The Telephone Numbers began playing together just before the pandemic lockdown. The quartet\u2014Thomas Rubenstein and Morgan Stanley, who play guitar and sing; bass player Charlie Ertola; and drummer and percussionist Phil Lantz\u2014are all veterans of San Francisco\u2019s indie-music scene.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur first album, The Ballad Of Doug, was more of a solo project,\u201d Rubenstein said. They started recording the songs with the full band; then the Covid shutdown happened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI recorded most of it at home, during lockdown,\u201d Rubenstein said. \u201cI\u2019d been laid off of my day job and had some money from unemployment. I had guitars and some mics at home, and sent ideas to Charlie. He recorded his bass parts at his place and sent them back. Glenn mixed everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
When clubs opened up, Rubenstein and the Telephone Numbers began playing live, their current lineup evolving over time. \u201cI don\u2019t write very fast,\u201d Rubenstein said. \u201cBut once we had a solid quartet, we started thinking about making a real band record.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alicia Vanden Heuvel, owner of Speakeasy Studios, asked the band if they\u2019d like to record with her. \u201cWe all loved Alicia\u2019s band, the Aislers Set, so recording with her and having our music become part of the lineage of San Francisco\u2019s pop-music history was an honor,\u201d Rubenstein said.<\/p>\n
The arrangements for the songs on the album Scarecrow II had been worked out during live performances. The band, and a few musician friends, went into the studio producing themselves, with the help of Vanden Heuvel.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was all done live in the studio, with no click track. After we had the basic tracks down, we spent a couple months at Speakeasy doing overdubs,\u201d Rubenstein said. \u201cIt was a smooth collaboration, it just took a while to come together since we\u2019re all in several bands.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rubenstein plays in the Reds, Pink & Purples and True Companion. Stanley plays in the Umbrellas and the Kitchenettes. Lantz plays in Chime School and Neutrals, and Charlie plays in the Beau Wiley Band, Never Bored and the live band of Slow Motion Cowboys.<\/p>\n
After a couple of months of overdubbing, Vanden Heuvel sent the tracks to Rubenstein who finished them up at home.<\/p>\n
The music blends rock, pop and Americana, anchored by Rubenstein\u2019s poetic, introspective lyrics and the band\u2019s subtle musical interplay. The overall ambience suggests a soundtrack for the everyday duties of life in a band.<\/p>\n
\u201cGoodbye Rock and Roll\u201d is powered by Rubenstein\u2019s 12-string guitar and the interplay between Rubenstein\u2019s vocal and Stanley\u2019s harmonies. The song describes the frustrations of being in a band that\u2019s slowly falling apart.<\/p>\n
That theme continues on \u201cThis Job is Killing Me,\u201d an ambient ballad portraying the tension between the joy of making music at night and the stress of a day job. Rubenstein and Stanley blend their voices in a soothing tone with a sorrowful edge. Somber organ tones, supplied by Andy Pastalaniec, intensify the track\u2019s melancholy feel.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been an avid music fan from the time I could make decisions for myself,\u201d Rubenstein said. \u201cIt started with the Beatles and B-52s, and went on from there.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
At the age of 10 he obtained a guitar. By high school, Rubenstein was in the jazz band, learning a bit about reading music, but he plays and composes by ear and feel.<\/p>\n
\u201cI began to record in middle school, using GarageBand and a USB mic,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve been in a lot of bands over the years. The Telephone Numbers came together when my last band, the Love-Birds, fell apart. Charlie played bass in that band and helped anchor us as members came and went.\u201d<\/p>\n
Everyone in the band has day jobs, but music has always been Rubenstein\u2019s passion. \u201cI\u2019m not 20 years old anymore and the realities of the world can get in the way, but I hope to continue being creative with my friends,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n