Kids On A Crime Spree

Named after the San Francisco Examiner article by Bruce Koon and James Finefrock entitled “Mousepacks: Kids on a Crime Spree” which also, spawned the late 70’s exploitation film “Over the Edge”, KOACS is an Oakland, CA trio comprised of longtime friends and musical conspirators Bill Evans, Rebecca Barron, and Mario Hernandez.  Their debut ep “We Love You So Bad” was released on the venerable Slumberland Records in 2011, with a follow-up single “Creep the Creeps” in 2013 and 4 song ep (Emotional Response) with Terry Malts in 2017.

At their makeshift recording studio and band space at the Karl Kardel Building in East Oakland, the band members are putting the final touches on their long-awaited LP that is being recorded on their newly resuscitated Tascam 16 track analog recorder.  The recording journey for the new album has been challenged by false starts, redoes, and equipment failures. After the completion of the “Creep the Creeps” single, the old-fi Tascam recorder started to show signs of age and deterioration.  Drop-outs and poor signal prevented any further tracks from being put down. Calls were made, money was spent, and talented local audio repair folks were called to no avail. In desperation to keep access to a recording device, a used TSR 8 recorder was purchased, and two tracks were completed before it too succumbed to old age and likely a prior history of neglect. A decision was made to sell the Tascam 85 and use the money from the sale to purchase another recorder.  Unfortunately (and fortunately), with little buyer interest because of the recorder’s outmoded nature and its large size, the Tascam 85 languished in the corner of the band’s practice space. But unbeknownst to them a minor miracle was on the horizon. Guitarist Bill Evans got a tip from Jamie Riotto at Tiny Telephone about a San Francisco based audio technician who turned it all around.  

Michael Gorskei, of Bay Area Studio Engineering, knew immediately what was wrong.  The heads needed to be relapped and the dbx system realigned. The repairs took a minimal amount of time, several years shy of a decade in waiting for a fix. Singer and Song Writer Mario Hernandez expresses the Kids’ eternal gratitude for Mr. Goreski’s knowledge, experience, and love for his craft.

So, was the long delay in recording or the money spent, worth working with an antiquated machine that only a handful on this planet can repair? Without hesitation Mario will tell you “Absolutely”. He explains, “Not just because of the sound or the aesthetic it provides, but the freedom and access a recorder on this level has to offer makes it so we do not need new gear, have to learn a new program, buy apps, plugins, or studio time.  We record and release records when the inspiration hits us and the songs can take as much or as little time to put down on tape. The wait was well worth it”. “And now we control the means of production” adds drummer extraordinaire Becky Barron!