Skewbald - Grand Union

Label: Dischord
Year: 1991

Released in 1991, but recorded in 1981 during a Minor Threat hiatus, these songs are sometimes considered the "lost Minor Threat" since they basically sound like Minor Threat, no doubt because Ian Mackaye is singing and Jeff Nelson is playing drums. The other two members are Eddie Janney of Rites Of Spring, Faith, Happy Go Licky, Faith, etc., and John Falls who was in Youth Brigade for a minute or two and has done a lot of the Dischord graphic design over the years.
The band formed as Grand Union, but Ian wanted to change it to Skewbald, and they never really got beyond that, hence the name of this record. Not long after recording three songs, Minor Threat reactivated, and Skewbald/Grand Union was over. No shows, no record, nothing. Not until Dischord reached a release number that was a factor of ten, and needed an Ian MacKaye project to cover it, years later. The old recording session was dug up, and Dischord number 50 has in the bag. Easy.

DL

MONSTERBATOR - PRECIOUS RHINO

2011


Monsterbator hail from the easternmost city in North America, St. John's, Newfoundland, and have crafted a record that shakes and rocks, pulses and grinds, and while some of their influences are worn proudly on their sleeves the sound they make with the bass, drums, guitar, keyboards (yes, keyboards!) and vocals setup is urgent and fresh like it just came in the mail tomorrow.

One of the first times I saw the band play live I turned to shout into my buddy's ear over the beer and sweat and volume of it all that these guys sounded like a cross between the Melvins and the Cars. Well, maybe. Maybe aspects of what it'd sound like if Scratch Acid were to make babies with Ho-Ag, and there's definitely some sort of scary dance party thing happening here. Also, on the vinyl version of Precious Rhino I find myself thinking again and again that it sounds somewhat like a Cows record, but I do think this is more due to how the recording transferred to this medium than the bands actual and near perfect performance.

Below is a paypal link for you follow if you would like to buy a copy of the vinyl edition of this record; believe me, as great as it is in it's digital format the actual wax is amazing. If you have a Paypal account I suggest getting a copy of it while you can, as there probably aren't too-too many of it left. If you don't have a Paypal account, get one, then, get this.

Buy:

cost including shipping

canada/usa $25.00 CAD international $30.00 CAD

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Monsterbator - Precious Rhino

BRUCE LOSE - WHAT'S YOUR NAME 7''

1983, Subterranean


Bruce Lose of Flipper.

Flipper like, but not Flipper. Makes me imagine Depeche Mode hallucinating on anti-nausea medication and loaded on cough syrup. Great stuff.

Bruce Lose - What's Your Name?

GARY FLOYD - MORE THAN A LIFETIME 7''

1994, Tres Hombres Musica

Here's a single from Gary Floyd of the Dick's, Black Kali Ma, And Sister Double Happiness. Two country (sort of?) songs for the price of one.

Here.

AC/DC - THE SKIN GRAFT TRIBUTES

AC/DC are probably my favourite rock band of all time.
They ring in my ear the way both Chuck Berry and the Sex Pistols do really, or maybe like a combination of the two. I can remember recognising their music as the littlest boy and I've got Powerage on right now. Now, I don't dislike Brian Johnson at all or in any way really, at all, but when he filled those boots, AC/DC grounded and became the blues and rock n' roll institution that they are. Commercially successful, credible, still working class respectable, and still good. They're still AC/DC.

With Bon Scott the motivation was different.
In this approach there was an eagerness and near but not quite desperation; too much balls to be afraid. Bon Scott seemed willing to give himself over to that spirit, all those beautiful dionysian and bacchanalian hangups and love them, revel in that; or, maybe he was a natural and just came by that honestly.

In 1995 Skin Graft Records released the first in a series of four seven inch records, and released the final installment in 2008. In terms of digital copies of the vinyl alot of the audio available of them online are corrupted, missing channels in stereo rips, poorly ripped, etc, along with a couple of good copies but never of the entire thing.

What I've done here is take the very best of what I've found and repaired what needed it and applied a little TLC.

The result here? It sounds fucking great. You really will love this. You probably already do.

Shellac does "'95" Jailbreak and sounds like that this is the most fun they've had doing anything. Brise-Glace give us "Angus Dei Aus Licht", and it's a personal favourite from these songs (name the pieces). The Denison Kimball Trio take "Back in Black" and return it almost unrecognisably reinterpreted as "Back in Blanc", though maybe I just think I recognise it.
Big'n does a kickass version of TNT and Mount Shasta's "Whole Lotta Rosie is as shithot as can be. The song that's still my favourite after listening to my "remasters" here is US Maple's redition of "Sin City"; it's a thing of great and terrible beauty and they even end the song with the beginning of "What's Next to the Moon".
Pre's cover of "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" really does sound dirty, and as though it was recorded dirtly cheaply, and in this case, that is good.

Counting the four hours this took, this is me calling this a labour of love. Hope y'all enjoy this at least as much as I do.



the Skin Graft Records Tribute to ACDC.

BIG'N - PRF BBQ AUKTOBERFEST 2010

2010

Here's Big'n at one of their sparse reunion shows year before last, just prior to getting their shit together to record and release both Spare the Horses and Dying Breed. Supposedly after the Lyons show, Big'n are officially done. Supposedly, Mike Chartrand wasn't getting a new bass. Whatever. Wait three years and someone will probably put a j bass in his hands and that'll be it, but then again, probably not.

Anyway, this set smokes.
At the beginning just before Big'n starts playing King Hot Pants, you hear Steve Albini say off mic, "Make it worth your time, make it worth your time..." What followed was said to be a drunken mess of saucy ribs and beer, full-court bag-tag, and unfortunate witnesses at the front of the crowd/in front of the band getting their clocks cleaned whilst caught up in the fray and whirl of thee sheer rock action.

Sounds like a fun party. And the band is great!

Big'n - PRF BBQ Auktoberfest 2010

SHAKUHACHI SURPRISE - SPACE STREAKINGS SIGHTED OVER MOUNT SHASTA

1996, Skin Graft

This is a wild ride.
Chicago, Illinois' Mount Shasta collaborated with Japanese punk/techno/noise quartet Space Streakings and produced this monolith of a record. While it does recall the sound and approach of both bands the result here is something else altogether. It's cartoonish and disorienting, hilarious and pummeling; it absolutely rocks and is positively weird, and it's an enjoyable tour de force from beginning to end.
Kinda makes me think of a cross between Devo and Ministry and it does in places remind me of Last Temptation of Reid era LARD.
However, this is very much it's own creation.

Enjoy.

THE BODY - COP KILLER/DEAD COPS 7''

2005

Here we Arkansas'/Providence RI's The Body doing what they do well, which on this single is cover both Body Count and Millions of Dead Cops.
If you've listened to the band before you most likely already have an idea of what sort of reconstruction this band interpreting those songs would entail, but holy shit this is great. Just do yourself a favour and if you think you even like heavy metal at all, even a little bit, even if you just pretend to, listen to these songs together. As far as I can tell I'm pretty sure they got them right.

Here

THE MELVINS - LIVE AT AMOEBA RECORDS, 2008

Here we have a mighty fine live set from das Melvins mit Big Business.
Not a whole lot to say aside from the fact that this is all one mp3, so, get at it, get it, let the whole thing play, yes, the whole thing, and bloody well enjoy it. The whole video of this is on Amoeba.com, right here.

The setlist follows

Dog Island
Dies Iraea
Civilized Worm
The Kicking Machine
Suicide In Progress
Billy Fish
Honey Bucket
Blood Witch
Rat Faced Granny
The Hawk
You've Never Been Right

the Melvins - Live at Amoeba Records, 2008

ted ed fred - 1.23.88 - community world theater - tacoma,wa

this was some band from washington state

you remember that state,right?

that whole grunge thing and whatnot

this was one of those random bands that got all popular because of it

i don't really know much else about them

some guy named kurt did vocals and played guitar

some guy named krist played the bass

some guy named dale played the drums

i wonder what became of them

1 - if you must
2 - downer
3 - floyd the barber
4 - paper cuts
5 - spank thru
6 - hairspray queen intro/aero zeppelin
7 - beeswax
8 - mexican seafood
9 - pen cap chew
10 - anorexorcist
11 - hairspray queen
12 - raunchola/moby dick*

*=it's not so much a led zeppelin cover than it is a jam

DL: ted ed fred @community world theater