The Wok: Life after Fame

The Quieted Voice of Genius
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He once graced the stage in some of the biggest theaters and stadium in the world. His image was known in the farthest reaches of the third world, yet today he lives a quiet life far from the limelight.

Roy M. Wokosin, known during his rock and roll heyday simply as 'The Wok' was the leader of Situation Tranquil, the loudest band in the land. His unique vocal phrasings and haunting lyrics were the voice of a generation. Now surrounded by his wife Gloria and two sons, Cedric and Cleon, Roy (as he prefers to be called) misses none of the trappings of fame. "That was a time and a place. I am no longer that person."

That person helped form Situation Tranquil in late 1981. They started as a simple four piece band playing cover tunes from the likes of Opus, and Fischer Z, but it wouldn't be long until he and his mates began to pen some of the greatest songs of the 20th century.

"I enjoyed my time making music, but I always knew deep in my heart that I wanted to farm." Says a contented Wokosin. There on his 77 acres parcel of semi-arid land 90 miles east of Missoula, Montana, Wokosin prefers to look ahead rather than back. "I haven't listened to an ST record in years. I have no desire to go back."

Asked if he keeps in touch with any of the current ST crew, Wokosin paused. The corners of his mouth began to curl into a soft smile, "Fuck NO!"

Letter of the Day

...as part on our ongoing series members of Situation Tranquil reach into the mail bag...

"You guys are great. I listen to all of your records all day and most nights. I've had all of your names tattooed to 'special parts' of my body. I have seen you in concert over 500 times and have traveled the world just to see your tour. What makes you guys so awesome?"

Knatalie (with a K)
USA

Dr. Trash..."Good personal hygiene."

Ice Ice Baby

Tranquil front man buys glacier

KF Nibla, leader of the high profile rock and roll troupe Situation Tranquil has purchased a glacier from the Canadian government. The 2 billion year old glacier is located 150 km south southeast of the Jaspar National Park in Alberta.

"It's really pretty awesome. I dig climbing it and sipping on the cool ancient nectar that is its frozen lagacy." Stated the proud Nibla. "I'm thinking about melting it down and filling my pool in Maui with it. How rad is that, dude?"

Riding High

Situation Tranquil now has their very own Theme Park Ride. Yes it's true. The U.S. Based supergroup recently signed a lucritive 20-year agreement with Ohio's Cedar Point. Terms were not disclosed.

The ride..."Situation Tranquil's Wild Ride" will be a thrill for all true rockers.

Riders on the super-sized "Situation Tranquil's Wild Ride" sit in outward-facing suspended seats that form a giant circle of 50 passengers; their legs dangle freely, and each seat has an individual shoulder restraint and restraining belt. "Situation Tranquil's Wild Ride" swings riders back and forth in a seemingly out-of-control pendulum motion while rotating counter-clockwise. At the peak of the pendulum movement that reaches a maximum speed of 70 mph, riders are upside down 140 feet high above the ground and experience “airtime” – that coveted feeling of weightlessness that is popular for thrill-seekers on roller coasters. The dynamic return drop generates a variety of sensations on riders depending on their specific position through the rotation, creating a different ride experience each time.

ST Drummer Jim Beach was quoted at the announcement, "This is way cool. Can I go again?"

Report: ST Turned Down Live 8 Headliner Role

The BBC reported today that supergroup Situation Tranquil turned down an offer from Sir Bob Geldof to headline the London Live 8 Concert last Saturady in Hyde Park.
"They told me that they were working on their own benefit show to aid Iceland." Said Geldof. "Naturally I was disappointed they couldn't be here.

A Scientist Reviews ST's New Single "Running Monkey"

"Running Monkey" is the newest song from
Supergroup Situation Tranquil.
Below is my professional analysis.

--Dr. Heinrich Von Musel

DECIBEL SCALE IS USED TO COVER THE RANGE OF SOUND INTENSITIES IN RUNNING MONKEY SONG.
To handle this large range we make use of a logarithmic ratio scale called the decibel scale.
In general, a decibel scale for any quantity, q, is defined as:
Lq = 10 log dB (Equation 2.1)
Note that the decibel is not an absolute measure but is referenced to a selected quantity, q ref.
Another reason for using this scale is that the ear itself 'hears' logarithmically and humans judge the relative loudness of two sounds by the ratio of their intensities, a logarithmic behaviour.
The Bel was named after Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922), the Scottish/American inventor of the telephone and worker for the deaf.
As this unit is rather large it has been divided into ten smaller units called decibels or dB. (deci = one tenth of).
Make a funny face if you want to leave the SafetyLine Institute to take a brief tutorial refresher on logarithms at the University of Wisconsin.
When sound intensity is expressed as a decibel it is referred to as sound intensity level and is given the symbol LI.
To convert sound intensity, I, to sound intensity level LI the following relationship is used:
LI = 10 log dB re Iref (Equation 2.2)
where I = sound intensity whose level is being specified, in watts/m2
and Iref = reference intensity
= 10-12 watts/m2 (the threshold of hearing)
Sound power, W, can also be expressed in decibels and is then referred to as the sound power level, Lw.
Lw = 10 log dB re Wref (Equation 2.3)
where W = sound power of the source in watts
Wref = reference sound power
= 10-12 watts
For sound pressure p, we use the relationship:
Sound pressure level Lp = 10 log = 20 log dB re pref (Equation 2.4)
where p = rms sound pressure in Pa
pref = 2 x 10-5 Pa
(sometimes written as 20 m Pa = 20 x 10-6 Pa, which is the sound pressure at the threshold of hearing at 1000 Hz)
The sound pressure level at the threshold of hearing is thus:
Lp = 20 log = 20 log 1 = 0 dB

ST Lyrics Revisied

From Situation Tranquil's 1984 Song
"Fabric of a Thought".

"Dark inside, nowhere to go, nowhere to roam

My mind is racing, yet no one's home

Can an idea feel so alone?

Anywhere, anytime the phone may ring

But my thoughts belong to no one...not even Dave Bing"

All Girl Band to Open for ST

ST fans planning to attend shows on the upcoming tour are in for a treat. Opening for them on the North American leg of the tour will be the all-female heavy metal group, "VolksMarch". Until now VolksMarch was little known outside of their native Baden Baden.

"These chicks rock with an until now unknown fury." said KF Nibla. "We got to know them thru a friend of a friend who knew a guy who once mowed Connie Wade's lawn. I think our fans will dig them and their raw cat-like energy."

New DVD to be released

Surprise, surprise! ST is releasing a new DVD early in August. It covers the behind the scenes story of their notorious '98 European Tour. "Twirling the Finger-pen" shows rare never-before-seen footage of the band away from the harsh lights of the stage, including Gary Frey's stay in a Turkish prison for "crimes against humanity". He was later aquitted.

"I think the ST faithful will see a new dimesion to the band thru repeated viewings of this DVD" said producer/director Kevin Archer. "I feel honored to have been given this opportunity."

Emergency Remix

Following the Gatorade presser in NYC, KF hopped the band's private Lear Jet, destination...Whistler BC. "I just got a call from Joe T. (Wright-the band's manager and publicist). He told me that someone had stolen the mastered final edit of the soon to be released recording 'Broken Memories'. I've got to get back to our studio in BC to do the mix over again. I'm looking at pulling a few all-nighters. But first I'm hitting "The Keg". "The Keg" is a popular steak and ribs restaurant with lots of yummy appetizers.

ST Signs Deal with Gatorade

Situation Tranquil has announced a 3-year deal with Gatorade to be the "Official Rehydration Product" of the supergroup. Seated at a morning press conference in New York City, founding memebers KF Nibla and Dr. Trash chugged a concoction of rum, triple sec, jagermeister and Gatorade. "Good Stuff" KF was heard saying. Financial terms were not revealed.

New CD Artwork is here

Situation Tranquil's long awaited new release,
"Broken Memories" should be in stores by the end of July.
The CD contains all new material, most of which was written during the period of their guitarist Iggy Burnett's incarceration in rural Vermont for 'crimes against the state'. Much secrecy has surrounded this recording, going as far as the chemical 'erasure' of the short-term memory of both the producer and the engineer involved in the project.

Elman Sounds Off

"This drama must end. Let's play. Let's tour. Let's have a few cold ones before and a few warm ones (wink wink) after.

I'm up for the tour. Let's do it."

ST Drummer - Markus K. Elman

Frey Replies

Greetings to the fans out there. I feel betrayed. I want to make music and I want to uphold the name of Situation Tranquil. In the past 24 hours much has transpired in the way of madness. Last night was not a way I like to live. KF must understand that his ego is not OUR problem. We are here to make music. We are here to satisfy ourselves and the fans of this band which have for 25 years supported us. I am willing to carry on under the following ...

1. We rock
2. We do things like a democracy where we vote and stuff
3. I can get a break once in a while and maybe like call my wife

Fans...I write this hoping to see you on this groove invested tour which is like upcoming.

Making a musical statement always...Gary

Santa Barbara

July 21 show at Santa Barbara cancelled. Refunds available at point of purchase.

KF Speaks

Peace. Hey you all...I lost it at the rehearsal last night. It was me. I'm intense. Everyone knows that. But it's about the sound...it's about the fans...it's about this. This is this!! We all better be on the same page singing to the same fucking choir...dig? I can't help it if some people can't understand that this is serous stuff. I mean we turned down Geldof and stuff so that we could get our act together for the tour. How hard is that? Sure we would have all loved to have been in London. I know I would have dug hard on the Hyde Park thing. I mean my main man Peter Buck just was chewing me how awesome it was. But we have a tour to do and our reputation is out there...hard. The new record is doing well and I feel like we've got something to prove...to ourselves more than anyone. I want to make music..period, full stop, end of fucking sentance. If Gary feels like this is another lark, another day at the park...well excuse me. I suggest Mr. Frey finds a way to get a life and discover what it means to be a professional. I am NOT leaving ST. It's my band. If anything Gary may need to find another place to apply his craft. But as far as I'm concerned we can get his thing back on track. Just make it happen. Rock on MFs. Peace out -- KF

More Bad News from the ST camp

Bad news lads... the La Mesa gig has been cancelled. Refunds are at the point of purchase.

Trouble in Paradise

Sketchy reports are surfacing that KF has left the band. Apparently a shouting match between KF and Gary "TooTall" Frey broke out during a late night rehearsal. Words and fists were exchanged. KF stormed out and was seen burning severe rubber in his '04 Ferrari. He pointed to his temple and pulled an imaginary trigger. The "Pommes Frites and M16s" tour seems in doubt.

Dr. Trash working Double Duty

Orioles RP Greg Parrish, who was sent down to Double-A Bowie on June 13 towork on his control, will be sidelined for about a month because of astrained ligament in his left elbow, the Baltimore Sun reports. Ironically, the injury occurs just as his band Situation Tranquil begins awhirlwind world tour, and it has been suggested that Parrish - known as Dr.Trash to legions of ST faithful - has exaggerated the extent of the injuryto allow him to begin the tour. "That's %$&!#$ horses--t," Parrish blastedwhen confronted after the Baysox' game against New Britain, proceeding toshove two cameramen in a tirade that included throwing a camera to theground, kicking it and threatening to break more. He may face disciplinaryaction from Major League Baseball. Meanwhile, ST manager Joe T. Wright ishaving T-Shirts made from video of the incident, and plans to sell them for$60 apiece at the upcoming concerts.---SCOUTING REPORT... Parrish uses a 91-93 MPH fastball to keep hitters fromleaning over the plate. His offspeed pitch is average at best. His breakingball is sharp but inconsistent, but he can be deceptive because of a quickmotion to the plate. An inconsistent release point often plagues Parrish,and that can cause his command and control to desert him. Parrish is a goodathlete who fields his position well. He successfully covers first base ongrounders to the right side. His move to first is average.

Rehearsals

The tour starts in less than 2 weeks.

So we've been getting much more serious about rehearsals. The first couple of days were pretty raw. Our sound guys were just getting used to the new gear that we've invested in. Better lights and better sound should make this our best tour yet.

Dr. Trash has been his old moody self lately. Nothing seems good enough. We're too edgy, not edgy enough. Too loud, too fast, out of sync. But he'll get over it. I think it's more a case of nerves. We feel like we've got a lot to prove. The '04 tour was disappointing. I mean the fan turnout was solid. Great energy everywhere we went but still something was missing. I think, looking back, our set list was too reliant on recent material. We're known for our most popular works...stuff from the early to mid 80s and of course stuff form the "Nuclear Landfill Memoirs" album.

The last day or two I've felt like we've really locked in to the old S.T. sound. My bass is creating the signature rumble over which Dr. T lays his multi-layered keyboard riffs. Markus' drums have never sounded better. I really think his rehab and weight program has helped his overall abilty to rock.

My voice feels strong. I can't wait to let it rip for real beginning on the 15th.

The set list is coming together. We probably will open with "Sandskit Skit". From there we will jack it up a bit with "Brainfreezedriedcafeinneuberheistmitvarmitparts". That has always been one of my favorites to play live. We will have a lot of material from the classics like..."Static Love", "My pain is free", "Wally Pipp for Hire" and of course "DPU-Where R U?"

Be sure to check back right here for more as we get tuned up for the tour.

Peace--KF