Sometimes there is a record that comes to life in a very unassuming way from its inception down to its release. “Rubble Guts & BB Eye” by Preteen Zenith is such an album.
Tim DeLaughter began writing and demoing songs for The Polyphonic Spree as well as a solo album. Julie Doyle shared these demos with Philip E. Karnats. Tim and Phil had a recording session planned to improvise and record the results. Phil loved what he heard and they decided to work on the demos instead. Tim loaded up his car with gear and headed to Chicago to record in Phil’s basement studio. The second round of recording found them in a cabin outside Memphis. They also tracked some at the Triplex and Elmwood in Dallas.
The left side of the screen shows Tim and Phil dealing with a flood that happened during tracking in Phil’s basement. It also shows them transforming their cabin in Tennessee into a recording studio dubbed Walshtown after the retreat where they holed up to record and fish. Tim and Phil had a camera rolling which you can see in its raw and unedited state.
The right side of the screen shines some light on the genesis of the characters Rubble Guts and BB Eye portrayed by Tim Delaughter and Philip E. Karnats respectively. The names came first. Rubble Guts is derived from Tim's recurring stomach grumblings and BB Eye from a ball type growth near Phil's eye. The characters were developed throughout the Preteen Zenith recording process. They would refer to each other by these names as they burned the midnight oil tracking and working on loose script ideas. Even once back in Dallas and Chicago Tim and Phil stayed in character for day to day communication rhetoric. After the completion of the album they shot part one with an instrumental they completed as its soundtrack. The footage here is pulled from b-roll/second camera footage shot by a friend of the upcoming introductory film “The Adventures of Rubble Guts & BB Eye Part One” directed by Miles Hargrove. Its instrumental soundtrack will be released by Good Records Recordings as well as the rest of the series. Rubble Guts & BB Eye will be an ongoing instrumental and visual collaboration between Tim and Phil separate of Preteen Zenith.
The videos accompanying the tracks are meant to serve as a way to preview the tracks and gain some insight into the making of the record and the personalities involved.
Enjoy the music.
