Available here and the TEE PEE RECORDS ANNEX.

This lost album, recorded in early September 2009, is the last to feature original drummer and founding member Greg Beadle, as well as guitarist Matty Smart. Though the bulk of the music came from me and John, Greg had a firm hand in the arrangement, tone, and overall approach to the album: big rock, tracked live, minimal overdubs, no ballads, no harmonies, and no acoustic guitars (if possible). These directives were delivered with a healthy dose of, “Your way didn’t work, so now it’s my way or no way,” which I couldn’t help but take personally rather than constructively at the time. While we were game to try this approach, I slightly resented it, which now I can see hurt my feelings because it had a slight ring of truth to it. Keep in mind that we were trying very hard to “make it” – get a record deal, agent, national recognition … And while we had achieved a great fan base in the Northeast and some radio play in Boston, we were still unable to attract any serious industry interest after 3.5 years of unceasing efforts. Nevertheless, to Greg’s deserved credit, he and Chris worked very hard to get big, live, unique drum sounds – adeptly using 1867 Recording Studio’s massive room as an instrument itself, and often inventing new techniques to capture what he was imagining. The drums, and album, undeniably sound great.

There was a rushed feel to making this album, as though we had to get it completed, recorded, and out in 2009 (though we had released 2 full-length albums in 2008). Throughout the summer, sustaining gainful employment in the Boston area became increasingly difficult and stressful for Matt. Matty’s band involvement, physically and mentally, was noticeably diminishing as he was increasingly forced to travel north to find work. In spite of the crunch, Chris’ patience and skill allowed us to get the album down in only a handful of days and make spectacular rough mixes, which is what you are actually hearing. Had he not mixed on the fly to save us time and money, this album very well may never have seen the light of day.

That summer we teamed up with the newly-formed King Yum company, who were eager to make a splash with Township. While King Yum liked elements of the album, they did not feel it was complete, like it could be stronger, have more songs, better songs, etc. Therefore, King Yum opted instead to release the Vol.1 collection, featuring our most popular songs from the first 2 EP's and full-length albums. With the focus shifted to Vol.1, no more time and money was put toward LIFE STARTS TONIGHT for a proper mix and master, leaving it shelved in the hard drive, seemingly forever. With the new company seeking to introduce the larger world to Township, packaging our already sizable catalog into a single-serving dose seemed a sounder use of resources than leading with a new album. The decision made sense at the time, as touring and promotion were being put in place to bring us farther across the US than ever before.

With Alejandro replacing Matt later that fall, the band largely spent the next year-and-a-half touring Life Starts Tonight, an album that no one could buy, as we sold and promoted Vol.1. Al’s live contributions to those songs immediately showcased two things: He was immeasurably talented and also had a keen ear as to where to fill in the gaps that had fallen prey to a lack of time to fully develop (check out the Live at Mad Oak Studios album!). The more Al became an integral member of the band, the further the album drifted from our minds as we looked toward the future. By late 2010 we had parted ways with Greg, written much of what would become One More Summer, and Life Starts Tonight felt more like the work of a different band. Now, all these years later, far removed from the emotions and situations that drove the album into and out of existence, it sounds fresh, alive, and a great capture of that volatile yet special line-up before Township phase 2 began in earnest.
MWP