I write songs. I play musical instruments. I’ve been in more bands than John Lennon. Actually, I don’t know that for sure. I’m not a historian. This is the page where the music is. This is the list of bands I’ve been in (to the best of my recollection), from the most recent to all the way back to the beginning. I posted some tunes from each of these bands. Some of these songs are my favorites, some I picked because I liked playing them, or I thought they represented the band well. I hope you enjoy…

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The Monitors (2007-present)

The Monitors began at the very end of 2007. I had just been in Ten Percenters with Tommy, and I had played drums in Fez with Vikas many years earlier. I played guitar on the first 3 albums. However, after recording the third album Tommy had to stop playing drums because of a wrist injury. We decided to switch instruments so as to keep the same members and chemistry) in the band.  This might be the most fun I’ve had in a band.  We write songs quickly, record albums and move on to the next thing.  The three of us contribute pretty equally, and enjoy what we’re doing.

Song samples:

I’ll Breed Again:
Track 1 from our second album. I brought in the 2 main parts. Vikas added lyrics, and Tommy put in the awesome syncopated beat. This one came out really great!

Fashiki:
I really like the groove on this one. The first time I played the “chorus” chord progression Vikas said, “I bet you can’t do that again.” Then I did, and it stuck. I love chord progressions with more than 4 chords.

Shorts For Boys:
This is on the 3rd record. I love the chorus lyrics, “…on the ski slopes I look good”

Dietary Supplement:
This one just kicks ass… It was a true collaboration. Also on the 3rd record.

Jellyfish:
This is a really weird tune from the first album. I think my guitar riff is in a different key from the bassline. Somehow it works.

Keys to the Car:
I really liked playing this one out. It’s a very likable song, and I get to play cool 7th chords. Also from the first release.

Members:
Vikas Pawa: Bass and Singing
Tommy Pritchett: Guitar (2009-present); Drums (2007-2009)
Morgan Schlaline: Drums (2009-present); Guitar (2007-2009)

links:
themonitorsrock.com
MySpace
Facebook

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The Croutons (2001-2004; 2008-present)

The Croutons started in May 2001.  I was writing songs on my own while I was in Fez back in 1999 and 2000.  When I was done with Fez, I wanted to be in a band that tried to make people pay attention, smile and have a good time.  I wanted to be silly and goofy on stage.  I teamed up with Vic and we brought those songs to life.  We wrote some more, recorded an album (Suck), played ALOT of shows, went on tour and eventually stopped doing it all in Oct 2004.  In late 2008 we decided to give it a go again.  We have a new album that’s just about ready to be released.  Stay tuned.

Song samples:
British Robot:
This isn’t my favorite Croutons song, but everyone seems to like this one pretty well. The idea is to point out the absurdity of a robot on another planet, years in the past having an English accent.

Duraflame:
Vic and I had bought cheapo keyboards at the pawn shop. We challenged each other to write a song on our new keyboard using a topic that we supplied to one another. The topic for him was Durlaflame logs. My topic from him was to write about space heaters and jumpropes. Both songs came out great.

The Laundromat Song:
I wrote this in the summer of 1999. Inspired while drying my whites.

The Scout Law:
This was probably written around 2000. 12 points to the Boy Scout Law, 4 points per verse, 3 verses… it wrote itself.

Members:
Morgan Schlaline: Vocals – Guitar
Vic Newman: Vocals – Guitar

links:
MySpace
TucsonUnderground

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Ten Percenters (2004-2007)

Ten Percenters started as a “super group” idea.   Everyone in the band had been the primary songwriter in previous bands, and we thought it would be fun to bring lots of a great ideas together.  We recorded 11 songs with Jim Waters at Waterworks studios.  We ended up releasing one 6-song EP called The Fool in 2006.  Overall, I’d say we wrote a bunch of great songs, played some great shows and mostly had a good time.

Song samples:
(Don’t Go) Supernova (On Me):
I brought in the 2 main parts for this one, too. The dreamy 6/8 part followed unnaturally by the driving 4/4 part. We spent a lot of time on this, James added a lot of goodness to this.

Rock Pantry:
This is probably my favorite song from Ten Percenters. I think the recording captured it perfectly.

Members:
Vic Newman: Vocals – Guitar
James Roebuck – Vocals – Guitar (‘04-’06)
Chris Morrison – Bass Vocals
Tommy Pritchett – Guitar (‘07)
Morgan Schlaline – Drums

links:
TucsonUnderground

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Yellow Cabs (2002-2003)

Yellow Cabs was Chris’ band. The songs were dark heavy grunge songs.  I was not the original drummer (and did not play drums on the samples below).  I took over after Alex Crane left the band.  The long, marathon practices really built up my stamina as a drummer.  We went on tour with my other band, The Croutons.  For some reason we picked Thanksgiving weekend for the tour.  I fondly remember playing to an empty room at Mr T’s Bowl in Los Angeles.  By the time The Croutons were playing, I think we had 3 people listening.

Song samples:
Big Boy Bed:
Track 1 from The Season. Straight up Morrison.

Another Place I Dreamed About:
I really liked playing this song. Proof that Pete Grosso is a badass.

The Season:
Another classic YC song.

Members:
Chris Morrison – Vocals, Bass
Pete Grosso – Guitar
Morgan Schlaline – Drums

links:
MySpace
Arizona Daily Star

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Backpedal (2002)

I wasn’t in this band for very long… maybe 6 months, tops.  Backpedal was a continuation of a band called Crosscut Saw.  The drummer in Crosscut Saw was my very good friend (and super-great drummer), Michael Hummer.  When he left the band, I joined.  But at the time I didn’t have enough gear to have a complete drum set, so I had to break it off with those guys. A couple of years later I would be playing with James again in Ten Percenters.

Members:
James Roebuck – Guitar, Vocals
John Sonnet – Bass
Morgan Schlaline – Drums

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Trailer Park Mark & The Wheels (2000-2001)

I always described this music as beer-bottle throwin’ music.  That seems about right.  It was a kind of alt-country-rock that made me feel like drinkin’, and drinkin’ I did.  The Wheels had been around long before my time with them.   Mark and Colin were the core of the band.  I first saw them with Nathan Bentley on Bass and Vikas playing drums.  When Nathan quit, Vikas moved to Bass and I played drums.  We recorded a great record called, Roll With The Best.  Mark would host the Friday night “Fish Fry” at Route 66, or at Martin’s On Congress (neither venue is still around).   It was an open-mic event, we would play some Wheels songs, and then we’d let whoever wanted to make some noise play on our gear.  I thought of it as “giving back to the community”.   My favorite regular was a guy who called himself, “Ol’ Roy”.  I later found out that Ol’ Roy was the generic WalMart brand of dog food.  When I called Mark to quit the band, he said… “well, when you’re a Wheel, you gotta roll.” Collin and Mark are still at it under the name Sunday Drivers (with Chris Morrison on bass).

Song samples:
Holly’s Song:
This might have been my favorite of the Trailer Park Mark songs.

The Wheels:
Typical rocker.

Who’s Gonna Put The Bubbles Back In My Beer?:
I really enjoyed the sing-along choruses on this one. I’m sure at least one of those “wooohooos”, or “heeehawws” were mine.

Members:
Mark See – Vocals, Guitar
Collin Scott – Guitar, Vocals
Vikas Pawa – Bass
Morgan Schlaline – Drums

links:
MySpace

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Fez (1999-2001)

Fez was the first band I joined in Arizona.  In late 2008, I was working with Michelle at a communications company.  She was telling me about the band that she was in with her husband, and how they needed a drummer.  I told her I could play drums, but I ended up quitting that job and I moved back to California for a couple of months.  I found myself in Tucson again in February 1999.  I happened to run into Vikas and Michelle at a Greyhound Soul show.  They came over and talked to me, and before I knew it I was playing drums for them.  I hadn’t played drums for 5 years when I joined.  Like Trailer Park Mark, Fez was around before I was in the band.  They had gone through a few other drummers and already had a bunch of songs.   We recorded a ‘live in the studio’ album called Live In The Cat House.  We also recorded another album called Monument To Love (which was never officially released).

Song samples:
Tutu of Shame:
This was our “hit”. A regular at most shows.

Masters of the Universe:
One of my fave Fez songs. I gets my funks on.

A.R.S.:
This is from Live at the Cat House. I love how the ending gets more and more ridiculous.

All I Need:
Another standard Fez song. It usually included a really retardedly awesome guitar solo.

Members:
Vikas Pawa – Vocals, Guitar
Michelle Kushner – Bass, Vocals
Morgan Schlaline – Drums
also
Tunji – Keyboards
Collin Scott – Guitar

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The Fresno Years:

Linus (1992-1993ish)

I was actually in a couple of bands before moving to Tucson.  Linus was a three piece that was a continuation of The Perspectives (see below).  We did a few covers, and had a handful of pretty cool originals.  We all contributed musically, but since Aaron had to do all the singing, I think we made him write all of the lyrics.  We only played just a couple of times, and recorded a 3 (maybe 4) song cassette demo.  John eventually moved to Oregon, and Aaron followed shortly thereafter.  If I can find that cassette demo, I’ll upload the songs.

Members:
Aaron Santigian – Vocals, Guitar
John Hall – Bass
Morgan Schlaline – Drums

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The Perspectives (1989-1991 ?)

The first band I was ever in (outside of school bands, orchestras, etc…).  A real rock band with songwriting and stuff.  I don’t remember many of the songs. There was one called Sooner Or Later, I think… and I had written a song called Loser.  One interesting thing about this band is we would all switch instruments all the time.  This would prove to be a bad idea when we played our 1 or 2 shows that we played.  But, we did get pretty proficient at maybe different instruments – which was great.  I’m sure there’s no recordings of this stuff, and it’s probably best that there isn’t.   We did talk to a guy that we wanted to ‘manage’ us (something lame like that).  Because we had John, Jess and myself in the band, he suggested we change our name to “JJ Morgan”.  We did not do this.

Members:
Aaron Santigian
John Hall
Jess Vincent
Willy Greer
Morgan Schlaline

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