The Rainchildren – Our Little Demo

Our Little Demo
1994 (no label)
Pheonixville, Pennsylvania, USA

Marty Shaughnessy – Vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar
Dennis Durasoff – Bass guitars, drums, 12 string guitar, keyboard
William Campbell – 6 string guitars, 12 string guitars, bass on “Tres Angelos,” keyboard
Faith Ecenroad – Background vocals
Rachel Hartnett – Violin

Side 1:

1. Where I Should Be
2. Something Pure
3. I Can Still Remember
4. Gardener

Side 2:

1. Trust Again
2. Tres Angelos
3. I’ll Wait
4. Flower
5. Like a Child

I knew that Rainchildren had two demos before they dropped the “The” and released their full-length CD Feels Like Summer in 1997, but I had never heard them in their entirety until someone finally shared them online. This demo came about when Marty Shaughnessy grabbed some friends and went to record some of his songs (he didn’t have a band at the time) with Bill Campbell of The Throes fame. They ended up recording 9 songs, and he chose the band name because he didn’t want it to be a solo album. While this demo falls mainly in the alternative category, it is more folk-based than rock-based. Sometimes they get referred to as progressive folk or folky alternative. If you know the mid-90s, you know the sound. More alternative than Jars of Clay or Caedmon’s Call, acoustic guitars driving the songs, folk vocals, and other instruments like violins. Most of these songs (except for “Tres Angelos” and “I’ll Wait”) were released on their Limited Edition compilation in 1998. This demo was followed by The Other One in 1995.