Bands You May Have Missed

In the 90s, during my 20s, I lived music - listening, making, and discovering it with a fervor. There wasn't an internet like there is now, so learning about new stuff hinged upon your network: what you read, who you talked to, and whether someone surprised you as an opening band.

Some excellent bands got through the cracks and didn't become the national treasures that they deserve to be. Here are a few:

1. Hum - These guys made it to the national level, but are still mostly forgotten (except for the incessant Cadillac commercials featuring their biggest song a few years back). Pity, because they were both an excellent band, but also really nice guys. I met them on one of their first tours (I think) at Otto's (my stomping ground back then) supporting their first release - a cassette called Filet Show. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge. Their songs undulated like waves. They didn't follow typical song structure, but even with odd time signatures, there was something comfortable about the music. And the heavy was awesome.

A year or two later, I got to open for them (and Shiner) at an outdoor festival. I stood with the drummer from Hum (Bryan St. Pere) through the entire Shiner set, talking gear, music, and what a beast Tim Dow was. ("Dude's a weapon!") By then, they were locally huge, getting national attention. Hell, I saw them on MTV playing live in studio. I'm not sure what happened, but after their last record in 1998, they disappeared.



2. Shiner - Similar to Hum, they made music that spoke directly to me. I'm not sure if it was some kind of communal lexicon of local source material that spawned this Midwest wave of post-punk (not grunge), but whatever it was, I loved it. Where Hum seemed to have 10 guitarists on the stage, Shiner was a power trio that exemplified the term, although eventually they added another guitarist. Out of Kansas City and contemporaries with Hum, they never really got the exposure they were due. Two of their records are two of my all-time favorites. This is a pretty inventive, solid band that also basically dissolved, but apparently they went out on tour a couple years back:



3. Riddle of Steel - I'm late to the game on these guys. Too late, it seems. But they made a record that I have recently discovered based on some mix somewhere that contained the song Aquiline. There's still something transcendent about the way that song hits my ears. I'm not sure how to describe it, but it doesn't really sound like the rest of the album, and it casts some sort of spell on me. After finding a few other songs, I realized that I should just buy the whole thing. That wasn't so easy. Not only did they not become a household name, but their excellent record (Got This Feelin') was nowhere to be found. I bought the CD used from an online seller and it turned out to be in nearly perfect condition. Then I found the Riddle of Steel bandcamp page. Seriously, check them out.



4. Clockhammer - This is kind of an anomaly, even by the standards of this post. I accidentally discovered this band while moving LP racks in the record store I worked for in the very early 90s. It was a demo CD sent by First Warning (part of BMG) that literally slipped through the cracks. I picked the disk up off the floor and had no idea who they were, but gave it a spin in the store stereo. I was stunned. It was beautiful. How had I never even heard their name before? Why were these not flying off the shelf? (Did we even have it in stock?) They seem to have suffered the fate of many bands who didn't have a strong, built-in following before signing with a major.

They were another power trio, getting maximum sound from minimal instrumentation. (This is probably a concept worthy of its own post.) The music is also melodic and interesting - maybe that's the common thread here, but I don't understand how that doesn't translate to "popular" somehow. Try to see past the quality of this video and dig what they're doing musically:



5. Jawbox - this is one that got through my radar field undetected. I've known about them since the 90s but had been ignoring them. Possibly, I heard a song or two that didn't inspire me to research further, and now I'm catching up. These guys might not be such a revelation as they got some notoriety along the lines and level of Hum. Still, though - not a household name, and there's really no good reason for it.




P.S. - Metroschifter.

Doctor Werewolf - Trololo Man Remix (Doctor Werewolf Troll Face Mix)

This is at once everything that's wrong with music these days and also something I can listen to for days on end. It's a Youtube-generated meme coupled with dubstep, but then there's that basic, simple beat appended - totally makes the song. I don't really go for the idea of "guilty pleasure" because if I like it, I like it. This song stretches my boundaries - I feel a little guilty.

Decide for yourself:

Drumming Influence - Rey Washam

Beyond my circle of musically active friends, I think there are probably very few folks who are not drummers who know the name Rey Washam. Hell, even within the circle, I’d be impressed to find out more than 20% know who he is.

At a point, I could tell who he was by his playing alone. When the Didjits put out an EP after I thought they had disbanded, I jumped on it. They were one of my favorite live bands in the 80s, and I was hopeful for anything new. The songs were okay, but not up to Didjits snuff in my opinion, but the drumming was fantastic.

Clearly human despite the rock-solid time; aggressive and fresh like I hadn’t heard before. Or had I? I didn’t put it all together until much later, but Washam had played on lots of stuff I liked, and I gravitated toward that stuff mainly because of the drumming. Like Helios Creed, for example:

Before I ever heard Helios Creed, I had a Touch and Go compilation record called “God’s Favorite Dog” that featured a couple of songs I couldn’t get out of my head by a band called Scratch Acid.  Eventually, I’d get a copy of The Greatest Gift, which has since become one of my all-time favorite records. Here’s a song from both compilations:

Rather non-traditional, but where sometimes jazzy drumming becomes disorienting or off-putting, this insanity seems to always be grounded. The best example of this is Steve Albini’s project called Rapeman. The first time I heard it, I was stymied by the drumming. It’s both brutal and delicate; basic and yet insanely difficult.

If you’ve made it through each of those videos, you’ll likely hear a bit of a connection. Washam has always had a very distinct snare sound, dripping with reverb and echo. He’s also so mechanically on time, it’s hard to believe he’s not being helped out in the studio. The last video is of Scratch Acid tearing up the Touch and Go 25th anniversary party at the Hideout in Chicago. He’s still got it…

Rey Washam playing For Crying Out Loud from David Yow on Vimeo.

Pissed Jeans - Ugly Twin (I've Got)

Do you remember the 90s? I do, I suppose. There were long stretches of musical drought after a strong start in 1991. So much seminal music released in 1991: Nevermind, the Black Album, Loveless, I Wish My Brother George Was Here, and so much more. Genres were being defined and experimentation was becoming the norm instead of the "alternative".

Punk rock, in my mind, had already come and gone. In its wake, bands that described themselves as "punk" went down one of two paths; they either followed the "rules" or followed the ethos of punk. The bands that followed the rules ended up being, essentially, fast-playing pop bands with a smart-ass message. These bands became very popular, and eventually quite mainstream.

The bands that maintained the ethos were mostly referred to as "post punk" bands, and there were entire labels that fed the genre - most notably Amphetamine Reptile and Touch and Go. In the new millennium, there are heavy bands, and bands that follow the ethos as well, but very few really capture the mood of the early 90s like Pissed Jeans.



It's interesting that a video by The Birthday Party was the genesis for Pissed Jeans. Makes sense, as they were probably what influenced so many other bands in the late 80s and early 90s. Here's an interview talking about the ethos of Pissed Jeans - tell me if it sounds familiar.



And here's the Birthday Party video he references:

Slothrust - In a Sexual Way

I don't know what their overall deal is, but usually, it's best for me to not know. On the other hand, and I realize that I'm judging a book by its cover here, I get the feeling I'd enjoy a few beers and a chat with these guys. This song is a short but thorny journey, and it goes places that are unexpected. If there's such a thing as post-punk, then these guys are post-L7, specifically. That might be too narrow a scope, but either way, the music scratches an itch.

Observe:


And another because it verifies to me that they're not just cobbling together cool sounds, but rather really listening to music and crafting a sound of their own. (Then applying it to a song that I wouldn't expect, but perfectly fits their style.)

Cornelius - I Hate Hate

I had this song on some compilation record from the mid to late 90s (Grand Royal?) and it stood out then, but it could exist in just about any era. Short, sweet, and to the point - it's Cornelius.



My first exposure to Japanese punk was Shonen Knife. I still have the record - Sub Pop 100. Crazy bit of vinyl there.

Alice Donut - The Son of a Disgruntled X-Postal Worker Reflects on His Life While Getting Stoned in the Parking Lot Of A Winn Dixie Listening to Metallica

One of the most fun live shows I can remember and some of the most underrated music from the 90s, in my opinion. The vocals might be the difference for lots of people, but if you can acquire the taste, it’s worth it.