The Vandals

I was looking at upcoming shows the other day and saw The Vandals. I must be totally out of the loop because I didn't know they were still playing, but it reminded me of a story. I was working at a convenience store in the middle of nowhere suburban Austin, Texas @1992 and this guy comes in. He said something about the (punk) shirt I was wearing and said he used to be in a band in L.A., but commented that I probably had never heard of them. I asked which one and he replied that he used to sing for The Vandals. I responded with a holy shit, are you Stevo? He said he went by Stephen now, that he had been saved, and that he was in town for some sort of Christian event that his band was playing at. We chatted a little about Circle One and he seemed like a real nice fella. So my question is, does anyone know what band he was in at that time or has anyone ever heard 'em? Regardless, here's Stevo at his raging best and you can still get Peace Thru Vandalism/When In Rome from Time Bomb Records.

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Skrewdriver

Oh what's a liberal minded punk type to do when confronted with a band like Skrewdriver? In the late 70s they put out 3 great singles and an equally rocking LP, All Skrewed Up. And then came the revamped Skrewdriver. I for one can put the politics aside and enjoy some of the later material, as I can with almost any music I don't agree with, but after 1982 Skrewdriver would never be the same. If you don't know what I'm talking about you can look them up yourselves, I'm not going to waste a bunch of space talking about it. Here's the earlier Skrewdriver on their 1977 single.

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Rhythm Pigs

Rhythm Pigs were (are?) a great band from El Paso, Texas. They put out 2 fantastic LPs in the 80s, The Rhythm Pigs and Choke On This (FLEX discography gives both of them a 10), which C/Z Records has collected on one CD. They were one of those bands that could really play and integrated a lot of musical styles into their songs, yet still maintained a punk edge. They also released a 3rd LP in 1993 which I haven't heard and a 7" as late as 1997. Not included on the CD is their first 7", 1984's An American Activity. Although I think the LPs blow this away, 21 years later it still rocks and shows the sound they would perfect on the full lengths. So here it is.
I Can Fly
Get It Now
Baal
Military Fairy
Radio Silence
The Quest

Fear

Everyone probably already knows everything about Fear, so instead of the regular material I'm posting their songs from their Saturday Night Live appearance. If you don't know the story here's what i've always heard: SNL wanted John Belushi to come back for a guest spot and he agreed as long as Fear was the musical act. Fear brought along some "dancers" including a bunch of folks from the D.C. scene and they proceeded to go nuts until someone yelled "Fuck New York" or something to that effect and they cut to commercial as Fear starts Let's Start A War. That's Donald Pleasance introducing them (fittingly) for the Halloween episode. Crappy sound but it's a great piece of punk rock history you always hear stories about, or you could just see for yourself....
and listen for yourself.....

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GISM

If you were like me you heard the Japanese band GISM on the P.E.A.C.E. compilation and thought to yourself, "what the hell is this?". I couldn't explain why I liked it, it just seemed weird and different and had that gloom metal edge. The fact that little info about the band seemed to exist made them all the more intriguing. As far as I can tell they produced 3 LPs and had some compilation tracks, followed by a bunch of bootlegs of the LPs. I prefer their first 12", Detestation, while some of the more hardcore fans seem to favor M.A.N. which leans more to the metal side. Here's some tracks from Detestation.

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Murder

This isn't really music, just an odd record. It was released by Alamut Records as a 2x7" with each of the 4 sides consisting of an interview with a serial killer over a weird electronic drone. I think it was done as a benefit for victim's families but it's just downright creepy. Highlights include Ted Bundy blaming his murders on porn and violent television while being interviewed by James Dobson of Focus on the Family the night before his execution. Other than that I don't have much information since I uploaded it from a cassette, my vinyl copy disappeared long ago.

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Toxic Reasons

These midwestern (Dayton, Ohio) guys released a couple of great LPs and some not so great ones. Their first, Independence, is a crowd pleaser and has been reissued by Beer City Records while Kill By Remote Control, their 2nd full length and my favorite, is still out of print (isn't it?). Their later records never really caught my attention but they may catch yours. They also have some good early 7"s but they mostly fall into the high dollar collectible category. 1984's God Bless America 7" is a fine example of their tight and melodic hardcore.
God Bless America
Can't Get Away
Destroyer

Mule

Mule (from Detroit, not the Portland band) released 2 LPs, an EP, and 2 7"s of dirty, trashy blues. Not so much a punk band as a band with punk roots, they consisted of P.W. Long from Wig and 1/2 of The Laughing Hyenas (John Brannon's post-Negative Approach project). All of their stuff is readily available through Touch and Go and Quarterstick with the exception of the 7" on Nocturnal Records. It contains Tennessee Hustler (a loose reworking of, I believe, Jimmie Rodgers' Blue Yodel #9) and a nice thick b side.
Tennessee Hustler
Black Bottom

Neos

Here's some Canadian thrash played by youngsters trying to fit way too many songs on to a 7". They produced 3 singles, 2 of which were rereleased on a CD that I think is out of print now. The 7's go for too much $$$ as is the case for most early 80's hardcore due to the limited pressings that broke ass punks could afford to make. Energetic, gnarly, and noisy. Here's the Hassibah Gets The Martian Brain Squeeze 7", their second release-

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Nig-Heist

Nig-Heist was a filth spewing rock band fronted by Black Flag Roadie/Soundman Mugger and whoever was on tour with them at the time. They produced only one full length LP, Snort My Load, which gives you an idea of the lyrical content. Musically it sounds like Loose Nut era Black Flag- I think it rocks. Their album, single, unreleased tracks, and a live show was released on a 2xCD on Drag City which is now out of print (according to their website). It's claimed that Mugger went on to become a millionaire computer mogul.

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Siege

Few bands have had more influence on the strength of a demo cassette and a couple of songs from a compilation, but these guys from Massachusetts seem to get name dropped a lot. The demo was later bootlegged as a 7" and the other music was featured on Pushead's awesome Cleanse The Bacteria LP. Their entire output (9 songs?) was collected on Drop Dead for Lost & Found and on a Relapse Records release. I'm unsure of the legality of these later comps but it doesn't matter since I'm pretty sure they are no longer available either. Here's a sampling of their brutal hardcore.

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Taang! Reissues

It's always nice when someone takes the time to put long gone vinyl on a comprehensive CD so you don't have to pay dumb ass prices to hear it. I ripped these tracks from vinyl before realizing that Taang records has done this with two of my favorites, Nip Drivers and Battalion Of Saints. The Nip Drivers CD combines Destroy Whitey (where these tunes are from) and the equally good Oh Blessed Freak Show. Death R Us (the B.O.S. disc) includes Fighting Boys and the classic Second Coming LP + some extra goodies. Their metal tinged hardcore made for a great live show. I believe both bands periodically play out but I'm not sure how active they are overall.

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