The randomness of getting to know a band is always fascinating. Maybe you got a YouTube recommendation. Maybe you had a song in your head and through the magic of searching, you stumble upon that earworm from years before.

Sometimes you find a band through another band. In 2002, I was obsessed with American McGee’s Alice. The soundtrack was a nightmarish collection of industrial-lite tracks by Chris Vrenna, who also used the Tweaker moniker to create his own stuff. I was in love with the soundtrack, so I had to check what he was doing as Tweaker.

On his website, there were a bunch of remixes from his songs Microsize Boy and Linoleum. There other song, with Jump by Mephisto’s Odyssey being a particular cool track. Free, by Visual Audio Sensory Theater (or VAST) also had a remix and I enjoyed the expansive electronic rock thing they had going on.

I eventually got VAST’s albums for cheap at a Vintage Stock in Arkansas and Free can be cheesy, being an overtly declaration of freedom from a toxic person (whichever relationship was there is left for the listener to decide). Sometimes you need to cut ties and move on.

-Sam J. Valdés López