What gear did you use on the Microminiature Love recording?

I used a Fender Showman amplifier with one 12 " Lansing speaker in a home built enclosure. I played a cut down and altered Fender Telecaster guitar. This guitar had a few effects, that I had made, built into it. I had hollowed out enough of the guitar to fit these electronics in. 

I only had one foot operated effects box (fuzz) that i had made myself.  There were very few effects boxes available back then.

At that time, what did your recording setup consist of? 

Most of that album was recorded in a studio. It was recorded on a Presto reel to reel recorder. The machine used one quarter inch tape (two channels). In the studio, the band set up as if we were playing a gig.

We recorded all the studio tracks straight through, in less than one hour.

The other tracks were recorded in my parents basement, on a Crown International reel to reel recorder, on one quarter inch tape (two channels). There were no digital recorders back then. The recorders used tubes (valves).

How has your recording setup evolved over the years, and what does it look like now?

It has changed too many time for me to keep track of. The recorders have almost always used some kind of tape format. Back in the 1970's I did have a studio set up with quite a variety of tube type tape recorders.

The most interesting one was a 4 channel machine that i put together myself. The transport and amplifiers were made by a company named Viking. Only professional studios had 4 channel machines back then. Mine was a very interesting machine. I was mighty happy with it.

About 8 years ago,  I did try two different digital computer recording formats  ("Pro Tools" and "Reason") . It was not for me. My brain could not handle it. This way of recording totally amazed and overwelmed me. I highly respect those folks that can make it work well. Right now, all I have set up is a four channel cassette machine (Fostex), and an eight channel digital recorder (Zoom).

What have you done to your Fender Telecaster, why does it look that way and what does it do?

The telecaster has no effects built into it anymore. It is just a cut down standard Telecaster now. I cut it down many years ago because i thought it was too heavy. Almost all the gigs we played back then were three hours long. I also thought it looked pretty cool. It does have different pickups now (i do not know the brand).

How has physical and or emotional pain impacted your music and art work?

I really do not know for sure, as i have nothing to compare it to.

The physical pain is from an industrial accident that broke my back in two places in 1971. I stopped playing gigs for many years. After major spine surgery, i stopped playing totally for quite awhile (about a year ?). Then i would play very short sets here and there.

The way the injury affected me the most is that it forced me to record more. For awhile i did some coffeehouse type performances, using an acoustic guitar.

Then i got into 'electronic music' using some boxes that i made.

These boxes made many different kind of electronic sounds.

I would play a kazoo along with the sounds from the boxes.

i do not have any recordings of these boxes. Sadly, I also do not have the boxes.

Could you give any advice to other musicians facing chronic illnesses?

I really have had to think about this, as i have met many injured musicians through the decades. Since there are so many kinds of injuries, it is impossible to be specific. However, for myself it has been many years of "adapt and persist". The other advice is, "in many problems there is an opportunity".

What kind of role did dancing play in your life?

The major surgery on my spine in 1973 did not turn out as well as I had hoped (i had been warned by the surgeon that this might be the case).

I was laid up fo a long time and had to 'learn to walk again'.

It was very difficult. i had friends in the dance community as i had been taking modern dance classes from 1967 to the point when i was injured.

My dance friends incouraged me to start classes on a very small level. I did this and slowly (over years) worked my way up to "beginning level". Dance was the best thing i could have done.

I met experts in dance therapy that took me "under their wing". It has made a huge difference for me over the years.. It helped that I had a doctor who believed in this type of therapy. I did this kind of therapy very carefully for many years. I still do some of what i learned (at almost 70 years old), but i do these excercises in a whirlpool.

In the early days what was the line up of the Michael Yonkers Band and how did it change throughout the years?

The band had different names before The Michael Yonkers band.

First - 1962 through 1963 ... The Vectors  -  was a 4 piece surf band 

               (lead guitar, rythm guitar, bass guitar and drums).

Second - 1964 through 1965 ... Michael And The Mumbles -  was a four piece frat rock band that played mostly original

               music. (lead guitar, bass guitar, organ and drums).

Third - 1966 through 1968 ... The Michael Yonkers Band  -  was a three piece psychedelic band that played all original                       music.  (lead guitar, bass guitar and drums.)

Fourth - 2003 through 2004 ... the second  Michael Yonkers Band -  was a three piece band that played all original music.

                 (lead guitar, bass guitar and drums.)

Fifth -  2009 through 2013 ... Michael Yonkers With The Blind Shake -  was a four piece band that played all original

                 music. This band was myself, along with the band named The Blind Shake.

                 (two lead / rythm guitars, baritone guitar and drums.)

Do you have an idea when the documentary "Hey Hey What" will be released online?

I am very sorry, i have had such awful physical problems over the last four years, that i have lost track of these things.

I had a significant exacerbation of the spinal problems, leading to more that 7 months being partially paralysed...and, 4 years mostly in a reclining or lying down position.

I am still not doing very well. This is why i have quit performing.

I am still thrilled that i was able to peform in Australia before i had to stop. Playing in Melbourne was one of the highlights of my life.

How deliberate was the mixing in Microminiature Love, were the decisions to pan the guitar and bass yours? 

The engineer (Steve Longman) made all the mixing decisions...I was not around for that. I had total faith in him. I am glad I stayed out of the process. He really understood where we were coming from. I was so thrilled with his creative mixing that i was without words when i heard the finished product.

How do you feel about Microminauture Love, in retrospect? 

This was so long ago. I have changed. The world has changed.

I was very young and in college. Even back then i saw the music we were doing as "social commentary". I was writting about what i saw going on around me.

Time has divorced me from that period of time. The Microminiature Love music did not do well at gigs. I remember that we were asked to leave gigs that we were supposed to play. It would happen like this... we would play our first few songs and the electricity would be turned off. Then we would be asked to leave.These were not fun times for the band. Things were way different back then.

So, Microminiature Love brings back mixed thoughts...many are not happy thoughts. To be very, very honest... I have always been a person who has trouble looking in two directions at once. (I try to pretty much ignore the past. this is not always a good thing). I tend to pretty much look forward only. As soon as i am done with something, it is in the past...and, i try to keep it there.

Sometimes i have memories about the Microminiature Love period of time, but i almost never think about it enough to have actual, meaningful feelings. What is important to me is that Clint Simonson of Destijl Records believed in this music enough to put it out decades later...and, that Sub Pop records picked it up (and got it spread around).

This is what makes me happy about Microminiature Love.

m. yonkers

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