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

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Prescott C "2 Song Tape" cassette (self released/2000)

Previously I had posted a release from Bricks For Shoulders called You Are Therefore I am and in that post I mentioned that Bricks For Shoulders came from the ashes of the band Prescott C. Here is a release from that band. I am not sure if the cassette has an official name or not but I just refer to it at as 2 Song Tape because well there are two songs on it...I picked up this cassette for myself and the distro at a show that my old band played with Prescott C at The Classic Cakes Cafe. Man that was a fun spot for shows. Th lead track "What I Learned at the Opera" appeared on The Hope Machine compilation  and the other track "This Is My Spring" only appeared here. Anyhow, Prescott C was a loud, bombastic post hardcore guitar/drums duo with both members trading off vocals. Their music was a mix between bands like Smile, Sleepytime Trio, Hum, and Kerosene 454. They used to play out a lot and they were rather prolific with releases in their time as a band. I am never quite sure why Prescott C were never really able to solidify someone in the bass role but regardless they were able to keep everything sounding tight as just a duo. Guitarist Steven Dejoseph played blisteringly loud through two guitar cabinets and Tom Crooke pounded away on the skins furiously ultimately proving to be quite a formidable live band.

Listed below is a discography of the band's output to the best of my recollection. I am pretty sure that I am missing a few comp appearances.

-Somewhere in the Distance cassette/cd-r
-2 Song Tape cassette
-Low Flying Planes EP cd-r
-Unreleased ep

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The Waiting Process "A Lesson in Broken English" cassette (self released/1999) + comp track

There was a time when bands that sounded like The Get Up Kids didn't flat out annoy me and a band of that ilk that I happened to enjoy very much so was The Waiting Process. I happened to see their first show at the Rock Lobster back with their original singer and by the time I contacted them a couple of months later about coming out to eastern Long Island to play a show I was booking at the MOD Center with On the Might of Princes and my old band they had already got a new singer. Gone was the endearing heart on the sleeve kind of mid paced emo that I saw them play at their first show but in its place was a more upbeat and energetic brand of poppy Get Up Kids emo. And you know what I preferred it.  In addition to bringing the new sound with them to the show they also brought these sweet looking, shrink wrapped cassettes called A Lesson In Broken English which I nabbed and am now sharing with all of you. I haven't looked at this cassette much less listen to it in a long, long time but I never released how much the cover art looks like Knapsack's Day Three of My New Life, aesthetically speaking that is. That aside-in listening to this cassette for the first time in a long time I do have to say while it is dated in the late 90s Long Island emo sound I find myself still loving the parts I used to love when this tape got a lot of play on my tape deck. The song "September Fading" found its way onto a lot of mix tapes I made back in the late 90s especially when making tapes for pen pals when I was trying to send friends abroad a taste of Long Island.

I booked The Waiting Process a few times and they even gave me the tune "Something Bigger Than The Both of Us" for The Hope Machine compilation. On the cd-r they gave me with that song there were a few other new tunes and I am not sure if those were ever released. I need to check and see if still have that cd-r and if so I'll be happy to upload those tunes. Eventually the band broke up and I do know that the guitarist Derrick played in The Reunion Show and is currently playing with Sainthood Reps. I recently ran into Christopher, the vocalist who appears on all of the Waiting Process  releases, and while he didn't speak of any music projects he did inform me that he is working on a graphic novel. And being a comic nerd I am pretty stoked to hear that and eventually check that out.

By the way ever wonder where Taking Back Sunday got the name of their band? Check the track listing out...

The Waiting Process A Lesson in Broken English track listing
1. Skyline Drive
2. September Fading
3. A Lesson in Broken English (All and Every Word)
4. Paula's Song
5. Taking Back Sunday

The Hope Machine compilation
"Something Bigger Than the Both of Us"

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I'd Rather Be Flying "Standing On the Shore Watching You Drown" & "Shadow Of a Doubt" (1998)

So now that I am unemployed I have far more time than I know what to do with, which is of course is a lie because anyone who knows me is well aware that I am always working on some sort of project. My days are generally filled resume sending and filling out applications. When that is not being done I am going to move full speed ahead in cranking out the real rarities in my collection- the tapes and vinyl. Just today I have ripped  three cassette releases and here is the first batch. Like I told you in my previous On the Might of Princes post that I wasn't done posting rarities from the band or related projects. Here is a probably little known solo project from the band's guitarist/singer Jason Rosenthal called I'd Rather Be Flying. Heavily influenced by Lou Barlow/Sentridoh and lo fi tape label stuff he created this moniker to record music under. Recorded all to four track Rosenthal displayed the same type energy, emotion and sincerity that he did with On the Might of Princes only through a acoustic guitar and some tape loops/guitar noise. The first track called "Standing On the Shore Watching You Drown" is featured on a emo/indie tape compilation called Like Two Kites Flying. Volume 1 which came out  on the Sweden based Communication Records and Mandarin Fanzine. The interesting thing about this song is that it did get turned into a early On the Might of Princes song that was recorded on a unreleased demo via reel to reel so most likely this will be the only opportunity for On the Might of Princes fans to hear the original song that was reworked by the band but never released. Who knows maybe one day they'll let people hear that unreleased demo... The other track is a super lo fi cover of Sonic Youth's "Shadow of a Doubt". I am fairly certain this track was never released anywhere. Jason recorded it and gave me a copy.

As far as other I'd Rather By Flying releases the only one I am certain exists is the track "Satellite" which appears on the Next Year We'll Be Robots Volume 1 cassette on Robin Hood Records that also featured Silver Scooter, Soul Junk, Rop Style UFO, Nova Scotias and others. I know Jason spoke of tapes he made and perhaps some other comp appearances but I am not certain as to the details. I do have one other unnamed track in my possession but upon hearing the song it sounds like it was a personal gift for someone special not to be shared. And it is master cassette for a 4 track. How I came about it is most  likely a result of doing some 4 track stuff at Tommy Orza's (OTMOP bassist) house one day and the tape someone ended up in my box of tapes. Most likely Tommy and Jason were doing some 4 track stuff and the cassette was one the floor and yeah. We were young and unorganized. What I am getting at it doesn't feel right sharing that tune. Unless of course Jason says it is okay...

In any event if you dig the version of "Caboose" on The Making of a Conversation or the original version of "An Illusion to Italy" than you'll love these two tracks.

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On the Might of Princes "Live on WNYU" (on air recording/2001)

Here is double shot of On the Might of Princes stuff pulled out from the archives. First is a flier for the going away show for what was the send off of their first full US tour with Contra. Man, what an awesome show this was. On the Might of Princes as always was just incredible. It sounds silly but there was knot in my stomach because I at the time I couldn't bare the thought of going six weeks without seeing them playing. Back then it seemed like they were playing somewhere locally every weekend-trust me I do realize how fortunate I was to be able to see this amazing band week after week.after week. The same could be said though about a lot of bands. A funny story about this flier is that when On the Might of Princes was taking a lunch break while recording The Making of a Conversation at Paris Studios in Ronkonkoma the band ducked into a record store that was across the street and in there was a bin of promo flats and empty 45 sleeves for free. In there was this New Edition 45 sleeve, guitarist/vocalist Jason Rosenthal laughed, took it and months later I see it turn up again as this flier that I have posted here.

And the second bit of OTMOP rarity that I have for you today is a full live set that was done on the air at WNYU 89.1 FM in New York sometime in  late 2001. It was recorded by Steve Roche from Off Minor, who recorded a bunch of great on the air sets at WNYU in this period of time. At the time On the Might of Princes embarked on a few short tours/weekend trips with Massachusetts' screamo/emo band The Last Forty Seconds (pre Saddest Landscape/Her Breath on Glass) and this stint on WNYU was indeed one of those as Last Forty Seconds played on the air as well. Sadly, I don't have those tracks- if anyone has them feel free to send along.

The tracks captured on this performance document what On the Might of Princes were sounding like in the period that Where You Are and Where You Want to Be was out and about. The cool thing is that the set also captures the track "Go Fuck Yrself" when it was still a new tune. The version of The Water vs the Anchor on this set was previously released as a bonus track on the CD reissue of Where You Are and Where You Want to Be on Rok Lok Records and Eugenics Record Label. Now I am stoked to share with everyone the rest of the set. On the Might of Princes fans are just as passionate about the music as the band were so I always enjoy giving fans something "new" to sink their teeth into. Additionally, I'll have some more OTMOP live sets/rarities and related projects being posted in the future.

On the Might of Princes "Live on WNYU"
1. The Water vs The Anchor
2. Go Fuck Yrself
3. Thirteen Cheers for Beer & Bullshit
4. Old Wives Tale
5. For Meg

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Grid Iron "6 Songs" (unreleased/2003)

In starting to organize the recordings that I would be using in this blog I came across this cd-r in my spindle and I had no idea what this was because I never recalled  Grid Iron releasing a 6 song ep. And some of the songs sounded like they could have been different mixes of tunes on Quietly, Confider but there were also songs from the Demo re-recorded as well as two songs that I never recalled hearing before on a recording. Then it dawned on me and I am fairly certain I unraveled the mystery of these songs. This is what I believe to be the story here- shortly after Grid Iron first started playing they started teaming up a lot with my band Yes Sensei for shows. We liked them a lot and playing shows together were always fun. After we, Yes Sensei that is, released our first album What I Do Best is What I Do Worst in 2002 we started looking to the future and thinking about our next release. After some discussion it was decided that we'd do a split cd with our buddies Grid Iron each of us doing six tracks each. Grid Iron had their shit together and it didn't take them very long to get their half of the split together and it wasn't before long where drummer Adam Kuhn was pestering us (rightfully so) wondering when we'd record out tunes. And unless I am mistaken (which would sure make me and this post seem rather silly- what can I say but those years were my "drunk years" so the memory is a bit fuzzy at times)- at some point Adam handed me this cd-r which was to be their six songs for the split.

Finally, we set up shop in Yes Sensei bassist Paul Como's parents' house, ran cables everywhere and had a pretty good set up going. We recorded the tunes and it really didn't sound all that hot. Mostly it was my fault because I waited to the last minute to get a good guitar cabinet. Back then I hated recording and was more interested in playing shows constantly. Anyhow, we sat on that recording and were going to patch it up but eventually Paul left our little band and with Michael Parish assuming the bass role and weeks later Adam Vargas joining us on guitar we all thought it best to scrap the recording and finish re-working the five songs and discarding one from the band's library of tunes we had to make our second full length album which would turn into We Who Transplant Sustain; which meant that the long planned discussed split cd with Grid Iron went the way of so many youthful discussions and plans. And that is really unfortunate because in listening to these songs for the first time in years I realize what a missed opportunity I had to release a collection of outstanding songs on my label. I have a few regrets in my label history of projects that I passed up on or ones that didn't happen for whatever reason. I have been listening to this batch of songs a lot the last several days and all I could think was "man how did I NOT release this?"...oh well. Live and learn.

Grid Iron grew in leaps and bounds from their Demo and this collection of 6 unreleased songs is a wonderful document of band finding its footing and doing so in style. The level of songwriting and performance improved so greatly, even the two re-recorded songs from the Demo, "Tarry Under Docks" and "Crater Basin" sound like a different band. I highly recommend this batch of songs and this is easily one of the best uploads song writing quality wise that I have the privilege to share here. One last bit- if anyone knows the names of the two untitled tracks please pass those along. Thanks!

Grid Iron "6 Songs" track listing
1. Gift Horse (version)
2. Tarry Under Docks (version)
3. (track #3)
4. Tides (version)
5. Crater Basin (version)
6. (track #6)


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On the Might of Princes "Live at The Spot 9/9/99" (soundboard recording)

Oh boy to say this is a rarity is an understatement. And I am really excited to share this with everyone. How I came into possession of this is nothing short of a miracle. As the story goes when I was compiling material for the CD reissues of The Making of a Conversation and Where You Are and Where You Want to Be that I released with my buddy Wells a few years back I started doing some detective work to track down recordings and such to make the reissues really special. I distinctly remember seeing On the Might of Princes play a show at The Spot on Stony Brook University Campus and I was aware that they did happen to record the shows through the soundboard from time to time. And what made me recall this and try to track down the possibility of the recording was that I definitely remembered them playing a song that was never formally recorded, "Poison of Youth". I remembered this so vividly because Pauly from Splurge showed up mid way through them playing that song and tried to coerce the band into playing it a second time. This was stuck in my memory banks when the search for a possible recording commenced. Through a string of various different people who I knew at the time and hadn't seen/spoke to in years I was able to find the guy who was manning the sound board that night. I did and he revealed to me that he if his memory served him correct he did indeed record the entire set that night however,  if he did indeed have the recording he wasn't sure if it still existed as he explained that hundreds of recordings he did over the years were lost in a fire in his home a couple years prior. Mike searched through what recordings remained and low and behold one day the cd-r of the entire show in my PO box. So we were able to include a recording of a song that most On the Might of Princes fans never heard and would've never heard if it wasn't for a lot of luck and for all the folks who used to be involved with The Spot that took time out of their days to assist in locating the recording. And now I am stoked to share the entire set with the world.

About the music enclosed on the soundboard recording captured here, it is all songs that were from time period of the band's first album The Making of a Conversation came out. In fact the album was formally released almost a month prior to the date of this show. And this recording is the only known live recording outside of a video that surfaced of "Poison of Youth" (different show from the one here) that features the original On the Might of Princes line up with Nicole Keiper on drums. The performance is rough and sloppy at times which was a trademark of On the Might of Princes live shows from the beginning all the way to the end. People loved On the Might of Princes for their sincere, heart on the sleeve song writing and performances that were the most visceral thing anyone had ever seen-not whether or not they missed a note or lyric or whatever. I am happy that this recording exists not only for giving people a chance to hear the song "Poison of Youth" but to hear that early On the Might of Princes had a edge as well which in some ways I do believe got lost in the recording of The Making of a Conversation. There is a misconception from fans of the band who came on board with their later albums that OTMOP's early material was "safe" and that they weren't as powerful live-clearly those are thoughts from people who weren't there at during this era of the band to witness it first hand. People who were there know better and will tell you otherwise. I think that this recording proves that there was a raw power to OTMOP's early material in a live construct that maybe didn't translate as well to the studio.

I have a few more On the Might of Princes live sets that I will be uploading in the near future. As far as more OTMOP rarities I do know that there was a unreleased demo recorded on a reel to reel in Lou Fontana's basement where at least two maybe three songs that were never re-recorded appear. I heard it only a couple of times but it ruled, I was wish those guys would release that in some manner just as a document in the evolution of the band. I know fans would love it. Even if they just release for free digitally or something. Additionally, there is another track that was written in the period after The Making of the Conversation was recorded and before Keiper was replaced by Chris Enriquez and the band started putting Where You Are and Where You Want to Be together; the song is called "History of Churches". I can't find a recording anywhere of it. I know the band played it in Spring of 1999 when they played with Promise Ring and American Football at NYU. I tried seeing if there was a soundboard recording of that show but no luck. Who knows maybe something will turn up some day...

Also I want to credit the photo above the Maria Ciafonne who took this photo at a show with On the Might of Princes and In Transit at here apartment in late 1998/early 1999. I didn't have a live photo from the show at The Spot so I felt this photo would be the most appropriate.


On the Might of Princes Live at The Spot 9/9/99 track listing
1. Absentee Ballot (partial)
2. The Snow Watchers
3. At Half Mast
4. Poison of Youth
5. Juliana (Taking the Long Way Home)
6. Astoria
7. Water Wings
8. A Shadow Taller Than You
9. A Thousand Words

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Knox Overstreet "Demo" cd-r (self released/2003)

Sadly, this is a demo that most people even on Long Island never heard. And to take it a step further I would also have to say that most people whom attended Long Island shows weren't very familiar with Knox Overstreet which is absolutely criminal. Knox Overstreet were one of those bands that wrote great songs, were great dudes but never gave a fuck about belonging to a scene, adhering to trends, playing "cool" shows or whatever nonsense young bands tend to get wrapped up in. This quartet concerned themselves with only one thing and that was writing top notch songs.

My first exposure to Knox Overstreet was seeing them at a show at the Rock Lobster with (if my memory serves me correct) On the Might of Princes, Intransit, The Cotton Weary and Joshua. Immediately the first thing that struck me about them was how loud yet insanely toe tapping melodic they were. Also right off the bat their drummer, Mike Post, was an absolute thrill to watch as he had a contagious energy about him that seemed to rub off on the rest of the band. He had a stage presence and charisma that is usually reserved for front men. Sonically, they reminded me a lot of Garden Variety. At first glance the Garden Variety influence early on was pretty obvious from the melodic clang of the guitars and the vocals of Mike Catanese certainly reminded me Anthony Roman but when you shed away the layers it was obvious that there were a lot more pop sensibilities if you will at work. Over time I got to know the band pretty well and booked them at various shows over the years. Heck, I even had their track "Take the Ticket" be the lead off track on a cd compilation I did called The Hope Machine. Knox Overstreet and my band played together a bunch when we first started playing and it was really amazing seeing how they progressed from that first show I saw at the Rock Lobster.

From 2000 until the cease of the publication I wrote for Under the Volcano and a part of what I tried to accomplish there was write about DIY bands from all over the world that I was being exposed to via my label trading with other labels but a part of that for me was to also review releases from local bands. And as a result one night at a show at Saints & Sinners (which I do believe ended up being band's last show), drummer Mike Post handed me a copy of the latest Knox Overstreet demo to consider reviewing. Like I had to consider... I was blown away as the band on this 4 song demo grew in leaps and bounds from their earliest incarnation. That aforementioned Garden Variety element was only faintly there, now I was hearing elements of Superchunk, Big Star and The Replacements to create a very smart,  hook laden brand of indie rock. It was so good that I was appalled to see that the demo was #1 in an edition of only 30! And that was the kind of band that Knox Overstreet was-one that never realized how good they were. Or even took themselves too seriously. Or heck even had a thought to share their music with anyone outside of their circle of friends. For better or worse as an outside looking in very few bands operated the way Knox Overstreet did. I have done everything in my power over the years to share with people the great music of this band that in my mind was sorely under appreciated.

Knox Overstreet did have decent amount of recorded material all of which I shall post here over the course of time. For those interested here is a run down of their discography (as far as I know of):

-"demo" (not sure if this was officially released. i just have a burned cd-r w/ 3 tracks)
-"Take the Ticket" on The Hope Machine cd comp (Rok Lok Records)
-"I Shot the Clerk" on It Certainly Was a Grand Piano cd comp (Abominable Records)
-"Coming Around/Jammer Failed" 7 inch (Abominable Records)
-split 7 inch w/ Radio Raheem (Pony Collision Records)
-"demo (2003)" cd-r (self released)

Knox Overstreet "demo (2003)" track listing
1. Out of the Van
2. Shake That Tree
3. Fast Women
4. Not At All

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On the Might of Princes "Demo" cassette (self released/1998)

In 1998 I created my label Rok Lok Records to release this band's first album so it is only fitting that On the Might of Princes is the first entry in this blog. My earliest exposure to On the Might of Princes was only a few months into their existence and it was solely by chance. They happened to be sharing a bill with a band that my old AOL chat room buddy was in called Bunsen Honeydew at Cedar Beach, which was a "venue" that the North Shore Youth Council allowed young people to book their own live music events in the summer months to keep youths out of trouble and that sort of thing. Anyhow, On the Might of Princes performed and I was absolutely blown away. It was just so raw and it hit me on a personal level that I couldn't fully explain-to put it simply I had never seen anything like it before or since. And this feeling continued in the subsequent times that I saw them over the next few months and eventually years. At some point I mustered up the courage to approach vocalist/guitarist Jason Rosenthal express my appreciation of the band's music and invited them to take part in some shows that I was booking. It was the beginning of what I would like to think of as a long, healthy as well as creative friendship with the band. After a few shows it was clear something truly special was taking place, there was an electric feeling going on in the Long Island scene and while not take anything away from any other bands, On the Might of Princes have to be given a large amount of credit for their contribution to making the scene at that time so vibrant. Bias aside, their influence can not be undermined. While screamy hardcore and emo had already made its presence felt on Long Island via bands like The Last Crime, La Magna, Scapegrace, The State Secedes, Half Man, to name a few- I don't think a band had meshed such a strong sense of pained melody with visceral, discordant emo/hardcore the way On the Might of Princes did. Perhaps the only other Long Island band prior to them that did something similar was the wonderful (and very under appreciated I may add) Garden Variety.

With all of this excitement it seemed as if it was a good enough time to record a demo. So in September of 1998 On the Might of Princes with microphones hanging from the ceiling of guitarist Lou Fontana's parents' basement, the demo was born. I imagine like many demos, it was recorded over the span of a weekend or maybe two. And I remember vividly when Jason gave me a copy of the demo, I must have listened to it at least a half dozen times in the first sitting. Over the course of the next several months I listened to the demo almost non stop. At the time I worked the closing manager shift at a local McDonald's and I couldn't have had a better soundtrack to get me through those nights than the On the Might of Princes demo. A co-worker at the time commented saying "this band is good but don't you own any other tapes?", which I guess illustrated how much I did indeed listen to the tape. Personally, I was at that post high school crossroads and amidst all the confusion in my life at the time hands down On the Might of Princes' music was the only thing that made sense, and to this day I don't think I have ever experienced anything as cathartic as seeing them play live. Eventually I released their debut album The Making of a Conversation in 1999 (later re-issued with bonus tracks in 2007 including "Drunk & Missing Vital Parts" and "An Allusion to Italy" from the demo) and the band continued to progress and earn themselves accolades with their second and third albums, Where You Are and Where You Want to Be (Traffic Violation/Creep and later Rok Lok Records/Eugenics Record Label) and Sirens (Revelation). The rest they say is history...

Originally the band self released the six song demo and also contributed a exclusive track taken from the same sessions, "Water Wings" for a tape compilation called Strong Island that myself and friend Phil Wohl released to document some of the bands we were booking. Months later after the original batch of demos were sold out a new pressing on local label Eiffel Trousers Records were made that included "Water Wings". A cool thing about the demo was that it was the first time anyone really heard the song "A Shadow Taller Than You", which hadn't been played out live at that point and it was just a song that I felt would go on to really define that time period for the band. Also that song, in my opinion would pave the way for some of the things they'd do later on. I know the vast majority of On the Might of Princes fans are more fond of the later stuff but I don't think anyone can deny the rawness, and gut wrenching sincerity that is captured on the seven songs on this demo. From a historical point of view the demo I think perfectly documents what On the Might Princes and the respective time were like. Still after all of these years I love the entire demo but stand outs for me are "Water Wings" which has always been and always will be my favorite On the Might of Princes song. It is just so simple and endearing while the distortion overload of the guitars is one of the most beautiful messes I have ever heard. And still to this day the original version of "An Allusion to Italy" sends chills down my spine. There is personal charm and warm aesthetic on the demo version that makes the version on Where You Are and Where You Want to Be sound rather sterile.you be the judge.

I hope you have enjoyed the inaugural upload at Here on This Island and I look forward to sharing more with everyone in the coming weeks.


On the Might of Princes "demo" track list:
1. A Fond Farewell
2. Astoria
3. Anywhere in Europe
4. Drunk and Missing Vital Parts
5. A Shadow Taller Than You
6. An Allusion to Italy
7. Water Wings

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