Something I Learned Today

Here in the Northeast we’ve been beseiged by huge snow accumulations and bitter cold. Hell, cold & snowy winters are to be expected in these parts, but the past week has just been brutal. After slugging through it all week it’s time to cozy up to the fire, take a nip or two, and snuggle up with someone or something warm. Here’s a couple to end a frigid week:

Husker Du - Ice Cold Ice.mp3
from 1987’s curtain call Warehouse: Songs and Stories. No explanation needed.

Sleater-Kinney - Dig Me Out.mp3
This is what I and many others have been trying to do for the past week or so. Title cut from 1997’s Dig Me Out

Bellrays - Cold Man Night.mp3
For a brief moment the Bellrays burned so fucking bright. 1999’s excellent Let It Blast captures that moment. Edgy Stooge-like punk with some big soul vocals

Rocket From The Tombs - So Cold.mp3
From 2004’s Rocket Redux. This newly recorded version is cleaner but less insane sounding than the 1975 demo version released on The Day the Earth Met..

Trusty - Unsnowplow.mp3
This one is courtesy of the band’s site at Southern Records. Poppy fun with catchy hooks.

Sure, Crawlpappy were from New York City, and yeah, the had a couple of releases on NYC hardcore label Blackout!, and OK, they had a split single with Sheer Terror, but they weren’t a bland, by-the-numbers NYHC outfit. Call it “post hardcore”, or “power-core” or whatever, the fact is that Crawlpappy rocked during their short existence. Here’s a spot-on description from Blackout:

The Pappys were a late 80′’s/ early 90′’s post-hardcore rock band, contemporaries of bands like Prong, Helmet, or White Zombie. They rocked a sound like pre-Nevermind era Sub- Pop band hopped up on Sabbath. Crawlpappy bridged the gap between punk, metal, and hardcore and played lots of CBGB matinee shows for the moshaholics as well as night shows to an older crowd. In the days of the straightedge heyday these boys were drinkin'’ beer, throwing punches, and slinging some of the best goddamn rock this side of the Bowery.

Anyhow, the group disbanded in the mid-90’s leaving an underappreciated body of work. Here’s a couple:

Crawlpappy - The Street is Mine.mp3
From their 1990 self-titled mini LP. 6 songs in total, all with a nice and satisfying guitar crunch courtesy of Rick Roy. Like all of their material, this one is out of print

Crawlpappy - Mind’s Eye.mp3
The “B” side to their 1991 single on Blackout. Chunky guitars, tough vocals, excellent drumming courtesy John Stanier of Helmet. “I’m dying inside but my outside is goddamn mean”

Crawlpappy - Jack Shit.mp3
This one is taken from a compilation that appeared with Squat or Rot zine. I’ve lost the zine and the info sheet, so I’m going on memory. The song title may be incorrect, but hey, if you have info then get in touch. A solid tune, just wait for that kick-in at the 2:00 mark, it’s a killer.

Stuff:
* Guitarist Rick Roy went on to front Gin Mill who had one fantastic release in 1994
* The entire Crawlpappy catalog is out of print, but savvy searchers should be able to turn up a cheapo copy of their 1992 CD Deluxe.
* The original drummer for Crawlpappy was also a member of Alice Donut. Listen to Donut’s tribute to the band

The Lewd were the band responsible for one of my favorite Killed By Death moments. “Kill Yourself” was booted on Killed By Death #3 (and Feel Luck, Punk? previously) in the early ’90’s re-introducing this classic record to the drooling collector masses. Originally released as the “A” side to a three song EP in 1978, “Kill Yourself” is the perfect punk anthem: catchy, driving music topped with a heaping helping of antisocial lyrics. This record was recorded while the group was a 3 piece, residing in Seattle:

The Lewd - Kill Yourself.mp3

In 1979 The Lewd relocated to San Francisco and expanded to 4 members. They contributed compilation tracks to the SF Underground 7″ and the Eastern Front LP’s and eventually released their only LP, American Wino. Appearing in 1982, American Wino contained one side of studio material, and one side of live recordings. There is a more than a hint of early ’80’s hardcore on this one that melds perfectly with the snarly, sneering attitude of the band. From American Wino:

The Lewd - Climate of Fear.mp3
The Lewd - Polluted Brain.mp3
The Lewd - Mobile Home.mp3

As would be expected, this material was way out of print for a number of years. In 1998 the 7 ” and LP were reissued along with a ton of demo tracks on CD as Kill Yourself… Again.

Misc:

• Lot’s of info on the band and reissue at Chuckie Boy Records
• The Lewd also released a 7″ in 2000 on 702 Records
• Flex gives American Wino a perfect 10!
• A great band history and interview that was originally on Flex (I think)
• Buy Kill Yourself… Again

Given all of the attention focused on Washington DC this week with the inaugaration, etc. it seemed like the right time to take a look at an often overlooked compilation: Dischord Record’s State of The Union LP. Released in 1989, the comp was designed as a benefit for a local DC shelter. A side by side listen with the previous Dischord DC comp, 1982’s Flex Your Head, shows the dynamic growth and change in the DC sound over the course of just a couple of years. A handful of the musicians who participated in Flex Your Head era bands are back in different form for State of The Union. The music here is more “mature” and diverse, (i.e. slower and more melodic) and that isn’t meant as a knock. Here’s some standouts:

Ignition - Anger Means.mp3
This is Ignition at their best. A different version of this appeared on an earlier 7″, but this is a better version (both are on the Complete Services CD) Jim at Vinyl Mine had an earlier post on Ignition that is worth a read.

Kingface - Dirty Wings.mp3
And speaking of Vinyl Mine, there was a post on Kingface just this week. Check it out while you can. This is a creeping sonic blast with raspy vocals. One of their best.

Rain - Worlds At War.mp3
Solid melodic post-hardcore recorded in 1986. I never knew a thing about this band, and the only real info that I can find is from Flex! Was this another Ian Mackaye project?

3 - Swann Street.mp3
3 were essentially 3/4 of Gray Matter with Jeff Nelson on drums. This is a different version of “Swann Street” than on their mighty Dark Days Coming LP. Geoff Turner’s big vocals make this mostly acoustic cut a gem.

One Last Wish - Burning in The Undertow.mp3
OLW were a short-lived 1986 project featuring an post-Rites of Spring and pre-Fugazi Guy Picciotto on vocals. If you like either of those bands then you’ll dig this. A posthumous CD was released on Dischord in 1999.

Shudder To Think - Let It Ring.mp3
I remember really hating Shudder to Think many years ago, mostly on account of the “vocal stylings” of Craig Wedren. Surprisingly, this cut sounded really good to my ears - a shimmering Husker Du circa Metal Circus guitar sound and relatively tame vocals.

I guess that’s enough. Also included are solid cuts from Christ on A Crutch, Soulside, Fugazi, Thorns, and Fire Party.

Buy Stuff!
Various Artists - State of The Union
Various Artists - Flex Your Head
Ignition - Complete Services
One Last Wish - 1986
3 - Dark Days Coming

I’m not sure how anyone else catagorizes the term “noise rock”, but for me it encompasses bands like Unsane, Helmet, Big Black, and labels such as Amphetamine Reptile. Musically, its about distortion and all kinds of guitar damage. So given my definition any discussion about the genre has to include Hammerhead. A three piece from Minneapolis (via Fargo, ND), Hammerhead aurally bludgeoned their fans over the course of 3 LP’s and a handful of singles from 1991 through 1996. I’m going to save their albums for future discussions, as they are all worthy of their own posts (and I need material if I’m going to milk this project for all its worth). Nope today I’m going to talk about their first two singles.

Peep/U.V. (Scale 42) was released in 1991 as a picture disc featuring art from the Replacement’s Chris Mars. This was the first in AmRep’s “Research and Development” picture disc series, which would include releases from Casus Belli, Janitor Joe, Chokebore, and others. The music? Two pummeling cuts featuring thick, crunchy guitar riffs and burly production. Reissued as part of 1993’s Evil Twin 10″/CD

Hammerhead - Peep.mp3
Hammerhead - U.V.mp3

Load King/Slumberyard (Scale 46) was released in 1992 as a tour-only 7″. This release sounds much rougher than the first single almost like a demo. The power and intensity of the music jumps right off of the vinyl. “Load King” was re-released on Evil Twin in a redone (or remixed format). “Slumberyard” would appear in more polished form on 1992’s debut LP Ethereal Killer

Hammerhead - Load King.mp3
Hammerhead - Slumberyard.mp3

Notes:

• Bass player Paul Erickson and drummer Jeff Mooridian continued on after the demise of Hammerhead as Vaz. They are quite excellent at churning out moody, atmospheric noise.
• Guitarist/vocalist Paul Sanders had short lived projects such as more RAM and Fly Republic. He currently is no longer involved in the music business. Visit him at Disastro
• Another attempt at defining “Noise Rock”
• Froogle Listings for Evil Twin
• You can buy the original singles direct from AmRep for $40 each.

I had a post planned for tonight, but after a frigid day filled with auto problems and sick furnaces I just ain’t got anything left in the tank, (not that it takes much to write this stuff) so tonight I’m just handing out a pointer to another site.

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post on Fear and stated how I really didn’t care for their first lp Fear - The Record. A reader pointed me to a page containing mp3’s from an infamous lost demo tape by Fear. So check it out - lots of unreleased songs, early versions of some classics, and the Madame Wong “trojan horse”, in all of their beautifully underproduced glory. Additionally there are some photos, a great write up on the history of the tape, and a link to long time drummer Spit Stix’s page. Link to tape:

If you have an extra $15 in your pockets and don’t already own the Testors Complete Recordings 1976-1979 2xCD then I urge you to splurge now. It’s just that good. This falls under the category of found music for me. A year ago I had no clue about the Testors or frontman Sonny Vincent. I mean, until recently the only remainder of the band was a lone single from 1980. Apparently there was a great deal more in the vault, as the past couple of years have seen a couple of releases, with Swami’s double disc tieing it all together.

I won’t give you the whole Sonny Vincent/Testors story - you can find that here. In short, the Testors were active players in the NYC punk scene in the late 70’s. Musically they were akin to the Dead Boys and the Heartbreakers which is no great stretch. I’m not going to comment on the “importance” of the band in comparison to their NYC cohorts - someone else will do that. I know I personally prefer the Testors sound to that of many of their late 70’s New York brethren, but that’s just me going on music alone

As for the music itself, welll it just right through the speakers. Disc 1 has some early studio tracks and live tracks that just bleed with intensity. Rough, raw sounds (from 2 guitars and a drummer - no bass ) and tough, desperate vocals from Mr. Vincent. Even the live stuff is solid (and I’m not a fan of live recordings). Standouts include “You Don’t Break My Heart”, “I See”, “Stall” and “Aw Maw”. Great riffs and guitar freakouts abound.

Testors - You Don’t Break My Heart.mp3
Testors - Hey You.mp3

Disc 2 contains the bands 1980 single (”Time is Mine”/”Together”) and an unreleased album recorded in 1979. The addition of a bass player and better recording gives these songs a nice pop edge without losing the toughness. Highlights: “Time is Mine”, “Sick Of Yesterday” “Greedy Fuckers”, just to name a few

Testors - Sick of Yesterday.mp3
Testors - Break it Down.mp3

Notes:
- some live mp3’s of Sonny Vincent backed with Rocket From the Crypt on the Swami download page
- Sonny Vincent’s homepage
- This guy didn’t like the Testors or the reissue. Here’s a positive review for balance
- Froogle listings for Complete Recordings 1976 -1979
- It looks like McG still has a Testors mp3 up (”Time is Mine”), along with lots of other cool shit

- some live mp3’s of Sonny Vincent backed with on the - Sonny Vincent’s - didn’t like the or the reissue. Here’s a for balance- Froogle listings for - It looks like still has a Testors mp3 up (”Time is Mine”), along with lots of other cool shit

Maybe things are different in your town, but in the ‘Cuse radio is pretty goddamn awful. We have your typical mix: Both kinds of Rock (”classic” and “alternative”), Country, Top 40, Urban, etc. Regardless of genre the formula is the same: a rotation of 10-20 songs, endless commercials, and annoying DJ’s “personalities”. It’s enough to make you poke your eardrums out with a pen. Clear Channel and their ilk have sucked all of the life out of radio, turning it into a homogenized cashcow that sounds the same from coast to fucking coast.

I know some towns have it better. In fact, just up the pike in Rochester they have WBER and WITR. Heading down to the Hudson Valley and you should be able to pick up WFMU. Yep, just out of range for me. (though streaming audio dulls the pain somewhat) For the time being all of my car and work listening needs will have to be satisfied by CD. I’m still far off from getting a satellite provider, and who knows when I’ll be able to cough up the scratch for a goddamn IPod. Anyhow, here are a couple of tracks that are born of the bitter frustration inspired by the sad state of rock and roll radio.

Ramones - We Want The Airwaves.mp3
One of the few bright spots on 1981’s Pleasant Dreams. My wife likes this song, so it’s for her. Happy (early) Valentines Day hon, don’t ever say I don’t give you anything

76% Uncertain - I Hate the Radio.mp3
No punches pulled here. Midtempo hardcore From 1985’s Nothing But Love Songs LP

Flesheaters - Radio Dies Screaming.mp3
From their first 7″ in 1979. Excellent buzzsaw garage punk. Reissued in 2004 as part of the No Questions Asked CD.

Swampass - God Damn Radio.mp3
A cool song from this Illinois band. Driving punk and roll.

Jawbox - Airwaves Dream.mp3
Ok, this doesn’t really fit the “bitter” or “disgruntled” theme, but hell it’s Jawbox and you can never listen to enough Jawbox. This is a cover of the Buzzcocks and appeared in 1991 as a split single with Jawbreaker. Re-released in 1998 on the band’s odds and ends collection My Scrapbook of Fatal Accidents

I’m convinced a movie or novel on the life of Andre Williams would prove to be fascinating, as he’s been a player on the old R&B scene since the mid 50’s. Heres the short scoop: Williams had a modest career as a performer, writer, and A&R guy from the 50’s through to the 70’s. At some point he ended up in a sad state, living in the gutter. In the mid 90’s his career was resurrected with albums on a couple of different labels. And just in case the song titles don’t give it away, he is a bit of a dirty old man. Check out a fuller description.

Anyhow, at some point in the late 90’s everyone started buzzing about Andre Williams. He had just recorded an album with ex-Gories Mick Collins and Dan Kroha released on In The Red. Being unfamiliar with Williams I wasn’t sure what to expect, but how could so much hype be wrong?!?? I was expecting some kind of big James Brown style voice, you know something filled with soul. What I got was Williams unique talking/shouting style of vocals (a little slowed with age) backed with primitive R&R, all of it recorded with that trademark craptastic Jim Diamond sound. Eh… it didn’t grab me then and even today I still can’t listen to the whole thing straight through. That said, there are a handful of cuts that I end up pulling on a regular basis:

Andre Williams - I Want To Be Your Favorite Pair of Pajamas.mp3
Relatively clean lyrically for Mr. Williams. I’m digging on that skronky guitar riff.

Andre Williams - Car With The Star.mp3
A straight up r’n'r boogie about the perils of producing corn liquor

Andre Williams - Pussy Stank.mp3
A classic Detroit freak out. “Don’t Wash it Baby, Don’t Wash it!”

Notes:
* After 1998’s Silky Williams recorded a country album with the Sadies and a follow up on ITR called The Black Godfather on which he was backed by members of Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Compulsive Gamblers, Cheater Slicks and the Countdowns. I haven’t heard any news on releases or performances since 2001. Anyone?

* A couple of interviews with Mr Rhythm via furious.com and Rockabilly Central

* Froogle listings for Silky

* Some live photos from Wipeout!

Hmmm…. two posts in as many days about releases on In The Red Records. It wasn’t planned that way but sometimes it’s just how the shit works out I guess. What can I say, I’m in a dirty, trashy, fucked up frame of mind this week, which may explain all the ITR.

I’ve posted about the Bassholes before, but I figured it was time to revisit given some recent developments. Mainly, the impending release of a new Bassholes LP, followed by a recent post discussion over at Agony Shorthand on the recent release of a Bassholes singles compilation (Can I get an amen?!??) Fans of bluesy lofi roots music have reason to rejoice with a new Bassholes album. It’s been over 6 years since their last full on effort, the sprawling 2xLP When My Blue Moon Turns Red Again.

It will be tough to top When…, as for many it is the band’s true masterpiece (some will understandably argue Blue Roots). A solid 21 song effort that is consistently top notch with none of the experimental sounds that filled out previous albums (Deaf Mix, Long Way Blues). In comparison to earlier efforts the sound on this one is remarkably clean, but not in a way that sterilizes the material. It does the opposite, providing depth and power to the new songs and bringing the re-recorded versions of past Basshole classics (”Nakema”, “Judge Harsh Blues”) to life with the fidelity they deserved. A couple of my favorites:

Bassholes - Microscope Feeling.mp3
One of the best album openers that I can recall. This one hits you right away with a blast of wailing harp that knocks you out.

Bassholes - I Saw Beauty.mp3
A strong, muscular beat from Bim Thomas drives this one. A dark, menacing undercurrent runs throughout, but that’s true of so many Howland songs

Bassholes - Virginia Valley Blues.mp3
A mournful tale of things gone wrong in a Southern town. A shuffling beat with a thick and sticky guitar sound. The buried organ gives this one a funereal feel. My favorite off of this album.

Notes:
* Froogle listings for When My Blue Moon Turns Red Again
* Some tunes from Dead Canary’s Mp3 page
* Bassholes info at Grunnenrocks
* A new fan page for the band
* A description of Don Howland’s 2002 solo LP The Land Beyond the Mountains (which I’ve been meaning to pick up)