DeKalb-A-Kopia compilation tape

Does anyone have a sleeve for this? I'm not even sure if I ever made standardized artwork for it, or if they were all done by hand or what.

Anyway what we have here is a very very lo-fi (even for here) C60 compilation taken from live shows in DeKalb, Illinois circa roughly late 2001 to late 2002. All the bands featured were DeKalb-based with the exception of They're Like A Union from Peoria, and Princess Sweepstakes, who were from Carbondale at the time. This was all recorded on my once-trusty portable Sony Tapecorder 800B(apparently Richard Nixon had one too).

Ummm, what else? That drunken moron screaming during like every song is probably me. Corduroy Vomit became Horse Parts in case ya didn't know. Scratch & Sniff catalog number 000. And who knows the missing song titles?

download-a-kopia

1. Shuffleplay & The Mutations - Make It Happen
2. Corduroy Vomit - ?
3. They're Like A Union - ??
4. Honkies With Privileges - 6x/y=HWP
5. Holtron - Holtron Theme
6. Fusco - Stranger Days
7. Hilo - Demographically Yours

8. Melony Ether Missing - ???
9. Icarus Syndrome - Foggy Night
10. Princess Sweepstakes - Black Balloon
11. Bicycle Day - Sing Songs
12. Corduroy Vomit - ????
13. Secret People - Mob Action
14. Hilo - Mint Soda
15. Fusco - Dead End Street
16. Shuffleplay & The Mutations - Go Anywhere Refrigerator

Do Something Day (C-47)

Today we delve into Andy Herald's Roll The Film Tape Co. archives for this trippy little one-off, featuring Andy, Elizabeth Hill and Chris Quaid as accompanied by intermittent woodland spectre types. I'm a bit foggy on the details relayed herein but there's a story to it, and it involves the attempts of an enchanted recorder toting mountain lady to bring watery relief to a drought-ridden enclave of bummer riding dwarves. Or something like that? Correct me if I'm wrong.

Dosomethingday!

There Are Seven Of Them CD-r

Thanks to Joe for loan of this!

777777777777777

Napoleon Blownaparte - NO NUKESKI!

Sorry for the relative inactivity of late, but I should have a whole slew of semilost Scratch n' Sniff hodgepodgery up soon. In the meantime here's some more bent attic jams on this Rugburn cassette from NBA circa summer '06. Much more of a paranoid hippy drum circle sort of feel on this one.

NO NUKESKI

1. Chromatic Box Infant
2. Gnawsome Ruffles
3. Blumpet Twerpy
4. A Better Bleat
5. Know Neuski
6. Krypto Killahs
7. Claws Have Claws Have Claws

8. Plum Drastica
9. Congolese Sweetheart
10. Berghoff By Proxy
11. Aaoowwww

new links as of 12/16/08

Shuffleplay, AEP, Secret People, and Mellowflex - Live At 809 Kimberly 7-21-01

Another deep plunge into the Bob Aspatore archives brings us this eclectic DeKalb apartment show from July 21, 2001, with cool sets all around from Shuffleplay & The Mutations, Alternative Education Program, Secret People and Mellowflex. This happened just three weeks before I moved to DeKalb and met any of these folks! So I obviously missed it and can't comment except to say this is quite a treasure as only the Shuffs ever got around to recording any kind of proper album, and this is way earlier in their development anyhoo. The Secret People set came out briefly as a tape on Scratch and Sniff in addition to a demo but AEP and Mellowflex to my knowledge only had some tracks on the Expiramental Musicians Union comp, which i'll probably get up here someday. Anyone got any comments/insights as pertains to any o' this?

Shuffleplay + AEP + Secret People + Mellowflex


Thanks again to Bob!!!

Della Drive - "A History Of Cold Places" + "Odds And Ends" EPs (new links!)

Here are a couple of splendid early EPs from Paul Kim's always evolving Della Drive project. The first DD collection "Odds And Ends" is just that; some countryish pop tunes, some faintly psychedelic instrumentals, a couple of covers and more. The "History Of Cold Places" cassette was one of the first Rugburn Records releases and features imaginitive reworkings of some of Paul's favorite tunes by other DeKalb/Scratch and Sniff folk, circa 2003. A sweet tribute and yet another PK mini-classic.






Odds And Ends cdr

1. Tired In The Head
2. Late Night Shuttle
3. After Dark
4. Sleepy Eyed Beauty
5. The Morning Sun
6. I'm Blue, I'm Lonesome (Bill Monroe Cover)
7. Lets Move To The Country (Smog Cover)
8. Shimmering
9. Good As Gold

A History Of Cold Places C-24

1. I Felt The Pull (written by Jarbaby)
2. Pretty Kitties (written by Elizabeth Hill)
3. Gaurd Of Grace (written by The Variable Why)
4. Coughs And Colds (written by Justin Bailey)
5. The Little Headhunter (written by Little Headhunter)
6. Birds (written by The Icarus Syndrome)
7. The Emerald City (written by Della Drive)

Thanks to Paul for the "History" scans (and music of course) and to Ryan for the yet-more scans!

Robot Monster - Giant's Day

This is Robot Monster's magnum opus(hahaha) concept album recorded July 21st, 2004, with roomies on tour and every inch of the 320 attic boobytrapped by all manner of broke-ass Rube Goldberg-like sound apparatus. Relates the tale of our well-meaning but ill-tempered hero Giant and his unfortunate proficiency with the metal tray. Or something like that. Of course his ass gets so owned by poisonous-flower-wielding plebs and now dutifully fertilizes 216 acres of lush Iklozhen green, with nary a marking or monument to this once-lumbering fellow in sight.

GIANT'S DAY

1. The Bitter North (Stentoip, Beloved Homeland)
2. Exiled And Sent Forth Nearly In Tears!
3. Assailed By Unwelcoming Townsfolk
4. Gray Insides Leaking Out
>5. Brandish The Metal Tray, Giant
6. A Most Terrible Temper Has Been Unleashed Today
7. Sickly Flower Stabs Giant In Heart
8. Lay His Bones In The Pastures Of Iklozhen

Reckless Triumphant cassingle

Sorry to omit the hand doodled cover for this one, but it says these were recorded July/August 04. Pretty sure using one of these little buggers.

Fugitive
Wyoming Fire

The Oracles "Optimus Grimes"

Here is the 2nd and last album by The Oracles. As far as I know it has still only been released on cassette, though a remastered version is said to be in the works. I'll swap links when the time comes, but this is really fantastic already and much deserving of your attention. The basic tracks were recorded at the tail end of their July 2005 tour in Dan Grimes' folks' garage in Cambridge, Wisconsin. The rest was added over the next year or so as time permitted.

The Oracles were:

Ryan TV Green - Drums
Elizabeth Hill - Bass
Andy Herald - Guitar
Nick Sherman - Guitar Trumpet and Casio
Nat Kundanis Grow - Guitar and Violin

everyone sang and probably did lots of other stuff too!



The Oracles - Optimus Grimes

1. Doracita
2. The Body Electric
3. Montana Monsoon
4, Elli
5. Dodododoooodo
6. Cassiasado
7. Run & Hide
8. Zool