Dave Berry and Dave Creps go way back as musical collaborators.
Forty years ago as Perrysburg High School students they jammed in a basement, "much to the annoyance
of the neighbors," Creps remembered during a recent conference call with the two musicians.
Though that band never made it out of the basement, they deemed their music "excellent."
Then both headed off to Bowling Green State University. Though neither majored in music, Berry and Creps
still rocked out in local venues such as Howard’s Club H and Milton’s.
They even joined forces with vocalist Kelly Broadway in the band Insatiable.
And they did avail themselves of the newly installed recording studio at BGSU. They would "sneak
in" at various times, Berry remembers. Working with two-inch tape and the Moog synthesizers,
"We recorded a bunch of stuff," he said.
But life and jobs pulled them in different directions. Berry ended up working developing computer
software. Creps stayed in Perrysburg where he now serves as city administrator.
Berry, 54, continued to play and record new material, working in bands and as a single. Sarasota, he
said, "has a lot of good opportunities" for a musician.
Creps, 53, stopped playing for 20 years, before picking up the sticks again about 10 years ago.
A reunion of Insatiable about a year ago brought the pair back together.
Berry shared some of the tracks he was working on. "I was working with electronic drums and
loops," he said.
"I was teasing Dave that he needed a real drummer," Creps said.
And Berry agreed that he needed "more input from another source."
So Berry started sending Creps tracks of his newest songs so he could add drum grooves.
The result has been released as "Incongruity" a CD available both for purchase, download and
streaming on a variety of internet sites, including Spotify, iTunes and Amazon.
The CD is a testament to Berry’s love of the later Beatles and such progressive rockers as Robert Tripp,
King Crimson and Brian Eno.
At the time of the reunion, Berry said he’d been working on the songs "pulling from daily events and
my journal."
"I typically write a song on piano or guitar to get the basic conception," Berry said. Then he
lays down a basic recording using a drum track. Then he starts to build on it. Once he has a basic
foundation with bass and guitar, he’ll ship it to Creps, who purchased the same music editing software
as Berry uses.
Typically Creps will lay down one beat that he thinks is close to what Berry has in mind, but he’ll also
provide a couple alternatives.
Usually, Berry said, he’ll use the first option, but may also "pull bits and pieces" from the
others,
The track bounces back and forth between them until it’s just about set.
"From that point I’ll add candy and stuff," Berry said. Those fillers and hooks decorate the
song. "I don’t want any parts of the song to be boring or empty."
A lot of this, he said, goes back to what he learned working in the studio at BGSU.
Just as technology helped produce the album, it also is essential it getting the music out to the public.
Berry has availed himself of as many avenues as possible to distribute the music. That includes old
fashioned in store sales. That includes copies available at Ground for Thought in downtown Bowling Green
and Culture Clash in Toledo.
"Part of the fun," Berry said, "is the marketing and promotion."
Still he admits the digital revolution has had collateral damage.
Listening to an MP3 file through earbuds is a compromise in audio fidelity.
He said releasing it on vinyl is an option.
