Signs Following

Nicole Wilkinson: lead and backing voice

Jim Stipe: bass, guitar, backing voice

Keith Grogg: guitars, backing voice, remainder

In October 1994, at Andy Jacob’s ordination in Cleveland, some informal jamming made it clear that Nicole, Jim and I could do something great or at least really neat together. Or so it seemed. We set up a 48 hour summit at a borrowed cottage in Banner Elk, NC in February, 1995 to workshop some ideas, then Nicole and I, the main songwriters, took those ideas back to our respective homes (Nashville, TN and Kannapolis, NC) and got to work.

Beginning with an early-hours session on the first day of April 1995 and ending with a final mix on the last, the collection of home demos I ended up calling Signs Following First 11 (actually about 16 songs) was a long, frustrating project, preserved for posterity—frustrations and all. Nevertheless I have always maintained pride in some of it, pleasure with a bit of it, and a somewhat parental "let's not talk about that one" magnanimity toward about half of it. Deterioration has begun to affect many of the already rough tapes.

Between the Extremes - The bass as lead instrument was my strategy to position Jim as the musical navigator of this song—and the band.

Stand Aside (N. Wilkinson/K. Grogg) - I had such a hard time trying to record this one (see “That Song.”) Acoustics in my recording room were non-existent, plus I just couldn’t get it on tape—that elusive “it”—but something helpful happened when I added the digital delay effect, akin to smoothing out contours in a charcoal drawing. Suddenly the conversation seems to take place on a rainy Paris side street.

Arctic Circle - I recorded an early, noisy version on the first night of recording, abandoned it, and then went back on April 26 to record this as a no-nonsense guitar and vocal guide. Remarkable, the level of tape hiss I managed to produce.

Love Songs In Your Margins - The centerpiece is supposed to be the ironic, funny, mock-guitar-stud part. Unfortunately, it’s hard to discern ironic mockery from actual self-indulgence. Lyric was unfinished, a la “Scrambled Eggs” eventually being fashioned into "Yesterday."

Treat You So Kind - This was one I had written specifically to submit to the Stations, but never did. I would have forgotten it had I not, as an afterthought, stuck the original demo at the end of a tape I made in 1994 for Nicole. She was interested, and here we are rehearsing it in February 1995 at Banner Elk. I added the bass part in April to convince Jim of the value of the way I was asking him to play on it (which he hates). I rather stubbornly wouldn't let him add the walking bass line that the melody seems to demand—I thought it would suggest a confident stride that the beleaguered lyric cannot allow.

There Is No Time - I only use this song now because it’s there; I don't like it, but I suppose it does speak to a central problem of our time. Improvised music + botched lyrics = not ready for prime time.

Morning Takes the Sky (Wilkinson/Grogg/Stipe) - Lyric by Nicole, music by Keith, editing—in the face of much protestation—by Jim. But we were on a mission! And I was on at least one tangential mission: to impress Nicole. I failed, but the main mission of creating an original song succeeded, especially after Jim made us clean up our act and come up with a decent arrangement.

Alastair, Nigel & Clive - Nicole had given me some flattering commentary on this song, which makes it special to me and my pathetic ego. Here are Jim on bass and me on 12-string, Jan. 1995. Not originally a S.F. song, but what the heck.

Southern Flower - An attempt at something like bluegrass, with burbling banjo, thrumming mandolin and charging rhythm guitar. It came out a barely-synchronized mess. In places it almost holds up as a composition, but it means absolutely nothing to me. If it had been written for the Stations, we might have tried it, but this is a phantom song as far as I am concerned.

Have You Seen My Keys? - In January 1995 I wrote this after getting a tape from Nicole with what became my favorite Roches song, “Maestro.” In its own sympathetic, ironic way, it’s a tribute to them.

The Bellows - This was my favorite song from these sessions, though again, a particularly disappointing recording—all that damn tape hiss again—and if there ever was a S.F. “feel,” it certainly wasn’t this. Plus I can’t play the #$%ing recorder.

The ideas behind First 11 generally bombed with Jim and Nicole. They are both extremely generous with me where my songwriting is concerned, but the overall reaction of all three of us was unconvinced enough that I got a serious case of writer’s block that lasted most of the following two years. Here are some other leftovers from that month of recording and the previous three months of tossing ideas around, and a quick demo (incl. cornpone attempts at levity) from early 1998.

That Song - A jaunty, folky, improvised, guitar-accompanied tune in response to one of several failed attempts at “Stand Aside.” Lyric: "That song / that song the singer just sang / that song / sucked."

Stand P’seidon - Goofing around with music from an older, throwaway demo I’d made with an incomprehensible lyric, “Poseidon Called Love.” Digital delay echo effect added in an increasingly frustrating brainstorming session.

For All of My Life - Four hurried tracks recorded in early March 1998 as a wedding song for Nicole and Metin, for overnight shipment to Jim. The melody is a 19th century hymn, “Come, Ye Disconsolate” (nice thought for a wedding). Jim and I each played guitar at the reception, sitting behind Nicole as she held court with about 150 other people. She couldn't hear a thing, but said she cried when she played the demo tape later in her car. I cry out of sonic embarrassment, though I don’t hate all the words.

Coughin’ Wheezin’ Blues (J. Stipe/K. Grogg) - In January 1995, Jim was visiting us in Kannapolis, and this happened.

Scanning the Heavens - Here’s one of those little playing-around things that happens when recording isn’t going great. Ironically, this modestly atmospheric instrumental throwaway is one of the very few of these raw demos that have more or less held up as offering something interesting, or at least not jarring, for the listener.

In addition to occasional secular opportunities, Signs Following performed many times during Sunday morning worship at Kirkwood Presbyterian Church in Kannapolis, NC throughout the mid- and late 1990s, sometimes with either Jim or Nicole joining Keith, but usually as the full trio. After more than six years as Kirkwood's pastor, Keith made his second-to-last Sunday with them in July 2000 almost entirely musical, with the band leading hymns and providing anthems and instrumentals of sacred music. That was also the unintentional but ultimately de facto farewell performance of Signs Following. While never professionally recorded—though Jim and Nicole had scouted some promising studios in Nashville—they made beautiful and occasionally memorable music together which was appreciated and savored by many.