Headless Household's debut album (originally on vinyl, later on CD), set the course for this "hopelessly eclectic" jazz-prog-free-polka-etcera band's life, through nine albums (as of 2020). It also marked the launch of the in-house label, Household Ink Records.

Founding Headless ones--Dick Dunlap, Chris Symer, Joe Woodard and Tom Lackner--are joined by special guests John Rapson, trombone, and Kathy Dalton, vocals and the late, great Joseppi Scozzaro on accordion (the latter two on "Isle of Hugh," your basic 11/8 polka number).

Press bites:

"Strange, cool rumblings from Southern California" --Jas Obrecht, Guitar Player.

"Following a private madness, they assemble (musical) nuggets into something great and, sometimes, even important. Using old and new instrumentation and technologies, Headless Household weave through tight turns and time-signatures" --B.H. Hart, Sound Choice.

"It's hard to categorize these guys, though their music's playful, quirky, sometimes downright silly, sometimes quite soothing" --New Music Distribution Service Catalogue blurb.

"This is all very amusing, but next time, I hope that Headless Household goes a little more for the jugular vein, and a little less for laughs" --Bill Tilland, Option.

Press clip from the Santa Barbara Independent, re: the 2000 CD release gig:

Was it really 13 years ago that Headless Household released its first album? Santa Barbara's music scene was certainly different then—not as commercially strong, no doubt, but there were probably more places to play and more places to sponge up artistic ideas from fellow musicians. I certainly felt this absence when I saw Eugene Chadboume play two Thursdays ago to a very small crowd at the Roma. A few music freaks, a few musicians passing through, a few Chadbourne groupies ready to buy a baker's dozen of his indie releases. Out there music felt lonely and alone.

Headless Household's 1987 debut feels warm, juices-flowing warm, friends-stopping-by-to-share-a-solo-or-riff warm. You can hear them finding their footing with each other here, developing their sound—an avant-jazz ready to jump into any Americana genre it can think up. Dick Dunlap's keyboards mark the least derivation from original intent—here, as usual, they fill in those empty gaps left by the other three, never really “there” until it jumps into the foreground. Joe Woodard doesn't sound like Bill Frisell yet, but you can hear how he was not too far away from his block even then, with his watery leads and sliding chords. It's also interesting to hear Tom Lackner's progressive drumming so high up in the mix—-but this was the ‘'80s after all. Ditto Chris Symer, whose bass and Chapman Stick aren't too far in style from Tony Levin. How they've all changed.

Guests include Joseppi Scozzaro, playing accordion on "Isle of Hugh" (the one track with lyrics). Scozzaro was owner of Joseppi's, a much-lamented and sorely missed club where many musical adventures were undertaken—a space now occupied by The Madhouse. Kathy Kelly, who sings vocals on this dizzy polka number, was at the time working with Van Dyke Parks. She, like many others, came to Santa Barbara and stayed.

Several albums and many annual shows later, the Household is still welcoming guests in the band's own subdued way. Check out where it all started.

--Ted Mills, Santa Barbara Independent, 12-14-00

www.householdink.com/headless.htm