Space Chords Reunion

Well folks, what we thought would never happen happened. The Space Chords Reunion became a reality last night. A rocking crowd welcomed the band back at the Ortega arena. The band went through some old numbers and also introduced a new sound with Pav Wilkinson swapping his bass for a cello. The show was a smashing success and proved that the Space Chords are still a force to be reckoned with.
The Band is apparently working on a new album that will incorporate Pav's cello playing.

After the show I was able to have an interview with Lead guitarest Morgan Smith.

hotair : Its good to see you guys play again. After all this time, how did you decide to get back together?
MS : Mainly because Pav is back from the east coast. He moved there in 2002 and we had our farewell concert at that time. Now that he's moved back, the Chords are back in business.
hotair : How did it feel to play again after such a long break.
MS : great! It was very easy to just start up again. We played for so many years our songs are just etched into our brains.
hotair : You're not tired of the old songs?
MS : Yes and no. I like to play the old ones. There's history in them and thats fun. But we do want to write some new material.
hotair : We heard that there is an album in the works.
MS : Yes. Its just an idea now. We want to write 3 to 4 songs each and combine them to make a great album. Pav will weave the cello into his songs. It should be a very good album.
hotair : We are all looking forward to it. Thank you for taking the time to talk.
MS : The Chords always like to keep the fans informed.

Rockin' with the Flow

The first album is always an enigma. Where did the inspiration come from? Why is some of the magic missing there ever after? How did it all come together?

Rockin with the Flow was recorded in march of 1979 at the Dewey studios in San Francisco. The tracks were laid down in a one week period. The band was living at the studio for the week and pretty much spent all their time either recording or partying and sleeping. Much of the creative energy came from this total immersion technique. In the words of lead guitarest Morgan Smith "That was a crazy week. We were jamming, recording, writing songs non stop"
"Some of the best material was recorded when we were pissed off". "The week was essentially a blur and we never did figure out how we did it all."
Perhaps it is the newness of the experience that makes a bands first effort the most magical. To be sure subsequent Space Chords albums were very good and 'Sooner or Later' even exceeded the sales of 'Rockin with the Flow'. But Rockin' was the only album that had the original lineup. It was also the only album that was recorded with the total immersion technique. I again was able to interview Morgan Smith, lead guitarest for the Chords and get some insight on the recording of that pivotal album.

hotair : Lets start with the songwriting. What was the inspiration for the songs recorded.
MS: Many were great jams that we put lyrics to later. 'Rockin with the Flow' was that way. We had a great jam, listened to the playback and decided it was a song. So we scored lyrics and re-corded it with vocals.
hotair:How about 'Phonecall'?
MS:That one is sort of funny. Yeah, we were jamming a bit and the phone rang. I shouted 'phone call' and we went into this funky jam immediately. It was pretty cool. I scored lyrics about waiting for a phone call. It was actully sort of a love song about waiting for a girl to return a call.
hotair : How about Midway?
MS: Midway was a tune that a friend of ours John Reece played bass. He started playing a line and I figured out some chords that worked. Scored lyrics etc.
hotair:And of course 'Crazy Summer Feeling'
MS : Oh yeah.. Good ole CSF... That is probably the oldest Chords song. I wrote that in the fall of '78 before the Chords were really even formed. It was already written as a complete song so we just laid it down. Had some good jams with it.
hotair:And Cocaine?
MS : Just an old fav. We covered it best we could. I think it turned out pretty well.
hotair : How was the mixing down of the tracks?
MS : It was mostly done as a live/studio style recording. We didn't add any new tracks. Just made sure the balance was good and equalization correct.
hotair : Was there a lot of splitting hairs over which songs to include on the album?
MS: Not too much. It was pretty clear which tracks were the best.
hotair:How about the title track 'Rockin with the Flow'. How did that one come about?
MS:We'll the band was jamming in the studio and I was out. I returned and started to play with them but I was in a really bad mood. So I was playing hard but not thinking it was any good. Later when we listened to the playback, it was crackling with energy. So we made that a track.
hotair:Do you remember that week recording as a good time?
MS: Yes and no. It was fun at times but also work. We had decided to record a real album and that meant it had to be good. If we just goofed off we would've ended up with a bunch of jams but not a publishable work.

Why Dave and Andy Left

Many people asked over the years why Dave Smith and Andrew Ottens left the band. I mean the synergy between band members was awesome. Why would they leave? In addition neither of them pursued music after leaving the Chords. Well, its hard to know personal motivations but the short answer is that they were tired of it. The 'Rockin with the Flow' tour was rock and roll partying on steroids. Months of gigging and partying simply took its toll and initially they simply wanted a break. After some time off though they both decided to move on and ultimately leave the music industry. I recently caught up with Morgan Smith, the lead guitarest of the Space Chords and talked to him about that period.

hotair : Give us some context as to what the early days with Dave and Andrew were like..
MS : Well, like anything at its start, it was intoxicating, fun, unbelievable all at once. I mean once the band formed it was like magic. The jam sessions were so good that its really how we decided to form a band.
hotair: So it was a loss when they Dave and Andy left.
MS: Yes. it was really a blow. In fact it seemed like the end at the time. Pav and I were still interested but they were burned out and just wanted to do something else.
hotair : So how did you and Pav keep it going.
MS : We realized that we still wanted to record/perform and we wanted to do it as the Chords rather than disband and play in other bands.
hotair : Was there really any possibility of playing in other bands?
MS: Not much.. Pav played a little with 'The Forest HillUnderground' which was a reformed version of the old 'Pillar of Fire' but that was about it.
hotair : So you really didn't have a choice.
MS:Well ,we could've just stopped.. so I guess that was our choice.
hotair:Let's talk about how you got by without the extra guitar and drums
MS: Well, for working out song ideas, Pav and I started using a DRM-16 which was an early analog electronic drummer. Then when we needed to lay down tracks, we would use session musicians.
hotair: Were these people ever part of the band?
MS: No. And that was intentional. We only wanted the instruments.
hotair:Do you ever see Dave and Andrew.
MS: Well, I see Dave alot ofcourse. I haven't seen Andy in awhile. Dave and Andy are good friends so they see each other.
hotair: I heard a rumor that Dave has started playing guitar again and this might signal a re-emergence of the Space Chords.
MS: No comment

History of the Space Chords

What can you say about a band like this. The Space Chords. They redefined what it meant to be a rock and roll band. They re-invented the art of songwriting and the craft of delivering live performances. But for all of their momentous talent, they had a suprisingly short life. Perhaps not so suprising. The candle that burns twice as bright burns half as long. And the Space Chords burned very bright. What follows is a synopsis of the history of the Space Chords.

Dig the day in 1978 when Morgan Smith , the lead guitarest of the Space Chords, bought an electric guitar. The first thing he did was plug it into the stereo and blow out a speaker. The rest is history.

Brother Dave Smith already knew how to play the guitar. They started to Jam. Friend Pav Wilkinson quickly joined the lineup on bass. But they needed a Drummer. Initially they invited Shedan Magzi to play. He couldn't but he had a drum kit. So they let Andrew Ottens, who could play, use the kit. The lineup was complete. The Space Chords were born.

They started out playing any and every gig they could get. They quickly cultivated a small but deeply disturbed following. In the Spring of 1979 they set out to record their first album. The Album was titled 'Rockin' with the Flow'. The record featured a mix of original and cover tracks and was an instant classic. A tour followed the record and the legend grew.

After the supporting tour in late 1979 , Dave Smith and Andrew Ottens quit the band. The remaining members Pav Wilkinson and Morgan Smith decided to carry on. In the Summer of 1980 they released 'Basement Rock'. The album was leaner than the first reflecting the loss of the band members. Still, it demonstrated that the Space Chords was indeed an entity that transended the members. It was still the best album by any band that year.

After a rest, the band began working on its third album. It became 'Sooner or Later'. This was the apex. No album, by any band ever , could approach the orginality and blistering performance that was captured on tape. This album spun off several hit singles and sold 8 milliion units. The tour in the summer of 1981 was of epic proportions hitting all the large arenas.

When it was over, exhausted, the band went to a dormant period.
After a 5 year hiatus, the Space Chords booked some appearances at a local blues club. They also focused on a blues sound writing many new bluesy numbers as well as playing the standards. In Spring of 1986 'Charlie Walker' was released. Though not a big seller like the heyday records, it was well received by hardcore blues enthusiasts. Soon again though the Space Chords put away their guitars.

Three years later , Morgan Smith was working on a solo album in the summer of 88. Very dark and moody it was never released but the new activity pulled Pav Wilkinson back into the action and they started recording again in January of 1989. The result was 'Freeride' and represented a return to their hardcore rock and roll roots.

Now after 10 years and 5 albums the Space Chords really started to drop off the radar. It really was over. 10 years passed before the band played again in 1999. A short stint of new material the result was 'Deep Freeze' . An eclectic collection of new songs written by Morgan Smith. The album barely sold enough units to pay for itself but it was well received by avante garde critics.
How 3 years after the last effort, it looks like the Space Chords are gone.


Space Chords Discography

Album Year Hit singles
Rockin with the Flow 1979 Crazy Summer Feeling , Rockin with the Flow
Basement Rock 1980 Basement Rock, Dave, get out of the Bathroom
Sooner or Later 1981 Sooner or Later, Fallen Leaf Song
Charlie Walker 1986 Charlie Walker, My Baby is a bitch
FreeRide 1989 Freeride, Rock and Roll Bicycles
Deep Freeze 1999 Deep Freeze, Don't worry


The Space Chords
Morgan Smith : Lead and Rhythm Guitar, Vocals : 1978-1999
Pav Wilkinson : Bass Guitar, Vocals, 1978-1999
Dave Smith : Rhythm Guitar, Vocals 1978-1979
Andrew Ottens : Drums 1979
Guitars : Fender, Gibson, Memphis
Amps : Heathkit,Peavey,Marshall