Structure
On the first warm day of the year, I always think of Albany.
But dipshit, you say, Albany is fuckin cold!
Yeah, and that’s why the first warm day felt so good. You could almost forgive that punishing winter. Everybody went out underdressed and got sick. Totally worth it.
To me, springtime in Albany remains synonymous with Structure. I joined that band in the spring of 1994, and we made pleasant, fun, occasionally excellent folk-rock through the spring of ’95.
Structure was not the best band in town – not by a long shot, and it was never their intention to be so – but they were the nicest band, so when their lead guitarist quit and they asked me to bring out my keyboard and noodle around at a gig, I couldn’t refuse. Next thing I knew, I had been assimilated!
And I wasn’t their only springtime recruit. At that first Structure gig I played, we were joined by an acoustic guitarist who might either have been a girl who was cute in a boyish way, or an actual boy. I really couldn’t tell. The rest of the band referred to this person as “Willey”, which was no help. Turns out Willey was Amy Willey, and she could sing like an Indigo Girl. She could also play rock-steady rhythm guitar and write fantastic songs.
Willey and I had both been brought in for one show, but the guys in the band created such a laid-back, welcoming atmosphere that it was impossible to not do another gig, and then another. They were just nice fellas, hanging out in their shared apartment making vegetarian food and good conversation.
I wrote no music for Structure – they didn’t need my songs. In addition to the great tunes Willey brought to the group, there was already a catalog of catchy, thoughtful material by singer-guitarist Prescott Gaylord. Bassist Chris Cairo and drummer John Dobson were already in place, and the newly-five-piece band soon tightened up nicely, developing a really cool thing. For my part, I’d like to think I got them to rock out a bit more, maybe take things a little further.
Structure was never meant to last; when Prescott’s senior year ended, so did we. And so the nicest band in Albany scattered to sow their niceness across the continent: Chris Cairo is now a biochemist in Edmonton, curing diseases; Prescott Gaylord lives in Baltimore, where he runs a construction company that makes Green buildings and buildings Green; and Amy Willey rescues pit bulls and runs a summer camp for underprivileged kids in New Hampshire.
I spent a weekend recording with Willey in the winter of 1997. I had just gotten some new gear and we attempted to cut demos of six songs she’d written, three of which had been in the Structure set. We laid all of the acoustic guitar and lead vocals down… but then things got hectic with other projects and I put Willey’s demos on the back burner.
After ten years – ten years! – of not finishing Willey’s recording, I felt like at least ten years’ worth of a dick. So I got on the case. It was important that I make the wait worth it, if that was even possible. I set about assembling the ultimate band to take these songs to the limit.
That band, I soon discovered, would not be Structure. Chris no longer plays bass; Prescott hadn’t picked up a guitar in years; dunno where John is. So I brought in ringers: Jerry Marotta on drums, Tony Levin on bass, Elliott Randall on lead guitar, and Brian Dewan with his battalion of antique instruments. Prescott did ultimately participate, adding backing vocals and acoustic guitar.
The result is not so much a demo as a GLEAMING MONOLITH OF AWESOME. But still not as awesome as the chick who wrote these songs. It’s springtime again… here’s to Structure, and here’s to Willey!
This is a great post – and really brought me back.
One minor friendly clarification – we did play Jed Davis music. At the very least – “My Brother’s On a One Way Flight to Heaven” was always on our set list.
Yes – we rocked harder when you joined.
Without even knowing the other stuff, I can tell just from the pictures that it’s the nicest band!
Yeah, I love those pictures!
Prescott – glad you liked it. And yeah, we did “My Brother’s On A One-Way Flight To Heaven” and “What A Girl Wants (Is A Coke)”, but I always figured you guys were just letting me sing something to be nice!
Soooo when’s Amy’s stuff coming out?
Don’t wait another 10 years. There will be a point where my hearing deteriorates faster than your skills improve.
HA! I’m still finishing up the other four tracks… and then the stuff is hers, so it’s her decision. Willey was kind enough to let me share the mixes here, so I assume she will be similarly generous when the time comes.
An unstoppable juggernaut of awesome. You are a leviathan of talent.
Aw… Willey wrote the songs, a bunch of great musicians played them, and you made them sound like something. I think I may have just been along for the ride!