Dave Grazynski recently turned back time.
And he did it by producing a CD compilation of songs from campus concerts that took place in the fall of 2002. Until now, those Friday and Saturday night concerts were but a memory.
The compilation, “Last Night’s Escape,” took Grazynski, ’04, over a year to complete. Overcoming numerous delays and setbacks, it was released officially on Aug. 1.
The chain of events that led to its production began in the summer of 2002, when Grazynski founded Last Night’s Escape Records (LNE) with the intention of producing professional records for bands, but soon started a concert series out of a necessity for shows in the area.
At these concerts, the Ham Channel and Recording Club worked closely with WVOF to record the shows either at the campus center or at the Levee for the then-titled compilation “And the Levee Broke…” which was supposed to be released as a two-disc set in January or February 2003.
It was after the last show was recorded that the problems began; LNE dissolved, problems involving the final mixes of the songs arose, and some record companies didn’t return e-mails or calls for months at a time.
“Towards the end of the recording and mixing process I became increasingly nervous with both the sound of the CD and the contracts relating to the bands being on it,” Grazynski said. “Luckily a majority of the bands that I wanted on it eventually approved it, however, it was last minute.”
One thing remained solid: Grazynski’s production of a compilation CD. Now a single disc release with a new title, “Last Night’s Escape” is a tight package with 20 songs, nine of which are live recordings.
“I’m kind of relieved and happy now that it is out,” he said, and admitted that he is thinking about doing another similar project. “Instead of doing a compilation,” he said, “my idea is to make an album that is a collaborative effort of musicians from Fairfield or around the area.” He went on to mention that his new project is still in the early stages.
“Last Night’s Escape” can be purchased in the bookstore on campus. Outside of Fairfield it can be found online at www.interpunk.com by searching for “Last Night’s Escape” or Asbestos Records. According to Grazynski, “It will be available in most independent record stores.” He’s currently waiting for confirmation from the distribution labels.
So what’s this CD like? Well, if this current CD is any indication of what Grazynski’s future projects will produce, he’s golden. In fact, the CD is gold colored, and it looks as good as it sounds.
Highlights of the album include This Blue Holiday’s live version of “Favored Words,” whose instrumentals are extremely similar to that of U2 of the early nineties. A slower paced song, “Favored Words” offers a respite from the faster-paced songs in the album without disrupting the flow of the compilation as a whole.
“Skyscraper” by Tarmak features the only female vocals and is the longest song in the compilation (followed by “Favored Words”). It starts off like a Tori Amos song, almost reminiscent of Amos’ song “Raspberry Swirl”, only less repetitive, with more elements of rock. Again, a slower song, but stays in balance with the other songs.
The Red Hot Valentines’ “Bring Back the Good Times” starts off like an older No Doubt song sans Gwen Stefani, with some synthesizer sounds that seem to come straight from No Doubt’s “Return of Saturn” or even “Tragic Kingdom” albums. Otherwise it sounds a little like Good Charlotte. No Doubt and Good Charlotte? It’s a good mix if it sounds like this.
Well, Grazynski did “Bring Back the Good Times”. For those who were in attendance at those concerts two semesters ago, listening to “Last Night’s Escape” makes it seem like last night all over again.
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