Datapaniked in the Year 2005: A Look Back at One of the Best Labels of the 90s
Boys From Nowhere / Two Hour Trip - split 7"
From 1990, where it all began. With two then-current Columbus bands playing covers of Ohio 70s proto-punk classics, this was originally intended to be a give-away with a zine by first Datapanik label-head Craig Regala. Somewhere along the way, the zine was forgotten and a label was born. Boys From Nowhere had been around since at least the mid-80s, putting out a number of solid garage-tinged singles and an album. Their high-energy cover of Mike Rep and the Quota's "Rocket to Nowhere" is in my opinion the best thing they ever did. Chuck Warner of Hyped 2 Death once accurately said that you need to hear this (hi-fi) cover in order to fully appreciate the (lo-fi) original. Two Hour Trip were a pre-Greenhorn, pre-Gaunt band whose only recorded output is this straight-forward, but solid cover of Peter Laughner's "Dear Richard". It seems this record was always hyped to collectors primarily as the label's first release, but it's definitely in the top half musically of the label's output and well worth owning. Scum info: 650 numbered copies, but probably more total pressed since there are 25 numbered promos plus un-numbered ones out there. The xerox covers are usually on white paper, but at least a couple very low-numbered copies are on blue. There's also some slight variations to sleeves, especially on the promo and low-numbered ones, probably because they were made in small batches to start.
