School for Robots

Frenetically produced, raw and previously unreleased tracks, works-in-progress or live nuggets, straight from the brain of Curtis Killian. Released in a flurry, as inspired. The 3 most-recent songs are available for free download. Check out more at www.schoolforrobots.com

Works in Progress

An incomplete selection of music I've played on.

Selected Session Work

released 01 October 2013 
Curtis Killian - vocals, electric guitar, 8-bit guitar, aliens 
Clinton Degan - electric guitar, pocket piano, choir synth, judas priest vocals 
Abram Taber - electric bass, synth bass 
Frank Hegyi - drums, samplepad, tambourine 
Cullen Corley - maracas 

Recorded by Elio Deluca at the Soul Shop in Medford, MA. 
Produced by School for Robots & Luke Sullivan 
Mixed & mastered by Luke Sullivan

Mega#@$!ing Man

Another work in progress from some of our last home recordings at the end of last year. This song came to me in a dream, David Bowie was like a lounge singer/waiter or something in a restaurant I was eating in, and was just singing "Hoola Deranged" to that melody. It was perplexing. He then spilled water on me.

Clinton Degan: vocals, guitar; Frank Hegyi: drums, SPD11, percussion; Maxwell Butler: piano, organ, theremin; Curtis Killian: guitar, vocals; Abram Taber: bass;

Recorded at home with initial engineering by Luke Sullivan.

Lyrics by Curtis, Degan and Frank:

hoola deranged

queen of the strange
a fish in the drain
yeah she's all of these things

you've got nothing in your brain
just mechanical pain
an expensive display

yeah you might be insane
or partly unchained
i think god made you that way

come on on
come on on
come on
 
hoola deranged

perpendicular plane 
beezelbub's play
in a backgammon game

yokahoma by train
see the hoofchamber maid
in her bilbo beret

little peach giant james
peanut butter in flames
with a side of raisins

come on on
kimono
kimodo
comode

hoola deranged

vernacular saint
elbow scratchy with grain
and a new coat of paint

the ol' in out of phase
put you back in your plaze
in a cortizone daze

forget what i say
just be on your way
with the hoola deranged

Hoola Deranged

That Is Something

A Rock & Roll song about throwing yourself out of a window.

Defenestrated

Witness the birth of a fake free-form psychedelic ambient funk rock band comprised of Cullen Corley on drums and mice elf on guitar. For obvious reasons, we'll either call it Cullis, Curtain, or some variation thereof (Curtains for Cullis?), and will improvise material on the spot.

This particular track was created while waiting in the garage for an unrelated recording session (Justin Shorey, you can hear him enter at the end), and is completely unedited. 

I really enjoy jamming with Cullen -- check out his various drumming projects here: http://wullz.tumblr.com/

Curtains for Cullis (live spontaneous improvisation)

Here is a tribute to the late Ween, who apparently died yesterday (R.I.P. , 1984-2012). School for Robots teamed up with A Bit Much for Halloween last year to perform as Ween with a rousing set of mutual favorites. This was the opening number, at Ralph's in Worcester, 10/27/2012.

Happy Colored Marbles (live Ween tribute) Halloween 2011 feat. A Bit Much

Floppy Boot Stomp Romp
(with a nod to the Captain!)
CK - guitar, pignose, lap steel, trash
Frank Hegyi - drums, trash
Abram Taber - bass
Max Butler - Hammond A-100 organ
Luke Sullivan - guitar
Sambo Fancypants - heys

Floppy Boot Stomp Romp

One & Two

Rough tracks of a new song (no vocals recorded yet), recorded live in my bedroom with Seth Adams on bass and Daniel Harris on electric guitar (and overdubbed lap steel).

Come back a little bit (rough inst. tracks)

A country song written for Joey Clift's reboot of Sufjan Steven's shelved Fifty States Project.

R. K. Vallury: lead vocals, acoustic guitar, banjo
Maxwell "Bunny" Butler: piano, Hammond organ, drums and percussion, backing vocals
Jere Mendelsohn: acoustic guitar, reso-phonic guitar
Dan Wessels: upright bass

Music and lyrics by R. K. Vallury

Produced by Vallury & Butler

Engineered by Maxwell Butler

Butte, Montana (I Ain't Goin' Back)

Chicopee (avec les Funquois)
Performed by King Oaf
Maxwell "Bunny" Butler: vocals, Fender Rhodes, Hammond organ, clavinet, claviset, synthesisers, drum programming
Written and produced by Vallury & Butler
Engineered by Maxwell Butler

Our Fifty States Project - Massachusetts

Chicopee (avec les Funquois)

Another song written for Joey Clift's 2020 reboot of Sufjan Stevens' shelved Fifty States Project.

R. K. Vallury: lead vocals, guitars

Maxwell "Bunny" Butler: electric pianos, Hammond C-3, synthesisers, bass, drum programming and percussion, backing vocals

Farmer Samm: 1982 Ford LN9000

Lyrics by R. K. Vallury

Music by Vallury & Butler

Produced and arranged by Vallury & Butler

Engineered by Maxwell Butler

2020

Pure Michigan

A song written for the "Moon" album of Joey Clift's Our Fifty States Project, a 2020 reboot of the shelved Sufjan Stevens effort.

R. K. Vallury: vocals
Maxwell "Bunny" Butler: piano, dulcitone, synthesiser, backing vocals
Chris Elliott: muted cornet
Prashant Vallury: electric bass
Vincent Fossett, Jr.: drums

Lyrics by R. K. Vallury
Music by Vallury & Butler
Produced and arranged by Vallury & Butler
Engineered by Maxwell "Bunny" Butler

Earthrise

Funky House / dance music. Made with MPC and guitar in Boston, MA.

Floppy Boot Stomp Romp

Curt Killian