"Merry
Christmas and welcome to the 1990 SLAMDEK/Scramdown Christmas tape.
Where to begin? Gee. Well, first, there are a few things you should
be aware of so that you’ll kinda know what to expect. One thing
is that very few of these songs were intended to go together. They’re
all here for different reasons. Some because they have nowhere else
to go, yet they must be heard; some because they’ll be of interest
to followers and friends of these bands; some because they were recorded
just for this cassette; and some because members of these bands who
want to try something different can use the Christmas tape as an open
forum to create whatever they like, and get a response.
"So
all these songs for all these reasons have been assembled here as a
gift. And above all else they’re here just to be heard. Unaltered
and uncensored. They get loud when they want and they say ‘fuck’
when they want, and our free country puts no labels on them to help
us decide what’s right.
“These
songs will mean something different to every soul whose ears they pass
by. And for less than four-cents-a-minute you run the risk of looking
at something in a new way, discovering something you never knew existed,
or just enjoying yourself. If you work or go to school everyday, there’s
a big chance that picking a tape to listen to in the car takes longer
than the life-and-death decision you make at every yellow light on the
way.
“Songs
have no monetary value to the listener, only to the buyer. It seems
really unfair to put a $7 price tag on something that costs $2.25 to
make. That cheats everybody. Especially the musicians who have given
their music away just so it can be heard, and the listener who can only
spend so much. It’s not usually funny to charge $24 for a record.
Sometimes but not usually. [A reference to a Crain/Deathwatch 7"
I put in ear X-tacy for $24.99, which never sold.]
“For
these reasons, and several others, the annual SLAMDEK/Scramdown Christmas
Extravaganza carries a silly little price tag called ‘two ninety-eight.’
This is it.
“Starting
now, you’ll go through twenty-three songs by twenty-one bands.
In just over seventy-five minutes, you’ll touch on the thoughts
and emotions of fifty-five musicians; fifty-four of whom are from Louisville.
No one older than 25. You’ll hear music that’s just a few
weeks old, and some that’s just a few years. Dig deep into Louisville,
this is its youth, this is its sound, this is its progression. This
is its thanks. Merry Christmas.
“The
first band is one who debuted as a two-piece on last year’s Christmas
tape. Sister Shannon opens side one with ‘Goreman.’ This
digital recording was made December 5, 1990 through a mixing board at
their practice [the same method used for Crain and Substance as described
on page 16]. Now with four members, Sister Shannon is Robin Wallace
singing, Dave Ernst on bass, Greta Ritcher on guitar, and drummer Kevin
Coultas. Besides this song, their only other release is ‘Romp’
on the Christmas 1989 cassette. Kevin and Dave were in Crawdad who have
a limited edition live cassette out called Loaded. Greta and Robin were
also in Your Face whose Magenta Bent is also still available. Sister
Shannon plans to record soon and have either a 7" or 10" out
in 1991 with a matching cassette version.
[Sister
Shannon broke up in February 1991, having never recorded in a studio.
This track and the other two recorded 12/5/90 appeared on the Slamdek
Singles two-tape compilation in 1992. "This is the place where
I lie down, this is the place where I think of you. This is the place
where I wander alone, this is the place where I touch your face. Take
me back, take me back. This is the place, the place is small. I am
the place, I am tall, without you."]
“Second
is Downpour with the only song they ever documented, ‘Defense.’
This was
recorded at Studio 2002 in Jeffersonville (that’s right; the Hoosier
State! Hey what’s a
virgin in Indiana? A girl that can run faster than her brothers! a ha
ha ha!) But anyway, Downpour is unfortunately no longer together, and
this song remains as their only release. Playing on this song are E.
Dan Patterson on bass, Andrew Kincade singing, John Weiss drumming,
William Greene on guitar, and backing vocals by C. Sprano and S. Rose.
John Weiss is now in Sunspring.
["Break
down the defense, tear down the stone walls. No one here is a stone’s
throw from perfect, but don’t kill yourself, don’t kid
yourself. Security comes apart. Self righteousness turns condemnation,
but I want more than a lie. Take a look, turn it down, why? Why? I’ll
tell you why. You’re the one who brings you down. You’re
the one who tears you down. Who controls your destiny? Who stripped
you of your dignity? Who took away your integrity? Left you naked
in the city? Is it enough to set you free? When you were a child,
unaware of denial, sheltered by your own youth. Now that you’re
tall, you’ve built a stone wall, but it’s set up by the
truth. Don’t turn away, the stage is real."]
“Next
is Crain whose tune called ‘Drain’ was recorded on 16 tracks
at Mom’s [Sound On Sound] in August 1990. Crain is still together
and they feature Tim Furnish on guitar, Jon Cook on bass, singer Joey
Mudd, and drummer Will Chatham who sometimes sings for the Didjits [at
a 1990 Didjits show at the Zodiac, Will was invited on stage to sing
a song and the joke began to introduce Will as ‘the singer of
the Didjits’]. Crain appeared on a split 7" given away at
the Zodiac September 7, 1990 which was limited to 300 copies (the other
side was Deathwatch). Another Crain record or two will be released in
1991 in much greater numbers and larger areas on Woodpile Records. Watch
for it.
[Woodpile
was Jon Cook’s label that, before its first release, became
Automatic Wreckords. Named after an automobile accident from which
insurance money paid for the release, Automatic issued a four song
Crain 7", the Rocket EP, in 1991. It contained three more songs
from the 8/90 Sound On Sound session, “Monkeywrench,”
“Skinminer Pastel,” and “Painful Answer,”
as well as an excerpt of a spontaneous jam from my recording at Will’s
house, “Nervous Woman Nervous Man.” "You feel it
build, it’s something inside you, you know it’s there,
it’s all in your pocket, or in your hand. Drill a hole inside
your head. Let it spill, spill to your feet. You ask yourself, what
is it that is making you, taking you down. Let loose. Cut loose. Escape.
Let it drain."]
“Fourth
but not least is Slambang Vanilla. They’re bringin’ it home
with ‘Ricky!’ an advance cut off their upcoming 98-song,
two-tape set, Sideburnin’. SBV had two songs on last year’s
Christmas Fiesta as well as their own tape The Memphis Sessions &
A Smokin’ Word LP. ‘Ricky!’ was recorded at 1312 Everett
Avenue in September 1990. Entertaining the troops on this hit selection
are: Jesus Rosebud on instruments, and Goober The Baptist on instruments.
[At
this point, Joey and I had settled on our character names Jesus Rosebud
and Goober The Baptist, respectively. The 98-song Sideburnin’
was never completed nor released, though we did actually record fifty
songs for it. Yes, fifty songs, bringing SBV’s total works to
a total of seventy songs! By now, the joke-turned-obsession was wildly
out of control. "Slip me a mickey, or don’t. I get real
sicky when I touch ya, you’re so sticky. Go on jump out the
window, and cut my grass. Don’t take all day. Make it quickie,
Ricky!"]
“Bush
as in President, League as in baseball. Next is Bush League. This seven
minute epic is called ‘Bain’ and was recorded in an analog
fashion at Bush League practice December 6, 1990. Singing is Buzz Scumshit
[Buzz Minnick], Rusty Sohm is on bass, Mike Borich is on guitar, and
the drummer is Woody Delaney. This song is now their only release. They
plan to go into the studio in January, though they don’t have
any definite plans to put out a record any time soon. So just swallow
this one for now.
[Months
after the release of Christmas 1990, I learned that the track ‘Bain’
is not actually seven minutes, but rather was two songs played back
to back. The second song which appeared on the cassette was ‘Close.’
They did record at Sound On Sound in early 1991 with temporary drummer
David Pajo, released two seven inches on Better Days Records, and
fizzled out of contention in 1993.]
“The
sixth song is an earlier version of a Spot classic than the one most
people are familiar with. The song is ‘Paving Your Way’
and was recorded on 8 tracks at Sound On Sound in August 1987. Playing
on this song are Breck Pipes on guitar, Mark Ernst on drums, Chris Scott
on bass, and vocalist Joey Mudd. There are no current plans to release
the tape Go, Or I’ll Kill You! from which this song is taken.
Their Proud cassette was released in April 1988 and will return to shelves
this January. Jeanette Howerton, you’re first on the list!
[Jeanette
Howerton was a mail order customer who had ordered the Proud cassette
in the summer of 1990 when it was temporarily out of print. Her order
was held for many months until it was finally filled the following
year. Go, Or I’ll Kill You! contained the entire August 1987
session as well as a compilation of jam box recordings from Spot’s
first practices and shows. It was finally released on cassette in
April 1991 in a very limited edition and sold for 98¢. "When
you pay the church, pay the priest. You’re paying for your soul
to be released. Money hungry evangelists is what they are. Stealing
your money so they can buy a car. Paying is paving your way. Give
me some money, you’re sure to go to heaven. If not, you’ll
burn in hell. Oh, well.]
“Pope
Lick is a solo project by Drew Daniel who has been in Cerebellum and
Crain. This song is called ‘Is That The Easter Bunny?’ and
is best when your parents are home and you turn it all the way up. It
was inspired by a scene in a movie where some passerby asks a gifted
artist that painful question, ‘Is that the Easter Bunny?’
But as the story goes, we find that to be a big negatory. No. It’s
not the Easter Bunny at all. Additional drums in some parts are played
by Matthew Sussman. Except for about forty cassettes that Drew gave
away, this song is only available here. It was recorded on 4-track during
summer 1990 and mixed to DAT in August at Slamdek.
[Drew
compiled a 90 minute cassette of a wide variety of styles of music
he experimented with on his weathered and beaten 4-track. While mixing
the songs at my parents’ house, he had to hold the 4-track’s
power adapter cord in a certain position for it to operate. It ended
up taking several days to mix all of the material. I then duplicated
forty copies of it which Drew gave to friends before he went away
to school in California.]
“Number
eight is brand new Hopscotch Army. The song is called ‘Sundown’
and was mixed to digital from 16-track at Studio D in November 1990.
It’s off an upcoming EP expected for spring. If you’re familiar
with Hopscotch Army at all, you’ll notice that this is the first
song they’ve ever recorded without keyboards. They had a live
song called ‘Anesthesia’ on the Christmas 1989 Buffet, and
a successful 12 song cassette and CD in August 1989 called Blurry. Playing
bass is Scott Darrow, the guitarist is Jeff Goebel, singing and playing
acoustic guitar is Mark Ritcher, and Dave Hoback is the drummer.
[Studio
D is actually DSL after it moved from Juniper Hill to Jeffersontown,
but before the name DSL had been officially chosen. The upcoming EP
mentioned was Belief which came out in August 1991 on cassette and
CD. Danny Flanigan had left the band and Jeff Goebel was brought in
on guitar, making Mark the singular front man, and providing the group
with a more unified sound. "Cold like morning, dark like night.
Teeth are sinking, take one last bite. Wind’s a knife splitting
bones. With heavy steps, stifle the moan. Rain falls hard on the dirt
it pounds. Shaking air, the siren sounds. Boiling burns, like ice
and fire. Reflex dull through mist and wire. I can see the sunset
disappear. Somehow I know the end is near."]
“Lettuce
Prey is next with a song called ‘Undermine’. It’s
a live cassette recording from the Red Barn in October 1990. Recorded
off the mixing board, it’s monophonic! Lettuce Prey will be recording
at the Zodiac on off days and is making plans for a release also in
the spring. Playing on this song are Lionell Andrews on guitar, Mitchell
Douglass singing, Richie Griley on bass guitar, and master drummer Brett
Hosclaw. ‘Undermine’ is the only Lettuce Prey that you can
get as of now.
[Lettuce
Prey never got around to releasing anything before their demise in
1991. "I see there’s nothing new, I keep it all inside.
It’s just my special way. You think you know me well, I’ve
got you eating out of my hand. Before you know it’s too late
to take advantage of my position. Feed you my dreams, things you can’t
have. Still you never understand the mind of a selfish man. You can
curse me, go on, curse me. But all stays the same, you can’t
stay away."]
“The
tenth would be the Rain Chorus, recorded December 5, 1990 at Snagilwet,
their second show. This one is called ‘Michael’ and is also
a cassette recording off the mixing board. The Rain Chorus is shopping
for a record deal, but have not recorded as of yet. They are: Dony Erwin
on bass, drumming is Cary Shields, and Danny Flanigan is singing and
playing guitar. Guest saxophone on this song is played by Reid Jahn.
[The
Rain Chorus evolved through some member changes an eventually released
a cassette and CD, Sun Over Rain, on their own label Ensemble Records
in 1993. After the Rain Chorus split, Danny Flanigan’s song
writing went on to be showcased in Danny Flanigan and Greathouse,
who released a CD on Ensemble in early 1995. "Please don’t
tell me it was all a lie. I remember you saying, one way or another,
you were gonna win the fight. Now I can’t believe my ears, and
won’t believe my eyes. Is it true what mamma told me? Michael,
have you lost your mind? When it rains it pours, Michael."]
“Side
one ends with Endpoint’s ‘Endpoint Outro’ which is
a digitally recorded practice tape from December 1990. It is one of
six songs on this cassette that was recorded just for the purpose of
being here. Endpoint has a seventeen song cassette from June 1989 called
If The Spirits Are Willing which is still available. They recently recorded
a 9-song LP in Cleveland for Conversion Records. In A Time Of Hate will
be out nationwide on vinyl, cassette, and compact disc in January. Among
other things, they’re sponsored by Vans and will be touring with
Shelter next year. Guitars are Chad Castetter and Duncan Barlow, bass
by Jason Hayden, Lee Fetzer on drums, and vocals by Rob Pennington.
[This
was an instrumental track with the only vocal being Rob’s announcement
at the end, ‘Merry Christmas, Louisville. From Endpoint.’
The vinyl on Conversion came out about eight months behind schedule
in August 1991, the cassette several months later, and the CD didn’t
make it until the following year. ‘Endpoint Outro’ was
included on the Slamdek CD reissue of If The Spirits Are Willing in
1994.]
“The
second side opens with a new band. Just as the Back Doors salute Jim
Morrison, and Stairway to Heaven revive Led Zeppelin; let us introduce
the 7 Seconds tribute band: 7 More Seconds. This song is called ‘In
Your Face’ and appears here as 7 More Seconds’ debut recital.
The legend is recaptured by singer/drummer Lee Fetzer, guitarist Duncan
Barlow (back vocals), bassist K. Scott Ritcher (back vocals), and guitarist
Chad Castetter. Since 7 Seconds broke up, the door is wide open. Anything
is imaginable. It’s a digital practice tape, December 1990.
[This
could be candidate #2 for the joke-turned-obsession department. To
this band’s dismay, the break up of the real 7 Seconds was apparently
a rumor. However, 7 More Seconds did play a January 1991 show at the
Zodiac Club and recorded the same night, and possibly set a record
for turn around time between recording and release. The line up changed
a little and, for their cassette, the band members took on the last
names of the 7 Seconds members on The Crew. "You wanna be the
way I am but you can never understand. You shave your fuckin’
head and turn your back on your best friends. It’s not just
in my head it’s in my heart, and if I can give a fuck, you better
start. So, use your head, be aware, give a fuck!"]
“The
thirteenth song is a pre-Cerebellum jam box tape of a song that’s
either called ‘Ditty’ or ‘Grimace’, depending
on who you ask. It’s from April 3, 1988 with Tim Furnish on guitar,
and Joey Mudd on bass. As a six member band, Cerebellum’s 5-song
cassette came out in September 1989 and is still available. They broke
up in May 1989, and four of the remaining members now comprise Crain.
[The
song was listed as ‘Grimace’ and was an instrumental with
a drum machine.]
“Song
number fourteen is a Joey Mudd solo project called Lunge Engage. This
song is a four track recording from April 1990 by the name of ‘Ode
To A Chick’. At this point there are no definite plans for studio
work or a Lunge Engage record. This song is the only release to date,
but there may be some live shows to go with it. As mentioned above,
Joey now sings for Crain.
[Joey
played two great shows as Lunge Engage on Slamdek Nites at the Zodiac,
December 26, 1990 with Lettuce Prey and Sunspring; and the very moving
Acoustic Slamdek Nite, January 16, 1991, (the night George Bush declared
war) with Simon Furnish, Andrew Kincade, Slambang Vanilla, and a very
un-acoustic Kill The Man With The Ball. Joey never released anything
other than this song under the Lunge Engage name. "I bounce back
with a single throw. Touching the sky is my highest achievement. My
goal is to penetrate the crust that bounds my flight. Cut it. Burn
it. Break it."]
“The
next one is a live tune from King G and the J Krew’s Sung double
album EP release party in August 1990. Sure, it’s digital. Although
they’re a rap group, this is a thrash cover of an old commercial
called ‘Did I Do Something Wrong?’ Their 89-minute debut
cassette is still available from Hell ’N’Ready Records.
Kicking out the jam are: King G (G-Man/King Mellow-D), J Kool J (M.C.E.T.,
M.C.2-Ripe), J-Ax (’Lectric Lick Master Lett), Kool J Kool (M.C.
Diogenes/J-Sonic), and, of course, the legendary Secret Weapon! Guest
drummer is Todd Osbourne. While they’re now broken up for schoolin’,
King G and the J Krew plan to return with something devastating as soon
as they’re educated.
[As
you’ll see it develop later in the book, King G and the J Krew
could easily take the cake for the joke-turned-obsession file. King
G was Greg King, Kool J Kool was Jason Noble, Secret Weapon was John
Hawpe, J Kool J was Jeff Mueller, and J-Ax was Alan Lett. The group
evolved into King Kid International, which later became Rodan. "Hold
it down I just got home. Can’t you see that I’m on the
phone? Isn’t it enough that I work all day? I should have some
time to get away. Dishes, diapers, dirty rags. Bosses, bills, and
nag, nag, nag. Shut up, kid, you’re in the way. I’m so
mad I could slap your face."]
“Sixteenth
by a long shot is the straight edge up-your-ass gospel of Kill The Man
With The Ball! They’ve quickly become the most hated and feared
hardcore band that Louisville youths have ever witnessed. The song,
‘Christmas Straightedge,’ is a remarkable taste of their
evil and hard stance against alcohol, drugs, sex, and unseasonable tree
pruning. Kill The Man With The Ball is: XCauseyX drums, XHaydenX guitar,
XFetzerX bass, XBarlowX vocal assault, and XCastetterX guitar. This
digital recording is their only example.
[What
was wrong with everyone in late 1990? Was the Louisville scene trying
to pioneer the genre of hardcore parodies? This chapter of musical
chairs begins the golden age of Endpoint side bands. This song is
sung to the tune of Danzig’s ‘Twist of Cain’. The
group played some intentionally annoying shows in which they demonstrated
their namesake by turning the pit into a huge version of the elementary
school playground game Kill The Man With The Ball. Yes, this really
happened. Many times. "Christmas Straightedge in your face! You
drink that drink, do that dope. Can’t you see your life is a
fuckin’ joke? Do that drink in your basement. You’re the
loser of this game."]
“The
seventeenth band is a two-piecer called The Inside of a Shoe. The song
they do goes by the same name. The music was recorded in Silver Spring,
Maryland in June 1990, and the vocals in Louisville in December. This
is The Inside of a Shoe’s only recording and/or release, and they
have no plans to record or not to record. Playing drums is Jay Robbins
of Jawbox whose first full length album will be released nationwide
early next year on Dischord Records. They have a 5-song cassette and
matching 4-song 7" from May 1990 which are both still available.
Playing guitar and singing is K. Scott Ritcher who is now in Sunspring.
They have a 6-song cassette out called $1.50 Demo of which there are
a few left. Sunspring plans to record at Studio D in 1991 and have a
release shortly after.
[This
was taken from a DAT of Jay and I goofing off, to which I later added
vocals. Jawbox’s first album, Grippe, was released on Dischord
in June 1991. Sunspring recorded in March 1991 at Sound On Sound for
our first release as an actual band, a split 7" with Endpoint.
That record came out the following month on Slamdek. "Overlooked
and under cooked. I don’t want to be caught with my guard down.
Hit me next time and I’ll have an answer, take a step back to
learn a new way. To screw the path, I’ve got nothing to say.
Take a thought and make it yours. Grab a goal because it’s there."]
“No.
18: Deathwatch ‘Invent A Law’. This song was mistakenly
listed on the
Crain/Deathwatch 7" when the song that appeared on the record was
actually ‘Ignorance Downfall’. So here it is for anyone
who wondered what it sounds like. This was recorded at Artists’
Recording Service in Louisville during February 1988. Off that 7-song
ARS tape, only four songs now remain unreleased. Deathwatch later became
Endpoint and ‘Invent A Law’ later became ‘Shattered
Justice’ which is on the cassette If The Spirits Are Willing.
Playing on this are: Rusty Sohm on drums, Jason Graff on bass, Rob Pennington
singing, and guitarists Greg Carmichael and Duncan Barlow.
["Invent,
invent a law. See justice in action. Politicians only wishing, put
down the kids in the final reaction. Foundation of our nation, invent
a law for their satisfaction."]
By
the end of 1990, a Slamdek mini-community was beginning to take shape.
After the successes of Slamdek events such as the Crain/Deathwatch 7"
giveaway and the Earthquake Party on December 3, Zodiac Club owner Dave
Ellenberger and his partner Dhebi Barber were interested in doing more
of the same type of thing on a regular basis. While settling up the night
of the Earthquake Party, Dave offered me the opportunity to book Wednesday
nights with whatever kind of stuff he thought would bring people in. As
a weeknight, Wednesdays would have ordinarily found the club closed. From
Dave and Dhebi’s perspective, any income was better than none. Wednesdays
were dubbed Slamdek Nite at the Zodiac, and while the crowds were usually
50 or fewer people, these were amazing, intimate, incredibly fun and interactive
shows.