The first full length cuppa joe release since 1994's Nurture, Tunnel Trees was recorded in Doug and Steve's homes in Wisconsin and New Jersey (before Doug moved back to his home state), and released by a newly-reformed Dromedary Records.
trivia: The song Forty was written for the fortieth birthday of Dromedary Records' owner and founder.
Make the Load Lighter (compilation) | 2010 | Dromedary Records
Dromedary Records put this amazing benefit album together only a few weeks after the earthquake that devastated Haiti in early 2010. Taniqua, originally from Casualties of Exploration and Growth, was cuppa joe's contribution.
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Everything Went Pop! (compilation) | 2001 | Meller Welle
This German compilation featured the Casualties of Exploration and Growth tune P.D.A..
Compilation Shmompilation (compilation) | 1999 | Plastic Duck Recordings
A cassette compilation that featured the cuppa joe song Back to the Evergreens from The Short Rains.
Following Lights Into the Forest | 1999 | self-released
Barely released in 1999 at the dawn of the burn-your-own-CD era, Doug and Steve put together 24 tracks for this friends-and-family collection. Four new tracks were recorded (two, Falling and Manifesto, written and featuring lead vocals/guitars by new post-Peace Corps member Craig Frame), and favorite demos and studio tracks from previous releases and a few live covers were gathered for the collection.
trivia: Doug's wife Melissa played cello on The Learned Astronomer.
Everything Went Pop! (compilation) | 2001 | Meller Welle
This German compilation featured the Casualties of Exploration and Growth tune P.D.A..
Compilation Shmompilation (compilation) | 1999 | Plastic Duck Recordings
A cassette compilation that featured the cuppa joe song Back to the Evergreens from The Short Rains.
Following Lights Into the Forest | 1999 | self-released
Barely released in 1999 at the dawn of the burn-your-own-CD era, Doug and Steve put together 24 tracks for this friends-and-family collection. Four new tracks were recorded (two, Falling and Manifesto, written and featuring lead vocals/guitars by new post-Peace Corps member Craig Frame), and favorite demos and studio tracks from previous releases and a few live covers were gathered for the collection.
trivia: Doug's wife Melissa played cello on The Learned Astronomer.
BUY NOW: AMAZON | ITUNES
Archipellago/Love Peace Anarchy Infinity | 1997 | Drive-In Records
The excellent Michigan-based label Drive-In Records picked two songs from the Casualties of Exploration and Growth album for this 7" vinyl single.
trivia: The back cover classroom photo was taken in the school in which Doug was then teaching Chemistry, and where Rick, at the time, was a student.
The Short Rains | 1997 | self-released
Doug joined the Peace Corps in 1995, placing the band on a two-year hiatus. In his one-room hut in Kenya, he wrote 16 original tunes and recorded them directly onto a boombox. That tape was sent to Steve, who added found-object percussion (Tupperware, a coffee tin, cardboard boxes) and backing vocals at S.S. Sound Studios to complete each song. Low-fi cross-continental recording at its finest.
trivia: The "hakuna al-fahka" comment spoken over the Kenyan radio intro to Options was engineer John Bailey's extemporaneous mockery.
The excellent Michigan-based label Drive-In Records picked two songs from the Casualties of Exploration and Growth album for this 7" vinyl single.
trivia: The back cover classroom photo was taken in the school in which Doug was then teaching Chemistry, and where Rick, at the time, was a student.
Doug joined the Peace Corps in 1995, placing the band on a two-year hiatus. In his one-room hut in Kenya, he wrote 16 original tunes and recorded them directly onto a boombox. That tape was sent to Steve, who added found-object percussion (Tupperware, a coffee tin, cardboard boxes) and backing vocals at S.S. Sound Studios to complete each song. Low-fi cross-continental recording at its finest.
trivia: The "hakuna al-fahka" comment spoken over the Kenyan radio intro to Options was engineer John Bailey's extemporaneous mockery.
BUY NOW: AMAZON | ITUNES
Casualties of Exploration and Growth | 1995 | self-released
A collection of 16 songs that the band recorded in one big burst before Doug entered the Peace Corps and was sent to Kenya. Featured the first outside-the-band musicians adding guest violin and trombone services. Doug played mandolin. Diz came back for additional vocals. Steve played maracas. It was anarchy! This album was preceded by a Passenger cassette of the same name and featuring about half of the same songs in four-track/demo form. Doug generously donated the title to this full-band album - most likely because the Passenger version was only heard by a dozen or so people.
trivia: The shaking percussion used throughout Trade was a bottle of iced tea played by Steve, mimicking the same technique used on Doug's original demo for that song.
BUY NOW: AMAZON | ITUNES
A collection of 16 songs that the band recorded in one big burst before Doug entered the Peace Corps and was sent to Kenya. Featured the first outside-the-band musicians adding guest violin and trombone services. Doug played mandolin. Diz came back for additional vocals. Steve played maracas. It was anarchy! This album was preceded by a Passenger cassette of the same name and featuring about half of the same songs in four-track/demo form. Doug generously donated the title to this full-band album - most likely because the Passenger version was only heard by a dozen or so people.
trivia: The shaking percussion used throughout Trade was a bottle of iced tea played by Steve, mimicking the same technique used on Doug's original demo for that song.
BUY NOW: AMAZON | ITUNES
Casualties of Exploration and Growth (Passenger) | 1994 | Inkling Records
Another Inkling release, this collection of 4-track demo recordings shares the same title as the studio-recorded album that would follow it, though the song selection varies. P.D.A., Roofsitting, Archipellago, Love Peace Anarchy Infinity, Dark Ride and Taniqua would all be recorded by the band at S.S. Sound Studios the following year.
trivia: The cover was designed by one of Doug’s students at the time, Kim Rygiel, who has gone on to a career as an Art Director for Sesame Workshop. The song Distance features Doug’s one and only attempt at recording himself on drums, as well as an audio clip from him wandering around at a party in North Carolina asking strangers to tell secrets into a tape recorder (and they did). There was a broader concept to that particular project, but that song was really all that came of it. Oh, the things we did before the Internet.
Nurture | 1994 | Dromedary Records
cuppa joe's first full-length CD collected songs from three separate recording sessions at S.S. Sound Studios. The album received moderate radio airplay (mostly for Bottlerocket) and fairly decent worldwide distribution. The band played a bevy of shows after its release, with Doug's younger brother Rick stepping in for the now-departed Diz, who left the band for a full-time job after recording Nurture.
trivia: The hidden 14th track, Second Violin, is a traditional Irish folk song, and is therefore, technically, a cover tune.
Nurture was re-released in 2010 by a newly-reformed Dromedary Records, with additional songs from the original recording sessions added to the track listing.
BUY NOW: AMAZON | BANDCAMP
Passenger E.P. | 1994 | Inkling Records
Doug and Steve originally started Inkling Records to release Doug's Passenger material. The featured track here, Bookmark, was Doug's first ever multi-rack recording, created by dubbing between two cassette players, and was recorded in his basement in Trenton, NJ.
trivia: The only non-Passenger project released by Inkling was a 7" by The Semibeings, another Trenton band.
Busy Work E.P. | 1993 | Dromedary Records
3-song red-vinyl 7" E.P. featuring Bottlerocket on the A side, and French Toast and Surface Area on side B. The artwork was printed in black and white, with each of the 500 covers then hand-colored by the band, with crayons and markers, in a pizza-fueled frenzy within the Dromedary Records office.
trivia: The original suggestion for the E.P.'s title was Botany, which was changed just prior to release. Revenge of the Jedi, anyone?
Nothing Smells Quite Like Elizabeth (compilation) | 1994 | Dromedary Records
The first release from Dromedary Records was this album featuring all New Jersey area bands. cuppa joe's song Meanings was selected for this collection.
trivia: If you're not from New Jersey, you may not be aware that Elizabeth is a city in the northern part of the state, notable for its smokestacks and prominent industrial smell.
Pondhoagie Cassette (Passenger) | 1992 | Inkling Records
Released under Doug's solo project name, Passenger, these four-track recordings had an experimental flavor to them. A few of the songs - French Toast, Trade, and Tense Present - later made their way into the studio for full-band recordings.
trivia: Unlike most cassette sleeves, the j-card for the Pondhoagie Cassette folded out vertically, revealing more of the arm from the front cover illustration.
Demonstrations | 1992 | self-released
An 8-song cassette that was the band's first "proper" release, sold at shows and distributed to friends. Recorded by John Bailey at S.S. Sound Studios in Trenton, where the band would record all subsequent studio releases until Tunnel Trees (2013), which was recorded in Doug and Steve's home studios. This cassette was sent to Dromedary Records, leading to their future cuppa joe releases.
3-song red-vinyl 7" E.P. featuring Bottlerocket on the A side, and French Toast and Surface Area on side B. The artwork was printed in black and white, with each of the 500 covers then hand-colored by the band, with crayons and markers, in a pizza-fueled frenzy within the Dromedary Records office.
trivia: The original suggestion for the E.P.'s title was Botany, which was changed just prior to release. Revenge of the Jedi, anyone?
Nothing Smells Quite Like Elizabeth (compilation) | 1994 | Dromedary Records
The first release from Dromedary Records was this album featuring all New Jersey area bands. cuppa joe's song Meanings was selected for this collection.
trivia: If you're not from New Jersey, you may not be aware that Elizabeth is a city in the northern part of the state, notable for its smokestacks and prominent industrial smell.
Pondhoagie Cassette (Passenger) | 1992 | Inkling Records
Released under Doug's solo project name, Passenger, these four-track recordings had an experimental flavor to them. A few of the songs - French Toast, Trade, and Tense Present - later made their way into the studio for full-band recordings.
trivia: Unlike most cassette sleeves, the j-card for the Pondhoagie Cassette folded out vertically, revealing more of the arm from the front cover illustration.
Demonstrations | 1992 | self-released
An 8-song cassette that was the band's first "proper" release, sold at shows and distributed to friends. Recorded by John Bailey at S.S. Sound Studios in Trenton, where the band would record all subsequent studio releases until Tunnel Trees (2013), which was recorded in Doug and Steve's home studios. This cassette was sent to Dromedary Records, leading to their future cuppa joe releases.
This cassette was sent to Dromedary Records in response to their ad requesting demos for a compilation in the Aquarian, a free newspaper that covered the New Jersey music scene, which led to their future cuppa joe releases.
trivia: This is the only cuppa joe release not to feature cover art by Steve.
cuppa joe | 1991 | self-released
Actually, "self-released" may even be an overstatement. This first demo tape was recorded on a four-track in our first bass player Diz's basement with the primary purpose of getting shows in the Trenton area.
trivia: This is the only cuppa joe release not to feature cover art by Steve.
cuppa joe | 1991 | self-released
Actually, "self-released" may even be an overstatement. This first demo tape was recorded on a four-track in our first bass player Diz's basement with the primary purpose of getting shows in the Trenton area.
Many of the songs made their way to future releases. Those who remember the early favorite Canadian Dime (the song featured here) will hear more than a hint of it one of the K-Vart tracks.
trivia: Doug's earlier recording of Bookmark - his first ever four-track demo - was later released on the Passenger E.P.
live tracks
[audio files not currently available]
From horrible dive bars in the Trenton area (all of which were razed to the ground long ago), to coffee houses, nearly-abandoned record stores, Irish bars, dance clubs on off nights, fire halls, colleges, book stores, one airport lounge, and even a few genuine music venues - cuppa joe's super-low-fi collection of live recordings of cuppa joe is second to none.
Check out our Trivia Page to see a list of the places cuppa joe has played, and much more obscure band information.
radio and online interviews and performances
From horrible dive bars in the Trenton area (all of which were razed to the ground long ago), to coffee houses, nearly-abandoned record stores, Irish bars, dance clubs on off nights, fire halls, colleges, book stores, one airport lounge, and even a few genuine music venues - cuppa joe's super-low-fi collection of live recordings of cuppa joe is second to none.
Check out our Trivia Page to see a list of the places cuppa joe has played, and much more obscure band information.
radio and online interviews and performances
[audio files not currently available]
cuppa joe has made a few radio appearances - often performing, and usually being interviewed as well. Listen to the sometimes funny, sometimes awkward, band banter and stripped-down live songs. Can you hear the guitar string that breaks live on-air?
unreleased demos, rehearsals, and other material
cuppa joe has made a few radio appearances - often performing, and usually being interviewed as well. Listen to the sometimes funny, sometimes awkward, band banter and stripped-down live songs. Can you hear the guitar string that breaks live on-air?
unreleased demos, rehearsals, and other material
[audio files not currently available]
Doug was a monster on the Tascam four-track back in the 90's, and he wound up writing and recording demos for many more songs than the band was ever able to record in the studio. Some demos made it onto the early "cuppa joe" cassette, a few were included on Following Lights into the Forest, and a bunch more composed the Passenger 7" and the Pondhoagie Cassette. These demos, however, have never been included anywhere.
Doug was a monster on the Tascam four-track back in the 90's, and he wound up writing and recording demos for many more songs than the band was ever able to record in the studio. Some demos made it onto the early "cuppa joe" cassette, a few were included on Following Lights into the Forest, and a bunch more composed the Passenger 7" and the Pondhoagie Cassette. These demos, however, have never been included anywhere.
