Buckets & Batteries

Freak folk collective from NJ, USA. Active from approximately 2002-2006. Started by Ashiq Khondker and Chris Ward, when they got tired of playing music in their New Brunswick, NJ, basement all winter, and decided to play out on the streets once spring arrived in 2003. Cobbling together, with the help of drummer Drew Mitchell, a drum set out of buckets and drum parts, and acquiring a portable Pignose amp from future band member Scott Currie, they set out to play in the streets. The band was soon joined by Chris Hayden, Scott Currie, Michael Hayden, Karin Heide and Trevor Pennsylvania. Influenced by the writings of John Cage, about the expanded field of what and how sounds can be considered music, and Eric Tamm writing about Brian Eno and timbre, Buckets & Batteries' primary mode of playing was to let the environment be the lead instrument. Human band members were to play a supporting role to the natural "music" of the location. Whilst playing on the streets, passers-by would sometimes throw money at the band, which they initially used to play pinball and buy sandwiches. After the arrival of Trevor Pennsylvania, who owned a van, this money was allocated to gas-money, and Scott, Michael, Ashiq, Trevor, and his dog Jack, set out without any real plan to see how far they could go, hopping from city to city finding lead-instrument-locations. That is how this 7" was born.