Upon my return to Bloomington in August 1983,  I was pleasantly surprised to be asked to join a band right away.  Red Square was a funky trio led by Janas Hoyt and featuring former Panics guitarist Ian Brewer, Aran’s (Premature Babies) brother, and Janet Wampler on drums.  Clearly inspired by Dancing Cigarettes but also by Pere Ubu and other post modern bands of the time, I jumped at the chance to add synth to the mix.

Red Square was tighter and more focused than Amoebas had been.  Janas’s ethereal vocals brought great strength to the material, while Ian’s guitar connected well with Janet’s insistent drumming and Janas’ artsy bass lines.  My role was simpler–add synth (I’d moved up to a Korg MS-20–duophonic!!) and backing vocals, I did not contribute lyrics or sing lead vocals as the material was so good it needed little from me.  We played several times at Second Story and were well received.  We recorded two songs at Indiana University’s MAC studio, including “Down from the High Chair”, for which Diane and I created a music video.  Some of our live tapes were lost in Boston, sadly, but I am trying to resurrect what’s left for posterity at least.  “Down from the High Chair” was released on Sirius Music of Bloomington (not that Sirius, no) on its second compilation tape, Son of Segments, and then reissued in 2016 on Timechange Records’ “Hardly Music Story” box set as one side of a set of three lathe cut singles.

There was great interpersonal discomfort between some band members that did not appear to be resolvable.  I got tired of the strife and left in the spring of 1983.  The band carried on as it had started, as a trio, for another year or so.

I turned my focus to my impending marriage to Diane and finished my master’s program, which I was graciously allowed to return to after Boston.  And I was fortunate enough to land a position as a media trainee at the vaunted Chicago advertising agency Leo Burnett.  Thus ends the first chapter of my musical endeavors.