Song by John Baumgartner
Toni Baumgartner – vocals, soprano and alto sax, flute
John Baumgartner – keyboards, vocal, bass, drum loop
Michael Baumgartner – guitars

There were long stretches of weeks into months last year when the notion of getting together to record was just out of the question. We found a workaround when it came to long distance vocals, guitars, and other solo parts. But there was really no way to facilitate remote recording of drum parts. So John started working with drum loops, which were the launching point for this song.

It was a gradual building process, starting with John’s organ, synth and bass parts. A while later, Toni did multi-tracking of vocal parts, then the sax stabs, and finally a “weird little flute.” During the winter, Michael started adding guitar parts, culminating in the wah-wah ending. John’s vocal, the lyrics of an unfinished song, were added on a last minute impulse.

We held on to the song for months, in case we ran into a blip in the monthly release schedule. And that’s exactly what happened. So here’s the penultimate song in the “Before & After Silence” series. A strictly in-house endeavor.

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Thunder & Snow

14- Rush Hour (Remix)

Speed the Plough performing "Blue Bicycle" on NPR's Mountain Stage in 1991, with guests Robin Adnan Anders of Boiled in Lead on percussion and Michael Lipton on e-bow guitar.

Blue Bicycle

Coal & Courage by Speed the Plough. From their 1991 album Wonder Wheel on East Side Digital.

Coal & Courage

High Wire by Speed the Plough, from the album "Marina." Released in 1995 by East Side Digital.

High Wire

One of Your Friends by Speed the Plough, from  their 1991 album "Wonder Wheel."

One Of Your Friends

Fathers and Sons by Speed the Plough, from their self-titled debut album in (if you can believe it) 1989 on Coyote Records.

Fathers And Sons

Von Elder Art, an Early Music trio, performing "Si Ascendero in Coelum" by Nicholas Craen. Toni Baumgartner, flute; Anthony Marinelli, guitar; Burt Strompf, tuba.

Si Ascendero In Coelum

"The Ballad of Peggy Oki" performed by Speed the Plough @ BSP Lounge in Kingston, 2013.
Song by Michael Baumgartner
Performers:
Michael Baumgartner - lead guitar
John Baumgartner - keyboard
Ed Seifert - guitar
Cindi Merklee - bass
Toni Baumgartner - bells
John Demeski - drums
Recorded by Jim Cooper

Ballad Of Peggy Oki

River Street by Speed the Plough, from their first album released by Coyote Records in 1989.

River Street

The first live performance of Division Street, at the Tinker Street Cafe in Woodstock in 1996.
Richard Barnes - guitar
Toni Baumgartner - vocals, woodwinds
John Baumgartner - vocals, keyboards
Brenda Sauter - vocals, bass
Marc Francia - guitar
Christopher O'Donovan - drums

Division Street

A performance of "A Saint, Restored" from a 1996 show at the Tinker Street Cafe in Woodstock.
John Baumgartner - accordion
Marc Francia - guitar
Brenda Sauter - vocals, bass
Toni Baumgartner - flute
Rich Barnes - guitar
Chris O'Donovan - drums

A Saint, Restored

"Just A Little," from a live radio broadcast on WDST at the Tinker Street Cafe, Woodstock, 1996.
John Baumgartner - keyboard, vocal
Toni Baumgartner - woodwinds, vocal
Brenda Sauter - bass, vocal
Richard Barnes - guitar
Marc Francia - guitar
Christopher O'Donovan - drums

Just A Little

"Love Song," from a live radio broadcast on WDST at the Tinker Street Cafe, Woodstock, 1996.
John Baumgartner - keyboard, vocal
Toni Baumgartner - woodwinds, vocal
Brenda Sauter - bass, vocal
Richard Barnes - guitar
Marc Francia - guitar
Christopher O'Donovan - drums

Love Song

Speed the Plough performing at Prototype 237 in April, 2025, accompanied by harpsichordist Anna Clemente (via backing track).

Poison Dart

Speed the Plough, recorded April 2025, live at Prototype 237, Paterson, NJ
Recorded by Neil DeMause
Toni Baumgartner - flute
John Baumgartner - keyboard
Michael Baumgartner - guitar
John Demeski - drums
Naomi Smith - bass

Flute Thing [The Blues Project] Live at Prototype 237

From the upcoming album "Now," being released by Coyote Records in Dec. 2015.

More and More

Speed the Plough's eighth full-length album, being released by Coyote Records, Dec. 2015.

More & More

From Speed the Plough's eighth full-length album, released by Coyote Records, January, 2016. Song by John Baumgartner.

Because

Written by Michael Carlucci. With guitar by Michael and accordion by John Baumgartner. July, 2015.

Sacco & Vanzetti

From the EP "Tag Sale," which was the vinyl element of our 2013 retrospective "The Plough & The Stars" on Bar-None Records.

Regrets, I've Had A Few

From our first album, released by Coyote Records in 1989.

No One's Alone

Talking with Nick Hill, WFMU, 1988

"Why We Fall In Love" by Speed the Plough, from their 2017 release "…And Then." Written by John Baumgartner.

Why We Fall In Love

"Take Me" by Speed the Plough, from their 2017 release "…And Then." Written by John Baumgartner. Personnel: Toni Baumgartner, vocals; John Baumgartner, keyboard, vocal; Ed Seifert, guitar; Michael Baumgartner, guitar; Daniel Francia, bass; and Ken Meyer, drums. Recorded and mixed at Mix-o-lydian Studio by Don Sternecker and mastered by Scott Anthony at Storybook Sound. Produced by John and Toni Baumgartner.

Take Me

The opening track on Speed the Plough's ninth album, "…And Then." A traditional Hungarian song, collected by Belá Bartók, arranged by Toni Baumgartner. Performed by Toni (vocals, percussion, clarinet), John Baumgartner (keyboard), and Anna Baumgartner (spoken word).

Crossing The Tizsa

Yung Wu covers Wake Ooloo's "Knocking on Every Door" at the BSP Lounge in Kingston, NY, January 2013.

Knocking on Every Door

This Must Be Summer

A long distance collaboration by John & Toni Baumgartner of Speed the Plough and Mayssa Jallad of Safar. Dedicated to our late friend Tony Donato.
Written by John Baumgartner and Mayssa Jallad
John Baumgartner - piano, accordion
Mayssa Jallad - vocals
Toni Baumgartner - flutes
Mixed by Don Sternecker at Mix-o-lydian Studios
Mastered by Scott Anthony at Storybook Sound

Rush Hour (An Inadvertent Meditation for a Friend)

The original version of a long-time Speed the Plough staple, believed to have been recorded in 1995 but never released.
Written by John Baumgartner
Recorded by Don Sternecker at Mix-o-lydian Studios
John Baumgartner – vocal, keyboards
Toni Baumgartner - vocal, orchestral bells
Brenda Sauter - bass, vocal
Richard Barnes - guitar
Marc Francia - guitar
Christopher O'Donovan - drums
Original tape digitized by Richard Barnes
Restoration by Don Sternecker

Beautiful Place

A song from the "Before and After Silence" collection by John and Toni Baumgartner of Speed the Plough, with contributions from friends far and wide.
The players are:
John Baumgartner - keyboards
Toni Baumgartner - vocals, flute, soprano sax
Marc Francia - guitar
Michael Baumgartner - guitars
John Demeski - drums
Brenda Sauter - bass
Ed Seifert - mandolin
Song by John Baumgartner
Mixed by Don Sternecker at Mix-o-lydian Studios
Mastered by Scott Anthony at Storybook Sound
Drums recorded by Don at Mix-o

Once

Speed the Plough is a New Jersey-based band that has been playing since 1984. Founded by John and Toni Baumgartner and Marc Francia, the band has had numerous line-ups over the years, including former members Rich Barnes and Chris O’Donovan (of Wild Carnation), Stanley Demeski and Brenda Sauter (of The Feelies), writer Jim DeRogatis, John Neilson (Wharton Tiers), and veteran DJ Frank O’Toole. Speed the Plough rose out of the ashes of The Trypes, a band formed in 1982 by John, Toni, Marc and Elbrus Kelemet, and later joined by Feelies Glenn Mercer, Bill Million, Dave Weckerman, Stan Demeski and Brenda Sauter.  

STP released four full-length albums on the East Side Digital label: Speed The Plough (1989), Wonder Wheel (1991), Mason’s Box (1993) and Marina (1995). In addition, they released a limited edition single on the French label Acetone and had songs featured in two independent films: Strangest Deams (1990) and Paradise Park (1993).  

After a long hiatus, STP was re-launched in the Summer of 2009 with John and Toni’s son Mike on guitar and Marc’s sons Ian and Dan on drums and bass, respectively. They recorded Swerve, the band’s first album in 15 years, which was self-released in May 2010. Later that year, they recorded three new songs, dubbed The Summer Sessions, which were released in September.  

2011 continued to bring exciting developments. First, Ed Seifert joined the band, bringing his distinctive guitar-picking and vocal talents. And in August, STP released their sixth full-length album, Shine, on Dromedary Records.

2012 saw the April release of a retrospective of The Trypes short career, Music For Neighbors, on Acute Records. The reception to the music was more than could have been expected, with raves from nearly all quarters, including Pitchfork, Dusted, Other Music, and Prefix.

The highly-regarded indie label Bar-None Records released the Speed the Plough compilation, The Plough and the Stars in September 2013. It features a CD that includes 17 songs from our first four (out-of-print) albums on East Side Digital, tucked in a 12" package featuring a bonus split LP, with six brand new songs in a collection we call Tag Sale on one side and five live tracks from our 1993 appearance on WFMU’s Live Music Faucet on the flip. 

Another development early in 2013 saw the departure of Dan and Ian to pursue their own musical projects. So the band recruited Cindi Merklee on bass and vocals, and John Demeski, filling the drum seat once occupied by his father Stanley two decades before.

The band’s eighth album – Now – was released by Steve Fallon’s Coyote Records in January of 2016, marking the return of that legendary label after more than two decades.

…And Then, was recorded in 2017 by John, Toni, Mike and Ed, joined by former bassist Dan Francia and drummer Ken Meyer (Life in a Blender, The Thousand Pities) at Mix-o-lydian Studios and at the band’s home studio, Ruff Tracks. It represents a return to the band’s more stripped-down origins…sparse, a little psychedelic, heartfelt. And, in a departure, two covers – Eno and Bartok. Trying to keep good company.

The release also includes two bonus tracks by the original members of The Trypes – John, Toni, Marc, Glenn Mercer, Brenda Sauter, and Elbrus Kelemet – revisiting songs from the band’s beginnings.

Speed the Plough

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