XPOSED 4HEADS

Much Ado About Nothing

 

 

Overview:

In 1982 Mark G.E. recorded a few songs on a system devised of two cassette recorders and four channel mixer.  XCleaver Terry Tanger hooked him up with Randy Zorn who had a 4 track cassette recorder.  Mark recorded Nice Guy and Rastaman with Randy as the producer.  Soon thereafter, Mark met Bob Jorin while drinking at $1.50 pitcher night at the Century Hall.  Bob Jorin and Mark G.E. spent 1983 postering the Eastside of Milwaukee.  While doing so Mark stepped on one of Bob's floppies and tore it, having to return to the Oriental Drug Store to buy him a new pair.  Later they recorded songs for "Annoying Shit in a Bag."  The release was a package that had a booklet with lyrics and artwork, stickers and the cassette tape in a zip-lock bag.   

Soon DJ's at Milwaukee's WMSE were playing Xposed 4Heads to an unsuspecting audience.  The impression that the band was playing out live was fostered by numerous posters on the Eastside.  The posters would give a club name OR a date, but never both.  Unencumbered by talent, the band's sales zoomed to over 300 copies.  After the assistance of Kansas City musicians from Short-term Memory, the band released "Shindig!" and "Sex on your Face."  The band stopped recording in 1993. With tens of fans, many claim to have seen them, however the band has never played out live, as far as you know. 

   

     Mark G.E. circa 1983

 

A History Xposed

Before the Beginning:

In 1982 Mark G.E. put together a demo tape that he eventually played to Terry Tanger of the XCleavers.  Terry liked the music and hooked him up with Randy Zorn to make 4 track recordings of the songs.  The original demo tape included Mark, The Rah, Derv Garfschmidt and Crayola Gold.  The songs were:

 

 

The Beginning- The First Version of Annoying Shit in a Bag:

Mark began recorded two songs with Randy Zorn in a basement in which the XCleavers rehearsed.  Nice Guy and Rastaman were the results and included performances by Terry Tanger, Carter Hunnicutt and John Gaskel, as well as X4's Crayola Gold, Tray-C, Derv Garfschmidt and John Jankowski. 

After setting up his home "studio" with one microphone, two cassette decks and a 4 channel mixer, Mark acted as social director as they recorded the rest of what would become the first release of Annoying Shit in a Bag.  The early sound was compared to a cross between The Cramps, The Residents and Wall of Voodoo.  There may be ten copies of this version around. 

 

   Crayola Gold on an Eastside Stairway

 

The original set released on the first Annoying Shit in a Bag was:

 

 

The Official Release of Annoying Shit in a Bag:

Nice Guy and Rastaman began getting significant airplay on WMSE by DJ's such as Declan and Paul Host.  Terry Tanger introduced Mark to Bob Jorin and the two decided to get together to work on some new Xposed 4Heads music and Bob's band Baja Koala.  Eventually, the Milwaukee Xposed 4Heads included Bob Jorin, Crayola Gold, Tray-C & John Jankowski with special appearances by Terry Tanger, Carter Hunnicutt, John Gaskel, Derv Garfschmidt (Ted Ehlen), Cricket Bauer (who later became a founding Milwaukee Joy Farmer), and Barb Johnson.  Mark's vision was a band that was a cross between The Cramps, The Rezillos and The Residents, while not succeeding at sounding like anyone of them.

Bob and Mark spent what seemed like months, but may have only been hours, locked away in Bob's bedroom creating strange instruments and experimenting with sound.  Most of the drums used were Tupperware, cardboard boxes and a 5-gallon drums.  The crash cymbal used in Big Weenie is a broken hi-hat cymbal with an old square condenser microphone duct taped to it.  Bob had created a small amplifier for guitars and bass out of an old portable 8 track tape player.  A toy electric keyboard was given a 1/4" input and run through effects boxes.  During recording sessions, anyone in the house was given something to play.  On one track Barb Johnson is playing a guitar pick on a Wisconsin Dells souvenir jewelry box.  The Rah was working on perfecting guitar lines that were infantile and required no talent.  Mark continued to develop a vocal style that was too silly to be taken seriously, only to find himself compared to David Byrne and Stan Ridgeway.  Bob worked to make sure the whole thing had a do it yourself sound.         

After listening back to their work, Mark felt the new material needed to be included on the current tape instead of just working toward a second release.  At that point Neighbors and Kentucky were removed, while Big Weenie, Out in the Jungle, and Ronnie on the Ranch were added.  There is no understandable explanation of why this new material didn't just wait for release on the second cassette.  It is told that the shadowy band member and sometimes TV spokes person, The Rah had influence in this decision.  Given that he was the most wacked-out member of the group, no one is sure why anyone would listen to him. 

 

                The Rah

 

The "New Improved" set was released as follows:

 

 

The Kansas City Years:

At the height of XposoMania in 1983, Mark moved to Kansas City.  At that time he met Jim Skeel and the rest of Short-term Memory.  He recorded new material with them, but didn't release it until he returned to Milwaukee.  Instead, while living in Kansas City, he kept recording with the Milwaukee band members.  During his time in Kansas City the X4's released Shindig!  The recordings included a mixture of both Milwaukee and Kansas City folks; Bob Jorin, Crayola Gold, Theresa Ala Mode (Prixie), Terry Tanger, The Rah, Barb Johnson, The Rahtones (aka Amazing Caverns), and Stephan Angelos.  In 1984, the second release was ready.  The songs on Shindig! included:

 

In 1986, Xposed 4Heads released Everything's Fine on the Center of the Universe Kansas City Music Compilation.

 

 

Back in Milwaukee:

When Mark had moved to Kansas City, he almost immediately befriended band members from Short-term Memory.  Eventually he recorded with Jim Skeel, John Paul, Robert Duckworth and Max L. Ray.  Also included were the Amazing Caverns and Theresa Ala Mode.  This music was not released at the time.  Mark moved back to Milwaukee in 1987 and continued to record with Bob Jorin and The Rah, a mysterious member who had appeared on all of the recordings in some capacity. 

 

 

          Jim Skeel

 

Eventually, there was the release of Sex on Your Face, which included:

 

 

Presently Xposed:

In the late 1990's 19 T-shirts, included Bob Jorin doing a rockin' version of And Give Me, which is available on their CD. 

In 1999 Xposed 4Heads released a digitally re-mastered CD of many of the best low fidelity recordings. The CD includes cover art by Milwaukee Artist Heather Shinn and these songs:

CD $8ppd

 

 

Click designated tracks to hear MP3 sample:

 

Review From Shepherd Express - Local Grooves July 29th, 1999

Lead Xposed 4Head Mark G. E. went on to public access cable fame on MATA with his acclaimed "Joy Farm" show, but not before a few years of lo-fi rock shenanigans whose wit and proficiency varied. Along with sophmoric penis paeans, the 4head's satirical gaze encompassed East Side hipsterism, Rastafarianism, hunting and hypocritical televangelists. The band's self-distributed tapes have now been reissued on a CD that has its moments: With better production, "Just Think" could have been the band's psychedelic new wave dance club smash. Those who remember and are truly jonesing for '80's nostalgia will want this CD.

-Jamie Lee Rake

 

As Heard on WMSE

 

Other Mark G. E. Projects