Summer Solstice (and Summer Home)

Greetings and happy Summer Solstice!


This is just a quick near re-post - a couple tracks - and then I'm out.


As the story goes..."Summer Home" is one of those rare tracks that has been recorded twice (I think three times actually). It is one of my favorite Rain Station tracks. In the summer of 1992, Hoagie Malone (Jay Moores) began coaxing musicians for his recording project "Equator". These sessions produced 33 tracks. Originally released as "Khaki Circus" by Equator, Hoagie felt that the recordings between he and mopehead (Mark Harvey) were going particularly well, so when mixing time came, the 33 tracks became two separate releases. Rain Station was born with the release "Criminal Goat" and Hoagie released the rest as "Equator". "Summer Home" was one of the tracks on "Criminal Goat". Jay recorded drum tracks in his large Mission Street house. I'd come over and record guitar tracks to his tracks and then he'd flesh out the rest. On the original "Criminal Goat" version of "Summer Home" the bass track was played by Jay's buddy Dave Mintim.


Here's the "Criminal Goat" version of "Summer Home"...

A year or so later I moved out to the Sunset (from the Peninsula) and after a few roommates came and left I convinced Jay to move out of the Mission and out towards the ocean. The place we lived in was fairly large and allowed for setting up and playing (as a band).

Tony Iuppa (my buddy who played bass in The Screaming Paisleys) joined us as did a friend from work, Brian Peet (on drums). Rain Station (the band) was formed and we recorded a three song demo to shop around for gigs. Jay and I also named our home in the Sunset The Rain Station.
"Summer Home" was one of the tracks we recorded for our three song demo - this time on my 4-track. "Summer Home" was added to "Fancy Fancy" as were the other two songs we recorded - "Widdershins" and "Quiet Morning".
Here's the "Fancy Fancy" version of "Summer Home"...

Jay and I have yet to record a version of "Summer Home" on something better than a 4-track. I'm sure someday we will as we both love the tune.

Remember, all of my CDs are available for purchase at Nobody Records.

Be sure and support independent music and purchasing CDs from us!

Mark Harvey

Fancy this!

Rain Station's "Fancy Fancy" is a combination of tracks written at different times and put together by Jay and I as a sort of compilation CD. The CD features tracks recorded by Jay and I, Brian Peet and I and by Jay, Tony Iuppa, Brian Peet and I. Soon after Jay's recording project gave us "Criminal Goat" I moved to San Francisco with Tony Iuppa and Yun Shin, but after a short while Tony and Yun decided that the commute to the Peninsula was just too tough so they wanted to move out. Jay was living in San Francisco's Mission District, I was in need of some roommates and since Jay's living situation was a bit..let's say, different, I convinced him to move into the house in the Sunset. For a time Jay and I tried to put together a "live" act with Jay on vocals (and sometimes acoustic guitar), Tony Iuppa (The Screaming Paisleys) on bass, Brian Peet on drums and me on guitar. We recorded a three song demo in our Sunset livingroom (re-recording "Summer Home", "Widdershins" and "Quiet Morning") with the hopes of getting some gigs and gaining some momentum, but it didn't pan out as it was really tough to get together and rehearse. Unless you're living together, as Jay and I were, it is nearly impossible.
So since Jay and I were living together we had the ability to create whatever whenever the feeling hit us. The "SOB Puppet Hour" was born out of this living arrangement. Jay and I recorded "Hold The Sky", "Solitude", "More Out Of Life", "Smile Like A Monster", "Empty Home" and "Fancy Fancy" in various rooms of what became The Rain Station.

I got engaged and decided to move in with my fiance, Jay got more roommates and eventually moved to New York (where he met his wife). During that time Brian Peet (here) and I recorded some tracks together - some on his gear - some on my gear (which I upgraded from a 4-track tape machine to a digital 8-track recorder with MIDI capabilities - the same gear I have today). To test out the gear, I recorded "The Place I Once Came From" and "Slice A Piece Of Heaven" with Brian lending vocals on the tracks. We recorded in his (much better studio) some tracks for his Syrinx project. Brian had access to a pro studio and he wanted to try out recording some of my old mopehead tunes so we did "It's A Good Day" there with Brian playing drums and lending backing vocals and me recording guitar, bass as well as singing. "It's A Good Day" is by far the best engineered and sounding track on the CD and it is one of the things that motivates me to get new gear.

Like "Criminal Goat" you may not like some of these tracks, but keep listening as you may find one that you do dig.

Thanks agan for reading,

Mark Harvey

Rain Station - a band from the Mission on a mission

Hey kids! Mark Harvey here with another update - a Bandcamp update. As you all know I've been gettin' as much of my music up on Bandcamp since it is pretty much the coolest thing I've found in recent years. Now, better than ever you can listen to Rain Station from my blog, put it on your website or blog and just Rain Station out! Fantastic! I decided to title this entry "Rain Station - a band from the Mission on a mission" since technically Rain Station was born out of Jay's Mission Street place. "Criminal Goat" was recorded there and from that the project Rain Station was born. Jay and I are family - brothers - and we are so pleased to share our music with you. It may not always be what is commercially popular and sometimes you have to acquire a taste for it, but believe me I am sure you'll find at least ONE track that you'll want to hear over and over. At least one. So with out further delay, have a listen (please), let me know what you think and keep Jay and I motivated to keep this little project called Rain Station moving. I will be posting these over the next few days...here's the Criminal Goat stream...

Thanks for reading.

Mark Harvey

Nobody Records on Bandcamp!

Well...after the Criminal Goat EXPLOSION we've just experienced here's a post that might just give you more of what Nobody Records has to offer. I've put up pages at Bandcamp.com and plan on filling up those pages with all of the tracks I have available. The great thing is that you can listen to all of the CDs, download the tracks you want and pay very little for each of the songs you like. You can also download entire CDs for very little.

So far I've got links for the following artists:

mopehead here

Rain Station here

Mark Harvey here

Look for more additions (coming soon).

Have a listen, download some tracks and support indie music!

Mark Harvey

Step by Step Criminal Goat- Track 15 of 15

Well...the Criminal Goat posts are coming to an end with this FREE MP3 download. And since we've come to an end I thought that I would once again post the story of Criminal Goat and Rain Station. As many of you know Jay and I are working on the next Rain Station "experience" and we're creating music using the "Criminal Goat" method of recording. There are two versions of the "Criminal Goat" story (which is the Rain Station story) floating around. I'll post both and maybe Jay and I can decide which one is accurate. I know at some point we wrote both of these accounts...maybe it is supposed to be a mystery. Maybe they are both correct.

Oh...and as you may or may not be aware:
Hoagie Malone = Jay E. Moores
mopehead = Mark Harvey
Version one:
In the summer of 1992, Hoagie Malone began coaxing musicians for his recording project "Equator". These sessions produced 33 tracks. Originally released as "Khaki Circus" by Equator, Hoagie felt that the recordings between he and mopehead were going particularly well, so when mixing time came, the 33 tracks became two separate releases. Rain Station was born with the release "Criminal Goat" and Hoagie released the rest as "Equator".

Version two:

"Criminal Goat" was recorded over the summer of '93 at two locations in San Francisco on an old Tascam 4-track.The formula consisted of Hoagie Malone recording beats with two different drum sets, mopehead would then record guitars and/or bass, then guest musicians would come in to record (guitar, bass,keys), and finally Hoagie Malone would write lyrics and do the finishing touches before mopehead and Hoagie would do the final mixes.
OK...now that you've been reacquainted, here is a FREE MP3 download of "Dandylions" (click here to download) (link disabled)taken from Rain Station's Criminal Goat CD. Jay made a Flash video of the song (here). Again, Jay on drums and vocals, me on bass and guitar. This rivals "Summer Home" for my favorite track on the CD. This is vintage Rain Station and a great way to finish off the "Criminal Goat" blog entries.



I hope you have been enjoying the FREE tracks. All I ask is that you please drop me a comment. All of Rain Station's CDs are available for purchase at NobodyRecords.com.




Be sure and support our art and independent music by purchasing CDs from us.

Many thanks for tuning in,

Mark Harvey (a.k.a. mopehead)

Click here if you can't figure out where you're supposed to click to download the song. (link disabled)

Step by Step Criminal Goat- Track 14 of 15

Hey everyone. You know, I've been really enjoying posting the Criminal Goat tracks here on my blog. As I write these posts I listen to the track du jour over and over and get inspired by it. It inspires me, but at the same time it bums me out. I would love to record more with Jay. The freedom we had back when Criminal Goat was recorded is now long gone as Jay and I both have kids and responsibilities. My job takes a lot out of me and then when I'm done at work I'm off to go home to be a husband and father. The Sundays with Jay have been great and I'm looking forward to the finished product of the current recording sessions. So on to the next track in this extravaganza! Here is a FREE MP3 download of "Move Again" (click here to download) (link disabled) taken from Rain Station's Criminal Goat CD. More creeping guitar and bass tracks from yours truly and drums and vocals by Jay. This is yet another creepy Rain Station track.

I hope ya'll like it...

Mark Harvey (a.k.a. mopehead)

Click here if you can't figure out where you're supposed to click to download the song.

(link disabled)

Step by Step Criminal Goat- Track 13 of 15

This may have been a better choice for 4/20 - more floaty Rain Station heavy mellow music for you. We've nearly made it through the whole disc and if you've been keeping up you've gotten Criminal Goat for FREE. How about that? So here is a FREE MP3 download of "Against The Knife" (click here to download) (link disabled) taken from Rain Station's Criminal Goat CD. Again, Jay is playing drums and singing and I'm playing bass and guitar. This is another one of those tracks that I can just listen to over and over.

Enjoy the FREE track and please drop me a comment.

Remember, Rain Station CDs are available for purchase at NobodyRecords.com.

Be sure and support independent music by purchasing CDs from us.

I hope you enjoy this one,

Mark Harvey (a.k.a. mopehead)

Click here if you can't figure out where you're supposed to click to download the song.

(link disabled)

Step by Step Criminal Goat- Track 12 of 15

Happy 4/20 everyone! This rockin' song might not be the right vibe for Bob Marley's birthday, but what the heck...I'm not posting these songs out of order. I'm not sure what this song is about - Jay's lyrics are a bit random, but I love 'em. I have many favorite tracks on Criminal Goat and this is one of them. I like the way Jay says "backyard" - you can really hear his Maine roots. Here is a FREE MP3 download of "Pullin' Up Some Nails" (click here to download) (link disabled) taken from Rain Station's Criminal Goat CD. Jay is playing drums, singing and adding sound effects. I'm playing guitar and bass.

What do you think?

Mark Harvey (a.k.a. mopehead)

Click here if you can't figure out where you're supposed to click to download the song.
(link disabled)

Step by Step Criminal Goat- Track 11 of 15

WARNING! This song contains some language that might not be suitable for the YOUTH. Jay commuted for years taking BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit). He lived in Berkeley, Oakland and San Francisco. He worked for some years in Hayward. Certain parts of the BART line can be a little surly, but mostly the surrounding areas. There was a time when crime surrounding MacArthur Station was in the news particularly the disappearance and murder of Francia Young. So Jay wrote a song about "people disappearing from MacArthur Station". Here is a FREE MP3 download of "MacArthur Station" (click here to download) (link disabled) taken from Rain Station's Criminal Goat CD. Jay on vocals and drums (and sound effects) and I'm playing guitar and bass.

Be safe out there,

Mark Harvey (a.k.a. mopehead)
Click here if you can't figure out where you're supposed to click to download the song.
(link disabled)

Step by Step Criminal Goat- Track 10 of 15

What is Rain Station? Well, most people know of Rain Station as being Jay E. Moores and Mark Harvey, but Jay and I have often enlisted other musicians in an attempt to heighten our enjoyment of music making and get more brains in on the process. We're always seeking inspiration from others. Today's FREE MP3 download is "I Can't Fly" (click here to download) (link disabled)taken from Rain Station's Criminal Goat CD. This is another one of those tracks that I can listen to over and over again. Jay on drums and vocals and I recorded two guitar tracks. The floating jazz guitar solos are by Gary Brain. As Jay said the other day when we were recording, "This sounds like Rain Station". "I Can't Fly" sounds like Rain Station.

Please enjoy the FREE track and please do drop me a comment.

Rain Station CDs are available for purchase at NobodyRecords.com.

Many thanks for reading and listening,

Mark Harvey (a.k.a. mopehead)

Click here if you can't figure out where you're supposed to click to download the song.

(link disabled)

Step by Step Criminal Goat- Track 9 of 15

Years ago when Jay and I were living together we'd hang out in the living room with our acoustic guitars and play and sing. Our CD "The Living Room Sessions" epitomizes this time of our lives (songs captured live with two mics and a portable DAT recorder). Today's free track is "Slap On The Back" - a track recorded with the same mindset as "The Living Rooms Sessions". We were hanging out in Jay's room in the Mission District of SF (from what I recall there were a few of us) and Jay started playing this song he wrote. I added another guitar and some vocals and there you have it. Another song recorded. So, here is the FREE MP3 download of "Slap On The Back" (click here to download) (link disabled) taken from Rain Station's Criminal Goat CD. From what I understand Jay began playing (or had been playing) this song at a camp that he was a counselor at - Camp Tapawingo, in Sweden, Maine.

I hope you enjoy this track as much as I do.

Mark Harvey (a.k.a. mopehead)

Click here if you can't figure out where you're supposed to click to download the song.

(link disabled)

Step by Step Criminal Goat- Summer Home - Track 8

This is a repeated blog entry. Since I already wrote about "Summer Home" I figured I'd get lazy and just repost the entry. Plus this being Easter Sunday there are eggs to hunt...
So...here goes...

"Summer Home" is one of those rare tracks that has been recorded twice (I think three times actually). It is one of my favorite Rain Station tracks. As the story goes...In the summer of 1992, Hoagie Malone (Jay Moores) began coaxing musicians for his recording project "Equator". These sessions produced 33 tracks. Originally released as "Khaki Circus" by Equator, Hoagie felt that the recordings between he and mopehead (Mark Harvey) were going particularly well, so when mixing time came, the 33 tracks became two separate releases. Rain Station was born with the release "Criminal Goat" and Hoagie released the rest as "Equator". "Summer Home" was one of the tracks on "Criminal Goat". Jay recorded drum tracks in his large Mission Street house. I'd come over and record guitar tracks to his tracks and then he'd flesh out the rest. On the original "Criminal Goat" version of "Summer Home" the bass track was played by Jay's buddy Dave Mintim.
I moved out to the Sunset (from the Peninsula) and after a few roommates came and left I convinced Jay to move out of the Mission and out towards the ocean. The place we lived in was fairly large and allowed for setting up and playing (as a band).
Tony Iuppa (my buddy who played bass in The Screaming Paisleys) joined us as did a friend from work, Brian Peet (on drums - pictured left). Rain Station (the band) was formed and we recorded a three song demo to shop around for gigs. Jay and I also named our home in the Sunset The Rain Station.

"Summer Home" was one of the tracks we recorded for our three song demo - this time on my 4-track. "Summer Home" was added to "Fancy Fancy" as were the other two songs we recorded - "Widdershins" and "Quiet Morning".

Jay and I have yet to record a version of "Summer Home" on something better than a 4-track. I'm sure someday we will as we both love the tune.

So...here you'll find the FREE MP3 downloads of "Summer Home".

"Summer Home" by Rain Station found on "Criminal Goat" (here) (link disabled)

"Summer Home" by Rain Station found on "Fancy Fancy" (here) (link disabled)

So this "Criminal Goat" entry comes with the bonus "Fancy Fancy" version.

Enjoy the FREE tracks and please drop me a comment.
Remember, all of my CDs are available for purchase at Nobody Records.
Be sure and support independent music and purchasing CDs from us!

Mark Harvey

Step by Step Criminal Goat- Track 7 of 15

Here is a FREE MP3 download of "Heated Afternoon" (click here to download) (link disabled) taken from Rain Station's Criminal Goat CD.
Here's another clunky ditty for ya...giving you one minute twenty seven seconds more of THE GOAT. I'm sharing vocals duties with Jay on this one.
Know your goat!

Mark Harvey (a.k.a. mopehead)

Click here if you can't figure out where you're supposed to click to download the song.
(link disabled)

Step by Step Criminal Goat- Track 6 of 15

Here is a FREE MP3 download of "Bull Whisky" (click here to download) (link disabled) taken from Rain Station's Criminal Goat CD. This song is certainly...special... I'm not sure what Jay is singing about - Bull Whisky? I found a brand called Black Bull, but Jay doesn't drink so who knows? Guess I'll have to ask him.

Rock on,

Mark Harvey (a.k.a. mopehead)

Click here if you can't figure out where you're supposed to click to download the song.
(link disabled)

Step by Step Criminal Goat- Track 5 of 15

Here is a FREE MP3 download of "Fade Away" (click here to download) (link disabled) taken from Rain Station's Criminal Goat CD. I like the vibe of this one - I'm playing bass and guitar and doin' some background singin' - Jay's got the drum track (all of these songs began that way) and singin' as well as handlin' the sounds and samples. It is a short tune - just over two minutes.

Many thanks for readin', commentin' and possibly downloadin' the free track,

Mark Harvey (a.k.a. mopehead)

Click here if you can't figure out where you're supposed to click to download the song.

(link disabled)

Step by Step Criminal Goat- Track 4 of 15

How nice...the fourth installment of the Criminal Goat blog posts on April 4th. Nice how that worked out. Here is a FREE MP3 download of "Along The Way" (click here to download) (link disabled) taken from Rain Station's Criminal Goat CD. I hope you enjoy the track and leave me a comment if you would.

Enjoy the FREE track,

Mark Harvey (a.k.a. mopehead)

Click here if you can't figure out where you're supposed to click to download the song.

(link disabled)

Step by Step Criminal Goat- Track 3 of 15

Here we go...OK everyone...he comes the third installment of fifteen. If you keep visiting you'll eventually have the entire CD - for FREE! So, here's the FREE MP3 download of "He Went Away" (click here to download) (link disabled)taken from Rain Station's Criminal Goat CD. Creepin' into your ear holes..."He Went Away" is a slimy, slinky track that Jay and I recorded during the Goat sessions.
The track is a bit creepy, but you all know that Rain Station can get a bit creepy...so there.

Enjoy the FREE track and please drop me a comment.

Remember, Rain Station CDs are available for purchase at NobodyRecords.com.

Be sure and support independent music by purchasing CDs from us.

Thank you for visiting,

Mark Harvey (a.k.a. mopehead)

Click here if you can't figure out where you're supposed to click to download the song.

(link disabled)

Step by Step Criminal Goat- Track 2 of 15

So to keep the download fest going, here's track two - a FREE MP3 download of "Attack At Dawn" (click here to download) (link disabled) taken from Rain Station's Criminal Goat CD.
Enjoy the FREE track and please drop me a comment.
Remember, Rain Station CDs are available for purchase at NobodyRecords.com.

Be sure and support independent music by purchasing CDs from us.


Many thanks,

Mark Harvey (a.k.a. mopehead)

Click here if you can't figure out where you're supposed to click to download the song.

(link disabled)

Step by Step Criminal Goat- Track 1 of 15

Since Jay and I are embarking on the next Rain Station "experience" and since we're creating music using the "Criminal Goat" method of recording (if there is such a thing) I thought I'd post tracks from "Criminal Goat" and as time goes by you will become familiar with that project, thus this new project. I found two versions of the "Criminal Goat" story (which is the Rain Station story) that I'll post and maybe Jay and I can talk 'em over and decide which one is accurate. I know at some point we wrote both of these accounts...maybe it is supposed to be a mystery. Maybe they are both correct.

Oh...and as you may or may not be aware:

Hoagie Malone = Jay E. Moores

mopehead = Mark Harvey

Version one:

In the summer of 1992, Hoagie Malone began coaxing musicians for his recording project "Equator". These sessions produced 33 tracks. Originally released as "Khaki Circus" by Equator, Hoagie felt that the recordings between he and mopehead were going particularly well, so when mixing time came, the 33 tracks became two separate releases. Rain Station was born with the release "Criminal Goat" and Hoagie released the rest as "Equator".

Version two:

"Criminal Goat" was recorded over the summer of '93 at two locations in San Francisco on an old Tascam 4-track.The formula consisted of Hoagie Malone recording beats with two different drum sets, mopehead would then record guitars and/or bass, then guest musicians would come in to record (guitar, bass,keys), and finally Hoagie Malone would write lyrics and do the finishing touches before mopehead and Hoagie would do the final mixes.

Here is a FREE MP3 download of "Sound Of The Summer" (click here to download) (link disabled) taken from Rain Station's Criminal Goat CD. I could listen to this song over and over. At the end of the song the guitar solo by Gary Brain amazes me...really caps off the track. Vintage Rain Station and a great way to start off the "Criminal Goat" blog entries.

Enjoy the FREE track and please drop me a comment.

Remember, Rain Station CDs are available for purchase at NobodyRecords.com.
Be sure and support independent music by purchasing CDs from us.
Many thanks,
Mark Harvey
(a.k.a. mopehead)
Click here if you can't figure out where you're supposed to click to download the song.

(link disabled)

Summer Home - a dual FREE MP3 Experience

Greetings and salutations! As we quickly approach Thanksgiving I wanted to say "THANK YOU" to all of those who've been reading my blog. I hope you've enjoyed the free mp3s I've posted. It is rare when I record a song twice (unless we're talking about a "live" version), but there are some songs that I like so much that they end up recorded again in an effort to make a better quality recording (or better version).

"Summer Home" is one of those rare tracks that has been recorded twice (I think three times actually). It is one of my favorite Rain Station tracks. As the story goes...In the summer of 1992, Hoagie Malone (Jay Moores) began coaxing musicians for his recording project "Equator". These sessions produced 33 tracks. Originally released as "Khaki Circus" by Equator, Hoagie felt that the recordings between he and mopehead (Mark Harvey) were going particularly well, so when mixing time came, the 33 tracks became two separate releases. Rain Station was born with the release "Criminal Goat" and Hoagie released the rest as "Equator". "Summer Home" was one of the tracks on "Criminal Goat". Jay recorded drum tracks in his large Mission Street house. I'd come over and record guitar tracks to his tracks and then he'd flesh out the rest. On the original "Criminal Goat" version of "Summer Home" the bass track was played by Jay's buddy Dave Mintim.

I moved out to the Sunset (from the Peninsula) and after a few roommates came and left I convinced Jay to move out of the Mission and out towards the ocean. The place we lived in was fairly large and allowed for setting up and playing (as a band).

Tony Iuppa (my buddy who played bass in The Screaming Paisleys) joined us as did a friend from work, Brian Peet (on drums - pictured with Jay and I). Rain Station (the band) was formed and we recorded a three song demo to shop around for gigs. Jay and I also named our home in the Sunset The Rain Station. I took a photo of our house last time I was in SF that I've posted.

"Summer Home" was one of the tracks we recorded for our three song demo - this time on my 4-track. "Summer Home" was added to "Fancy Fancy" as were the other two songs we recorded - "Widdershins" and "Quiet Morning".

Jay and I have yet to record a version of "Summer Home" on something better than a 4-track. I'm sure someday we will as we both love the tune.

So...here you'll find the FREE MP3 downloads of "Summer Home".

"Summer Home" by Rain Station found on "Criminal Goat" (here)

"Summer Home" by Rain Station found on "Fancy Fancy" (here) (links disabled)

I plan to add more early Rain Station and mopehead tracks in the coming months.

Enjoy the FREE tracks and please drop me a comment.

Remember, all of my CDs are available for purchase at Nobody Records.

Be sure and support independent music and purchasing CDs from us!

Mark Harvey