VX GAS ATTACK - Tape - 2014

   For the last week or two, I've been combing through stacks of tapes to digitize for the blog and coming up with stuff that I'm not particularly excited about. What I've noticed though is that almost every time I've been looking, this tape has actually been the one playing on the tape deck. In fact, it hasn't been more than one foot away from my stereo since their singer August placed it in my hands on a 2 AM 24th street a few months ago.
    I previously saw August singing for WALLS a few years ago and I honestly thought he was singing about different kinds of knots. More recently, I saw him losing his shit as he co-fronted PIG HEART TRANSPLANT to a largely vacant room. VX GAS ATTACK is a different beast altogether. Throughout the ten songs on this tape, the band is unrelenting. No breakdowns. No "mosh parts". Plenty of nearly cheesy divebombs and guitar solos that cross the border of ridiculous (note: I'm 100% fully in support of this). August is completely unhinged in a way that actually sounds dangerous. You know how there's those people who say that if they didn't find music, they might've just killed people instead? That's what this sounds like to me. Plus, it sticks in my head.

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I picture this band using BC Rich guitars exclusively.

Members of  PHT, WALLS, PLEASURE CROSS, LORDS OF LIGHT and more. 

EVERYTHING WENT PINK - Compilation - Tape - 2000

   "Everything Went Pink" is a tape that was released by Dan B back in 2000 that specifically covered the DIY punk scene in Asheville, NC, which was mostly centered around a giant punk house called the Pink House (located at/near 201 Broadway...it's now either a parking lot or condos.) It was kind of a magical time in the history of that town. A whole bunch of freaks happened to converge on the town all at once, from Minneapolis, New Orleans, California, Montreal and even the suburbs of Buncombe County. Some lived in cold-ass houses in Woodfin. Other lived in makeshift shacks out by the freeway (like everyone in MARGARET MOTHER OF THIEVES). Many others, including myself, lived in the Pink House, right in the middle of all the chaos. The house itself was kind of a freak magnet since it was a giant two-story pink place, the door was almost always unlocked, it housed a teeming library and it welcomed just about anyone who walked through the door. The landlord was a member of CRASH WORSHIP and he could often be found smoking weed by the toxic creek in our back yard. I'm pretty sure that, at one point, 17 people were living in the house.
    There was a time when there was almost nowhere for DIY punk bands to play in town, so a bunch of folks from the house decided to clear out piles of the landlord's bikes and crap in the basement to make their own show space. There was a big problem though. Raw sewage and toxic creek water leaked straight into the basement, right into the area where bands would play. No problem...a group of punks (namely Joseph, Big Mike and Ed....possibly Luke too) built a retaining wall / ditch all the way through the basement and bored a hole though the back wall so that water could drain out though ANOTHER drainage ditch into the toxic creek! Thus, the punk club, Oh My! was born. Every time a band played there, the audience ran the risk of falling into the shitty toxic trough and the band ran the risk of getting a huge electrical shock! Still, it was the best place for shows and it's where I saw many life-changing events.

  Most of the songs on this tape were recorded live on a handheld tape recorder at Oh My! Others were recorded at clubs in town, other houses and shacks. Most of the sound quality could be described as "assy", but I respect that the bands worked with what they had, which was almost nothing. Lots of bands on this tape don't have any other recordings. Many do. You can try and differentiate that distinction for yourself. Bands include WAR TORN BABIES, CRAP FACTORY, ASTRID OTO, RAT ATTACK, CHRIST FILTHY DOGS (which I've been wanting to re-use as a band name for years), DEAD THINGS, TRASH NIGHT and more. There's 43 songs in all. Enjoy or don't.

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Did I upload this just to have digital copies of SLATTER HAGS and the final song on the tape? Possibly, but don't tell anybody. 

Tape hiss abounds. Terrible sound quality. Totally beautiful. 

SICARII - Unreleased Stuff - 2005

   No art. No fanfare. Today's entry is submitted and written by my good friend, Alex Turner....

   SICARII was a punk / anarchist band in Olympia, WA in the early 2000's. This is a recording they did after they all ended up in Asheville, NC in the mid-2000's. It was never released. Jay-Ro recorded it and I think somebody moved away before they got around to finishing the mix of everything. They are still some of my best friends; people I fly around the country to visit. This band reminds me of the positive aspects of the fucked up punk houses we all lived in. As they say, "It was the best of times / It was the worst of times." So much love. So much coffee. So many bagels and soy dogs. Too much beer. "Accident Prone" on repeat, a rat population that drove us to drink more, OP IVY dance parties, time spent around the wood stove...you get the idea. Regardless, this recording was made after all that. They reformed for a year or so in Asheville. I was never in town to see them as a North Carolina band, but this recording shouldn't be lost. The LP that came out when they were an Olympia band is good and if you're paying attention, you can still find one (There is one new [???] copy at Thrillhouse for $6.)

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Updated Feb 2014

   Matt now lives in Iowa City, going to graduate school. Tammy lives in Seattle, spending time with her nieces, climbing mountains, and spends as much time in nature as we all really should. Eli lives in Northhampton and takes care of his cute-as-fuck kid, Asa. Parker is in a black metal band who's name escapes me.

PASCAL'S LONG LOST MIX TAPE - 2007

   In my last year of living in Bloomington, IN, I made a whole lot of mix tapes for friends, both locally and far away. I would sit in front of the stereo for hours, laboring over 90 minutes of the perfect mix of punk and weirdness. Then, I would hand deliver it to someone's door or drop in the mail at the post office just 5 short blocks away. It took moving across the country to California to realize that I was utterly and morbidly depressed. I don't think that making mix tapes is a sign of depression (far from it), but I do think something is amiss when one is putting all of their free time into tape making or drinking endless pints of whiskey while flipping the same DEAD MOON record over and over.
   I think there is a certain beautiful power in mix tapes that can not be replicated by a mix CD or a play list. Many, many people have explained this in the past, so I won't bore you with the details, but there is something to be said for having to listen to each song in real time as you make the tape.
   Most of the tapes I made for folks eventually reached them...except for this one. I made this fairly eclectic tape for my friend Pascal in Paris and then never, ever mailed it to him. I took it to work and listened to it a lot. I carried it around in my bag with intentions of dropping it in the mail for him. I even flew to Europe, went to Paris and hung out with Pascal but forgot to take the tape with me. So, Pascal if you're reading this, I apologize. If you send me your current address, I'll mail you this tape. I mean it this time.
   In the meantime, I think this is a great tape with styles flying all over the map. Seriously. Have you ever gotten a mix tape that segues from UKE OF SPACES CORNERS to LIMPWRIST? KATRA TURANA to TULSA? OI POLLOI to JOHN DENVER to OMAR SOULEYMAN to ARTIMUS PYLE? BUNKER HILL to MEN'S RECOVERY PROJECT? It makes sense. I like this tape a lot. Maybe you will too.

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All music on here is vinyl to tape. No digital.

WAR TORN BABIES - Rough Mix Demo - Tape - 1999

   I moved to Asheville, NC for a short time back in 1999 and lived in a huge, dilapidated, musty, drafty, pink punk house on the edge of downtown. There was a library on the main floor, a screen printing set-up, couches for drunk crusties to sleep on, a couple of shacks in the backyard, 15 roommates, a show space in the basement and the landlord was one of the guys from CRASH WORSHIP. I was kind of obsessed with an old Asheville band called EXCESSIVE DEFIANCE and I usually listened to them every day when I woke up. Someone told me that I should listen to WAR TORN BABIES, which carried on the legacy of E.D.'s simple, noisy barrage of crust. I asked a couple of friends about them and soon found out that two of my roommates were in that band. Soon enough, they were playing a show in the basement.

   They started up with a distorted, fucked up bass tone and crashed haphazardly into their first song. I didn't get it. Everyone was dancing and singing along, but I felt out of place on the sidelines. Their drummer was possibly older than me, but played the same way that I did when I was 13. Each of their songs seemed to fall apart, but no one cared. Everyone just danced harder and sang louder. Then, it hit me. I began their set thinking that that they had no idea what they were doing, but then I realized that they knew exactly what they were doing. All of their songs were primal, plodding, visceral, simple and working towards an easily memorable chorus that you could sing along with the first time that you heard it. It dawned on me that this band was genius and by the end of their set, I was up front, fists in the air, singing along to "Dancing On The Ruins Of Multinational Corporations!!!"
   As far as I know, WAR TORN BABIES never released anything...I don't even think they ever got around to releasing this tape, but I could be wrong since I moved away from Asheville and lost touch. All I know is that they (probably) recorded this tape at UNCA in Asheville and then their guitarist, Ed left it in my room. Did it ever get mixed, mastered and released? Until we find out, here is this rough mix of their stuff at it's most primal and raw.

Both photos by Chrissie at the Pink House in Asheville.

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    Some might think that a band might not want their unmixed recording out there for people to consume, but I asked their singer Mikki if it was okay and she said "DO IT!!" Speaking of Mikki, she now runs a bar called the Get Down, that is  the best place to play shows in Asheville these days. They are going through some rough financial times at the moment, so if you want to donate money to them, it would be very appreciated. It's run by some great people, they have an awesome sound system and their politics are rock solid. You can find more info about them here or you can make a donation straight to them on their Paypal page.

TESSERACT - Demo - Tape - 2010

   MEN'S RECOVERY PROJECT once sang that "Email is A Men's Room". In this day and age, it can also feel like music blogs are exactly the same thing. The bandwidth is littered with dudes discussing other dude's accomplishments endlessly and bragging about that $500 7" that they snagged for the steal of $150 (I'm not implying that women can't also be sniveling record collectors who drool over first pressings of rare shit....I'm just trying to make a point here). I'm not pointing fingers. I am also guilty of filling up a whole week of material on my blog with bands that only feature men - men whose accomplishments are both inspirational and worth talking about to me. For the next week though, I am only going to post bands that are made up entirely of women whose music has been both inspirational and fucking amazing.
    TESSERACT was a way-too-short lived Bay Area band that growled out vicious, angry, plodding, beautiful DIY crust / metal in the basements of West Oakland back in 2010. They put out this tape just before  embarking on a short tour up to the Pacific Northwest, which included a stop at the beautiful and amazing Black Butte Center for Railroad Culture (If you ever get a chance to go here, do it!). I only saw them play twice (in West AND East Oakland) and both times, they were nothing short of awe-inspiring. Anyone can blast out some noise and call it music, but it takes a special band to create a mood and actually make you feel something real in this dead, cold world.
   TESSERACT dissolved after their guitarist, Savanna was whisked away to the wilds of Olympia, WA. Their drummer, Carey plays in the unfuckwithable SONGS FOR MOMS and does some amazing work with Girl's Rock Camp. Bassist, Kyle plays with East Bay rulers, DISPLEASURE and you should go ahead and get their brand new tape. I don't know what singer/guitarist Darci is up to these days, but to keep it interesting, let's just say that she's doing some insanely illegal shit that I can't even tell you about.

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Updated Jan 2016

CLEANSING WAVE - Demo 2011

  So far, I've been posting music that is ten years old or older, but I don't want this thing to be a complete nostalgia trip. I still go to punk shows and I still think there are vital, exciting bands playing great punk music all over this world in 2011. CLEANSING WAVE is one of those bands.
    My band, NEON PISS, toured the east coast earlier this year and when we played in Worcester, CLEANSING WAVE  blew us away. They filled the punk-lined basement with green lights and fog and proceeded to drive the audience into a wild frenzy. The music is noisy, fast, chaotic, and trebley.with vocals run though an echo pedal. Punk as fuck, in the "bullet belt, sleeveless D-Clone shirt, huge tattoos, smash a beer can on your head and shotgun it" kind of way. I'm not usually so into this style, but I really like this band a whole lot. If you can track them down, get this tape! They are putting out a split flexi with GASH (Boston) in the near future.

                                    CLEANSING WAVE

File updated 2013