This Is My Life and You Can Have It

Yes, I will have a few more posts left for Here On This Island so please sit tight. Thanks for the support and interest in the blog everyone. So I have yet another new blog and it is called This Is My Life and You Can Have It. With this blog I am essentially sharing vinyl. tapes and cds from my personal collection that I have been building since my teenage years. With this blog I am generally focusing on sharing indie rock, indie pop, lo fi, shoegaze and post punk. Dig in!

Half Man "Force Field" 7 inch (Mountain Collective/1993)

I would be completely remiss if I got through this blog without posting something from on of the first Long Island hardcore bands I ever saw, Half Man. I have seen their other releases such as the split 7 inch w/ Kisses & Hugs as well as the full length As Everything Fell Apart posted on other blogs so I figured why not share the Force Field 7 inch.Half Man were loud and abrasive with socio political lyrics in that Born Against meets early Ebullition Records style hardcore kind of way that I still love.  Force Field contains five songs, all of which were previously released as part of 12 song demo cassette which I have never actually seen. Wild. Anyhow this is the type of hardcore that was going for awhile in the 90s here on Long Island and it had a powerful effect on me as did Half Man's Chris Jensen and his various projects over in the years including the label he started, The Mountain Collective. This ep is a great trip down memory lane for me and I love every step.

Half Man Force Field track listing
1. Force Field
2. Substitution
3. No Lunch Today
4. Change of  Pace
5. Candle Stubs

Download Here

Scent of Human History/Memory as Perfection "split" 12 inch (2003/Waking Records/McCarthyism Records))

Here is the last bit of material I have from the band Scent of Human History, a band whom I have a very deep personal relationship with and was fortunate to be around when this record came out. I remember being on tour with Yes Sensei and Scent when this record came out. We pulled into the Baltimore area and bullshitted on our way to a show a Charm City Art Space with Hot Cross, lickegoldensky, Medic and a few other cats. And we stayed at Josh from McCarthyism's house. I fondly recall being very happy that folks from outside of Long Island were as excited about Scent of Human History's music as I enough to put out a record for them and document their great music. Their music was loud, abrasive yet beautiful and sprawling. Like I have said previously in my write ups about the band, they played what one would call "screamo" in that expansive Pg 99 and City of Caterpillar manner. And their four songs on this split are some of the best the band ever recorded.

As a side note I have not included the Memory As Perfection tracks as I am short on time and being that this is a blog about Long Island music I felt as if the space here isn't appropriate to share their music.

Scent of Human History/Memory As Perfection "split" track listing
1. The Choice Unchosen
2. Take Your Time With Time
3. Change Melts Away
4.  Still Not Past the Future

Download Here

Knox Overstreet "Jammer Failed/Coming Around" 7 inch (Abominable Records/2000)

I know... I know... This blog has been greatly neglected the last few months but for those of you have been following Here On This Island you'll be thrilled to know that I have ripped all the last remaining releases that I have planned to share here. Everything should be wrapped up in the coming weeks and from there I shall focus on my new blog which I'll be launching soon as well as some regular posting once again on Away From This Island. Anyhow...in wrapping up some of the discographies that I was promising to complete here is a 7 inch from a band whom I have spoke very highly in this space and whose passing I still lament, no other than Knox Overstreet. They were such a great band and the two songs on this 7 inch, "Jammer Failed" and "Coming Around" are just aces. This two song 7 inch was the second release on Abominable Records who were a short lived label out of Nassau County. Their first release was the It Was Certainly a Grand Piano CD compilation and I believe they had one more release a cd-r from the band HelicopterEjectionSeat. Anyhow back to Knox-once again they played driving melodic indie rock/emo that was a mix between Garden Variety, Indoor Living era Superchunk, Afghan Whigs and even Big Star. The songs were super catchy and none of the instruments were over bearing, Knox Overstreet I have say had one of the most mature and balanced sound out just about any band I have encountered in the local scene over the years. No one was trying to show off or anything like that-it was all about the songs and they were all great. I have know shared the band's entire discography here as well as some live stuff, I can't recommend their music enough.

Download Here

Rok Lok Records Showcase August 20th

Here is a flyer for a show that I am putting on August 20th at Mr Beery's in Bethpage. It is a Rok Lok Records showcase of sorts as it features bands I have done releases for or will be doing releases for in the next few months or so. The DEEP POCKETS Demo cassette came out this past winter and it rules. If you haven't picked up a copy yet do so now! BRICK MOWER's Why Are We Doing This? 7 inch is in production right now, VEHICLE BLUES from Missouri will be on a split 7 inch with KEVIN GREENSPON that will be going to press this fall. And both GIANT PEACH and MAKE IT PLAIN are two bands whom I love a great deal and will be looking to do something for towards the end of 2011. Most likely 7 inches.

The info for the show is as follows:

Rok Lok Records presents:
Saturday August 20th
@ Mr Beery's 4019 Hempstead Turnpike Bethpage, NY
9PM 21+ $5
featuring: DEEP POCKETS, BRICK MOWER, MAKE IT PLAIN, VEHICLE BLUES, FAMOUS LAUGHS, and GIANT PEACH.

Check out the bands:

Deep Pockets Demo on Bandcamp
Brick Mower Why Are We Doing This? on Bandcamp
Make It Plain on Bandcamp
Vehicle Blues on Myspace
Famous Laughs on Myspace
Giant Peach on Bandcamp

Risk "Demo" cd-r (2010/self released)

Here is a fairly recent release but I am not really certain to the extent of which this material was made available or how many of this demo actually made it into the hands of folks so I figured why not share it. Risk, not to be confused with the band from the mid west this Risk is a four piece that resides in Brooklyn but two of the members were originally from Long Island and each in their own ways played significant roles in making Long Island DIY what it was in the late 90s/early 00s. Guitarist/vocalist Jay Melli was in bands such as Scent of Human History, Sometimes Walking Sometimes Running, United States, Jan Cux, etc while guitarist/vocalist Bryan Winston was a part of making the Long Island Freespace a reality.

Risk plays fast screamo/emo fury infused hardcore that reminds me of bands like Yaphet Kotto, Shotmaker, and even a bit of Kaospilot. A style of music that admittedly I listen to less and less these days but when done right I still absolutely love. You know classics never die and when I hear current bands of this ilk cherry pick the Ebullition archives so to speak I can't help but get excited. This four song demo cd-r comes packaged in a re-purposed brown paper bag with graphics glued on. Totally DIY packaging that really takes me back. I can't help but think of late night Kinko's hang outs with my friends making zines and demo packaging. Great stuff.

Risk "Demo" track listing
1. Need to Burn
2. Bombs Away
3. Living Dead
4. Bloodlines

Download Here

Encrypt Manuscript "Dialogues" cd (Tone Library Collective/2003)

Today's upload comes courtesy of Encrypt Manuscript who burst onto the scene displaying exceptional, kinetic musicianship and a front man that had, as they say, a flair for the dramatic and with those things combined Encrypt Manuscript quickly became a formidable live band. Their music was a brand of high energy, math-y post hardcore that experimented with jazzy parts from time to time. Dialogues is the debut release from this band who as I stated in my previous post about their 7 inch, Encrypt Manuscript were a band that in my opinion didn't release enough material in their tenure as a band. Their releases progressively got better and better. Dialogues is a fantastic document of a very talented band finding its footing, and while it is a good document I do believe there are some steps along the way that feel a bit awkward when stacked next to their more or less flawless 7 inch and Census full length. Still Encrypt Manuscript lay fantastic framework of what to expect on future releases and even more so set the stage for their live show with a blistering At the Drive In meets Make Believe approach post hardcore. This is also the inaugural release on The Tone Library Collective label who released quite a few cool things in their short time releasing music including music for Rachel Jacobs, Empty Silos Echo War, The No Nucleus comp and of course material from Encrypt Manuscript. One of my favorite aspects about Encrypt Manuscript is that they seemed to appear almost randomly. They didn't play shows every weekend and like I said only had a handful of releases during their tenure as a band. So I guess what I am saying is that when they played it seemed all the more exciting. It was like "hey remember us?" and then you got floored. Seriously.

Encrypt Manuscript Dialogues track listing
1. Riot Cop Fox Trot
2. The Dead Sleep Here/Theme For Seagulls
3. Parabola Modes
4. How Do You Syllabicate Your Name?
5. (Re)consider The Hysterical Consortium

Download Here

Porcelain Decay "s/t" 7 inch (Sot Records/2000)

Okay folks... I am back. As promised I shall start to finish up the remaining uploads I have planned before unveiling my new blog (which I am very excited about). And I suppose you should be too if you like obscure indie rock/lo fi and shoegaze because I'll uploading plenty. Today's upload comes courtesy of a melodic DIY punk rock band called Porcelain Decay which featured current/ex members of Fellow Project, Bridge & Tunnel, Contra, Church of the Rowdy, and 3 Mylile. They played catchy, politically charged DIY punk rock and outside of this 7 inch the only other thing the band released to my knowledge was a track and in my opinion their best one to the "Who Has Two Thumbs and Loves Long Island Punk and Hardcore" 7 inch compilation on Traffic Violation Records. Porcelain Decay were a ton of fun live and you can guarantee that vocalist "Lord Snake" (Adam from Contra) would put his fingers in a gun formation to his head mid song at least five times a set every time they played. I know right now somewhere my good buds Joe and Tia are wondering "why is Mike posting this" but the fact remains that Porcelain Decay were an integral part of what was going in the late  90s Long Island DIY scene so I'd be completely remiss if I were to not share it. Personally speaking I feel the music does have a rather dated quality to it but that is just fine with me. This vintage Long Island Y2K DIY punk rock! Enjoy!

Porcelain Decay "s/t" 7 inch track listing
1. DIY Revolution
2. Punk Rock High Pt 2
3. Down In It
4. Porcelain Decay

Download Here

Last Dude Japan Show

Hey everyone! Dude Japan will be playing our last show Sunday July 17th at Mr Beery's in Bethpage, NY. It is the kick off show for Deep Pockets' tour. Also playing are Polygon, Crow Bait and our buds from Massachusetts, Snow What. Personally speaking, this will most likely be the last time I ever perform music live so it would be nice to see some friends that have been along for the ride over the years. It is time for me to take on new challenges in my life.

On July 16th we start recording our final ep which will be released  via cassette on Bridgetown Records and on cd from Rok Lok Records. Thanks for listening it means the world to us.

Knox Overstreet/Radio Raheem "split" 7 inch (Pony Collision/2002)

Free time has been in extreme short order so maintaining either of the blogs has been extremely difficult. Good thing I didn't go ahead with my third blog sharing my entire indie/shoegaze/lo fi vinyl/tape collection. I guess that will have to wait til the fall. In any event here is a record that I was meaning to upload a few weeks ago, the split 7 inch between Knox Overstreet and Radio Raheem. Somehow, someway this record wound up in my hands. I wasn't able to get any for the distro but I Phil Sutton (drummer for Radio Raheem) was kind enough to hook up one of their biggest fans with a copy of this awesome but poorly distributed (as far as I can tell) record. Many of my friends from those days who enjoyed both Knox Overstreet and Radio Raheem didn't even know that this record existed. Crazy! Anyhow each band offers up a track and they are both on their A games. I have posted a few releases from both Knox Overstreet and Radio Raheem- don't be a tool download them all.

Download Here

Reflex Blue/Casa Negro "Live in Bayshore" (unreleased live recording/2001)

It has been awhile since I made a post but to say I have been busy is an understatement. I intended to upload the the Knox Overstreet/Radio Raheem 7 inch but my phone/camera is out of battery life after foolishly leaving uncharged for the last four days where I was away from home. So in keeping things in the family so to speak today's post is the second offering from former Casa Negro guitarist Greg Gerardi's vaults. It is a show from the old Bayshore house featuring Casa Negro and one song from a project called from Reflex Blue which was Jon Gruber from Casa Negro on drums and Jammer of "Jammer Failed" fame on guitar. I am not sure of Reflex Blue ever did anything else or recorded anything so this may very well be the only documentation of the project. And in the case of Casa Negro since they never formally recorded or released anything I am excited that Greg has been sharing these live recordings because they serve as the only documents of a really awesome band that for whatever reason never buckled down to record anything formally. In any event download the Live in Bayshore recording here at the Bandcamp page Greg created.

Portal "Portal" cd-r (self released/2002)

Back in January I posted the sophomore effort from Portal, Lost in The Translation and I was pleasantly surprised to hear from folks how much they liked it or were looking for it for years, lost their copy or whatever.  So without further delay I happy to finally share the debut release from Portal. For those who missed that first post, Portal was a experimental home recording project by Contra/Church of the Rowdy guitarist Stephe Cooper. In these home experiments Cooper employed various genres-prog rock, art rock, kraut rock, midi/electronic music, ambient and even lo fi garage punk. I think Lost in The Translation is a much more calculated, though out work thus to my ears being a bit more enjoyable than the debut, however this disc is certainly enjoyable and firmly lays the groundwork of what was to come. Honestly, it is a shame that Cooper only released two Portal cds because both are so damn good. This debut cd-r features a Jane's Addiction cover.

Portal track listing
1. Frogball
2. A Call to Arms in Defense of Mother Earth
3. Shifting
4. Dry Lake
5. Summertime Rolls

Download Here

The Insurgent/Sometimes Walking Sometimes Running "split" 7 inch (Traffic Violation Records/2001)

When I look at this 7 inch outside of the memories of wonderful music both bands created and how the label that released this influenced me a great deal, what I think of most was the vibrant basement shows that marked this era of Long Island DIY for me. The cover of this 7 inch is a picture of a room that I am sure looks familiar to anyone who went to DIY punk/hardcore shows on Long Island in the late 90s/early 2000s. The picture is no other than the basement of "Ren's House", one of several DIY show spaces that Long Island  in that time period. Ren, who played guitar in Sometimes Walking Sometimes Running, and his family allowed their home to be opened up for youths to congregate and make a racket but above all a safe place to express themselves. Every time I went to a show there it felt special. Some of the best shows that I have went or been a part of have taking place in that room. When Latterman went on hiatus after Turn Up the Punk We'll Be Singing guitarist Phil Douglas played the show in a bear costume. It was just always great. And generally speaking that was the vibe of Long Island at the time as house shows were very prevalent; from Ren's house to The Vargas House, Ryan Woodhull's house, The Hobo House, and a few other that come to mind. It all had a very powerful effect on me and I feel very fortunate to have been a part of something so organic, creative and liberating. These days it seems like the only cats doing house shows that I know of are the folks at Dead Broke.

Anyhow the music on this split 7 inch are two bands that I have posted about prior. The Insurgent play anthemic pop punk with a emo flair that is one part Crimpshrine and one part Rites of Spring. The one song that The Insurgent contributes may be my favorite song of theirs. And on the flip side Sometimes Walking Sometimes Running played chaotic, noisy hardcore screamo that was like City of Caterpillar, Pg.99, etc.

The Insurgent/Sometimes Walking Sometimes Running "split" track listing
1A The Insurgent "Miles to Go"
1B Sometimes Walking Sometimes Running "You"
2B Sometimes Walking Sometimes Running "She Won't Kiss Me Because I Smoke and I Smoke Because She Won't Kiss Me"

Download Here

Bunsen Honeydew "Transistor" 7 inch (Bumble Bear/2000) + "Modern Gal"

I'd hate to start out a post about a band whom I loved a great deal negatively but for the life of me I can not understand why the drums are barely audible on this 7 inch. I thought it was the rip I did as it had been sometime since I actually spun the vinyl but holy shit on my stereo spinning the the 7 inch again I was asking myself what happened to the drums. It seems as if on the the 7 inch all that was captured was the treble happy, noise overdose guitar sounds that were the band's trademarks. And for anyone who saw Huntington based Bunsen Honeydew back then can certainly attest that the band was blisteringly loud. Still to this day I have very seldom come across a band as loud as Bunsen Honeydew were. But in addition to the wall of shoegaze, Kevin Shields worship that the guitars spewed from Brain Rayman and Danny Tieman, drummer Theo Cateforis propelled the songs to even greater volumes with his awesome, heavy handed drumming. All while bassist Lisa Cuomo anchored the madness with a rich and fluid sense of low end melody. Anyhow I am getting ahead of myself...

I first became aware of Bunsen Honeydew when I struck up a online friendship with Bunsen Honeydew guitarist Danny Tieman back on AOL chat when I was trying to find musical kindred spirits on Long Island back in the late 90s so that I could start a band. Back then trying to find folks who like bands like Pavement, Sebadoh and Sonic Youth was a tough sell when trying to start a band so naturally I gravitated towards Danny when he told his band "made a bunch of noise with their guitars". I liked the sound of that. And when Bunsen Honeydew played Cedar Beach I was finally able to see them and confirm that yes, I like the sound of that. In fact I REALLY liked the sound of it. Coincidentally, that show was also featured On the Might of Princes and it was the first time I saw them play. Man what a great night that was.

Bunsen Honeydew played noisy guitar shoegaze/mod indie pop that was influenced by bands like Television Personalities, Ride, My Bloody Valentine, and The Pastels. Even an element of The Buzzcocks can be detected at times. They generally traveled outside of the Long Island DIY community but they certainly played shows on Long Island, and played places where there were DIY shows happening. I booked them a few times at the spots like The Mod Center, Roadhouse Pub, etc. And each time they were louder, louder and louder. Anytime they played myself and Tommy Orza (from OTMOP) would buddy up and make the trek. Tommy even would constantly play in his car this tape of recordings of theirs that he wasn't even supposed to have. I think the band didn't like it or something but Tommy coerced Lisa to make him a copy or something like. Regardless, he'd never make me a copy no matter how much I pleaded so I was just content to hearing the band's music in his car. And I think in nut shell I think that was my biggest issue with Bunsen Honeydew, getting their music in a tangible form was next to impossible. I fucking loved the band's music so much but I would even know that records came out. Generally speaking most of their music was released over seas on small boutique indie labels. Even Graham Coxon of Blur released the Didn't You Used to Be Invisible? on his Transcopic Records label. In fact just recently I discovered that the band released Modern Gal as a 7 inch on the Little Teddy Records label out of Germany. Frustrating that I have to hunt down records from a band that I followed as they were active years after the fact. In a way though it is kind of funny and probably very telling of why most people on Long Island never heard of the band.

Back to the issue at hand the Transistor 7 inch which was released on Bumble Bear Records in 2000 features the title track which is a noisy, hypnotic shoegaze romp that mimics Ride at their best while the b-side "Tiny for Louis" is a ambient, shoegaze drone piece that recalls moments from My Bloody Valentine's Loveless. Beck even had a copy of the 7 inch as it appeared in a stack of his records in a photo that went along with a interview he did for Vanity Fair. The bonus track that I have included "Modern Gal" was included on The Hope Machine compilation that I put out and honestly I do not know if this is the version that appears on the Modern Gal 7 inch on Little Teddy. Something tells me that it is not. The band was eventually issued a cease and desist by Jim Henson's people and the re-named themselves Four Volts shortly before drummer Theo Cateforis left the fold. They issued a album called Triple Your Workforce on Kanine Records. Lisa Cuomo moved on shortly thereafter and the band continued on for awhile before folding and moving onto other projects. You can check out Four Volts here.

This is definitely one of my favorite bands from Long Island but I just wish I had better audio documentation to share. In any event check out this out and who knows maybe someday I'll have the time to find some Euro distros where I can import their other releases and eventually rip those. For those interested I do have a couple of copies of this 7 inch remaining in my distro.

Bunsen Honeydew Transistor track listing
1. Transistor
2. Tiny For Louis

from The Hope Machine
1. Modern Gal

Download Here

Casa Negro/Knox Overstreet/TheLord Humongous "Live at the Mod Center" (unreleased live recording/2000)

Through doing this Here On This Island I have certainly reconnected with a lot of people whom I hadn't seen in many years. Friends or just acquaintances whom I shared in experiencing all of this great music growing up. And I have to say it has been a good feeling to know that it was just me who felt this way about playing music, and being a part of something creative and substantial  in regards to the Long Island music scene. At times I have thought maybe the joy culled from those experiences so far removed is just nostalgia or my head just playing tricks on me but clearly in trading words with these folks I speak of it is apparent that I wasn't alone in feeling the profoundness of these experiences in the Long Island music scene. One such person who got in touch with me is Greg Gerardi who played guitar in Casa Negro (originally called Music- who appeared on The Hope Machine comp). He has been residing in San Diego for awhile now had been in touch with me intermittently over the years sharing with me whatever new music he was doing. I appreciated that. In fact I still spin The Challenger Deep cd he sent. Anyhow, he saw a post I made about one of the shows at the North Shore Public Library and how shows with Knox Overstreet, Casa Negro, and Lord Humongous were some of my favorite shows to play when Yes Sensei was starting out. Low and behold Mr. Gerardi has a stack of live shows that he recorded back in the day that he asked if I'd be interested in hosting on Here On This Island and considering A) I love the bands involved and B) some of the bands never properly recorded so live recordings would help at least provide a sort of aural documentation so I said absolutely.

This is a bit different from usual posts since I don't actually own the material but I feel it is just more important to properly archive this stuff. You can download the files from a Bandcamp page that Greg uploaded. He and Mario Quintero mastered this live set at Black Box Studios in San Diego, CA.

Even though I have written about all three bands before here is a brief run down of what the bands are like. Casa Negro played loud, bombastic post punk that is a lot like Shellac, Karp and GodheadSilo. Knox Overstreet were an awesome indie/emo band that meshed together the influences of Garden Variety,Superchunk, Afghan Whigs, the Replacements, Big Star, etc to create truly great rock music. The Lord Humongous played screamy hardcore that  was a blend of all the best elements of Scapegrace, The Last Crime, Rorschach, "My War" era Black Flag, and Slint.

Here is the link to the Bandcamp page. Thanks to Greg for sharing this.

Encrypt Manuscript "s/t" 7 inch (Tone Library Collective/2005)

Here is the second release from a band who my opinion just didn't release enough music the five to six years that they were a band. During their tenure Encrypt Manuscript released the Dialogues cdep, Census full length cd and this two song 7 inch which I am sharing with you today. Encrypt Manuscript consisted of Brian Davis on vocals, Jordan Achilli and John  Phillips on guitar, Conrad Mata on bass, Jay Gerstner on drums-who was eventually replaced by Tom Roslak for the Census. Musically speaking Encrypt Manuscript first and foremost played urgent, frantic post hardcore that most certainly drew influence from stuff like At the Drive In and Blood Brothers crossed with Make Believe but it doesn't take long to notice other elements. The musicianship of Encrypt Manuscript was certainly a thing of beauty as Achilli and Phillips traded off intertwining jazzy, note-y guitar parts all the while it was anchored by a really taut yet free feeling rhythm section of Mata and Gerstner. Needless to say there was a complexity as well as originality to the music where it was in stark to contrast the usual notion from young bands of just put together a few power chords together in major key, scream over it and done; Encrypt Manuscript were on a level musically that few bands ever reach much less dream of. And over this complex aural post hardcore web Encrypt Manuscript weaved vocalist Brian Davis howled and screamed like a mad man in a manner that was a cross between a dramatic, deconstructed spoken word and free form stream of consciousness ramblings. Say what you will the vocals being rough on the ears at times but simply the form in which Davis approached the vocals complimented what his mates were doing what guitars and drums almost too perfectly. The band was a wonderful pastiche of chaos and the two songs on this 7 inch I think represent some of material that the band did.

Encrypt Manuscript s/t track listing
1. Knife Fight at the Blind Tiger
2. Phantom Limb Pain

Download Here

End I "s/t" 7 inch (Rok Lok Records/2001)

Here is a quick little morning post for y'all! For those unaware End I was a solo moniker used by On the Might of Princes guitarist Lou Fontana however this was the only material ever recorded/released. The music is droning guitar/vocal based, lo fi basement emo and it is eerie as it is beautiful. Jagged guitars mixed with elegant melodies is what one can expect when spinning the two songs that make up this 7 inch. Originally, this release was planned as a four way split between End I, my own Stars Are Insane, I'd Rather Be Flying (Jason from OTMOP's solo name) and a solo song from Tommy Orza also of OTMOP but Jason didn't seem into the idea and after Tommy recorded his song he got a little shy about releasing it. Not sure why, I heard (as well as have a copy of it) and it is awesome. So I decided to scrap my contribution and make the 7 inch just 100% Lou since he already had a second song stashed away. I pressed up 300 of these all on green vinyl, 100 came with lyric inserts and they are long out of print. However, for you completists out there who need the physical record there are two distros that I know of that have copies- Interpunk and Vinyl Junkie Distro.

End I s/t 7 inch track listing
1. The Wishing Flower
2. Schiavo

Download Here

Radio Raheem "s/t" 7 inch (Zoo Music/2001)

In getting vinyl ripped for this blog I don't think there was a 7 inch that I was more excited to share than this release but with that being said it has also been the most maddening release to rip. I say that because I have ripped it several times and I can't get it to sound exactly right. I am not sure what is up but no matter how I rip this the sound quality is far more distorted than it should be which just annoys me. But at the end of the day I just want to share this great music and perhaps latter on when I am more patient I can do another rip. Or perhaps if someone from the band sees this they'd be kind enough to upload the original files. So before the hate mail comes in, trust me I tried and tried to get it to sound better but alas...

Anyhow enough with the tech talk let me just say that this 7 inch is one of my favorite 7 inches ever. Period. And the band responsible for these three great songs is a band that I miss dearly and maintain that Long Island never showed enough love for. Seriously shame on you Long Island. Radio Raheem were a post punk trio from Quogue which is in eastern Long Island and I first came to know of them when Yes Sensei played a show with them in our friend Jenn's back yard. Myself and the rest of the guys in Yes Sensei collectively let out a "fuck yeah" as almost two years of being the black sheep if you will of local shows here was a band right before our eyes and ears who played our type of music. Radio Raheem reminded me of bands like Unwound, Rodan, Crownhate Ruin, Kerosene 454, Shellac, etc and they were anchored by a incredibly taut rhythm section that consisted of persistent and on point drumming of Phil Sutton which around was wrapped the low end rumble of Ryan McCoy. And topping it of was the discordant guitar of Michael Fredrich who wrote lyrics that tended to reside in the dark, introspective side of things and were delivered in way that reminds me of a cross between Steve Albini and Nick Cave. Almost instantly Radio Raheem not only became my favorite band on Long Island but a relationship with them and Yes Sensei was forged and was maintained throughout the tenure of both of the band's lifespan.

The band had a cd-r demo (which by the way if anyone has PLEASE, PLEASE send it my way- I need "Aloha" on my Itunes in the worst way) out and then they issued 500 copies this three song 7 inch. Sometime later they issued a split 7 inch with another great Long Island band whom I have shared here, Knox Overstreet. At some point like 2002-2003 I coaxed them into letting me do the band's then  forthcoming full length release on Rok Lok. I was excited but lots of stuff happened- the band was touring and trying to write a definitive work but also grow and stretch away a bit from the more aggressive post punk sound of their previous releases. They started to record the album but the recording was marred with numerous problems like computers crashing and glicthing which eventually led to a considerable portion of the recording being lost forever. Additionally, myself on the label front I was still really kind unorganized with doing a label. Fuck I didn't even have a computer (this still amazes me that I started the label 1998 and didn't own a computer until 2004) and I definitely wasn't properly equipped to promote a release they way they were hoping to promote their album as I was still doing things the old school way which at that point wasn't helping anyone. So understandably at that point I think the band rethought what they were going to do with their band and their album. Eventually, the band re-located to Williamsburg and started to cement itself quite a following. They soon buried the Radio Raheem name and renamed itself Rahim and signed to French Kiss Records. And they left behind the basement recording set up to work with J. Robbins to record the Jungles EP and then again for their first full length album Ideal Lives. As Rahim some elements of its former self were still there but for the most part they wer starting to draw more influences from dancy post punk stuff like Gang of Four and Q & Not U as well as stuff like Blonde Redhead and the outcome was marvelous. Both Jungles EP and Ideal Lives are masterful albums that showcase truly poised and mature song writing while still being very exciting. As a friend and fan I was really excited to see them achieve such a creative high point, and above all be recognized for their work. Eventually McCoy left the band and some new folks joined the fold and they self released a 7 inch called The Same which would be a precursor to their final album Laughter which came out on Pretty Activity Records in 2008.

Whether under the name of Radio Raheem or Rahim the band always delivered music of an extremely high quality that was well thought out yet still felt natural and unforced. And on a personal level not a thing changed about the guys in the band even when they signed to a known indie label who certainly at the time definitely had some hype about it. Unlike other bands who have over the years transplanted to Brooklyn, Radio Raheem/Rahim always remembered where they came from and never scoffed at coming back to play Long Island. They never put up some sort of goofy front like they were too big or cool for that. Shit, they even looked out for old friend's bands over the years when they could. Several times they went out of their way to invite a very ramshackle and decidedly unprofessional Yes Sensei to play shows with them when I am certain their booking agent must've been displeased but regardless they always did what they felt was right and what they wanted to. I have nothing but respect for the band collectively and individually. I highly recommend that you try and track down whatever Radio Raheem or Rahim material you can find, as it is all exceptional.

Radio Raheem s/t track listing:
1. Evidence
2. Out of the Ocean
3. Skin Cells

Download Here


And as a bonus here is a Radio Raheem video of the song "Evidence" that I just came across

Screen House Music "Positive" cd-r (Life On an Island/2006)

It is late and I have to work tomorrow (errr today) so why am I still up? Well to share this awesome album with all of you that is what. This will be the last Screen House Music album that I will be uploading as I do not own physical copies of Conscious or On the Roof. I do have the files so if anyone would like them feel free to email as I have no qualms about sharing great music but for the sake of blogging I only upload stuff I actually own. And if anyone has any physical copies of either of those releases I'd be down to purchase them or trade. In any event Positive is the third release from Nicky Marino's (For Serious This Time) Screen House Music. Positive continues to build on the minimal folk/drone   home recordings that the previous two releases established while growing and maturing with the sound. The music that appears on Positive was originally conceived as one twenty minute track and later on broken up into eight short songs as Marino states on the back sleeve of the release. Once again it is a Screen House Music release that is more of a private press than a full on release, for a lack of better words, as my copy is numbered 2 out of 18 copies. It really is a shame that this great music didn't get shared with more people. I can't recommend the sounds of Screen House Music enough.

Download Here

The Insurgent "Loudest Letter" 7 inch (Square of Opposition/2002)

Since I am heading into the home stretch here at Here On This Island as I'll wrapping things up sometime this summer or sooner, I have to complete posting various band's discographies  and in this case I need to get started. Here is the final release from the great Long Island band The Insurgent. And mind you I never thought I'd attach the word great to The Insurgent when I first heard them. I mean quite frankly I thought their side of the split 7 inch with Contra was unfathomably horrid but something beautiful happened along the way as the band really grew and matured. In my opinion next to On the Might of Princes' Where You Are and Where You Want to Be I can't find a more era defining release for Long Island than The Insurgent's incredible 10 inch Inside Every Kid (which I WILL be posting). A record that I foolishly turned downed to be apart of releasing because all ever thought about was that band on the Contra split 7 inch. Clearly, this was an absolutely different band, just same in name and people. The Insurgent mixed the catchiness of Bay area pop punk with a introspective midwest emo  quality. I always detected a Crimpshrine meets M-Blanket meets DBS kind of vibe. You could sing along to the songs but it was never just straight ahead. There was a smartness to lyrics that forced listeners to question themselves, and from my perspective it was never preachy. In contrast I found it absolutely inspiring from the lyrics, writings, hand made record packaging. And the four songs that comprise Loudest Letter I think are four of the best songs the band ever penned.

Every aesthetic and idea that this band put forth was inspiring and 100% sincere. Maybe that would get lost amongst the sea of bands doing this sort of thing these days but I imagine everything is relative and I can't express enough how good it felt to have a band like The Insurgent a part of the fabric of the Long Island DIY community. Once again I never thought I'd say that...

Folks from The Insurgent went on to play in Ringers, United States, City Limits, Nakatomi Plaza, and whole bunch that I am definitely forgetting.

The Insurgent Loudest Letter track listing
1. Tin Cans & Strings
2. The Lines Don't Match Up
3. Avenge Oscar Wilde
4. Murdock and Electric

Download Here

Splurge "Tales From the Me Generation" 7 inch (Traffic Violation Records/1996)

So I have finally started to rip more of a chunk of my vinyl collection and here is a 7 inch that I have been dying to share. Splurge was a band from the Port Jefferson/Setauket area of Long Island and they were a band I was absolutely mad about when they were together. Before On the Might of Princes came along Splurge was my favorite local band. Their songs were melodic and in that fast Jawbreaker meets Crimpshrine meets Plow United pop punk. They were super catchy and the lyrics were smart. At the time it really blew my mind that kids close to my age and only a few towns over were writing lyrics like this and even more so were pressing their own records on the label that influenced me to start my own label-Traffic Violation Records. To put it simply Splurge was quintessential 90s Long Island pop punk. I still prefer their Exit/Stretch  7 inch the best but being that I hadn't seen Tales From the Me Generation anywhere online I decided to share that instead. I highly recommend you head on over to the wonderful Long Island blog Uncle Ron's Dusty Discs who has the rest of the Splurge discography (minus the split CD with Contra which I will post soon) posted. Members of Splurge went on to be in Explosivo!, The Devil Himself, The Brass, Exelar, Air Raid Barcelona,  Love Panther,etc. Check it out.

Splurge Tales From the Me Generation  track listing
1. 49 Cent Refill
2. Spit Spot
3. Zero Outta Ten
4. Comet Girl

Download Here

Bo Coach "The Mustard Tape" cassette (Rok Lok Records/2000)

I know there is some very clear bias here because this is a release that came out on my own  record label but the reality is a good portion of the bands featured on this blog have done a release with me at some point so why should I exclude something I did release? Especially when it is the only release by one of my favorite bands that I experienced in the local community. Bo Coach were a band that came from my neck of the woods of eastern Long Island, the Shoreham-Wading River area to be exact and they concocted quite the racket for a few years right around the time I was getting started with Rok Lok Records and my own music projects. They played fuzzy, indie rock that could best be described as a mix between The Pixies, The Velvet Underground, Sonic Youth, and Man or Astroman. I wrote about them previously on this blog but this time I'd like to go more in depth about the band, my personal experience with the band and in particular their lone release The Mustard Tape.


Bo Coach originally consisted of Adam Conover on vocals and acoustic guitar and Noah Strevralia on electric guitar with Mr Korg (who later appeared on Stars Are Insane's Justin Age 8) providing the pre-programmed drum beats. The one performance I saw in this incarnation was a beautiful noisy, ramshackle of mess. Underneath the hissy guitars and the uncooperative synthetic drum beats there was an undeniable suburban garage pop sensibility to Bo Coach's songs. Some months later they played again this time with my band at the time and two new members entered the fray, Adam Schultheiss (aka Skulltheiss) on bass and Ed Guldi on violin and electric guitar. Schultheiss brought a minimal warm low end that helped anchor the madness while Guldi's violin drones made the songs sound more ominous. This set up allowed the band who was without a drummer to write songs that were full without percussion, something that to this day I marvel at. And I guess in this respect this is where the similarity to how the Velvet Undergound structured their songs became very apparent. Their music was hypnotically sprawling and was off kilter and out of tune at times but in a manner that was aesthetically endearing. And above all their was just a great sense of melody driven by Conover's fantastic vocals which against Strevralia's noisy, skronk punk guitar ramblings epitomized in my ears the term "beautiful mess".

Also around this time Bo Coach bid farewell to Mr Korg and brought in Casio RX-1 as well as Denise Y whom handled Casio RX-1 in shows as well as providing vocals and sound effects. Right around this time the band started to put together The Mustard Tape. In true lo fi indie rock fashion, over the span of several weekends, and various basements the songs that made up The Mustard Tape were recorded. In fact most songs on this release were recorded in a different room and on a different date. Originally the core of what was to make up The Mustard Tape were recorded by myself and the band on my old Fostex 4 track at Chris Grant's old house one drunken weekend while his parent's were out of town. Originally recorded that night were "Mannequin", "Welcome Citizens", "Fast One", and "Head On"" as well as a cover of The Velvet Underound's "Heroin" which was recored well past the inebriated state. Of those songs the only recordings that were kept for release on The Mustard Tape were "Fast One" and "Head On" as well as all of the out takes that feature Ed playing a guitar nowhere near in tune and somehow playing the melody backwards. Still to this day I can't for the life of me fathom what was wrong with the recordings of "Mannequin" and "Welcome Citizens" that we did that night. Honestly, they sounded beautiful. Especially "Mannequin" the way the violin melody and Conover's vocals so wondrously meshed together. If I recall correctly Noah quipped that they "sounded too pretty, not dirty enough" or something to that effect. And hence that is why the version of "Mannequin" that does appear on The Mustard Tape is as lo fi as possible. "Welcome Citizens" was re- worked when the band combined it with the Half Japanese-esque rambling oddity of"Uncle Roy" and performed (and subsequently recorded) it as "Uncle Roy/Welcome Citizens" at Coffee House which was like a talent show held at Shoreham Wading River High School. You were only supposed to play one song so the figured "heck with that let's make two songs one". I love that you can hear my good old buddy and band mate Mark Gill yell "Yeah Uncle Roy" in the song. It cracks me up every time.

After all the songs were done a master tape was created,  Noah and Adam  photocopied tape covers whose artwork was just as hodge podge as the music they created- I loved it. I bought like 70 blank cassettes and we all took turns home dubbing the bastards. We sold them at shows and I even traded some copies to distros back in the day who truthfully most have been absolutely perplexed when they heard this fuzzy, lo fi racket. I feel sometimes I am the only person that got the band and felt as intensely as I did about them. But then I talk to other folks from eastern Long Island who felt the same way, so perhaps it is just a eastern Suffolk thang.

For all the noise and shenningans where the scuzzy recordings may hide it, at the heart of it all, Bo Coach knew how to write really good songs that were smart yet playful. When you remove the fuzz and actually be able to discern the melodies and structure, "Mannequin" is a brilliant song. And perhaps I have an advantage because I was able to hear them perform this live sans poor production values. But even songs like "Construction Paper Princess" is an absolutely marvelous song that nearly brings me to tears every time. "Uncle Roy" is smart, playful, and is certainly unique. And "Fast One" is a quintessential suburban indie rock ripper. One of my biggest regrets in my life is misplacing the original master tapes of the original recordings of "Mannequin" and "Welcome Citizens" as I would've love to share those with everyone today. Heck, just one more listen would do me right. I don't think anyone back then ever thought myself or anyone would ever archive this stuff.

After The Mustard Tape Bo Coach played more shows wrote another tune or two which were never recorded as well as a really awesome reworking of the song "99 Red Balloons".  They even let me include "Fast One" on The Hope Machine. My old house mate had an awesome video of a set where they played it and I wish I had that video to rip. Towards the end of the band, the started playing with a live drummer, Jaime Hamilton. She was untrained as a drummer but certainly musically inclined so it kept a minimal flavor. Not too long after that Strevralia and Hamilton focused on their other project The London Six which basically signaled the end of Bo Coach. Close to a year after the demise of Bo Coach they played a impromptu reunion show in my garage and it ruled. It felt so good to sing along to all those songs again. I understand at first listen or two Bo Coach and The Mustard Tape maybe hard on the ears due to the ultra lo fi nature of the recordings but once you peel away the layers it reveals itself to be a wonderful collection of brilliant indie rock songs. Out of now 49 releases (and counting)The Mustard Tape to this date remains one of my favorite releases in the entire Rok Lok discography and I constantly toy with the idea of repressing it.

Bo Coach The Mustard Tape track listing
1. Mannequin
2. Uncle Roy/Welcome Citizens
3. Fast One
4. Most in the World
5. Construction Paper Princess
6. Eta Carinae
7. Rose Song
8. Head On
9. Head On (Outtakes)

Download Here

Everyone Loves OTMOP right? Want another demo track?

Seriously, everyone loves On the Might of Princes right? I don't listen to the albums nearly as much as I used to be even just a thought or mention of the band's name fills my head with so many thoughts and emotions. Who I was and where I was in my life when I discovered this band and how fortunate I felt to see a band this incredible from the beginning to the very end and even into reunions. But most importantly I am transported to a time and place in Long Island DIY that is long gone. And while there are great bands, great venues, and great people today doing stuff on Long Island for me on a personal level nothing feels like it used to back then. And I guess this flier that I am posting here today is a perfect example of what I am talking about. My buddy Steve booked a show at the Local 7 space to raise money so our mutual friend and someone who had given so much of himself to the Long Island DIY community, Jon Contra could be able to have his soon relocated from Florida back to Long Island. Specifics don't matter but what matters is that the Long Island DIY community came out in droves to have music lead to having a very positive effect in the outcome in someone's life away from the bands, basements, zines and potlucks. Sometimes we wrap ourselves up so much in the music, the ideas, the friendships, etc that we forget about the real world and it was awesome to see everyone come together to help a friend. It was such an honor to be playing this show which for me a I really felt was one of the high marks of the Long Island DIY community. In addition to On the Might of Princes, Contra reuniting, Regarding I, Latterman, The Backup Plan, and my band Yes Sensei, Scent of Human History played. This was a night that I will always remember not only for the great music but for the great reason that the show happened and how it was able to help.

For some audio content I have decided to upload a demo version of the On the Might of Princes song "Water vs The Anchor" that appeared on the Creep Records CD compilation The Last Stake Has Been Driven. It was recorded at The Creep House but it is a completely different recording than the version that appears on Where You Are and Where You Want to Be. I imagine when asking fans what is the song that best defines On the Might of Princes, and some will say "For Meg" and others, like myself will say "Water vs The Anchor". I say that because it is the song that hooked you in right away long before the album closer even came through your speakers. Everything about "Water vs The Anchor" is perfect as it showcases all the different musical genres that the band was primarily influenced by and it had great lyrics that were absolutely anthemic in nature. So check out this earlier version as I am not sure how circulated this comp that it appeared on was.

Download ON THE MIGHT OF PRINCES "Water vs The Anchor (Demo)"

Grid Iron "Quietly, Confider" cd (Burn It Down Rebuld/2003)

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Completing things is a nice feeling and that is what I have done with this fourth and final upload from Grid Iron. I am glad I have now been able to share with everyone all of this band's entire discography. And with that being said I do want to say that I will be completing some more discographies in the coming weeks and months which will ultimately bring a close to Here On This Island. I figure between some albums, eps, tape and vinyl rips as well as some more live and unreleased material by summer's end I will have accomplished what I set out to do with this blog and document this great music that has been such a huge part of my life. Thus far I want to thank all of the people who have supported the blog and  who have listened to this music for themselves. I also want to thank all these great bands for creating all this great music. However, I do want to point out that I do have to say I am amazed and somewhat disappointed when I look at the download stats seeing how even with free music people are still unwilling to take a chance. The stats are staggering, while I won't name names there are certain bands who I have uploaded who are downloaded far more than "lesser known" bands. It is no wonder why so many independent record labels are closing up shop. Unless you can cement a name brand band people won't take a chance to try out something new or even outside the box. It actually depresses me a great deal. I feel fortunate that I grew up in a age where independent labels/artists thrived and those who dared were rewarded. Personally, I think it speaks volumes for our culture at large when people's playlists are as bland and predictable as a fast food restaurant menu. Anyhow enough with my rant...

After a series of eps in late 2003 Grid Iron released their full length album Quietly, Confider which would become the band's final release. And what a release to go out on. In some ways it is a shame that this was the band's final release because you could really start to sense a growth that was only just starting to take footing. Quietly, Confider builds on that Jawbreaker influenced, jagged guitar indie rock/emo but another half of the album features more quieter (no pun intended), introspective tunes and dare I say even ballads. I know totally un-punk but seriously who gives a shit? A good song is a good song. There was certainly a roughness and charm to the earlier Grid Iron material that I enjoyed but Quietly, Confider finds the band firing on all cylinders and personally speaking, I forgot how damn good this album is. So check it out and if it so interests you I do have a couple of copies hanging around in my distro.

Grid Iron Quietly, Confider track listing:
1. Sleep Through This
2. The Pretender
3. The Derivative of the Sum is the Sum of the Derivatives
4. Treading Air
5. The Colors
6. Tears
7. Climbing the Ladder
8. Blindsight
9. Tides
10. Gift Horse
11. One Day Rains

Download Here

The Story of Man "The Story of Man" cassette (Life On an Island/2006)

I absolutely love just about everything the Life On an Island folks release and this early release is certainly one of my favorites. Here is a cassette release that I was very happy to finally rip and share. Everything about this release is just exceptional from the minimal handmade packaging, the music and just the over all concept. Or least the concept on how I perceive it. The Story of Man is a unique compilation of sorts that chronicles solo, home recordings of various different genre styles and techniques by each of the four artists on this release. The album closes with a collaboration between three of the four artists. The Story of Man documents recordings by Mike Naideau (Giant Peach, Blood Soda), Alex Gentile (For Serious This Time), Nicky Marino (For Serious This Time, Screen House Music) and J. Shelton.  The music for is all instrumental and resides in the folk/experimental folk and bedroom pop genres and if you have listened to any of the Screen House Music releases I have shared in the past you will certainly enjoy this cassette. Once again I just think the idea of four individuals who could've easily just easily recorded and released this songs under their own but opted to release under a banner compilation project is just a fantastic one. It lends a cohesiveness that you wouldn't expected from a compilation. The final outcome is absolutely marvelous and personally I'd like to see more projects of this nature come to fruition. Only 75 of these cassette were made and I feel very fortunate to own one. This is certainly a very special release made by some of Long Island's most gifted song writers.

The Story of Man The Story of Man track listing
1. Staub2 (A.Gentile)
2. Ocean (M.Naideau)
3. Dreads (N.Marino
4. End (A.Gentile)
5. Peanuts (N.Marino)
6. Rain (M.Naideau)
7. Autumn (A. Gentile)
8. IV T (J.Shelton)
9. Ode to Tzantza (M.Naideau/A.Gentile/N.Marino)

Download Here

Left Left "Left Left 1" cd-r (self releasd/ 2005)

Today's upload is one of the more recent acquisitions in my collection as it was given to me as part of a care package back around Thanksgiving when Risk was recording in my basement. Left Left is a project that Jay Melli of Risk and formerly of Sometimes Walking Sometimes Running, Scent of Human History, United States, Jan Cux, etc. gave me to show what he been up to for the last few years since we spoke. It is crazy how time passes and you realize how long it has been since you have spoken to a good friend. Anyhow, in the care package he gave me two finished releases from his project Left Left as well as a disc of unfinished material. Joining Melli in this home recording project was his buddy Dan. The best way to describe what Left Left sounds like is to think of it like a mix tape as there is no set genre adhered to. Stylistically, the music switches from shoegaze/post rock/ambient/drone/collage kind of stuff to full blown bedroom pop with distorted drums and all. There are even some acoustic crooners to be found. Essentially take early Sebadoh and mix it with Refrigerator and shoegaze/ambient stuff like lovesliescrushing and Jen Paul/No Lakes and that should give you an idea. And in the excess overload that is common with lo fi and home recording projects this cd-r is fully loaded with twenty tracks but the diversity of sounds really keeps things fresh all the while still having some cohesiveness as an album. Seriously, the best music is made by people in their bedrooms.

Left Left Left Left 1 track listing
1. Makes Like Clocks
2. Happily Ever After
3. I Watched Movies
4. Take 2
5. Tunnel Time
6. Acid Face Bagel
7. Magentalude
8. Ga Lonons
9. Robot Pudding Yummy
10. Daisy
11.This Could Be The First Hour
12. Can Not Keep
13. Let's Get a Malted
14. Gack Attack
15. Sittin In My Room (Wussies)
16. Piss Off
17. Come Kin
18. Late For Church
19. Three Then One
20. Skin Flix...Then Stop

Download Here

The Mutes Brothers "Isn't It Neat Being Unique? (Part One)" cassette (Eiffel Trousers Records/1998)

Building off my excitement of the recent announcement of the upcoming Bookstore reunion on May 28th 2011, I feel inclined to finally upload this gem that I have been hiding in my back pocket. The Mutes Brothers was the band that Jonathan Kaplan (bass) and Joey Lambiaso (drums) did before they started Bookstore. Based out of the Valley Stream, The Mutes Brothers played a quirky yet smart hybrid of indie rock, subtle shoegaze influences, jazz, and Motown. The music was very jammy at times with long instrumental sections not wanting to surrender but eventually giving way to versed pop conventions. Isn't It Neat Being Unique? (Part One) has five songs but certainly is an extended player in terms of length and bang for your buck. I first heard of The Mutes Brothers from my old AOL buddy Danny (from the excellent Bunsen Honeydew who I WILL be featuring soon) one night when chatting about local bands we were recommending to each other. Then I finally heard their song "Nancy Drew" which was included on a cassette compilation on Eiffel Trousers and I totally loved it. The song grooved and then out of nowhere it had this noisy My Bloody Valentine esque guitar noise freak out in the middle of it that dissipated into a notey guitar melodic trade off- I heard that and I was sold. Hopefully you will be as well.

The Mutes Brothers Isn't It Neat Being Unique? (Part One) track listing
1. Loquacious
2. Let's Go Out
3. Nancy Drew
4. On a Farm
5. No Pants

Download Here

Book Store Reunion Show!!! Rok Lok Records 2011 Sampler

I figured since I have posted some Book Store tunes to download here that I would let everyone know about the band's reunion show on May 28th at Mr Beery's in Bethpage. Also playing will be Dude Japan, My Summer, Werewitch and Destructasaurus Rex. I am excited and I have to say I never thought this day would come. It should be a ton of fun.

In the meantime I recommend that everyone go back and download Hello From Bookstore and Sleeping On Glass Pillows. Also you can stream the full length self titled album on Rok Lok Records over on Bandcamp. You can also order a copy of the CD over at Rok Lok Records.

Also download the Rok Lok Records winter/spring 2011 sampler. Check out recent and soon to be released tracks as well as a Book Store tune to get everyone stoked on the reunion show. Download the sampler here.




Rok Lok Records Winter/Spring 2011 track listing
1. Brick Mower "Cheap Gasoline" from Why Are We Doing This 7 inch
2. The Only Ghost in Town "I Know" from Hidden East Coast EP 7 inch lathe/cd
3. Dude Japan "Raft Captain" from The Things That Matter cd
4. Deep Pockets "Indoor Scarves" from Demo cassette
5. Stars Are Insane "Brace Yourselves" from A Plan...A Perfect Disaster cdr
6. Yes Sensei "I Like Trucks" from In Excelsis cd
7. Babe Florida "Pe de Amoras" from I Know Why They Call It Pop cassette
8. Screen House Music "January 14th 2009" from I Know Why They Call It Pop cassette
9. Sandy City "Meeper Sleeper" from Surfin' WA 12 inch
10. The Only Ghost in Town "Shangri-La" from The Summer Was Over Before It Began cassette
11. Weed Hounds "Hard Drivin" from split w/ Dude Japan 7 inch
12. Fellow Project "Racing Horse" from Boots 7 inch
13. Damezumari "All" from Hope Inscribed on Handbills 7 inch
14. Dude Japan "Olympic Swimmer" from Teenage Summer EP 7 inch lathe/cdr
15. Book Store "Gonster" from s/t cd

Prescott C "Somewhere In the Distance" cassette (self released/1999)

Another quick post today folks...Here is the first release from Prescott C, a four song cassette called Somewhere In the Distance. It features the band in their original three piece line up with Angela on bass. I have uploaded releases by Prescott C in the past which I hope you have all enjoyed and in the coming months I'll be uploading more. For those that missed out Prescott C was the band that preceded Bricks For Shoulders and while still as heavy as that band there was more of a emphasis on melodic post hardcore type of stuff as opposed to the more aggressive flavor of Bricks For Shoulders. If you dig stuff like Hum, Far, Smile and Sleepytime Trio then you may dig Prescott C. Go ahead don't be scared, download it is free. And as bonus to make up for the short post here is a old flyer for a show that Prescott C played with Book Store and some other band I don't know.

Prescott C Somewhere In the Distance track listing
1.Grant Me This One Day
2. My Longest Hour
3. Symbolic Violence
4. Limited Sight Distance

Download Here

No. 12 Looks Just Like You "Synth Pop Radio" cassette (self released/2000)

A real quick post today because I am off to see the Mountain Goats in a bit...

I know what you what you are thinking, no, this is a completely different band. In fact they came first. THIS No. 12 Looks Just Like You was a all female indie pop/rock band that formed in 1995. Both were clever enough however to name themselves after one of the best Twilight Zone episodes. The No. 12 Looks Like Just You is band I heard of for awhile but never actually saw play live until 1998 and it was certainly a welcomed stray from the norm. Back then sadly I could barely count on one hand how many bands had females involved. Not only was taking a bite out of the gender ratio welcomed from my point of view but No. 12's carefree, loose basement pop was a breath of fresh air from the myriad of white suburban angst that bands in the local scene seemed to embrace oh so much. I was able to book No. 12 on a few shows and even include their song "Kisslisp" on The Hope Machine.  I am not certain if the band released anything outside of this cassette Synth Pop Radio  which is 13 tracks of lo fi, loose and quirky basement pop that to my ears is a mixture of Bis, Dressy Bessy, early Bratmobile and The Beat Happening.

No. 12 Looks Just Like You Synth Pop Radio track listing
1. Play It On Your Stereo
2. Kisslisp
3. This is Howe
4. Let's Rap! With Rockin' Rikki Rachtman
5. Sunset Drive
6. Hungry Hungry Hippos
7. Symphony #12
8. All About Your Love
9. Keyboard of Doom
10. How to Eat Humans: 101
11. #12 U.S
12. It's Musty Down Here
13. Icabod Crane

Download Here

Smash the State...Not my House

It has been awhile since I have done one of these... Here is a flier for a show that Yes Sensei's original drummer set up in his back yard.  It was a lot of fun. A beautiful Long Island summer outdoors show with solid tunes. If I remember Davecat's mom fired up the barbecue too which was always stellar. Man, did Yes Sensei miss moving its practices to Dare where there was not any barbecue to be had. Davecat threw a drum stick at Paul at this show for forgetting how to play the then just new tune "Progress is Dead" which is one of the few times I have seen Paul genuinely pissed off.

This was the first time that we played with Chromelodeon whom were buddies of Dave from his days at Temple. We played them a bunch back then and it was always fun. They came to Long Island and we went to Philly both a bunch.

Radio Raheem played  and if memory serves me correct they barely got half way through their set before the fucking cops shut it down. Playing with Radio Raheem back then was for us a real treat as finally we didn't feel like the black sheep of Long Island music. In them we found sonic and spiritual brothers. Also they gave a whole new meaning to being eastern Long Island band. I mean fucking Quogue? Soundly I didn't sound as out east anymore being from Rocky Point. They had me beat by another 45 minutes east bound for sure. They eventually changed their name to Rahim and released a couple of records on French Kiss, however still managed to rule. Even though they stopped playing "Aloha" (and the rest of the Radio Raheem era tunes). Though, props for them actually playing "Aloha" when the opened for Les Savy Fav at the Bowery Ballroom.

I will be uploading some Radio Raheem VERY soon but in the mean time here is a Rahim track called "One At a Time" from their Jungles EP:
Download RAHIM "One At a Time"

Also in the spirit of things here is a Yes Sensei track called "What's the Matter Matterman?" from our first album What I Do Best is What I Do Worst which is still available for sale ($6 PPD in the US) at Rok Lok Records
Download YES SENSEI "What's the Matter Matterman?"

Fellow Project "Where's the Wire?" 10 inch (Make Or Break Records/2004)

Okay. I lied this is the last Fellow Project I will upload. Well maybe that is a lie too. It is just that all of the other releases are still readily available. As far as I can tell Where's the Wire? is pretty much only available from the band. So after you download this awesome album be sure to go see them live and buy the 10 inch from them (as well as all of their other available awesome music) so you can spin this great record on your turntable. Where's the Wire? is still beginning to end probably my favorite Fellow Project record. It is the last overtly folk rock influenced record that the band did as everything since has been more rock/post punk influenced which still certainly rules but definitely the sound on the first three Fellow Project records is what I love most about the band's ever growing discography. The band's releases always have great vocals and lyrics and for my money Where's the Wire? is coming up aces in both of those categories.  This is also the last album that original drummer Adam Kuhn played on. Where's the Wire? is wonderful 10 inch record that comes with a bonus cd that includes a song that is not on the record. And because I am such I good sport I am sharing that track with everyone as well.

If for some reason you missed my previous two entries about the first two Fellow Project albums Watch It! and If We Were Mariachis I highly recommend you go back and download those two albums. Especially if you like listening to great music there is no reason why you shouldn't download all the Fellow Project albums I have made available here. And do yourself, the band, and the labels who have released their music over the years by adding their available releases to your record collection. In recent years they have released music on Dead Broke Records, Kiss of Death and even my own Rok Lok Records.

Fellow Project Where's the Wire? track listing
1. Doom?
2. Vamanos
3. Papillion
4. Songs Are Like Bugs
5. The Pace
6. Scrap
7. Races
8. Where's the Wire?
9. Sunrise* (cd bonus track)

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Power-Lloyd "Live From Bluffington; Live From the Honker Burger" cassette (self released/2000)

Here is a rare slice of eastern Long Island tuneage courtesy of lo fi collage/noise pop trio Power-Lloyd. And God help you if you forget the damn hyphen! I am not sure if it was the water we drank, growing up near a nuclear power plant that never opened or just digging on the finest fuzz box happy indie/alternative rock that the 90s had to offer that caused a bunch of the bands in eastern Long Island to make so much darn noise in the late 90s/early 2000s. Armed with a four track (my old Fostex I believe) and a lineup of instruments that defy convention (seriously seeing Mark Gill play a vacuum cleaner is one of the best things I have ever seen) Power-Lloyd played lo fi collage/noise pop that was just the sound of three friends having a good time. No pretentions or anything like that. Like I said just three friends getting in front of a 4 track and saying "Go". What came out was a mystery to even them I presume much less listeners. But for you folks who need reference points to click "download here" to put things simply Power-Lloyd reminds me of a combination of the snippets of sound collage on Olivia Tremor Control records, Beck's Stereopathetic Soul Manure, Edith Presler and God is My Co-Pilot. In addition to jangly guitar chords, bass, and vocals added to the arsenal of sound were various children's toys that produced sounds, drum machine, various percussion, whistles, and various sound makers. Oh yeah did I mention a vacuum? I did but I like that so much that I'll mention it again.

Power-Lloyd consisted of Jason Cassara, who collaborated with me on the Stars Are Insane album Justin Age 8 and Chris Grant and Mark Gill both of whom were in my first band Pale Marble Movie. Gill was briefly the bassist of Prescott C and recorded the Low Flying Planes EP with them. Anyhow back to Power-Lloyd... They recorded their lone release which was packaged in a fun grab bag of goodies (which I have lost. Shame on me...) Live From Bluffington; Live From the Honker Burger for the most part on 4 track in various spaces in the Rocky Point/Shoreham area but two tracks I believe were recorded at the North Shore Public Library from the same show that Stars Are Insane performed. (See this post to download the Stars Are Insane set if you missed it.) And if you are wondering if Live From Bluffington; Live From the Honker Burger is a Doug reference, the answer is most certainly yes. In fact check out Power-Lloyd's re-imagining of The Beets' "One Little Voice" for further Doug references.

Power-Lloyd were a ton of fun the few times they played and so is Live From Bluffington; Live From the Honker Burger. Anyhow Power-Lloyd certainly isn't for everyone because quite simply most people don't know how to have fun. Somehow I have to convince Mark to make a guest appearance playing some vacuum on the next Stars Are Insane album...

Power-Lloyd Live From Bluffington; Live From the Honker Burger track listing
1. Jelly Belly Blues
2. Israeli Sub Machine Gun
3. Math Camp
4. Vegetable Bitch (A Chorus of Boris)
5. One Little Voice
6. Upwelling

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The Microwave Orphans "Orange Julius" cassette (Eiffel Trousers Records/1998)

Hey folks here is quick post today with some studio material from the one, the only- The Microwave Orphans! This cassette release Orange Julius was limited to 40 copies and unless I am completely off my rocker it was a preview to the official release of these tracks on the band's split cd with 48 in the Basement Young N Abrasive as the five recordings that appear here are on that said split. If my memory serves me correct these tapes were unveiled at Microwave Orphan's appearance at the Cancer Sucks Festival. Each of one of these tapes were numbered and each came with a orange julius recipe and a "trading card" sticker of a drawing of a band member. Mine came with Computron Rsgmd (aka guitarist/keyboardist Matt Dallow). See the picture below.

I hope everyone has been enjoying the previous Microwave Orphans cassette I posted a short time ago called Precise Microwave Orphans  Order: 17 of the Worst Performances. If you have I am sure you'll also dig Orange Julius. While the live cassette documented all the chaos, and insanity of Microwave Orphans shows Orange Julius captures the beast in the studio a bit more contained but instead really showing off its slick new wave tinged punk rock colors nicely. Personally, I enjoy listening to these tunes on their own sans sharing space with 48 in the Basement. That band outside of a couple of tunes was never really my cup of tea.

The Microwave Orphans Orange Julius track listing
1. Busted Amps and Broken Strings
2. Orange Julius
3. Jenny
4. Brisket
5. Shattered Window

Download Here

Stars Are Insane "Live Reading" (unreleased live recording/2000)

For those unaware Stars Are Insane is a home recording "solo" project that  I have been doing since 1998. The bulk of the material has been recorded by myself via four track but I have had accompaniment and collaboration at times on the recordings and for live performances. Through the six albums (as well as whole slew of unreleased stuff) I have done under the name I have channeled the influences of shoegaze, lo fi, Shrimper Records, tape labels, Sebadoh/Sentridoh, My Bloody Valentine and Dump amongst others. From 1999 to 2001 is when I was most active with the project mainly because of the laid back and secluded living situation I had at the time. In those years I released four full length cassette tapes as well recorded a unreleased album. At this point Stars Are Insane only existed in a live forum on a limited basis doing a few acoustic shows. But for the most part the Stars Are Insane project was mainly just a home recording project  to do the things that I felt I couldn't do with a band.

For the third Stars Are Insane album Justin Age 8 I collaborated with my friend Jason Cassara. After we finished recording the album we decided to test the material out live and the album I present to you here today is a recording of the first show that he and I did. Live Reading, is a name I devised to formally document our inaugural non solo performance at North Shore Public Library on July 7th 2000. Personally, I couldn't think of another venue back then that would have be as inviting for a project like this to exist in a live forum. A few of the songs "Big Circles, Moons and Stars" as well as "Gravity" were included on the So. I Dreamed of Noise four cd-r set that collected the first four albums as well as unreleased and live material. Additionally, the version of "Fuck Lando and His Gambling Problem" that appears here is the same that appears on Justin Age 8. Cassara and I  did a few more shows together and later on even did a couple with Dave Armone involved in the fray when the fourth cassette, Gay came out.

I don't want to rant on to much about my project but just the same I would like people to check out the music. Most of the releases are out of print, though I have a brand new cd-r called A Plan...A Perfect Disaster out now, though half the pressing is already gone. A "selected works" cd-r called Partial History  will be coming out soon. I shall post the complete discography below with links to the Bandcamp so you can at least stream everything. All the albums are on Last FM as well. I'll be working on music for new releases for later this year. If anyone out there is doing a compilation please let me know as I'd love to contribute something.

One last thing before I go...I didn't have any photos of Stars Are Insane shows so I posted a photo that I believe Jon Kaplan took at a show at The North Shore Library that Book Store and Bo Coach played. I was playing Velvet Underground's "Heroin" with Bo Coach and at the end I believe I ran into the audience and tackled Joey from Book Store to close it out in chaotic fashion.

Stars Are Insane Discography:

• Gracias cassette (Rok Lok Records)(September 1999) (out of print) Listen on Bandcamp
• Anonymously Yours cassette (Rok Lok Records) (February 2000) (out of print) Listen on Bandcamp
• Justin Age 8 cassette (Rok Lok Records) (July 2000) (out of print) Listen on Bandcamp
• Gay cassette (Rok Lok Records) (October 2000) (out of print) Listen on Last FM
• 9 Untitled Songs cd-r (Rok Lok Records) (August 2005) (out of print) Listen on Bandcamp
• So. I Dreamed of Noise four cd-r set (Rok Lok Records)(January 2006) (out of print) Listen on Bandcamp
• "I Said It" on I Know Why They Call It Pop cassette compilation (Rok Lok Records) (December 2010)
• A Plan...A Perfect Disaster cd-r (Rok Lok Records) (February 2011) Listen on Bandcamp

Stars Are Insane Live Reading 7/7/2000  track listing

1.The Admiral

2. Big Circles, Moons and Stars

3. Gravity

4. Those Are the Most Deadliest Scorpions I Have Ever Seen

5. I Stayed Up All Night Thinking of You (New Wave Reprise)

6. I Hereby Make An Anatomical Gift

7. Fuck Lando and His Gambling Problem

Download Here