Rubin Recommends

It’s been awhile. Here’s the Flashback Friday with Wolfie from Champaign, Illinois who were around from 1999-2001.

I remember in 98-99 when I went through an indie pop phase when I started ordering records like Wolfie and Tulleycraft from the Parasol Records catalog. To this day Wolfie is one that I’ve listened to since that time (it’s even on my iPod in full rotation right now.)  I only ever really got into Awful Mess Mystery but I’m going to check out their other records now.

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MP3 >> Wolfie – Mockhouse

From Wikipedia:
Awful Mess Mystery (CD/LP) – Mud Records – 1999
Where’s Wolfie? (CD/LP)- Parasol Records- 2000
Wolfie and the Coat and Hat (CD) – Parasol Records – 2000
Tall Dark Hill (CD/LP) – Parasol Records – 2001

“Members went on to form The Like Young, Beaujolais, The National Splits, The New Constitution, and Mathlete, and Wolfie members Joe and Amenda Ziemba also had a side project, Busytoby.”

Check out their Myspace page for more info.

It just seemed like now is the right time to flash back to Cap’n Jazz with talks of reissuing discographies, reunion shows, and pretty much talking about them everyday of my life.

“With only one full-length album to their name alongside a handful of singles and compilation tracks, Cap’n Jazz left a longstanding impression and irrefutable influence on the region’s bohemian punk scene and unwittingly spawned a breeding ground for future scene stars such as the Promise Ring and Joan Of Arc. Traces of their sonic fingerprint permeate hundreds of indie records released in their wake.”

They’re playing on 7/17 in Chicago, IL at Bottom Lounge (Sold Out) and reissuing their discography on vinyl via Jadetree June 15th, 2010.

Also check out the Weekly Check In I did with Tim Kinsella last year.

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MP3 >> Cap’n Jazz – Oh Messy Life

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MP3 >> Cap’n Jazz – Que Suerte!

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MP3 >> Cap’n Jazz – Ooh Do I LoveYou

(honestly it was so hard not to just post the entire record)

Watch an entire Cap’n Jazz show from my hometown of Kansas City at the Daily Grind from 7/10/1995 on Youtube.

Disclaimer: I listened to Ska music pretty seriously in 1995 (just being honest) so I wasn’t at this show, but my friend’s were. I think I recorded 100 bootlegs of it when I helped out with Kosher Grimace (yes named after a Man Is The Bastard song) video distro and that’s good enough for me.

Listen to more at Myspace.
Buy the Cap’n Jazz Analphabetapolothology at Amazon.
Learn more at Jadetree.

photo from here.

Torches To Rome. Amazing LP. I wish they’d released more. Good to listen to all weekend. I love everything Mike Kirsch touches I guess (Please Inform the Captain This is a Hijack, Baader Brains, Bread and Circuits, Sawhorse, Fuel, Sixteen Bullets, Navio Forge, Colbom,  John Henry West, and anything I might have missed)

“Mike Kirsch started Torches To Rome who were around in 1995-1996 in the Bay Area with the help of Steve Chamberlain, and Aaron Schlive. Mike was once again on guitar and vocals, Steve played bass and sang, and Aaron was on drums. Aaron had formerly been drumming for Portraits of Past, and his style was hard and loud.”

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MP3 >> Torches To Rome – Young Arsenal

Learn more at their Myspace.

Zero Zero was a short lived group by members of the band Lifetime – Dave Palaitis-guitar & vocals, Ari Katz-vocals & drums, and Katz’s wife Tannis Kristjanson (aka Miss TK)-vocals & keyboards. Their first album AM Gold was released in 2001 by Jade Tree Records. They also released a 7″ single in 2006 as well. I love Lifetime so I had to get into this band even though they sound nothing alike.

Honestly I didn’t love the whole record, some great tracks though, but the song below “Back To Hell” is the one standout track for me.

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MP3 >> Zero Zero – “Back To Hell”

Listen to more at Myspace.

Split Lip, (that later became Chamberlain) was a Midwestern Hardcore band that turned into Post Hardcore (what do these terms even mean?) from Indianapolis, Indiana in the mid to late 90′s.

This Flashback made the most sense today because they are playing reunion shows tonight in Louisville w/ Guilt (another reunion), Indianapolis tomorrow (Saturday) and Chicago on Sunday, I wish I was going to them. (Thanks Thommy for the corrections.)

I remember when my friend Brett came over freshman year of high school with Split Lip’s Fates Got A Driver on vinyl, I put it on, and loved it. When their song “Magnetic 62nd” came out on the Anti Matter comp, I think I put it on every mix tape that I made since the late in the late 90′s.

(Just a side note, this is one of the many reasons I ended up working at Doghouse Records and the reason I am where I am today. Weird how everything works out.)

Their full length’s include For The Love Of The Wounded (Split Lip), Fate’s Got a Driver (Split Lip then reissued as Chamberlain),  The Moon, My Saddle, and Exit 263. They also released a few singles and were on a lot of comps.

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Learn more on their Facebook fan page.
Purchase their records at Doghouse. They have a newly released version of Fate’s Got A Driver on white vinyl.
Buy their music digital at Amazon.
Find about a little bit more at Wikipedia.

photo March 18th, 1995 Detroit Michigan by: eight double

San Diego’s Swing Kids existed for a few years during the mid 90′s (See Spock Rock.) Members went on to such noteworthy bands as The Locust, The Crimson Curse, Spanakorzo, Bread and Circuits, Baader Brains, Holy Molar, Head Wound City, Sweep the Leg Johnny, and Some Girls.

I never got to see them or Unbroken so here’s the chance, I hope I can make it. Portraits of Past!

Saturday May 9th 2009 at The Glasshouse in Pamona,CA
Burning Fight Book Release and Benefit Show
Unbroken Swing Kids
Undertow Portraits Of Past
Fast Forward + 1 More band

The show is sold out, but it’s worthy of talking about.

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Find out more on Myspace.

Honestly, the moment I heard the song “Guitar Parts” off the Anti-Matter comp I was hooked. Garden Variety was an amazing band from Long Island, NY. During their time together, the band created two LPs (a self-titled album in 1993 and Knocking the Skill Level in 1994) and several 7″ singles between 1991-1996. The band broke up in the mid-1990s before I had even discovered them and it was hard to get a copy of Knocking The Skill Level. Anthony Roman went on to play bass and sing in Radio 4 and other members went on to Bluetip, Retisonic, and Vic Thrill.

You can get their S/T record that is available digitally at Amazon. Also if you can, try to find Knocking The Skill level somewhere it’s my favorite.

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(MP3)
(New Guitar Parts (Garden Variety split with Jejune 7″) Montalban Hotel Records/BWR 1996)

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(Knocking The Skill Level) Cargo/Headhunter 1995)

Read more at Gern Blansten.

photo by: Ted Drake

This just seemed like the right timing since Three Mile Pilot just played 3 reunion shows this past weekend in San Diego. Why wasn’t I there? I don’t know. Really. Anyhow, Three Mile Pilot was an amazing band from San Diego in the mid to late 90′s. The members later went to form bands Pinback and The Black Heart Procession (among other side projects, Systems Officer etc.) All amazing, just like they were. How good is the bass sound? How did he figure it out? (My friend Dan says they might be officially getting back together. Be on the lookout.)

My favorite record of theirs is Another Desert Another Sea, it’s out of print, so you’ll have to buy it used or borrow a copy from a friend, same with most of their records.

They released:
Nà Vuccà Dò Lupù (1992)
Chief Assassin to the Sinister (1994)
Another Desert, Another Sea (1997)
Three Mile Pilot EP (1998)

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Learn more at the Wiki page.
Listen to more on Myspace.
Watch Youtube videos from the reunion shows.

I discovered Samiam at the same time I discovered Green Day and Screeching Weasel, after I went to Florida with my family in 5th grade. I played in the arcade at the hotel and these 2 vision street wear shorts wearin’ dudes told me about all those bands I should check out. I got home and bought Clumsy by Samiam, Wiggle by Screeching Weasel, and Kerplunk by Green Day. I of course got into all those bands, bought all their records. I even played “2,000 Light Years Away” by Green Day at the 5th grade talent show.

“Part of the Bay Area punk revival of the late ’80s and early ’90s, Samiam specialized in the catchy, anthemic punk-pop typical of the Warped Tour crowd, but separated themselves with a greater debt to hardcore and a more introspective lyrical bent that won over emo audiences. Formed in 1988, most of the band’s founding members had played in other Berkeley-area punk groups: vocalist Jason Beebout had been in Isocracy with bassist Martin Brohm; guitarist Sergie Loobkoff had been a drummer for Sweet Baby Jesus; and second guitarist James Brogan had been in Social Unrest. Drummer Mark Mortinsen — the first of many — completed the charter Samiam lineup, which caused an immediate stir on the Gilman Street punk scene with its local-supergroup pedigree.”

Samiam are still playing music.

Favorite records are Soar and Clumsy. Clumsy is their most fun poppy record.

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(MP3) from Soar

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(MP3) from Clumsy

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(MP3) from Billy

Check out Samiam records on Amazon.
View their Myspace page.

Though usually the Flashback Friday is with bands of the 90′s, I think it’s ok to have an excuse to bring up probably one of the best songs ever, as well as one of the best Talking Heads songs, “This Must Be The Place.”

If you don’t own any Talking Heads yet, you can start with Speaking In Tounges, where this great song is from.

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Purchase Speaking In Tounges at Amazon.
Check out the movies Stop Making Sense and True Stories.
Watch performance of “This Must Be The Place” from Stop Making Sense (via Katie.)
Learn more about Talking Heads at Wikipedia.