Welcome to day 16 of a 30-day tribute to the history of Duluth's favorite
sons, Bone Appetit. Use the Calendar at right to view days you missed.

That's probably not coffee in there.

Today you are afforded a rare glimpse into the songwriting process of Bone Appetit.

When the band first began, many a night were spent in the basement of their shared house making a god-awful racket and just maybe, discovering a turd worth polishing. Songs like "I Love You Skull", "Drive Away", and "Brain Invaders" were carved out in this fashion.

"Alyssa" was another song birthed in the basement, and the exact moment of conception of this fan-favorite can be heard in the newly-uncovered recording below.

Alyssa [Concept].mp3 - 4.1 MB

"Fire Alarm" however, never made it out of the basement for obvious reasons.

Fire Alarm [Concept].mp3 - 1.5 MB

Later, as the members of Bone Appetit spread apart, writing was handled on an individual basis, and later brought to practice for the rest of the group to finish. Hot Rod wrote "That's Rock n' Roll" and "Fight to Kill" at his family home over one summer break while Richie wrote the Crue-influenced "Rev My Engine Up."

One of the more prolific songwriters in the group, Sudden Death would pen many songs while living in Minneapolis and send them via e-mail to Duluth for consideration. Two songs that came out of a period of heavy Guns n' Roses listening are "Screamin' Wheels", and "She Rocks." Axl's influence is clearly evident by the vocal stylings of Death on these recordings.

Screamin' Wheels [Concept - Sudden Death].mp3 - 2.5 MB

She Rocks [Concept - Sudden Death].mp3 - 4.5 MB

Double Barrel wasn't actively involved in writing songs on his own, however he did help write the main riff for "Smile, I'm Gonna Cut You". Also, a lone instrumental recording of his exists of "Eat My Band-Aid", a rough concept based around Hot Rod claiming he wanted to perform a song by that name. The guitar on the recording, particularly the solo, shows why Barrel is better off behind the drums.

Eat My Band-Aid [Concept - Double Barrel].mp3 - 4.0 MB

When the band finally picked up guitarist Jizzy Young, there was an second Renaissance of sorts. Songs written by him include "Fight Night", "Too High To Die", "The Brawler", and "Reign in Hell."