to them and they're not being used to justify discrimination or violence...)



Tedd Vanwagner
- Everything
Video
Shokan, New York
October - 2015: The 4th Annual HALLOWEEN Project!!
Greetings, fellow Fandals!! It's that most wonderful time of the year again!! A while back (probably about 6 months ago...) I asked Kent Taylor, Albert DeSoto and Channon Reed if they would like to have a crack at revising an instrumental song I wrote about 4 years ago called Algebra. I gave Al some very vague suggestions for the feel of the lyrics, but other than that I asked them each to put their own personal stamp on it without any limitations from me. Working with Al, Channon and Kent is a truly collaborative experience, because these guys fired off so many great ideas in such a short time I could barely keep up!! About half way through the process we all came to realize that the new song was turning into the perfect vehicle for the Halloween extravaganza, which in turn stimulated work on a matching video. So, here it is!! The song is called "No Place for You," written by T. VanWagner , A. DeSoto, C. Reed, and K. Taylor, arranged by Al and Channon. I handled the audio engineering and production, and Al and Kent produced the video, with input from Channon and myself.
Please take some time to visit the Fando pages of my collaborators on this project.
Albert DeSoto: http://fandalism.com/albeone
Channon Reed: http://fandalism.com/chanthemanbassinhand
Kent Taylor: http://fandalism.com/kentavious
Thanks for watching, and Happy Halloween!!!




Tedd Vanwagner
- Guitar/guitar synth
Video
Shokan, New York
Little Wing Promo - Stop by Mel Donovan's page and check out our collaboration of Jimi Hendrix's Little Wing. Here's the link: http://fandalism.com/themelvinator/dNct
Check out Brice and Marc too!
http://fandalism.com/bricecross
http://fandalism.com/mroberge
Thanks, everyone!!




Tedd Vanwagner
- Bass
Video
Shokan, New York
Einstein's Vacation - This is another of my infrequent original songs, although recently they seem to be becoming less infrequent.
I had a conversation with my friend Hawks a few months back about how the brains of really smart people work, and we decided what separates them from people like me is their ability to hold several complex ideas in their heads simultaneously, and understand how these different ideas interact with one another. That conversation led me to write this musical example of that process in action. It does get a little busy, so you might want to use headphones....Hope you enjoy it!
PS: Hawks is working on a vocal for this one so stay tuned!




Tedd Vanwagner
- Everything
Audio
Shokan, New York
Tanglewood Tree - an international collaboration featuring Valerie Hall Eberlee, Jony Tomelin and Yours Truly . Tanglewood Tree was written by Dave Carter and was recorded by Dave and Tracy Grammer on the 2000 album of the same name. This song was also covered by Chris and Meredith Thompson, which is where I first heard it. This is another song I always wanted to play. In fact I recorded a version of this a couple of years ago, and then discovered that I had no hope of singing it myself, so it sat on the shelf until I realized that Valerie and Jony would be perfect for the song. So here it is!! We hope you enjoy it!
As usual all rights remain the property of the copyright owners. No one involved in the production of the song and video is benefiting financially in any way.




Tedd Vanwagner
- Everything but vocals...
Video
Shokan, New York
The YES Collaboration. Please click here to view the video: http://fandalism.com/bodhisattva435/dFEo




Tedd Vanwagner
- Bass
Video
Shokan, New York
alt.Rumba - A Pat Clarke/Tedd VanWagner collaboration. The actual name of the song is Harlem Rumbain' the Blues, written and recorded by jazz trumpeter Hot Lips Page back in the early 1940s. This is a style of music you don't usually associate with harmonica and lap steel, and that's why we did it!
Pat Clarke - Harmonica
Tedd VanWagner - all the rest
All rights remain with their copyright holder(s). No infringement intended. For educational and entertainment purposes only.




Tedd Vanwagner
- Lots of stuff
Video
Shokan, New York
Edit: Soundcloud links don't appear to work anymore so I'm trying to sneak a link into the description...
https://soundcloud.com/tedd-vanwagner/nothing-to-say-remix-1-29-18
Nothing to Say - Cover of a song by Rabbit Rabbit. Rabbit Rabbit is band consisting of Carla Kihlste... read moredt (violin, vocals), and Matthias Bossi (drums, keys, vocals) and their sometime collaborator Jon Evans (guitar, bass, lap steel). Carla and Matthias are both former members of the experimental rock band Sleepytime Gorilla Museum. The music was written by Matthias and Nils Frykdahl ( also former SGM) and the lyrics are by playwright Michelle Carter. The lyrics pay tribute to the totems of our natural world. We should listen for a change...
Tedd VanWagner - guitar, bass, lap steel, guitar synth, all vocals, drum programming, audio engineering & production
All rights remain with their copyright holder(s). No infringement intended. For educational and entertainment purposes only.
Headphones recommended.
Thanks for listening. Hope you enjoy it! May 17, 2015




Tedd Vanwagner
- Everything
Audio
Shokan, New York
Can't Complain
The EXPERIMENT!!!
Please visit my fellow sonic researchers for more versions of the EXPERIMENT posted today!
Melvin Donovan (http://fandalism.com /themelvinator)
Michael Hamilton-Berry (http://fandalism.com /michaelhamiltonberry)
Albert Desoto (http://fandalism.com /albeone)
Peter Evans (http://fandalism.com /evvowxn)
Also please visit Pat Clarke's Fandalism page (http://fandalism.com/thefatmouth) for more information and a complete listing of experimenters and links to their Fandalism pages.
Thanks for watching, everyone!!




Tedd Vanwagner
- Everything
Video
Shokan, New York
The Link: http://fandalism.com/thefatmouth/dABU




Tedd Vanwagner
- Anything that makes noise...
Video
Shokan, New York
Wined and Dined - a cover of the song by Syd Barrett. Jim Jenkin and Tedd VanWagner. RIP Peter Papp.
http://fandalism.com/videojim/dABD




Tedd Vanwagner
- Lap steel/ bass
Video
Shokan, New York
Elephant Talk - a King Crimson cover. Kent Taylor & Tedd VanWagner




Tedd Vanwagner
- Guitar/ bass/ lap steel
Video
Shokan, New York
They're Out There - Kent Taylor, Ray Loftis & Tedd VanWagner.
http://fandalism.com/kentavious/dxve#_=_




Tedd Vanwagner
- Bass/ odd noises
Video
Shokan, New York
Walk on the Ocean - a cover of the song by Toad the Wet Sprocket. It is my great pleasure to do a project once again with Jony Tomelin, and also to work for the first time with Valerie Doucette Hall. The way Jony's and Valerie's voices sound together is just so beautiful!! When Jony first approached me about this song he asked me if I could add some lap steel, but as usual I went a little overboard...
Jony Tomelin (http://fandalism.com/jcttbo) - Vocals, Acoustic Guitars, Electric Piano
Valerie Doucette Hall (http://fandalism.com/valerieh) - Vocals, Video Production
Tedd VanWagner - Lap Steel, Bass, Guitar Synth, Drum Programming, Audio
Please take a moment to visit the Fandalism pages of my friends Jony & Valerie. You won't regret it!
PS: As usual, all rights for what you are about to see hear remain with their respective copyright holders. This is strictly for educational and entertainment purposes. No one involved in this project is making any money from it in any way.
Thanks for listening - hope you enjoy it!




Tedd Vanwagner
- Guitar synth/ bass/ lap steel/ programming
Video
Shokan, New York
A promotional video for a cover of the great Curtis Mayfield gospel song People Get Ready.
Performed by Sa.Go.Ba (Sam Gold - keys, vocals, programming & production) & Tedd VanWagner (lap steel guitar). The link below will take you to the song on Sam's Fandalism page.
http://fandalism.com/sagoba/dvzD
Thanks everybody!!




Tedd Vanwagner
- Lap steel
Video
Shokan, New York
This video attempts to answer the question that has plagued mankind since the late 1960s: Is it possible to dance to Progressive Rock? Answer: Sort of...
As promised, here is the more widely known version of King Crimson's Discipline featuring Fred White on drums and percussion. This is the version I was working on before I got sidetracked into that funk version I posted a few weeks back.
Check out more of Fred's music at http://fandalism.com/tader
Thanks for watching!
PS: As usual, all rights for what you are about to see hear remain with their respective copyright holders. This is strictly for educational and entertainment purposes. No one involved in this project is making any money from it in any way.




Tedd Vanwagner
- Discipline
Video
Shokan, New York
Discipline – a cover of the song by King Crimson. This is another one of those cases where during the recording the basic nature of the song wandered off in a different direction. Whenever I do a project like this I usually record the bass track first. Since I don’t really like recording to a click track I programmed a simple 4/4 time kick snare pattern: 1-2-3-4-boom-bap-boom-bap. As I was recording the guitar tracks I realized that both the guitars and the drums were solidly prog, but the bass (stick, actually) was coming from a whole different place, namely FUNK! So I began fooling with my basic drum pattern dropping in kick accents here and there. Needless to say I got a little carried away….
So this is the funky version. But fear not, Crimson purists!!!!! My good friend keyboardist/drummer Fred White is busy recording the original drum part for the song, and we’ll put that out there as soon as it’s ready.
Discipline is the mother of all Math Rock songs. There are lots of interweaving parts in various time signatures, so headphones (and maybe a calculator) are recommended.
I do not own the rights to this song. All rights remain with the copyright holder. This performance is for entertainment/educational purposes. No infringement is intended. I receive no compensation whatsoever from the recording of this song.
All instruments (guitars, bass), drum programming and audio engineering/production by yours truly.
Hope you like it! Cheers!




Tedd Vanwagner
- Everything
Audio
Shokan, New York
Greetings Fandals! Here's the latest insanity from Al DeSoto and Channon Reed called Midi Madness. Featuring Albert DeSoto on guitar, vocals, keys and video, Channon Reed on bass, Brice Cross on lead guitar, Harry Thompson on drums, and myself on lap steel and audio production.
It's always a pleasure working with Al and Chan - two of the most creative people I know. This is my first time playing with Brice and Harry, and I have to say they just kick ass all over this one! Big fun - hope you enjoy it!!
If you haven't already done so, please check out what else my fellow collaborators are up to
Albert DeSoto - http://fandalism.com/albeone
Channon Reed -
http://fandalism.com/chanthemanbassinhand
Brice Cross - http://fandalism.com/bricecross
Harry Thompson - http://fandalism.com/hlt




Tedd Vanwagner
- Lap steel
Video
Shokan, New York
The Rabbit (not the insect...) - One of my infrequent original songs. Recorded in late summer, 2014. Based on a snippet of music I once heard in a cartoon as a child. This will give you an idea about what you are about to hear; I played this for a musician friend of mine and his immediate response was, "You know, they have pills now for stuff like this.."
All instruments (Bass, Guitar, Guitar Synth), Programming, Production & Engineering by Tedd VanWagner. All rights Reserved.
Headphones recommended. Hope you enjoy it!




Tedd Vanwagner
- Everything
Audio
Shokan, New York
She's Fallen in Love With a Monster Man.
Greetings Fandals!! Welcome to my 3rd Annual Halloween Video. Actually I should say welcome to "our" 3rd annual Halloween video because this year I have collaborators, co-conspirators, minions, fellow mental patients, you get the idea...
Albert DeSoto (Dracula, Dracula's Sister) - Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals http://fandalism.com/albeone
Channon Reed (Uncle Fester) - Bass guitar, http://fandalism.com/chanthemanbassinhand
Kent Taylor (The Monster) - Drums http://fandalism.com/kentavious
Tedd VanWagner (The Undertaker) - Lap Steel, Vocals, Ringmaster, Small Appliance Wrangler
We kicked around a few ideas for songs and finally settled on "She's Fallen in Love With a Monster Man," originally recorded by Screaming Lord Sutch and the Savages back in 1962. We all really liked the lyrics, but agreed that the music had to go, so Al and Channon did a complete reworking of the music and arrangement. We got started a little on the late side, and I had a bunch of other commitments (musical and otherwise) that I had to deal with, so Al stepped up and grabbed the reins for the video.
BTW: There is an Easter Egg in the video (actually it's more of an apple with a razor blade in it). I won't say where, just that "Patience will be rewarded..."
HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




Tedd Vanwagner
- Lap steel
Video
Shokan, New York
I've been waiting for this from the first time I heard Sam play!! Also a fantastic video courtesy of DOC PROTOOLS!! Hope you enjoy it and thanks for stopping by!
http://fandalism.com/sagoba/df0O




Tedd Vanwagner
- Lap steel
Video
Shokan, New York
Sea of Souls - Kent Taylor & Tedd VanWagner. Original song by Kent Taylor
http://fandalism.com/kentavious/dc7h#_=_



Tedd Vanwagner
- Lap steel guitar/ bass
Video
Shokan, New York
The Lucky One - an original song by Pat Clarke. Back in January Pat sent me some tracks to listen to. He had written this song and was putting it together with some local players and thought it might be cool to turn me loose on it at the same time over on this side of the pond, just to see how two different versions of the same song turned out. It was a strange way for me to work, because I usually touch base with my collaborators several times during the life of a project just to make sure I haven't plowed through the guardrails somewhere along the line, but Pat didn't want to hear it until it was completely finished, since that was the only way to keep our ideas from influencing each others versions.
So here it is!! I hope you all enjoy it (you too, Pat!!)
CREDITS:
Pat Clarke - Songwriter, all vocals, acoustic guitar, video production
Tedd VanWagner - All instruments (guitar, bass, guitar synth, lap steel), drum programming, audio engineering & production




Tedd Vanwagner
- Guitar/ guitar synth/ bass/ lapsteel
Video
Shokan, New York
On Reflection - a cover of the song by Gentle Giant - performed here by Fred White and Tedd VanWagner. Welcome to Tedd & Fred's Culture Corner (or as they say in New York - "Kulcha Kawnuh")!!
This song was written by Ray Shulman, Kerry Minnear & Derek Shulman and first appeared on Gentle Giant's "Free Hand" album. The version presented here is based on a rearranged version of the song that next appeared on their live record, "Playing the Fool." My original plan was to only play a short excerpt consisting of the last 2 minutes or so of the song. Once Fred got involved he suggested we also do the intro up to where the vocal part comes in, and then combine the two sections.
Seeing Gentle Giant perform this song live is one of my most memorable concert experiences. The song starts off as a traditional chamber music piece and finishes in full rock band mode. These guys were all talented multi-instrumentalists, and this song was arranged in such a way as to allow them all to change instruments during the course of the song without any interruption of the performance. It's not that unusual to see one band member change to a different instrument in the middle of a song, but watching five guys do it all at the same time without missing a beat was pretty remarkable. There is video of them performing this song (and many others) on YouTube, if anyone is interested.
So here you go. We hope you enjoy it. Thanks for listening!
CREDITS
Fred White - Keyboards (violin, xylophone, piano, clavinet), drums, vocals, arrangement
Tedd VanWagner - guitar synth (recorder, cello), guitar, bass, audio production
As usual, all rights for what you are about to hear remain with their respective copyright holders. This is strictly for educational and entertainment purposes. No one involved in this project is making any money from it in any way.
Please take some time to visit Fred White's Fandalism page to hear some really cool music!!!
http://fandalism.com/tader




Tedd Vanwagner
- Guitar/ guitar synth/ bass
Audio
Shokan, New York
Time Squeeze - a Melvin Donovan original featuring Marc Roberge on drums, and yours truly on lap steel and bass guitar. My apologies to Mel for the length of time it took me to get to this one, but I was personally experiencing my very own time squeeze. I had a great time working with Mel and Marc on this - pros in every sense of the word! In addition to the cool song you also get an excellent video courtesy of Melody Dawn. Enjoy Fandals!!




Tedd Vanwagner
- Bass guitar/ lap steel
Video
Shokan, New York
Wagon Train to the Stars (aka: The Star Trek Polka). This is what happens when you leave a bored musician/sci-fi geek alone in a room with a guitar synth and no adult supervision. Apologies to Gene Roddenberry. Special thanks to Hamster Theater for the inspiration. The original theme was written by Alexander Courage. All rights remain with their copyright holder(s). No infringement intended. For educational and entertainment purposes only.
Tedd VanWagner - Drum programming, bass, guitar, guitar synth (accordion, french horn, trumpet, female voice).



Tedd Vanwagner
- Everything
Audio
Shokan, New York
One More by Al Desoto and Channon Reed
(Just in case you missed it yesterday...)
A funky little New Alternative Americana Rock tune that is both depressingly positive and positively depressing : )
Kent Taylor - Producer, Sound Engineer, Video Production, Drums, Lead Vocal
Terry “Toothless in Kentucky” Bates - Banjo
Al Desoto - Guitar, Video Production
Tedd Vanwagner - Lap Steel
Lori Oz - Backing Vocals
Pat Clarke - Blues Harp
Channon Reed - Bass
One more to ease the pain!
Take a look at what's inside
The desire's here and the pressure is high
One will do what they have to do
Cause that’s the only way that they can survive
One more to ease my pain
Over and over again
One more to ease your pain!
Getting up and going down
You can bump me, baby
It's a wild ride
You may think that you have to win,
But I don’t give up 'til I get in
One more to ease the pain
Over and over again
One more to kill my pain
Over and over again
One More!




Tedd Vanwagner
- Lap steel
Video
Shokan, New York
Greenman - an XTC cover/international collaboration featuring Jony Tomelin on lead vocal. This song was written by Andy Partridge and appeared on XTCs 1999 album Apple Venus Volume 1. Not only is this the first time I have had the pleasure of working with Jony, it is also the first piece I recorded after acquiring a Roland GR-55 guitar synth.
Remember that line from the movie Field of Dreams: "If you build it, they will come?" That's kind of how this one came together. I had started recording this song in anticipation of my new technological toy, and was laboring under the delusion that I would be able to sing it. Right in the middle of this whole process I got an email from Jony suggesting that maybe someday we might record something together. My reply was something along the lines of: "That day is NOW, and have I got a song for you!"
So, here it is!! We hope you enjoy it!!
CREDITS:
Jony Tomelin - Lead Vocal
Tedd VanWagner - All instruments (guitar, bass, ukelele, guitar synth, percussion), harmony vocals, drum programming, engineering & production
Jony is a wonderful person to collaborate with and a hugely talented musician. Please be sure to visit his Fandalism page to hear more of his work. You won't be sorry!!! http://fandalism.com/jcttbo
As always, all rights for what you are about to hear remain with their respective copyright holders. This is strictly for educational and entertainment purposes. No one involved in this project is making any money from it in any way.




Tedd Vanwagner
- All instruments & programming
Audio
Shokan, New York
Intruder - cover of the song by Peter Gabriel. An international collaboration. One of the things I do as I wander around on Fandalism is I make mental lists of players that I admire, with the idea that someday if I'm working on a project that I think they are particularly well suited for I'll float the idea of a collaboration and see what happens. And that is how this group of players came together for this song.
First up: Drummer Kent Taylor from Buena Park, California. Kent and I have worked together before, and he is always my first choice. The guy can play anything, and play it really well. Enough said.
Next: Keyboardist/multi-instrumentalist Fred White from Seattle, Washington. This song is VERY keyboard heavy, and it was really important to me to have the right guy on this. I have been following Fred on Fandalism for quite some time. Fred and his friends Pat Stone and David Taylor have been posting all kinds of really amazing progressive rock songs by some of my favorite bands, so I knew he'd be perfect for this. When I received the keyboard tracks from Fred I was completely floored - it's almost like he channels this stuff!!
And finally: Vocalist John Wegner from Melbourne, Australia. John is another singer/multi-instrumentalist I have been following on Fandalism for some time. He and his brother Paul are co-founders of the progressive rock band Allomerus. When the idea popped into my head to cover this song, John's name popped in about 2 seconds later. The lead vocal in the original version of this song has a really strange, creepy quality to it, and I just knew that John would be perfect for it.
So I was able to get all the players I really wanted for this one, and they all really come through big time. As always, all rights for what you are about to see and hear remain with their respective copyright holders. This is strictly for educational and entertainment purposes. No one involved in this project is making any money from it in any way.
Please take the time to visit the Fandalism pages of my co-conspirators. They're all making some very cool and interesting music.
John Wegner - http://fandalism.com/allomerus
Fred White - http://fandalism.com/tader
Kent Taylor - http://fandalism.com/kentavious
PLAY THIS LOUD (headphones recommended). Hope you all enjoy it. Cheers!




Tedd Vanwagner
- Guitar/ bass/ slide hammer/ etc.
Video
Shokan, New York
Let's Go the Whole Hog - my 2nd project with the "Funkmaster General", HG Schmitz!! This one is quite different from out first project. You don't usually hear the words "funk" and "lap steel" in the same sentence (let alone in the same song), but HG said, "What the hell, give a try." So, here you go. I hope you enjoy listening to this half as much as I enjoyed putting this one together with HG!!!




Tedd Vanwagner
- Lap steel
Audio
Shokan, New York
Really Wilde - an amazing original tune by Pat Clarke that I was lucky enough to get to play on!
Check it out here: http://fandalism.com/thefatmouth/cXfz#_=_
Enjoy!!




Tedd Vanwagner
- Lap steel
Video
Shokan, New York
Writing on the Wall - written by Adrian Belew, performed by Kent Taylor and Tedd VanWagner. I've been a big fan of Adrian Belew since his days with Frank Zappa, but I sort of lost touch with what he was doing since King Crimson broke up back in the '80s. A couple of months ago I was roaming around on YouTube and thought maybe I'd look him up and I stumbled onto this. First appearing on the studio album Side One in 2005, this song featured Daney Carey from Tool on drums and Les Claypool from Primus on bass, but then I saw a live clip of the Adrian Belew Power Trio playing this particular number. YIKES!!! He's got a bass player by the name of Julie Slick, and she is a real powerhouse! The more I watched the video, the more I wanted to cover this tune, so here it is.
I chose to record this one at a slower tempo than the original for a couple of reasons. First, because I think it grooves better, and second (as long as we're being honest here) I just couldn't play it that fast. My first version of this had programmed drums, but they lacked a certain something. Luckily I was able to get Kent to work his magic. He was able to lock right in on the bass part and give the song a really funky spontaneity.
I'm using a Fender Runaway pedal on the lap steel solo that closes the song. This pedal simulates amp feedback by layering controlled harmonics. However I have discovered that when using a lap steel with this pedal there is nothing controlled about it. Something about using an instrument like the lap steel that has a continuously variable pitch causes this pedal to spit out harmonics unpredictably, which is exactly what this particular tune calls for...
As usual all rights for what you are hearing remain with the copyright holder. This cover is meant for information and entertainment purposes only. If you are a fan of progressive rock, or just insane guitarists in general, do yourself a favor and spend a little time with Adrian Belew, the man who, according to Frank Zappa, "re-invented the electric guitar."
Kent Taylor http://fandalism.com/kentavious - drums
Tedd VanWagner - all the rest...
PUT ON YOUR HEADPHONES AND PLAY THIS LOUD!!!!




Tedd Vanwagner
- Lap steel/ guitar/ bass/ vocals
Video
Shokan, New York
Still No Escape From the Blues - Classic Muddy Waters. An international collaboration featuring Dave Spragge and Pat Clarke. When I originally put this one together the plan was to have Dave Spragge play guitar and Pat Clarke play harp. Unfortunately Pat's computer chose an inopportune time to crap out which prevented his participation, so I recorded a lap steel solo instead and put the song out back at the end of 2013. Now that Pat's computer problems have been successfully resolved I can present the song as I had originally intended!!
CREDITS:
David Spragge - http://fandalism.com/teflondave - Lead Guitar
Pat Clarke - http://fandalism.com/thefatmouth - Harmonica
Tedd VanWagner - All the Rest...
If you want to hear some great music I urge you all to visit the pages of my co-conspirators
As usual all rights for what you are hearing remain with the copyright holder. This cover is meant for information and entertainment purposes only. If you really dig the blues and are interested in the early stuff you can't do better than to check out Muddy Waters' back catalog. Some great songs in there!




Tedd Vanwagner
- Guitar/ bass/ vocals/ drum programming
Audio
Shokan, New York
Political Groove - a Kent Taylor / Tedd VanWagner collaboration. It is my great pleasure to work with uber-musician Kent Taylor. Kent wrote this song, sings all the vocal parts and plays all the instruments except for the lap steel. In this little number Kent enlightens us all as to the current state of the US political system. Actually it applies to political systems everywhere since douche-baggery doesn't seem to recognize any international borders. The only direction Kent provided to me was "If your amp has a knob labeled Evil Greedy Bastard you should turn it all the way up." Well, my amp doesn't have that knob so I had to settle for the "Lying Scumbag" plug-in (pretty much the same thing). My first thought when I heard the lyrics was "my sentiments exactly." Hope you enjoy it - try not to get too pissed off. It's bad for your blood pressure...



Tedd Vanwagner
- Lap steel
Audio
Shokan, New York
I Don't Give a Shit - HG Schmitz and Tedd VanWager. Fandalisms first interplanetary collaboration (I think HG is originally from Mars...). . Usually when someone asks me to play on their song I create and post a promotional video directing folks to the Fandalism page of the person whose song it is. However, after I finished my promo video HG insisted that I post his song to my page as well, so here it is! If you want to hear some of the inside info about this collaboration I invite you to check out the promo video. I've posted that on my YouTube channel and the link is right here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWH4eH1ai0Q and also in the top comment for this video. Hang onto your hats people...Enjoy




Tedd Vanwagner
- Bass/ lapsteel
Audio
Shokan, New York
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