"After the fucking concert, let's go across the freeway and get a drink. What do you say?"

I'm moving in a few days so this will probably be my last post for a while. I found this tape going through all the junk I have to pack.



Van Halen
You Really Got Me/Happy Trails
live at the US Festival 1983

I taped this off of KMET, one of the hard rock (now classic?) FM stations (along with KLOS) that we used to listen to, you know, like constantly. From what I can remember, this was part of a Van Halen Weekend type deal promoting the (then) just released 1984. Considering that this cassette is 20 years old and my tape deck is at least 15, this sounds pretty good. Eddie's rad guitar wizardry and David Lee Roth's off kilter/key shrieks...get back together already, dammit!

Endnotes
1. Remember the KMET bumper stickers? KLOS too. The status symbols for Southern California stoners crusing down 101. Wouldn't be surprised if they were a huge cop magnet also.

2. Anyone have any moving tips? How to make a small rooms seem larger? Cool+cheap LP racks? Mirror ball or no mirror ball? (I'm sorta kidding on that one.) A free fridge?

3. My new neighborhood.

4. Shout outs to An Idiot's Guide To Dreaming and the Largehearted Boy for the links and nice comments.

5. As the song goes, "Happy trails to you, until we meet again...." Later!

The water is black as a frying pan...

Superunit
Kettle Lake
Bad Sun Rising II comp CD
Nipp Guitar 1995

Yeah...Superunit. One of the lamer monikers in indie rock history. Intentional? You never know with Albini on board.

This is basically Steve Albini on guitar/vocals with Zeni Geva. Pre-Shellac. He was in Japan to engineer/produce a handful of bands, sometime in 94 or so, and two songs were recorded with ZG. I actually met him at one of the recording sessions, interpretating/interviewing him for some zine.
Don't believe the hype, Steve Albini is a nice guy. Funny, too.
Post interview:

me: So what's up with the singer from Squirrel Bait?
SA: He's in some frat rock band. They suck.

Albini played a couple of shows with Zeni Geva and came back a few years later with Shellac. Missed both shows. Oh well.

Endnotes
1. Great comp. Volume Dealers, UFO Or Die, Boredoms, Funhouse, Ruins, Omoide Hatoba, Maria Kannon, and Zeni Geva+Steve Albini. Sadly, out of print, from what I could gather. More Nipp Guitar info here.
2. Maybe it's just me, but doesn't this sorta sound Slint influenced? Storyline lyrics, loud/soft dynamics, screaming at the end, ala "Good Morning, Captain". Steve Albini loved Spiderland.
3. The Fiery Furnaces, !!!, and The Pixies at the Fuji Rock Festival.

Pipe+Small: Two Split 7"s

Pipe and Small. Two bands out of North Carolina, early ninties. They shared drummers and a guitarist...hell, they probably shared the van too. Small were more melodic and indie while Pipe were the fucking punx.

Pipe
Submariner
Pipe/Small split 7"
Matt Label 1991



Small 23
Chew It Down
Small 23/J Church split 7"
Honey Bear 1994

I always thought that Small (or Small 23, as they were sometimes known) would break, ala Superchunk. Chapel Hill was supposed to be the new Seattle, right? Plus, Small's drummer, Chuck, was Superchunk's original drummer. Anyone know what happened to them?

You gotta love the Pipe tune. Total spazz out vocals during the bridge. Went on to release stuff on Merge.

BTW, both of these songs appear on a compilation video that came out way back then, focusing on North Carolina bands. You know the lineup: Superchunk, Polvo, Archers of Loaf, etc...

So cool, so cruel

Another quickie.



Korea Girl
Reunion
The Complete Discography CD
Asian Man Japan 2000

Reunions. Does anyone really like going to one of these things? Seeing long lost friends is cool, but...the assholes you really hated in high school or whatever. Would you honestly like to see them again?

Luv these lyrics:

Why would I spend more time
With people that I hate
Couldn't wait to leave behind
Would we dance? Make a toast?
As you boast about the things that you haven't done
Oh joy, what thrills, the fun, fun

Beautiful, you were popular
In school
So cool
So cruel

同窓会っていやだよね。仲がいいやつと久々会うのはいいけど、嫌いなやつは・・・そんな曲です。

Endnotes
1. Got this CD from a guy that used to run Asian Man Japan, which are no more, from what I can tell. He does design work, check out the Republic of Regina site here. Plus, photos of Japanese bands Envy, Manfriday, Kulara...
2. !!! were great in Ebisu. It would have been awesome to see them at Fuji Rock, though: imagine thousands of people screaming, "CAN YOU FEEL IT INTENSIFY!!!" More later.