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Snake Gun Man

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Limited release studio album. All tracks remastered and reissued on the The Warrios Ethos compact disc.

Release Info
Cover Art
Band Memoirs

Release Info

Tracks

Taco Lunch
Candy
Holy Noly
Tube Sox
Hangin' Around
The Adventures of Snake Gun Man
Lovey Dovey
Hair Pulled Back
Kinder on the Mirl

Kar – vocals, guitars, synthesizer, and percussion
Mr. Ed – guitars, keyboard, backing vocals, and percussion
Ran – bass guitar
Spike – drums, backing vocals, and percussion

Guest:
Cassie Reed – vocals on “Taco Lunch”

Written, performed, and produced by The Blanks. Recorded at B.S. Records, Houston, TX; Prince Studios, NYC; and Rock Ramano's Red Shack, Houston, TX. Mixed by Rock Ramano at Rock Ramano's Red Shack, Houston, TX. Produced by The Blanks.
©1999 The Blanks.

1999: First issue, promotional release, compact disc, Blanks Enterprises.
2000: All tracks re-released on The Warrior Ethos compact disc, with additional new tracks. Snake Gun Man is now out of print.
2008: All tracks available on the reissued, remastered The Warrior Ethos CD, compact disc, Blanks Enterprises.

Cover Art

Click for larger image:

Cover

Band Memoirs

This album was one of the most heavily produced albums in the bands history. At the time it was also Blanks Enterprises' largest budgeted album. We took advantage of everything the studios had to offer. There were additional keyboard, and/or guitar tracks on almost every single track. Plus we did a lot of percussion tracks on “Kinder the Mirl.” There are layers of vocals on “Hangin' Around,” and some interesting effects on Kar's vocals for “Hair Pulled Back.” Oddly enough, a lot of what Kar's voice sounds like on that song is his own natural voice. The odd high pitched almost computer quality the voice has was no studio trick.

The songs on this album cover a wide range of styles and subjects. The idea for the music on “Kinder on the Mirl” came about because I was listening to a lot of Los Lobos at the time. I really wanted to experiment on a song with that style beat, and loads of percussion. Then Ed's mello guitar and solos just fit in perfectly. I love Ran's bass on this song because it acts almost like another percussion instrument, and gives the song some bottom that really balances things out. A lot of the vocals on this song were inspired by a crazy man shouting at a family, that Kar, Mr. Ed, and I witnessed while walking through Central Park one day.

“Candy” is inspired by one of these conspiracy theory shows about Marilyn Monroe's death that Kar had seen on TV. “Tube Sox” has some sweet guitar supplied by Kar. I think the song originated with that guitar part and the rest added and figured out from there. I think that one and “Lovey Dovey” came from one of those writing sessions that Kar and Mr. Ed are famous for. There is a strong and overt Kinks influence to the music in “Lovey Dovey.” “Taco Lunch” which was inspired partially from a conversation with a cab driver on the way to the studio in NY featured a great Cassie Reed vocal track on it. It's a nice layer to that song.

Despite all the bubbles the band has done there aren't too many 'drug' songs that we've recorded. “Snake Gun Man” happens to be one of the few, though it isn't really a pro-drug song or anything. It does stem from an evening many years ago where Mr. Ed and I were 'out of our minds.' There are a couple different versions recorded of this song, and I think the one on the album is the scarier sounding of the two.

Once the press got a hold of the fact that we were making this album, rumors started going nuts. Once again there was no song recorded for this album where all four us were in the same studio at the same time. Kar and I both did some shuffling back and forth between Houston and New York, adding tracks, and then getting Mr. Ed or Ran to add their tracks. It wasn't that Mr. Ed and Ran couldn't stand to be in the same place at the same time, but outside commitments prevented us all from uniting for this project. It was a matter of recording it in sections, or don't make an album at all. There was always communication going on between the entire band so that we were united on which direction the songs should go. Despite the reality of the situation a lot of people thought this was going to be some sort of farewell project.

I think we all loved the album a lot when we finished with it, but at the same time we felt like it wasn't a total complete album. I think that's why it had the limited release initially.

– Spike

When Kar asked me to sing backup vocals for “Taco Lunch,” to say I was honored would be an understatement. Contributing to a song by The Blanks was, needless to say, a dream come true. Despite their talents and achievements, the guys were all really easygoing—not pretentious at all. The whole experience was deeply fulfilling. All of The Blanks are terrific, but I must confess an especially big soft spot for Mr. Ed. Truth be told, when singing “baby baby, you drive me crazy,” it was Ed I was thinking about “on the dance floor, hot and steamy.” And I think that really added something to my vocals.

– Cassie Reed