Five Days Late "A Few Words For Thought" cassette (Ruckus Records/1999)

This is going to be a real short one today. But all you need to know are two words: pre Latterman. 'Nuff said

Hey Latterman fans here is one more piece to the puzzle in your collections. And no I am not selling this... Here we have the only release from Five Days Late which was three fourths of what went on to become the original line up of Latterman. Five Days Late consisted of future Latterman members Matt Canino (bass/vocals), Phil Douglas (guitar/vocals) and Dan Sposato (guitar), with George Dehaven playing drums. A Few Words for Thought isn't too far off from what early Latterman sounded like with a heavy influence coming from bands like No Use For a Name and Face to Face. Even lyrically it touches on some of the same things that Latterman did in those early years. I know right now somewhere if they hear about this post, both Canino and Douglas are putting their hands to their faces wondering when I'll be done bringing  dusty nuggets out of the past. I think this is it. Or is it...............

Five Days Late A Few Words for Thought track listing
1. Explanation
2. Falling Back
3. How Many Days
4. Starting Point
5. They Are Gone

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The Microwave Orphans "Precise Microwave Orphans Order: 17 of the Worst Performances" cassette (Eiffel Trousers Records/1998)

This one was a bit challenging to rip considering how everything was haphazardly sequenced together so I do hope I that charm comes through digitally. Personally I love the presentation of this live tape as it has that old school "bootleg" quality. I have mentioned Microwave Orphans before in various posts I have made about Eiffel Trousers Records, the awesome label run by the MxOx's front man Matt Roren, but this is the first release I have been able to upload of theirs. I am not sure how Matt or the band or anyone else feels about this but personally I feel this is the best way to introduce folks to what The Microwave Orphans were all about. Their more proper releases while chock full of excellent pop punk/new wave tunes I never felt those releases were successful in conveying to listeners anywhere the same off the cuff, zany experience that were the band's live shows. Recordings in a studio just can't capture that. Their songs weren't math rock it was just simple fun punk but every time you saw them it was a different experience. I mean the only constant was that Matt would usually strip down to his tight whiteys...I must've seen them play the same ten songs for about a year straight and I never once minded because it was so much fun.

Musically speaking The Microwave Orphans played a mixture of pop punk 'ala Vandals and Nofx mixed with stuff like Devo, The Dead Milkmen and Modern Lovers (bands they all covered too!) crossed with the unpredictable stage antics of the Butthole Surfers.  Precise Microwave Orphans Order: 17 of the Worst Performances chronicles various live performances many from former Long Island DIY show spots long gone from the years 1997-1998 and the title is rather misleading. Yes, there is chaos and tom foolery in abundance but I think this tape does an outstanding job of documenting one of the most entertaining live bands Long Island has ever had.

The Microwave Orphans issued several tapes and few cds all under the Eiffel Trousers Records label as well as bunch of compilation appearances. Since their break up Matt Roren went on to sing for The Reprecussions as well as Lord Humongous in addition to his own solo project The Matt Roren Karaoke Experience which relived some the off the wall, humorous entertainment that fans came to expect with The Microwave Orphans. The original bassist of Yes Sensei, Paul Como played in the band. Come to think of it Andre Bermudez (also a Yes Sensei alumni as well as Space Robot Scientists and Freaks From the Apocalypse) held down low end for the band for a spell. There were many members over the years in the band that it almost gives Guided By Voices a run for their money.

The Microwave Orphans Precise Microwave Orphans Order: 17 of the Worst Performances  track listing
1. intro
2. Happy Girl (Massapequa Bowl 5/23/97)
3. Hornswaggled (Dr Shay's 11/1/97)
4. Artie (Rocky Point VFW 1/26/97)
5. Backpack (Dr Shay's 5/18/97)
6. Amy's On Crack (Dr Shay's 10/19/97)
7. The Beach Song (Dead Milkmen) (?? 7/14/97)
8. I Wanna Be a Homo Sexual (Screeching Weasel) (Dr Shay's 4/13/97)
9. Talkshows and Broken Hearts (Matt's Living Room 7/19/97)
10. Artie (Gille's Backyard 6/14/97)
11. Railroad Love (Rock Lobster 4/4/98)
12. Jenny (Fabulous Jacks 4/5/98)
13. Imperial March/Busted Amps and Broken Strings (Massapequa Bowl 5/31/98)
14. Da Crack Haus Jam-Da Funk/Gimme Gimme Gimme (Black Flag)/Theme to a Spy Movie That Doesn't Exist/Vegan sXe Warrior (Crack Haus 7/3/98)
15. Freedom of Choice (Devo) (Josh's Basement 7/4/98)
16. Night of the Living Dead (Da Funky Fish 7/5/98)
17. The Time Warp (Richard O'Brien) (Mod Center 10/31/98)
18. Brisket (Huntington Knights of Columbus 5/29/98)

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Cedar Beach Rules!

Cedar Beach was the best. And I think anyone who went to shows there or performed there would agree. Yeah, you couldn't "mosh" or whatever the fuck but you know what that shit is stupid anyway and made shows worse. In the late 1990s to mid 2000s the Town of Brookhaven as part of their youth program during the summer would let kids put on shows at the pavilion on the beach and I can't speak for everyone but for myself and my friends this was absolute gift to stave off boredom growing up in eastern Suffolk County. Big touring bands never came to eastern Long Island so we had to make our own thing. I mean seriously what beats watching bands play and hang out with your friends at a beach at night? Nothing that is what. I have toured around the country many times, played in venues all over with my bands-nothing was better than Cedar Beach.

And in looking back no one can argue the influence that eastern Long Island byproducts had on the scene for years to come mainly in thanks to Traffic Violation Records and the family of bands that label helped document. Here is a flier for what was essentially though not formally a Traffic Violation Records showcase as the only band on the bill that wasn't on the label was Big Lick. Seeing bands like Splurge, Striped Basstards, and The Howards who were all from eastern Suffolk County as well and releasing records was very inspiring to me in starting my own label. Yeah, being exposed to K Records, Shrimper Records, Sub Pop and Kill Rock Stars at a young age was very inspiring to me and got me into music and underground culture but what Traffic Violation (as well as Mountain and Eiffel Trousers) was doing hit a nerve with me because it was local and done by people my age or younger.

Anyhow to go along with this flier I have decided to upload two more tracks from the Traffic Violation Records "6 Band Comp". Props to Jason from the excellent To Live and Die on Long Island music blog for making the this rip available. Scroll below to download Splurge's "49 Cent Refill" and Striped Basstards "Inside My Head".


Download SPLURGE "49 Cent Refill"

Download STRIPED BASSTARDS "Inside My Head"

Kiwi "Anarchists Have More Fun" CD (Burn It Down Rebuild/2003)

"This is about having a good time with my friends". Well said Kiwi.

Kiwi was a DIY synth pop/punk band that existed from around 2002 to maybe sometime in 2004. It was originally a duo that consisted of Matthew Winn (Wildebeest/The Fish) on synthesizer and vocals and Jesse Vargas (The Life of Crime/Jack Bandit) on drums/vocals. Later on Mike Campbell of Latterman/Grid Iron/The Brass played bass to turn the duo into a trio. I believe someone else played bass briefly but I am not 100% certain of that or whom it would've been. Kiwi played really fun, dance inducing bouncy synth pop that lyrics that centered around the exuberance and idealism of youth and DIY culture though there was also heavy political tinge to the lyrics that touch on consumption culture, corrupt politics, battling racism, sexism, and homophobia and of course songs about the fucking pigs. Mixing this rather serious lyrical content was dancey, grooving rhythms propelled by airy sounds of synth Kiwi certainly upheld the argument that, yes anarchists do indeed have more fun. Musically speaking if you dig stuff like Devo, Atom & His Package, Robotnicka, Math the Band and even local new wave synth driven locals Space Robot Scientists then chances are you'll dig Kiwi and their full length album Anarchists Have More Fun. It should be noted that the cover I have posted here is actually the cover of the booklet; as the cd and booklet were each housed a unique hand sewn printed fabric sleeve. Each one was different, mine came in a American flag print. I have seen some in flannel and even printed Cowboy art fabrics. Fucking tight.

As far as other releases are concerned to my knowledge the only other release Kiwi had was a split cd with The Lazer which I do not own so if someone out there could share those tunes with me I'd appreciate it. Kiwi were always fun and in hindsight they were the ultimate basement band. Listening to this cd right now makes me want to call them out of retirement to come and play show in my basement. Of course that wouldn't happen. I have to say one of my favorite experiences seeing Kiwi was at some basement in Northport where Jesse Vargas the band's drummer didn't show up but Matthew Winn and Mike Campbell forged ahead by recruiting Ryan Nadieau from Guadalupe/For Those Who Can Not Wait to join them for a unrehearsed impromptu set. Nadieau had never played the songs but fucking nailed it. It was such a fun performance; everyone was dancing and having fun. For me it came at a time in my mid 20s where I was starting to feel out of place at basement shows and just within punk in general but all of that was washed away with such a fun and care free set that Kiwi put on that night. Indeed it certainly was about having a good time with your friends.

Kiwi "Anarchists Have More Fun" track listing
1. Hopping Fences
2. With Friends Like These Who Needs Sleep?
3. All They Can Offer Us
4. We Don't Need No Borders, Let the Revolution Burn!
5. Honor Among Thieves
6. We Hate the Pigs Cause the Pigs Hate Us
7. Hopes, Dreams and Fears
8. Fun House Mirror
9. Who Needs Who?
10. Vitamins and Minerals
11. Dance on the Graves
12. Clap Clap Clap

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Guadalupe "Contract the Stank" cd (Burn It Down Rebuild/2004)

It so cold out so I need something energetic to keep me going. Coming into a freezing cold office sucks but rocking out to Guadalupe's Contract the Stank for the first time in a long time certainly does not suck. Around 2003-2004 I started to notice that there were a lot of kids in the Northport area giving the Long Island DIY scene a real shot in the arm. It felt young and exciting again. And that is not to say that there weren't exciting things amongst my peers but perhaps there was some jadedness starting to peer through as at that time lots of people/bands who made Long Island DIY such a vibrant creative community in the late 90s-early 2000s started to or had already flocked to Brooklyn. In Northport shows were packed with kids, there were several solid bands and kids were making cds/tapes/zines/etc. And doing it all with a passion for living in Long Island which is something that really appealed to me as I have always loved living in Long Island and have not had the same scorn for it the way some others have. Sure, there are aspects of living here that suck but that is relative. Travel around the country and talk to people and you'll know what I mean.

Anyhow, one of those bands was Guadalupe who were DIY hardcore/punk off shoot of the Northport indie rock band For Those Who Can Not Wait. I remember going to a show at my now house wondering whom all these kids I'd never met or seen before were and that is when my buddy Jon Contra was like "That's Guadalupe and they rule". Or something to that effect. Regardless, he was right. It was fast, exuberant and fun. It wasn't rocket science by any stretch of the imagination but it was perfect. Songs about friends, DIY, bike riding, cops and of course "stealing shit from other boats". It was just fucking fun and I loved it. They also did pretty rad Minor Threat and Body Count covers. Yes, THAT Body Count.

According to the liner notes Guadalupe spent two days with Phil Douglas (from Latterman, Iron Chic) the fifteen songs that appear on Contract the Stank. Fifteen songs may seem like a lot but don't blink because the record can be over just like that. Remember this is hardcore punk we are talking about here. Anyhow, Contract the Stank was made originally as cd-r in the brown paper bag upside down American flag on Burn It Down/Rebuild. Later on Burn It Down/Rebuild pressed as "real" cd release with different artwork. I prefer the artwork on the original cd-r release as opposed to the cd as the cd version's artwork reminded me far to much of the cover to The Insurgent discography cd. To each is their own. To my knowledge this was the only release that Guadalupe had though I do recall them recording tracks once at my house for a 7 inch though I am not sure if that ever materialized. I do know that guys from Guadalupe went on to be in a few other bands like Nude Beach, Dustheads and Yellow Tears to name a few.


Guadalupe Contract the Stank track listing

1. Kick the Shit
2. Bike Tuff
3. Guadalupe
4. No Sleep Ever
5. Fly the Dos
6. Rock the Plank
7. Drop the Stank
8. Seeing Red
9. Patrol These Streets
10. Can't Stop
11. Instrumental
12. Prove It
13. Sign on the Dotted
14. Stay Alive
15. We Win

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