“After the “drum thing” with the audience during “Thrust,” Course Of Empire would always play "We Got The Beat" for fun.
This part of the show was always a crowd favorite and a joy to play.”

-Graff


Recording is owned by Course Of Empire.

“We Got The Beat” composed by Charlotte Caffey. Universal MgB songs

This track was recorded live in the SMU TV Studio, direct to two track digital audio tape by engineer and producer David Castell on July 5, 1989.

It was recently rediscovered and remastered by David Castell.

Vocals: Vaughn Stevenson
Guitars: Mike Graff
Bass: Paul Semrad
Drums: Anthony Headley
Drums: Chad Lovell

This track is part of an upcoming album called FIELDS OF DISCIPLINE. 

It is being offered as a vinyl presale in partnership with Bandwear as a fundraiser supporting drummer Chad Lovell’s recovery following a fall in his home on November 18, 2019.

shop.Bandwear.com/Courseofempire

For more information, contact:
Mikegraffmusic@yahoo.com

Loveforlovell.com
Courseofempire.com
Mikegraffguitar.com

WE GOT THE BEAT

“It was during this song "Thrust", that we would roll drums out into the crowd and pass out sticks at those early shows. A tribal drum jam would then ensue. Dissolving the invisible boundaries between the performer and the audience was an idea that we thought was applicable to society and worth exploring in a live context. 

On some nights, it could just be drunk people banging on stuff… But on other nights it was a way to watch order descend into chaos… and then reorganize itself into yet another form, as anyone could influence the direction of what was happening by introducing a new rhythmic or melodic element. We called it “The Drum Thing”. 

- Graff

This track was recorded live in the SMU TV Studio, direct to two track digital audio tape by engineer and producer David Castell on July 5, 1989.

It was recently rediscovered and remastered by David Castell.

“Thrust” written by Course Of Empire

Vocals: Vaughn Stevenson
Guitars: Mike Graff
Bass: Paul Semrad
Drums: Anthony Headley
Drums: Chad Lovell

Recording owned by Course Of Empire

This track is part of an upcoming album called FIELDS OF DISCIPLINE. 

It is being offered as a vinyl presale in partnership with Bandwear as a fundraiser supporting drummer Chad Lovell’s recovery following a fall in his home on November 18, 2019.

shop.Bandwear.com/Courseofempire

For more information:

Mikegraffmusic@yahoo.com

Loveforlovell.com
Courseofempire.com
Mikegraffguitar.com

THRUST

FIELDS OF DISCIPLINE

UNDER THE SKIES

FANFARE

HOW ARE YA MAN?

GOD'S JIG

PEACE CHILD

CHIHUAHUAPHILE

BURNING TREE

CRADLE CALLS

COURSE OF EMPIRE was a five-piece post-punk, tribal industrial, alternative metal group, active between 1988 and 1998. 

Coming out of the Deep Ellum neighborhood of Dallas, C.o.E. was one of the top drawing live acts in north Texas at the time.

One thing that was unique about the band was that it had two drummers playing one large drum kit.  

Influenced by The Kodo Drummers of Japan, the band would roll large oil drums out into the audience and distribute drumsticks, inviting the audience to join in. 

Dissolving the invisible boundaries between the performer and audience was an idea that the band thought was applicable to society in general and worth exploring in a live context. 

During a song called “Thrust” everyone would be invited to become a drummer with the band. Anyone could influence the course of the evolving music by introducing a new rhythm or motif. Once at a show in Houston, for example, a sound man lept onstage and took a flute solo during the “drum thing”! 

After “Thrust” ended, the band would kick into “We Got The Beat” by The Go Go’s, which was always crowd favorite.

The sound of everyone hitting the rims of the drums out of time influenced the evolution of another song called “Infested!” which was released on the band’s second album, Initiation.

Unfortunately by the time the group got signed, the “drum thing” with the audience had become too dangerous, because instead of dropping down from the stage to the floor to be played, the drums started getting thrown around by the crowd like beach balls. 

Nevertheless, the band retained the two-drummer approach as a defining stylistic trademark for three albums:

Course Of Empire (Carpe Diem)
Initiation Zoo/BMG (Sony)
Telepathic Last Words TVT (Sony)

The band’s single “The Information” from Telepathic Last Words featured footage from the Alex Proyas sci-fi thriller DARK CITY. 

After a decade of touring and epic shows in Dallas and Austin, the group split in 1998.

On November 18, 2019 beloved Course drummer and Curtain Club sound man Chad Lovell suffered a fall in his home, which left him with a traumatic brain injury. 

As a response, Chad’s former bandmates are now releasing this previously lost, now remastered early recording which features the original five-piece lineup playing live together in the SMU TV Studio. 

All tracks were recorded in a single afternoon, on July 5, 1989, by engineer David Castell live, direct to two-track digital audio tape. 

All songs were recorded in single takes, with no overdubs and no post mix.

This recording captures the band before the first album, when the songwriting was more driven by the concept of putting the drums in the audience.

This new album is called FIELDS OF DISCIPLINE.  It is being offered as a vinyl presale in partnership with Bandwear to support Chad’s family with expenses related to his recovery.

Former Course drummer Michael Jerome Moore has produced official Chad Lovell / C.o.E. signature drumsticks in partnership with Zildjian, also now available.

On Monday 10/25/2021, fans and friends of the band gathered at Club Dada in Deep Ellum to listen to the recording and celebrate the artistic life of Chad Lovell. The evening culminated in an impromptu “drum thing” jam with an audience filled with notable Dallas drummers playing along, showing full support! 

We hope this will be the first of many Love For Lovell events and that a new audience will discover the band’s musical legacy.

All master recordings in this album are owned by Course Of Empire.

All songs composed and published by Course Of Empire except:

“We Got The Beat” by Charlotte Caffey
Universal Music Group - Mgb Songs

For more information, contact:
mikegraffmusic@yahoo.com

Please visit:
https://loveforlovell.com

Please visit the Course Of Empire store:
https://shop.bandwear.com/collections/course-of-empire-shop

Other links:

https://courseofempire.com
https://hallsofthemachine.com
https://mikegraffguitar.com

COURSE OF EMPIRE

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