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Artist History ==> Web Page 15 of 26
Dombrovski's TOXIC STUDIOS was also where OXYGEN HEAD artist/member/producer/performer/songwriter, and fellow-BERKLEE-COLLEGE-OF-MUSIC alumnus Thom Stayton cut the darkwave/synth-pop tracks "Goddess," "Get Me Off God," and "Feed," each a part of the OXYGEN HEAD, sonic amalgamation collectively known as Faith or Fetish, recorded from February 1994 through May 1995 with Dombrovski providing technical and engineering assistance.
DOMBROVSKI: I began studying music theory, harmony, and some guitar with a teacher named John Dougherty on September 29, 1990, when I was 22. It was through John Dougherty that I met Thom Stayton. Thom was studying music theory with John Dougherty, too. I think Thom was 20, two-years younger than me at the time. On March 24, 1991, John Dougherty, a BERKLEE-COLLEGE-OF-MUSIC alumnus, took some of his private students, which included Thom Stayton and myself, to Boston, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., to tour BERKLEE. Everyone took the trip in a passenger van, so naturally I talked to Thom while we were on the road. Thom was cool.
DOMBROVSKI: Thom Stayton looked really "Goth," as in "Gothic"--Thom wore strange clothes by conventional standards, and Thom had strange hair in some type of dreadlocks. Thom was really into the bands DEPECHE MODE and FRONT 242, among others, which included THE ORB and KMFDM. I remember Thom letting me listen to stuff like that, which he brought along on the way to and from BERKLEE.
DOMBROVSKI: Before one is accepted at BERKLEE, the college wants recommendations and assessments from private teachers concerning the abilities of their prospective BERKLEE students. Also, all prospective students have to declare a principal instrument. Thom Stayton and I both declared drums as our principal instrument. Well, John Dougherty and I lived in Wilmington, DELAWARE, U.S.A., which is in the northern part of the state, while Thom Stayton lived further south near Harrington, DELAWARE, about 69 miles away. After John Dougherty and I jammed together on July 31, 1991, John knew I could play drums, so John sent me down to Thom Stayton's abode to hear if Thom was a good enough drummer to get into BERKLEE. On July 20, 1991, I went to the 180-acre abode Thom lived on and listened to Thom play drums. He was damn good. Thom had extremely fast hands and killer-jazz chops. I quickly and enthusiastically let John Dougherty know Thom Stayton was good enough on drums to handle BERKLEE.
DOMBROVSKI: While I was there, I listened to Thom's original recordings. Again, I was very impressed. Thom's original music was like a combination of THE CURE, DEPECHE MODE, FRONT 242, and THE ORB; yet, Thom's music also had its own unique sound. It was energetic and aggressive, but there was a nice melodic sense about it, too. This also the time when I met Thom's band mate Jesse. The two of them collectively were known as "OXYGEN HEAD."
DOMBROVSKI: Come September 1991, Thom Stayton and I were both attending BERKLEE COLLEGE OF MUSIC in Boston, MASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A. In the little makeshift studio I had set up in my dorm room while we were at BERKLEE during the fall of 1991, Thom recorded an original electro-synth-pop song of his, which I made some very slight contributions to, entitled "Held In Fear." By January 1992, I was in Los Angeles, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., while Thom stayed at BERKLEE in Boston to complete another semester. I was back in DELAWARE, U.S.A., on April 13, 1992, and I think Thom Stayton was back in DELAWARE probably by the summer of 1992.
DOMBROVSKI: About a year later, on May 15, 1993, OXYGEN HEAD, consisting of Thom and Jesse, did a show at the UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE in Newark, and I was there. It was an excellent show. In February 1993, I began buying a lot of studio gear because I was in the process of building my own home recording/project studio. I was so impressed with OXYGEN HEAD that in October 1993, I moved all the studio gear I'd been using to Thom's place near Harrington, DELAWARE, U.S.A., about 69 miles from where I was living in Wilmington (specifically Browntown), DELAWARE. I'd already cut some demos of my own original material, and I wanted to see what OXYGEN HEAD could come up with given decent studio equipment. After I returned to Wilmington, I started getting a little nervous about my equipment being so far away, so I soon went back to Thom's place and got my equipment back.
DOMBROVSKI: Well, Thom eventually moved to Newark, DELAWARE, U.S.A., and on February 14, 1994, I moved my studio gear to his apartment. Newark was only about 13 miles away or about 22 minutes away by car from where I was living in Wilmington, DELAWARE, so I was more comfortable with that arrangement. On February 19, 1994, Thom and I set up all the studio gear in Thom's apartment. Soon after that, Thom began working on the dark-synth, electro-pop, original song "Goddess." I would stop by every now and then to listen to what Thom was up to.
DOMBROVSKI: In May 1994, I moved to an apartment in Stanton, DELAWARE, U.S.A., and on July 20, 1994, I moved all my studio gear from Thom's apartment in Newark, DELAWARE, to my apartment. On August 22, 1994, Thom and I began mixing "Goddess" at my apartment-based home recording/project studio, which I dubbed "TOXIC STUDIOS."
DOMBROVSKI: OXYGEN HEAD consisted of Thom and Jesse, but when it came to creating the original music, Thom did everything. Jesse stopped by every now and then, but I remember Thom pretty much doing everything. Thom was definitely producing this demo.
DOMBROVSKI: When I wasn't working on my projects in my TOXIC STUDIOS, I'd let Thom come over and work on his material. This began on August 22, 1994, and May 2, 1995, was the last OXYGEN HEAD session at TOXIC STUDIOS. By this time, OXYGEN HEAD had a three-song, instrumental demo entitled Faith or Fetish. On May 2, 1995, Thom and I mixed down the Faith or Fetish demo to a two-track, DAT tape master. Thom never got around to recording vocals at TOXIC STUDIOS.
DOMBROVSKI: OXYGEN HEAD's Faith or Fetish consisted of three dark-synth-pop tracks: (1) "Goddess"; (2) "Get Me Off God"; and (3) "Feed." Thom Stayton worked extremely slowly, and Thom was very meticulous. Thom was a perfectionist. I really had no creative input because Thom had a pretty clear idea of the sounds he wanted. I mainly provided technical and engineering assistance, but other than that, I was almost totally hands-off.
DOMBROVSKI: Incidentally, going back a bit, Thom and I were in Philadelphia, PENNSYLVANIA, U.S.A., on September 18, 1993, checking out DEPECHE MODE in concert on their Songs of Faith and Devotion tour. Thom and I saw DEPECHE MODE again on June 14, 1994, in Columbia, MARYLAND, U.S.A., at the Merriweather Post Pavilion. Thom and I saw THE ORB on June 4, 1995, at the Trocadero Theatre in Philadelphia, PENNSYLVANIA. Those were all great shows.
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Artist History ==> Web Page 15 of 26