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

Smells Like.... Bo Coach!

Here is a set list that I nabbed from one of the last shows that one of my favorite Long Island bands ever played. Bo Coach were a lo fi indie rock band that was based out of the Shoreham/Wading River area of eastern Long Island, which was a town away from my home town of Rocky Point. Bo Coach shows were always great because you never knew what you were going to get or what members would show up. It was always on the brink of disaster which was part of the fun and I guess which is why when they were on (which was just about all the times) it was an absolute beautiful mess to witness. Smart pop with almost new wave sensibilities thrown in with fuzzy noise that wavered in and out was essentially what Bo Coach went for sonically. So if you put The Pixies, Man or Astroman?, The Velvet Underground and Sonic Youth in a blender it would come out sounding like Bo Coach. Simply put, it was quintessential suburban indie rock. My first band Pale Marble Movie played with them a lot, and even one time we joined them for a raucous rendition of The Velvet Underground's "Heroin". I released their only formal release, The Mustard Tape as a cassette on Rok Lok Records in early 2000 and it remains one of my favorite releases. It has been out of print for awhile now though I may do a small repress some point as I'd really love to share their great music with a new generation of music fans. Bo Coach allowed me to include their song "Fast One" on The Hope Machine compilation and I have attached that song here. Enjoy!

BO COACH "Fast One"

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"

And now for something different...

Here is the first entry in something a little different that I'll be doing. In addition to the regular music uploads I shall posting scans of show fliers that I have amassed over the years. I realized if I just keep this stuff in boxes I am a pack rat (or is hoarder the new "in" term?) but all of this accumulation is worth it if I am archiving and sharing it with people. And if people enjoy seeing this type of stuff, awesome.

This flier upload is a two for one as there were two fliers made for the same show. The top one was a small flier that I found amongst the stack at None of the Above Records and the second is one of my first encounters with a digital flier. Danny from Bunsen Honeydew (whom I WILL be uploading tunes for this blog shortly) emailed me this flier on the good 'ol America Online. It took me a bout 15 minutes to download it and another 10 to print it. Ahhhhh... high speed internet in the late 90s was funny. Anyhow, this is the flier for which is essentially the night that changed my life as it was the first time I saw On the Might of Princes play. It was maybe their second or third show; I can't exactly recall. While music has always been a huge part of my life, no band influence my life in the manner that On the Might of Princes did- I started a label, a band, etc. all because of these guys. I don't listen to the music nearly as much as I used but every time I see this flier I get choked up and it takes me back to a time that was really exciting for me. It makes me feel good despite all of the uncertainty in my life at that time, but that is realizing in hindsight how fun growing up is no matter the heartache.