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Unstable Homebodies: A Historic Journey
The Homebodies are a band with a history. Our story began at High
Point U, where Geoff Thorne (drums) & Virgil Lloyd (guitar) shared
their love of ice cream & music. We soon became great friends &
in the summer of 1994 the UH were born. We practiced diligently
to perfect an abrasive & melodic two-man sound. Geoff at heart is
a guitar player, but that did not stop him from grabbing hold of
the groove he could never lose. Looking back, it seems that he became
a drummer almost over night. But he was destined to hit the skins
- the guy's been playing air drums forever. And I should know...sitting
in the passenger's seat of his car, my nose became his ride bell
& the steering wheel his snare. As Geoff progressed on the kit,
I gained more experience with my ax. In those days, we were heavily
influenced by the likes of Into Another, Voivod, Bad Brains, Minor
Threat and really anything heavy w/ lots of distortion. The songs
were loud, unique & always a challenge to play.
Around 1996 we had an official practice space in North Jersey. We
called the Thorne basement home & soon added a bassist to our sound.
The lucky man was Adam Bishop...a fine song writer & energetic fellow,
who was always up for a Homebody challenge. With  Adam
Bishop holding together the bottom end, we commandeered Scott Visco
as our vocalist. Together we reconstructed our songs into something
magical - an actual band! The new line-up landed us a gig at Judy
and Chrisy's & although the floor was slippery the show went well.
The summer ended & so did the new line-up. Scott & Adam went back
to their respective schools & Geoff & Virg kept the Homebodies dream
alive for the time being. A footnote to this story...Scott Visco
joined us on "The Method" & Brian Church added the bass/vocals to
"Metamorphosis". Along with our very own G. Thorne, both are members
of the Assorted Kitchen Utensils.
After a short hiatus to focus on our studies, G & I got back together
finding a new home in South Jersey. We got tighter, as did the practice
space, and set our goals on finding a replacement for Adam & Visco.
We placed an advertisement for a bassist & within a week a skinny
boy by the name of Jeff Muckensturm had replied. He showed up at
practice with his bass & a grin, & by nights end we had officially
become the Unstable Homebodies. It was a masterpiece ...everything
we wrote together was so easy & perfect, & most importantly solid
friendships were formed. Baby Muck had filled the void & now we
were truly a band. We explored heavier music, playing everything
in E or drop D. Not your average band - we were an instrumental
band. Creating massive songs such as "Enclosed Vehicle", "Tribeca",
"Ferns & Worms", "Interpretations AM", "Cozy", "Angular Suspicious
Matrix" & many more. With one vocal exception - "Morgan Freeman".
During this period we released our first demo, Star Bug 1.
In the early summer of 1997, Muck had joined a hardcore band called
Unclench. They were a four-piece (guitar, bass, vocals & drums)
& other than Muck were relatively inexperienced musicians. By mid-summer
their drummer had quit & Muck offered the UH positions in the band.
G & I jumped at the chance. In less than a month we had learned
the majority of their material & added a few new songs to the mix.
As a hardcore act, shows came easier. We debuted the new line-up
at GT's Maple Shade home basement show. The set was relentless &
well received. From there, we traveled to NC playing three shows
until transportation problems left us stranded. It was a sign of
things to come. By late fall the band was over & so were our hardcore
days. We did record an album during this time - "Araby" & cassettes/stickers
are still available to those interested.
In 1998 the Homebodies made an incredible transformation. Feeling
insecure as an instrumental 3-piece, the UH took on a whole new
dimension. Classically trained violinist & all around swell gal,
Nora became the 4th Homebody.
Nora gave the Bodies a new look & feel, bringing the melodies of
her violin to the forefront of our sound. Our songs evolved, becoming
more dramatic & less abrasive. After a winter of serious practice,
we got the chance to play at Camden County College. It was a "coffee
house" open mic night of sorts - all went well (for the most part),
which opened the door to the CCC Spring Fling show. The Spring Fling
took place outdoors on a beautiful early-summer morning. The crowd
was a decent sized group of curious passers by & goofy students.
We entertained the crowd with 25 minutes of new material that consisted
of "Anything but MER", "Resurrecting Alyce Smith", "Manitoba" &
a host of others. Finding new confidence in our live abilities,
in August we threw our own show at GT's Maple Shade home. We were
all panting & sweating profusely from the heat, but barreled through
almost every song we had written in the last two years. Regardless
of the heat & humidity, the show went extremely well. The Maple
Shade extravaganza allowed us the opportunity to make a new recording,
featuring 
previously unrecorded material such as "Funeral Procession for Albert"
& "Pole Position". Although the recording was never produced into
a demo format, we were able to press some custom CD's. A very rare
& extremely collectible recording.
For personal & professional reasons the UH took another small hiatus.
However, by the Spring of 1999 the Bodies kicked it back in full gear. With
the exception of Nora, who had taken a summer camp position in the mid-West,
the UH had taken a new direction with their sound. Our new sound will be
featured on Vol. 1, which will be released in the Spring of 2000. We are
currently finishing the recording process (Nora will be featured on one
track) & will begin mixing within weeks.
to be continued...
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