Arising from the Louisville math rock scene that also spawned Slint and Rodan, Crain's slow, post-hardcore grind bore some resemblance to the likes of Helmet and the Jesus Lizard. However, their intricate compositions and time signature shifts were firmly a product of the Louisville scene, and even influenced some of the local bands that eventually rose to greater prominence. Crain was formed in 1989 after the breakup of the local band Cerebellum, with an initial lineup that featured vocalist Drew Daniel, guitarist Tim Furnish, bassist Jon Cook, and drummer Will Chatham. After recording a song that wound up on a split 7" with Deathwatch, Daniel left for college, and would later go on to form one-half of the experimental techno outfit Matmos. Cook took over lead vocals for a short time, then Kristen Shelor passed through the ranks until guitarist/singer Joey Mudd -- another ex-Cerebellum member -- became the frontman in early 1990. Mudd sang on a second track on the Crain/Deathwatch split, which was released on Slamdek that year; he also performed on the four-song EP Rocket, issued on the band's own Automatic Wreckords label in 1991. This lineup recorded the first Crain LP, which was issued on Automatic Wreckords in 1992; titled Speed, it was produced by the legendary Steve Albini.
Mudd departed after its completion, and Cook took his spot on lead vocals; he also switched to guitar, and a new rhythm section of bassist Jason Hayden and drummer John Causey came on board. Causey stuck around long enough to contribute "Coalmine #666" to a Simple Machines collection called Working Holiday!, but soon departed. When Crain entered the studio with Albini to record its second album, Jon Cook doubled up on guitar and drums; he also moonlighted briefly as the initial drummer for renowned math rockers Rodan. Crain's sophomore album, Heater, was picked up by Restless Records for national release in 1994. Full-time drummer Tony Bailey joined soon after, and when bassist Hayden subsequently left, he was replaced by Todd Cook. In 1995, the group contributed the Heater track "Hey Cops!" to the soundtrack of the cult indie rock film Half Cocked. They also began work on a new album, but it was never completed; Crain disbanded at the end of 1996. Furnish formed Parlour with Bailey, while Todd Cook went on to play with prominent Louisville indie bands like the For Carnation, Retsin, Four Fifty Six, and the Shipping News. ~ Steve Huey, Rovi
Speed (1992)
Heater (1994)
Ярлыки:
math rock,
post-hardcore
Breaking Circus was a postpunk band from the 1980s, based in Chicago and later Minneapolis, led by guitarist and vocalist Steve Bjorklund.
Bjorklund had earlier been a guitarist and vocalist for Strike Under; Breaking Circus was his next project. Breaking Circus signed to Homestead Records for their first release, The Very Long Fuse (1985), which borrowed members of label-mates Big Black, Naked Raygun and Man Sized Action for its drum machine-based production.
In 1986, Bjorklund moved to Minneapolis and began working with Rifle Sport bassist Pete "Flour" Conway and drummer/guitarist Todd Trainer. The band released The Ice Machine LP with the album's credits appearing as a Monopoly-style drinking game insert. Breaking Circus was joined by second guitarist Phil Harder for a national tour before returning to the studio to record another LP that was to feature four songs by Bjorklund, four by Flour, and four by Trainer. When the band arrived in the studio, they received word from Homestead that the label would only pay for six of the twelve songs that they had originally planned to record. All four of Bjorklund's songs and one by each of the other members were released on the EP Smoker's Paradise in 1987.
The band broke up in 1988. Phil Harder went on to form the trio Big Trouble House. Flour recorded four full-length solo albums for Touch and Go Records. Todd Trainer recorded two EPs under the name Brick Layer Cake before joining Shellac. Bjorklund released a final 7" single of solo electro-pop versions of songs by Naked Raygun and the UK Subs under the name Breaking Circus before moving on to work as a producer.
The Very Long Fuse (1985)
The Ice Machine (1986)
Smokers' Paradise (1987)
Ярлыки:
noise rock,
post-punk
Kepone sprang full grown from the Redneck underbelly of Richmond, Va., The sort of place that people make bad jokes about - “where shoes are a luxury and pregnancy a career option”. Richmond is deep in what the locals still see as “The South” and has been described as the Capital of Institutionalized Racism. Local banks still show their disregard of commonly accepted ideals by consolidating Martin Luther King Day with the memory of Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson as the “Lee, Jackson, King Day”.
Kepone took their name from a pesticide that was manufactured by the Allied signal Corporation of Hopewell, Va. in the ‘70’s. The sad story goes that whilst Allied Signal were developing Kepone they discovered through testing that even trace amounts of the chemical could cause severe neurological damage if human beings came into contact with it. Despite this the now rejected pesticide was dumped into the local Appomattox River where it remains today covered by a layer of sediment preventing even the dredging of the river.
Kepone have been working out their frustrations on their instruments since late 1991. Tim Harriss (guitar/ vocals), Michael Bishop (Bass/ Vocals), and Seth Harris (drums) escaped the sickening Autumn heat to jam in a cool dark basement. At the time Michael’s main gig was as Beefcake The Mighty in GWAR. Tim was playing guitar for local Reggae outfit Burma Jam, he had also served time on the road as guitar player for Eek-A-Mouse. Seth was best known for his work in the seminal, and by then defunct Honor Role.
May of 1993 saw the band release their debut single (“Henry”) on the local Tenderizer label. Fortified with the good reviews and local air play the single was getting, the band headed for Baltimore in November of 1993 to record their debut album with Scott Wolfe at the wonderfully named Hound Sound Studios. To make this possible the band were finally forced to jack in their other concerns and day jobs, that apart from Michael’s, who had a job timing Burger King employees performing various burger-related tasks, were so tedious that they are not worth recounting.
Fresh out of the studio the band embarked on a US tour as support to new found fans, The Jesus Lizard. The kids went wild and the decision was unanimous - Kepone were fuckin’ stellar. While on the road the band were brought to the attention of Corey Rusk, the proprietor of Quarterstick/Touch and Go, by The Jesus Lizard and a home for their album was found. “Ugly Dance” was released in August of 1994. The album was well received in all quarters, be they metal or indie. The video for the title track was on the one hand banned by Canada’s Much Music channel for being “offensive to women, fat, and ugly people”, despite being directed by a woman and starring Michael the less than svelt like bass player. A panel of judges at the World Fest Houston, on the other hand, awarded it the Silver Medal for Best Rock Video.
Since the album’s release the band have spent most of their time on the road wowing crowds everywhere from the 40 Watt Club in Athens, Georgia to The Garage in Highbury and Islington, London. During this time Michael lost his wallet in Chicago, their van, known as “Quiet Dignity”, acquired a dent on it’s steering wheel which bears a striking resemblance to the shape of Tim’s head, out went Seth and in came Ed Trask ex-of Washington DC’s Holy Rollers, and the whole band faced the somewhat horrific prospect of sudden death as their van rolled off a snow covered road in Canada.
All this has been encapsulated amongst the experiences that make up “Skin”. Recorded in their native Richmond at Montana Studios and mixed at Oz Studios in Baltimore during April of ‘95 Scott Wolfe, was once again, featured at the controls. Joining the sounds of breaking malt liquor bottles and Michael getting dowsed in water while holding a microphone is the renowned Kepone three piece sync. The classic power line up, as always, steering the band clear of excess.
Ed supplies “the locked-down precision rhythms” that would make the Kodo drummers jealous. Michael lays down his bass lines with such feeling that we would describe it as “funk” if all of you didn’t immediately start thinking of dross like Primus. Meanwhile, Tim plays his guitar as if he was brought up on a diet of pure adrenaline tempered by repeated listenings to the works of Hendrix, the Minutemen and early Bad Brains. All of this topped off with the vibrant sweltering vocal harmony work outs of Tim and Michael. The finished product comes across, according to one observer, like “iron jazz meets screech rock.”
Ярлыки:
noise rock,
post-hardcore
David Grubbs, Jim O'Rourke's future Gastr del Sol partner, formed Bastro after the end of Squirrel Bait; the Kentucky-born guitarist/singer recorded the band's six-song debut with only a former bandmate, bassist Clark Johnson, and a rhythm machine. Bringing drummer John McEntire into the lineup, the trio made Bastro Diablo Guapo, an above-average LP that embraces — but isn't consumed by — Chicago-styled thrash noise. Rather than careen around like a rhinoceros plugged into an electric socket, Bastro stays tight, well-structured and musical, even when engaging in meltdown firepower.
Sing the Troubled Beast tempers Grubbs' extremist instincts to reveal a rough but stately melodic side, and an affecting poetic sensibility. The guitar has the rich textures of a Hammond organ (an instrument which, along with piano, makes an occasional appearance here); the rhythm section demonstrates the facility to dig trenches or drop back to small-scale time-keeping. While "The Sifter" is either a disastrous mastering mistake or just a pointless bit of transistorized foolishness, the haunting, somber "Tobacco in the Sink" crystallizes Bastro's achievements.
Rode Hard and Put Up Wet
Diablo Guapo
Sing the Troubled Beast
Split with My Dad is Dead
Split with Codeine
Ярлыки:
math rock,
noise rock,
post-hardcore
Naked Raygun was founded in Chicago in 1980, by Marco Pezzati, Jeff Pezzati and Santiago Durango. During their eleven-year career, they released six albums that would change the sound of punk rock indefinitely.
Shortly after their first release, Basement Screams Durango left to join Big Black permanetly, and was replaced by John Haggerty, whose unique style of buzzsaw guitar would define Raygun’s sound for their next four albums. Additionally, Pierre Kezdy replaced Camilo Gonzalez and Eric Spicer took over drums for Jim Colao. In 1990, Haggerty left the band to start Pegboy. Bill Stephens joined the band for their final studio release entitled, Raygun...Naked Raygun.Naked Raygun is widely recognized as being one of the most influential punk bands of the 80’s. Their anthemic style incorporated politics in a uniquely accessible way, melding pop and hardcore into one cohesive sound, that would later be dubbed, “The Chicago Sound”. In 1999, Quarterstick Records reissued the entire Naked Raygun catalog. Following a successful Chicago reunion show, Naked Raygun reunited in 2007.Basement ScreamsThrob ThrobAll RiseJettisonUnderstand?Raygun... Naked Raygun
Ярлыки:
hardcore,
post-hardcore,
punk-rock
Ink & Dagger was a Vampire-themed punk hardcore band from Philadelphia that formed in 1996. The band was started by the only two permanent members throughout the band's ever changing line up, guitarist Don Devore and vocalist Sean Patrick McCabe after the break ups of their former bands Frail & Mandela Strike Force. Ink & Dagger was very influenced by vampires & they frequently incorporated references to them in their music. During 1996 to 1997 (Love Is Dead EP, & Drive this Seven-inch stake era) they would often paint their faces, play with fake blood, throw up on Christmas trees & have strobe lights on stage. In 1998 when The fine Art of Original Sin came out they stopped wearing the face paint and the music started to lean away from the punk hardcore roots and more towards experimental music, but of course they were still as crazy as ever. In 1999 after extensive touring & recording what was to be the band's final album Ink & Dagger (self titled) , Ink & Dagger formally announced that they were disbanding. In 2000 singer Sean McCabe (at age 27) was found dead in a motel room in Indiana after he had ingested to much alcohol. he had passed out due to the drinking, and choked on his own vomit. In 2010 Ink & Dagger (with Geoff Rickly of Thursday) got back together for some reunion shows In Brooklyn, Philly & LA.
Some members were previously in or went on to be in Crud is a Cult, The Mandela Strike Force, Frail, Amazing Baby, Souls She Said, Lenola, Like A Fox, Elements of Need, Sola, The Icarus Line, Historics, Lilys, Mazarin, Ghost Note, Rain on The Parade, The Telephone Man, SnakeEater, Armbar, Guilt, Life Time, Kid Dynamite, I Am Heaven, 12 Tone System, ISO, The Series, The Interpreters, Soundtrak, The Midnight Sounds, & Some Others.
Ярлыки:
post-hardcore,
punk-rock
High Back Chairs formed in 1989 and are from the Washington D.C. area.Peter Hayes, who writes most of the songs, also sings and plays guitar, played in a band called the Mourning Glories. He also played in Wonderama with Jeff, Charles,and Geoff Turner (Gray Matter, Three,& Senator Flux). Charles Steck (bass) is a photographer who used to play in the Velvet Monkeys. Jim Spellman (guitar) now plays drums with Velocity Girl. Jeff Nelson (drums) is half partner in Dischord Records. He also played drums in Minor Threat, Three, Senator Flux, and a few others.
High Back Chairs are oriented towards melodic, "pop"-type songs. Pop is a word that applies to the band but nowadays means many things to many people and so it is meaningless. Someone (an unknown source) said that the band "skewers them pop hooks, twirls them over the grill, then slams the whole shebang in your ear and reaches in with tongs and pulls it out the other side. You are left cleansed and refreshed and oddly supercharged, ready to face your demons - inside and out - with Pete's words and melodies hanging in your head like some cool pal reminding you that life is pretty amazing."
High Back Chairs followed up their debut album 'Of Two Minds' with a seven-inch single titled 'Share'b/w'One Small Step'. These two songs formed part of a six-track EP entitled 'Curiosity and Relief', plus four other nuggets of tungsten pop. There's that word again.
Ярлыки:
dischord,
post-hardcore
Formed in 1983 by high school friends Joe Goldsborough and Daniel Lindenstruth, Reptile House became Baltimore's premiere hardcore punk band during the '80s hardcore punk scene. The group's unique sound mixed the energy and melodic sense of their D.C. punk neighbors and such California punk bands as TSOL and the Dead Kennedys with darker esoteric imagery and psychedelic guitar work. Reptile House opened for a who's who of American hardcore bands at local punk clubs such as the Marble Bar and Jules Club House, as well as headlining such clubs as the Washington D.C. punk Mecca the 9:30 Club.
The group's original lineup featured Goldsborough on guitar, Lindenstruth on vocals, David Rhodes on bass, and a pre-Samhain London May on drums. The group's first record was the four-song 7" EP I Stumble as the Crow Flies, which was released by the band's own Druid Hill label in conjunction with Washington D.C.'s Dischord Records. The group went on several tours of the United States turning people on to their sound as far off as Detroit and Texas. Reptile House then recorded the Listen to the Powersoul LP, which was released on Goldsborough's Merkin label in the fall of 1988. Shortly thereafter Lindenstruth made his departure from the group, changing his surname to Higgs and forming Lungfish with Reptile House guitarist Asa Osbourne. The group, now in need of a new frontman, recruited ex-Grey March keyboardist Ron Weldon for vocal duties, but shortly thereafter the group broke up. Goldsborough went on to form the psychedelic pop outfit the Ultra Violets with Reptile House bassist Joey Cirri and continued to document the Baltimore underground music scene through his label Merkin throughout the late '80s and into the '90s. ~ Rick Kutner, Rovi
Ярлыки:
post-hardcore,
post-punk
Washington, DC's Smart Went Crazy made records and played countless shows across the USA. Con Art, the band's last CD/vinyl release, is 73 minutes of eclectic rock stimuli guaranteed to keep you guessing.
Smart Went Crazy sprang out of a studio project begun by Chad, Abe, and Hilary. The trio added Tony Dennison on drums and the new foursome recorded the Cubbyhole EP, later released on their own label CozyDisc in 1994. Jeff joined the band around this time and the new quintet soon began playing live shows in the Washinton, DC area. Devin Ocampo replaced Tony on drums in the Winter of 1997.
SWC's first full length, Now We're Even, was recorded at Inner Ear and released in Feb. of 1996. It is considered the blackest humor Dischord has ever seen pressed into vinyl or lazed into plastic. The irony is clear, sharp and scathing through the lyrics. The well-orchestrated music acts as the lure, more beautiful where the words sting the most.
Con Art was recorded in the Spring of 1997, again at Inner Ear with Don Zientara engineering. While some sounds on Con Art can be traced to earlier releases, the elusive Con Art definitely possesses a different, edgier sound. Devin Ocampo adds a fresh rhythm energy while the guitars and electric cello have both stepped up in the mix. The lyrics on Con Art, while diverse in origin, often map the turmoil of relationship termination.
SMC disbanded at the end of their Spring of '98 tour.
Ярлыки:
dischord,
post-hardcore
Arcwelder was formed as Tiltawhirl in 1987. Our first single was issued in that year. It wasn't like we weren't trying to play shows, but we couldn't get booked for some time. As it is, the band was nebulous before that. Rob and I put out a cassette together in 1984 called Big Money Miracles. We individually recorded songs on four track, not as a band. Rob, Bill and I released a cassette called Paul Lynde to Block in 1985, again as individuals and not as a band. We toyed with a band in different configurations. We played as a three piece with a Drumulator and me playing bass and both Grabers playing guitars. We played as a four piece with Paul Dickenson on drums and Scott playing bass and both Grabers playing guitars. I think Scott might have been the main singer in these but everyone sang, including Paul.
Soon before the release of our first LP, the Selner Manufacturing Corporation, the makers of the Tilt-A-Whirl ride, slapped us with a cease and desist letter. Well, their lawyers did. We paniked, and changed the name to Arcwelder, after one of our song titles. We considered names such as Tilt,Tiilted World, Milt-a-Berle. But Chris Johnson, our record lable head at the time, had been talking with their lawyers. He was convinced that anything that sounded remotely like tiltawhirl wouldn't fly. "I don't think they'll let you change the name of your band to anythong that begins with 'T'," said Chris.
Since then, lots of other stuff has happened. We released a single on Stereolab's lable which made it into John Peel's Festive Fifty in 1992, signed with Touch And Go Records, played lots of great shows, toured the East Coast and South in the 90's with The Jesus Lizard, Jawbox, Flour, Tar, Kepone. Played shows with The Smashing Pumpkins, JSBX, The Dead Milkmen, Buffalo Tom. Our song Criminal was in the movie Normal Life in 1996. Played at All Tommorrow's Parties in England in 2002 and 2004, played the Sant Feliu Fest in Spain in 2008. Toured the west coast with Shellac in 2009. Blah Blah Blah.
Ярлыки:
indie rock,
post-hardcore
The band was formed in 1987 by Andy Maconald (aka "Dr. Technology", guitar), P6 (aka "Fat Bastard", "Wilberforce", real name Phil Eaglesham, vocals), with the line-up completed by Mofungo Diggs (Steven MacDougall, bass) and Richie Dempsey (drums). The band wore asbestos firewear, gas masks, flashy shirts and balaclavas on stage, and after support slots with the Happy Mondays, The Wonderstuff and The Shamen began their recording career on the Moshka label with the Bros are Pish EP, poking fun at then chart-toppers Bros, among others. This resulted in discussion in a Smash Hits inerview, with Craig explaining to the Goss brothers what 'Pish' Meant. Their debut album, Five Fingers, Four Fingers, a Thumb, a Facelift and a New Identity followed in 1989. Dempsey departed to join Dawson, and was replaced by Mr. Jason (Jason Boyce) of the Dandilion Adventure, and the band were signed up by top indie label Blast First. Their first release on Blast First was the 1990 EP Eyeball Origami Aftermath Wit Vegetarian Leg. A further single 23 Skinner followed in January 1991 before their second album was issued, Pish In Your Sleazebag. Touring Europe and playing shows with dutch band Revenge Of The Carrots and old colleagues Dog Faced Hermans, the band split up in 1992, before which they recorded a session for John Peel's BBC Radio 1 show. Two years later, their last, posthumous, release was the Barbed Anal Exciter EP
p6 /Phil Eaglesham and Richie Dempsey are currently both members of DeSalvo along with Allan Stewart of Idlewild and Alex Grant, formerly of Idlewild. The band released their debut album on Mogwai's Rock Action Records in 2008.
Ярлыки:
hardcore,
noise rock,
post-punk
Corm started in the suburbs of D।C. when Dan Chu (drums), John Davis (guitar), Josh Hecht (guitar) and Ben Winters (vocals) got together in March of 1990 to try out for the 8th grade talent show. They did not make the cut. Soon, Alex Ficker joined on as lead singer and Ben switched over to bass. The fivesome spent nearly every weekend together for the next few years, slowly learning how to play their instruments and write songs.
The band recorded a few demo tapes (This Six in 1992 and Rule 303 in 1993) and continued to play throughout the D.C. area. In January of '94, Rob Anthony replaced Josh on guitar and the band immediately went into WGNS Studios to record its first 7", Custom Cool, which was issued in the spring of '94, weeks before their high school graduation. This was followed with the band's first forays out of state, with little weekend tours here and there. Ben left the band in the summer of '95 and was replaced by Scott Stenger. A week after Scott joined, the band left on a tour of the Midwest in support of its second single, The Conservation of Momentum (a split release between Dischord and John's label, Shute).
In 1996, Corm recorded its only full-length, Audio Flame Kit, which was released that summer on Shute/Dischord. The band went on its most extensive tour that summer and also recorded four new songs which were intended to be released as two singles on different labels (Polyvinyl and Foresight). However, the band decided to split up in 1997 and played its final show at the Black Cat in June of that year. One of the songs from the Polyvinyl single ("Traded Green Trees") was re-routed to a split single with Braid that Polyvinyl issued in the summer of '97. The four songs the band recorded on its '96 tour wound up coming out on a CD called Everything Streamlined (Contrast Records) which collected the band's entire output since Rule 303. Since the split was amicable, Corm reconvened in the fall of '97 to record the last song they'd written, "I Have No Use For Empires," which was included on Everything Streamlined. During the recording, they wound up writing another new song, "Chess," which opens up Everything Streamlined.
Following Corm, Dan, John and Alex started up a band called The Elusive with Ian Chu (bass) and Chris Richards (guitar/vocals)। The Elusive was a short-lived project, but left behind a CDEP called Sometimes Sounds Collapse. Rob went on to play guitar in a band called The Maginot Line. John went on to play drums in Q and Not U, who released several albums and toured extensively from 1998 until they disbanded in 2005. John now plays in a band called Georgie James, while Scott continues to work on assorted musical projects. Ben played in a band called The Miracle Cures from 1993 to 1998 and has gone on to write musicals for the stage. In the spring of 2005, Audio Flame Kit was remixed and remastered at Silver Sonya/Inner Ear Studios by T.J. Lipple. It was reissued by Polyvinyl Records in November 2005.
Ярлыки:
post-hardcore
Devin Ocampo and Chad Molter have been musical partners, swapping instruments and bands, since their high school days in Los Angeles. Devin migrated east to Washington, DC in 1996 where he joined Smart Went Crazy for their second and final album, Con Art. Chad soon followed and the two formed the highly influential Faraquet with SWC guitarist Jeff Boswell. Faraquet released a couple singles, a split EP with Akarso, and one full-length, The View From This Tower, before disbanding in 2000.
Chad and Devin were again reunited when Medications formed in 2003. The original Medications line-up, which included drummer Andy Becker, released and EP and a full-length ( on Dischord Records and toured extensively in the States and in Europe.
The recording of the new Medications album, CompletelyRemoved, documents a new phase for the band with Chad and Devin covering all the writing and most of the instrumental duties following the departure of Becker. Happily both are accomplished multi-instrumentalists and are joined live and in the studio by longtime friend and musical swing-man Mark Cisneros.
CompletelyRemoved released in April 2010 and the band plans targeted touring in the States, Europe and bey
Ярлыки:
dischord,
indie rock,
math rock
Slint established its earliest roots when, in 1981, at the ages of eleven and twelve, guitarist Brian McMahan and drummer Britt Walford began playing together in Louisville, KY. In 1984, Britt Walford and guitarist David Pajo started collaborating musically at the ages of fourteen and sixteen. 1985 saw the origination of Slint itself, the band then comprising Britt Walford, David Pajo, and bassist Ethan Buckler. Brian McMahan joined the following year.
In 1987, Slint recorded their debut album, Tweez, with Steve Albini behind the board in Chicago and released it on the short-lived and enigmatic Jennifer Hartman Records and Tapes label. At this time, Ethan Buckler departed and was replaced on bass by Todd Brashear. 1989 saw the recording of their untitled two song EP, engineered by Steve Albini, mixed by Brian Paulson, and released by Touch and Go Records.
In 1990, Slint recorded the landmark Spiderland album in Chicago with Brian Paulson both engineering and mixing. This release, in particular, became an independent music touchstone, loved and admired by hundreds of thousands of fans and emulated by a generation of musicans.
The following year, the year in which Spiderland was issued by Touch and Go, Slint broke up. The band played a few reunion shows in 2005, and continue to play the occasional one-off at their own pace and discretion.
Ярлыки:
indie rock,
touchandgo
Pitchfork formed in 1986 in San Diego. The lineup consisted of Rick Froberg on vocals (who would sometimes use the stage name Rick Farr or Rick Fork), John Reis on guitar and piano, Don Ankrom on bass and Joey Piro on drums. Their musical influences included Mission of Burma, Sonic Youth and others. In 1988 they recorded their first and only vinyl 7", Saturn Outhouse, consisting of three songs and released the following year.
