Human Switchboard - 1980s

1980s

In 1980, Rough Trade record company out of the UK took notice of the band and commissioned them to record a three track 12 inch single. The band went back to SUMA, this time with bass player Doug Morgan, and recorded two songs 'Who's Landing in My Hangar?' and 'I Can Walk Alone'. These two songs would then be backed with a re-release of 'In My Room' from the year before. The songs were recorded, but the label inexplicably re-canted their offer at the last minute.

Later that year, an IRS label subsidiary name Faulty Products signed the Human Switchboard to what was to become their only studio LP. It was aptly named 'Who's Landing in My Hangar'. The two tracks recorded for Rough Trade were included along with eight newer tunes. The bass playing chores on the new songs was shared among two players, Paul Hamann the studio engineer and the newest band member, Steve Calabria.

The band toured briefly around the mid-west and east coast opening for Toots & the Maytals. It was an unusual mix of sounds, but the crowds appreciated the diverse styles of the tour and paid attention to the opening band. Human Switchboard also had become a resident fixture at New York's Danceteria night club where they would remain a feature act for the next couple of years.

After the tour, the band settled into a routine of shows in friendly environments. They decided to close the store and move from Kent back to Cleveland, where they obtained an apartment in Coventry (an area made famous by Harvey Pekar). Musically, they began to experiment with more contemporary music structures. They sought out and enlisted Jared Michael Nickerson from Dayton, Ohio to play bass and offer inspiration towards the new sound they were after. Nickerson would become the band's final and longest tenured bass player.

The beat straightened out. The bass lines became funkier and once again, the band tried to gain interest from the record companies. This is when they met John Stains from Polydor Records. Polydor was on a roll at that time with hits from bands like The Waitresses and was looking to expand upon the 'new wave' sound. John helped finance demos that the band recorded over a two-week stretch in December 1983. The Switchboard would set up up on the stage of CBGBs during the afternoons and recorded a series of a dozen songs onto the club's 16-track machine.

The recordings were fleshing out nicely when suddenly, the rug was pulled out from them as John was let go from the record company. Those were the last studio recordings the band ever made. One track from these recordings 'When Your Train Starts Slowing Down' was completed and released on a 1988 compilation named 'It's Hard to be Cool in an UnCool World' (I Wanna Records).

During the band's remaining year and a half, they played regular shows at the Peppermint Lounge and CBGBs in New York, Maxwells in Hoboken and Gilleys in Dayton, Ohio. The Human Switchboard finally broke up in the spring of 1985.