....................... "The details of my life are quite inconsequential." - Dr. Evil, "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery" J Ted (Potter) What's there to say about me, really, that hasn't already been said in my best-selling autobiography?  Well, I've been a-writing and a-jamming for so long, even Petero says that my mind is gone.  I do a lot of songwriting.  When I'm not thinking of anything (and folks will concur that that happens pretty much all the time), I'm going over lyrics, melodies, and b-sections in my head.  I dream songwriting (some of my best lyrics have come from dreams.) Songwriting and playing is what fuels my spirit.  I heart it.  I'm ex-speshully blessed that I have several very, very cool colaborators, that I can also count as good friends, some of them listed below (contributors to SJE, just released.)  These guys are either technically superior to me chops-wise, or have musical skills I just don't have.  Or they provide a much-needed perspective on what would improve the tunes, and take them from my rough sketches to the coolness that they've become.  Check these guys out...collect all 10! Christopher (Platt) I've known Christopher for the better part of 20 years, and the better part is because I've known him.  We've been together in more theatrical productions and bands than you can count, assuming you can't count very high. Hit-making combos like The Schleprock Shakes, Mutant Tree Skunks, and, of course, the seminal Evan's Jazz opera (more on that later).  His SuperPower is being able to put together a mix tape that'll curl your hair. His sense of composition, thematic arcs, and irony came in handy on his journey to the dark side as he dropped his complex art-science to arrange the tunes and pacing on SJE.  Look for more compositional collaborations betwixt me and him in the future.  (BTW, can anyone say "betwixt" without thinking of Bill Bixby?  And I'm not talking 'bout no fool "Courtship of Eddie's Father" Bixby, I'm talkin' about Hulk-style Bixbification. 'Cause you wouldn't like him when he's angry.) Petero (Chady) Petero is like what "The Man" would be, if the man were a big fuzzy taciturn teddy bear who alternately sends out eternal vibes of comfort and joy on the one hand, and groovy tunage and production on the other.  Young Petero and I go back up ta callidge 'n'at (a little western Pennsylvanian dialect for younz guys), where we formed the seminal band's seminal band, Fear of Nebraska.  After cutting our teeth on that little project, we played together in a few other bands, most notably Evan's Jazz Opera with Christopher.  Evan's Jazz Opera was notable in that it was neither jazz nor opera.  Hell, there wasn't even an Evan in it. (Evan WAS in Fear of Nebraska with us before he set off to live in Arizona in a plaid pickup truck with his chihuaha, Taco.  Awesome stories about that guy.  I should get t-shirts made up with "Ask me about my Evan!"  Oh, and you can hear a clip of him swearing at me in DEW if you listen closely.) Stuart (Davis) When Dre and Blackstreet coined the term "phatness" they had this good doctor in mind.  Doctor of what? You may ask. And well you may. Mixology, jamology, producology, chillology, to name a few. His gentle, yet insistent desire to dig deeper into each song brought out the best in them, even when the final product IN NO WAY resembles the original idea.  Not that there's anything wrong with that, e.g. Bored Suburbanite Element started as an acoustic guitar piece. And look at it now, all growed up.  Check out his genre-bending baroque insertion into Much About Anything, as well. He can be simple, though. And can do minimalist arrangements as well. :-)  Zucchinery is a good example of that. Many a fun time has been spent at his Castle recording studio, with hopefully many more to come. "Give him a hand, he's British!" (BTW, that's his voice reading the poem on Trees. A woman once told me if he had an adult phone hotline, she'd be broke.) Ernie (Pichette a.k.a Ernman) Drummer extrodinaire and man about town. The first time I heard him play, I knew what side my drumming toast was buttered on -- any side facing him. Baby.  He is, in the words of the Commodores, mighty mighty.  Especially when he's letting it all hang out.  Having never really heard ska before, he came up with the beat for 8U in two takes. He's got more poly rhythms than a flock of parrots at a funk convention.   Shroom (Michael Chen, a.k.a. Shroomus Domesticus) and Kristy (Boyer Chen) Shroom's not so much taciturn like young Petero, but more...an enigma, wrapped in a theramin, wrapped in a symphony, wrapped in...a shroom.  We call him Shroom not because his mom's a shroom-ologist, or because of experimentation with various organic substances, but because of his ability to grow earthy, funky tunage in a moist, dark, loamy environment.  It was this SuperPower that allowed him to make something out of Nothing.  He works a sequencer like a master sculptor, putting down track after track, then standing back, regarding it for a moment, then tweaking. After you work with him for a while you'll note his almost perverse pleasure at taking something that sounds completely normal and processing it beyond all recognition into something so messed up that even Radiohead would cringe at it.  Truly the voice of Doom and Darkness, which is one of the many reasons we like him so much. Kristy, on the other hand, may well be the very source of all things good and pure. Ok, maybe she's not, but she IS the source of some rather nice sing-age on Bored Suburban Element and Nothing.  I orignally wanted her to sing on Don't Believe, but Shroom did such a nice job putting down a guide vocal for her, we all decided to keep it. Kristy is also known for her project-manager-like way of cutting through the crap and being the voice of reason at a recording session.  More than one wayward musician has been set straight under her stern tutelage. And we're all the better for it. Cameos Dan Lewis Dan is the fingers and brain behind the guitar on Trees.  He gets an amazing sound & knows exactly what to do with it.  He's written some really cool tunes as well,  a couple of which he's asked me to help finish, so look for them at some point in the future.  He's really easy to work with, has an encyclopedic knowledge of music (and Irish history (and no, that's NOT an oxymoron :-)), and has just about the lowest ego-to-talent ratio of anyone I know. Brian Marchionni  Brian "Breez" Marchionni. Whatta man. Before he jetted off to a jet-setting lifestyle in Bahstun, he graced us with his bubbly, yet incisive, sense of humor, and his magic stick-work on the non-leather skins.  It was fun plumbing his encyclopedic knowledge of all things South Park and Simpsons. Michele Wroblewski  Michele (a.k.a. "Meesh") wrote (and presumably is still writing) some wikkid poetry, some of which she graciously permitted me to put music to, including "These Things Last".  Something about her imagery, or cadence, or one o' them other poetry thangs, really struck me and inspired me to weave some music around it.  Sadly, we've been out of touch for about 10 years, so Meesh, if you ever read this, email me! Pat Cherry Pat Cherry was in my first band ever, Incognito, in the 11th grade. I spent a lot of time trying to make the band logo by spelling the name with medieval weapons. How cool is that? Pretty cool, huh?  Another great gutarist who is also not full of himself, although he should be.  Last I heard he was out in L.A. trying to make it in the music biz. I would love to hear from him or work with him again, so Pat, if you ever read this, email me! Christine Chady Photografaire extraordinaire, this young lady (related to Petero by marriage, incidentally) has documented on film our many musical happenings throughout the years. Here she is in front of her hand-crafted armoire -- nicely built, eh?  Love those armoires.  :-)  Speaking of love, what's not to love about the photos she took for SJE?  That's right.  Nothing.  She took the front cover shot and the one of me in the straightjacket, along with a whole buncha fun ones that will go into the Ted Anthology Vol.1 CD art someday.  Like a hooker with a heart of gold or an airtight alibi, she's a rare find, a real sweetie, and her rhymes are funky fresh, not run of the mill.  Obviously, she's got legs, and she knows how to use them.  Additionally, she never begs, she knows how to choose them. The girl, truly, is alright.  Much like the kids.         Leena Isac And last, but certainly not least, Leena.  She is the woman that I've always dreamed of. How long have I known?  Why, I knew it from the start. I saw her face, and that's the last I've seen of my heart.  That is, until this one showed up. Leena provides not only the infrastructure of my life that allows me to do all this music, but the love, clarity, joy that keeps me inspired.  She's also the "psychobabbler" on Trees.