Making Up Time “Early Candy Butchers Recordings 1994-1998″ (2006)

Making Up Time by Mike Viola
Come On Girl by Mike Viola

Flash back to the mid-nineties: Mike Viola and Todd Foulsham, the original Candy Butchers, have graduated from subway platforms and burlesque houses to Fez, one of New York City’s premiere cabarets. The lines around the corner have attracted major label attention. Mike and Todd hit the studio to record.

“Our vision was to capture exactly what we were doing live,” says Viola. “No frills, no overdubs, just let the songs speak for themselves.”

The result was a recording that stands out today as a vibrant showcase of the young Viola’s songwriting prowess, each track laced with the magical enthusiasm that can only come from lifelong friends making the music they love.

But like so many who try their luck with the majors, the fruits of their labor were left on the vine. Viola went on to expand the Candy Butchers line-up, eventually garnering a contract with Sony’s RPM Records, Foulsham left the band to start a family and the recordings were shelved