Mike Wing's Greatest Hits Vol. 1
A song-by-song breakdown by Mike Wing
8 Ft. Tall - ART SCHOOL
This one was recorded many many years ago for the Art School album Stupid and Young and boy did we live up to that title! It was originally just a little jokey-goofy little improvised tune that I started playing at a practice and the other guys seemed to like it and said that they wanted to “work” on it. It was produced by the great *Mark Mikel who also played the harmonica and sang some backups. I re-did this song later on with B.J. Longfellow and I improved the lyrics a little bit, talk sang it like a Western narrator, and put that over a riff similar to Blackfoot’s “Train Train.”
Tim Bueter - drums, handclaps, vocals
Dirk Boyles - guitar, handclaps, vocals
Perry Flinch - bass, handclaps, vocals
Mark Mikel - harmonica, vocals
Wing - guitar, nasally vocals
Hands - NEW ROB ROBBIES
This is the beginning of The Winthrop House era. Written in my early Chicago days, this song was recorded with Scott Ramsayar at War Zone studios near Cabrini Green and appeared on the Nuts and Balls EP (Mind of a Child). Paul Johnson encouraged my writing and it was so great to be in this band of Ohio transplants even though they gave me the boot soon after.
Robbie Butler - drums
George Kraynak (RIP) - bass
Paul Johnson - guitar, vocals
Wing - guitars, vocals
Nothin' Done - VAMBO MARBLE EYE
This was also written during the early Chicago days. I was smoking tons of biker weed and trying to write every day. It was recorded with Dave Davis (RIP) and John Curley of Afghan Whigs fame at Ultra Suede studio in Cincinnati and appeared on the “Cornfed” EP and was the highest-fi of the low-fi era. I remember getting verbally abused by Smitty and Davis when I added the banjo overdub….. they said “What is this the fucking Doobie Brothers?”
Kevin Smith - drums
Perry Finch - bass, goofy mouth noises, vocals
Wing - guitars both forward and backward, banjo, vocals
Listen to Nothin' Done
It’s Over (Reprise)/Clown/No Resolve - CABOOSE
This was the first Winthrop house super group and the song was recorded in the basement by Scott Ramsayer and mixed by me. Mark (Morton, pre-Lamb of God, when he still lived in Chicago) was around on the day of mixing and added some cool slide guitar to the mess. This little mini 3-song set was pulled from a demo CD, and “Clown/No Resolve” was released on the Off-White sampler 7” EP.
Perry Finch - drums. vocals
Paul Johnson - bass, vocals
*Mark Morton - slide guitar
Wing- guitars, tambourine, vocals
Listen to It's Over It's Over (Reprise)/Clown/No Resolve
Oxes and Horses - LEGHORN
This one was written during a long bender of a weekend trip to Toledo. I just paid off some overdue bills by working three jobs at once and had just hooked up with Lori and was feeling blissful and wild. This song is about friendship and was recorded at JJ Nobody’s home studio in Colorado Springs and later covered by Drag the River. It appeared on the “Hobo Demos” album (Mars Motors).
Paul Rucker - drums
Lori Kolb Wing - bass
Zach Boddicker - guitar, vocals
Wing - guitars, vocals
Low Self-Esteem - BOOKER NOE
When Lori moved back to Chicago we started this little instrumental band and recorded this with Kris “Chainsaw” Poulin at his home studio. Booker Noe went on to win The Winthrop House battle of the bands which helped my esteem.
Jake Huppert - drums
Lori Kolb Wing - bass
Wing - guitar
Longreen - B.J. LONGFELLOW
This was an attempt to write a riff like Molly Hatchet’s “Beatin' the Odds.” Although I didn’t even come close to the fret mastery of Hlubek, Holland, and Roland, I think it came out pretty good. When I told Rucker that I had just written a song called Longreen he said “ I hope it’s about weed.” It’s not. It’s about money or lack thereof. Some of the tracking was done at the Blasting Room with Jason Livermore.
Paul Rucker - drums, percussion
Jason Cope - bass, vocals
Wing- guitars, vocals
Karl Alvarez - backup vocals
Michael “Stimey” Steinman (RIP) - backup vocals
Excuses - HARVEY KNUCKLES WITH THE KEHILIHANS
This one was recorded by Andy Jordan at Chris and Sarah's house in Kansas City during a short Harvey Knuckles tour around Kansas and Missouri. The song is about laziness and untrustworthy people. Harvey Knuckles recorded the basic tracks individually and the Kelihans joined for overdubs and vocals. Never before released!
Jon Motley - drums
Jason Cope - bass
Micheal “Stimey” Steinman (RIP) - vocals
Chris Teasley - keyboards, vocals
Jack Boyd - vocals
Kyle Laval - vocals
Wing - guitar, vocals
Boogie Woogie on the Backs of the Working Poor - DINERO
When the Knucklers broke up we were working on 30 songs for a concept album about the plight of the working man Called “Perro.” This theme carried over to the next “act” which was called “Dinero.” This riff is a nod to Black Sabbath's “Neon Nights” and was recorded with Damon Smith and appears on the album The Blind Owl.
Davey Shutz - drums, vocals
Colin Desimaro - low-end guitar, vocals
Wing - guitars, vocals
Lucifer I - TEAM SATAN
Team Satan, founded by Chris “Wiglar” Auman, was made up mostly of fellow staffers of the Chicago Diner, a vegetarian restaurant in the Boys Town neighborhood of Chicago. Lori and I met during this band's formidable run. This is devil rock recorded by Kris “Chainsaw” Poulin and was released on the Little More Down album on RoosterCow Records.
Lori Kolb - bass
John “Sneaky Petes” Peters - bass, vocals
Chris “Reglar” Auman - guitar, vocals
Wing - drums, vocals
Meet Me Down By The River - THE DREAM CAPACITY
This song is a little story or meditation about an incident that happened at the House of Mirth — a spooky practice space that Art School shared with the band Pondo Sinatra. Art School was dabbling in LSD and smoking tons of biker weed. We were practicing late at night and in between songs we heard a scary echoey voice come out of my Dean Markley guitar amplifier which said “Meet Me Down by the River.” It scared the living shit out of us, especially Perry who had been playing with Ouija boards around that time and it was the tail end of the “satanic panic” era.
I jokingly took off my guitar and nervously said that I was going to the river, probably thinking it was my Robert Johnson moment…. and well…. the voice spoke again and was a far less daunting message from a young man. We figured out that it was some people operating a handsome cab company in the lower part of the building and were communicating on walkie-talkies which were picked up by the shotty electrical system and went through my amp.
This song was written years later and is wondering what would have happened if we had never heard that follow-up voice and gone through the rest of our lives believing it was the devil.
This version was recorded at Matt Truman’s practice space during a whirlwind visit to Toledo and the Dream Capacity was a one-show band that opened up for the Matt Truman’s Ego Trip at Howard’s Club H in Bowling Green.
Derek Wright - drums
Kelley Kling - bass
Matt Truman - tambourine, vocals
Wing - guitar, vocals
I Don't Need Your Help - THE HEAVY FIGS
This song was recorded at Ben “Queensryche” Prytherch's basement studio during a 4th of July weekend which brought the Heavy Figs to Colorado to headline our annual backyard bar-b-que and horseshoe tournament. It was never released….until now!
Sarah Teasley - drums, vocals
John Cutler - bass, harmonica, vocals
Chris Teasley - guitar, percussion, vocals
Wing - guitars, vocals
Another - W.A.S.
This was a short-lived project that was put together to relieve the stress of starting my own painting company in Colorado and having my mom get sicker back in Toledo.
Karl was kind enough to participate as he was preparing for a big Descendents tour and wanted more playing time. The song was recorded at Damon's studio and was never released… until now! I think I was trying to write a song in the vain Bob Welsh era of Fleetwood Mac.
Damon Smith - drums, percussion, vocals
Karl Alvarez - bass
Wing- guitars, vocals
