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

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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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Sometimes Walking Sometimes Running "Unreleased" 2000/2001

A quickie but gem of a upload for y'all today. Here is another nice batch of unreleased tunes that have come into my possession, three unreleased songs from  Sometimes Walking Sometimes Running. I previously featured their 5 Untitled Songs CD and these 3 songs continue in the same tradition of chaotic screamo 'ala Pg.99 and City of Caterpillar though I do feel the band is a bit more experimental. On the first track offered here there is a long percussive, almost tribal section that reminds me of something of Neurosis' Enemy of the Sun. There are noisier, more bordering on psychedelic moments than the more fast paced, furious screamo blasts found on the 5 Untitled Songs ep. It is obvious that some of band member's various side projects or one off noise projects like Car Fire or Backspace were having its influence rub off on this last batch of Sometimes Walking Sometimes Running songs. All three songs offered here are untitled and I believe they were recorded in either late 2000 or early 2001; I am not 100% certain. I want to thank guitarist/vocalist Jay Melli for allowing me to share this with everyone. For you Long Island/NY area folks be sure to check out Jay's new band Risk who will be playing my band, Yes Sensei's last show on January 22nd at Mr Beery's in Bethpage.

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Scent of Human History "Unreleased Album" (2003)

As I hinted earlier this week I had a nice surprise for everyone. Additionally, I mentioned having in my possession this unreleased recording in my post about their split cd with The Lazer and now I am finally ready to share this unreleased gem with everyone. In listening to this album it blows my mind that it was never released. If it was it could've easily been identified as a classic for that era of Long Island music but instead it has just been a rumored relic to many and only heard by a few. All of the Scent of Human History releases were solid but I think this collection of ten songs captures what they were doing perfectly, especially the band in their twilight as the songs were getting longer, more expansive and noisy bordering on psych at times mixed with the chaotic screamo that they were known for. I remember seeing most of these songs played live in the year that Yes Sensei and Scent of Human History played a lot of shows together but the one song that sticks out the most for me is the absolutely beautiful fifteen plus minute epic "Science". Everytime I saw them play this song it sent chills down my spine and coming from a critical point of view, this song really was sign of growth for the band as the beginning of the song was almost faint whisper like quiet and it slowly morphed into a monolith of sound with a eventually culminating chaos seemingly coming from nowhere. This may seem quaint now, but this was a good couple of years before "post rock" and stuff like Explosions in the Sky and Pelican started being all the rage. At that point it reminded me of later era Swans but back in 2003 no one I knew was claiming to like the Swans. I remember very vividly playing a show with Scent of Human History in some basement in Northport and their first song was a really fast, chaotic screamy awesome mess that barely broke one minute and a half. It finished and Jay Melli (the band's guitarist and vocalist) said "we have one more", I look around and people are puzzled. I mean I know that they were all in for some "Science" but it was cool to get a sense that no one knew what was coming. It was awesome. And so is the rest of this incredible unreleased album. I known it to be a great album for many years and I believe many of you will feel the same way after listening to it.

A quick not about the track listing. This is not 100% as the cd-r and tape I have of it are not labeled with track names, however I was able to name the tracks from memory and process of elimination.

Scent of Human History "Unreleased Album" track listing:

1. "Wind"

2. "Why Don't You Cut the Floor Out From Under Me"

3. "Territorial Pissings"

4. "The Choice Unchosen"

5. "Just in Stress"

6. "Change Melts Away"

7. "Or Will Drown"

8. "Instrumental"

9. "Science"

10. "Untitled"

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Sometimes Walking Sometimes Running "5 Untitled Songs" CD (Traffic Violation Records/2000)

After a few days rest I am back at and today's upload comes from Sometimes Walking Sometimes Running, who were previously mentioned when I uploaded their post SWSR project Scent of Human History. If  you dug the Scent of Human History material then chances are that you'll enjoy the 5 Untitled Songs cdep that Sometimes Walking Sometimes Running released on the seminal Long Island DIY label Traffic Violation back in 2000. Where Scent of Human History was a bit droning and epic, Sometimes Walking Sometimes Running was more of chaotic short blasts of screamo fury. Stylistically, SWSR (as I shall refer to them from here on out in this entry) cherry picked all of the finest elements of the top screamo/emo bands of that time period- Pg.99, Yaphet Kotto, Saetia, Reversal of Man, etc, all while putting their own stamp on the genre. And as I stated previously, this type of music was just nowhere to be found outside of these group of friends and maybe a few others, like The Life of Crime (As a side note- if anyone has any The Life of Crime stuff please send it my way. I think they recorded a demo) and SWSR certainly made the most of creating music in scene that seemed completely hypnotized by music that was solely melodic in nature. They certainly stood out but their chaotic, visceral brand of music resulted in truly raw performances that were unlike what most of their peers offered as far a "stage presence". I mean just watch the segment on the Between Resistance and Community documentary where SWSR absolutely tear shit up in the generator show segment...oh boy it always gives me chills.

Not only were SWSR quite the chaotic song smiths, most (if not all) of the members were gifted artists visually. I remember vividly when I was first introduced to these guys I was simply awestruck by the artwork on their show flyers and even more so the creative zines that they'd distribute at shows. I remember get a stack of them (which I still own) from a show at the Vargas House and I was just really impressed with how their strong sense of visual aesthetic tied into the aura of their music, it all tied together nicely. And that is one thing I will definitely say about most Long Island bands, the artwork/packaging/visual aesthetic for the most part up until that point was so beyond bland. SWSR were definitely on the opposite side of the spectrum. And it was never more evident until the 5 Untitled Songs cdep came out. Everything about the packaging and artwork was just beautiful. There wasn't a release at that time that could even hold a candle to 5 Untitled Songs in regards to visual presentation.

SWSR eventually broke up, where three of the four members formed Scent of Human History. In their short history as far as I am aware of all they released was 5 Untitled Songs cdep and a split 7 inch with The Insurgent, which was also on Traffic Violation Records. I do believe a demo tape was released but I am not 100% on that. If anyone can confirm or deny that as well as share it, that would be greatly appreciated.

Sometimes Walking Sometimes Running 5 Untitled Songs track listing
1."Sweet Advice From a Jailbird"
2. "I Guess The Best Thing to Do is Laugh Out Loud"
3. "Baroque"
4. "Welcome to 4AM"
5. "This Linear Engagement"

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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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