Any Questions? - Flintstones

The first sampler used by Any Questions? was a Roland S-220 purchased in 1990 at a Medley Music sales event.  This 12-bit, 30kHz sample-rate sampler was really a pain to use.  With only 256k of internal memory, you would get a maximum sample time of 4.4 seconds.  Samples could be stored and loaded on a built-in 2.8" Quick Disk drive.  This format was certainly not "quick" and even at that time in 1990 was hard to come by.  We quickly abandoned this sampler and moved on to the far superior Ensoniq EPS Performance Sampler.

I mention both of these samplers in this post because "The Flintstones" sample featured in the SoundCloud clip below is one of the very first samples that we ever recorded.  In fact, it might be the first.  

At Der Palest des Goldes in 1990, we sat a microphone on an ottoman in front of our 13" Zenith CRT television and sampled what was coming out of the small TV speaker at the time into our Roland S-220 Sampler.  What was playing on our TV at the time was The Flintstones cartoon from the '60s.

A few months later, we purchased the Ensoniq EPS Performance Sampler and re-sampled The Flintstones sample from the Roland S-220 into it.  After doing so, we recorded the short sound collage that we share with you now.

Ttam Troll · Any Questions? - Flintstones

Any Questions? - Eating Band-Aids With Marmalade (Demo)

While listening to some old cassette recordings from the Floating Fish Studios archive, I came across this early demo of Eating Band-Aids With Marmalade from 1990.  This version of the song has a more ominous tone than the final released version from Any Questions? - Illegitimate Release 1990.

This demo was recorded live in the studio.  The drum beat was programmed on a Korg DDD-5 drum machine.  The main synth bass part was performed by mC2p4 on a Korg DW-6000 and Ttam Troll added sound effects on a Korg DW-8000 while improvising lyrics for the lead vocal.  Listen closely and you can also hear mC2p4 whispering "Marmalade" in the background.

Now get out those Band-Aids and enjoy them with some Marmalade while listening to this track!

Ttam Troll · Any Questions? - Eating Band-Aids With Marmalade (Demo)

Vizator CD Unboxing

More Vizator - Land of Glass Towers (Demos 1990) CDs have arrived!  If you haven’t ordered your copy, you can get them here.

Vizator CDs have arrived!

The Vizator - Land of Glass Towers (Demos 1990) CDs have arrived!  Official release date is 01/20/23.  If you haven’t ordered your copy, you can get them here.

Land of Glass Towers

Here's a track from the forthcoming Vizator - Land of Glass Towers (Demos 1990) CD and Digital Album which will be released on 01/20/23.

Ttam Troll · Vizator - Land of Glass Towers

Vizator - Land of Glass Towers (Demos 1990) CD

Vizator - Land of Glass Towers (Demos 1990) CD and Digital Album scheduled for release on 01/20/23.

Release Notes:
Before the Industrial music of Any Questions? and the Electronic music of Imbued Vagary, Ttam Troll (Matthew R Norcross) and mC2p4 (M Scott McConnell) were part of a Fusion Rock band called Vizator (later to be renamed Vyzator).  Joining Vizator's founding band members David S Irish and Carlton Holt, this lineup's sole performance was at the prestigious CitiParks Showcase Mondays concert at Oliver Plaza in Pittsburgh, PA on August 07, 1989.

After the August 1989 Vizator performance, Ttam Troll and mC2p4 left the band and relocated to Philadelphia, PA to form Any Questions? and Imbued Vagary.  David S Irish and Carlton Holt carried on as Vizator's sole members and began working on demos for a CD release.

In early 1990, David and Carlton reached out to Matt to see if he'd be interested in laying down electric bass parts for the forthcoming Vizator CD.  Matt had not yet been involved with any CD projects and jumped at the chance to get back together with his former bandmates and do some recording.  The music contained on Vizator - Land of Glass Towers (Demos 1990) are from those recording sessions which took place on March 10-11, 1990.  These instrumental demos were eventually scrapped and the band re-recorded the songs using synth bass for the final Vyzator - Land of Glass Towers CD which was released in 1991.  However, these early demos show what could have been if the band followed their instrumental power trio Fusion Rock leanings.  That was not meant to be and this became the final artifact of Vizator.  Enjoy!

Track Listing:
01 Ready to Deal (Irish) 4:02
02 Trapped Inside This Maniac (Irish) 5:48
03 The Chase (Irish/Holt) 3:56
04 Club 54 (Irish/Hutter) 4:52
05 Land of Glass Towers (Irish) 5:00

Vizator members:
David S Irish - Guitars and Synthesizers
Matt Norcross - Bass
Carlton Holt - Drums

Recorded March 10-11, 1990 in Pittsburgh PA

Mastered by Tommy T Rapisardi at DSBP Records

Cover Photo, CD Design, and Layout by Matthew R Norcross

Copyright ©2023 Floating Fish Music

FISHCD025

info@floatingfish.com | www.floatingfish.com

Coming soon...

Prancing Merrily

With the recent loss of Edgar Froese, founding member of the band Tangerine Dream and an electronic music pioneer whom passed away after suffering a pulmonary embolism on January 20th, I’ve been going back through our catalog and rediscovering song ideas that are heavily influenced by his work.

Here’s a song idea from 1990 that was created at Der Palast des Goldes.  Another which was recorded under the Any Questions? moniker but resembles more of an Imbued Vagary styling.  If I didn’t know better, I’d think this was from an early ‘80s era Froese, Franke, Schmoelling line up Tangerine Dream release.  

MC2P4 takes the reigns of our Korg DW-8000 and wails over top of the driving Ttam Troll music sequence which percolates underneath.  It might be a tad long but, hey, Any Questions? is known for doing things over and over, again and again.



P.S.  This photo was taken on 11/24/90 at the very first Any Questions? live performance.

Friends of FFS Part 2

Here's a picture of more FFS Friends.  This photo was taken at Scott and Jackey's wedding reception on 11/24/90 in Valley Forge, PA.  The world's most famous wedding band, Any Questions?, would take the stage shortly afterward.

Seated (L-R): Kurt Smith, Matt Skirpan, Steve Olsen, Ed Hartford, Starr

Standing (L-R): Millie Morales, Kevin Young, Kate Quick

FiConnellNorc - We Are Glass

FiConnellNorc (aka Norcon Ficross, Norc Norc Fibercon, and other humorous derivations) consisted of Larry Lee Fiber - Vocals, Synthesizers, & Programming, M Scott McConnell - Vocals & Synthesizers, and Matt Norcross - Bass, Synthesizers, & Programming. Though we had "jammed" together countless times since the infamous Fiber Family NYC Music Store Trip of 1985, there had never been any recordings of this line up to survive until one early Spring weekend in 1990.

Larry Lee (founder of Los Angeles club scene band Fashion Risk) was back from LA to visit his family in New York when he decided to make a little detour South to visit Scott and I at Der Palast des Goldes for a weekend session of improvisational recordings. These recordings have since become known as the We Are Glass Sessions (for obvious reasons to those involved).

Larry Lee arrived early Saturday morning but we were unable to begin recording right away. Our equipment was installed at P&G Studios where Scott and I had been demoing our (Any Questions?) latest ideas. P&G Studios was inadequate for our session so we tore down that set up and rebuilt it, in record time, back at Der Palast des Goldes. We were up and running by noon.

The sessions spawned several classic improvisational recordings including this ultra rare track called We Are Glass. This is the only recording of this line up to feature Larry Lee singing and, even though the lyrics and melody are completely improvised, they help to showcase a "what could have been" moment for the band. In addition to Larry Lee singing and playing synths, Scott is laying down the foundation for the song with his synth playing while I contribute lead electric bass (and constant soloing) for the whole 5:35 of the song.

I hope you enjoy this ultra rare classic track from the FFS Vaults. Here is FiConnellNorc - We Are Glass...

Any Questions? - Secret (Live)

This video is from the very first Any Questions? live performance back in 1990. Since it's Ttam Troll Plays Bass Week on the blog, I felt compelled to include at least one video and this happens to be the only Any Questions? performance where I played any bass.

The song is called Secret (aka Pocket of Sucrets) and was originally released on our Illegitimate Release 1990 cassette. You can be the judge but, when I listen to this song, it reminds me of a cowboy galloping on the range. That image is quite disturbing to me since Any Questions? is known for our uncompromising "Hypermedia Industrial Death" music. Images of bloodied corpses, cybernetic organisms, and post-nuclear landscapes are more akin to our music than an image of a cowboy galloping on the range. Maybe that's why I stopped playing bass in Any Questions?. MC2P4 also delivers a rare vocal performance in this song. It's certainly not one of our better performances and the audio mix is very poor but it is nonetheless humorously entertaining.

This performance took place in Valley Forge, PA at the Park Ridge Hotel at the wedding reception to celebrate the marriage of Scott and Jackey McConnell. That's right, Any Questions? were a wedding band for one day.

Special thanks go to Michael E Lightkep - House Mix, Kurt Smith - Light Operator, Steve Olsen - Follow Camera and Post Edit, and Matt Skirpan - Neo Nazi Cam for helping us to pull off this first live performance.

First Assault

This photo is taken from the first Any Questions? live performance in 1990.

The Any Questions? Power Trio

Floating Fish Studios Holy Grail Week continues with a live recording from The Any Questions? Power Trio (pictured above in 2004 from L to R - LTJTHC, Ttam Troll, and MC2P4) .

In Spring 1990, we (Any Questions?) converged on P&G Studios to work on new demo ideas.  Up until this point, we had only been working with programmed electronic drum machine parts but the larger studio setting afforded us the opportunity to set up a full acoustic drum kit.  We took advantage of this and recorded a series of songs featuring LTJTHC on acoustic drums.  What makes these recordings so rare is the fact that they are the only ones ever made by Any Questions? to have acoustic drums.

Taken from the Live With Two Mikes session, on this track you'll hear LTJTHC's ride cymbal charged drum performance setting the groove for MC2P4's slithering Moog Bass synth line and Ttam Troll's relentless Peter Hook-style electric bass soloing.

I hope you enjoy this previously unreleased track!

Any Questions? - Munchkins Gong (Live)

On November 24, 1990, we (Any Questions?) burst onto the Industrial Music scene with our first live performance. We had formed in the Fall of 1989 and had written and recorded several songs in the time preceding this performance but this show gave us our first chance to showcase the new and innovative "Hypermedia Industrial Death" stage show that we had created.

Our stage show drew heavily from the same Horror, Sci-Fi, and Cold War propaganda movies that inspired our music. We were excited to finally add this visual element to our music and this synergy of audio and video would later help shape the music videos that we would produce.

Helping us to pull off this first live performance were Michael E Lightkep - House Mix, Kurt Smith - Light Operator, Steve Olsen - Follow Camera and Post Edit, and Matt Skirpan - Neo Nazi Cam.

Our 8 song Electronic set ran long on time so we never had a chance to perform the 3 song encore set that we had prepared with Tim Harrell - Drums. Luckily, we have some audio-only recordings of rehearsals for this 3 song set and I'll share those in later posts.

P.S. Oh, by the way, this performance took place in Valley Forge, PA at the Park Ridge Hotel at the wedding reception to celebrate the marriage of Scott and Jackey McConnell. I bet you never thought that Any Questions? would/could be a "wedding band". You wouldn't be alone with those thoughts. The wedding guests were unaware and unprepared for what we had in store for them that night!