The P.O.S. Symphony was born at Jewel Recording in Mt. Healthy, Ohio (just north of Cincinnati),  late one Friday night in 1973. Karl Sjodahl had just finished engineering a session with legendary guitarist Lonnie Mack when Jeff Willis and Roger Trauth  stopped by the studio. They had planned to go out for Skyline Chili, but somebody had the idea of recording something quickly with the three of them playing all the parts. This impromptu session produced "The Friday Night Thing, Part I," a high energy, improvised blend of guitars, drums, keyboards, percussion, bass, hand claps, Coke bottles, music stands, crowd mumbles, and three tracks of a flushing toilet (which is where the name P.O.S. came from... you figure it out.) The three guys got together every few years between 1973 and 1987 and repeated the process.

While the songs they created are quite different on each session, the sessions were always built around the same three guys. Roger played keyboards, guitars, bass, and whatever other instruments were in the studio. Jeff played drums, percussion, and anything that made an interesting noise when you hit it (or flushed it). Karl usually engineered and sometimes added guitars, keyboards and other toys. Occasional musical members of the group include Mark Winkle (piano on "Karl's Song" and "Sunday Sunrise") and family and friends (jungle sounds on "El Oro de Coronado"). The sessions were usually done quickly and with little rehearsal. The result often feels like a "live" performance, since the group rarely had the chance to work the tune to death. Two songs were familiar tunes, the Classic IV's "Spooky" and The Beatles' "Day Tripper" (although they did perform the lyrics as a dramatic reading). All other songs were written by Roger or Karl and arranged by the group as they went along.

Jewel Recording Studios' owner, Rusty York, was kind enough to let the guys use the studio at a reduced rate. (None of the P.O.S. recordings would have happened without Rusty's support.) Karl was an engineer-producer at Jewel at the time of the first P.O.S. session Nelson Weber, a close friend of Roger's and Karl's, and also an occasional engineer at Jewel, helped out with engineering when Karl was in the studio. By the time of the later sessions, the guys needed assistance with engineering from current Jewel employees, since the technology was changing so rapidly.

Note: The tracks were recorded as quickly as possible, with virtually no rehearsal. Roger and Jeff had the length of time it took Karl to rewind the tape and change the patching, to figure out what instrument and what part they wanted to play next.

Note: A follow-up to the first "Friday Night Thing." This time they had too much time to plan, and the recording lost a lot of the spontaneity of the first endeavor. A few of the tracks and the bizarre ending are weird, but interesting.

Note: Jeff was late to the session so Karl recorded the original drum track. Jeff later over-dubbed the drum parts, but Karl's metronome-steady rhythm still remains (The way it slowly speeds up through the song is what's really "Spooky.")

Roger with Rusty York, owner of Jewel Recording, a talented musician
and a great friend. Rusty had a hit record with "Sugaree" in 1959,
and has been honored by induction into the Rockabilly Hall Of Fame.

Note: The song was divided into two sections. It begins and ends as a power pop song, with overdriven guitars and timpani. The center section is softer, relying on acoustic instruments, Mellotron flutes and softer percussion.

Note: This was recorded as a track for overdubbing, but the guys ran out of time, so it remains unfinished. This recording marks the last appearance of the 1965 Mosrite Ventures Model guitar Karl played for the last few years with T.H.E..., before he traded it for the Les Paul the group used on the next P.O.S. session. (Perhaps not the best financial move... since 1965 Mosrite Ventures Model guitars regularly sell for $5-9,000 today.)

Note: The song was written as a country flavored ballad, but the guys never got around to adding the vocals. The lead in the final mix was provided by the piano, Rhodes and guitar fill tracks. This session was the night after the first reunion of T.H.E... in fifteen years. Tom's wedding was the following night.

Note: This recording features a funky rhythm (inspired by Billy Joel's "Easy Money"), dramatic readings of the lyrics from all three guys, and Jeff's first ever recorded drum solo. (It's quite good actually.)

In 2002, all of the P.O.S. analog master tapes were converted to 24 track high resolution ProTools digital recordings  for mixing. Roger added a couple of additional guitar parts to "El Oro de Coronado" and they created an entirely new mix for the song for inclusion on the "T.H.E... and Friends" CD

 
 

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