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(Re)Collection: The Fire Show: Above The Volcano Of Flowers

Writer's picture: Michael LenziMichael Lenzi

Updated: Jun 13, 2024




My recollections of the second Fire Show release are sketchy at best. So I decided to listen to Track #8 which contains the credits read aloud by Seth aka Olias Nil. There are no written liner notes in the CD package.


I recorded Seth reading the song/album information into my Roland DJ-70 MKII sampler. Then I loaded the long sample onto the goofy scratch pad/wheel and I hand-rotated it. It played the sample in the same way that spinning a vinyl album with your fingers on a turntable will manually play music. We are tricky lads. This is what my sampler looked like. Scratch wheel is at the lower right.



On a related note, I don't usually write songs about one particular thing. Not normally. Not in the Fire Show at least. But on this record, I penned the lyrics to 1986'6" about a show I went to in D.C. Eek-A-Mouse was set to play with local Dischord band SoulSide at the 9:30 Club. (The show actually took place in January 1987. There goes my poetic license again).


Ben and I went down to the show only to discover that the 6'6" Rasta was denied entry into the country for some legal reason. The show went on without him, but it would have been an event if he had played. SoulSide was always a great live band, so it really wasn't that much of a loss. Wa do dem uh wa do dem dem dem.


This is the poster for the show. Anyone who grew up in D.C. in that time period will recognize that familiar poster style created by the Globe printing company. The first reggae/hardcore clash! Too bad it didn't happen.

About bass players/drummers, if you are keeping count. By the time the band called it quits in 2002, this is how the line up changed. Seth and I were constants, obviously.


Bass: Brian Lubinsky (first demos, first record and a few tracks on Above the Volcano of Flowers) then Greg Ratajczak (touring) then Pyx Klos (Above the Volcano of Flowers, touring and Saint the Fire Show) then Seth (Saint the Fire Show and touring).


Drums: Mark Whatshislastname (first demo recordings) then ES Roth (played on all songs on the first/ some on the second/some on the third records and light touring) then Bob Bihlman (some songs on Above the Volcano of Flowers and touring) then Michael Lenzi (some songs on Saint the Fire Show and touring).


A taste of what the record is about. I enjoy listening to it to this day. Is that weird for an artist to say that of his own work? I don't care.





Track List/Credits:


Recorded by Nil/Resplendent and Brian Deck

Recorded at Clava Studios, June and July of 2001

Assistant Engineer, Colin Studebaker


Designing a Steeper Cliff

Written by Nil/Resplendent

Played by:

M.Resplendent, vocals, guitar, tambourine, sampler

Olias Nil, guitar, electric piano, vocals

Bob Bihlman, drums

Pyx Klos, bass

Julie Liu, violin

Jason McDermott, cello

Josh Berman, cornet

The string and horn arrangements were retrofitted by ES Roth and Olias Nil


Heart Muscle Mass

Written by Nil/Resplendent

M.Resplendent, vocals and guitar

Olias Nil, guitar and vocals

ES Roth, drums

Brian Lubinsky, bass



Black and White Trees Line the Paths of Sleep

Written by Nil/Resplendent

Assembled from tracks by The Fire Show by Brian Deck, Olias Nil and M.Resplendent


1986'6"

Written by Nil/Resplendent

M.Resplendent, vocals and guitar

Olias Nil, guitar and vocals

Bob Bihlman, drums

Pyx Klos, bass


You, the Ghost

Written by Nil/Resplendent

M.Resplendent, vocals, guitar and sampler

Olias Nil, guitar and vocals

Bob Bihlman, drums

Pyx Klos, bass


Sonny Liston (Dead Like Latin)

Written by Nil/Resplendent

M.Resplendent, vocals and guitar

Olias Nil, guitar, vocals and piano

ES Roth, drums and percussion

Brian Lubinsky, bass


Bed With Ambulance/Police Light on Top

Written by M.Resplendent

M.Resplendent, vocals and sampler


Cover art and additional information may be downloaded at www.fire-show.com.

This is/was the downloadable cover art for printing your own CD cover.



This is/was the Black & White version of the same thing.


This is the CD cover. Hand stamped by us.


Record buyers were supposed to go to the website and download the flower art and make their own cover. I wonder how many did?

This is the inside. Basic stuff.












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