Rittenhouse Square – King Battle of the Bands

First recorded work of Mitch Easter, Peter Holsapple, and Chris Stamey…all together …I’ll let Holsapple’s comments fill in the rest:

Peter Holsapple on Rittenhouse Square:

Just to set the record straight, Bobby Locke actually formed Rittenhouse Square with Gene Vance, Ken Lowry and David Niblock. That band broke up, with Ken joining me, Stamey and Robin Borthwick (ex-Imperurbable Teutonic Griffon, with Mitch) in the short-lived Ice; Niblock and Locke enlisted Michael Rosinger, Kent Hill, Don Gibbs and Mitch Easter for the second incarnation. A very impressive band indeed, doing note-for-note versions of “Yours is No Disgrace” with requisite vocal power and instrumental prowess. That version of Rittenhouse split, then Mitch and Bobby got me and Chris to join. We recorded the R2 album at Crescent City Sound Studios in Greensboro. Six big songs, lotsa guitars and heaviness. Sigh. As God is my witness, we’ve all become better musicians and singers since then.

Posted by Peter Holsapple | Friday, May 05, 2006

The cover art was a picture of what we called the non-rabbit (term from “Thick as a Brick”), an image that had appeared mysteriously on the Easter family phone chalkboard. I was always excited by the idea that the sleeves we made were about 12 3/4″ squares, bound on the sides by duct tape, thus ensuring that it would never fit in anyone’s collection. The paper slipcover had a photo of us taken behind the old Reznick’s Thruway store where I was employed at the time. It features us in our matching flowered shiny shirts bought at Miller’s. It also features me wearing my mother’s fall to augment my tiny haircut at the time. Is that just too much information?

Posted by Peter Holsapple | Friday, May 05, 2006