WATCHTOWER Guitarist In Finishing Stages Of New SPASTIC INK CD, Joins Texas Cover Band

WATCHTOWER/SPASTIC INK guitarist/composer Ron Jarzombek has finally found a drummer to lay down the tracks for the last remaining tune, "A Chaotic Realization of Nothing Yet Misunderstood", for the long-awaited SPASTIC INK sophomore release, Ink Compatible. Originally scheduled to be handled by Jarzombek's brother Bobby (i.e. HALFORD),the drum parts on the above-mentioned track were cut by DYSRHYTHMIA percussionist Jeff Eber, whose name was originally suggested to Jarzombek by "an email buddy of mine", according to the guitarist. "I called up Jeff and asked him if he would be interested in playing on a SPASTIC INK tune and he said that it was very possible. And so I went to Austin a few months ago and witnessed the band DYSRHYTHMIA and was totally knocked out by these 3 kids (probably all just turned 20 a few years ago) playing some unbelievable music combining fusion, rock, metal, a bit of jazz, and who knows what else they threw in. They were going absolutely nuts onstage and I just loved every minute of it. I had my 54 sheets of music and 'work tracks' on CD-R for 'A Chaotic Realization Of Nothing Yet Misunderstood' ready in hand and gladly gave them to Jeff hoping that he would be into recording the tune. A few weeks ago, Jeff went into Assembly Line Studios in Virginia and knocked out the 11 ½-minute song in one day. I just received his tracks a few days ago, and am now working with them.

"To be honest, I was a bit hesitant asking a 22-year-old kid to tackle this INK tune, but Mr. Eber came through for me with flying colors! Now this doesn't mean that the CD will be released in a few weeks. I now have to record all of my parts for the song that Jeff just recorded, and Pete has to lay down the bass track. Pete also has two other songs to record, and [WATCHTOWER frontman] Jason [McMaster] still has to record vocals for two songs, and patch up a few lines on other songs. I also have tons of engineering work to do, mainly trying to find some sound consistency in 3 different drum kits. Bobby is playing on tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 7 and 9, David Penna is on tracks 3 and 6, and Jeff the wunderkind is on track 8. But at last, the 'roadblock has been lifted', the 'chicken has crossed to the other side', the 'rabbit has died', the 'cherry has been plucked' or whatever... The release date for Ink Compatible has now been officially changed from 'whenever' to 'approaching'... as progressed to its final stages."

Meanwhile, Jarzombek's forthcoming solo CD, entitled Solitarily Speaking Of Theoretical Confinement, is reportedly "going great", and is tentatively due later in the year on EclecticElectric Records. The follow-up to PHHHP!, a self-released collection of bizarre guitar recordings whose origins pre-date SPASTIC INK, the forthcoming CD will include such cuts as "A Headache And A Sixty Fourth", "Grizzly Bears Don't Fly Airplanes", "I've Got The Runs", "Battle Of The Hands", "Sabbatic Chromatic", and "The Yum-Yum Tree".

Also on the Jarzombek front, the guitarist recently joined a local cover band in Texas named DRAGONFLY "to pick up a few extra bucks during the summer," according to Ron. "I always take a hit financially during the summer with students taking off for vacations, baseball camp, swimming lessons, and who knows what else, so I thought this might be a cool way around the problem. DRAGONFLY is covering bands like TOOL, PANTERA, METALLICA, STP and ALICE IN CHAINS. No, we aren't playing 'Mayday In Kiev' or 'Mosquito Brain Surgery', or doing too many measures of 11/16 (well, the TOOL stuff has quite a few odd measures),but it's some rockin', fun, heavy stuff. At the gig last night, some kid in the audience kept yelling out 'YYZ!', so who knows. Maybe some RUSH will creep its way into one of the sets. If you're in the San Antonio area, check out the band at various clubs around town. We're playing 3 to 5 times a week."