Tool Box Hero
Stay In Touch
© 2007 Zeke Sayer (634479662416)
Haunting vocals and guitar blend with electronic sounds. Listen if you like Postal Service, The Album Leaf, and Plus 44.
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Tool Box Hero is the side project of Zeke Sayer, from the indie/rock/pop band, Fact Not Fiction.
"The sounds from TBH are what ever they want to be" - says Sayer. This indeed holds true as one listens to each track, ranging from a boy/girl pop/electro duet, to an underground beat about loosing track of time which features a rapper. As you listen to TBH's debut release, "Stay In Touch" you'll notice that the songs are separated by instrumental interludes, which were used to create moods as the listener fades from track to track, according to Sayer.
The birth of Tool Box Hero was nothing spectacular. One night while working in his project studio, Zeke would often kill time by making electronic beats on his computer just for fun. "I liked to make techno beats, rap beats, just anything to see what I could come up with", and then that night the idea came to him to form a project that had no tag, and could be anything it wants to be. Although the main layers of TBH will consist of an electronically produced beat, over lapping Sayer's cold, whispery voice. On the other hand, in tracks such as "Free Now", Sayer picked up real instruments to record, first laying down a piano track with a 20 year old Casio keyboard. "The thing was 1 foot long, one key was broken and I did all the piano/key parts with it" claims Sayer. After the piano/key tracks where done, he got behind the kit and finished the song.
TBH's most acclaimed song, "Between The Earth and Moon" features the guest vocals of Cassie Landrath as the two sing a duet on the track. "I was playing drums for Cassie at the time [ who has her own music project and plays from time to time ] and I had came up with this song in 45 minutes one night after messing around with beats on my lap top. After telling her about my idea, she was all for it." said Sayer. Coming from a background of Country and Rock, one might have doubted Cassie's performance on "Between The Earth and Moon", which called for a softer female voice to compliment it, but she clearly pulled it off without error.
Flipping the tables over, you'll find the track, "Now Is The Time", which is the only song on the "Stay In Touch" album that was not totally written by Sayer. A local rapper from Elberton, GA known as Justin Greene or "Quest" was approached by Zeke and asked the idea of rapping on an "Indie/pop/electro" song. Most people would not picture the two in the same room, but with a little work and guidance, TBH totally pulled it off. "Zeke had produced a beat for me earlier and then asked if i would come back and write a rap to a beat he had made. At first i wasn't really sure what to think, but after hearing the finished product, I' satisfied" - Justin Greene.
The "Stay In Touch" Album was recorded entirely by Zeke Sayer in his project studio which is a 1960's trailer that has been remodeled to accommodate the art of music and capture it as well. "It looks like shit from the outside [laughs}" admits Zeke, "But once inside it's a nice, cozy place to write and record....kind of reminds me of a submarine." Others can say what they will, but the 40+ year old trailer has housed the recording sessions of many albums including "A Corporate Calling" by Zeke's main band, Fact Not Fiction.
Album Credits:
Vocals/Guitar/Bass/Drums/Keys/Piano/Programming - Zeke Sayer
Guest Vocals on “Between the Earth and Moon” - Cassie Landreth
Guest Vocals on “Now Is The Time” - Quest
Written, Recorded, Produced and Mixed from Early 2006 till mid 2007 at Zeke Sayer’s home studio, The Farmhouse.
Special Thanks:
My Mother and Father, God, All 5 of my brothers and my 1 sister, Jon Bryant, Tyler Glenn from the wonderful band, Fact Not Fiction (my other ball and chain), Adam Davis, every one who says “can’t”, everyone that has helped me out in some way, shape or form, all of my friends in the hometown, and that one special person that only exists in my mind now, you made me the person I am today by your ways, but life has a strange way of working out. Thank you.