Imagining a life of insomnia

I recently came across a track on an old cassette which is the first song I wrote that was actually played by a band. The band was called Eklektix, and it existed for a brief period in 1981, maybe into 1982. My memory of the time is kind of hazy, so some of this may not be historically accurate…

In about 1980, I moved out or student housing at WSU and got my own apartment, and one day as I was walking in the neighborhood, I heard the sound of a live band nearby. I followed my ears and found a group of young people playing in a garage only a block from my apartment. I waited until they finished a song, and said, “Hi! Do you want a keyboard player?”

At the time, the group didn’t have a name, and had a somewhat variable membership made up of Pullman High School students, so I was a bit older than the others. But they were into a lot of the same artists I was, and we hit it off. I brought my Rhodes over to their garage, and we started learning a bunch of Tom Petty, Elvis Costello, and other tunes. At some point, I reached out to my old high school music teacher and asked if I could borrow their Yamaha combo organ, since I knew it wasn’t being used anymore.

The members of the group were Maryanne Quan (vocals), Dawn T. (vocals), Casey Allen (bass, vocals), Scott Bruce (guitar, drums), Roger Taylor (guitar, drums), and me (keyboards, vocals). Scott and Roger were both quite capable on drums and guitar, so they switched out depending on who wanted to play what on a given song. (I only have pencil notes on a tape, so spelling of names might be wrong, and I don’t know what Dawn’s last name was.)

Eventually a gig was arranged for the group, and we performed as SRB — Student Rock Band. I have a tape of part of a show containing four songs: “The Stake” (Steve Miller Band), “I’m Not Angry” (Elvis Costello), “Sunday Girl” (Blondie), “Breakdown” (Tom Petty), and an instrumental blues jam billed as “Tribute.” It was June 11, 1981.

At some point, and for reasons I don’t recall, Maryanne and Dawn left, and Diana Swisher came in, and eventually we came up with the name Eklektix. We learned a bunch more songs, and at some point, I said, “Hey, I’ve got a tune I wrote. Wanna give it a try?”

They were game, and we learned “Insomnia.” I think the song had been sitting in my notebook for a while, but I chose it to be my first to present — I guess I thought it fit the band’s sound best.

We played a show somewhere on August 14, 1981, and it got recorded onto a cassette that I still have. This is the part of the set that survives:

1. Big Eyes (Cheap Trick)
2. The Stake (Steve Miller)
3. Don’t Do Me Like That (Tom Petty)
4. Refugee (Tom Petty)
5. I’m Not Angry (Elivis Costello)
6. I Don’t Like Your Face (The Heats)
7. As Long as the Laughter Lasts (The Shirts)
8. Switchboard Susan (Nick Lowe)
9. Breakdown (Tom Petty)
10. De Do Do Do (The Police)
11. Daytripper (Beatles)
12. All Day and All of the Night (Kinks)
13. Two Tickets to Paradise (Eddie Money)
14. What’s the Matter with You (Split Enz)
15. Lip Service (Elvis Costello)
16. Pump It Up / High Fidelity (Elvis Costello)
17. Insomnia (Jon Davis)
18. Shark Attack (Split Enz)
19. Got the Time (Joe Jackson)
20. My Generation (The Who)
21. I Feel Fine (Beatles)
22. Twist and Shout (Beatles)
23. Alison (Elvis Costello)
24. One Way or Another (Blondie)

So we really liked Tom Petty and Elvis Costello. I was always happy that we managed a couple of Split Enz tunes, and the inclusion of The Heats and The Shirts shows that we were way outside the bounds of pop radio of the time.

Here’s “Insomnia”…

I don’t really remember anything about the origins of the song. It was probably written on a piano in one of the practice rooms of the music building at WSU in 1979 or 1980.

Insomnia
Words & music by Jon Davis (BMI)

Insomnia’s like a castle that is guarded by a moat
There’s no telling what could be there in the depths of my dreams
When I approach the bridge that spans the waters calm below
I can’t help but be afraid because things are not what they always seem

Chorus:
Insomnia is killing me
Insomnia is breaking me
Insomnia is tearing me apart
Can’t get to sleep, not willing to
Can’t get to sleep, it’s shaking me
Insomnia is tearing me apart

Insomnia’s like a forest that has never seen the sun
There’s moss hanging from the trees that seem to move to circle me
I hear a howling wolf and unknown sounds are all around
Don’t say it’s just a dream, they say that dreams can kill in your sleep

Chorus

Insomnia is a nightmare that will never go away
I lie in my bed staring at the shapes on my walls
The darkness is creeping into my brain slowly day to day
I can’t take the chance that I will always wake before I fall

Chorus

I’d like to say hearing this again after so many years brought back memories, but honestly I remember almost nothing directly and just have the cassette and its case to go by. I remember the band playing a dance in the gym at Pullman High School, but I couldn’t say if it was either of these shows. My vague memory of that is that it was wintertime, so it couldn’t have been the source of this tape. Or maybe the winter show was something entirely different.

At some point after these shows, I think when the members who were in high school graduated, the group broke up, but Casey and I went on to Wild Debbies, which lasted quite a few years, relocating to Seattle in 1985. But that’s another story.