Once upon a time I left the tiniest shadow. It grew and finally shape changed into an ego large enough to contain several beasts in the ubiquitous form of the rock-n-roll band. The beasts were named Flop, Pure Joy, Llama, Cobirds Unite and even many of their beast-mates contained me, including some called Fastbacks, Count Foxy and/or Sgt. Major. Now 30 years into the experiment, the two beasts that most actively remain are conjured by the announcement of Llama or Rusty Willoughby. Below you'll find artifacts of all aforementioned physiologies.

LLAMA SINGS: ALRIGHT

This song is from the first unreleased Llama album. Also known as the red album. It's shape is round and the song features music played by Rusty Willoughby (vocals, guitar), Scott Sutherland (bass, vocals, piano) and Jim Hunnicutt (drums, percussion). The song was recorded & mixed by Kurt Bloch at Chromasound Studio in June of 2005. I was about to move to a desert land far, far away, so I've always felt there is a certain sound of necessity to this record. But listen for yourself.

© Copyright 2005, Fatbald Music, Rusty Willoughby

COBIRDS UNITE SING: TOO EARLY

This song was born one summer morning in the first decade of the twenty-first century. It's a song about frustration and the inability to control either the frustration or the root cause of it. It got made on the acoustic guitar and pretty much stayed right there. But this lushly produced affair also contains Rachel Flotard (vocals), Rusty Willoughby (vocals, guitar), Barb Hunter (cello), Margaret Bjorklund (pedal steel guitar) and Barrett Martin (drums, double bass). Recorded and mixed by Johnny Sangster at Crackle & Pop studio and Avast Studios, this was from a period where my obsession was all things mellifluous.

© Copyright 2010, Fatbald Music, Rusty Willoughby

R-DUB SINGS: FILAMENT DUST

Riding on the cosmic remnant of a forgotten past, I'd slowly began writing folk songs again in 2007. I'd become obessessed with American Music and consumed everything in my path. All of a sudden, half-a-century's worth of popular songs never seemed so accessible and within grasp. I re-found Dylan and Gram Parsons... I finally understood Country Music for the first time in my life. This was a revelation mind you and it produced a lot of weird recordings. One of them being this song.

© Copyright 2007, Fatbald Music, Rusty Willoughby

PURE JOY SINGS: OCEAN

Two years out of high school, I often spent my time wandering around the city trying very hard not to work. I discovered Seattle Metro and began writing songs on the bus. Since I'm not a natural musician, I could only keep about two chords in my head without an actual guitar in my hands. This song presents that process clearly. It's a clumsy affair by me on the songwriting front and the lead singerly front. However there is a youthful energy that is charming and makes this early document something I fondly remember making. Recorded and mixed in 1986 by Jay Folette at Ironwood Studio.

© Copyright 1986, Fatbald Music, Rusty Willoughby