The Diary of St. Idiot, the only recording by The Stangebyes

1993. I was twenty-three and fresh to New York when I got the call from a friend I had played music with at college: We had access to a couple weeks of recording studio all to ourselves. Did I have any scraps of song we could make something out of?

The best way to bring it all to an end may just be to record what you can. Which is what we did. Some kind of very young swan song. I found some of the tapes laying around yesterday, and felt like it might be nice to bury this project a little more publicly. All my love to David Houk, who poured so much of his time and devoted persnicketyness into this, Michael Van Houten who, as is so typical of him, just makes every bit of music he touches breathe an entirely natural breath, and Chris Caruso, who can shred music like no one else. It was, if I remember correctly, quite fun. Though I have always been prone to being tortured by these things.

--Kristofer

Here's what it sounds like:

Tangled (mp3 sample, 981kB)
Riverside (mp3 sample, 899kB)
The Diary of St. Idiot (mp3 complete, 5mB)
The Return of the Heat (mp3 sample, 1.5mB)
Falling Down a Hill (mp3 sample, 923kB)
Softshoe (mp3 sample, 994kB)
This Little Light (mp3 sample, 1mB)

TANGLED
text and music by KRISTOFER WIDHOLM

KRISTOFER: vocals, electric guitar.
MICHAEL: hammer dulcimer, drums, bass, congas, tambourine.
DAVE: electric guitar, organ.
KERRY J. HAPS: claves.

RIVERSIDE
text and music by KRISTOFER WIDHOLM

KRISTOFER: vocals, acoustic guitar, jazz guitar.
DAVE: electric guitar, bass.
MICHAEL: drums.
GREGG BARKER: tricky bass thing.
BRIAN ERICKSON: saxophone.
background snapping, clapping, and hollering: Ben Miranda, Thad Salter, Emily Loeks, Charis Fliermans, Brian and Michelle Erickson, Kerry J. Haps.

The Diary of St. idiot
text by KRISTOFER WIDHOLM
music by C. CARUSO, K. WIDHOLM, D. HOUK, M. VAN HOUTEN

KRISTOFER: vocals, electric guitar.
MICHAEL: drums, keyboard marimba, piano bass, backing vocals.
DAVE: bass, acoustic guitar, electric guitar.
CHRIS CARUSO: electric guitar, feedback guitar.
NOELLE WILLIAMS: violin.

The Return of the heat
text by KRISTOFER WIDHOLM
music by DAVE HOUK and KRISTOFER WIDHOLM

KRISTOFER: vocals.
MICHAEL: drums, bass, backing vocals, tambourine.
DAVE: electric guitars, acoustic guitar, organ.

Falling Down a Hill
text and music by MICHAEL VAN HOUTEN

MICHAEL: electric guitars, drums, bass, vocals, tambourine.
DAVE: guitars on second verse.
KRISTOFER: backing vocals.
KERRY J. HAPS: shakers.

Softshoe © 1990, Cat's Pajamas Music
text and music by KRISTOFER WIDHOLM
music by C. CARUSO, K. WIDHOLM, D. HOUK, M. VAN HOUTEN

KRISTOFER: vocals.
DAVE: piano, electric guitar, cowbell.
MICHAEL: drums, background vocals, 12-string guitar.
CHRIS CARUSO: bass, electric guitar.
SCOTT FILKIN: euphonium.

This Little Light of Mine
text and music by KRISTOFER WIDHOLM

KRISTOFER: vocals, Sears guitar.
MICHAEL: drums, backing vocals.
DAVE: keyboard, bass-verb.

Cover of The Stangebyes' album 'The Diary of St. Idiot'
Produced by DAVID HOUK and THE STANGEBYES.
Recorded to 8-Track at Studio B, at Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinoise.
Engineered by DAVID HOUK. Assistant Engineer: DORAN STAMBAUGH.

Digital Editing by MARTIN BAUMGAERTNER. Cover photograph by GREGORY HALVORSEN SCHRECK. Layout: TIM SAUDER and JON SPOELSTRA.

Thanks to: Doran Stambaugh, Greg Schreck, Gregg Barker, Ben Miranda, Chris Garrison, Matt Halteman, James Scott, Tim Sauder and Jon Spoelstra, Sara Hendren, Kerry J. Haps, Bruce Knowlton, Noelle Williams, and Martin Baumgaertner.