Rusty Sharp Things

In the summer of 2005 I moved to Nashville; not to make it in the music business, (you’d have to be crazy) but for a change of scenery and new opportunities. Having recently departed the now defunct Lustre (A&M) I immediately felt the urge to make some music. The first thing that caught my eye was a post on Craigslist by Brian Thomas. Brian was looking for someone to play either guitar or bass (he’d play the other) in a three-piece rock band. I had always played three-piece so I gave Brian a call. We talked about The Ramones and The Replacements, about how success in a rock and roll band is measured at the door, and about how we continue to play because we don’t know how not to. Instantly I realized I’d landed in the right spot. We quickly found a mutual admiration for each other's playing. Brian’s songs rocked. They were loose around the corners and fully delivered at the chorus. The songs were about addiction, regret, failed relationships and standing defiantly in the face of it all…they were about Brian. The best songs are real. A few incarnations of the band came about; songs were written, recorded and played around town, but it never quite fit. The drummer was never quite there; either the motivation was different, or the direction was off. We kept looking and never settled. In the summer of 2007, another Craigslist post was answered by Andy Gregg (among many others). Andy had moved from Seattle, where he had been a staple in the 90s scene, because of his skills behind the mixing console. He walked in with a really nice kit that was clearly road-worn; it was a good sign. Andy explained that he had watched the Craigslist post for sometime, but he wanted to be sure; he wasn’t going to settle either. We talked about the whys and hows of music, and it all felt familiar. We made it about halfway through the first song when Brian and I realized our search was over. Having mixed and recorded countless bands, Andy knew what made a song rock. He knew what was right for the song but was never afraid to reach for more. Songs we liked became songs we loved. Once Andy was sure we had embraced him for his drumming alone, he revealed just how good he was behind the board. We recorded our songs in his den and mixed them in a small studio in his attic and had the result mastered by Mr. Richard Dodd. Rusty Sharp Things was born. The result was called ‘Tinnitus Unite Us’ for the affliction that rock and roll had given us all. Have a listen, and judge for yourself...
John Ray, Bassist, Rusty Sharp Things