lo-fi noise makers: Tom Spacey & The Cohorts

This story began in 1997, so we need to travel back in time and space, and talk about the amazing time with the one and only Tom Spacey and The Cohorts.
The great part of the story is being able to tell you about a band, I would say, one of the greatest from Chicago, from a fan and a fellow Cohort. This comes from someone who cares and wants to tell the story about great musicians and great music who ended up being my friends for decades to follow.

My first meeting with Tom Spacey and The Cohorts was in 1997 at the Bog Theater in Des Plaines, IL, a suburb of Chicago. Our band, Haegers Bend, was playing an all ages show and Spacey was on the the bill.
HB was a fairly known band by this time and we wondered who this Tom Spacey band was because they were headlining the show - we soon found out why!
As they started their set right away, and this is no joke, my reaction was "HOLY SHIT!! THAT'S FUCKING GREAT!!!
The music, the stage show and the band rocking it out on stage.
At first it reminded me of Pink Floyd 1969-1971 era stuff, but as the set and the songs went on, I got the My Bloody Valentine, Cocteau Twins, Brian Eno and I also heard The Verve and Slowdive among other influences. The mix of it all together is something you can only call Tom Spacey in its element. Whether it was a slower, trippy kind of thing or the rockers, it was pure Spacey the entire way. The way the band rocked and interacted on stage together was pure bliss.
And that was Tom Spacey for me from the first show!

From the very start, we hit it off like old friends who knew each other for years. Maybe because we brought our own psychedelic light to that first show or the fact that as we talked as musicians with the same common goal, we hit it off. That being said, we formed a friendship and a bond that would last for decades. We had a music history that makes me a very happy person to be a part of.

This is from my original cassette "Tom Spacey 2.5" from 1996

Silly Things

Since You've Gone

Fresh

End Song

Audio Download

A few times, I was the light guy and the roadie. We were always fellow musicians and friends, HB, including myself, always enjoyed all the time we spent together over the years etc....Paul, my brother and fellow Haegers Bend band member singer/songwriter, was also a Cohort member and played with the band at a few shows.

There is also the the time I took some mushrooms with some of the band at a giant 3 floor party in the city before a show. I was the sound guy for the night...
Funny thing is, I didn't finish up on the board, Paul did. I just kept turning everything up LOUDER> LOUDER> Maybe it was the Mushrooms but, IT FUCKING ROCKED!!!!!

Tom Spacey and my band played a few shows together at The Rockhouse in Rolling Meadows, which was an oasis in the suburbs for original music.

We played shows, we played video games, we got drunk together, and I have to say in some ways I would say, we fed off each other's music and it was a great time for all.

One night, I believe it was Cory who called us up because the band had just receive the finished final version of "Mars Is Eden" and wanted to have a "Play It Loud In The Barn" listening party. It was an amazing night of music and happiness. We also had the great pleasure of visiting the band in the studio during the recording of "Mars Is Eden" that was recorded and produced by Chicago's very own legend, Phil Bonnett. We got to meet and talk to Phil to set up a date to record Haegers Bend's first CD. Sadly, Phil passed away before we could record with him.
He has a long list of amazing recordings that he did.You should check it out. - Click here

Tom Spacey also gave this rare interview - Click here

Another great story I remember is being at Dan's house and I saw a Sitar he had just bought at a pawn shop, I think for like 50 bucks. I remember him joking with me and saying "yeah were gonna use that on the album" and we laughed. Later, he would end up really doing that and using on "Antares" and it blew me away.

Tracklist

Silly Things

Drone

The Lost Dutchman

Since You've Gone

Antares

Brick-A

Baby's Desperate Plea

Oceanic

The Moors

End Song

Since You've Gone (Scar Stripped Mix)

Where Is The Ether Pilot?

Audio

Credits

bass / vocals – Cory Osborne
drums – John Meseke
guitar – Danial Cline
guitar / vocals – Adam Thompson

Notes

All songs written and arranged by tom spacey; except for track 11, written and arranged by tom spacey/scsr and the ether pilot written and arranged by spacey/sigler

Recorded over the summer of 1998 at solid sound, hoffman estates, il
Engineered by : Phil Bonnett
Produced by: tom spacey and phil bonnett
Mastered by: mike hagler at kingsize sound labs, chicago, il
Except for track 11 recorded at bassamerica studios, elgin, il
Engineered and produced by scsr
And the ether pilot which was recorded in part at both solid and bassamerica engineered and produced by phil bonnett, jay sigler, and tom spacey
1998 zeromass records
okgcd01

photos: corinne haas
cover photo: cletus
Layout and art direction: tom spacey and six
construction by six

Before their show at The Metro, Tom Spacey practiced once in "The Barn," the headquarters of Haegers Bend and local music in the burbs for many years.

Here is a recording from that rehearsal

Audio Download

Here is a rare live recording from The Metro in Chicago with songs that maybe would have been on the second Tom Spacey CD.
Sadly, that never happened but we have this amazing soundboard recording that Cory gave me when we worked together.