SIDzCarbonatedMilk began as a studio concept in the summer of 1979. Upon purchasing his first “real” synth…a Arp Odyssey still in use (the first first ax was a Korg 770S a.k.a MiniKorg… the first-fist-first axe was a Univox electronic piano processed through a Mu-Tron III filter and a Mu-Tron Phasor II). The Arp was chosen for its duophic playability, from which the first SCM song was composed “Duophonix-“.Though there have been many contributors to SCM recordings years along the way over the near thirty (yipes!) years of SCM’s existence, it has remained mostly the compositions and performances of SIDney Howard that has created “their” sound.
SIDney Howard was raised one hundred or so miles out of Memphis, Tennessee in the Mississippi Delta, his native musical influences would be Blues and Memphis Soul. But SIDney Howard’s awakening into music as a musician was more widely varied and cosmopolitan. He grew up in Mississippi on the campus Mississippi Valley State University–a pioneering Black college that his parents helped pioneer. In his former life, SIDz father (Dr. CW Howard) a former associate VP of MVSU was a big band Jazz reed man. SIDz mother (Dr. Zelma Howard) was the World Literature professor. As such the appreciation of both music and were developed from the beginning.
In college, SID played keys for the Chi-lites and opened a show for Rufus featuring Chaka Chan on their summer of 1980 Masterjam tour. 1980, SIDney Howard graduated from MVSU’s Jazz and Commercial Music program and moved to Detroit to join Thang, Inc. Records George Clinton’s short-lived CBS imprint label. The old Motown base put him in contact as a composer/producer/keyboardist with not only the P-Funkmaster himself, but with Stevie Wonder’s golden ages coloaborator Sylvia Moy (My Cherie Amour, Sign Sealed, Delivered, etc.), Barrett Strong, Stax’s and United Sound Systems’ Don Davis, The Dells, Johnny Bristol–whom SID had the priviledge of co-producing before his sudden passing in 2004. SIDney Howard started his writing career with his graphic novel The Amazing Adventures of Power Puppy illustrated by the author himself…graphic art having been his earliest gift manifested.
That was followed by two volumes of short stories [Cranial Crumbs & Residue and Brainflush Protocol], and a current novel just ready for release. CCR and BP are currently being produced by the author for Enteje as audio books, featuring the exceptionally talented Tiren Jhames. The former (Cranial Crumbs…) was the inspiration for “Please Don’t Harmonica”. Songs from it “Eyerise” and “Carboverture” have been utlilized as background tracks for Enteje audio articles heard on ohiofunk.org. For other thingly blogs by and current info on TheSID, please go to www.myspace.com/thesidneyhoward